Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Chapter 355: Borrowing Momentum_1

The Eldest Princess’s hands paused on the Buddha beads. She opened her eyes and looked at Bai Qingyan, "As for Li Mao, don’t worry... With your grandmother here, you can return to Shuoyang and handle the clan’s affairs without concern."

The most important thing was that the Eldest Princess determined that Li Mao did not have the courage or ability at this moment to directly take harsh action against the Bai family, catching them off guard, and putting the Bai family in a deadly position.

Li Mao was naturally cautious and would surely test the waters before taking action. However, if Li Mao intended to test, he likely wouldn’t choose a time when Bai Qingyan was absent. After all, it was Bai Qingyan who would confront Li Mao, not someone else.

"But this time, let Wei Zhong accompany you!" The Eldest Princess looked at Bai Qingyan solemnly. "Wei Zhong is from the palace. With him by your side, the clan members will be more cautious."

"Let Wei Zhong stay with grandmother!" Bai Qingyan refused decisively. "If Li Mao takes action, the only ones grandmother can rely on are Nanny Jiang and Wei Zhong. If Wei Zhong follows me to Shuoyang, I won’t be at ease here in Dadu."

Seeing that the Eldest Princess was about to say something, Bai Qingyan spoke first, "Grandmother, don’t worry. Dealing with the Shuoyang clan members won’t require much effort! If the clan members are unwilling to eliminate those lawless rogues and to replace the clan leader, then I can only apologize to the ancestors and leave the clan! The Shuoyang Bai clan still relies on the Bai family in Dadu; they won’t disobey."

The Eldest Princess nodded. "Tell your mother to make preparations, and go ahead! This matter should be dealt with sooner rather than later. You should set out today."

"I fear I can’t leave today. I plan to visit the Crown Prince shortly and inform him." Bai Qingyan spoke softly.

Since the world believed Bai Qingyan was the Crown Prince’s ally, why couldn’t she leverage the Crown Prince’s influence?

Previously, the counselors around the Crown Prince had widely publicized her burning and killing of captives to ensure that when she was condemned by everyone, the Crown Prince could extend a helping hand, making her grateful and loyal to him thereafter.

Now that she was presenting the Crown Prince a chance to extend a hand, demonstrating trust and not hiding her family scandals, how could the Crown Prince not assist her?

If she told the Crown Prince that the clan members slandered her with illicit relations with him, used his name to oppress and harm in Shuoyang, and that she dealt with the clan harshly to avoid tarnishing his reputation, would the Crown Prince’s counselor, Mr. Fang, not suggest that the Crown Prince send someone with her, seizing the opportunity to gain a good reputation among Shuoyang’s people for the Crown Prince?

She purposely chose to depart on the 24th to allow enough time for the Crown Prince and his advisors to investigate and discuss.

Most importantly, Bai Qingyan hoped the Crown Prince would see the filthy behavior of the Shuoyang Bai clan and relay it to the Emperor, letting him know that Bai Qingyan’s return to Shuoyang was also challenging. It wasn’t a situation where she could have everything her way. She wanted the Crown Prince and the Emperor to understand what the Shuoyang Bai clan had done over the years and how low their reputation was among the people.

Thus, when bandit problems became frequent, and the court was overwhelmed, Bai Qingyan would begin training people to suppress bandits, leading the Emperor and the Crown Prince to believe she was doing it to restore the Bai clan’s reputation in Shuoyang. Perhaps even making the Crown Prince think she was doing this to salvage his reputation.

Moreover, when local officials in Shuoyang saw the Crown Prince’s concern for the Bai family’s private affairs, how could they oppose her in the future?

The Eldest Princess understood Bai Qingyan’s intention and nodded. If someone arranged by the Crown Prince accompanied her, she could leverage the Crown Prince’s influence, making Bai Qingyan’s journey much smoother. However, the Eldest Princess could never have imagined that Bai Qingyan was already planning training troops for the future.

Leaving the Eldest Princess’s Changshou Courtyard, Bai Qingyan took Lu Ping to the Crown Prince’s residence.