The Night Before Leaving the Palace, Reduced to the Tyrant's Plaything - Chapter 33

“What is Your Majesty looking at?” Xu Qingzhan also turned his head to look back.

A small, dusty figure just disappeared around the distant corner of the palace wall.

Qi Rang clenched the Bodhi Bead Bracelet in his hand, squinting his eyes in anger.

No wonder that person could run so fast-gone in the blink of an eye.

So it was just a feint to distract him.

Heh!

Stupid woman!

She only has a few tricks up her sleeve, and she uses them all against him.

“Your Majesty?” Xu Qingzhan called again, afraid that Qi Rang would order someone to give chase in the next moment.

But Qi Rang said nothing, only withdrawing his gaze with contempt.

As long as she was still in the Forbidden City, no matter how she hid or ran, she was still in the palm of his hand. There was no need to rush.

He had said it before-he was waiting for the day she would come to beg him.

Wanyu returned to the Lateral Courts. When Wu Shuzhen saw her come back alone, she asked where Xiang Rui had gone.

Wanyu replied that Xiang Rui had angered Consort Shu and was taken away by people from the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Wu Shuzhen was greatly shocked.

Even if Xiang Rui had really made a mistake, she should have been sent to the Shenxing Si. How could she be taken away by people from the Directorate of Ceremonial?

The Seal Holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Xu Qingzhan, was a ruthless master-he alone was more terrifying than the entire Shenxing Si. If Xiang Rui fell into his hands, what good could come of it?

Lai Sanchun also found it strange. With his bulging toad-like eyes, he asked Wu Shuzhen, “Isn’t Xiang Rui your goddaughter? Shouldn’t you spend some silver to get her out?”

Wu Shuzhen sneered, “There are plenty of people in the Lateral Courts who want to be my goddaughter. Why would I risk offending the living King of Hell for her?”

Lai Sanchun curled his lips. “You’re just like a Pixiu-only taking in, never giving out.”

Wu Shuzhen was unmoved. She waved Wanyu away, saying, “Since Her Ladyship spared you, get back to work. Be more careful in the future and don’t make any more mistakes.”

Wanyu bowed and limped away.

After she left, Wu Shuzhen said to Lai Sanchun, “I told you not to touch that one. Look, she managed to escape a situation that should have been certain death.”

“Just luck,” Lai Sanchun said indifferently. “Consort Shu is fickle and unpredictable. Who she punishes or spares depends entirely on her mood. The key is that His Majesty didn’t intervene or keep her behind. That means the Emperor has no interest in this woman.”

Wu Shuzhen didn’t agree with him. The Emperor’s heart was harder to fathom than a needle at the bottom of the sea. How could one incident reveal his intentions?

But if Lai Sanchun insisted on courting death, she wouldn’t stop him. If he really died, all the money he’d hoarded would be hers.

Thinking this, she reminded him coolly, “You’re just blinded by lust. If you’re not afraid of dying, go ahead and try. Just don’t come crying when you regret it.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Lai Sanchun said. “Don’t forget, I have a Pardon Token.”

“Fine, go ahead and act up!” Wu Shuzhen scoffed. “When the heavens are wild, it rains; when people are wild, disaster follows. And don’t forget who gave you that token. If he can grant it, he can take it back. Don’t let yourself fall into his hands.”

Lai Sanchun didn’t listen, swaggering off.

He could have any woman he wanted in the Lateral Courts. This time, he’d held back long enough. Tonight, he had to satisfy his craving, or he’d suffocate.

Besides, he held a big secret over that woman. As long as he revealed it, she would have no choice but to obey.

Even if things reached the Emperor, that woman wouldn’t dare do anything to him.

Wu Shuzhen watched him leave, snorted, and turned to go to Xiang Rui’s quarters.

Over the years, Xiang Rui had saved up quite a bit of money. Now that she was dead, all that money would naturally belong to her godmother.

Wanyu returned to the Laundry Office. Everyone was surprised she came back safely.

No matter what they asked, she said nothing, keeping everyone in suspense. As a result, they all secretly cursed her to be a Mute for life.

