Chapter - 55
By Tea Time Translations
---
If there are any mistakes in translation, please feel free to comment! Please support us @TeaTime.
---
The beauty lay crushed, her delicate body fragile like shattered flowers. A tear or two lingered at the corners of her eyes, glistening like stars in the night sky. She nestled weakly in Pei You'an's embrace, motionless.
"Did I hurt you just now?" Pei You'an asked softly.
Jiafu kept her eyes tightly shut, choked with a sense of grievance, but then shook her head.
Pei You'an kissed her sweaty forehead apologetically and pulled her closer.
After a moment, Jiafu slowly opened her eyes, her cheeks still flushed. She nuzzled further into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his, and asked softly, "Cousin, what are you thinking about?"
“Princess Consort's sudden madness, what happened exactly, tell me everything you saw in detail, leaving out no details,” Pei You'an instructed.
Jiafu tilted her face slightly upwards, meeting his gaze. She bit her lip and whispered softly, "I was sitting with her. She was fine at first, had a couple of drinks, but then suddenly went mad. She started by ranting nonsensically about the opera singers, then she began talking nonsense herself, and couldn't be stopped..."
Pei You'an furrowed his brow slightly. "Why were you sitting with her?"
"She insisted on it, and I couldn't refuse..."
"Why? What did she say at the time?"
Jiafu felt a bit dizzy and lowered her eyes.
Pei You'an gently lifted her chin with one hand, urging her to look at him. "Don't hide anything from me."
"Cousin, if I did something wrong, would you get angry and scold me like you used to?" Jiafu finally asked.
Pei You'an was momentarily taken aback, perhaps reminded of past events. He smiled, his features softening.
"I won't get angry, and I won't scold you anymore. If something is truly wrong, I'll teach you, so you won't make the same mistake again."
Jiafu finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll tell you, you have to keep your word. Princess Consort went mad... because she drank medicated wine..."
She looked at his expression, seeing his surprise, and hurriedly continued, "She poisoned the wine herself! It has nothing to do with me!"
Pei You'an sat up from the pillows.
"What exactly happened?" His expression became unusually solemn.
As the conversation reached this point, Jiafu dared not hide anything further. She sat up alongside him and recounted the events exactly as they had happened, except for the part where the palace maid poured wine for her. Instead, she slightly modified that section.
"…Then a palace maid poured wine into my cup, and I happened to notice her unusual hand gesture. She pressed her thumb against the handle of the jug, and the bottom of it moved slightly downward. It made me think of the incident in Wuding, where I clearly offended the Princess Consort. Yet, she was so insistent on inviting me to sit with her. I became suspicious and quietly poured out that cup of wine. She probably saw that I was fine and wanted to pour me another one, but I refused. Then, when the Emperor's edict came, I... I..."
Jiafu hesitated.
"You switched the wine with hers?" Pei You'an finished her sentence.
Pei You'an raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression extremely surprised.
"Cousin, you promised not to get angry with me—she went too far, insisting on making a public spectacle of me. If I make a fool of myself, isn't it the same as you making a fool of yourself? I was angry for a moment, took advantage of the opportunity when she wasn't looking, and swapped the cups..."
Jiafu was a bit flustered. As she spoke, she didn't hesitate and hugged him, pressing herself against him.
Pei You'an's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he held her shoulders and waist, preventing her from burying herself into his embrace.
"I'm not angry. Don't move around, let's talk properly," he said softly.
Jiafu finally relaxed a little, uttered an "Oh," and released him.
"She didn't know I switched the wine. She drank it, and then... started talking nonsense like she was crazy..."
"Cousin, I truly regret it. If I had known she would say such things, no matter how wronged I felt, I would have endured it. Now that you've been embarrassed because of me, I feel really sorry..."
Jiafu hung her head, unmoving.
For a while, he didn't say anything.
Jiafu's heart began to ache, feeling like crying, but she forced herself to hold back.
"Come here."
Suddenly, she heard him say in a gentle voice.
Jiafu lifted her gaze and saw him opening his arms towards her, as if to embrace her. She finally completely relaxed. He really didn't blame her.
"Cousin!" She immediately threw herself at him. Pei You'an wasn't prepared and was pushed backward, falling onto the pillow. Jiafu then nestled against his chest.
"Cousin, you're really wonderful," Jiafu kissed him, her eyes sparkling, her voice soft and sweet.
For a moment, Pei You'an's heart softened completely.
