The Night Before Leaving the Palace, Reduced to the Tyrant's Plaything - Chapter 30

When they arrived at Yongshou Palace, two Palace Maids ordered Wanyu and Xiang Rui to kneel outside the hall and wait, while they went in to seek instructions from Consort Shu.

Xiang Rui knelt beside Wanyu and whispered a warning, “You’re a clever one. When you see Consort Shu later, you’d better confess obediently. Don’t drag me into this, or you’ll only die a worse death.”

Wanyu knelt upright, showing no reaction to her words.

Xiang Rui cursed, “Mute!” in frustration, and was about to say more when a Palace Maid lifted the curtain and said, “You two, come in!”

The two of them rose and entered the inner hall.

Inside, a brazier was burning fiercely. As soon as they stepped in, a wave of warmth greeted them, making it feel like a world apart from the cold outside.

Consort Shu was most favored by His Majesty, and the decor and furnishings of Yongshou Palace were lavish beyond compare, radiating opulence.

Consort Shu sat in the main seat at the center of the hall. The main seat was covered with thick white fox fur. A Persian cat, its fur equally snow-white, lay obediently in her arms. Its two large eyes-one blue, one yellow-were like two translucent gems, darting as it stared at the newcomers.

The two quickly lowered their heads and knelt to pay respects to Consort Shu.

“Who ruined my gown with the iron?” Consort Shu stroked the Persian cat and spoke lazily.

Relying on the fact that Wanyu couldn’t speak, Xiang Rui hurriedly pointed at her and said, “Replying to Your Ladyship, it was this wretched maid who carelessly burned Your Ladyship’s gown. Please punish her.”

Consort Shu shifted her gaze to Wanyu. “Raise your head and let me see you.”

Wanyu obediently lifted her head, keeping her eyes lowered so as not to meet Consort Shu’s gaze directly.

“Jiang Wanyu, it’s you again!” Consort Shu called her name, “You wretched maid are truly persistent. You know I dislike you, yet you keep finding ways to appear before me. Tell me, what exactly are you plotting?”

Wanyu bowed and made hand gestures, indicating that she had no intention of offending, that she hadn’t ruined the gown, and that she was being framed.

“Who framed you?” Consort Shu sneered. “You’re a wretched maid personally sent to the Lateral Courts (a section of the palace for punishing servants) by His Majesty. What’s the difference between you being alive or dead? Who would bother to frame you?

I think you’re just unwilling to accept your fate. Knowing His Majesty favors me, you try every trick to come to Yongshou Palace, hoping to run into His Majesty and win his pity and affection.

You think too highly of yourself. Just because you have a face resembling your sister’s, you think you can replace her in His Majesty’s heart? Dream on!”

She was always like this, treating everyone as a potential rival, convinced that everything others did was to seduce the Emperor.

She hated every woman favored by the Emperor equally, even the one hidden deep in His Majesty’s heart-she too was Consort Shu’s rival in love.

Xiang Rui knew full well that Wanyu had done nothing, yet she shamelessly echoed, “Your Ladyship is absolutely right. This wretched maid is never content, even after entering the Lateral Courts. She’s always scheming to get out and seduce His Majesty again.”

Consort Shu glanced at her. “And who are you?”

Xiang Rui quickly replied, “Replying to Your Ladyship, this servant is Xiang Rui, the supervisor at the Laundry Office.”

“Supervisor?” Consort Shu arched her meticulously drawn brows. “So, you assign her all her tasks?”
Xiang Rui was suddenly seized by a bad premonition, her voice trembling slightly: “Yes, Your Highness, all the work in the Laundry Office is assigned by this servant.”

Consort Shu suddenly grabbed the teacup at hand and hurled it at her: “Wretched thing, are you here to claim credit? You knew that this lowly maid had just entered the Lateral Courts and knew nothing, yet you dared to entrust my clothes to her care. What was your intention?”

Xiang Rui dared not dodge. The teacup struck her forehead directly, scalding tea splashing across her face, and blood instantly streamed down her brow.

The Persian cat in Consort Shu’s arms was startled, let out a yowl, and darted away, vanishing in an instant.

“Spare me, Your Highness! Spare me!” Xiang Rui, ignoring the pain, prostrated herself on the ground, desperately kowtowing, regret gnawing at her insides.

She had known Consort Shu was not to be trifled with, but Eunuch Hu insisted there would be no trouble. Now, not only had she implicated Jiang Wanyu, but she had also dragged herself into this mess.

Judging by Consort Shu’s demeanor, she feared she might die before Jiang Wanyu did.

Eunuch Hu had promised to keep a close watch on Yongshou Palace, and if anything changed, he would appear to save her, even bringing His Majesty if necessary.

But now, with death looming, why had Eunuch Hu not come?

Consort Shu was unmoved by Xiang Rui’s pleas, issuing a harsh command: “Men, drag this scheming wretch out and beat her to death!”

Immediately, two eunuchs stepped forward to drag Xiang Rui away.

Terrified, Xiang Rui’s face turned ashen as she cried out in a trembling voice, “Spare me, Your Highness! I only sent Jiang Wanyu to the ironing room on Eunuch Hu’s orders. I had no choice!”

Consort Shu raised her hand to halt the two eunuchs, her expression cold: “Hu Jinzhong, why did he instruct you to do this?”

“This servant does not know, but that is what he told me to do,” Xiang Rui replied, forcing herself to speak. At this moment, she could no longer worry about offending Hu Jinzhong-her own life was at stake.

Consort Shu eyed her with suspicion, then ordered, “Summon Hu Jinzhong to see me. Be careful not to alert His Majesty.”

“Yes,” one of the eunuchs responded and left.

Xiang Rui’s heart was in turmoil, uncertain whether Hu Jinzhong would speak on her behalf when he arrived.

She glanced at Wanyu and saw that Wanyu had been kneeling quietly the entire time, not moving an inch, her expression unchanged.

Was this wretched maid truly so calm?

Did she know she was doomed and couldn’t even be bothered to struggle?

Consort Shu also looked at Wanyu, sneering, “With death at your doorstep, you still pretend to be calm-for whose benefit? Are you still fantasizing that His Majesty will descend from the heavens to save you?”

Wanyu would never indulge in such fantasies.

If someone truly could descend from the heavens, she would rather it be Sun Liangyan.

She never wanted to see that demon Qi Rang again in this lifetime.

Yet, fate had other plans. Not long after, a voice was heard outside: “His Majesty arrives!”

Xiang Rui was instantly overjoyed.

Wanyu’s face, however, turned pale, and she instinctively lowered her head even further.

Consort Shu shot her a cold glance: “So, you really did win your gamble, wretched maid. I want to see just how far His Majesty will go for you.”