Chapter 210: Behind a Wall

The early summer night breeze should have carried warmth, but blowing over this soaked body it left only bone‑piercing cold.

Wan Tang is held down tightly by several old women, icy droplets continuously falling from her hair tips and garment edges, spreading dark wet stains on the floor.

She bites her teeth, her body trembling slightly from cold and anger, yet she strains to keep her back straight.

Bai Wei folds her arms, saunters forward at a leisurely pace, savoring Wan Tang's plight, a venomous smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Virtuous Consort, you must face reality," she says, her voice low yet each word piercing, "In this Cold Palace, every year there are countless deaths from illness, from freezing, from a careless fall…"

Shei can say clearly how they died?

She leans down, the icy armor scraping Wan Tang's damp cheek: "We've come this far, and you still cling to the Master's bearing?"

"Who do you think you are?"

Wan Tang snaps her face away, evading her touch, a cold flame blazing in her eyes.

"Hey, still not convinced?" Bai Wei snorts, straightens up, and raises her voice: "Our Virtuous Consort, golden and jade‑precious, was once the Emperor's beloved."

"Didn't the Emperor say the Consort fears heat the most? Last summer the ice never stopped!"

She shifts her tone, becoming extremely cutting and venomous: "We must not neglect the Consort."

"Since the Consort fears heat, we'll give her a proper… cool‑down!"

The old women exchange looks, cruel excitement flashing on their faces.

They roughly drag Wan Tang beneath a beam, bind her wrists with coarse hemp rope, and literally hoist her off the ground.

Wan Tang struggles fiercely, kicking with both feet, but cannot overcome their numbers and strength.

Immediately, an old woman brings a basin of Ice Block just drawn from a deep well, exhaling a chilling vapor; with a "whoosh", she pours it all over Wan Tang's feet.

"Let the Consort's jade feet get a good cool‑down!" Bai Wei snarls as she commands.

Two old women press down on Wan Tang's struggling legs, pulling off her embroidered shoes.

They force her bare, once‑white and tender soles to step directly onto the pile of sharp, icy Ice Block!

"Ugh!" The bone‑deep cold feels like countless needles, instantly piercing the soles and sinking into the marrow.

Wan Tang shudders violently with pain, a suppressed howl spilling from her throat, cold sweat beading on her forehead, her face as pale as paper.

Her toes curl from the extreme cold and pain, yet the old women wrench them open, pressing them tighter against the ice.

The edges of the Ice Block grind painfully, and the all‑pervasive cold ravenously devours her remaining heat and will.

She hangs in mid‑air, her body trembling incessantly, the soaked garments pressed against her skin.

Bai Wei watches Wan Tang's painful expression with satisfaction, her smile growing ever more delighted.

"Consort, is this 'Ice Mirror' still usable?"

Wan Tang hangs in mid‑air, her damp hair clinging to her pallid cheek, her body uncontrollably convulsing from the unbearable cold.

Her bare feet stand on the sharp Ice Block, already frozen to a crimson‑purple hue, the searing pain and cold relentlessly eroding her consciousness.

Yet she suddenly lifts her head, drawing forth an extremely feeble yet ice‑cold, bone‑piercing sneer.

The laugh is hoarse, tinged with the scent of blood‑foam, yet brimming with unabashed sarcasm and defiance.

"Heh, Bai Wei…" each word she utters seems to cost enormous effort, teeth chattering, voice broken and halting, her gaze terrifyingly bright, "Is this all the skill you have…?"

"Using such… base methods… to humiliate others…"

She gasps laboriously, pain knitting her brows, yet her back still strives to stay upright, "It seems… beside the Empress… indeed… only the incompetent… remain…"

Bai Wei is utterly enraged by her defiant sarcasm even at death's brink, her face turning iron‑blue.

She snaps in a sharp voice: "Still mouth‑y at death's door, step on her firmly! Let her truly taste it!"

The old woman holding her ankle hears this and presses her foot down even harder.

The Ice Block's edges sink deep into flesh, the bone‑piercing cold nearly freezing her blood.

Wan Tang's vision blacks out from pain, her body jerks sharply, a broken whimper spilling from her throat, yet she forces the ensuing howl back down.

The bone‑deep cold and sharp pain continue to tear at her nerves, Wan Tang's sight blurs, the buzzing in her ears growing louder.

Finally, the will she has been forcing shatters completely under endless torment.

She tilts her head, loses consciousness entirely, the suspended body droops limp, no longer responding.

Bai Wei steps forward, crudely lifting Wan Tang's drooping chin with her fingertips.

After confirming she is truly dead, she disgustedly flicks her hand away, pulls out a handkerchief and carefully wipes her fingertips.

"Useless waste." she hisses coldly, her tone full of contempt, "That's where it ends, it can't stand any more."

She turns to the two flattery‑faced, coarse‑handed old women beside her, ordering: "Since our Virtuous Consort has 'fallen asleep,' there's no need to waste food."

"You two, watch closely; without my order, not a drop of water or a grain of rice may be given!"

"Yes, yes! Miss Bai Wei, rest assured, we will guard it tightly for you!" the two old women bow repeatedly, promising repeatedly.

Bai Wei nods satisfied, pulls two small packets of pre‑prepared broken silver from her sleeve, and tosses them to them.

The two old women hurriedly catch them, weighing the heavy silver in their hands, smiles blooming instantly on their faces.

Their wrinkles bunch together, and they thank profusely: "Thank you, Aunt Bai Wei! Rest assured, we'll keep this house completely silent!"

Bai Wei no longer glances at the dead Wan Tang, as if she were just a pile of useless trash, turns, twists her waist, and leaves triumphantly.

