Chapter 218: A Demonstration for You

Ah, the Empress can't sit still.

Come to think of it, in these two months, too many things have happened in the palace.

The Dog Emperor handed the Tiger Tally to Su Yanci, and the old generals of Xu Chengyuan all rose up in protest, offering no support. Instead they backed Xu Yanchuan. The affair became a real headache, and just as the former commander fell ill and died, Li Defu and the officials persuaded that Xu Yanchuan should take over.

When a person hasn't achieved a great merit, they truly cannot keep getting promoted. It also served to shut the old generals' mouths. So Su Yanci was made acting Grand General, but Su Yanci quit, saying it was idle and tiring.

The Empress was already enough of a worry, but the harem wasn't idle either. The women she cultivated were useless one after another, including Su Guiren. Every time, just when she seemed about to succeed in bed, Li Ping'er would swoop in.

Li Ping'er seemed almost prophetic, each time precisely knowing where the Emperor would appear.

Just now, after learning that Li Ping'er occasionally visits the Cold Palace, they realized Wan Tang was the one pulling strings behind the scenes.

At this moment, Wan Tang also felt a panic in her heart.

The Cold Palace, though simple and not as spacious or magnificent as Changle Palace, was cozier.

Everything here was meticulously arranged by her and Xu Yanchuan; how could the things inside be known to outsiders?

Usually, the items delivered were merely left at the doorway.

Only Xu Yanchuan could enter.

But if the Empress tried to force her way in, even Xu Yanchuan couldn't stop her.

Xiao Mingshu retreated repeatedly, the soaring stench making her delicate face contort, her disgust evident.

She demanded sharply, "What on earth is this filthy smell?!"

The guard, trembling with fear, hurriedly knelt and reported, "Re…re Empress…"

"It's…it's the smell of big dung…"

"Big dung?!" the Empress's voice rose, full of disbelief, "How could such filth be in this Cold Palace?!"

The guards exchanged glances, daring not to answer.

Xiao Mingshu glared fiercely, her imposing aura surging, "Speak!"

A timid guard couldn't bear it and fell to the ground with a thud.

Stammering, he begged, "Your Majesty, forgive me, this has nothing to do with Nubi!"

"It's…it's Commander Xu! Commander Xu said he would completely erase the Virtuous Consort's spirit, making her live with filth, becoming a woman covered in grime and unbearably stinky…"

"We Nubi are just following orders, we beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

He expected thunderous wrath, but after the Empress heard it, she not only didn't get angry; instead she let out an extremely delighted cold laugh:

"Heh… I thought the inside was something else, but it has already become a cesspit!"

"Such a filthy place, I would never step into it and soil my shoes and socks!"

Bai Wei, seeing this, hurried to show off, rushed forward: "Your Majesty, calm down; such menial work is not worth your concern. I (serving woman) will go fetch that wretched person inside for you!"

She said this while pinching her nose, pushing open the half‑closed courtyard gate with a look of disgust.

"Woof woof woof! Awooo!"

A massive, brown‑yellow dog burst out of the corner like lightning.

Baring its stark white, sharp teeth, it charged at Bai Wei, barking wildly.

If she dared to get any closer, it would surely tear her flesh.

Caught off guard, Bai Wei was terrified, letting out a high‑pitched "Ah", rolling and crawling as she fell back.

Her hair in disarray, clothes dust‑covered, she was a wreck, nowhere near the composure she had moments before.

Xiao Mingshu, startled by the sudden turn of events, stepped back and erupted in fury, "What on earth is happening now?!"

"What kind of beast is that!"

The guard who had spoken earlier hurriedly kowtowed and explained, "Your Majesty, calm down! This vicious dog was also brought by Commander Xu…"

"Commander Xu couldn't stand that person inside who occasionally basked in the courtyard sun, so he specifically fetched this dog that bites anyone on sight to guard…"

"He usually lets it roam the courtyard…"

"Now the two inside don't even dare step out of the room a single step, let alone go where there's sunlight…"

"Not to mention auntie, even we Nubi, if we get within two meters of the courtyard gate, that beast will bare its teeth and snap at us."

