Chapter 209: Serve Properly

I have to say, Xiao Mingshu won.

I didn't expect Wan Tang, in the end, to die because of her identity.

What can be done? After all, the Mo Family's affairs are the Empress Dowager's top concern. Not to mention the Empress Dowager, the entire court would never permit the traitor's descendants to become the Emperor's favored consort.

How could the Emperor disregard the heavens for Wan Tang?

The Cold Palace is desolate, the setting sun like blood.

Through the ruined windows, the floating dust is illuminated, scattering in chaotic flight.

Xiao Mingshu blocks the sides, step by step closing in on Wan Tang who leans against the wall; the phoenix‑embroidered golden‑thread skirt sweeps the dust‑laden floor, emitting a faint yet harsh rustle.

She suddenly halts, her eyes swirling with a poison‑like jealousy.

Word by word she grinds out from between her teeth: "Wan Tang, you now are nothing but a piece of meat awaiting slaughter on my chopping board."

She swiftly lifts her hand; the icy gilt armor nearly touches Wan Tang's cheek, then hangs in the air, leaving only a chilling cold.

"I originally thought, with your inscrutable cunning, if I could subdue you, you might become the sharpest blade."

Her tone suddenly shifts, taking on a mournful tremor, "But I never imagined… Your Majesty's heart truly, truly holds you!"

Xiao Mingshu's chest heaves violently, breathing shallow, clearly at the limit of her breath.

"I thrust your hidden lineage before the throne, assuming he would flare with imperial wrath and instantly crush you to dust!"

A look of incredulous pain flashes in her eyes, her voice growing sharper, "But he! He dares to protect you, trying to forcefully suppress this monumental matter!"

"Do you know how shattered my heart was then?"

"He even threatened me, forbidding me to speak it out."

She seems to recall the scene, emotions completely unhinged, speaking so fast she almost chokes.

"I settled for a lesser option, using your illicit exit from the palace as a pretext to cast you into this Cold Palace, which also served his temporary desire to protect you… Yet he still—"

She gasps sharply, the last sliver of reason in her eyes devoured by a feral hatred, "You even let him care about such a dire predicament!"

"Moreover, he even gave you a pass to leave the palace at will."

"I never had such a privilege!"

Xiao Mingshu's face twists with extreme resentment, she stares at Wan Tang as if to devour her alive.

Wan Tang listens, her face calm while her heart churns.

Even a stone‑hearted Chu Yunzheng could achieve this for her, it would still be something.

"You receive rewards and favor; I never truly cared! How dare you… how could you be worthy of his heart?!"

Her voice suddenly rises, sharp and harsh, bearing twenty years of resentment and madness, "I waited for him a full twenty years!"

"And she has always treated me as just a pawn!"

Before the words finish, the accumulated venom erupts, she raises her hand, using all her strength to slap Wan Tang's face hard!

The crisp sound rings terrifyingly in the dead silence of the Cold Palace.

Wan Tang slowly lifts her head; the clear bruise on her left cheek is shocking.

She seems not to feel pain, only eyes, calm and still, gazing at the frenzied Xiao Mingshu.

In that gaze there is no fear, no pleading, only an unfathomable cold emptiness that makes Xiao Mingshu's heart flutter inexplicably.

"What are you looking at!" Xiao Mingshu, provoked by the stare, grows more angry, shouting sharply to mask her momentary unease, "Don't forget your current status!"

"A discarded consort of the Cold Palace—crushing you is easier than crushing an ant!"

She deliberately lifts her chin, a malicious grin curling her lips, grinding Wan Tang's nerves word by word:

"And your precious daughter Minghui…"

"Heh, raising her under my knee later is just a pastime toy."

"When I'm in a good mood, I grant her a morsel; when I'm not…"

She deliberately pauses, admiring Wan Tang's suddenly tightened jawline and clenched fists, her smile growing more triumphant.

"I'll handle her however I please!"

Mentioning her daughter, Wan Tang bites down hard on her back molar, the root nearly spurting blood.

The raging hatred crashes wildly in her chest, nearly tearing her sanity.

Yet she forcefully suppresses the overwhelming hatred, her fingernails digging deep into her palm, leaving a crescent‑shaped blood mark, while her face remains as still as dead water.

Only in the deepest part of her eyes flickers a blade‑cold glare capable of burning everything.

Xiao Mingshu's hatred grows as she speaks, she raises her hand and delivers another hard slap to Wan Tang's face; the force is so great Wan Tang's head tilts, a strand of blood seeping from her lip corner.

"I originally intended to elevate you, to make you the sharpest blade in my hand!"

Xiao Mingshu's voice is sharp, bearing the pain of betrayal, "But you stubbornly refuse the elevation, insisting on snatching what I cherish most!"

Wan Tang lowers her head, swallowing the blood‑soaked taste in her throat, forcing all humiliation and hatred deep into her heart.

For Minghui, she must endure.

Xiao Mingshu looks at her submissive demeanor, her fury intensifying: "Seeing your face makes me want to vomit!"

At that moment, Bai Wei, who had been bowing her head beside them, steps forward at the right time.

She gently supports Xiao Mingshu's arm, her voice inciting, "Your Majesty, calm down; ruining your phoenix body over such a criminal woman is not worth it."

She glances at Wan Tang, her gaze cold for a moment, "Such a coarse task need not be done by Your Majesty yourself, lest your hands be soiled. Give it to I."