The massive Gongmen slowly closes, cutting off the last sliver of light.

Only the two old women with silver remain, guarding the hanging, fate‑unknown Wan Tang, exchanging greedy, cruel smiles.

The two old women glance at each other, their greedy eyes falling on Wan Tang's damp clothes and scattered ornaments, still revealing fine quality despite her unconsciousness.

Stripping them down would still fetch a sizable sum.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

An urgent rebuke echoes from the doorway.

Xiao Shunzi rushes in, hurriedly accompanied by Li Ping'er.

Xiao Shunzi's eyes immediately spot Wan Tang, suspended, drenched, unconscious, her feet still on the ice.

His eyes were about to split, and he rushed forward, shouting loudly, "How dare you use private punishment on Virtuous Consort!"

An old woman jumped in fright, then placed her hands on her hips and sneered, "Yo, who do you think I am?"

"Xiao Shunzi, Grandfather, what great majesty!"

"We are acting on the Empress's decree! How dare you block us?"

Xiao Shunzi trembled with anger, ready to charge forward recklessly.

At that moment, a eunuch dressed in Chief Eunuch attire of the Cold Palace, with a shrewd look, leisurely paced in.

In a mocking tone he said, "Xiao Shunzi, are you running wild without watching where you are?"

"This is the Cold Palace, not your Changle Palace. Your Master…"

He glanced at the dying Wan Tang, sneered, "Now it's like a mud bodhisattva crossing a river—hard to save oneself."

"If I were you, I'd sharpen my eyes, find a higher branch to cling to, why stay here to be a sacrifice?"

Xiao Shunzi clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, but froze for a moment because of the opponent's status.

The silent Li Ping'er at once inhaled deeply and stepped forward.

Though she was only a low‑rank Answering, she straightened her back now and adopted a stance she had never shown before.

Her voice trembled yet was clear: "Wang, even though Virtuous Consort sister is in the Cold Palace, she is still the Emperor‑personally appointed principal consort."

"Palace rules cannot tolerate a Nubi acting like this."

"If we cause a scene and take her out, the Empress's face will also look bad."

Wang Chief Eunuch gave Li Ping'er a sideways glance; although she was only an Answering, she still bore the Master's title.

He weighed it and ultimately did not want to make the matter too public, grudgingly granting a token concession.

He waved his hand at the old woman and said, "Alright, alright, now that the person is awake, stop crowding here."

"Do whatever you need to do!"

Yet he did not say to put Wan Tang down.

The two old women reluctantly stepped back a few paces.

At that moment, Wan Tang let out a very faint whimper.

Her eyelashes twitched as she struggled to open her eyes.

Her consciousness not yet fully clear, bone‑piercing cold and excruciating foot pain swept over her first.

"Master!" Xiao Shunzi and Li Ping'er shouted simultaneously, lunging forward.

Li Ping'er, seeing Wan Tang's miserable state, especially those frozen, unbearable feet, instantly shed tears that fell in a rush.

Choking back sobs, she could barely speak: "Master… Master, how are you…"

【Tangtang, you must hold on, Dog Emperor truly cares about you, but he cannot.】

【He is also uneasy, and is already on his way now.】

【But the Answering came from the Empress, cannot go inside you, can only stand at the wall.】

Wan Tang slowly regained consciousness, her long lashes fluttered, and the first thing to return to her eyes was not confusion but a cold clarity.

She didn't even look at the tear‑streamed Li Ping'er; her withered, icy hand suddenly seized Xiao Shunzi's wrist.

Though her voice was weak, it carried an urgent question:

"Xiao Shunzi… are you outside the wall… perhaps you heard clearly what's happening inside?"

Xiao Shunzi was startled, then replied, "Nubi heard something was wrong inside, so I risked my life to break in!"

A flash of bright light suddenly flickered in Wan Tang's weary eyes; she coughed, then hoarsely said, "Very well…"

Immediately, she cast a cold gaze over the disdainful Chief Eunuch and the two old women, and, mustering all her strength, whispered a command to Xiao Shunzi.

Every word was laced with ruthless finality: "Xiao Shunzi… cry for me! Now! The louder, the better!"

Xiao Shunzi did not grasp the deeper meaning, but obeyed the Master's command instinctively.

He then lunged to the ground, tore his throat open and let out a earth‑shaking wail, his cry so mournful it could pierce palace walls:

"What have they done to the Consort!"

"The Emperor, who cradles the child in his palm for fear of dropping it, who keeps the child in his mouth for fear of melting it, has only been here less than an hour, and they've hung her up, grinding her with ice until she's no longer human in shape."

This sudden, fierce outcry and accusation shocked the Chief Eunuch and the two old women.

At the right moment, Wan Tang, with a weak yet audible trembling voice, "stopped" the outcry: "Xiao Shunzi… shut up!"

"It's my fault to the Emperor… stop this… must never… disturb the Emperor…"

Li Ping'er was completely stunned, watching Wan Tang speak on behalf of the Emperor.

In urgent pain she couldn't help but blurt out, "Master! You've been forced by the Emperor into the Cold Palace to be trampled!"

"Why still think of him!"

Wan Tang's face darkened instantly, she shouted with all her might, her voice suddenly high, bearing unprecedented authority: "Silence! No nonsense!"

The two old women, seeing a chance, immediately found a pretext and shouted sharply: "Heaven is overturned!"

"A discarded palace consort dares to scold an Answering little Master?"

"What a huge dog‑bravery!"

Saying this, one of the old women rolled up her sleeve, eyes flashing with malice, and stepped forward to strike Wan Tang again.