"Only when Commander Xu comes himself does it wag its tail and obey, and only the food Commander Xu feeds it will it eat…"

To everyone's surprise, after hearing this explanation, Xiao Mingshu's angry expression vanished instantly.

She instead displayed an expression of extreme satisfaction, even delight!

Bai Wei, in a wrecked state, scrambled up, quickly seeking a remedy, and flatteringly said to the Empress, "Your Majesty, blessings!"

"When we first chose Xu Yanchuan as that move, I (serving woman) had some concerns…"

"Now it seems truly destiny!"

"Surely that woman committed too many sins in the past, even Heaven couldn't bear it, so it sent someone like Xu Yanchuan, a Sha Star, to grind her down."

"The Xu family was ruined by her… In this entire palace, I doubt anyone else hates her and wants to torment her more than Xu Yanchuan!"

Xiao Mingshu stood outside the courtyard, listening to the faint dog barks and chaos from within.

Let her crawl out and face this palace!

Inside, Xiao Shunzi heard the Empress's voice and approaching footsteps, and instantly panicked.

His first reaction was to seize the precious medicinal herbs drying in the courtyard: "Master! The herbs!"

Wan Tang, however, grabbed him tightly, her gaze terrifyingly calm.

Before Xiao Shunzi could comprehend, Wan Tang swiftly scooped a bit of dung water from the nearby bucket and splashed it onto his hem and cuffs.

"Ugh." Xiao Shunzi retched from the sudden foul stench, his eyes bulging.

Wan Tang also without hesitation smeared a little on her skirt hem and arm; the pungent odor churned her stomach, yet she forced herself to endure it.

She barked low, "Do as ordered! Don't give yourself away!"

Having said that, she staggered toward the courtyard gate.

Da Huang saw her coming, habitually wagging its tail as it lunged forward.

Wan Tang hurriedly used the gestures and commands she had trained with it during daily play, guiding Da Huang to "pounce" at her in play.

Da Huang thought its master was playing a new game, excitedly leapt and, with its teeth instinctively clamping, seized the tattered sleeve Wan Tang deliberately offered near its mouth.

"Snick!" the cloth tore apart.

Wan Tang simultaneously let out an extremely realistic, mournful scream: "Ah!"

Da Huang was startled by the sudden scream, abruptly opened its mouth, and, a bit bewildered, stepped back two paces.

What broke its canine life even more was that its mouth inevitably got tainted with that horrible smell!

It instantly thrashed its head wildly, trying to shake off the disgusting thing.

Then it frantically scratched the ground with its paws, let out a whimper of grievance and disgust from its throat, and finally even buried its nose in the soil, rubbing.

What the people outside the courtyard saw was a completely different scene:

They only saw Wan Tang's garments torn by the vicious dog, accompanied by a painful scream.

Yet she still desperately shielded that equally stinky little eunuch behind her, hoarsely shouting: "Xiao Shunzi, hurry away! Don't mind me!"

Then she herself, as if being wildly chased by the mad dog, staggered and tumbled out of that foul‑smelling courtyard.

She crashed heavily onto the open ground before the Empress.

Her whole body was in tattered rags, soaked with filth, exuding a nauseating stench.

Wan Tang, as if truly driven mad, crawled toward Xiao Mingshu using hands and feet.

Her eyes were filled with fear and madness, her voice hoarse and broken, tinged with sobbing:

"Empress! Empress! I have erred! I truly have erred!"

"Please… please let me out!"

She lunged forward recklessly, clutching the leg of Xiao Mingshu, who wore a splendid palace skirt.

She pressed her filthy, foul‑smelling face and body tightly against her, babbling incoherently:

"If you give me even a bite to eat… let me leave this cursed place… I'll give you anything!"

"I can dance! I know what the Emperor likes… I can tell you everything! Please, my lady!"

She performed while tears streaming, and covertly strained, smearing all the filthy excrement from her body onto the Empress's skirt hem and shoe surface.

Xiao Mingshu was so disgusted by the pungent stench and sticky feel that her complexion paled, and her stomach churned.