Xiao Mingshu hears this, a sinister smile spreading across her face, delighted and vicious: "Good, very good."

"Bai Wei, you indeed reminded me."

She leisurely smooths her slightly disheveled sleeves, looking down from above at Wan Tang.

As if gazing at an insect she could crush at will: "Our Virtuous Consort once reigned supreme over the six palaces, what glory that was."

"Now moved to this 'new place,' surely many are unaccustomed."

She turns to Bai Wei, her smile deepening, each word laced with poison: "Bai Wei, you will … properly 'serve' the Virtuous Consort for me."

"I obey your command," Bai Wei knelt, her voice supremely respectful.

Xiao Mingshu let out a satisfied cold snort, finally gave Wan Tang a glance, then leisurely turned and left.

When the Empress's figure vanished, Bai Wei slowly straightened up.

She turned, faced Wan Tang, with nothing but unabashed hatred and a smug smile of impending triumph.

She walked step by step toward Wan Tang, her gaze cold and sinister like a venomous snake.

"Virtuous Consort," she said slowly, her voice carrying long‑harbored delight, "I, Nubi, will teach you the rules of this Cold Palace."

【Seeing Bai Wei's smug, triumphant demeanor, I am seething with anger.】

【Hold it down, it's because the Empress Dowager despises the Mo Family the most.】

【The Empress is extremely hateful, even using Xiao Tuanzi to blackmail Tangtang. But Tangtang, don't be afraid; Hui Guifei, upon hearing you were in trouble, immediately went to Changle Palace and took Xiao Tuanzi straight to Jingren Palace.】

【Xiao Shunzi still doesn't know the truth, and now is anxiously running around in circles.】

Tears instantly fell from Wan Tang's eyes.

Excellent.

The thing I feared most didn't happen, yet Hui Guifei still intervened.

As long as someone protects Minghui, she has no fear.

Upon learning that Minghui had been safely dispatched, Wan Tang's hanging heart finally settled, and all the emotions she had forced down at last turned into a dead‑water calm.

Bai Wei planted her hands on her hips and scolded, "Virtuous Consort, didn't you used to love punishing people by making them kneel?"

"Today you shall taste it too!"

"Go to the doorway and kneel properly for me!"

"Let you also know just how hard and cold the floor tiles of this Cold Palace are!"

Wan Tang unexpectedly let out a low laugh.

She slowly lifted her head, her clear, piercing gaze fixed on Bai Wei, and declared firmly, "Impossible."

Bai Wei was startled, then erupted in fury, "What audacious nerve!"

"How dare you defy me, not knowing right from wrong!" she said, habitually raising her hand to strike down.

But this time, Wan Tang's precise grip seized her wrist, clamping it tightly so she could not move.

Wan Tang slowly stood; though her clothes were plain and she was in the Cold Palace, her entire bearing suddenly pressed Bai Wei's breath into a choke.

"The Empress is the mother of the nation, ranking above this palace," Wan Tang's voice was as cold as ice, "If she acts, this palace endures; that is Palace Rules, that is propriety."

She suddenly squeezed hard, making Bai Wei cry out in pain.

She continued, each word crystal clear: "But you, a lowly servant, also dare to strike this palace?"

Bai Wei struggled desperately, yet could not break free, her face turning iron‑blue with anger.

She shouted without restraint, "You are nothing but a discarded woman cast into the Cold Palace! You're not even worth me, a servant!"

Wan Tang heard this as if she had heard the world's biggest joke.

A chilling curve lifted the corner of her lips: "As long as I have not been personally dismissed by Your Majesty for a single day, I remain Master, the Virtuous Consort personally appointed by the Emperor."

"And you," her gaze like a blade swept over Bai Wei's pallid face, "will forever be just a Nubi."

"A servant daring to betray the master—are you bored to death?"

Bai Wei choked on her words, blood surging, and violently yanked her own wrist back, a ring of red marks already on it.

She hadn't expected Wan Tang's strength to be so great; she was no match.

She trembled with fury, pointing at Wan Tang, shouting sharply outward, "Where have they all died to?!"

"Can't you hear?!"

"Since our Virtuous Consort still holds the Master's bearing, why don't you all hurry inside!"

A malicious, delighted grin spread across her face, her voice sharp and grating: "Properly 'serve' our golden‑honored jade‑noble Master!"

Before the words finished, several stout women waiting at the door rushed in like a school of fish.

They carried bone‑chilling ice water, held stiff, splinter‑pricking bristled brushes, their faces bearing numb yet sycophantic feral glints, advancing step by step toward Wan Tang.

Wan Tang had just stood, not yet speaking, when the stout women on either side lunged forward like starving tigers.

One on each side locked her arms tightly, pinning her firmly in place, immobile.

Another woman, expressionless, lifted the bucket of steaming cold water and poured it over Wan Tang in a sudden deluge!

The bone‑chilling water instantly soaked her thin garments, icy to the bone, causing Wan Tang to shudder sharply.

She inhaled a breath of cold air; her hair clung messily to her pallid cheek and neck, droplets continuously dripping from her jaw.

The woman splashing the water grinned, exposing yellowed teeth, her voice hoarse and unabashedly malicious:

"Virtuous Consort, we servants will give you a good wash, to dispel the ill‑omen."

Another woman, holding a bristled brush, drew near, chuckling:

"So you can quickly get used to the 'good' days of our Cold Palace."