She stared intently at Bai Jinzhi, who knelt rigidly in the courtyard, stubbornly refusing to admit her mistake, her chest heaving violently: “All reckless, impulsive actions are the incompetent indulgence of fools who are helpless and at a loss! Grandfather, father, uncle, and brothers died in Nanjiang. Those treacherous demons in court are watching our Bai family like tigers eyeing prey. The Bai family is now seeking survival in desperate straits, like facing an abyss at midnight. Do you think there’s still room for her to act on impulse?”

The atmosphere in Qinghui Courtyard became oppressive and heavy as Bai Qingyan’s raised voice fell. The four sisters pressed their lips together in silence.

Except for Bai Jinzhi, the other three – Bai Qingyan, Bai Jinxiu, and Bai Jintong – had all seen the bamboo slips recording the military campaign records. How could they not know that the Bai family’s fate hung by a thread?

Bai Jinxiu’s eyes immediately became painfully swollen with tears, turning her head away as tears streamed down.

Bai Jintong clenched her fists tightly, lowering her head as tears fell.

The winter cold wind swirled through, and under the dazzling sun, it felt colder than during snowfall.

Her already aching eyes couldn’t bear the blinding glare of light reflecting off the snow. She closed her eyelids briefly, slightly calming the turbulent emotions surging in her chest, and asked in a hoarse voice: “Do you know… why, when you begged grandfather at age ten to let you go to the frontier for training, grandfather never granted permission?”

Bai Jinzhi no longer maintained her earlier stubborn and defiant posture, gripping the fabric at her sides tightly as she said, “I don’t know.”

“Grandfather once said that among us sisters, your second sister appears gentle but is internally strong, seeming compliant but harboring grand strategies in her heart. Your third sister is the most clever and astute, with deep thoughts and inner schemes. And you… You are the one with the highest martial arts comprehension and talent among all sisters! You’re also the one most like your grandfather in his youth – competitive, vengeful, and reckless. Your very bones contain four words: ‘untamed and rebellious.’ Grandfather feared that with your already insufficient self-control, if you were exposed to bloodshed, you would become even more unrestrained. That’s why he kept you in the capital… to study sage books with your teacher for several more years.”

Bai Jinzhi’s face turned completely pale at Bai Qingyan’s words, her spine stiffening.

She opened her eyes to look at Bai Jinzhi, her tone filled with heartache as she said in a low voice: “Horsemanship, swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, whip techniques! You learn everything faster than others, and master everything better than others. At only fifteen, looking across this entire capital, how many can match you? You should restrain yourself, think deeply, plan carefully, and act only after thorough consideration! Be spirited outwardly but steady inwardly. You should make your name on the battlefield as a woman, become a general like your grandfather, whom future generations will revere, become the most brilliant woman in our Duke’s mansion, and even in all of Great Jin! Do not compete for momentary satisfaction and plunge yourself and the Bai family into eternal damnation!”

Bai Jinzhi’s originally proud and straight spine gradually slumped, her expression becoming grave, her clenched fists trembling with force.

Unable to bear the emotions in her heart, she said weakly, “If you admit your mistake today, go find Uncle Ping to receive these fifty rod strikes! If you still feel you did nothing wrong… then forget it.”

What use would beating her be if she didn’t recognize her mistake?

Bai Jinzhi couldn’t speak, only biting her teeth hard before getting up and leaving Qinghui Courtyard to find Lu Ping for punishment.

“Jintong, go tell Uncle Ping that considering the Bai family’s important matters at hand, he should show mercy,” she said in a lowered voice.

Bai Jintong nodded and turned to quickly chase after Bai Jinzhi.

“Elder sister…” Bai Jinxiu grasped her hand and squeezed it firmly. “Xiao Si will understand that elder sister’s harsh words come from having high expectations for her.”

With all the Bai family men lost, leaving only a household of women, supporting the Bai family was already difficult.

Bai Jinxiu had married into the Qin family, and soon, Bai Jintong would leave to conduct business. It wasn’t that she felt Bai Jinzhi was too young to make arrangements for, but rather she wanted to wait until the Bai family’s major affairs were settled before keeping Bai Jinzhi by her side to slowly guide and teach her for a year or two, then let her fulfill her wishes to display her talents in military campaigns.

