“General?” Qiu Chen called out twice. Seeing that Bai Heting did not reply, and not daring to rashly disturb his thoughts, he could only wait quietly to the side.
A moment later, Bai Heting finally snapped back to reality. He gathered the investigation reports submitted by the guard regiment, stacked them neatly, set them aside, and rose from behind the desk.
Only then did Qiu Chen speak again, “General, the horse is ready.”
Bai Heting nodded and took two steps forward but suddenly stopped. Turning back, he picked up a bright red jujube from the silver platter on the desk and popped it into his mouth to taste it.
It was crisp and sweet, almost comparable to the tributes sent to the royal palace.
“Are there more of these in the orchard?”
Bai Heting had a sweet tooth, and the fruits and vegetables cultivated in the orchard were all premium varieties meticulously selected. Qiu Chen did not think much of it, assuming the fruit had simply caught the general’s fancy, and answered readily, “There should be. It happens to be the harvesting season for jujubes right now.”
“Mm.” Bai Heting dropped the red jujube back onto the platter. “Have people pick some more and distribute them for everyone to eat.”
“Yes,” Qiu Chen replied, but suddenly froze. “Everyone?”
The general had never concerned himself with such trivial matters before. Worried that he might have misunderstood, Qiu Chen couldn’t help but confirm, “Do you mean… distribute them to the people in the estate?”
“Otherwise?” Feeling that he was asking nothing but stupid questions, Bai Heting countered, “Did you want to distribute them to people outside the estate?”
*
The gilded sculpture at the end of the tree-lined avenue gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. Bai Heting crossed the palace gardens and stepped into the grand and luxurious Lysandra Palace.
Bai Yi was not seated on the high throne in the council hall. Instead, he wore casual robes and sat in a sturdy wooden armchair with several familiar members of the Privy Council gathered around him.
Yesterday morning, a new resolution had just been passed here; several Red Bishops, chosen through layers of selection, would enter the military to provide daily religious services for the soldiers.
Shao Cheng’s public stance on religion had always been ambiguous, and since this was something Bai Yi had nodded and agreed to, he naturally would not say a single word against it. Damasen’s naval strength was extremely weak, and the naval commander had little say in state affairs, so he cooperated fully.
It was only when it came to Bai Heting’s territory that the two bishops, who had been granted the rank of lieutenant colonel by the king, were barred outside the military camp gates by a few ordinary sentries.
One of those bishops was currently sitting in the hall.
Bai Heting’s gaze swept lightly across his face. Judging by his expression, he had probably just launched a verbal crusade moments ago.
He dropped to one knee and paid his respects to Bai Yi.
Bai Yi remained silent, so Bai Heting remained kneeling. In the end, it was Shao Cheng who broke the awkward, tense silence, “I heard General Bai has been indisposed these past few days. I wonder if you are feeling better.”
Bai Heting kept his head lowered and replied simply, “It is no longer a major issue.”
When an elder inquired about his health, he did not offer even a single word of gratitude. The bishop had long heard rumors of Bai Heting’s arrogance and rudeness, but he had never expected him to be insolent to such a degree. He let out a cold laugh, his anger flaring even hotter, “General Bai has truly trained a fine bunch of soldiers. They even dare to openly defy His Majesty’s orders.”
“They were merely following orders,” Bai Heting said flatly. “After the ambush at the hunting grounds last time, I instructed them to heighten security. Unless I give the consent, no one is permitted to step a single foot into the military camp.” Once he finished speaking, he bowed his head even lower, his tone turning solemn. “I failed to consider things thoroughly when I gave that order. The moment I learned of it, I came at once to seek Your Majesty’s forgiveness. I have absolutely no intention of defying Your Majesty.”
“Immediately?” Seeing him talk such blatant nonsense, the bishop couldn’t help but stand up. “It clearly happened yesterday!”
“Yesterday… it was indeed inconvenient for me to handle official business,” Bai Heting said, his expression unchanged. “The Pope only recently stated that using suppressants is an act against the divine will, so this time, I gave it a try without them.”
He spoke tactfully, but everyone present understood perfectly.
“I truly did not expect that it would delay serious matters.”
“You…” The other party had never expected him to throw out this particular excuse, yet he found himself entirely unable to pick a flaw in it. For a moment, his fire was extinguished.
“Rise,” Bai Yi said, unwilling to listen to the two bicker any longer, and waved his hand at Bai Heting. “Find a seat.”
Only then did Bai Heting stand up and sit in the chair left for him.
Bai Yi asked again, “How is the investigation regarding the matter regarding the autumn hunt going?”
Bai Heting reported, “So far, we have uncovered the identities of two individuals; both were small merchants scraping a living in the city. One of them was married with a family, but his family vanished without a trace long before we arrived. According to people who knew them, both individuals suddenly became flush with cash before the incident. They likely received an unexpected fortune.”
