Chapter 3: Turmoil at the Bai Mansion

She galloped wildly along the way; since she had nowhere else to go, she had no choice but to return to the Bai Estate first.

However, when she knocked on the gates of the Bai Estate with her blood-soaked body, she never expected things to turn out this way.

Master Bai, who used to kneel and kowtow to her while calling her "Empress Majesty" whenever he saw her, seemed to have just returned from court. Dressed in official robes, he looked imposing and majestic—especially when he saw her, and the words he spoke.

"You wretched creature, you actually dare to come back? Someone, seize her!" His voice was cold and detached, as if he hadn't seen her injuries at all.

Her body, already suffering from excessive blood loss, was nearly on the verge of collapse. Facing the complex expressions of the approaching servants, she felt a sense of helplessness in her heart. Had she known it would be like this, why would she have chosen to return to the Bai Estate?

"Let go, I can walk by myself," she said coldly. The servants who had prepared to grab her actually stood beside her with a hint of fear, unable to tell if it was because of her expression or her body covered in wounds.

The Drawing Room.

She looked at the circle of people seated around the room, while she stood in the center. Her peripheral vision swept over those sitting; besides the First Madam, there were several powder-painted concubines. Master Bai certainly enjoyed a life of many beauties.

When her gaze landed on a woman in a yellow robe, the woman's expression shifted repeatedly the moment she saw her, as if she had seen a ghost. This woman definitely had problems.

Sitting next to the woman in yellow was a man in brown clothing. From the moment she entered, a cryptic smile had been playing on the corners of his mouth. On his right thumb, he wore a deep purple jade ring, which he habitually rotated every few moments.

She had stayed in the palace for quite some time and was highly skilled at reading people. Every daughter of the Bai family bore a cinnabar butterfly mark, which was why she had come to the Bai Estate without hesitation.

She had intended to use the Bai Estate to recover from her injuries, but not only was no one attending to her wounds, but everyone treated her with such indifference.

In the expressions of the crowd, she saw only mockery, pity, ridicule, and the fleeting panic on the face of the woman in the yellow robe.

Questions flashed through her mind. Since she was a daughter of the Bai family, why did everyone treat her this way? Furthermore, she had been thrown into a mass grave. Master Bai clearly didn't know about this; could it be that this body had been targeted by someone?

While she was still pondering, "Kneel!" Master Bai commanded sternly. The atmosphere was solemn. Looking at the setup, it wasn't an attitude of concern for a missing daughter, but rather a merciless judgment.

In the past, others had knelt before her, but now she was being forced to kneel. Naturally, she felt some displeasure. Having lost too much blood, her face was already pale, but she didn't even knit her brows.

With an air of pride, she stood her ground. The crowd felt that while her appearance remained unchanged, her very essence had been replaced by an unyielding spirit.

She stood in the center. Although she had applied pressure to her acupoints to stop the bleeding, her body still throbbed with intense pain. Enduring the agony, she straightened her body and said clearly, "I have done nothing wrong. Why should I kneel?" As soon as Bai Jiuqing spoke these words, the people around her gasped.

A person who had always been timid and dared not even lift her head—what had happened to her today? She actually dared to talk back? Some people instinctively looked toward the window, wondering if the sun had risen in the west.

Master Bai was clearly startled by her retort. He slammed the table violently and barked angrily, "Presumptuous! This trip has certainly made your wings grow strong, daring to talk back to me! Someone, force this rebellious daughter to kneel!"

As he spoke, two burly servants stepped forward from behind. If this were before, she could have killed these two with a flick of her finger, but now, not only was she devoid of martial arts, but she was also clearly unable to do so due to her injuries.

She swept a glance at the two of them, her eyes as cold as snow. "You dare." At that moment, a chilling aura radiated from her, making the two men freeze in their tracks. They stared at each other, seemingly at a loss for what to do.

"What are you standing there for? If she won't kneel, break her legs and see if she kneels then!" Master Bai was so angry his beard trembled. In this household, he was the authority, and who would dare challenge it?

Although her wretched state was still visible—though she had stopped the bleeding at her shoulder, it was still stained with blood—wasn't she just an unfavored concubine's daughter? If her legs were broken, he could simply support her for the rest of her life. He wanted everyone to know who called the shots in this house.

