2: Tea humiliation, the wife makes things difficult

It was still dark outside, and the window paper only reflected a faint gray light, when Yun Zhi was awakened by a knock on the door.

She propped herself up, her body limp, and sat up. The heavy pain in her lower abdomen still lingered, as if a piece of ice were embedded in it, causing every movement to ache through her internal organs. Last night's candle had long since burned out, leaving only the wax and the lingering smell of medicine in the room, reminding her of that bowl of sterilizing soup and Xiao Jin's heartless words.

"Miss Yun, it's time to get up and serve tea to the princess." The voice of the housekeeper came from outside the door. There was no politeness in her tone, and it was filled with the contempt of the servants in the palace for the "substitute for a criminal slave."

Yun Zhi bit her lip and slowly moved to the bedside. The wedding dress was still scattered on the floor, a dazzling red. She didn't dare touch it. She only dug out a half-worn light green skirt from the box. The material was rough and a bit irritating against her skin, but it was the most respectable piece of clothing she could find.

She smoothed her hair in front of the bronze mirror. The woman in the mirror was pale, the teardrop mole at the corner of her eye dimmed by the lack of makeup. Her lips still bore the red mark of the medicine she'd been burning with the night before; every sip hurt. She took a deep breath, suppressing the stifling pain in her throat. In this palace, she wasn't even allowed to cry. Offering tea was a custom, and she couldn't refuse.

As soon as she reached the door, she saw two little maids standing there. They didn't even bow to her, but just curled their lips and said, "Hurry up, the princess is still waiting in the main hall. Don't keep the prince and the princess waiting for too long."

Yun Zhi said nothing, following them through the corridor. A thin layer of snow covered the courtyard, and the chill wind felt like a knife against her face. She wrapped her skirt tightly around her, but still felt cold. Passing the garden, she caught a glimpse of the wintersweet in full bloom, and remembered how, every winter at the Imperial Tutor's mansion, her mother would pick a few branches and place them in a vase, filling the house with its delicate fragrance. But now, no matter how fragrant the flowers were, they couldn't warm her heart.

The main hall was already full of people. At the head of the table, Xiao Jin, dressed in a navy blue uniform, was sipping tea from a cup, his expression indifferent, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him. Next to him sat the Duan Prince's wife, Lin Wanru.

Lin Wanru wore a pomegranate-red brocade dress, a gold hairpin inlaid with rubies in her hair. Her makeup was exquisite, but her eyes held a domineering, arrogant air. She was the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, from a distinguished family. Her marriage to Xiao Jin was the envy of everyone in the capital. At this moment, she was acting with aloofness, her gaze as cold as ice as she glanced at Yun Zhi at the door.

Sitting on a chair to the side was the concubine Su Yurou. She wore a moon-white dress, looking gentle and charming, holding a silk handkerchief in her hand. She smiled softly when she saw Yun Zhi, but that smile didn't reach her eyes, instead hiding a hint of calculation.

Yun Zhi lowered her head and walked quickly to the hall, kneeling and bowing according to the rules: "I am Yun Zhi, greeting the prince, the princess, and the concubine."

Her voice was still a little weak, and just as she finished, she heard Lin Wanru sneer, "You were born a slave, so you do know some rules. But you're dressed so shabbily. Are you trying to make a fool of our Prince Duan's Mansion?"

Yun Zhi clenched the corners of her sleeves and didn't dare to refute.

"Alright, let's serve tea first." Su Yurou spoke softly, as if trying to smooth things over, but her words were full of thorns. "My sister has just arrived at the mansion, so there may be some things she is not considerate of regarding the rules. The princess is magnanimous and will definitely guide my sister."

These words seemed to help Yunzhi, but in fact they were reminding Lin Wanru that Yunzhi was a "criminal slave" and was not worthy of being on an equal footing with them.

The maidservant beside her handed over a cup of tea. It was a celadon jade cup with a gold rim, and it looked very valuable. Yun Zhi took it with both hands, holding it carefully. She walked to Lin Wanru, knelt down, and raised the cup above her head: "Princess, please have some tea."

Lin Wanru didn't take it. Instead, she slowly picked up the teacup in front of her, blew away the foam, and didn't even glance at Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi's arms gradually became sore, and the pain in her lower abdomen began to bother her again. A thin layer of sweat seeped out of her forehead, and her hands couldn't help shaking.

At this moment, Lin Wanru suddenly raised her hand, as if to receive the tea, but her fingertips deliberately bumped into Yun Zhi's wrist.

With a "clang", the teacup fell to the ground and the scalding hot tea spilled out, most of it splashing on the back of Yun Zhi's hand.

"Oh!" Lin Wanru cried out in feigned surprise, dodging to the side. "Sister, how could you be so careless? This jade cup was given to you by the Emperor, and you just dropped it like that?"

A red blister instantly appeared on the back of Yun Zhi's hand, burning her so much that she almost cried, but she bit her lower lip tightly to prevent the tears from falling. She knew Lin Wanru did it on purpose.

"Your Highness, I didn't mean it..." Her voice trembled as she tried to explain.

