To curry favor with Prince Ling, Secondary Consort Wei picked up the spoon beside her and ladled out a spoonful of soup.
“Your Highness, let me feed you!”
Prince Ling saw the soup drawing closer and caught its familiar scent. His expression grew even darker.
“Your Highness…” Secondary Consort Wei leaned coquettishly against him.
The next second, Prince Ling stood up.
He shoved Secondary Consort Wei away and slapped her across the face.
“Smack!”
The sound was crisp and deafening.
The force of the blow sent Secondary Consort Wei spinning twice before she crashed to the floor.
She was completely stunned.
What had happened?
What had she done?
The left side of her face burned as if it were on fire. In a daze, she reached up to touch it.
“Hiss!”
The pain snapped her back to reality.
The moment Prince Ling raised his hand, Zhenzhu had dropped to her knees and pressed herself against the floor, trembling violently without daring to lift her head.
The prince was terrifying tonight!
Secondary Consort Wei stared blankly at Prince Ling.
“Your Highness, why did you hit me?”
Prince Ling reached out and swept every bowl and cup from the table onto the floor.
They shattered into pieces, and the soup spilled everywhere.
Secondary Consort Wei’s dress was splattered and soaked.
When a broken shard flew up, it happened to slice across her cheek, leaving a bloody gash.
Secondary Consort Wei screamed in fright.
She truly could not understand what had happened to Prince Ling tonight.
She regretted coming more than anything!
She should have stayed quietly in her room instead of rushing to Prince Ling to curry favor.
The guards outside heard the commotion inside. Just as one of them pushed the door open, he heard Prince Ling roar,
“Get out!”
The guard hurriedly closed the door, not daring to look inside.
Prince Ling seized Secondary Consort Wei by the hair and leaned toward her menacingly.
“Speak!”
“Who sent you?”
Secondary Consort Wei was terrified by his appearance.
At that moment, Prince Ling looked like a demon crawling out of hell.
A bloody gash marked his forehead as well, adding an eerie touch to his already terrifying appearance.
Secondary Consort Wei shook her head frantically.
“Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood me! I’m completely loyal to you—I have no other intentions!”
“Misunderstood?” A cold, sinister smile spread across Prince Ling’s face.
He gripped the back of Secondary Consort Wei’s head and forced her face toward the soup on the floor.
Afraid that the broken porcelain would scar her face, Secondary Consort Wei struggled desperately.
“Your Highness! I am utterly devoted to you! I have absolutely no ulterior motives! Your Highness!”
Her hand pressed down on a jagged shard, and blood immediately began to flow.
“Utterly devoted?” Prince Ling’s voice was chilling.
“You brought this soup to me and still claim to be devoted? Heh heh…”
Prince Ling picked up the bottom of the soup tureen from the floor and poured the remaining soup into Secondary Consort Wei’s mouth.
She clenched her teeth and struggled with all her might, refusing to swallow.
The porcelain cut her lips, and blood poured freely.
Overcome by terror and pain, Secondary Consort Wei finally fainted.
“Consort!”
Seeing her mistress collapse, Zhenzhu hurriedly threw herself forward.
Prince Ling kicked her away. Zhenzhu rolled several times across the floor.
“Guards!”
Prince Ling shouted.
The guards stationed outside entered with their heads lowered.
“Take these two wretches away and lock them up!”
“Without my permission, no one is to give them food or water!” Prince Ling thundered, pointing at the unconscious Secondary Consort Wei.
The guards did not dare object. They hurried outside to summon help.
Before long, four burly matrons came in and dragged Secondary Consort Wei and Zhenzhu away.
The guards then brought in others to clean the room.
Prince Ling sat in his chair, his gloomy eyes fixed menacingly on everyone inside.
Once the room had been cleaned, the servants hastily withdrew.
Only after reaching the outside did they dare breathe again.
He was terrifying!
The news that Prince Ling had behaved most unusually that night quickly spread throughout the Prince Ling’s residence.
Everyone retreated to their own rooms, afraid to come out.
Princess Consort Ling soon received word of what had happened in the study.
“Heh heh heh!”
Princess Consort Ling began to laugh.
For the first time in so many days, she smiled.
Her laughter grew louder and more delighted.
By the end, she was even clutching her stomach, unable to stop.
Her personal maid lowered her head, not daring to look around carelessly.
Princess Consort Ling laughed for the length of an entire tea-brewing session before finally stopping.
She dabbed away the tears of laughter at the corners of her eyes and straightened her clothes.
“The people I told you to arrange—did that wretch notice them?”
“Your Highness, those two matrons were speaking while hiding in the flowerbeds.”
“And they left as soon as they finished talking. At most, Secondary Consort Wei saw their backs. She definitely didn’t see their faces.”
Princess Consort Ling fell into thought for a moment.
“No. Send those two matrons to the estate.”
“Once this matter is over, bring them back.”
The maid raised her head and cast a quick glance at Princess Consort Ling.
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
Seeing that Princess Consort Ling had nothing else for her, the maid withdrew and hurried away.
Princess Consort Ling picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip, her mood exceptionally bright.
Secondary Consort Wei would never have imagined that this tonic soup would mark the beginning of her nightmare!
How dare she target her?
Then she could not blame Princess Consort Ling for showing no mercy!
She would reclaim everything that had once belonged to her.
Just wait. This was far from over!
In the past, she had been too kind.
All she had wanted was to be a capable lady of the household, the future empress, and a mother whose virtue would grace the realm.
And what had her kindness brought her?
She had nearly died!
Her children had nearly been abandoned by Prince Ling as well!
Since that was how things were, she did not mind getting her hands dirty to win her children a place beneath the heavens.
At the thought, a triumphant smile curved Princess Consort Ling’s lips.
Inside the dark room, Zhenzhu threw herself onto Secondary Consort Wei and sobbed incessantly.
Because it was so dark, she accidentally pressed on the hand Secondary Consort Wei had injured.
The pain woke Secondary Consort Wei.
The moment she opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by darkness.
She was so frightened that she nearly felt her soul leave her body.
“Zhenzhu! Why can’t I see anything?”
“Zhenzhu!” Secondary Consort Wei stretched out a hand, groping for her maid.
Hearing Secondary Consort Wei’s voice, Zhenzhu was overjoyed.
“Consort, you’re finally awake!”
“Consort, you’re not blind. We’ve been locked in a dark room!”
Secondary Consort Wei’s searching hand froze.
“A dark room? I’m not blind?”
Zhenzhu nodded vigorously, then remembered halfway through that Secondary Consort Wei could not see her.
“That’s right! Consort, Prince Ling locked us in a dark room!”
“Consort, what should we do now?” Zhenzhu was terrified and completely at a loss.
Hearing that she was not blind, Secondary Consort Wei felt somewhat relieved.
The events before she lost consciousness suddenly returned to her mind.
“Zhenzhu, what was wrong with that soup?” Secondary Consort Wei remembered Prince Ling’s words.
