"Have a seat, Senior Official." Yaotian's expression was twisted as she said this. Her face was filled with anxiety at first, but she didn't know where to begin when seeing Gui Changqing came in. She sat up straight and looked at him in the eye, asking, "It seems that Dong Lin's army will be finished assembling soon, meaning that Prince Consort will be hurrying to the border in a few days. Are all resource preparations complete? Have people been sent to check the most important resource, food?"

"All preparations are complete." Gui Changqing was used to doing such things and had promptly prepared everything. Even though he was listening to Yaotian's questions, his eyes missed nothing. He replied carefully and saw that Yaotian was just nodding absently. Hearing enough, she didn't ask for any more.

No one understood the Princess' personality more than Gui Changqing, and the people in the Royal Residence had told him about the Princess' return from the Prince Consort Residence last night. He immediately guessed what she was thinking and changed the topic, "I will make sure, with all my ability, that there are enough resources at the border so that the Prince Consort will not have to worry about them. It's just...when is the Prince Consort heading to the front lines?"

Yaotian brooded over for a while before sighing. "I thought for a long time about Gui Changqing's words last night. Yes, I must worry about both the present and the future, but it seems that the present worries are much more scary than future considerations."

Gui Changqing asked, "Princess has already met Bai Pingting?"

"Correct."

"What kind of person is she?" Even though Gui Changqing was wise with age, he couldn't help be a little curious.

The chaotic world with low morals should have been the word of men.

Soldiers and horses, heads of the executed, all that scattered blood and the fame, achievements that came with it were supposed to be in their hands.

Women, if they were born into noble families their real power, came after a union in marriage to someone suited of their rank. If they were peerless beauties, then they would become the legends that drifted around the heroes during troubled times.

Bai Pingting was the only exception.

She was born a maid, had an ordinary face, yet repeatedly changed the power distribution of the four countries. She had created Gui Le's five year truce, won the battle of Kanbu in Bei Mo and even the imminent battle between Dong Lin and Yun Chang was complicatedly related to her.

"What kind of person is she?" It seemed that Yaotian wasn't sure of the answer herself. Her very delicate eyebrow furrowed slightly, trying to recall the Bai Pingting she had seen yesterday and remained deep in thought, before saying, "The feeling you get when with Bai Pingting is very hard to describe. I'll put it this way, when I first saw Bai Pingting, I suddenly felt that all of the varied praises about her were real. Indeed, she seemed like the woman who had ordered troops and challenged Chu Beijie in the battle of Bei Mo. I felt that she had the soldiers' approval, not just the command flag. For someone to stand up to Chu Beijie so equally matched on the battlefield is something truly unbelievable, but when you see Bai Pingting, even that seems completely normal like water filling its container. You think it's something she had done, did."

Gui Changqing didn't let go of any traces of expression on Yaotian's face. He lowered his voice, "Does Princess think that if a woman like Bai Pingting was severely hurt by a man, she would ever forgive him?"

"Hurt?" A little bit of suspicion leaked into Yaotian's eyes, "Why hurt?"

"For something else, he broke their promise and did not return in time, resulting her being forced to Yun Chang."

"Chu Beijie?"

"Correct."

Yaotian asked incredulously, "Why did Senior Official suddenly mention this?"

"I have already sent someone to ask around the Prince Consort Residence about the context of Bai Pingting's arrival. From what I see, Bai Pingting has lost her faith in Chu Beijie, and as long as Bai Pingting doesn't forgive Chu Beijie, then Chu Beijie will forever feel hatred towards the Royal House of Dong Lin."

Yaotian's thoughts were not on Chu Beijie. She faintly asked, "Was that not the intention of the alliance with Bei Mo?"

It seemed that after a problem was about to be solved, another vexing problem had appeared. Which was more dangerous, having Bai Pingting by Chu Beijie or He Xia's side?

Gui Changqing smiled gently, murmuring, "Princess, Bai Pingting is now useless."

Yaotian studied Gui Changqing's expression and was surprised. Her voice was nervous, "Senior Official means..." She stretched out her hand and lightly made a gesture.

