21、 Disable its arm (1)

  Bai Li walked towards the front hall of the guest house, followed by seven or eight servants. Bai Liu Li stood at the threshold, watching him approach step by step, looking at his gloomy eyes and his slightly heavy footsteps.

  "Little one has seen the young lady, and also Miss Pearl." Bai Li walked to the front of the door under the eaves, not daring to raise his head, standing sideways on the threshold, only respectfully kneeling on one knee, bowing his head in greeting.

  "Back?" Bai Liusi didn't look at the already kneeling Baili in front of her, but instead raised her head to gaze at the blue and white sky. She didn't ask him to get up, only lightly saying, "Speak, what did you see."

  Bai Zhenzhu stood behind Bai Liuli, her eyes fixed tightly on Bai Li, her lips slightly trembling, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end didn't say anything, only making herself appear calm enough.

  "Returning to Young Miss, there is a female corpse in the coffin that resembles Young Miss in terms of figure, but her face is intact. I can confirm..." Bai Li replied humbly to Bai Liu's question, with a momentary pause before continuing affirmatively, "I am certain, the person in the coffin is not Young Miss."

  "Is that so?" There was actually a corpse in the coffin? It must have been put there to prevent the pallbearers from discovering it was an empty coffin, otherwise she wouldn't have had these three days to make use of it. Who could have helped her like this? And how did they know she didn't plan on appearing before everyone at the White Manor that day?

  Is it related to the owner of that ghostly lantern or is there someone else involved?

  Suddenly, a gust of autumn wind with a hint of coolness swept across her face, blowing the loose strands of hair in front of her forehead and temples. Her face, wrapped in white gauze, looked pale even in the bright daylight. She used her hand to brush aside the few strands of hair that obstructed her view, and smiled faintly, "Just based on a single face, you're certain it's White Jade without a doubt? Pearl Sister has always doted on her younger sister, how could she not have given her a fake mask to restore her complete face before burial?"

  Bai Li's hands, which were placed on her knees, suddenly clenched and then quickly relaxed, trying to appear as if nothing was wrong. Bai Zhenzhu slightly lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes, making it impossible for anyone to see the expression in her eyes.

  "Returning to the young lady, there was no human skin mask on the face of the female corpse in the coffin. It wasn't just one person who confirmed this, but also the family servants who went with her and the hundred or so citizens who gathered to watch all agreed that it wasn't the young lady."

  "Sister, do you still have any doubts?" Bai Liusi finally withdrew her gaze from the blue-white sky and turned to look at Bai Zhenzhu, who was standing half a step behind her with his head slightly lowered.

  Between them, there was only a small half-step distance, and it was this tiny distance that unknowingly destroyed the hearts of many people. White Pearl was no exception.

  "Sister never doubted younger sister, sister said before, no matter if younger sister is human or ghost, sister would welcome you back to the White family." When Bai Zhenzhu raised her head, her face was already filled with a warm and gentle expression, like that of a doting mother to a child. Meanwhile, Bai Liuli's smiling eyes slowly turned cold within Bai Zhenzhu's warm gaze.

  Then let her good sister take a good look at her expectation of her so-called good younger sister returning to the Bai family.

  "Baili, if I'm not mistaken, you've been in my White family for over ten years now, right?" Bai Liuli put her hands behind her back and stepped out of the doorway, walking into the courtyard. The cold tone of her voice suddenly lost all hint of a smile.

  "Yes, young mistress." Even though Bai Liusi was no longer in front of him, Bai Li still didn't dare to lift his head, let alone stand up.

  "Do you still remember the oath I made you and your family take when you first entered our household?" Bai Liuli said as she stepped down the three-tiered stone stairs in front of the corridor.

  Baili Hu's ten fingers dug into his thighs, and he lowered his head even further, answering slowly, "Protect the Bai family, loyal to the master."

  "I thought you had forgotten the vows you made in front of my ancestors' memorial tablet. You still remember, huh?" Bai Liusi stroked a withered branch on the corridor railing, and then heard a "crack" sound. She expressionlessly pinched off the branch in her hand, "So, did you succeed?"

  "Little......" Bai Li's hands trembled slightly, and the words that had already reached his lips could not be spoken.

  "The old master is seriously ill, and you've transferred all the original maids from the Yuanyuan Garden. White Luli broke the branch in her hand again, turned her back to Baili and smiled coldly, "Did you protect your master when he was in danger? And..."

