When will this cycle of revenge end?
Wan Zhen'er took the handkerchief and slowly wiped her hands: "Consort Ling, why are you causing trouble in my cold palace instead of staying in your own palace to give birth with such a big belly?"
If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your feet wet. Wan Zhen'er used to be arrogant and domineering because of the favor she received, and she even used that favor to threaten others. But now the tables have turned. Consort Ling had a grudge against the Wan family because of her brother, so Wan Zhen'er had expected that Consort Ling would treat her this way now.
Wan Zhen'er glanced sideways at Consort Ling, noticing a strange smile playing on the corner of her lips. Consort Ling slowly pulled a letter from her sleeve, unfolded it, and handed it to Wan Zhen'er. "Take a look at this, and think about it again. Who is going crazy?"
It is a handwritten letter.
Wan Zhen'er was too lazy to read it, so Consort Ling read it herself. Halfway through, Wan Zhen'er's expression suddenly changed, and she tried to snatch the letter away.
"This is your good brother's letter of apology. He is willing to set off immediately to guard the bitter and cold border for eternity, to die on the battlefield, to atone for his sins. He only begs His Majesty... to remember his past merits and treat his ignorant and incorrigible sister kindly."
"What a touching display of brotherly and sisterly affection!" Consort Ling remarked, dodging Wan Zhen'er's hand.
Wan Zhen'er still refused to believe it: "You forged it! Don't try to fool me with such despicable means! My brother... he wouldn't..."
"Then I can only let you see it with your own eyes." As if displaying some trophy, Consort Ling handed the letter to Wan Zhen'er. "Although this letter is not the original, but a copy, your brother's word choice and habits are evident. You have been corresponding with him for so many years, you don't need me to verify it, do you?"
Wan Zhen'er quickly scanned the contents of the letter, her eyes filled with panic.
Although the handwriting was copied by someone else and the brushstrokes were not visible, certain specific word choices and the way her brother addressed her in the letters were indeed in his handwriting, which could not be faked!
"No, impossible..." Wan Zhen'er's face drained of all color in an instant, her lips trembling as she murmured repeatedly.
The letter floated from her hand and landed in the porridge stains.
"How could you, how could you leave me... going to a place like that by yourself, how could you..." As if all her strength and support had been drained in an instant, Wan Zhen'er staggered and leaned heavily against the cold edge of the table.
Beside her, Consort Ling watched with satisfaction as she collapsed. She leaned down, whispered in her ear at a volume only the two of them could hear, her voice like the hiss of a venomous snake in a sewer, carrying a deadly allure and cruelty.
"Sister, it breaks my heart to see you like this. But it's not entirely hopeless. Perhaps there's a way to turn things around and at least save your brother."
Wan Zhen'er's empty eyes flickered, and she turned to her blankly.
"As long as you," Consort Ling said, each word distinct and clear, "take the blame for everything. Take the initiative to confess to His Majesty that it was out of jealousy and hatred that you secretly contacted palace servants with the intention of harming the imperial heir, and that everything was done by you alone, with no connection to your brother or the Wan family. His Majesty might, in consideration of your voluntary confession and General Wan's understanding and willingness to plead guilty, show leniency towards the Wan family."
"At that time, although the Wan family's power will be diminished, your brother will at least no longer have to bear the burden of your 'indispensable concern,' and perhaps... he can even have a peaceful end and avoid the journey to the frontier."
"What a result! Compared to my brother's gruesome death on the battlefield, this is a great blessing." Consort Ling gently stroked her mountain-like belly, her tone light and relaxed, as if she were merely discussing the weather.
"I know you and your siblings are deeply connected by blood, and you can't sever that bond. So, one of you has to have a better life, right?"
"Sister, do you think it's better for you to shoulder everything and protect our brother, so he can live without any worries? Or for you and your siblings to be crushed together, for the Wan family to be completely destroyed, and for history books to record nothing but infamy?"
...
As I left Chuxiu Palace, dusk was drawing to a close. On the palace walls, the setting sun was burning its last rays, splashing blood-like light across the layers of golden, magnificent palaces and eaves.
Standing at the palace gate, Consort Ling—no, Liu Wanqing—let out a long-awaited sigh of relief.
The breath was long, as if it were releasing years of pent-up hatred, and even the heavy abdomen seemed to feel lighter.
She had never felt so relaxed and happy. Subconsciously, a dizzying feeling of revenge and a bright future enveloped her.
Her gentle and compliant nature, her resemblance to her predecessors, were all just carefully crafted facades. She never entered the palace to vie for favor or secure her position.
Liu Wanqing remembered the devastation that struck when the news reached her home—how her most respected elder brother, that promising young general, had been driven to his death on the battlefield by Wan Qi's stubborn and erroneous military orders, leaving no trace of his body.
She was in excruciating pain, while the Wan family remained calmly seated in their high halls. She couldn't accept it!
But there is only one person in the world who can help her take revenge.
emperor.
So, she spent a fortune and made inquiries from various sources, and successfully entered the palace. After the late empress passed away, she cleverly seized the opportunity and painstakingly imitated her, from the way she walked and her gait to the tone and pauses of her voice, even the subtle habits of frowning, pursing her lips, and turning her head... She painstakingly honed herself into another Cheng Yuzhi, a more docile, more dependent on him, and a perfect substitute whose eyes were only on Zhu Liji.
