Under the scorching sun, Shen Caixuan was tied to a pillar, her head drooping, her eyes tightly closed, her lips dry and cracked, and her face flushed red from the sun. It was unclear whether she was asleep or had fainted from the heat.
Aunt Li stood in the shade of a nearby tree, gazing at the pitiful Shen Caixuan, tears streaming down her face. Her beautiful eyes were red and swollen from crying. Seeing Madam Lei approaching, she rushed forward and knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Madam, please, spare Caixuan!" She had been exposed to the sun for three days straight. Not to mention the delicate Caixuan, even a strong man would find it unbearable. Caixuan had already fainted from the sun; any further exposure would be fatal.
Lei glanced coldly at the lifeless Shen Caixuan: "Has she agreed to marry Lei Cong?"
"Yes, yes!" Seeing that Madam Lei had relented, Aunt Li nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice: "As long as Madam lets her go, she will definitely marry Young Master Lei!"
Everyone in the Prime Minister's mansion knew Lei Cong's despicable character. Although Aunt Li was a concubine, she did not want her daughter to marry him. However, now that Shen Caixuan's life was at stake, she could not care about so much. Marrying Lei Cong would be a miserable life, but it was better than being roasted to death.
Lei agreed calmly, looking at Shen Caixuan with arrogance. If he had agreed earlier, he wouldn't have suffered like this.
Several maids, following Lei Shi's orders, stepped forward and quickly untied Shen Caixuan's ropes. Perhaps sensing someone nearby, Shen Caixuan's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes. Weakly raising her head, her hazy gaze fell upon Lei Shi under the shade of the tree, and a chilling smile curled at the corner of her lips:
"Lei Yarong, don't even think about pinning the shameful things your good daughter did on me. I'd rather die than marry in place of Shen Yingxue. You've done so many heinous things, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning? I curse you, may you be childless and die a horrible death, hahaha!"
Shen Caixuan's sinister laughter, coupled with her angry eyes and vicious words, was indescribably eerie. Even the composed Lei Yarong felt a chill run down her spine and shivered.
"Caixuan!" Aunt Li disregarded social hierarchy and rushed forward, covering Shen Caixuan's mouth and quickly giving her a meaningful look: "Madam has already agreed to let you go!"
Lei Yarong snapped out of her daze, a wave of anger washing over her. "You bitch! How dare you curse me so viciously!" she thought. "Slap her thirty times, keep her tied to the pillar and exposed to the scorching sun, and keep her drinking water every day. Don't let her die. Let's see how long she can keep up this act!" She refused to believe that she, the wife of the Prime Minister, couldn't even handle a mere concubine's daughter.
"Madam!" Aunt Li looked pitifully at Madam Lei: "Caixuan is young and doesn't know any better. Please let her go!"
Lei snorted coldly: "According to the Lin family rules, disobeying elders and cursing them earns thirty slaps. Give them the beating!"
"Hahaha!" Shen Caixuan showed no fear whatsoever, her shrill laughter growing even more chilling: "Lei Yarong, you will be struck by lightning and die a horrible death. Your beloved son will be torn apart by five horses, cut into pieces so that you couldn't even mend them properly. The daughter you protected will be ridden by a thousand men, gang-raped by ten thousand, becoming a whore despised by everyone, a prostitute, never to be able to show her face again..."
"Beat her! Beat her hard!" Madam Lei was furious. She glared at Shen Caixuan with hatred, gritting her teeth. It was a blessing for her, a mere concubine's daughter of the Prime Minister's family, to marry the eldest grandson of the Grand Commandant's family. Yet Shen Caixuan was so resistant and ungrateful.
Lei Shi was unaware that Lei Cong had been a frequent visitor to the Prime Minister's residence since childhood, and Shen Caixuan, being Shen Yingxue's little follower, had often been in contact with Lei Cong and had long known that he was a scumbag. So, how could she, who was proud and ambitious and eager to marry an excellent husband, agree to marry the scumbag Lei Cong?
From childhood to adulthood, she had always compromised and tried her best to please the Lei family in order to have a good future. However, the Lei family pushed her into a pit of fire for the sake of Shen Yingxue. Her dream of many years was shattered, so she naturally hated the Lei family to the core!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!" The crisp sound of slaps rang out. Shen Caixuan's small face was slapped to the side, to the side, to the side, and to the side again. Blood slowly slid down the corner of her mouth. She did not beg for mercy at all. She glared fiercely at Lei Yarong and laughed with all her might. The eerie laughter made people's hair stand on end.
Lei frowned deeply and turned to leave, but was tightly grabbed by Li Yiniang, who was kneeling on the ground, who pleaded with tears streaming down her face: "Madam, please, let Caixuan go!"
"Once she comes to her senses, I will naturally let her go. If she remains so stubborn, you can just wait to give her a heartless corpse!" Lei said coldly, shaking off Aunt Li and striding forward.
Aunt Li slumped to the ground, watching Lei Shi's cold and ruthless back, then looking at her daughter's swollen and red cheek, with blood splattering everywhere, a deep despair rose in her heart: Madam is so heartless...
Wenguo Gongfu
The imperial physician carefully changed Su Yuting's dressing, covered her face with a veil, gave her a few instructions, and slowly walked out of the inner room.