This girl, ever since the moment she rushed to him at the Wu Ding Inn, ignoring everything and clinging tightly to his waist, he felt her wholehearted trust in him. It was as if he was her world.
In truth, Pei You'an wasn't entirely sure why she placed such trust in him. Their interactions had been few and far between—just a handful of meetings during childhood and a brief encounter last year during their grandmother's birthday celebration, which wasn't particularly pleasant.
But she had attached herself to him, and he couldn't push her away, nor could he let her go.
Tonight, he had gone to fetch her, only to unexpectedly learn about the incident at the birthday celebration. At that moment, he was genuinely furious. And after returning home with her, the words spoken by Madam Xin only added another layer to his anger.
But it wasn't for himself that he felt this anger; it was for her.
He had always been aware of the prince's covetousness towards her. She had emphasized this point more than once in the past, seeking his protection. Yet, he had still neglected it, leading to her embarrassment today due to the jealousy of another woman.
The world would only label her as a bringer of misfortune, unaware of her true innocence.
This girl, who relied on him wholeheartedly, believed that marrying him would ensure a worry-free life. But tonight, if she hadn't been vigilant and avoided this disaster, he couldn't imagine the extent of the harm she would have suffered if she had mistakenly drunk that cup of drugged wine.
His once tender heart instantly hardened.
"You're a bit mischievous. But that woman was too malicious. You changed the wine. The most important thing is that everything is fine. And this may not be a bad thing; perhaps it's the beginning of a positive change," said Pei You'an.
Jiafu widened her eyes.
"Are you saying that the prince committed murder, and the prince's consort made false accusations in public, and they are in for some serious trouble?"
"It's not necessarily a disaster for them, and they won't just sit idly by. But they will definitely have to be more cautious from now on. What about the wine pot? Was it taken away?"
"When the prince's consort went crazy, she knocked over some dishes and utensils on the table, and the wine pot was smashed as well."
Pei You'an pondered for a moment.
Jiafu suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right! The palace maid poured me the first cup of wine, and I spilled it on my sleeve. I was worried that I would get into trouble and you would scold me. After I bathed and changed at night, I deliberately kept it instead of having Tanxiang wash it away, thinking that it might serve as evidence."
Pei You'an looked somewhat surprised, raised an eyebrow, and reached out to pinch her cheek. "You little rascal! Why haven't you shown it to me yet?"
.....
In the Eastern Palace
With a splash, a bucket of half-melted ice water was poured over the head and face of Zhang Fengtong, who was lying on the ground.
Zhang Fengtong shuddered, gradually regaining consciousness. She finally managed to open her eyes, but for a moment, she didn't know where she was. She felt soaked through, suffering from a severe headache, and in great pain.
Her memory was still stuck at tonight's birthday banquet.
She vaguely remembered that Zhen Shi had drunk the medicated wine, but apart from feeling dizzy and drunk, there was no other reaction as she had expected.
Once she had made up her mind, she would never easily give up. From childhood to adulthood, it was this extraordinary mentality that pushed her step by step to her current position.
If not for this, when she was young, playing with her sisters in the garden, swinging on the swings, laughing and frolicking, how could she endure the hardships of studying behind closed windows, doing things that she originally had no interest in but gained her reputation?
She lacked beauty, yet refused to fade into obscurity. Relying on being ruthless to herself, she finally reached where she is today.
Before making the decision to act, she had hesitated repeatedly. But Cao's death was like a warning bell to her.
Previously, she had always believed that she could ignore the favor given to other women by Xiao Yintang.
In the world, women are, in the eyes of men, divided into two main functions.
The first is to serve the ancestral temple above and to continue the family line below, which is the role of a legal wife.
The second is to serve men and satisfy their desires. That's all.
She would be the former for Xiao Yintang, while that woman, Zhen, was nothing more than physical attraction. After Xiao Yintang had her for a while, he would naturally grow tired of her.
But now, she was gradually becoming impatient. Xiao Yintang's level of attention to Ms. Zhen far exceeded her initial expectations.
Cao, who had been with Xiao Yintang for many years, could be considered one of his favored ones. Yet, merely because she heard a sentence related to Ms. Zhen, she was strangled to death by him. Afterwards, Xiao Yintang showed no signs of regret or pity.
This made Zhang Fengtong feel somewhat fearful. It's a common human tendency: the more unattainable something seems, the more one desires it.
She had interacted with Ms. Zhen several times. In those verbal clashes, she hadn't gained the upper hand at all, indicating that the woman was far from as weak as she appeared.
