Mu Yuchengs Abkommen

Kapitel 32

I remained outwardly calm, but inwardly I was alarmed: How could Ya Ya be so outspoken, letting others overhear this? Now she's done something terrible, she's committed a grave offense against the Virtuous Consort, and people will definitely not respect her anymore.

Excerpt from Chapter Six of "The Affairs of Women in the Imperial Harem".

"Sister, why don't you go and tell the Emperor the truth? Perhaps the Emperor is merciful and will forgive you and Brother Sheng. Besides, this bastard child should be aborted. Ah, sister, please listen to your sister this once?"

Consort De looked at her calmly and cried, "No, Yan'er, the Emperor must not find out. If he finds out, he will kill me, kill Sheng, and maybe even exterminate our entire family."

"But—" Yan'er was almost crying with anxiety: "Deceiving the emperor is a death sentence."

"Good sister, please help me this once. Don't tell the Emperor, and don't tell anyone else. I'm begging you, Yan'er." Consort De knelt down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yan'er looked at her sister pleading and her heart softened. She reluctantly said, "Alright, I promise you. But you also have to promise me that you will abort the child in your womb tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you, Yan'er, sister." Yan'er didn't see the fleeting coldness in Consort De's eyes.

Naïve Yan'er never imagined that her own sister would secretly murder her for the sake of her unborn child with that man, and to prevent anyone from discovering the secret. The method was perfect; because Yan'er had no suspicions, her entire plan went smoothly. Everyone assumed Yan'er's death was suicide, and no one suspected her…

The more Consort Wang read, the more alarmed and delighted she became. Wasn't this a living example? Wasn't Consort De the same Consort Xie currently imprisoned? Yan'er, could it be—Consort Wang recalled the woman ten years ago, so beloved by the Emperor, innocent, beautiful, and kind-hearted, yet who inexplicably committed suicide soon after. Could it be—she didn't commit suicide, but was murdered in a conspiracy, and the murderer was none other than Consort Xie, currently in prison!?

Consort Wang was somewhat excited, feeling a sense of satisfaction at her own imaginative thinking and quick wit. "No, I must tell the Emperor," she thought to herself. "Then he will surely praise my intelligence."

The thought of this possibility made her eyes sparkle.

“My dear consort, this is just a story, purely fictional. What concrete evidence do you have to prove that the person described here is Consort De?”

"Your Majesty—" Consort Wang was so anxious she almost stamped her feet.

After Yunying informed me beforehand, I happened to appear here. Seeing that Consort Wang's expression was on the verge of collapse, I bowed my head respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I do have a way to verify whether what Consort Wang said is true."

"Oh, tell me about it." Sima Rui looked at his usually low-key concubine, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

The night was dark and the wind was high. For some reason, it felt unusually cold today. Consort De, huddled in a corner, remained silent. So cold. She wondered what Shen Lang was doing now.

"Sister, sister, Yan'er died so tragically—" Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, and Consort De shivered. She seemed to hear a faint voice that sounded so familiar.

A white figure drifted by, followed by a silvery laugh: "Sister, shall we swing on the swing?" That pure and innocent voice reminded Consort De of her childhood memories from long, long ago. She and Yan'er had been just as close as this when they were little, tying a swing together in the courtyard and playing together. Back then, Yan'er's voice was just as melodious, as sweet as a nightingale's song.

If she hadn't been forced into the palace by him, none of this would have happened. Consort De clenched her fists in the darkness, filled with resentment—resentment that she hadn't been able to avenge him, that he had destroyed everything: the woman he loved, the family he protected, and the power he craved.

Just then, the white figure suddenly froze in mid-air. Consort De slightly raised her eyes and saw the shoes Yan'er loved to wear the most. The white figure suddenly turned fierce: "But, you killed me, you killed me—"

When Consort De raised her head, she saw Xie Wanyan with disheveled hair, blood flowing from her seven orifices, dressed in white, floating in the air and staring at her fiercely.

"Ah—" A shrill scream shattered the moonlit tranquility of the prison.

Consort De, her face filled with terror, huddled against the wall in the corner, murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, Yan'er, Yan'er, I didn't mean to hurt you..."

