Chapter 247

She didn't know martial arts? Yan Hongtian secretly doubted. Her weak arms, chaotic pulse, and pale face all showed that she was just an ordinary woman. She wasn't an assassin; why did she want to assassinate him?

Although he already knew in his heart that she wasn't an assassin, Yan Hongtian didn't relax the force in his hand at all. He wanted to see how stubborn this woman could be.

The large hand exerted force again, only to hear the sound of bones dislocating. Qingfeng let out a suppressed low hum, and the carving knife slipped from her hand, falling to the ground with a light sound.

Qingfeng was also a pampered young lady, loved by everyone, and had never suffered such pain. Even if she refused to beg for mercy, tears still couldn't be controlled and fell from her eyes. Seeing her tears, Yan Hongtian not only didn't show any pity, but instead threw her hand away with disgust. Qingfeng stumbled and fell to the ground.

Her right hand could no longer move. Qingfeng used her left hand to struggle to pull the tattered clothes on her body, putting them on bit by bit. Her pride didn't allow her to be humble and pathetic in front of him.

She failed to assassinate him, and didn't beg for mercy, but was actually busy tidying up her clothes. Yan Hongtian suddenly felt a bit funny and snorted, "Why on earth do you want to kill me?"

Why? Qingfeng paused, slowly stood up, and the severe pain in her wrist made Qingfeng even more awake and crazy. If she missed this opportunity, she would never have another chance to kill him. Her eyes swept over the vase on the low table behind Yan Hongtian. Qingfeng walked toward him step by step, and the two were almost stuck together. Qingfeng leaned forward and whispered, "You ruined my Qing family, you say should I let you?" Her hand slowly reached toward the vase behind Yan Hongtian, grabbed the bottle body, and Qingfeng changed the subject, "A life for a life!"

Qingfeng tried her best to smash the bottle in her hand toward Yan Hongtian's head. Unfortunately, this time Yan Hongtian was prepared. The moment Qingfeng raised the vase, Yan Hongtian's cold eyes turned cold, and he struck her right shoulder with a heavy palm.

Clang!

The moment the vase hit the ground, Qingfeng was also knocked to the ground by Yan Hongtian's heavy palm. Her chest felt stuffy and painful, her eyes went black, and Qingfeng almost fainted.

The sound of the ancient porcelain vase breaking was loud and crisp. Gao Jin and Xiao Yu, who were guarding outside the door, were both startled. The two exchanged a look, and Gao Jin gently pushed open the door and said urgently, "Emperor? Are you alright?"

Yan Hongtian was in a very bad mood from being angered by Qingfeng and roared lowly, "Who let you in! Get out!"

"This servant deserves to die!" The guards immediately retreated a few steps, bowing their heads and not daring to step forward again. Gao Jin was about to close the door and retreat, but saw a thread of bright red blood dripping from the back of Yan Hongtian's hand along his fingers to the ground. Gao Jin's face changed greatly and he said urgently, "Emperor, your hand is injured?" Turning to the guards outside the door, he shouted, "Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

Outside the hall, it was a mess. Yan Hongtian glanced at the woman who was still trying to get up stubbornly, his sword-like brows furrowed. Did she really want to die that much? Yan Hongtian waved his hand with some weariness and said, "Someone, drag this woman down, strip her of the title of Beauty, and demote her to a palace maid." Tomorrow, he still had to hold a banquet to entertain the Beiqi envoys, and he had no heart to play with her tonight.

"Yes." Two guards dragged Qingfeng out of the hall, one on the left and one on the right.

Her hands were buckled behind her back, and Qingfeng couldn't move. The pain in her wrist and the injury on her shoulder were not as painful as the heartache of losing her loved ones. Qingfeng secretly swore: Yan Hongtian! You didn't kill me today, I will find another opportunity to kill you! Death or life, I will not stop!

Even though she had been dragged far away, those cold and hateful eyes were still staring at him without blinking, like a desperate and irritable little beast, wishing to pounce on him and take his life immediately. Yan Hongtian's mouth curled up involuntarily. This woman was actually quite interesting! His gentle beauty had actually been replaced by a fierce beauty?

Death or life? Thinking of the look in her eyes when she was dragged out just now, Xiao Yu shuddered. She was the first woman she had ever heard of who dared to say these four words to the Emperor.

Pain.

This was Qingfeng's only feeling.

After the guards threw her into this simple small room, they didn't appear again, and she didn't have the strength to observe where she was. Qingfeng lay on the cold stone floor without moving. Her right hand was already numb from pain, and she didn't even have any feeling if she didn't touch it. Her chest felt as if it were being pressed by a thousand-pound heavy stone, making it hard to breathe, and her eyes went black in bursts. Tears flowed silently, dripping onto the stone floor along her thin cheeks. She hated, hated that she couldn't avenge her parents and sisters today, and hated even more that at this moment, she actually wanted to die just like this. That way, she could return to her parents and relatives and wouldn't have to live alone in this cold world.

Qingfeng closed her eyes wearily. In her confusion, she seemed to fall asleep. In her mind, scenes appeared chaotically. Her parents and sisters were all by her side, and their family was finally together again. Just as she wanted to sink into it forever, a loud "pop" sound came to her ears, and her family suddenly disappeared. Qingfeng opened her eyes in terror, only to see a piece of indigo cloth thrown in front of her.