"You didn't mean it?" Lin Wanru's face suddenly darkened, and she slammed the table. "A slave like you is worthy of the palace's jade cup? I think you have evil intentions and deliberately dropped the jade cup to embarrass me!"

Su Yurou hurried forward, took Lin Wanru's arm, and gently persuaded her, "Princess, please calm down. Perhaps I just slipped. But this jade cup is precious after all, and I should apologize to you."

Her words seemed to be an attempt to reconcile, but in fact she was putting the words of "apology" in front of Yun Zhi, forcing her to bow her head.

The back of Yun Zhi's hand was getting more and more painful. She looked up at Xiao Jin with a hint of pleading in her eyes. She knew Xiao Jin didn't like her, but he was the master of the palace after all. As long as he said a word, Lin Wanru would not dare to treat her like this.

But Xiao Jin simply put down the teacup in his hand, his eyes falling on the red bubble on the back of her hand, but without a trace of heartache, he said calmly: "If you can't hold the teacup steadily, you don't know the rules."

His voice was very soft, but it was like a stone hitting Yun Zhi's heart, making her feel cold instantly.

"Go kneel outside the court." Xiao Jin continued, his tone calm. "When you learn the rules, you can stand up again."

Yun Zhi couldn't believe her ears. She stared at Xiao Jin, her eyes instantly red. The pain on the back of her hand and the pain in her lower abdomen were nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She stayed in this palace and suffered humiliation for him, but he watched others bully her and even helped them punish her.

"Your Highness..." She wanted to say something else, but Xiao Jin had already turned his head and no longer looked at her, as if she was just an insignificant object.

Seeing Xiao Jin standing on her side, Lin Wanru smiled smugly and winked at the nanny beside her: "What are you still standing there for? Take her to the courtyard and make her kneel! Don't let her get in the way here!"

Two maids stepped forward, held Yunzhi's arms on the left and right, and regardless of the injuries on the back of her hands, forcibly dragged her out of the main hall.

The snow outside the courtyard hadn't melted yet, and the cold wind blew the snow foam into Yunzhi's neck. She was pressed against the cold bluestone slab, and the moment her knees touched the ground, she felt a piercing pain. The blisters on the back of her hands, blew in the wind, making the pain even more excruciating.

She raised her head and looked at the window of the main hall. She could vaguely see Xiao Jin, Lin Wanru, and Su Yurou talking inside. She could even hear Lin Wanru's laughter. The laughter drifted out and fell into her ears, piercing her like needles.

The servants passing by stopped and looked at her, their eyes filled with sympathy, contempt, and even gloating. No one dared to come over to help her, nor did anyone dare to give her a piece of clothing or a cup of hot water.

Yun Zhi slowly lowered her head and buried her face in her knees. Finally, tears couldn't be held back and fell, freezing into ice on the snow.

She recalled the day her father was beheaded; it was just as cold. Her mother held her in her arms, telling her to live on and redress the injustice done to the Imperial Tutor's family. Back then, she'd thought Xiao Jin spared her life out of a sense of past affection, a sentiment she'd cherished even the slightest. But now she understood that Xiao Jin had only spared her because she bore a face resembling Shen Qingyue's. All he wanted was a shadow that could breathe.

The snow fell heavier, landing on her hair and shoulders, and soon it piled up like a layer. Her body grew colder and colder, her hands and feet began to numb, the pain in her lower abdomen became more and more intense, and her vision gradually began to darken.

She leaned against the cold pillar, her consciousness gradually blurring. In a trance, she seemed to see Xiao Jin standing at the door of the main hall, looking at her. Her heart suddenly tightened, and she wanted to raise her hand to call him, but as soon as she moved, she found that she didn't even have the strength to raise her hand.

When she looked again, the doorway was empty. Perhaps the figure just now was just an illusion.

The wind picked up, whipping snowflakes into her face. Yun Zhi closed her eyes, her lips turning purple from the cold. She thought, perhaps freezing to death in the snow would be a relief. But her mother's words echoed in her mind again: "Live well..."

She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, the pain instantly sobering her up.

She couldn't die. She couldn't just die like this. The injustice of the Imperial Tutor's Mansion hadn't been cleared up, and Xiao Jin hadn't learned the truth yet. She couldn't just give in.

She looked up at the falling snow. The teardrop mole at the corner of her eye was wet with snow, but a glimmer of stubbornness shone through it. Her knees still hurt, the back of her hands still hurt, her heart still hurt, but there was something different in her eyes—a hint of unwillingness, a force that held her together in the face of despair.

The snow was still falling. On the bluestone slabs outside the courtyard, the thin figure was like a weed struggling in the cold wind. It looked like it was about to be frozen, but it never fell down.

In the main hall, Xiao Jin's fingers, holding the teacup, paused imperceptibly. He had indeed stood at the doorway and taken a look, seeing the cyan figure huddled in the snow, like a leaf ready to be blown away at any moment. A sense of inexplicable irritation welled up in his heart. He frowned, turned, and walked back into the hall, attributing his irritation to the noisy snow and wind outside the window.