I watched the woman, who was on the verge of madness, with a detached expression. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes slightly dirty, and she was a far cry from her usual noble elegance. She sat there, sometimes laughing loudly, sometimes sobbing uncontrollably, her expression bizarre, as if she were possessed by some kind of demon.

Sima Rui looked at the seemingly respectful and humble woman beside him and couldn't help but recall what she had said in the Imperial Palace a few days ago: "I have heard that what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. If Consort De really harmed my aunt, she must feel extremely guilty, and with the accumulation of these feelings day and night, she must be unable to sleep at night. I have also heard that after a person dies, if they have resentment or die with their eyes open, their soul will remain in the mortal world and will not disperse. I know this is certainly absurd, but I wonder how someone with guilt or a guilty conscience would react to seeing someone who should be dead but still appears before them. I have always been very curious, I wonder—"

So today's scene is to confirm what she meant by wanting to see how the girl would react. If Consort De had harmed that innocent girl from back then, she would be haunted by nightmares and fear; if she hadn't killed her, she certainly wouldn't have reacted at all.

But now it seems that the person in swaying blue robes must have foreseen it. Who exactly is this person in swaying blue robes, and how could they know so much about what's happening in the palace? Sima Rui smiled mysteriously. If that person doesn't possess the ability to foresee the future, then they must be inside the palace. He wondered which possibility it was.

Volume 2, Chapter 57: The Tragedy of Women

The final judgment.

In reality, it merely gave the women in the palace an opportunity to laugh at themselves, to laugh at the losers in the power struggle. Yet, these women, so tragically, remained completely oblivious.

Looking at my aunt, Consort De, kneeling on the ground, her face ashen, lifeless, and as bewildered as a child, I felt for the first time a sense of relief that she had gone mad during last night's test. This meant that all these years, she had actually harbored guilt, always felt sorry for her little aunt, and had still retained a remnant of conscience. Moreover, she would never understand the smugness on the faces of those women watching the spectacle, the gloating in their eyes, and the hidden schadenfreude they carried.

I couldn't help but wonder if what I was doing was right. I hadn't wanted to get involved in any palace intrigues, because I knew that if I wanted to, these women wouldn't stand a chance against me, and there was no point in me competing. But, for the sake of the owner of this body, was it too cruel to torment this poor woman to this extent?

I reopened all her buried wounds and rubbed salt into them. But these are no longer things for me to dwell on. In this world, evil will be punished; it's inevitable, just a matter of time. Now she has atoned for her sins and is at peace.

Aunt Xie Weiying and Su Ranran can rest in peace now.

"Consort De, do you know your crime?" The emperor sat high above, gazing at the woman he once favored without any emotion.

Consort De knelt there, swaying from side to side, babbling as if in a daze, as if she had returned to the most primitive state of an infant, completely unaware of and oblivious to everything around her.

Just as the emperor lazily concluded everything with a single sentence, the usually silent Huan Shuangshuang suddenly spoke up: "I wonder how Consort De's two children are doing, whether they were also with that man—" She seemed to be asking herself, yet also hinting at something. Instantly, a bombshell was dropped among the concubines; everyone's expression shifted, seemingly calm on the surface, but beneath, a storm was brewing. I looked at Sima Rui; a flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes.

I was secretly alarmed. Although I had threatened Consort De, she had already received her due punishment, and the children were innocent after all. How could I bear to watch my three nominal nephews die?

At this moment, Consort De, who had been kneeling quietly on the ground, suddenly went berserk. She leaped up and pounced on me. I stood there stunned, unable to react for a moment, and she knocked me to the ground, laughing maniacally like a madwoman. Her voice was sharp, shrill, and unpleasant. But just as she pounced on me, her previously clouded gaze suddenly cleared, filled with hatred. She leaned close to my ear and said coldly, "Is this what you wanted to see? Before Shen Lang entered the palace, he was castrated by your beastly father so he could see me. He's been a eunuch for a long time. He's the one who ruined my life and Shen Lang's." As soon as she finished speaking, she was dragged away by the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs. I looked at her again; her gaze was wild, kicking and punching those around her, her hair disheveled, and she kept laughing, a laugh that sent chills down the spines of everyone around her.

