Chapter 3
Chapter 3
One night.
My Wet Nurse tormented me so much that I wanted to end both our lives right then and there.
Auntie An and Sui’an rushed in.
The Wet Nurse used me to threaten them.
They were forced to kneel in punishment.
I cried and screamed that I was sorry.
But it was useless!
That night, they knelt outside for the entire night, and I cried until I vomited.
As I drifted into a hazy sleep, I wondered: when would these days ever end?
Even with Sui’an praising me, I didn’t want to live like this anymore.
I should become a bad person. Perhaps only by becoming a bad person could I save myself.
The next day, Sui’an gave me an exceptionally beautiful Clay Doll.
She whispered softly in my ear:
“Princess, find a way to get the Third Princess to come to our palace. Only then can you save yourself.”
Later, I often thought back to those words.
What she said was: “You can save yourself.”
Not: “I can save you.”
She made me feel that I was the one rescuing myself from the depths of misery, and that I had the power to do so.
I felt a surge of determination in my heart.
When I arrived at the Hall of Literary Splendor, I masked my inner anxiety and proudly showed off the Clay Doll, describing it as a unique treasure, unparalleled under heaven.
As expected, my Third Imperial Sister was captivated.
She wanted a Clay Doll of her own.
Sui’an took the opportunity to suggest that the Third Imperial Sister come to sleep at Funing Palace for a night, so she could mold a doll in her likeness.
Zhen’an Princess wanted to come as well.
I didn’t like her. Every time she cried, my Crown Prince Brother and Second Imperial Brother would scold me.
But remembering Sui’an’s words, I said, “Then you come too.”
The three of us returned to the palace hand-in-hand.
Auntie An prepared delicious food and drinks.
Sui’an used every trick she knew to keep us entertained.
When night fell, she told us stories and coaxed us into an early sleep.
The Wet Nurse arrived for her shift.
She came to cause trouble for me as usual.
She shoved Sui’an aside, ripped off my covers, and woke me with a sinister grin.
“Princess, get up and drink your medicine.”
“I’m not sick!!!”
“Whether you are sick or not isn’t for you to say; it’s for me to decide. Someone, come and feed the Princess her medicine.”
Three palace maids pinned me down, forcing the medicine down my throat.
This time, her arrogance and tyranny didn’t just terrify me-it also terrified the Third Imperial Sister and Zhen’an Princess.
They weren’t like me, who had no Imperial Mother Consort.
The Third Imperial Sister’s Imperial Mother Consort was Consort Li the Virtuous, who was deeply favored by Imperial Father.
Zhen’an Princess’s foster mother was the Empress, whom Imperial Father respected.
By offending them, the Wet Nurse was finished.
Sure enough, after that night, I never saw the Wet Nurse or the four palace maids who followed her again.
Sui’an became the new Head Maid.
She began to work the night shifts and slept beside me.
The nights in Funing Palace became quiet and peaceful.
For the first time since I could remember, I slept through the entire night without being woken up once.
Thinking I was asleep, Sui’an spoke in low tones to Auntie An.
She asked Auntie An, “Does your head hurt? Auntie, why were you so honest? If you hadn’t kowtowed so hard, you wouldn’t have split your scalp open.”
Auntie An said calmly, “It doesn’t hurt. To bring that old hag down, I would have kowtowed as many times as it took.”
Only later did I learn the truth.
The Third Imperial Sister was Consort Li the Virtuous’s precious treasure; why would she ever allow her darling to sleep in the remote Funing Palace?
It was Auntie An who had pleaded and kowtowed countless times to earn that favor.
And Sui’an had prepared Clay Dolls of Consort Li the Virtuous, the Third Imperial Sister, and the nannies in their palace beforehand to convince Consort Li the Virtuous to agree to help.
The two of them had worked together to eliminate the great threat of the Wet Nurse and restore peace to Funing Palace.
Sui’an teased Auntie An: “Composed inside the palace, but kowtowing like a drum outside.”
Auntie An teased Sui’an back: “Claiming that making clay dolls is a piece of cake, while secretly rubbing the clay so hard she nearly started a fire.”