Ruan Jiaojiao suddenly realized something and lashed out in anger, "Pei Huaiyu, you bastard, I never wanted to bear your children!"
From this angle, Ruan Jiaojiao finally saw Pei Huaiyu’s face clearly. It was still handsome, the kind of face that could capture all her attention just by him standing there, though it now carried the weariness of the passing years.
"You want to bear my child? Do you think you’re worthy? Who do you think you are? Do you think you’re the Prime Minister’s Wife? Touching you is no different to me than touching those dancing girls!"
He used the most vicious words to humiliate her, yet he still could not catch a glimmer of regret in Ruan Jiaojiao’s eyes.
Pei Huaiyu was torturing Ruan Jiaojiao, yet when was he not also torturing himself?
"I hate you, Ruan Jiaojiao." He spoke as if to himself.
"I know," Ruan Jiaojiao nodded.
"Do you still love me?"
Ruan Jiaojiao struggled to open her eyes. She couldn't understand why Pei Huaiyu had to ask this question at a time like this. "If you just want to hear me say 'I love you,' I can say it to you a hundred times, a thousand times..."
"You aren't worthy!"
If she wasn't worthy, why did the corners of his eyes turn red as he said it? Pei Huaiyu could not see himself clearly.
By the time Ruan Jiaojiao was nearly exhausted, she felt—in a hazy, delirious state—a pair of hands gripping her throat tightly. Just as she was about to stop breathing, the grip slowly loosened. Before drifting into unconsciousness, she heard these words:
"Ruan Jiaojiao, you’d better live. I will spend the rest of my life torturing you until we both die..."
She had thought "torturing until death" was just angry talk. She hadn't expected Pei Huaiyu to be serious.
Her body was covered in black and blue bruises, as if she had been abused. Having not been with a man for a long time, her body was nearly falling apart after his relentless assault. She had thought his animalistic urges would pass, but he kept at it until dawn, leaving her in a cycle of waking and fainting. Now, she felt even worse.
Opening her eyes, she saw a filthy, dilapidated little room. To put it bluntly, it was dirtier than her own hut.
*This is the Prime Minister’s Estate, right?*
Ruan Jiaojiao looked around, slightly skeptical. It must be. It was truly no easy task to find such a broken-down shack within the magnificent Prime Minister’s Estate. *Whatever, at least it’s a private room,* she consoled herself silently. She just didn't know what kind of hellhole she had been assigned to.
"Sleeping until the sun is high in the sky! You stupid girl, do you really think you’re some kind of noble lady?!"
A sharp, elderly voice rang out from outside, followed by uneven footsteps. It sounded like more than one person.
The door was kicked open, making the already flimsy frame shake precariously. Ruan Jiaojiao nearly suffered a nervous breakdown. "Who are you people?! If you’re sick, go see a doctor! I don't know how to heal, but I can certainly stick you with a needle or two and leave you crippled!"
The old woman sputtered, "You... you! Someone, hold her down!"
"What 'you'?! Can't a person get some sleep in the morning?! I’m a well-mannered person, but I only show manners to those who deserve them!"
She was already feeling terrible, and being startled by this old woman only made it worse. Now, pinned down by the two women beside the old hag, she snarled, "Two years ago, I even dared to ride your master, Pei Huaiyu, like a horse...!"
*Gulp, gulp...*
Ruan Jiaojiao was forced to swallow a bowl of foul-tasting medicine. Her family used to run a medical clinic; she might not know much, but she could certainly identify the taste of a contraceptive decoction.
"I am Nanny Hu, the manager here. From now on, you are responsible for sweeping the courtyard, washing clothes, and chopping firewood..."
Compared to the contraceptive decoction, what gave Ruan Jiaojiao a bigger headache was the way this gossiping woman rattled off her duties like a menu. "Wait, what?! Is the Prime Minister’s Estate short on maids? I have to do all this work by myself? Doing ten people's jobs for one person's pay?"
"Pay? Hmph," Nanny Hu scoffed, her nose held high. "For a lowly wench like you, if not for the Lord's kindness, a bed-crawling harlot like you would have been dead and buried long ago! Don't you know that the Lord hates shameless things that crawl into his bed the most?"
No wonder she had looked her up and down with such a strange expression the moment she arrived. So that was what Pei Huaiyu was telling the world. What a heartless wretch. "Bed-crawling," indeed—he was the one who had dragged her here! And she’d been tortured by him all night, too.
"So I'm working for free? I’ve made inquiries—the current Emperor is benevolent; even maids are entitled to wages. Be careful, I’m going to report you."
"Report to the authorities? Look at where you are. Don't you know the Lord himself is the highest authority?"
Good grief. The rules were whatever the person in charge said they were. If she went to report this, she wouldn't even get to see an official; she’d likely be dragged back to the Prime Minister’s Estate the moment she stepped into the courthouse.
But Ruan Jiaojiao’s greatest pride was her ability to bend when necessary. "Alright, then, Nanny Hu. Where should I start?"
"Hurry up and wash these clothes! Be careful with the Lord’s garments—if a single thread is missing, your head will be the price!"
Ruan Jiaojiao could only scrub away. Looking at the mountain of laundry, she thought Pei Huaiyu must enjoy hoarding his clothes to wash them all at once. She didn't recall him having that habit before; she assumed it was a quirk he’d picked up since becoming an official. She hadn't expected this massive pile to be just from a single day.
By the time she finished, she was aching all over, and her long, beautiful fingers were bright red from the cold water. "Pei Huaiyu, you dog, dressing yourself up like a peacock every day."
What could she do, though? She was the one at fault. She had no choice but to indulge him.
"And these! Wash them all, too!"
Just when she thought she could rest, two maids she didn't recognize dumped another pile of laundry on her. Ruan Jiaojiao raised an eyebrow and pointed at the clothes. "Don't tell me Pei Huaiyu has a hobby of wearing women's clothing."
The two maids weren't embarrassed by being called out; instead, they became aggressive. "These are ours! Besides, what does it matter if you, the newcomer, wash a little extra? Why all the chatter? This is the rule of the Prime Minister’s Estate—if you don't wash, you don't eat!"
*Eating...*
Ruan Jiaojiao was starving. She hadn't even had breakfast, and after downing a bowl of contraceptive medicine on an empty stomach, her stomach was in knots. She didn't want to fight. Between getting into a brawl and keeping the peace, she chose to eat. "It's just a few extra pieces of clothing, right? Fine, I'll wash them."
She ended up washing clothes all day and didn't get a single bite of hot food. By the time she reached the dining area, all that remained were some rotting vegetable leaves. She had to settle for a few leftover steamed buns to fill her belly.
For seven days straight, Pei Huaiyu never stepped foot in that part of the estate again, as if she didn't exist at all.