Dongling Kingdom.
The main hall of Prince Qin's Estate.
"Your Highness, it looks like the Princess has stopped breathing!"
Pain!
Flesh torn and mangled!
Utterly horrific!
The agony caused Shen Qingyan to curl up into a ball like a shrimp. In a daze, she thought to herself that since falling from such a high cliff hadn't killed her, she truly had a stubborn life!
Shen Qingyan tried to turn over, but the wounds all over her body felt as though they were being ripped apart, causing a pain so intense she almost forgot to breathe.
With a pale face, Shen Qingyan feebly opened her eyes. Clearly, she still had no idea what was going on.
A basin of ice water was splashed right over her, the chill making her shiver uncontrollably.
Mixed with the ice water, the burning sensation felt like salted water poured over her wounds multiple times, eating away at her lacerated flesh. Shen Qingyan felt as though every inch of her body was being sliced apart piece by piece with a sharp blade. The pain made her open her mouth wide, her entire body stiffening and her face twisting into something resembling a ghost!
Large tears rolled down her cheeks unceasingly.
"Done playing dead?" The man let out a cold laugh, watching her as if she were some kind of clown, his gaze carrying disappointment—as though the performance of a play had nearly reached its end before he could fully enjoy it.
How sensible of her; she'd better be! If this woman was faking her death, he wouldn't mind landing a few more whip lashes on her.
"Your Highness, if you keep beating her, it'll cost a life!"
The steward pleaded earnestly, the cruel sight making him dare not look any longer at the dying woman on the floor.
The man's gaze held an unfathomable coldness as he casually glanced down at the woman rolling on the ground from the whipping, looking at her as if she were a pile of filth.
"If she doesn't confess, keep beating her until she admits her wrongdoing!"
The steward wanted to speak, but stopped himself, shaking his head. He sighed inwardly; why on earth was the Princess putting herself through this? If she would just apologize to the Prince, this matter would be over.
What the hell is going on?
Shen Qingyan hadn't even figured out what was happening when another whip lash struck her body without warning.
Lian'er cried as she ran to Xuanyuan Ming's feet, hugging him and begging for mercy: "Your Highness, you can't beat her anymore! The Princess has a weak constitution; she can't withstand this endless torment! I beg you, please... I'll kowtow to you!"
The young maid cried heartrending tears, kowtowing to the man over and over again in hopes of winning a chance of survival for her mistress.
"Your Highness, it looks like the Princess has passed out."
"Shen Qingyan, you vicious woman! Don't play dead with this prince!"
The man raised his foot and gave the dying woman lying on the floor a tentative kick with the tip of his shoe, completely failing to treat the person on the ground as a human being.
Seeing Shen Qingyan motionless, the servant remembered he had been a bit too harsh earlier—perhaps the Princess had been beaten to death by him!
"Spare my life, Your Highness!"
Xuanyuan Ming seemed not to hear the servant's plea for mercy. He gave her another tentative kick and found that the woman gave no response at all. A glint crossed the man's eyes before a mocking curve finally appeared at the corner of his lips.
He had already learned this woman's tricks. She was definitely playing dead! He squatted down to test her breath and found she was still breathing, which only made him more certain that she was faking it!
"She's not dead. Wake her up!"
This woman truly never learned her lesson; she was addicted to playing dead. Very well!
Splashed with water, Shen Qingyan quickly regained consciousness. Footsteps pattered toward her through the water, bringing with them an unprovoked chill.
A set of memories that did not belong to her played back in her mind like a movie. Shen Qingyan opened her eyes abruptly, tears wetting her long eyelashes. Her soaked dress clung tightly to her slender figure, and every inch of skin where the whip had struck bore startling, horrifying scars. Her white garments were stained a deep crimson, creating a deeply suffocating sight.
The man's steady footsteps approached her with biting coldness.
His dangerous gaze carried a trace of anger as he hooked the woman's chin up with the tip of his shoe.
"Shen Qingyan, remember the lesson of today! If you ever dare lay a finger on Side Consort Qing again, this prince will make your life a living hell!"
She clenched her teeth, her eyes filled with murderous intent. But it vanished in a mere fraction of a second; Xuanyuan Ming suddenly grew interested, her transformation sparking his amusement.
He leaned down into a squat, pinching Shen Qingyan's chin with a force so great that it made her jaw ache!
Droplets of water slid down her forehead into her eyes, blurring her vision. Through the haze, she could only make out a set of exquisitely delicate facial features—she couldn't see clearly. The lingering pain in her chin forced her to lock eyes with the man in front of her.
She gritted her teeth, desperately suppressing the urge to commit murder: "Bastard!"