What's even more intriguing is that, according to what she knew, Zhen seemed to have some involvement with Pei Xiuzhi in the past. Despite her background, she managed to marry Pei You'an, the current favorite of the emperor, in such a short time.
From the time in Wuding, Zhang Fengtong had a clear understanding of who Pei You'an was. She believed that achieving such a goal without any extraordinary means was absolutely impossible.
She had a profound sense of crisis.
Once Xiao Yintang could act as he pleased in the future, who could guarantee that he wouldn't do everything possible to please this scheming woman, elevate her status, and ultimately depose her?
Although the idea of elevating a former concubine to the position of empress seemed absurd, as long as the emperor wished, there would always be a way.
Rather than waiting passively for the unpredictable future, it was better to take action while Xiao Yintang was still restrained and secretly ruin Zhen.
The secret medicine she put in the wine came from the esoteric Tibetan Buddhism, with peculiar and intense properties. After ingestion, it would confuse the mind, causing an intoxicating effect, with varying outcomes depending on the individual.
For those with a violent nature, it would immediately incite murder.
For those with a seductive nature, it would induce public debauchery.
Zhang Fengtong was convinced that Zhen was cunning and seductive. By ingesting the drugged wine, her true colors would be revealed in front of everyone, completely ruining her reputation. Not only would Pei You'an be humiliated, but she also doubted that Xiao Yintang would continue to favor her. Afterward, as long as the evidence was destroyed, no one would suspect her. They would only think that Zhen had become drunk and immoral, thus exposing her true nature.
But later, things seemed to go awry...
She remembered feeling increasingly feverish, followed by a heavy-headed sensation, hating the noisy actors on stage.
What had she done?
Zhang Fengtong's head was pounding, struggling to climb up from the damp ground. She groaned, feeling a sharp pain on her face. With a loud "slap," a heavy slap hit her, causing her entire body to twist and fall to the ground, her face feeling as if it were dripping blood, burning with pain.
"You wretch! Daring to slander me like this in public! Are you tired of living?"
A cold voice sounded by her ear.
She finally fully regained consciousness, opened her eyes, turned her head, and saw Xiao Yintang staring at her with an angry expression, his gaze filled with disgust as if he could kill her with his eyes.
Chapter - 55
By Tea Time Translations
---
If there are any mistakes in translation, please feel free to comment! Please support us @TeaTime.
---
The beauty lay crushed, her delicate body fragile like shattered flowers. A tear or two lingered at the corners of her eyes, glistening like stars in the night sky. She nestled weakly in Pei You'an's embrace, motionless.
"Did I hurt you just now?" Pei You'an asked softly.
Jiafu kept her eyes tightly shut, choked with a sense of grievance, but then shook her head.
Pei You'an kissed her sweaty forehead apologetically and pulled her closer.
After a moment, Jiafu slowly opened her eyes, her cheeks still flushed. She nuzzled further into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his, and asked softly, "Cousin, what are you thinking about?"
“Princess Consort's sudden madness, what happened exactly, tell me everything you saw in detail, leaving out no details,” Pei You'an instructed.
Jiafu tilted her face slightly upwards, meeting his gaze. She bit her lip and whispered softly, "I was sitting with her. She was fine at first, had a couple of drinks, but then suddenly went mad. She started by ranting nonsensically about the opera singers, then she began talking nonsense herself, and couldn't be stopped..."
Pei You'an furrowed his brow slightly. "Why were you sitting with her?"
"She insisted on it, and I couldn't refuse..."
"Why? What did she say at the time?"
Jiafu felt a bit dizzy and lowered her eyes.
Pei You'an gently lifted her chin with one hand, urging her to look at him. "Don't hide anything from me."
"Cousin, if I did something wrong, would you get angry and scold me like you used to?" Jiafu finally asked.
Pei You'an was momentarily taken aback, perhaps reminded of past events. He smiled, his features softening.
"I won't get angry, and I won't scold you anymore. If something is truly wrong, I'll teach you, so you won't make the same mistake again."
Jiafu finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll tell you, you have to keep your word. Princess Consort went mad... because she drank medicated wine..."
She looked at his expression, seeing his surprise, and hurriedly continued, "She poisoned the wine herself! It has nothing to do with me!"
Pei You'an sat up from the pillows.
"What exactly happened?" His expression became unusually solemn.
As the conversation reached this point, Jiafu dared not hide anything further. She sat up alongside him and recounted the events exactly as they had happened, except for the part where the palace maid poured wine for her. Instead, she slightly modified that section.
