Book 16: Chapter 17

Never had Bai Lian been subjected to such disrespect since being instated as General Manager of the interior imperial palace. Everyone in the palace addressed her as “General Manager Bai” with courtesy; even Princes and Princesses did not treat her as a servant. If Dark Robe Brotherhood were going to disrespect her, then she had no qualms being a nasty guest.

Su Xiao and Bai Lian got off on the wrong foot; however, they were both kind people, and their relationship with Ming Feizhen gradually made them friends. When he saw Bai Lian’s cool and stern expression, Su Xiao felt admiration and started mumbling to himself, prompting Bai Lian, who had started walking off, to rush back in case the “genius” came up with another “ingenious” idea.

“What’s the matter?”

Su Xiao raised his head and said with his chest, “Nothing, Sister Lian!”

“Ok-okay… Wait, what did you just call me?”

“Sister Lian!”

With her hairs erect, Bai Lian snapped, “What is your problem? Why are you suddenly addressing me like that?”

“Hehe, it shows we’re closer. Plus, Lord Zi addresses you the same way. I’m a few years younger than you, so it makes sense, doesn’t?”

“I’m not a woman!”

“That’s true.” Su Xiao titled his head. “Why does Lord Zi address you so, then?”

“Uh…”

“Also, you don’t take issue with him addressing you as so.”

“Well, that’s because…”

“Also, I recently noticed that you never wash at the men’s bathroom.”

“Why would I when I’m not a man?”

“You don’t use Sir Sui’s bathroom, either.”

“That’s because…”

“Because of?”

As Su Xiao directed his innocent gaze towards her, Bai Lian suddenly wished she was half as good at fibbing as Ming Feizhen.

Su Xiao’s question was one that always weighed on Bai Lian’s mind. Her gender was a secret known strictly only to a few people in the imperial palace. Even His Majesty never brought it up in her presence despite knowing it. Eunuch Wang likely knew, as well, but he never made an issue out of it. Brillant Consort was essentially her adopted mother, so when the former asked her to accompany her son for the year, Bai Lian had no qualms resigning from her post to accompany him. That said, she did not want to leave the imperial palace, not because she was power hungry but because she did not know how to live as someone outside of the imperial palace. She had more than enough intellect to feed herself amply and keep a roof over her head. The challenge was the difference in the way of life.

Growing up in the imperial palace, Bai Lian always had a criterion to follow, and that was all she knew, believing she would be a eunuch for life. Never did she think she would leave the imperial palace and never have a way back. The concept of living for oneself eluded her. She never told even Li Zizi that the order to protect him was something she volunteered for – a conjecture on her part – that could only be misinterpreted as an “imperial decree”. Brilliant Consort merely asked her to take care of Li Zizi if it was within her capacity at the same time as, “After you leave the imperial palace, do what you wish to do and live your own life.” The latter caused her shock and confusion she had never felt before.

If the order was not for Lord Zi’s sake, what was its purpose? Brilliant Consort strictly ordered Bai Lian to never return to the imperial palace after accompanying her son this one last time. All of Bai Lian’s shock, confusion and sadness ended with a single emotionless salute, breaking Brilliant Consort’s heart.

Just because Bai Lian left the imperial palace for Li Zizi’s sake without any emotions, it did not mean that she would be happy to be outside. She had no clue what her real goal was or was supposed to be. All she could do was complete the “order” to bodyguard Li Zizi despite knowing it was very likely not part of Brilliant Consort’s command. Bai Lian stubbornly convinced herself that protecting Li Zizi was the right thing to do. Was she supposed to abandon him for some so-called freedom? She would not have done so even if Brilliant Consort was around to take over. Protecting Li Zizi was the last line of the barrier between herself and the foreign world, one that she decided to protect until he left.

Everyone could see Li Zizi’s transformation from a kid into a competent teenager. That was why Bai Lian did not stop Ming Feizhen from training him in spite of everything she said. Deep down, she knew Ming Feizhen was doing what was best for Li Zizi. Every challenge he faced now was the necessary preparation he needed to face one of the toughest and cruel fates a human could have borne. She knew this better than anyone since she lived a similar fate as a child. Once he no longer needed her, she would have to face the world she inevitably had to face.