Madam Ruan was sitting in the outer room when she saw the imperial physician come out. She hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Imperial Physician, how is Yuting's injury?"
The imperial physician glanced into the inner room, took a few steps away, and lowered his voice: "Miss Su's foot injury will heal with rest for a while, but I'm afraid it will leave a scar on her face..."
Madam Ruan was shocked: "She has steel nails piercing her body and feet, and she has recovered from such serious injuries. Her face was only scratched and bled, which is the least serious injury. Why can't she recover?"
The imperial physician shook his head and sighed softly, "Madam, you are unaware that the skin on a person's face is extremely delicate. If Miss Su had received medicine immediately after her injury, she would have recovered completely. However, she was carried back to the Duke's mansion, which delayed the best time for treatment. Furthermore, she was exposed to the wind all the way, and her wound became covered in dust, so... alas..."
"Is there any other way?" Ruan asked anxiously. A girl's appearance is the most important thing. If Yuting's face is ruined, her life will be ruined.
The imperial physician shook his head and sighed heavily: "I have done my best!"
After seeing the imperial physician off, Madam Ruan entered the inner room. Su Yuting was lying on the bed, her face, body, and feet all wrapped in white cloth, looking like a mummy from a distance.
The maidservant wrapped her feet with the last piece of white cloth, then took a thin blanket from the side and gently covered her with it, concealing her tragic state.
Mrs. Ruan sat down by the bed, looking at her daughter's numerous injuries, and gently comforted her, "Yuting, don't be too sad, the doctor said..."
"I heard everything the imperial physician said!" Su Yuting said calmly, her voice serene, but a sharp glint flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Madam Ruan paused, then waved for the maids to leave. A sharp glint flashed in the depths of her eyes: "Don't worry, I will make you pay for all the suffering you've endured!"
Originally, Ruan Shi thought that Shen Lixue was a cunning little fox, and that as long as the plan was right, she could kill her. Ruan Shi did not participate in the open and covert struggle between Su Yuting and Shen Lixue. Who would have thought that Shen Lixue was so scheming that she actually caused Su Yuting to be seriously injured and completely severed ties with the Prime Minister's Mansion. The dozen or so boxes of treasures that the War Prince had taken there were taken back intact. The whole street was talking about the father and daughter.
Thinking of Shen Minghui, Madam Ruan sneered silently, her eyes full of mockery. He was over thirty years old and had been mediocre all along. The only thing he did decisively sixteen years ago was to give birth to Shen Lixue, this scourge. Sixteen years later, she caused a series of troubles. As a father, he couldn't even control his own daughter. He was truly incompetent.
"I will deal with Shen Lixue myself!" Su Yuting said each word with gritted teeth. That bitch stole her most beloved man and disfigured her. She would not be able to quell her hatred until she tore the bitch to pieces with her own hands.
"Shen Lixue is no simpleton!" Su Yuting was trained by Madam Ruan and could easily deal with even the most powerful noble ladies, yet she was defeated so miserably by Shen Lixue. She could imagine how powerful Shen Lixue's methods were.
"I've fought her many times, and I know her strengths and weaknesses very well. As long as I can think of a good method and devise a flawless plan, I will definitely defeat her!" Su Yuting gritted her teeth, enunciating each word clearly. Her beautiful eyes, visible through the white cloth, flashed with a chilling light.
To have one's beauty ruined, to weep in sorrow, to give up on oneself—these are all cowardly acts, which Su Yuting disdains. The wisest course of action is to be strong, devise a perfect plan, and send one's enemy to the deepest abyss.
Madam Ruan ruffled Su Yuting's hair and sighed softly, "I won't stop you from taking revenge, but remember, a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Think carefully before you act, be cautious, and never act rashly!"
“I understand!” Su Yuting nodded, her beautiful eyes flashing even brighter.
A young maid entered the room and said respectfully, "Madam, the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang has sent someone!"
Madam Ruan frowned deeply: "Please let him in!" Su Yuting and Qin Junhao's marriage has not yet been finalized, but as everyone knows, she is already the future Crown Princess of Qin. Since Qin Junhao sent someone to the Duke of Wen's mansion, Madam Ruan could not refuse to let him in.
The visitor was a middle-aged man of ordinary appearance and height. Upon entering the outer room and seeing Madam Ruan, he bowed and greeted her: "Madam!"
"May I ask what brings you to the Duke of Wen's residence, sir?" Madam Ruan ordered tea to be served, and her attitude towards the middle-aged man was fairly polite.
The middle-aged man smiled slightly: "Crown Prince Qin is seriously injured and it is inconvenient for him to handle many matters. He would like to ask Miss Su to come and take care of things for him!"
Ruan's face instantly darkened. The "making arrangements" sounded nice, but all they really meant was for her to go and serve Qin Junhao: "Yuting is injured and cannot go to the post station to take care of the Crown Prince Qin for the time being!"
Shen Lixue is extremely intelligent and cunning, which is a headache. Yuting has not yet figured out a way to deal with her, and now the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang is causing trouble again.
"Is Miss Yuting seriously injured?" The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, looking like he was all ears.