Chapter 14: The Princess Consort Has Quite the Imagination

  Wei Yuanwei walked into the room, handed the dog leashes to a guard, and casually sat down on one of the maids who was crouching on the floor. The maid, already trembling like a leaf, nearly colpsed under her weight, but clenched her teeth and endured it.

  Wei Yuanwei poured herself a cup of tea and drank it leisurely. Only then did she notice Yun Xie standing beside the zitan wood gss-paneled screen.

  “Your Highness, you’re back? Why are you standing? Come sit!” Wei Yuanwei fshed a charming smile, showing off her pristine white teeth, as if to boast.

  Yun Xie gnced at the trembling maid. If he sat down, she might fall apart on the spot.

  He shook his head and looked toward the kneeling, dog-like maids outside the door. “Did the Princess Consort just return from a stroll?”

  “No, I just finished walking the dogs,” Wei Yuanwei replied with a wickedly sweet smile, even winking at him.

  “Oh?” Yun Xie responded meaningfully.

  He walked over to Wei Yuanwei, leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Did you enjoy yourself today?”

  “Of course!” she replied without hesitation. How could she not be pleased? Seeing the ones who used to abuse and humiliate her now terrified, avoiding her like she was a pgue—how could that not lift her spirits?

  Her mood couldn’t be better.

  “Well then, since you’re so happy, why not stay in the Prime Minister’s estate until the tenth of next month? After His Majesty’s 42nd birthday celebration, I’ll be returning to Mo City. It might be difficult for you to return here afterward,” Yun Xie said, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder, occasionally giving it a gentle squeeze.

  The tenth of next month? That meant a whole month to raise chaos in the Prime Minister’s estate and get revenge on those who never saw her as human.

  “Alright!” Wei Yuanwei replied with conviction.

  Yun Xie had expected as much. From how Wei Yuanwei acted today, the Prime Minister’s estate would know no peace going forward.

  But wasn’t it exactly what they owed her? What they all owed him?

  “Princess Consort, it’s getting te. Let’s eat dinner. And afterward... you must serve me well—consider it repaying my... kindness,” Yun Xie whispered warmly into her ear, making her shudder involuntarily.

  Wei Yuanwei quickly stood up and stepped back, coughing lightly. “I just got back from walking the dogs. They must be hungry—I’ll go feed them.”

  “Leave that to the servants,” Yun Xie said zily, trying to pull her back into his arms.

  The guards and attendants all respectfully lowered their heads.

  “No need to trouble the Prince’s guards with such a simple task!” Wei Yuanwei smiled sweetly as she slipped from Yun Xie’s grasp. Her gaze turned cold as she looked at the nine maids kneeling outside the door.

  It was time to let them taste what it was like to be spshed head to toe with leftover animal feed!

  “You’re not going to dine with the Prime Minister, then?” Yun Xie asked, noticing the sharp look in her eyes.

  The others, who had been anxiously waiting to dine with the Prince, breathed a heavy sigh of relief when they heard he would eat alone with the Princess Consort.

  They all quickly returned to their rooms—dealing with the Prince was utterly exhausting. As long as he was around, not a muscle in their bodies could rex.

  Madam Shen, the head wife, remembered marrying off Wei Guanxu to the Marquis of Wenchang. Yun Xie must still resent her for that. Even if he didn’t act against her today, she might not escape tomorrow.

  She had to find a way to get him to leave the estate quickly—otherwise, she feared for her life.

  Inside the room, nine maids knelt in neat rows, each with a feeding trough in front of them, eating like dogs.

  Wei Yuanwei stood behind them, dling slop from a bucket—leftover bones, soup, vegetable scraps, and dishwater—and poured it over each of their heads in turn.

  Though the water wasn’t boiling, it was hot enough to redden the skin on their faces and necks. They cried as they ate the slop from their troughs.

  Yun Xie sat on a short stool made of yellow wood, watching quietly. The silver mask on his face reflected the orange candlelight, making him look ghostly.

  The table in front of him—made from a maid’s back—was a mess. Leftover dishes and utensils were piled on her back, and more had fallen to the floor. Her entire body shook violently, and her clothes were soaked with grease and food. If one were to undress her, her skin would surely be marked with scalds.

  The maids standing with candleholders on their heads were in no better shape—the wax had dripped onto their hair and faces, hardening into a crust.

  He had chosen to sit on the stool because the maids couldn’t support his weight—one colpsed after another, until Wei Yuanwei had someone fetch him a proper seat.

  “Princess Consort, I was wrong. I was blind. I deserve to die. Please forgive me!” one maid cried, raising her head, soaked in soup and leftovers.

  “Yes, please forgive us…” the others followed suit, begging tearfully.

  “Oh? The dogs can talk now?” Wei Yuanwei’s hand paused, then she dumped the slop straight onto that maid’s face.

  She had once begged like this, too—crying, pleading in winter for them not to pour freezing water on her because it was too cold.

  But they had only ughed. The more she begged, the more they poured.

  “Even horses can talk! Beg me, and I might not pour it!” they mocked, ughing.

  The memory was vivid. Though she hadn't experienced it directly, her body remembered—so clearly it felt like she had.

  “Princess Consort, perhaps you could show them mercy?” Yin Sheng, who stood by her side, couldn’t bear to watch.

  While these people were despicable, watching them suffer like this stirred some pity.

  “Weakness deserves sympathy, yes—but not everyone deserves sympathy,” Wei Yuanwei said coldly. “They deserve everything they’re getting. If they’d been proper servants like you, would they be here now? If I weren’t the Princess Consort, would they be begging me now?”

  Her smile was gone, repced by years of deep-seated hatred.

  Hatred that had carved a bde into her heart, so deep it couldn’t be pulled out.

  The only relief was to stab back. The more they suffered, the better she felt.

  Yin Sheng quietly lowered her gaze and said no more.