"…Then a palace maid poured wine into my cup, and I happened to notice her unusual hand gesture. She pressed her thumb against the handle of the jug, and the bottom of it moved slightly downward. It made me think of the incident in Wuding, where I clearly offended the Princess Consort. Yet, she was so insistent on inviting me to sit with her. I became suspicious and quietly poured out that cup of wine. She probably saw that I was fine and wanted to pour me another one, but I refused. Then, when the Emperor's edict came, I... I..."
Jiafu hesitated.
"You switched the wine with hers?" Pei You'an finished her sentence.
Pei You'an raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression extremely surprised.
"Cousin, you promised not to get angry with me—she went too far, insisting on making a public spectacle of me. If I make a fool of myself, isn't it the same as you making a fool of yourself? I was angry for a moment, took advantage of the opportunity when she wasn't looking, and swapped the cups..."
Jiafu was a bit flustered. As she spoke, she didn't hesitate and hugged him, pressing herself against him.
Pei You'an's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he held her shoulders and waist, preventing her from burying herself into his embrace.
"I'm not angry. Don't move around, let's talk properly," he said softly.
Jiafu finally relaxed a little, uttered an "Oh," and released him.
"She didn't know I switched the wine. She drank it, and then... started talking nonsense like she was crazy..."
"Cousin, I truly regret it. If I had known she would say such things, no matter how wronged I felt, I would have endured it. Now that you've been embarrassed because of me, I feel really sorry..."
Jiafu hung her head, unmoving.
For a while, he didn't say anything.
Jiafu's heart began to ache, feeling like crying, but she forced herself to hold back.
"Come here."
Suddenly, she heard him say in a gentle voice.
Jiafu lifted her gaze and saw him opening his arms towards her, as if to embrace her. She finally completely relaxed. He really didn't blame her.
"Cousin!" She immediately threw herself at him. Pei You'an wasn't prepared and was pushed backward, falling onto the pillow. Jiafu then nestled against his chest.
"Cousin, you're really wonderful," Jiafu kissed him, her eyes sparkling, her voice soft and sweet.
For a moment, Pei You'an's heart softened completely.
This girl, ever since the moment she rushed to him at the Wu Ding Inn, ignoring everything and clinging tightly to his waist, he felt her wholehearted trust in him. It was as if he was her world.
In truth, Pei You'an wasn't entirely sure why she placed such trust in him. Their interactions had been few and far between—just a handful of meetings during childhood and a brief encounter last year during their grandmother's birthday celebration, which wasn't particularly pleasant.
But she had attached herself to him, and he couldn't push her away, nor could he let her go.
Tonight, he had gone to fetch her, only to unexpectedly learn about the incident at the birthday celebration. At that moment, he was genuinely furious. And after returning home with her, the words spoken by Madam Xin only added another layer to his anger.
But it wasn't for himself that he felt this anger; it was for her.
He had always been aware of the prince's covetousness towards her. She had emphasized this point more than once in the past, seeking his protection. Yet, he had still neglected it, leading to her embarrassment today due to the jealousy of another woman.
The world would only label her as a bringer of misfortune, unaware of her true innocence.
This girl, who relied on him wholeheartedly, believed that marrying him would ensure a worry-free life. But tonight, if she hadn't been vigilant and avoided this disaster, he couldn't imagine the extent of the harm she would have suffered if she had mistakenly drunk that cup of drugged wine.
His once tender heart instantly hardened.
"You're a bit mischievous. But that woman was too malicious. You changed the wine. The most important thing is that everything is fine. And this may not be a bad thing; perhaps it's the beginning of a positive change," said Pei You'an.
Jiafu widened her eyes.
"Are you saying that the prince committed murder, and the prince's consort made false accusations in public, and they are in for some serious trouble?"
"It's not necessarily a disaster for them, and they won't just sit idly by. But they will definitely have to be more cautious from now on. What about the wine pot? Was it taken away?"
"When the prince's consort went crazy, she knocked over some dishes and utensils on the table, and the wine pot was smashed as well."
Pei You'an pondered for a moment.
Jiafu suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right! The palace maid poured me the first cup of wine, and I spilled it on my sleeve. I was worried that I would get into trouble and you would scold me. After I bathed and changed at night, I deliberately kept it instead of having Tanxiang wash it away, thinking that it might serve as evidence."