She sighed inwardly. Fortunately, this man was not her biological father; otherwise, she would have died of heartbreak long ago. Having received Master Bai's order, the two servants regained their confidence.

"Forgive us, Second Miss." The two leaned down to press against her shoulders.

"Who wants to break Xiaoqing'er's legs?" Just as the atmosphere turned tense, a raspy, elderly female voice came from the doorway. Everyone froze upon hearing it.

She turned her head to see an elderly woman with white hair standing at the entrance. She was dressed simply but held a nine-headed snake staff. Her face was full of wrinkles, yet her complexion was excellent.

Two young maids stood beside her. The maids had intended to help her in, but she had brushed off their assistance and walked in with a commanding presence. *What a stubborn old lady,* Jiuqing thought to herself.

"Cough... Mother, the wind is strong outside. Why aren't you chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall? Why have you come here? If you catch a chill, it will be a sin," Master Bai, who had just been fuming, immediately softened his expression upon seeing her. Others either bowed or made room for her.

It was the Old Madam of the Bai family. Turning her head, Jiuqing looked toward her, and the Old Madam happened to be looking back. The Old Madam swept a cold glance over the crowd but did not sit down. Instead, she walked up to Jiuqing and slammed her snake staff onto the ground.

With a voice full of vigor, she said, "Who was it just now that wanted to break my Xiaoqing'er's legs? See if I don't crack their bones!" The old woman turned to look and saw that Jiuqing's clothes were tattered, and her already filthy garments were stained with much blood.

"Xiaoqing'er, what happened to you? How did you sustain such serious injuries? Tell Grandmother quickly, who hurt you?" The old woman's eyes were filled with concern.

The others remained silent. In truth, the most authoritative person in this house was this Old Madam Bai; it was an undisputed fact that Master Bai showed her filial piety.

Seeing the Old Madam's furious appearance, which did not seem fake, Jiuqing felt a sense of relief. In this Bai Estate, there was finally one person standing on her side.

However, this old lady was quite interesting. Even though she knew the person speaking was her son, she deliberately made him lose face. Sure enough, she watched as Master Bai repeatedly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Grandmother, my injuries are not serious. It's just that now that I have returned from the brink of death, this so-called father of mine is intent on driving me to my grave. Had I known it would be like this, why would I have cherished this family and insisted on returning? It would have been cleaner to just die in the mass grave so as not to offend everyone's eyes." Jiuqing's words were laced with thorns; she sensed something had happened and followed the thread of the conversation.

Upon hearing her words, the sweat on Master Bai's forehead poured even more heavily as he repeatedly apologized, "Mother, I was only trying to scare Jiuqing. Please, don't take it seriously."

"That's right, Mother. The Master was just scaring Jiuqing. After all, she hasn't returned home for many days, and she even eloped with someone. Any elder would be heartbroken by such a matter," the Madam said.

Jiuqing admired her eloquence in her heart. The topic was quickly turned back to her, but what was this about eloping?

"Does a vixen like you have the right to speak in front of me?" The Old Madam swept a cold gaze over her, speaking without mercy. Jiuqing felt a surge of satisfaction. She observed secretly that the concubines seated there were also showing hints of amusement.

The Madam's face changed repeatedly. She looked toward Master Bai, hoping he would stand up for her, but Master Bai didn't even glance her way. In her anger, she stopped speaking.

"Mother, why don't you sit down first before we talk?" Master Bai said, his body slightly hunched.

The Old Madam's eyebrows shot up upon hearing this. "What? Are we all going to sit while Xiaoqing'er is forced to stand alone? What kind of logic is that?"

"Sit, everyone sit. Someone, add more seats!" Master Bai helplessly called for more seats. The Old Madam sat down beside Jiuqing, and for some reason, Jiuqing felt a sense of warmth in her heart.

"Thank you, Grandmother," she said softly, with sincere gratitude.

The Old Madam looked at her injuries and saw they were not immediately life-threatening. She said kindly, "Xiaoqing'er, bear with it for a moment. You must tell the truth. Everyone listen: if you wrong Xiaoqing'er even slightly, I will surely crush your bones today!" Having said that, she brandished her staff once more.