"Hahaha—hahaha—" It was as if the whole world had stopped, and all I could hear was her unwilling, sad, and miserable laughter.

Castrated?! She means Shen Qing is a eunuch?! Then—who are those children—I recall seeing Shen Qing this time; I felt a chilling aura emanating from him. No wonder she hates her own brother so much, hates him to the bone, hates him so much she wants to kill him for the rest of her life, hates him so much she's taken so many wrong steps.

I thought of that man. What was it that made him so cruel to his own sister? What was it that made him so cruel to her happiness—was it power, or—

I lay on the ground, eyes closed, a tear slowly sliding down my cheek. What kind of world is this?! How can they trample on a woman's dignity like this?! What do they take women for—tools, or objects of exploitation?

"Drag him away and give him a white silk ribbon." Sima Rui's cruel and merciless voice came from the side.

After a long while, I was helped up. "Your Highness, are you alright?" There were concerned voices all around, but I remained frozen like a puppet, my expression numb and my eyes lifeless, sitting there.

"Your Majesty—what should we do with Consort De's child? We absolutely cannot let that bastard taint our royal bloodline..." Consort Wang said, clinging to Sima Rui's arm. A hint of hesitation flashed in Sima Rui's eyes.

I stood up abruptly, knelt at his feet, and said firmly, "Your Majesty, I swear on my life that my three nephews are indeed Your Majesty's own flesh and blood."

"Consort De is your aunt, of course you would say that. What proof do you have?" Consort Wang pressed on relentlessly, her tone aggressive.

I knelt nervously on the ground, awaiting the emperor's decision.

After a long time, so long that I was about to collapse and faint, he finally said lazily, "Oh—is that so? Then, my beloved concubine, do you have any way to prove to me that they are indeed my children?"

I took a deep breath and finally calmly said, "Blood test for kinship." At this moment, I cannot back down or make any mistakes.

"Blood test for kinship?" the crowd repeated in confusion.

"Yes, Your Majesty." After a pause, I continued, "I've heard that if blood relatives, father and son, drop their blood into water, it will quickly mix." God help me, I hope the blood-drop kinship test I saw on TV isn't made up, otherwise I'd be dead.

Just as Consort Wang was about to raise her questions, Consort Huan, who usually didn't concern herself with matters of the inner palace, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have also heard that someone used this method during the Han Dynasty. I think there must be some basis for it. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. Your Majesty should give it a try. Don't mistakenly kill your own son."

"But this is just your personal opinion, Consort Xian; there is no evidence whatsoever—"

"Enough!" Sima Rui coldly interrupted Consort Wang. "Someone, bring the Third Prince and the two princesses here. I want to perform a blood test to determine kinship."

Suddenly, he looked at me and said, "My beloved concubine, if it's not as you say, I can't protect you either."

I lowered my head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Everyone held their breath, nervously looking at the blood in the copper basin. I looked at these people coldly, wondering how many of them were concerned about how many drops of blood wouldn't mix, and how many of them could kindly hope that they would mix.

Finally, a woman's voice exclaimed joyfully, "It's melted! It's melted together!"

Consort Wang slapped the palace maid on the head: "It wasn't you who vouched for her, so why are you so happy?"

I looked at the aggrieved Yunying. That silly girl must have been so anxious that she forgot whose maid she was.

At this moment, Sima Rui gave me a deep look and ordered, "Guards, settle the prince and princess in Daoxiao Palace. They will be taught by Consort Xian from now on. I am tired, you may all leave."

The crowd knelt down and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, we take our leave."

I patted my chest, thank goodness. The movies and TV shows weren't lying. That scared me to death.

I had barely stepped into Jiu Nian Xuan and hadn't rested for long when that annoying little sugar daddy barged in again.

Upon seeing me, exhausted to the point of collapse, he angrily retorted, "You stupid woman! Are you out of your mind or something? Trying to show off like this? Aren't you afraid your life won't be that tough?! Who do you think you are, trying to be a great philanthropist..."

