The night was as dark as ink, the wind howled, and Concubine Zhou's accusations dripped with blood in every word.
The young Li Chengzhen wailed in fear: "Mother... I'm scared..."
The Princess Consort's heart ached as if pierced by a knife. Hearing her son's cries, she was torn between sorrow and fury.
Shen Wei sighed inwardly. She stepped forward and spoke gently, "Concubine Zhou, your son's body has yet to be laid to rest. If you commit a grave mistake today, you may never see him one last time."
Li Chengming's body was temporarily placed in the back hall, still awaiting burial.
Concubine Zhou's eyes wavered.
Yes, she hadn't even seen her child's corpse...
Shen Wei continued patiently, "The child you hold in your arms is about the same age as your son. If your boy were alive, he too would be frightened to see you like this."
The night wind lifted Concubine Zhou's hair. Though still young, many strands had already turned white. Once a beautiful woman, she had now withered into a gaunt, tragic figure.
Li Chengzhen continued to sob, his little face streaked with tears: "Waaah... it hurts..."
Tears fell heavily from Concubine Zhou's eyes, rolling down her sunken cheeks. As if speaking to herself, her gaze grew distant with memory: "Chengming was kind—the best child in this world. Last year, when I visited him at the academy, he held my hand and told me I was too thin, urging me to eat more... That foolish boy, he barely had enough for himself, yet he worried for me..."
"What kind of world is this? A manor that devours people, filled with hypocrites who can't even tolerate a mother and son seeking a peaceful life..."
Thinking of her young child, Concubine Zhou's heart softened with pity.
Her grip loosened slightly, and the dagger pressed against Li Chengzhen's throat shifted an inch away.
Shen Wei secretly exhaled in relief.
If Concubine Zhou refrained from further violence, Shen Wei could plead for leniency—perhaps even arrange for her to see her deceased son. She might even persuade Prince Yan to send Concubine Zhou to guard the imperial mausoleum, freeing her from the nightmare of the Prince's manor and allowing her to remain by her child's side for the rest of her days.
Just as Shen Wei relaxed, the Princess Consort's shrill voice cut through the air: "Hypocrites? How dare you, a lowly concubine, insult this Princess Consort!"
Shen Wei: ...
For heaven's sake, could she just shut up at a time like this?
The Princess Consort prided herself on her nobility, believing herself above all others. As the second daughter of the illustrious Tantai family, she had been raised in luxury before marrying the esteemed Prince Yan, becoming the envy of the capital.
But tonight, she had been humiliated and threatened by a mere concubine. Fury burned in her chest.
Clutching her prayer beads, the Princess Consort sneered, "Back then, you were just a merchant's daughter. It was I who allowed you into the manor to serve the Prince. Were it not for me, you'd still be selling smiles in some tavern. Instead of gratitude, you harbor malice? Release Chengzhen at once!"
The last shred of mercy in Concubine Zhou's heart vanished.
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head in despair. "Who would willingly live like a dog in this manor unless driven to desperation? The nights are so cold, the walls so high—there's not a trace of humanity here..."
The wind grew fiercer, and distant thunder rumbled across the sky.
Concubine Zhou closed her eyes in resignation, tightened her grip on the dagger, and—
Sssht!
The blade grazed the child's left cheek.
Whoosh—
Guards rushed in, arrows nocked. The sharp projectiles pierced Concubine Zhou's throat and heart.
Boom! Thunder cracked as lightning split the sky, and rain poured down in sheets.
Concubine Zhou's lips parted, blood bubbling from her throat. Her eyes, fixed hatefully on the Princess Consort, shed two murky trails of bloody tears: "I... curse... you... to die... wretched..."
She collapsed into the icy pond, her blood dispersing in the water.
Shen Wei clenched her sleeves, her gaze dark.
Li Chengzhen wailed in terror, his pupils reflecting the ghastly corpse. That image would be seared into the boy's soul, a nightmare he could never escape.
The Princess Consort cradled her sobbing son. "Hush, hush, Mother will protect you... Let's go home. A bath, some rest, and medicine for your cheek. Tomorrow, you return to the Imperial Academy."
As she rose, she coldly ordered the guards, "Drag that wretch's body out and dump it in the mass graves."
The guards waded into the pond, retrieved the bloodied corpse, and carelessly rolled it into a straw mat before hauling it away.
Before leaving, the Princess Consort shot Shen Wei a sharp glare. "Had enough of the spectacle? Return to your Glazed Pavilion."
Lightning flashed, and torrential rain engulfed the capital in a damp haze.
Shen Wei trudged back through the downpour.
She didn’t change out of her soaked clothes. Pacing restlessly, the familiar furnishings of her chamber felt alien.
For a fleeting moment, even the exquisitely decorated room seemed inferior to the humble rented apartment of her past life.
Finally, she approached the cradle, gazing at the peacefully sleeping infant.
Amid the thunder, her daughter slumbered soundly—soft cheeks, tiny fingers curled around her favorite rattle, her face the picture of innocence.
Shen Wei’s unsettled heart calmed.
Yet as she studied her child, other faces surfaced in her mind: the deceased Zhang Yue, the concubine who froze to death, Concubine Zhou lying in a pool of blood...
She was grateful for her ability to protect herself and her child. Otherwise, she might have been the next Concubine Zhou.
In this backward, feudal era, women held little power. Shen Wei refused to let the Prince’s manor claim more victims like Concubine Zhou. She would strive to ease the suffering of those trapped in its grasp.
"Cai Lian, Cai Ping." Shen Wei rose slowly, the candlelight casting a gentle glow around her.
The two maids hurried in.
After changing out of her damp robe, Shen Wei instructed them, "The Princess Consort will be preoccupied in the coming days. Maintain order in the manor in her stead."
The Princess Consort was a hypocrite—cruel, incompetent, and propped up only by her status.
To Shen Wei, the Prince’s manor was like a corporation, and the Princess Consort its useless, nepotistic executive. She leeched off Steward Fugui’s efforts to retain her position, a tumor that would eventually cripple the entire operation.
Tumors had to be excised.
Her original plan was to let Steward Fugui fall ill for a fortnight, plunging the household into chaos until Prince Yan and the Empress had no choice but to hand authority to her.
But the death of Concubine Zhou’s child had forced her to accelerate the timeline.
Cai Lian and Cai Ping exchanged a glance before bowing. "Rest assured, Mistress. We will see it done."
Outside, thunder roared.
The Prince’s manor was on the brink of upheaval.