Everyone was astonished! Had the beating made the Princess lose her mind completely? How dared she curse the Prince?
Shen Qingyan frowned in pain. In all her life, no one had ever dared make her suffer such a heavy loss; if not for the fact that she was currently in too much pain to move freely, she would have butchered this scoundrel of a man!
Looking at the handsome man before her in a deep blue lapel robe, she saw that her words had not pleased him. The hand pinching her chin tightened abruptly, as if he intended to crush her bones.
With a sharp "crack," a crisp slap echoed through the quiet hall. He resumed pinching her jaw, his sarcastic tone carrying a coldness that could almost grind bones to dust: "It doesn't matter if you won't admit your mistake; I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"
He released her chin and pulled a handkerchief from his robe to wipe his fingers, acting as though he had touched something filthy.
He made a hand gesture, and people immediately moved in to restrain her, forcing her onto her knees in a manner that was practically humiliating.
Those people grabbed her head, "lifting" it up and pushing it back down to make her kowtow and apologize to a woman called Side Consort Qing.
One, two, three...
Because Shen Qingyan had not yet fully adapted to her new body, and coupled with the fact that her original vessel was covered in wounds from the abuse, she simply lacked the spare strength to resist, leaving herself at the mercy of their manipulation.
At last, the woman called "Side Consort Qing" finally spoke: "Your Highness, it doesn't matter if I suffer a little grievance. Elder Sister will remember this lesson, and I believe something similar won't happen again in the future."
She tugged at the man's sleeve, her tone gentle and understanding.
Shen Qingyan was held by people on her left and right. The woman before her wore a water-green dress; her face looked innocent yet carried a hint of shrewdness. Beneath her arched, willow-leaf brows, her eyes were as clear as spring water, and a lock of long hair draped over her chest, naturally adding a touch of fragility.
"Silly girl, a vicious woman like her doesn't deserve you pleading for her. She brought this on herself!"
His tone was bone-chillingly cold, his eyes sweeping over Shen Qingyan like a sharp blade, as if he longed to stab them straight into her chest.
Lian'er disliked Side Consort Qing, but because the latter had just helped plead for mercy, she seized the moment to crawl to Xuanyuan Ming's feet and continue begging for her mistress: "Your Highness... I beg you to show mercy. If this torture continues, my young miss will lose her life!"
Her voice choked with sobs, taking her half a day to get a single sentence out completely.
Annoyed, Xuanyuan Ming kicked her away, delivering a ruthless statement without blinking an eye that made Lian'er dare not utter another word in plea for Shen Qingyan.
A cold, threatening tone drilled into her ears: "Remember, you are nothing more than a stray dog kept by my Prince Qin's Estate. Don't think that just because you hold the title of Prince Qin's Consort, you can forget whose surname you carry! If you ever dare use any cheap tricks to bully Side Consort Qing again, I have countless ways to deal with you!"
He leaned over to meet her gaze, his tone detached and full of disgust. Shen Qingyan was forced to look the man in the eye as others held her by the neck. Her eyes were as clear as water, devoid of their past arrogance, replaced instead by endurance and self-restraint. Stray locks of hair soaked by cold water clung to her face; this undoubtedly made her look pale and bedraggled, yet it failed to detract from her beauty.
Was it an illusion? Why had the look this woman gave him changed?
Seeing that she remained silent, he assumed she had finally learned her lesson. He curled his lips into a smile and ordered people with satisfaction to drag Shen Qingyan back to Zuiyue Pavilion.
Lian'er climbed up from the ground in pain, pushing those people away one by one. Sobbing, she hugged the dying Shen Qingyan and begged Xuanyuan Ming to find a doctor for her. In return, she received his utterly indifferent words: "Notify this prince in the study once she's dead. I've already had someone prepare a coffin for her!"
Lian'er stared in disbelief at Xuanyuan Ming's retreating figure as he coldly dropped the order to "drag her away," bringing the scene to a close.
Lian'er pleaded with everyone present, even former sisters she had been close with, but not a single person responded to her. No one was willing to step forward and help.
Shen Qingyan lowered her eyelids. Her experiences in her past life told her that circumstances dictate strength. Taking a deep breath, waves surged violently within her eyes. Shen Qingyan suppressed the boiling rage in her heart, letting the servants drag her away from the main hall like an animal.
Along the way, there were only rough gravel and weeds. Blood pooled and smeared the ground. Shen Qingyan didn't utter a single sound, her teeth clenched tight.
This debt—she, Shen Qingyan, would remember it.
Wiping away her tears, Lian'er ran out with a trembling body, completely casting aside all rules of etiquette.
...