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Chapitre 14

"Wife, are you feeling better?" Dongfang Yao asked cautiously from behind, afraid that his wife might kick him out of the bathtub if she didn't like it.

"Mmm... a little more force... here... to the left, to the left again... yes, mmm..." It feels so good! Rongyue relaxed her body and lay down on the bathtub to doze off. Because she had exhausted herself last night, and Dongfang Yao's demands this morning had prevented her from getting a good night's sleep, she was extremely tired. After a few yawns, her mind began to wander.

"Wife... I... I want..." Dongfang Yao whispered hoarsely in Rongyue's ear, his hands involuntarily moving forward...

"Dongfang Yao, you...you promised me...what!"

"Wife...it's your own fault for not answering..."

"Stop...stop it now..."

"Wait a little longer for my wife..."

Dongfang Yao is a liar! From now on, if she ever believes him again, she'll be a complete idiot! In the instant he knocked her unconscious, Rongyue gritted her teeth, thinking bitterly…

On a late spring afternoon, the innocent and carefree Liu Ruxu and Liu Rongyue played and chased each other merrily in the garden. The sunlight that day shone like a net, illuminating their pretty figures. The garden had everything—mountains, water, trees, and flowers—all vying for attention under the brilliant sunshine.

"Sister, come and catch me!" Xiao Ruxu peeked out from behind the artificial hill and made a face at Xiao Rongyue, who was looking out in the distance.

"Oh, so you were hiding here! Don't run away, when I catch you, I'll teach you a lesson!" Xiao Rongyue laughed mischievously and ran towards Ruxu's hiding place.

"Hehe, come on, come on..."

"I'm here! Where do you think you're going to run to..."

"Ah, sister, spare me...hehe..."

"hehe……"

...

The setting sun was like blood, and a fierce wind swept across the plain, shaking mountains and valleys. In an instant, sand and stones flew, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

"Boom boom boom!" A blinding flash of lightning was followed by a terrifying clap of thunder, which startled Xiao Ruxu so much that she burrowed deeper into Liu Zhiyi's arms.

"Father, I'm scared... Ah--" Before Xiao Ruxu could finish speaking, she was hit on the head by a glass lamp, and bright red blood dripped down her forehead.

"Xu'er—" Liu Zhiyi covered Xiao Ruxu's bleeding forehead in shock, then turned to Xiao Rongyue, who was kneeling in the center of the mourning hall, and said angrily, "Yue'er, you've gone too far! You..."

"Get out! Get out!! I told you to get out—" Xiao Rongyue suddenly went berserk, grabbing everything movable around her and hurling it wildly at Liu Zhiyi and his group: "Get out of here!! Get out! I don't need your fake sympathy! Crocodile tears! It was you, you killed Mother! I hate you, I'll never forgive you even if I die!!!"

Through the blood-stained curtain, Xiao Ruxu saw that the old woman lying in the coffin was still bleeding from all seven orifices, and her hand remained on her protruding belly, seemingly gently stroking it. The old woman's eyes remained wide open until death, her ashen face twisted in a chilling way, as if conveying her resentment to the world…

...

The sky was frozen and the earth was closed, defying frost and snow. By the pond, Xiao Rongyue's face was cold and indifferent, unmoved by the weeping of the charming woman beside her.

"Moon, your mother's death really has nothing to do with me..."

"Are you going to jump or not?!"

"Moon..."

"Fine, don't jump then!" With a cold snort, Xiao Rongyue made a move to leave.

"No!" Clutching Xiao Rongyue's sleeve, the woman's face was filled with sorrowful resolve: "I'll jump... but I beg you, Xu'er..."

"Don't worry, I, Liu Rongyue, always keep my word!"

"That puts my mind at ease..." After a poignant smile, the woman leaped into the pond, bobbing up and down in the icy water for a few moments before disappearing from sight...

"Mother—" In the distance, Xiao Ruxu's shrill scream rang out...

"Ah--" Rongyue suddenly sat up, clutching her chest and panting heavily.

"Wife, what's wrong?" Dongfang Yao sat up and gently stroked Rongyue's trembling back, asking with concern.

This dream…it felt too real… She covered her chest with her hands, listening to the violent thumping sounds, still feeling lingering fear. Could this…be Liu Rongyue's memory? What did it signify that this memory was transmitted to her at this time?

At the same moment, Liu Ruxu woke up from a nightmare.

"No!" Liu Ruxu waved her hands, cold sweat streaming down her face like rain.

"Mother—" She suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes still filled with lingering fear.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong..." The palace maid serving by the bedside was startled by Rongyue's pitiful cries and hurriedly went to check on her.

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

"yes."

After the palace maids had all left, Liu Ruxu clutched the silk quilt tightly around her, her face filled with resentment: "Liu Rongyue, if I don't avenge this, I, Liu Ruxu, swear I'm not human!!"

Volume One: Pear Blossom Courtyard Under the Melting Moon, Chapter Twenty-One: The Mysterious Palace

Making things difficult! Utterly making things difficult!! Obviously making things difficult!!! This old witch, along with the little witch, clearly doesn't like her and thinks she's having it too easy, so they're deliberately picking on her!

She had just finished breakfast when a message came from the palace saying that the Empress Dowager summoned her and ordered her to enter the palace alone at 3:45 AM. 3:45 AM! It's already 2:45 AM! Even by carriage, it takes 3:45 AM to get from the Prince's residence to the palace, and she's ordered to arrive within 15 minutes? Isn't that trying to kill her?

The result was predictable. Despite her best efforts to hurry, she was still a quarter of an hour late for the Empress Dowager's audience. So, the old witch seized the opportunity to make a scene, while the young witch added fuel to the fire. Anyone with eyes could see that the two witches had conspired to frame her. At this point, what could Rongyue say? She was at their mercy, the fish on the chopping block. The palace was their territory; they could run rampant and tyrannical here. What could she do?

Under their expectant gazes, she resignedly lay prone on the long wooden bench, letting the maidservant holding a rattan cane lift her white silk robe. Each strike of the sharp rattan cane left a gruesome red mark on her delicate, baby-soft back, causing her petite body to tremble and flinch. Rongyue clenched her teeth, suppressing a single groan. The excessive forbearance and suppression caused cold sweat to pour down her face, soaking her long hair and clinging to her bloodless face. Her tightly pressed lips never revealed a crack, hinting at her stubbornness.

The two elegantly dressed people atop the black jade steps seemed oblivious to everything about the prince, as if they had forgotten about Rongyue. They leisurely ate the fruits on the table, chatting about everyday matters and telling funny stories. Their laughter echoed in the empty palace, drowning out the harsh slapping sounds.

"You little rascal, you really know how to make me happy! It's truly a blessing for Lie'er to marry you!" As she said this, the Empress Dowager's shrewd old eyes flashed, and a hint of gloom flashed by.

"Aunt—" Liu Ruxu said shyly and coquettishly, a blush rising on her cheeks.