"Absolutely not." Gui Changqing shook his head. "If Bai Pingting dies, then Chu Beijie will rabidly lead his soldiers to attack my Yun Chang. It will become a war without rest. Not to mention...does Princess know where the Prince Consort slept last night? And his whereabouts right now?"

Yaoting was secretly alarmed by what she heard. Her face calmed down, "Did he not sleep at the Prince Consort Residence?"

"From my reports from the Prince Consort Residence, the Prince Consort stayed and slept in Bai Pingting's room, according to the maid that came with Bai Pingting from Dong Lin."

Yaotian's expression became incredibly twisted. She abruptly got up and took several deep breaths towards the window. She took several moments to recover before murmuring, "Continue."

"The Prince Consort is not dealing with military affairs today. He is staying in his residence to draw a portrait of Pingting."

Yaotian's heart seemed to be attached to its final stems. Her fingers tightly gripped the windowsill. With enough force to make her joints completely white, her sharp nails left several deep marks on its carved wood.

She drew a long breath, raised her hand and stared at her now-damaged, long, pink fingernails that had been well maintained for such a long time. She sighed, "If Bai Pingting died, not only Chu Beijie would go crazy, but the Prince Consort would too." Her voice became freezing cold, "Can Senior Official think of a plan for me? Chu Beijie is pressing for war, while Bai Pingting is in the Prince Consort's Residence. What can I do to not severe my ties with the Prince Consort?"

"I have a very simple method that can solve all problems."

"Oh?" Yaotian turned towards him, looking at the extremely confident Gui Changqing.

Gui Changqing gave her a small smile of wisdom and cleared his throat. "Please allow me to outline the plan to Princess. Chu Beijie was crazed by lust and forcefully stole the Prince Consort's maid. The Prince Consort had always cherished Bai Pingting and refused to let any harm come to her hence he plotted to bring Bai Pingting to Yun Chang. Our Yun Chang has not done anything wrong, correct?"

Yaotian thought for a moment and understood some of his intention. She nodded, "Bai Pingting was a maid of the Jing-An Ducal Residence and the Marquess of Jing-An saved her from the clutches of the Duke of Zhen-Bei which is perfectly normal. Our Yun Chang has done nothing wrong, so Dong Lin has no reason to send out troops."

Gui Changqing secretly praised her wit and adoringly looked at her, continuing, "Princess you are wrong. Regardless if there is a reason or not, as long as Bai Pingting is in our hands, Chu Beijie would definitely send out his troops.

Realisation flashed in Yaotian's eyes. "You mean...we must not have Bai Pingting in our hands?"

"Yes. The Prince Consort went to save Bai Pingting, not to harm Bai Pingting. And what excuse would Chu Beijie have to declare war with if Bai Pingting wasn't in Yun Chang?"

"We can free Bai Pingting when the Prince Consort leaves?" Yaotian thought for a while and shook her head. "Impossible, we had wasted a significant amount of military power in acquiring Bai Pingting from Dong Lin. How could we just free her like that? Not to mention, if the Prince Consort knew, he would undoubtedly be furious."

"As long as Bai Pingting does not return to Chu Beijie's side, then the military power Yun Chang used to threaten Dong Lin's borders will not be wasted." Gui Changqing was indeed wise and thought carefully about everything. "Bai Pingting begged Princess to let her go. Doesn't the Prince Consort cherish her a lot and treats her like his own sister? No one can possibly blame Princess for pitying her after listening. Remember, Princess, the reason offered why the Prince Consort asked to use the army was to sever the ties between Chu Beijie and the Royal House. Now that the original goal has been reached, what other reason does the Prince Consort have to force Bai Pingting to stay? Did he have other intentions in mind when asking Princess to use the troops? It can't be that my Yun Chang's spent so much national strength to just let the Prince Consort steal a single woman off Chu Beijie?"

Each word was harsher than the last as ifreflecting Yaotian's mind. Yaotian took it in with delight and revealed asmile. "Senior Official is right; the Yun Chang army was mobilised for the goodof the country and was definitely not used to allow the Prince Consort to steala woman from Chu Beijie. If the Prince Consort blames Bai Pingting's departureon me, then how could he explain to my Yun Chang's generals?