The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1168 - 1147: Speculation

Chapter 1168: Chapter 1147: Speculation

Bai Shan glanced at the envelope, which bore both his and Manbao’s names, and handed the letter, which was clearly written by Bai Erlang, to Manbao, then he himself sat cross-legged on the kang and opened another letter.

This was a letter written by Yin Huo to them, totaling five pages, but it still paled in comparison to Bai Erlang’s, which was a thick stack. When unfolded, it was still considerably thick, and Manbao counted twelve pages.

As she unfolded and started to read the letter, she took a long time without finishing it, and seeing that Bai Shan had finished the other letter and was deep in thought, she put aside Bai Erlang’s letter and asked, "Who wrote it?"

Bai Shan handed her the letter and said, "Yin Huo wrote it, mentioning that in July, due to his three sisters blocking our way and sending people to cause trouble at Jishi Hall, an imperial censor impeached his father. A few days later, his father was sent out to conduct inspections."

Bai Shan said, "He suspects his father was sent to mobilize troops."

Manbao widened her eyes.

Fearing eavesdroppers, Bai Shan lowered his voice, so much so that even Xiang Chao nearby couldn’t clearly hear what they were discussing.

But seeing that they started whispering to each other after opening the letters, knowing they were guarding against other people in the prison, although eager to know, he refrained from saying anything.

Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "He mentioned that his sisters and brothers-in-law had caused trouble before, and although the imperial censors impeached them, the blame mostly fell on my brothers-in-law. Even if the father was scolded, at most he would just file a rebuttal. After dragging it out for a month or two, the matter would mostly be dismissed, not a serious issue."

"But like in July, it was the first time the Emperor directly ordered his father to go on an inspection," Bai Shan whispered. "Yesterday night, he quietly asked the servant who recently brought the family letters of safety to seek out the messenger’s family, and found out his father sends a letter home every ten days without fail. Upon inquiry, all were from Youzhou."

Manbao blinked and asked in a low voice, "Are they planning to deploy troops from Youzhou?"

Bai Shan shook his head and thought carefully before saying, "Yin Huo reported that this might be a diversion. I think so as well. If the Emperor really sent Yin Li early to mobilize troops, it should be from Minzhou or Songzhou, which are more convenient than Youzhou."

Bai Shan pondered for a moment then said, "However, Songzhou is too close to Maozhou, and since the Prince of Yizhou has control even over Suizhou, it’s likely he didn’t miss Songzhou. If I were the Emperor, I would dispatch troops from Minzhou, which would be safer."

Manbao said, "Those who left in July should have arrived in August, and even if they march slowly, they should reach Yizhou by early September."

Bai Shan whispered, "The troops in Minzhou still have to guard against Tubo, they must make arrangements before leaving, and marching requires provisions. It’s not easy for the Emperor to bypass the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, especially since September is the Empress Dowager’s birthday. I think the Emperor intended to ensure a good birthday for the Empress Dowager."

He continued, "Wasn’t he completely unhurried when we first entered the capital? It was only after the clash between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince that he thought of diverting the disaster elsewhere."

Bai Shan said, "I guess, he originally intended to make a move in October or November."

Manbao quickly understood, "At that time, the Prince of Yizhou should have left the capital to return to Yizhou, but he didn’t go; the road went uncommunicated. He cut off the Prince of Yizhou’s retreat route directly, and upon entering Yizhou City he was caught. Furthermore, Yin Li captured the Prince of Yizhou inside Yizhou City, even possibly executing him. With the Empress Dowager unable to reach that far, resistance would be much smaller."

Bai Shan nodded, whispering, "We would also be a lot safer. Moreover, in October and November, it should be snowing in Tubo, and these past years the relations have been fairly good. With the cold freezing weather, it’s unlikely they’d wage war, and a tight border with relaxed internal control could confuse them for a month or two without any issue."

Manbao clenched her teeth, "All caused by the Crown Prince and the Third Prince."

Bai Shan said, "Partly due to the provocation by the Prince of Yizhou, but it’s also true that the Third Prince is very ambitious. Listening to the discussions among those schoolmates in the National Academy, the Crown Prince and Third Prince have had numerous conflicts over the past two years. Despite being from the same mother, their relationship has always been bad."

Manbao curiously asked, "What about two years ago?"

"Before then, relations were still good. Although the Crown Prince was strict, he treated his siblings well. However, despite being married for many years, the Crown Prince had no children, not even a daughter. Two years ago, the Third Prince had his first son. Technically, he should have taken his fief after getting married, but the Emperor favored him and didn’t let him go. Initially, the Crown Prince didn’t see it as a problem, but..."

Bai Shan looked up at Manbao and said softly, "Human hearts change, do you know that?"

Having read many history books and quite a few unofficial historical narratives collected by Keke, she certainly understood. She quickly pinpointed the problem.

"The Crown Prince felt inferior and became unsettled first. The Third Prince’s ambitions were too great; he trapped his own elder brother and parents, dragging us into the mess as well. Then the Emperor loves this and that—how can he be an emperor and expect to keep everything perfectly balanced?"

Bai Shan nodded. "Exactly, he’s the Emperor, how can he think about keeping everything perfectly balanced? Does he really want to divide the realm and equally share it among his legitimate children?"

Manbao clenched her teeth for a moment, but this was a matter for those higher up. Although they were affected, knowing wouldn’t help them resolve anything.

Manbao looked at Bai Shan, "So what do we do?"

"Now that we’re all in jail, it depends on how quickly Yin Li acts. If he’s quick, not only us, but the two of them might also get out of jail to survive the winter."

They glanced at the letter sent by Yin Li, took it to the stove, and burned it. The letter revealed too much and speculated on too many secrets which must not be leaked.

Xiang Chao, seeing this, quickly asked, "Whose letter is that, and what was written?"

Manbao took out Bai Erlang’s letter to look at it again, while Bai Shan replied, "A friend’s, discussing the situation at court. He meant to help, but we were worried that leaking it could cause trouble for his family, so we burned it."

Manbao nodded.

Bai Erlang’s letter contained a lot of information. He originally planned to come personally, but his family prevented him.

The family matriarch said his visit would be useless. Xiang Chang needed to check on the Xiang Family’s situation, to put Madam Xiang’s mind at ease. After all, now that the three families have formed an alliance, only one from each house could leave.

So, someone from the Zhou Family must also go, only willing to be at ease upon seeing Manbao safe in person.

In the Bai Family’s case, the family matriarch felt that Daji was more reliable than Bai Erlang. She also could mainly check the conditions inside the jail, which is why Bai Erlang was pressed down both times.

Even the letter, she was reluctant to pass it on, but Bai Erlang wasn’t foolish; he directly sorted out Bai Shan’s books and slipped the letter among them.

Bai Erlang stated that he had organized all the writings in Bai Shan’s study, and he would also take good care of Manbao’s plants and flowers. He asked for leave from Jishi Hall, and he couldn’t continue attending school, nor could his elder brother, as unfamiliar people had been loitering outside their house since this morning.

However, Bai Erlang was not entirely idle. He planned to join forces with Yin Huo, gathering their well-aligned classmates to act quickly as soon as the evidence was confirmed, then approach Libationer Kong to demand their release from jail.