"Wake up, quickly change your clothes." Qingfeng struggled to turn her head, only to see a nanny in her forties, slightly fat, shouting impatiently at her, "Quickly get up, don't dawdle."

Looking out from the half-open wooden door, the sky was already dawning. After the nanny urged her several times, she finally lost patience, stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and dragged her up from the ground, reaching out to strip her clothes.

Qingfeng woke up completely at this moment. The nanny's strength was very great, and her right hand and right shoulder couldn't move, so she could only curl up her body desperately, her left hand clutching her collar tightly, and her feet kicking around. Qingfeng shouted loudly, "I'll do it myself!"

Qingfeng struggled for her life, and the nanny was kicked several times by her, finally unable to bear it, she let go of her hand, scolding, "You hurry up, don't blame me for being impolite if you dawdle again!" The nanny scolded and walked out of the room.

The clothes on her body were already tattered. Qingfeng grabbed the clothes on the ground and put them on one by one. Because her right hand was inconvenient, it took her a long time to put on the clothes. When she went outside, the old nanny who had been waiting impatiently looked her up and down and sneered, "You are already a low-level palace maid, don't think you are still some beauty. It's not like before, you still need to wash and dress up before going out?"

Her chest felt stuffy and painful in bursts. Qingfeng ignored the nanny's cold sarcasm, and the nanny didn't nag anymore. She led Qingfeng around several corridors and finally stopped in a familiar courtyard. The nanny swept away her mean look just now and diligently shouted at the half-open door, "Eunuch Xu, the person you want has been sent to you."

Qingfeng slowly raised her head and looked around at the environment, immediately remembering, this is? The Imperial Kitchen!

Xu Ji walked out of the room slowly, his face full of triumph. Glancing at Qingfeng behind the nanny, he didn't hide the contempt in his eyes. Xu Ji ridiculed, "Tsk tsk, this servant heard yesterday that the lady was conferred the title of Beauty, and wanted to go and congratulate the lady. How did you fall into such a state overnight?" He had said long ago that this woman couldn't be arrogant for long.

Sure enough, enemies often cross paths. Qingfeng snorted and turned her head away. No matter how fallen she was, it wasn't a eunuch's turn to laugh at her.

Qingfeng was still so arrogant at this time, not taking Xu Ji into her eyes at all. Xu Ji's face was gloomy. The nanny beside her immediately pushed Qingfeng's shoulder hard and scolded, "The Eunuch is talking to you, don't think you are still a master!"

"Ah!" The place the nanny pushed was exactly where Yan Hongtian had hit her yesterday. After a night, the pain not only didn't ease, but became even more uncomfortable. Qingfeng covered her shoulder, retreated several steps before barely standing firm, her forehead covered with thin sweat, and her face full of pain.

A cold smile crossed the corners of Xu Ji's mouth, and he said loudly, "Since you are in the Imperial Kitchen, work hard. This servant will take good care of you." Glancing at Qingfeng's right shoulder, Xu Ji sneered, "You are new here, and you don't know how to do things in the Imperial Kitchen, so just fill the two vats in front of the cooking room with water first. Xiao Huzi, watch her well. If it's not full, don't give her food."

The boy who had been lowering his head and standing behind Xu Ji hurriedly replied, "Yes."

Seeing Qingfeng's face turn pale after hearing the task of carrying water, Xu Ji's mood instantly became great. He walked back into the room with his head held high. Seeing that Xu Ji didn't even look at her and left, the nanny also walked out of the Imperial Kitchen in a daze.

Only Qingfeng and the boy were left in the courtyard. Seeing that she didn't move for a long time, the boy walked to her side and whispered, "The water buckets are over there. I'll take you to the nearest water well."

Qingfeng looked up at the two large empty wooden buckets pointed out by Xiao Huzi. They weighed at least twenty catties, and if they were filled with water? It must be one or two hundred catties.

Xiao Huzi thought she would play rogue or not do it. If so, Eunuch Xu could use a whip to teach the servant a lesson. At that time, she would still have to carry water, and she would also have to suffer a beating in vain. Xiao Huzi was about to persuade her to endure it, but Qingfeng had already walked toward the water buckets.

With injuries on her right hand and right shoulder, Qingfeng could only carry the shoulder pole with her left shoulder. Perhaps because she was already mentally prepared, Qingfeng didn't feel it was very heavy when she carried the wooden buckets. Looking at Xiao Huzi, Qingfeng said coldly, "Let's go."

I don't know if Xiao Huzi was fixing her or Xu Ji was fixing her, but the so-called nearest water well actually required walking through two long palace alleys to reach.

Arriving at the water well, Qingfeng was already sweating profusely, and blisters had been pressed on her shoulders. With her right hand unable to exert force, Qingfeng could only draw water with her left hand, and each time she could only draw half a bucket. Xiao Huzi shook his head and said, "You'd better hurry, otherwise you won't be able to finish carrying it by dark." A large water vat in front of the cooking room required twenty full loads of water to be filled. On weekdays, ten eunuchs would carry it for a whole morning to fill two vats. She was so weak, he estimated she wouldn't be able to fill it in three days.

Qingfeng glared at Xiao Huzi. It's easy to talk while standing!

(End of chapter)