Chapter 336: Volume 1, Chapter 336  Rong Dai Gets Beaten

Rong Dai, on the charge of seducing and ruining Prince Qi Shouxiao, was beaten with ten lashes by the Grand Consort, and then thrown from her original courtyard into the most remote courtyard of the Qi Wang Fu.

She had never endured such grievance in all her life; even though she had lived with her mother outside, even though she might have seen her father only a few days each month, her father's love for her was no less than that for the legitimate children, and she even felt that she was more beloved by her father than the legitimate ones.

Back then, whether it was Rong Luoge, who had been thrown onto the manor, or the few like Chu Ke's son Rong Ling Shan, none of them mattered to her, because she knew her father loved her, and even was willing to let Rong Luoge serve as a stepping stone for her marriage.

At that time she was so full of vigor—what did an outside woman matter? What about those legitimate children? Who could compare with her?

But now she knows that it is different.

"Has the Prince not returned yet?" Rong Dai, forced to lie on the bed after the lashes, had hatred toward the Grand Consort burning in her eyes.

The maidservants attending her were no longer the previous ones; the two she had brought in before had been dealt with by the Grand Consort for not knowing the rules and not being able to advise her master properly.

Rong Dai wanted to keep them, but the Grand Consort, intent on cutting off her wings, naturally gave her no chance; after the lashes she sold them off, and the Grand Consort claimed she could spare their lives, citing that Prince Qi Shouxiao should not be allowed to shed blood.

The subtext of that was that they were all people who deserved to die.

At that moment Rong Dai's heart went cold; watching the Grand Consort's murderous aura, she dared not even breathe, watching helplessly as her maid was dragged away.

At this time, the person attending her was someone the Grand Consort had placed there; upon hearing Rong Dai, a slightly thinner maid said, half‑heartedly, "Rong Dai, the secondary consort, should keep quiet. The Prince is now serving in the inner court and must be exhausted; even the Grand Consort herself is reluctant to see the Prince often, so that he can rest and recuperate. The secondary consort should think of the Prince as well."

Rong Dai, hearing this, felt her vision go black with anger, her whole body trembling, the spot where she had been lashed burning hot, and now being mocked by a maid—how could she swallow such grievance?

She could not move now; the maid was clearly adding insult to injury—truly a tiger fallen on flat ground being bullied by dogs.

Rong Dai clutched the brocade quilt with both hands, gritted her teeth in silence; once her wound healed, she would make those people pay.

The maid, seeing the secondary consort like that, flashed disdain in her eyes and said to another, "You stay here; I'll go relieve myself."

The other nodded, seeming to want to say something but swallowed it.

When she left, she thought and still poured a cup of water for the secondary consort, but said nothing, set the cup down and stepped back.

Rong Dai was furious to death, but now she truly had no way out; enduring the pain, she lifted the teacup and drank the water in one gulp, and exhausted and weary, she soon drifted into a vague sleep.

Meanwhile, that girl claimed she was going to relieve herself, but instead turned a corner and went to Princess Consort Qi's side.

Yun Shizhuang, seeing her arrive, asked casually, "How is Rong Dai now?"

"Princess Consort, you have not seen, the secondary consort now no longer has her usual arrogant demeanor; even if I, the maid, say something unpleasant, she has to endure it. You still want to ask when the Prince will return, and how I can fulfill her wish."

Yun Shizhuang smiled lightly, "You are doing well, keep an eye on people. If the Prince truly goes to see the secondary consort, do not denigrate Rong Dai before the Prince; just say how pitiful Rong Dai is."

The maid was a bit confused, but she remembered the Princess Consort's words, nodded and said, "I obey, Princess Consort, you may rest assured."

Yun Shizhuang glanced at the person beside her, and the maid immediately went in, fetched a pouch, slipped it into the other maid's hand, and said with a smile, "This is a gift from the Princess Consort, for taking care of the secondary consort's hardships. From now on you must do your duties well and look after the secondary consort's health properly."

The maid took the pouch, gave it a gentle twist, immediately broke into a big smile, "Thank you for the gift, Princess Consort; I will certainly take good care of the secondary consort, so you may be at ease."

"Go then." Yun Shizhuang said with a smile; after the maid withdrew, her smile faded, and she let out a cold laugh, "Rong Dai has this fate."

When she first married into the royal mansion, she relied on her deep affection with the Prince, yet it brought her many troubles, causing her as a Princess Consort to have her face smashed to the ground, unable to pick herself up.

But who could have imagined that after only a few years, Rong Dai would fall to this point; Yun Shizhuang found it increasingly ironic.

Back then the Prince truly adored her, but now?

Speaking of filial mourning for the Late Emperor, Yun Shizhuang could not be unaware of these men; filial mourning is a pretense, perhaps the Prince of their family now regrets.

At that time, Rong Luoge was the legitimate Princess Consort of Qi, yet he, as if blinded, insisted on treating Rong Dai as his treasured one, forcibly divorcing Rong Luoge.

Consequently, Rong Luoge turned and married her true love, while she herself dramatically married the Qi Prince.

Her days in the royal mansion were uncomfortable, but Rong Luoge was different; first she served as Good Lady of the Eastern Palace, then became Noble Consort. One must know that during the Late Emperor's reign there was no Noble Consort rank; the emperor specially created a Noble Consort for Rong Luoge, showing how much he favored her.

Yun Shizhuang recalled these old events and grew even more hateful toward Rong Dai. If Rong Dai had not caused trouble back then, Rong Luoge and the Qi Prince would not have divorced; had they not divorced, perhaps she could have become Crown Princess.

She once thought that since she married the Qi Prince she should live peacefully with him, but what did the Qi Prince do? He held Rong Dai in his palm, treating her Princess Consort like a beggar, constantly battling Rong Dai.

Before it was for her own title as the Qi Prince's consort, she had to act the virtuous wife, even fighting Rong Dai for the title; but now that the Grand Consort has entered the mansion, she has the Grand Consort's protection, so she is no longer afraid.

The position of Princess Consort is no longer worrisome; she found she had no affection for her husband at all, only disgust deep in her heart.

Filial mourning?

That is indeed good; one should mourn for a lifetime.

She can endure everything else, but she cannot endure Rong Dai; the things Rong Dai did to her she will repay one by one, so in front of the Grand Consort she discreetly gave Rong Dai many eye medicines; originally she, as a matron, simply disliked Rong Dai, but now she despised her even more.

Yun Shizhuang sat before the dressing table, facing the mirror; the person in the mirror was still beautiful, but unfortunately she no longer had that original heart.

Yun Shizhuang swept the mirror onto the floor; the bronze mirror rolled a few circles on the floor cloth before slowly coming to a stop.