Not long after, Gan Ju, the chief Palace Maid from Yongshou Palace, arrived and announced that Xiang Rui had mismanaged the servants and damaged Consort Shu’s clothes, and had now committed suicide out of guilt.
To prevent such incidents from happening again, Consort Shu specifically ordered Gan Ju to come in person to select the new head of the Laundry Office, and publicly warned Jiang Wanyu that she was never to touch the garments of Yongshou Palace again.

In front of Wu Shuzhen, Gan Ju appointed the Palace Maid she trusted and worked with most as the new head of the Laundry Office, then left the Lateral Courts with an air of arrogance.

Wu Shuzhen was so furious that her face turned ashen, but since Consort Shu was deeply favored by His Majesty and no one in the harem dared provoke her, Wu Shuzhen could only swallow her anger and pretend not to see.

When the people in the Laundry Office heard that Xiang Rui was simply gone, they were all terrified, their faces drained of color.

Suicide out of fear of punishment? It was obvious Consort Shu had beaten her to death.

A living person, just beaten to death like that-who would dare wash the clothes of Yongshou Palace now?

Jiang Wanyu, however, benefited from the disaster: not only did she keep her life, but she no longer had to wash the clothes of Yongshou Palace.

Everyone had looked down on her before, but now they were all envious of her.

Fortunately, the newly appointed head was very cautious and treated everyone kindly. The others even thought that Xiang Rui’s death was a relief-at least they would suffer less torment.

At the end of the day, when everyone was leaving, Meishuang took the chance to ask Wanyu what had really happened.

Wanyu gave her a brief explanation and told her not to spread it around.

Meishuang didn’t care about Xiang Rui’s fate; instead, she felt sorry for Wanyu. “That was such a good opportunity, Sister. Why didn’t you take the chance to plead with His Majesty? At least you could have left the Lateral Courts first.”

Wanyu shook her head and gestured, “His Majesty would not have agreed.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Meishuang said. “I think His Majesty treats you differently. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to Yongshou Palace over such a trivial matter.”

“He went to add insult to injury,” Wanyu signed. “If Consort Shu hadn’t shifted the blame to Hu Jinzhong, he would have punished me himself.”

Meishuang didn’t believe it. “His Majesty isn’t that idle. Even if he did punish you personally, that means you’re special. You’ve served him for five years-have you ever seen him personally punish any other servant?”

Wanyu gave a bitter smile.

That kind of ‘special’ treatment was nothing she desired, nor did she consider being remembered by Qi Rang any sort of honor.

She didn’t want to say more, so she gestured, “It wouldn’t be appropriate to plead with His Majesty in front of Consort Shu.”

Meishuang thought about it and agreed. Consort Shu was a jealous woman; it really wasn’t wise to plead with His Majesty in her presence.

“Forget it, then. Let’s wait for another chance. As long as His Majesty has you in his heart, there will always be opportunities.”

Wanyu felt bitter but said nothing, and changed the subject by asking how Zisu was doing today.

Meishuang replied that she was much better and could get up and walk a few steps by herself.

Wanyu was relieved and told her to get some sleep. If the new head wasn’t too strict tomorrow, they could find time to visit Zisu together.

Meishuang happily said goodbye, and before leaving, she told her, “Sister, you see-even in the hardest times, there’s still hope. We must do our best to live; as long as we live, there’s hope.”

Because of these words, Wanyu felt much better. She returned to her quarters, washed up, applied medicine to her hands, and lay down to sleep.

Tonight, there was no snow, and the wind had stopped. All was silent, perfect for sleep, and she soon drifted into dreams.

In the middle of the night, she vaguely sensed someone standing by her bed. Before she could fully wake, a hand reached out and touched her face.

Wanyu broke out in a cold sweat. Without time to think, she grabbed the dagger under her pillow and slashed at the intruder.

The person cried out in surprise and raised his arm to block her. The sharp blade cut from his forearm to his palm, slicing through both his sleeve and flesh, making him howl in pain like a slaughtered pig.

It was Lai Sanchun.

Wanyu recognized his voice, and her heart sank.

She had been on edge for days, waiting for Lai Sanchun to come. Tonight, he finally did.

Her earlier strike had only succeeded because Lai Sanchun was caught off guard. Now, it would be impossible to finish him off.