However, Liu Wanqing would occasionally reveal her true colors, such as when taming horses or occasionally being unreasonable. But the emperor saw these as amusing moments and thus bestowed more favor upon her.
Of course, she was able to do so much because she had guidance from a highly skilled person behind the scenes.
The message secretly delivered by Wang Miaoxiao was a great help to her.
The ambitious man needed a pawn in the palace who could hold the emperor's heart and be used by him, and he also needed this pawn to give birth to a favored prince who was capable of great things.
So they each got what they wanted and hit it off immediately.
Wang Miaoxiao provides information and convenience, while she is responsible for whispering in the ear and, at crucial moments, becomes the most lethal soft knife to the enemy.
What she wanted was never just simple revenge. She wanted Wan Qi to taste the pain of losing a loved one and being in unbearable agony.
Perhaps sensing her mother's joy, the little one in her womb moved again, and Liu Wanqing's fierce gaze softened once more.
Once she gives birth to a child, preferably a prince, given His Majesty's current favor towards her and Wang Miaoxiao's power in the court, what is a crown prince who has lost his mother early, lost the Emperor's favor, and is still inexperienced?
Wang Miaoxiao had already promised that once the Wan family was overthrown and obstacles cleared, he would find a way to get the Emperor to change the heir apparent and help her child ascend to the supreme position. At that time…
Liu Wanqing slightly raised her chin, reached out and then closed her fingers, grasping the last rays of sunlight on the horizon, as if she wanted to firmly and completely hold the red sun, the majestic palace beneath her feet, and even the entire world as far as the eye could see in her hands.
Power, supreme power.
No one would not want it.
——
The courtyard of the Prince's Mansion still retained the festive atmosphere of the New Year, with a few red lanterns swaying gently under the eaves.
Zhu Hua squatted down, her eyes crinkling with a smile, teasing the toddler twins. The children giggled, trying to grab the brightly colored dolls in their mother's hands.
Nearby, Wang Miaoxiao, who rarely had a moment of leisure, was hammering away at the frame of a double swing, referring to a rough blueprint.
This is an item that Zhu Hua suddenly wanted to add to the courtyard a few days ago, and he insisted that Zhu Hua make it by hand, saying that "the children will only remember it if their father makes it by hand."
Wang Miaoxiao scoffed at this, scolding her for thinking useless things, but privately he ordered people to find the sturdiest wood and the most flexible rattan rope.
"It's crooked!" Zhu Hua suddenly pointed to one of the pillars on the side of the swing. "The horizontal bar at the top is at least half an inch higher on the left than on the right!"
Wang Miaoxiao stopped what he was doing, squinted at it for a while, and said, "Really? It looks pretty good to me."
"How could there not be? My eyes are my ruler!" Zhu Hua stood up, handed the child to the wet nurse waiting nearby, walked a few steps to the swing set, and stretched out her slender fingers to point, "Look, from here to there, it's obviously uneven! No wonder I felt something was off when I looked at it earlier."
Wang Miaoxiao carefully examined the area in the direction she pointed, and it did indeed appear to be slightly tilted.
He shook his head helplessly and chuckled, reaching out to pinch Zhu Hua's slightly smug cheek: "You have such sharp eyes."
As the couple flirted, a doorman approached quickly with his head bowed and respectfully handed them a plain note.
"My lord, a message has been sent from the palace."
Wang Miaoxiao casually took it without hiding it, and opened it in the light of the courtyard.
The letter was short; his gaze swept over it, and he paused for a moment.
"What is it?" Zhu Hua asked casually.
“Consort Wan,” Wang Miaoxiao casually folded the letter, her voice devoid of emotion, “was found hanged in Chuxiu Palace this morning. They say she had been dead for two or three days, and had even dismissed all her servants beforehand.”
There was a moment of silence in the courtyard; even the sounds of children playing seemed to fade into the distance.
Wang Miaoxiao turned around and said to the doorman, "Tell the steward to prepare a generous funeral gift and send it to the Wan family in the name of the Wang family."
The doorman bowed and withdrew.
Wang Miaoxiao turned around, walked towards the babbling child, and gently touched her daughter's face with her fingers that were still free of wood chips.
"Good boy, good boy," he teased.
Zhu Hua remained standing in the same spot, the warm spring sun shining on her, yet revealing a rare sense of desolation.
Wang Miaoxiao looked up at her, a hint of teasing in his eyes: "What? Back then, Wan Qi embarrassed you in public and almost forced you to marry far away. Now that you've indirectly gotten your revenge, aren't you happy?"
Zhu Hua shook her head: "I'm just a little dazed."
She is no longer the neglected hostage in the deep palace. She has a husband, children, and real ties to her family.
Therefore, his heart is no longer as perverse as before.
Zhu Hua looked at Wang Miaoxiao and sighed softly.
“I’ve always known about your ambition. I just hope you… will be careful in everything you do, and no matter what, remember that I and the children are waiting for you at home.”
Wang Miaoxiao rubbed her chin against the top of the child's head: "Don't worry."
Everything is under control.
He was no longer the servant born into the household, the clay that could be molded and manipulated.
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