  Bai Luli broke the withered branch in her hand for the third time, then turned around and slowly walked back to Bai Li's front. She threw the broken branches one by one in front of him, "The coffin is carried but not buried, what do you think in your heart? Hmm?"

  Baili, although a subordinate, was five years older than Bailiu, and in the Bai household as well as the entire imperial capital, Bailiu, despite being overbearing and tyrannical, had never rebuked him even once, and had even given him a high-ranking position. Who would have thought that what he got in return was this kind of treatment? He's truly a pitiful person.

  "I'm willing to accept the punishment for not keeping my promise that day." Bai Li changed from kneeling on one knee to both knees, truly looking like he was willingly accepting his punishment.

  As a house slave, not only did he fail to protect his master but also harmed him. This is the greatest and most unforgivable sin of a house slave. The servants around immediately felt a chill down their spines and focused their attention on Bai Liuli and Bai Lixi, wondering how they would deal with the highest-ranking steward among the slaves. If even the steward couldn't escape punishment, then what about them...

  "It seems like the White family hasn't contributed to the country for a long time." Bai Luli suddenly let out a soft sigh, "I heard that Lord Jiang of the North is recruiting soldiers and laborers. In that case, I'll grit my teeth and give up my most capable people from the White Manor to Lord Jiang, which can be considered as our humble contribution to the country."

  Bai Luli spoke casually, but made all the servants break out in cold sweat. Even Bai Li, who had not dared to lift his head for a long time, was shocked and raised his head, with eyes full of incredulity.

  Northern Wilderness, the most desolate and coldest place in all of Ze Country, where supplies and population are extremely scarce. Yet it is also the location of the Northern Great Wall that guards against the invasion of the Hu people from the north, and must be firmly defended. Almost no one wants to go to such a place, especially during the spring season when an epidemic took away many lives of stationed soldiers. Since then, there has been a nationwide recruitment for soldiers and laborers to repair the city walls, but almost no one is willing to risk their life in such a desolate land. Therefore, those who end up going there are mostly convicts who have committed serious crimes and been exiled, and once they go, it is as if they will never return in the eyes of everyone.

  Bai Luli was going to send Bai Li to Beidi, no doubt giving him an unforgivable heavy sentence, sending him to that place where the living were not much better than the dead.

  "Sister! Baili may have made mistakes, but the crime is not punishable by death. Why did you sentence him to such a severe punishment?" Bai Zhenzhu was no longer calm at this time, and in her anxiety, she grabbed onto Bai Liuli's wrist, because if possible, no one would want to lose their right-hand man, and Baili was undoubtedly Bai Zhenzhu's most trusted right-hand man.

  "He first protected his sister, and naturally she thought he was loyal and shouldn't be punished." But Bai Liusi was extremely rude, pushing away Bai Zhenzhu's hand, and even more so, speaking without any regard for her feelings, "I just wanted him to go to the North to temper himself, not to die, why is sister being so anxious?"

  "Sister just can't bear it." Bai Zhenzhu slightly pursed her lips, revealing a hint of sadness and concern for the person below, "Bai Li has served as an attendant to his sister for ten years, without merit but with hard work, will sister spare him this once?"

  "Sister, don't be in a hurry, I also can't bear to lose a capable assistant like this." Bai Liuli's face showed a hint of regret. "Then I'll ask him one question, and if his answer satisfies me, I'll deal with it leniently. What do you think, sister?"

  Bai Luli said so, but in fact she didn't plan to listen to Bai Zhenzhu's opinion. She slightly bent down, leaned close to Bai Li's ear and whispered something, then hooked the corner of her mouth.

  No one heard what Bai Luli asked Bai Li, but saw that after being extremely shocked, his eyes were filled with bitterness. Before lowering his head again, he gazed at Bai Zhenzhu for a moment and resolutely said: "I am willing to go to the North Land."

  "Sister, listen, this is something Baili himself willingly went to do, not something I forced him to do." Bai Liuli suddenly smiled with a slight curve of her eyes, reached out and tucked the stray hair behind Bai Zhenzhu's ear, comforting her by saying, "However, sister rest assured, considering Baili has been working for the White family for so many years, I won't let him go to Beidi alone."

  "Someone come and take a look to see if Lan'er has finished washing up." After Bai Liu-li withdrew her hand from behind Bai Zhen-zhu's ear, the smile in her eyes became so deep it was somewhat frightening.

  Bai Zhenzhu bit her lip until it bled.