Chapter 15

The next day, I encountered the Imperial Consort in the Imperial Garden, surrounded by a crowd. She was as stunningly beautiful as ever, so radiant that one could hardly look away. However, she had finally lowered her guard and stood among those women who had shared the same intimacy with Pei Qi, smiling with a triumphant air.

But only she knew how much resentment she had to swallow behind that smile.

“It seems the Imperial Consort is here as well. I am feeling unwell today. Concubine Rong, accompany me back to my palace.”

The Empress, upon seeing her, almost immediately pulled me away.

The Imperial Consort looked down on her pathetic manner. In truth, few in the Imperial Harem respected this timid Empress, and naturally, the Imperial Consort did not fear her. Any so-called respect was merely lip service.

“The Empress is unwell, so why drag someone else along? Fuling, why haven’t you greeted me? Have you forgotten your former mistress?”

Her voice was heavy with pressure.

I was used to it and did not even resist: “Fuling greets Your Highness.”

This was the first time I had seen her since gaining favor. But I knew I was like a bundle of dynamite in her heart. No matter how she restrained her temper or became gentle and delicate, she could not change her true nature.

On the contrary, the longer time passed, the drier the dynamite became.

All it took was for me to speak to light the fuse and set off a world-shaking explosion.

Sure enough, she sneered. “How ill-mannered! I am the Imperial Consort, and you are but a Concubine. Oh, I almost forgot-you were originally a Foot-washing Maid in my palace. Why do you not kneel and perform the full rites upon seeing your former mistress?”

To mention the past in front of everyone was a deliberate humiliation.

The other Concubines, who all came from distinguished families, showed looks of disgust upon hearing this.

“So she was a Foot-washing Maid. How can someone of such lowly status stand among us?”

“Don’t even bother kneeling. We were only told she was a maid from the Imperial Consort’s palace, not that she served people in such a way. Just standing here makes me want to vomit.”

“It stinks. There’s a reek of poverty about her. No wonder His Majesty grew tired of her; it turns out he was just looking for a bit of novelty.”

“You…” The Empress tried to speak.

I tugged at her sleeve. When she looked at me, I had already lifted my skirts and knelt before the Imperial Consort, bowing deeply to the ground as I spoke again: “Fuling greets Your Highness.”

The Imperial Consort remained silent for a long while. She stepped forward and lifted my chin, her beautiful eyes filled with cold resentment. She hissed through gritted teeth, “What do you think you are? You’re nothing but a toy. His Majesty had a slight disagreement with me, and you took advantage of the opening. But you don’t realize that His Majesty has always had me in his heart-only me. As long as I show the slightest weakness, you will be nothing! You wench!”

She was peerlessly beautiful and arrogantly willful. Perhaps Pei Qi could betray her for anyone else, but it could not be me-a lowly servant fit only to wash her feet.

Forced to look at her, I forced a smile. “Yes, His Majesty only has Your Highness in his heart. This servant is merely an accident; please do not be angry, Your Highness.”

Her pupils constricted as she understood the implication of my words.

If I was an accident, then what about those behind her? Was every single one of them an accident?

She violently shoved me away, her chest heaving. She slapped me across the face, screaming, “Wench! Wench!”

This outburst terrified everyone.

In truth, I wasn’t the only one she was insulting.

But her anger was not yet appeased. She threw her handkerchief into the nearby pond and said to me venomously, “Aren’t you a good swimmer? Didn’t you boast of your skills? Since jumping into a pond to save someone is nothing to you, go and fetch that handkerchief for me right now! That is a token of love given to me by His Majesty. If it is lost, I will hold you responsible!”

“Imperial Consort!” the Empress said anxiously. “The water is deep. Do not be reckless!”

But how could the Imperial Consort listen to her? On the contrary, she did not back down but instead sneered repeatedly.

“What are you waiting for? Go! Or do you think that because you are a Concubine now, I can no longer command you? A Foot-washing Maid will always be a Foot-washing Maid!”

I shifted back into my old role with ease. “This servant obeys.”

In truth, I wasn’t much of a swimmer. What little I had learned was from playing in the river as a child.

But someone else was. I had watched him countless times as he jumped into the river, his strong arms stroking back and forth as he dove into the water. After a moment, he would emerge holding a lively, flopping fish and smile at me, saying, “Suniang, I caught it!”

The spring water was cold, not much better than in winter. Recalling the past like this was truly unpleasant.

I felt a stinging pain all over my body, and my heavy palace robes began to drag me down. By the time I grabbed the silk handkerchief and swam back to the bank, I had to be pulled up by Fuyin and the Empress’s maids.

By the time I reached the shore, the sharp pain in my abdomen was unbearable. I curled up on the ground uncontrollably, my face turning deathly pale. This terrified those noble ladies of high birth.

The Empress, uncharacteristically bold, shouted for someone to call an Imperial Physician.

The Imperial Consort’s expression was equally grim, but she refused to show it or admit any fault. She gritted her teeth and said, “What’s the rush? She has gone into this pond during winter before and was perfectly fine. She’s just putting on an act now. I didn’t expect you to be so calculating, trying to frame me. I’m telling you, don’t even think about it! Get up!”

As she spoke, she raised her foot and kicked me.

The toes of a consort’s shoes are upturned and inlaid with pearls; the kick to my stomach was exceptionally painful.

It was so painful that I could no longer distinguish between the pain of the flesh and the pain of flesh and blood being torn apart.

“Blood… she’s bleeding!”

Someone screamed in terror.

They pointed at the trail of blood flowing from between my legs, completely losing their composure.