It was a completely unremarkable answer. Bai Yi gave a simple “Mm.”
“What is peculiar,” Bai Heting continued, “is that this time, I was lured to a secluded spot by a leopard. However, the leader of the group had also been spotted by someone in the hunting grounds before. The timing is quite a coincidence—it was exactly two years ago, right when the Chief Justice was attacked by a leopard.”
At the mention of Zheng Yunshang’s attack, the hall instantly fell dead silent.
Bai Yi’s brow furrowed tightly.
Zheng Yunshang immediately picked up the conversation, “Back then, the incident happened so suddenly that I lost consciousness very quickly. If only my skills were even a tenth of General Bai’s…” He let out a soft sigh, saying with regret, “I wouldn’t have suffered that ordeal in vain, unable to provide even a single valuable clue.”
He truly hadn’t given a single valuable clue. Bai Heting did not take his bait either, continuing instead, “In other words, over the past two years, this group of people has been able to enter and leave the royal hunting grounds with complete impunity. They knew the route I took to the camp, and they were familiar with my hunting habits, which was precisely why I ordered stricter security within the military.” He paused for a beat, choosing his words with care. “My personal safety is a small matter, but having dissidents infiltrate the military is a grave one.”
The bishop managed to catch a hint of an underlying meaning from this long speech.
“Dissidents?” He raised his voice, clearly on the verge of losing his temper. “By bringing these two matters up together, what exactly are you implying, General Bai?”
“The Bishop is overthinking; I have no intention of drawing comparisons between these two matters,” Bai Heting said flatly. “But since we are on the subject… Your Majesty, martial practitioners are simple-minded by nature. My soldiers already have their own faith. If we present them with too many choices, I truly fear they will no longer be able to tell which one they are meant to believe in.”
He was quite different today compared to his usual self. Intrigued, Bai Yi looked at him and asked, “What is it that your soldiers believe in?”
Bai Heting answered earnestly, “To die in battle for the King.”
Bai Yi froze for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh.
Shao Cheng also offered a small smile. “The way General Bai puts it makes it sound as though our own soldiers aren’t simple enough.”
Bai Yi glanced at him and waved his sleeve dismissively. “He has never known how to speak properly. Don’t lower yourself to a child’s level.”
“I have one other concern,” Bai Heting continued. “Everyone under my command, from the officers down to the cooks, must strictly follow the military schedule; eating, sleeping, and training together with the soldiers. I fear that if the Lord Bishop enters my camp, he will have little strength left to serve the Lord.”
Bai Heting was famously ruthless when it came to training troops. The moment these words left his mouth, the bishop’s expression instantly turned unsightly. Finding himself caught between a rock and a hard place, he couldn’t find a response for the longest time.
Yet, contrary to his usual behavior, Bai Yi rashly made the final call, “There is some truth to that. It happens to offer a perfect comparison with the cavalry and the navy to observe the effects.” Having said that, he shifted the topic, looking toward Shao Cheng. “I heard there is unrest over in Urdan?”
“It was merely remnants, they won’t amount to anything,” Shao Cheng said dismissively. “My son has already gone to handle it.”
Bai Yi nodded. Ignoring the bishop’s complicated expression of wanting to speak but hesitating, he said to everyone, “Then it is settled. You may all be dismissed.”
As everyone rose to leave, he called out to Bai Heting specifically, telling him, “You stay.”
Bai Heting watched them leave the council hall amidst whispered conversations.
Bai Yi stood up and paced around the hall for a few steps. Once only the guards and Bai Heting remained in the room, he sat down beside him and said with a smile, “You don’t seem quite like yourself today, your tongue is unusually sharp.”
With his eyes lowered and head slightly bowed, Bai Heting replied respectfully, “They were merely my honest words from the heart.”
Bai Yi dazed for a moment.
From this angle, Bai Heting looked far too much like Luo Wanyin.
He closed his eyes and said in a low voice, “Jiashu told me about your ordeal during the autumn hunt. You are getting older; going on like this is not a solution. How about I pick someone with a gentle personality for you, someone easy to control…”
Bai Heting shook his head. “Easy for me to control naturally means easy for others to control as well.”
Seeing how clear-headed he was, Bai Yi couldn’t help but sigh.
What a pity he was an Omega.
If only Bai Jiashu had even half of his…
“I have long since decided that I will never marry in this lifetime.” Bai Heting kept his eyes downcast, his tone calm and composed. “Once an Omega is marked, they will inevitably be constrained by another person.”
He paused between each word, speaking with utmost solemnity. “I will not give anyone the chance to exploit me, nor will I allow anyone to influence my decisions.”
