Confinement, copying Buddhist scriptures, abstaining from meat, and being given coarse cloth and hemp clothing—when Yinreng did things, he could be so ruthless that people felt like dying.

Fucha Yuxian is a person who wants to live a life of luxury, not someone who comes here to live like an ascetic.

Qiaocui covered her swollen arm and said earnestly, "Consort, there's plenty of time in the future."

"What do you mean 'long'? You've bullied me so much, do you expect me to just put up with it?" Fucha Yuxian completely forgot that she had once said she had plenty of patience.

So-called patience is nothing more than successfully reaping the rewards when things are going smoothly.

Watching your prey walk step by step into your trap, it's never too long to wait.

However, once things get out of control, she only becomes anxious and makes numerous mistakes.

Lingpu was banished from the capital by Yinreng and sent directly to Yunnan. It would be impossible for him to return to the capital for at least three to five years.

This is a good thing, lest the hustle and bustle of the capital disturb his peace of mind.

As Yinreng grew older, his small court gradually took shape and gained great importance in the court.

That is why Lingpu, as his wet nurse and close relative, was naturally adored by everyone.

While one may be able to maintain a firm resolve for a short time, in the long run, it's doubtful anyone can guarantee they won't harbor selfish motives.

Wasn't Ao Bai just like that back then?

Ling Mama applauded her son's punishment of being banished from the capital. No one knows a son better than his mother; Ling Mama had long seen that Ling Pu was distracted, but he wouldn't listen to her after a few words.

Yinreng suddenly lashed out at Fucha Yuxian, and a few days later, he even provoked Emperor Kangxi to personally inquire about it.

"Fucha clan's actions against Hongzhao showed their cruelty."

Yinreng investigated with all his might, and there was nothing he couldn't uncover. When he discovered that Lady Fucha had drugged Hongzhao's wet nurse, he wanted nothing more than to tear her to pieces.

If it weren't for Hongzhao's good fortune, that wet nurse would have succumbed to the effects of the medicine early on, and he might have truly suffered.

Hongzhao is Kangxi's favorite son, and his status is now far superior to that of Yinreng, let alone others.

An emperor's wrath can cause the deaths of millions. Kangxi, holding a secret report handed to him by his bodyguard, was so angry that his chest ached.

"Give him death." Kangxi crumpled the secret memorial into a ball, his voice chilling.

Yinreng's expression mirrored his: "Crush to ashes."

Fucha Yuxian, who was punished by being forced to copy Buddhist scriptures in a dark room, became so thin that she was practically skin and bones.

Only five days had passed, and the plump and radiant beauty had turned into a breathing, skinned skeleton.

The royal family's ability to abuse people is truly remarkable.

"Qiaocui, I told you to go find Consort Wuya, have you found her?" Fucha Yuxian's voice was hoarse. She knew she had eaten the wrong thing, but she would die if she didn't eat it.

She made a note of this debt.

"Qiaocui, where have you been!" Fucha Yuxian waited for a long time, but Qiaocui didn't reply. She turned around angrily to scold her.

Tong Wanyan stood at the doorway. The room was pitch black, except for the faint light from the candle she held in her hand.

"Are you looking for your dog? She's dead! She died from poisoning herself." Tong Wanyan's smile was gentle and comforting.

Fucha Yuxian forced herself to straighten her chest and tried to stand up.

Tong Wanyan, wearing platform shoes, steadily kicked her back to the ground.

"Look how thin you've become, are you happy?" Tong Wanyan put the candle aside, squatted down and looked at her.

"Look at how down and out you are, and I'm condescending to speak to you. You should be very honored, shouldn't you?" Tong Wanyan gave her a bright smile.

Tong Wanyan's behavior was very strange, and Fucha Yuxian felt her hair stand on end, wanting to seek protection.

Snap!

Tong Wanyan's armored hand drew a graceful arc in the air, brushing past Fucha Yuxian's face.

Fucha Yuxian winced in pain, covered her face with her hands, and then put them down.

"You've ruined my face!" Fucha Yuxian was most proud of her appearance.

"Yes, you want to harm my son, do you expect me to let you off easily? There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Tong Wanyan patted her undamaged left cheek.

Fucha Yuxian trembled like a leaf: "Aren't you afraid that the master will see your vicious face? At worst, I'll just die. What about you? Do you want to be buried with me? The concubine used private torture to cause death. This should be a capital offense that implicates nine generations of relatives."

To be able to save herself in such a predicament, Fucha Yuxian is indeed extraordinary.

But would Tong Wanyan have no one to rely on?

Yinreng stepped out from behind the door with a gentle and polite smile.

Fucha Yuxian gazed at him intently, as if her wedding day had just ended.

He spoke to her politely, and she hugged the blanket he had slept in.

"Father Emperor has decreed that you be sentenced to death, but I think that's too lenient. So I've chosen a method of execution for you: before you die, you will be torn to pieces a thousand times, and after you die, your bones will be crushed and your ashes scattered to the winds," Yinreng said.

He glanced at her and noticed her reddened palms, and pulled them over with a pang of heartache.

"I told you I'd do it for you, but you wouldn't have agreed. Look at your palms, they're all red. Does it hurt? Let me rub them for you." Yinreng truly felt sorry for his little wife.

Even though the jade wasn't damaged when it bumped into the porcelain tile, it still evokes a sense of heartache.

Fucha Yuxian laughed in a low voice, like an old bellows in a boiler, very rough and unpleasant to hear.

Yinreng covered Tong Wanyan's ears, saying, "Don't pollute your ears."

Tong Wanyan smiled sweetly: "With you here, I don't see or hear anyone else."

"My lord and Consort Tong are truly in love. I wonder if the Emperor would separate them and kill one of them if he found out? Back then, my lord made vows of eternal love to me, but now he's so unfaithful. Isn't Consort Tong afraid? Speaking of which, Consort Tong was pregnant back then and couldn't serve my lord." Fucha Yuxian bit wildly, taking whatever piece of flesh she could get.

Tong Wanyan chuckled: "You think I don't know you're a shield? I only have my scent on him, you can't even get a trace of it on his clothes. Your skills are really too shallow."

Fucha Yuxian smiled mysteriously, then suddenly raised her sleeve, scattering powder all over Tong Wanyan.

Tong Wanyan sneezed, her nose itchy: "I'm sorry to disappoint you, I'm not dead."

Tong Wanyan shook off the remaining dust from her sleeves, which landed on Fucha Yuxian's face, neck, and hands.

Her pale face quickly flushed red, blistered, and she looked terrible.

"Your own mother is a woman from the Southern Barbarians, skilled in using Gu magic and drugs to bewitch people. Lingpu was fooled by you once, and he already underestimated her. Do you think you can use such underhanded methods a second time? How naive!" Tong Wanyan mocked her mercilessly.

Fucha Yuxian rolled on the ground in agony, unable to hear Tong Wanyan's words.

"The maidservant of Consort Fucha, dissatisfied with being mistreated, secretly set fire to the Ruyu Pavilion to kill her mistress." Yinreng kicked over the candlestick standing on the ground, and flames shot high into the air.

Fucha Yuxian wanted to shout out in despair. She hadn't waited for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, hadn't become the Empress of the Qing Dynasty, the future Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty. She didn't want to die!

Unfortunately, her throat had been burned away, and she couldn't even make the slightest sound, let alone roar.

Yinreng watched coldly as she rolled on the ground in agony.

"Xiao Yan, stop looking. I'll carry you back." Yinreng covered Tong Wanyan's eyes with his hand, and only after she closed them did he pick her up and stride out of the dark room where the fire was spreading.