Bai Lian hid at Liu Shan Men all day every day for she did not know where was she could go, who else she could have been besides General Manager Bai, and if there was a place in the world for “Bai Lian”. She had avoided all of those challenging questions until Su Xiao, who was vexingly more feminine than herself, corner her with those very questions.

“Because!”

“Because of… Oh, because you ar-”

“Okay, just call me sister.”

“Got you, Sister Lian!”

The addition of another annoyance on top of being captured spurred Bai Lian to kick the door open even more. “Come out!”

“Sister Lian, I found one!”

Bai Lian witnessed Su Xiao zip out of the corridor and then heard a third person groan before she heard Su Xiao’s footsteps. Bai Lian strolled over to where Su Xiao had the servant pinned to the ground. “That was impressive,” she praised.

“Hehe, you flatter me.” Su Xiao then shouted at the servant he had in an arm lock, “Why did you run as soon as you saw us?!”

The servant looked over his shoulder and started crying about the pain, startling Su Xiao enough for him to loosen his grip, which allowed the servant to break free and flee.

“Xiao, why did you release him?” Bai Lian hurriedly queried, worried that Su Xiao got caught.

Su Xiao gulped. “H-he didn’t have a tongue.”

“Didn’t have a tongue? What? Do you mean he’s mute?”

“N-No.” Su Xiao opened his mouth to point to his tongue. “It looks like it was sliced off here. He didn’t have a tongue.”

When it came to places that practiced the cruellest punishments in the world, the imperial palace was amongst them. While Emperor Yuansheng did not advocate for torture and punishments, he did mention them as a deterrence. Put another way, he did not abuse them, but he did not abandon them. Therefore, Bai Lian had heard of the punishment that involved taking one’s tongue from them – tongue removal, which included cutting off one’s tongue and then consigning them to free labour work.

Though tongue removal was commonplace in the capital and pugilistic world, it contradicted the elegant atmosphere and design of this abode.

“Sister Lian, did it ever occur to you that, besides him, nobody here has said a word?”

Bai Lian had also noticed it. They had seen no less than thirty servants since entering the abode, all of whom were busy with their own tasks and paid no heed to her or Su Xiao. It was nothing new to her as she had seen plenty of times how eunuchs treated lower-ranked servants. It was unbelievably quiet in the manner, though she put it down to it just being particularly quiet and peaceful. Only now, though, did she realise nobody besides their guide ever spoke a word. The very thought of it made them feel chilly even though it was summer.

“It’s likely that all the servants here have had their tongues removed.” Bai Lian grabbed Su Xiao by the hand and said, “It’s best we leave as soon as possible.”

“Wait.”

“What’s the matter?”

“They attacked us and bound us before I could even say anything when we entered. This place is suspicious.”

Bai Lian knew that. Su Xiao only showed his badge and stated his surname, so the escort only knew they were from Liu Shan Men, yet they instantly detained the duo. Bai Lian did not urge Su Xiao to leave because it was not suspicious but precisely because it was fishy.

“Do you know why they have to have their tongues removed?”

Su Xiao shook his head.

“Unless the crime was extremely severe, they wouldn’t have their tongues removed. Criminals should be exiled or sent to the army, however, not consigned to work as servants here. The servants here had their tongues cut off according to the pugilistic world’s rules, and there is only one reason someone would have to cut off servants’ tongues in the pugilistic world.”

The person who escorted them had returned a group of warriors from the pugilistic world to the duo’s spot before Bai Lian could finish her explanation.

Glaring at the roadblocks she was insistent on killing, Bai Lian clenched her teeth and wrapped up with, “And that is to prevent them from spilling secrets.”

Liked it? Take a second to support Wu Jizun on Patreon! Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook

Martial King’s Retired Life – Vol. 16 Ch. 19October 7, 2024In "Martial King's Retired Life"

Martial King’s Retired Life – Vol. 16 Ch. 20October 14, 2024In "Martial King's Retired Life"

Martial King’s Retired Life – Vol. 6 Ch. 61July 30, 2019In "Martial King's Retired Life"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.