Bai Yousi finally gave a cold laugh, then turned and went inside with her longsword cradled in her arms.
Zhang Xing and Qian Tang dared not delay and immediately followed.
Through the main gate stood an enormous stone sculpture of the Mountain-Splitting Lord and the Sea-Averting Lord together. Beyond it, the view suddenly opened onto a vast courtyard, with a stone-paved road like a street running down the middle. Polearms similar to the long halberds outside the gate stood on either side. Farther out, beneath the covered walkways along the walls, were bows, crossbows, and shorter weapons.
Among those coming and going were stewards in brocade, young servants in blue, and some sturdy middle-aged women, but most were burly men in plain cloth. All bowed and greeted Bai Yousi respectfully when they saw her.
Meanwhile, from farther off on either side came the faint clash of weapons and the snap of bows and crossbows. Having stayed here for several days before, Zhang Xing knew perfectly well that the practice grounds and shooting ranges lay on both sides, with the burly men's quarters farther out. He himself had once stayed in a courtyard attached to those quarters.
These were typical Household Generals and Household Soldiers-and legally sanctioned ones at that. There were around five hundred altogether, accumulated through successive great military achievements in accordance with the military traditions of Pillar of the State generals, ever since Bai Yousi's father, Bai Hengqiu, had received his title in his early years... And that figure of five hundred was already on a par with the ducal household inherited by Bai Yousi's elder uncle.
And now, at forty-six or forty-seven, this Marquis of Ji'an had entered the Southern Office.
One could only say that a person's fortunes really... really did have to be won through