Pei You'an looked somewhat surprised, raised an eyebrow, and reached out to pinch her cheek. "You little rascal! Why haven't you shown it to me yet?"
.....
In the Eastern Palace
With a splash, a bucket of half-melted ice water was poured over the head and face of Zhang Fengtong, who was lying on the ground.
Zhang Fengtong shuddered, gradually regaining consciousness. She finally managed to open her eyes, but for a moment, she didn't know where she was. She felt soaked through, suffering from a severe headache, and in great pain.
Her memory was still stuck at tonight's birthday banquet.
She vaguely remembered that Zhen Shi had drunk the medicated wine, but apart from feeling dizzy and drunk, there was no other reaction as she had expected.
Once she had made up her mind, she would never easily give up. From childhood to adulthood, it was this extraordinary mentality that pushed her step by step to her current position.
If not for this, when she was young, playing with her sisters in the garden, swinging on the swings, laughing and frolicking, how could she endure the hardships of studying behind closed windows, doing things that she originally had no interest in but gained her reputation?
She lacked beauty, yet refused to fade into obscurity. Relying on being ruthless to herself, she finally reached where she is today.
Before making the decision to act, she had hesitated repeatedly. But Cao's death was like a warning bell to her.
Previously, she had always believed that she could ignore the favor given to other women by Xiao Yintang.
In the world, women are, in the eyes of men, divided into two main functions.
The first is to serve the ancestral temple above and to continue the family line below, which is the role of a legal wife.
The second is to serve men and satisfy their desires. That's all.
She would be the former for Xiao Yintang, while that woman, Zhen, was nothing more than physical attraction. After Xiao Yintang had her for a while, he would naturally grow tired of her.
But now, she was gradually becoming impatient. Xiao Yintang's level of attention to Ms. Zhen far exceeded her initial expectations.
Cao, who had been with Xiao Yintang for many years, could be considered one of his favored ones. Yet, merely because she heard a sentence related to Ms. Zhen, she was strangled to death by him. Afterwards, Xiao Yintang showed no signs of regret or pity.
This made Zhang Fengtong feel somewhat fearful. It's a common human tendency: the more unattainable something seems, the more one desires it.
She had interacted with Ms. Zhen several times. In those verbal clashes, she hadn't gained the upper hand at all, indicating that the woman was far from as weak as she appeared.
What's even more intriguing is that, according to what she knew, Zhen seemed to have some involvement with Pei Xiuzhi in the past. Despite her background, she managed to marry Pei You'an, the current favorite of the emperor, in such a short time.
From the time in Wuding, Zhang Fengtong had a clear understanding of who Pei You'an was. She believed that achieving such a goal without any extraordinary means was absolutely impossible.
She had a profound sense of crisis.
Once Xiao Yintang could act as he pleased in the future, who could guarantee that he wouldn't do everything possible to please this scheming woman, elevate her status, and ultimately depose her?
Although the idea of elevating a former concubine to the position of empress seemed absurd, as long as the emperor wished, there would always be a way.
Rather than waiting passively for the unpredictable future, it was better to take action while Xiao Yintang was still restrained and secretly ruin Zhen.
The secret medicine she put in the wine came from the esoteric Tibetan Buddhism, with peculiar and intense properties. After ingestion, it would confuse the mind, causing an intoxicating effect, with varying outcomes depending on the individual.
For those with a violent nature, it would immediately incite murder.
For those with a seductive nature, it would induce public debauchery.
Zhang Fengtong was convinced that Zhen was cunning and seductive. By ingesting the drugged wine, her true colors would be revealed in front of everyone, completely ruining her reputation. Not only would Pei You'an be humiliated, but she also doubted that Xiao Yintang would continue to favor her. Afterward, as long as the evidence was destroyed, no one would suspect her. They would only think that Zhen had become drunk and immoral, thus exposing her true nature.
But later, things seemed to go awry...
She remembered feeling increasingly feverish, followed by a heavy-headed sensation, hating the noisy actors on stage.
What had she done?
Zhang Fengtong's head was pounding, struggling to climb up from the damp ground. She groaned, feeling a sharp pain on her face. With a loud "slap," a heavy slap hit her, causing her entire body to twist and fall to the ground, her face feeling as if it were dripping blood, burning with pain.
"You wretch! Daring to slander me like this in public! Are you tired of living?"
A cold voice sounded by her ear.
She finally fully regained consciousness, opened her eyes, turned her head, and saw Xiao Yintang staring at her with an angry expression, his gaze filled with disgust as if he could kill her with his eyes.
