Chapter 168: with translation of chapter title

Su Wanrou looked at the kneeling, begging Hongyu before her, gave a cold laugh, and gestured to the people beside her.

That person pulled the hemp rope out of Hongyu's mouth; Hongyu gasped heavily, ignoring the pain, she kept kowtowing bang bang until her forehead was bloody.

"Master! Master! I, your servant, know I have made a grave mistake this time; master, you may punish me however you wish, but I beg you to spare Zhao Da—he knows nothing at all."

"Whether you want to kill or slice, let it fall on me, your servant!"

"I beg you, master! I beg you, in consideration of my years of service by your side, master, please spare Zhao Da!"

Meanwhile, Zhao Da's mouth was still gagged so he could not speak, crying and shaking his head repeatedly at Hongyu.

Su Wanrou looked at the expressions of the two before her and couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.

"Oh my! It truly is love as deep as the sea!"

"It is truly moving!"

Su Wanrou spoke of being moved, but her expression gradually turned grim and terrifying.

She had been jealous since childhood; later her parents died of plague, and she was adopted into her uncle's family. Seeing her cousin wearing new clothes while she had none, she cut his new clothes with scissors, since no one would wear them anyway.

She had loved Xiao Yin for so long; over these years, the only sincere feeling she had ever given him was now being tossed away by Xiao Yin like trash.

Su Wanrou had given him her most precious feelings, yet in his presence she amounted to nothing.

Even a lowly servant like Hongyu could have a man who would sacrifice everything to protect her, love her, and even risk imprisonment to flee Jing Cheng with her.

Su Wanrou even felt jealousy toward this.

Everyone can have their lovers eventually become family; why can't she?

Su Wanrou slowly rose and walked to Hongyu's front, bending down to stare at her coldly.

Under Su Wanrou's glare, Hongyu felt a chill run through her body; she had thought there were great evildoers in the world, but she had never seen someone so wicked, evil to the core.

"Master… master…" Hongyu's psychological defenses collapsed completely, leaving only her final plea for mercy.

Su Wanrou's eyes turned icy: "I ask you, why didn't Jinzhi die?"

"After all these days, she's been living well?"

"And how much has Gu Jiu Ling found out?"

Hongyu's whole body shuddered violently; she knew that lying now would be pointless.

"I, your servant… I had received kindness from Miss Jinzhi; seeing her pitiful, I truly did not want her to die, so I helped her vomit on the way in the banana grove, making her spit out the tea she had just drunk; the Princess Consort probably also knows she was poisoned."

Smack!

Su Wanrou slapped Hongyu hard across the face, her hand trembling slightly.

This lowly servant—does she not realize how much trouble her mercy this time has brought?

Su Wanrou's gaze toward Jinzhi turned cold, and even the feigned expression on her face began to slip.

"Good! Hehe! It's really good!"

"Hongyu, your hands are stained with many lives—how can you suddenly become merciful?"

"Master… master…" Hongyu's body trembled uncontrollably; she wanted to flee, but could not escape at all.

She had done all those wicked things for Su Wanrou, which is why she chose to flee Rui Wang Fu; for her, no matter what, there was only one ending—death!

But she had Zhao Da, and she had hope for the future; she wanted to live.

Su Wanrou slowly rose, looked down from above at Hongyu curled on the ground, trembling all over like chaff in a sieve, though a flicker of contempt crossed her eyes.

"Hongyu, the last thing you should have is compassion; you pity others, but who pities you?"

"In this world… only the weak pity others!"

"Precisely because you act as my dog beside me, I find you still useful, which is why I've let you live until now—do you think you can escape my grasp?"

Su Wanrou gave a light laugh; she most enjoyed toying with people between applause, just as when she was a child she would torment a captured sparrow near death and find it amusing.

"Forget it; considering your loyal service, I'll treat this escape as if nothing happened—you will still follow me back to the Wangfu, and I'll say you fell ill, recovered, and returned."

A glint flashed in Hongyu's eyes; she hurriedly thanked Su Wanrou repeatedly, but Su Wanrou raised her hand to stop her words, then pointed her finger at Zhao Da.

"I heard the Zhao family has only Zhao Da left as their sole heir?"

Hongyu's scalp suddenly went numb; she scrambled to shield Zhao Da, pleading: "Master, however you wish, please don't lay a hand on Zhao Da!"

"From now on, let me kill whoever you order, do whatever you command—I will obey without hesitation. I beg you, master! Please release him! I beg you!"

Su Wanrou smiled faintly: "On what grounds?"

Hongyu staggered; Su Wanrou turned, sat back in her chair, lifted her teacup, took a sip, and said softly: "I heard the inner court lately lacks servants—not just children, but even adult men; the Imperial Household Agency is willing to take them into the palace, and anyone who comes receives twenty taels of silver for their family."

Hongyu instantly panicked, clutching Zhao Da tightly.

Su Wanrou glanced at Zhao Da: "Twenty taels of silver is no small sum—someone, make him a eunuch!"

"No… no!" Hongyu's eyes turned completely red; she rose to lunge at Su Wanrou, but the people beside her pressed her down, forcing her to kneel.

"You will meet retribution! Su Wanrou! You will truly meet retribution!" Hongyu screamed.

"Retribution?" A flicker of madness crossed Su Wanrou's eyes: "Just like sympathy, only the weak like to talk about it."

"Moreover… since you want to stay by my side, you must keep your mouth shut!"

Su Wanrou gestured; a person brought over a bowl of muting draught and walked slowly forward, while two others pinched her cheeks to force her mouth open.

The entire bowl of draught was poured down her throat.

Hongyu's cursing instantly turned hoarse; she clutched her throat, her voice feeling as if sliced by a knife, writhing on the ground in pain.

Meanwhile, Zhao Da lunged forward, but was dragged into a side room; shortly after, a miserable howl rang out, followed by a strong smell of blood spreading.

Hongyu panted, her eyes vacant, staring fixedly at Su Wanrou.

Su Wanrou finally felt much relieved; after being tormented by Gu Jiu Ling these days, the pent-up gloom had eased.

She lowered her eyes to look at her new armor, satisfied, and said: "Listen well—from now on, Zhao Da's life is bound to yours."

"If you do anything amiss, he will surely die; I have already planted gu poison in his body—each month you must fetch an antidote for him, and if you delay even a day, he will suffer a day's pain, eventually bleeding to death in agony."

"If he does anything amiss, well, you should pray he becomes a eunuch and still won't abandon you! Otherwise, you'll be pitiful!"

Hongyu stared fixedly at Su Wanrou's face, gradually burying hatred deep, and slowly knelt down.