She jerked her foot up as if burned, trying to kick Wan Tang away.

Her voice changed tone: "Get out! You slut! Away from my palace!"

"Guards! Drag her away from me!"

The nearby Guanren hurried forward, scrambling with seven hands and eight feet to pull Wan Tang.

Bai Wei also rushed forward eager to help, but Wan Tang "accidentally" swung her arm hard, flinging the dirty sleeve all over her.

"Ugh…" Bai Wei looked at the huge stain on her chest, instantly dry‑vomited, her face turning green.

Xiao Mingshu, furious, trembled all over, her carefully maintained Empress demeanor on the verge of collapse.

She stared at her ruined hem and shoes, then at the frantic, foul‑smelling Wan Tang, her eyes full of disgust and fury.

She forced down the nausea, pointed at Wan Tang with trembling fingers, and shouted to the Guanren:

"Drag her back to me! Lock her up!"

She inhaled deeply, steadied her emotions, and her voice returned to icy, lofty contempt:

"Now, what use are you to me… anymore?"

She sneered, turned away, leaving a final cruel remark:

"Just stay here and enjoy your bliss!"

The Guanren covered their noses, repulsively shooing Wan Tang and Xiao Shunzi away as if avoiding a plague: "Get back quickly! Don't soil the Empress's sight here!"

Wan Tang and Xiao Shunzi, staggering and dazed, helped each other back into the courtyard.

As soon as they entered, Da Huang, who had been sulking over having eaten something dirty, saw them approach and, especially smelling the intensified "terrible" odor, its fur instantly bristled.

It barked wildly in terror, howling while tucking its tail and retreating step by step.

That dog's face was full of a fierce "Don't come over!" resistance.

Xiao Mingshu sat in the phoenix carriage and left, listening to the fierce dog barks from the Cold Palace behind her, revealing a thin, extremely satisfied, cruel smile.

She took the heavily spiced veil handed by Bai Wei, pressed it tightly over her mouth and nose, her gaze fierce:

"We should put more mad dogs in! Bite her to death, that's clean!"

Seeing Da Huang's terrified, resistant, pitiful posture, almost curling into a corner, Wan Tang felt heart‑wrenching pity.

She could not even mind her own filth, quickly soothing in a gentle voice: "There, there, Da Huang, be good, don't be scared, it's sister's fault, scared our Da Huang…"

She signaled Xiao Shunzi to fetch water immediately, and at the fastest speed stripped off the filthy outer garment and tossed it far away.

Then she carefully washed her arms and face with cold water until the pungent odor faded considerably.

After changing into clean coarse cloth clothing, she cautiously approached Da Huang again, extending her hand to gently stroke its crown and chin.

Da Huang twitched its nose, sniffed repeatedly, confirming the dreadful "biochemical weapon" smell had vanished, and seeing its familiar master before it finally relaxed.

It whined plaintively, tucked its big head into Wan Tang's arms, rubbing affectionately, and its tail wagged again.

"Shei says a dog can't stop eating feces, but our Da Huang is different."

Xiao Shunzi, watching nearby, sighed in relief and laughed: "Da Huang understands humans best, better than many people!"

"If it weren't clever, able to squeeze through dog holes and bluff people, our contact with the outside of the palace would have long been cut off."

Wan Tang stroked Da Huang's smooth fur, sneering: "Human‑like?"

"To train it to this level, Qi Er spent me two thousand taels of snow‑flake silver!"

She paused, her gaze sharpening.

While scratching Da Huang's chin, he asked Xiao Shunzi in a seemingly casual tone, "By the way, how much cash do we have on hand that can be mobilized at any time?"

When Xiao Shunzi heard that, he instantly perked up, his eyes brightening as he leaned close to Wan Tang, his voice lowered to a very low whisper.

But he couldn't hide his excitement: "Master, we now have branches in various money houses and grain depots, and the cash we can mobilize at any time amounts to this figure."

He extended two fingers and shook them vigorously, "Two million taels of snowflake silver."

Wan Tang's lips curled upward as she said slowly, "Tonight, we can raise the lanterns."

"We've endured this long; we no longer need to keep toiling."