"Commander Bai! Commander Bai!" Without much of a knock, a soldier rushed into the office, his feet nearly slipping on the newly polished wood floors.
Looking up from his papers, the thick silver mustache on Bai Han's face twitched.
"What's all this ruckus about?" He grumbled, his wrinkled fingers flipping through pages.
The soldier paused to regain his breath, his entire face flushed. Wiping his forehead with his arm, he lifted a letter in his hand.
"The young miss…she sent…a letter!" He gasped.
At that moment, Bai Han's movements turned stiff. Those sharp silver eyes shot in the soldier's direction, his gaze honed on the letter.
"What are you standing there for? Give it to me!" He abruptly walked around his desk and snatched the letter from the soldier's hand.
Not even bothering to hide his excitement, Bai Han practically tore the letter open, his eyes blazed with light. When he unfolded it and gazed its contents, the expression on his face shifted. On the other side, the soldier watched his commander's face change. He saw the whiskers on his beard raise, and his eyes growing sharper and sharper.
It took only a few seconds for Bai Han to crumple the letter into his fist and rushed out of the office without much as an explanation. Not that the soldier expected one anyway.
"Send a scout to request an audience with the emperor!" Bai Han's voice shouted throughout the halls.
"What's going on?" A fit and sweaty General Guo walked from around the corner, a towel draped around his broad shoulders.
Behind him, equally as sweaty, was Aiguo. The boy's soft, supple skin was still visible, still plump with childhood. His spikey hair was dark and long, tied back with a red ribbon. His face, when he turned to Bai Han, was as serious as a man's.
"See for yourself!" Bai Han passed the crumbled letter to General Guo.
Smoothing the letter, General Guo read it with a set of deep brows. His eyes widened almost immediately.
"Rin…"
The name escaping his lips caused the boy beside him to light up.
"It's from Rin? Let me see it! Did she mention me?" Aiguo jumped up to see the letter's contents, his neck straining.
Ignoring him, General Guo looked at Bai Han with a particular expression. It was unclear what he was thinking.
"Are you going to see the emperor?" He asked.
Bai Han snorted in return. "Of course I am! Do you expect me to leave her alone when she needs us?"
"No, but if this matter is as serious as she claimed…this could spark a war…" General Guo could not hide the concern and distress in his tone.
Bai Han fell silent for a moment. As he said, the matters with the An Clan's army spreading throughout the Western Empire was not a one-time attack. Once they conquered one empire, without a doubt, they would go after another.
Something like this could lead to a war against the An Clan. Already their power had stretched far; any further and the situation would become harder to handle.
Hence as to why Rin contacted them before it was too late.
"She reached out to us because we're her only hope. I'm not going to let her down, not until the day I die! So, fetch my robe and my sword! I'm going to give that emperor a good talk!" Bai Han puffed out his chest and twitched his whiskers, eyes sharper than a blade.
"Are you sure he'll listen?" General Guo's brows raised.
Looking over his shoulder, Bai Han's mouth quirked in a half-smile. "If he doesn't want a certain secret about the little problem he has, I know he'll be all ears."
With a smug expression, Bai Han walked away to prepare for meeting the emperor. Meanwhile, General Guo and Aiguo remained in the hall quietly. Listening to their conversation from the beginning, Aiguo sensed something was wrong. More particularly involving Rin.
"Did something happen with Rin? Is she going to be okay?" Aiguo looked up nervously.
General Guo, his face unreadable, glanced down at the boy. Shifting his gaze back to where Bai Han had left, he sighed heavily.
"It's nothing for you to worry about for now,"
Still not reassured, Aiguo opened his mouth to speak again but closed it once he met General Guo's sharp stare.
"She'll be fine. If you want to help her in the near future, grow to be the person who can stand by her side." General Guo's voice carried no malice or mock, he genuinely wished to help the boy.
Noticing his sincerity, Aiguo stared down at his palms and clenched them. With a strong heart, he nodded his head.
"All right," Aiguo's expression was stern, his eyes filled with clear conviction.
Hiding a smile, General Guo nodded his head with a grunt.
"After you wash, go attend your tutoring. Your teacher should be waiting for you in the study room."
The previous strand of conviction Aiguo held crumbled. However, unable to dispute, he grumbled with hunched shoulders and went to carry out his usual routine.
Watching the boy step away, General Guo sighed and stared down at the letter in his hands. Running his thumb over the last sentence on the paper, his usual cold gaze went soft. A smile made its way on his lips.
[To grandfather and Uncle Guo, your foolish, selfish, and troublesome granddaughter misses you. I hope to see you soon, Rin]
Folding the letter and placing it in the pocket of his pants, General Guo chuckled to himself.
"We will meet again soon…"