I've been mentally and physically exhausted these past few days, and I simply don't have the energy to argue with him.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet for a long time. I opened my eyes, thinking he had left, but to my surprise, the little brat was staring at me with a very strange expression—I thought he had shit for brains. After a long while, he awkwardly asked, "Woman, if I were in danger, would you save me like this?"

I stared at him wide-eyed, then gave him a light tap on the head, asking in confusion, "Are you running a fever? Why are you asking such a question?"

He shouted, "Why did you hit me? Just answer my question, why are you talking so much?"

I lazily closed my eyes, preparing to drift off to sleep. I muttered impatiently, "I don't know."

"You—you stinking woman—" He was so angry when he heard my answer that he jumped up and down.

"You're perfectly fine, let's talk about the future later." I shifted my body and found a comfortable position to fall asleep.

In a daze, I heard a voice say in my ear: "Woman, you don't need to save me. I will take good care of myself, become stronger, and then protect you."

I didn't pay any attention, turned over, and went back to sleep. My beauty sleep—nothing, no matter how important, can disturb me!

"Chen Wen, did you find what I asked you to investigate?"

"Reporting to Master, my men have indeed heard that some courtesans in brothels buy a drug called 'Dream Love' from Persian merchants. When there are many customers, these courtesans apply this drug to their lips. As soon as a customer touches this drug, he will fall into a deep sleep and have sexual intercourse with the woman in his dream. The dream is so real that no one can tell." Chen Wen blushed as he spoke and couldn't continue.

“Master, you asked me to investigate this—” Chen Wen asked tentatively.

Sima Rui didn't hear what he said. His heart was already overflowing with raging anger, and he clenched his fists tightly: "Xie Weiying, you damned woman! How dare you deceive me!"

"Achoo—" Who is it? It's so late, and they're scolding me. I slept too much this afternoon. I woke up in the evening, got up, slipped on my slippers, and yawned: "Xiao Quanzi—Xiao Quanzi—" I called several times, but no one answered. "Where have you been all this late—"

As I was walking out, cursing and swearing, I suddenly bumped into someone against a wall with a loud "bang." I was about to look up and yell at whoever was so blind, but when I looked at them, I froze.

"Oh—Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

"What, is it that I cannot come to my beloved concubine's place?"

"No, no," I said with an awkward laugh. But coming so late is really creepy. Don't you know that scaring someone can be deadly? I thought to myself secretly.

He didn't speak, but his gaze was deep. Before I could react, he moved closer to my face, his lips gently meeting mine. I was startled and hurriedly pulled away, but he held my shoulders tightly and kissed me deeply again. Soon, my tongue touched his. I was completely stunned and could only let him take what he wanted. A long time passed, so long that I almost couldn't breathe.

He suddenly released me. "Xie Weiying, what kind of woman are you?" His long, slender, white fingers gently traced the shape of my lips. I could only stare at him blankly.

Finally, he leaned close to my earlobe and said wickedly, "I'll let you off the hook today. Xie Weiying, we'll meet again someday."

He left me behind and walked away without looking back.

Did I see things wrong? Why did I see a hidden anger and annoyance in his eyes as he left?

Also, the things he said tonight were so strange. Thank goodness he didn't do anything; I was worried I hadn't put on my rouge.

Hehe, have you all noticed something? Like Sima Rui starting to realize something. Please continue to support me!!!

Volume 2, Chapter 58: The Night Banquet

"Master, Master, something terrible has happened—" Little Quanzi wouldn't let me have a moment's peace early in the morning. I calmly continued creating my comics. Xiao Qi told me the comics were selling well, and I had to admit, this was incredibly good news for me. Things I couldn't do in the modern world, or couldn't accomplish, were all being done here, little by little.

Honestly, I'm very happy. Thinking about it, I happily continued working on my piece.

Xiao Quanzi ran over and stood there catching his breath for a while before he could catch his breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked casually.

"Huan, Consort Huan is pregnant. The palace is in an uproar. The Emperor has ordered a grand celebration tonight in the Imperial Garden, so that the emperor and his subjects can rejoice together and celebrate this joyous occasion."

"Good news?!" My mind went blank, and I immediately dropped my pen, the ink spreading out in lines. Was it Huan Shuangshuang? Good news, I smiled, it really was good news.