But she had forgotten that the Bai family now walked on thin ice, with a treacherous and urgent path ahead, no longer having the luxury of time for this simple and willful young girl to indulge as she pleased. Having experienced the great sorrow and pain of losing family, Bai Jinzhi needed to quickly grow into a Bai family daughter who could shoulder responsibility, possess strong resolve, and support a corner of the Bai family.

She gazed at today’s clear sky with high clouds and bright sunshine, murderous intent churning in the depths of her dark eyes. Prince Xin’s lackeys dared to scheme behind the scenes, planning and arranging plots to fan the flames and overturn the Bai family. Now that their plans were exposed… if they still hoped to retreat unscathed and have things calm down, she wouldn’t give them such convenience.

With her martial arts completely lost, Bai Qingyan would use public opinion as her sword.

Since both sides wanted to use popular sentiment and public opinion as weapons to build momentum, let them compete… to see who was superior.

She looked toward the servants and maids standing anxiously at the entrance of Qinghui Courtyard, not daring to enter, and called: “Chun Tao…”

Hearing her name, Chun Tao hurried in, seeing Bai Qingyan supporting Bai Jinxiu as they prepared to enter the room, quickly lifting the door curtain.

“Go call your cousin over. I have something to instruct him.”

“Yes! This servant will go immediately!” Chun Tao nodded.

In the main room, Bai Qingyan sat with Bai Jinxiu by the fire, personally massaging Bai Jinxiu’s arm.

At the Duke’s mansion gate, when Bai Jinxiu was restraining Fourth Miss Bai Jinzhi, she was completely unguarded and was pushed by that girl without knowing her strength, crashing into the copper-edged door frame, hitting exactly on her old wound. The pain was so severe that she couldn’t even lift her arm.

Perhaps because the room was too quiet, or perhaps because being beside her elder sister made her feel peaceful and secure, Bai Jinxiu unconsciously spoke…

“Elder sister…” Bai Jinxiu lowered her brows and eyes, her nasal tone particularly heavy. “This morning, Nanny Luo from my mother’s side conveyed a message from my maternal family, saying… that all the Bai family men have perished, my father and brothers are all dead, and I’m already married. With His Majesty’s attitude toward the Bai family unclear, they told my mother to plan and ask grandmother for a divorce letter, lest she be implicated by the Bai family.”

In the gold-inlaid auspicious beast incense burner, light smoke drifted, filling the entire room with an extremely faint fragrance.

“Second aunt won’t leave,” she said in a very low but certain voice, because in her previous life… it was just so.

Her aunts, though they had married into the Duke’s mansion during its glory days, when the Duke’s mansion faced disaster, not one was spineless, not one… abandoned the Bai family and left. They even risked their lives to seek justice for the Bai family, threatening His Majesty with their lives.

“I know,” Bai Jinxiu responded quietly. “I just feel that circumstances are unpredictable. Before… grandmother always taught mother to be respectful and kind, to serve her parents-in-law well. But why, when the Bai family faced trouble, did she tell Mother to seek a divorce letter while Father’s body was still warm? It’s truly… so heartless.”

“A loving mother’s heart always hopes for her children’s peaceful and smooth remaining years! There’s a saying… when you have a child at a hundred years old, you worry for ninety-nine years! Don’t blame your grandmother.”

The slight resentment and shame in Bai Jinxiu’s heart dissipated due to Bai Qingyan’s words. She turned to look at Bai Qingyan who was massaging her shoulder, tears streaming down her face: “I wonder if the maternal families of the other aunts will also want them to leave the Bai family at this time.”

“The aunts will not leave!” She grasped Bai Jinxiu’s hand, speaking earnestly. “So we must help Mother and the aunts support the Bai family! Let everyone in the world see that even though our grandfather, father, and all the Bai family sons are gone, absolutely no one can look down upon our Bai family’s honor, no one can look down upon our mothers and aunts!”