Palace maid Shuoning

(One)

Chuxiu Palace.

Ye Wan, dressed in a bright crimson nightgown, with her black hair hanging loosely on both sides of her chest, sat in front of a bronze mirror, slowly combing her hair.

"Your Majesty, the person has been brought in." Caiyi bowed and reported in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Ye Wan slowly smiled, put down the wooden comb, and stood up. Caiyi quickly bowed and reached out to help her out of the inner hall.

Outside the palace, four guards stood beside the mahogany box, waiting for her instructions.

Ye Wan stepped forward slowly, her figure graceful, her fingertips brushing across the faces of the four people in turn, her voice soft yet cold:

"Did you leave any flaws in your actions that were noticed by others?"

The head guard bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, we entered the palace through the East Gate and told the outside world that we were delivering novel items from the common people to Your Majesty. The guards at the gate did not question us much and we entered Chuxiu Palace smoothly."

Ye Wan's gaze swept past the mahogany box and landed on the four people in front of her. Her voice was gentle and slow, carrying a hint of profound meaning:

"The four of you are my most trusted confidants. After this matter is accomplished, I will certainly not treat you unfairly and will reward you handsomely."

The four bowed their heads, their eyes swirling with unspoken emotions. They exchanged glances, all understanding the weight of this promise, and bowed in response, "We will obey Your Majesty's commands."

Ye Wan slightly raised her chin and said calmly, "Open it."

As soon as he finished speaking, two guards stepped forward, bent down, fastened the lock on the box, and with a click, opened the lock and slowly lifted the heavy lid.

Inside the box, Jiang Shuo lay peacefully, already awake. His eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed on Ye Wan.

"Oh, you woke up quickly."

Ye Wan turned and sat down, leaning against the back of the chair. She looked down at the person in the box and calmly ordered, "Remove the cloth from her mouth."

A guard bent down, untied the knot behind her head, and tore off the cotton cloth blocking her mouth.

Jiang Shuoning caught his breath, his voice slightly hoarse but still steady, and coldly looked up at Ye Wan:

"Ye Wan, do you know what crime it is to kidnap the concubine of Prince Jingchen?"

Ye Wan scoffed, "Even at this point, you're still so sharp-tongued. Fine, I'll let you suffer a bit first, then we sisters can chat slowly."

Having said that, she turned her head and gestured with her chin toward the four guards: "Bring them out and teach them a lesson in manners. Don't be too gentle."

The four guards immediately carried Jiang Shuoning, who was bound with ropes, out and threw him on the ground.

Immediately, the four men began to punch and kick her.

Every punch and kick felt like it was going to shatter her internal organs; her back, abdomen, and every part of her body ached.

Jiang Shuo remained motionless on the ground, his teeth clenched so tightly he was grinding them, refusing to utter a single word of pleading for mercy.

A guard grabbed her by the collar and half-lifted her up.

Jiang Shuoning's head was forced to tilt back, and his disheveled hair slipped down his face, revealing his face, which was already covered in bruises.

She opened her eyes, her gaze still fixed on him, showing no sign of begging for mercy.

Enraged by the gaze, the guard cursed, raised his fist, and delivered a heavy punch to her face.

With a muffled thud, Jiang Shuoning's head snapped to one side, and a mouthful of metallic taste filled his mouth.

The guard released her, and she collapsed softly to the ground like a tattered rag.

Caiyi stood to the side, her eyes tightly closed the whole time, not daring to look directly at the scene before her. Her body trembled violently uncontrollably, filled with fear, and she didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Ye Wan looked quietly at Jiang Shuoning, who was covered in bruises on the ground, her eyes surging with a suppressed pleasure and ruthlessness that she had suppressed for many years.

She raised her hand, subtly signaling them to stop.

As the sounds of fists and kicks subsided, a deathly silence suddenly enveloped the entire palace.

Ye Wan slowly rose, walked gracefully to Jiang Shuoning, and looked down at the man slumped on the ground, her tone both dismissive and piercing:

"Jiang Shuoning, do you know why I have to tie you up?"

"Ha, Prince Jingchen has protected you so thoroughly, leaving no room for error. If I hadn't managed to slip through tonight, even seeing you would have been an impossible task."

Jiang Shuoning trembled with exhaustion, blood trickling from his lips, his disheveled black hair sticking to his sweat-dampened cheeks.

With difficulty, she looked up through her disheveled hair at her beautiful yet wicked younger sister, her breath weak, yet each word resolute:

"Ye Wan... do you really think that just because you hold the position of a concubine and enjoy the Emperor's favor, you can control everything?"

She gasped for breath, the taste of blood on her tongue, and coldly retorted:

"Your father's affair with Mengtuo Luo, his secret sale of banned drugs, and his formation of cliques for personal gain are all real crimes. His Majesty is as clear-headed as a mirror and has never been a muddle-headed person."

You hate me for betraying my own family for the greater good? How laughable.

Your father committed a heinous crime, why should I show favoritism and cover it up?

Even if your mother is implicated because of this, she deserves it! The law of the land is as firm as a mountain; how can personal feelings supersede the law?

(two)

Upon hearing these words, Ye Wan's eyes instantly flashed with anger.

She suddenly pulled out the jade hairpin from her hair, gripped the hairpin tightly, and fiercely stabbed it into Jiang Shuoning's chest.

Jiang Shuoning groaned in pain, his shoulders clenching tightly.

"Jiang Shuo Ning!"

Ye Wan's voice trembled, filled with bitter resentment:

"She's your own mother too! How can you be so heartless and ungrateful!"

Do you still hate her for sending you to the palace back then? But do you know that in the years that followed, she spent almost every day in tears?

I've watched her grow up, and every first and fifteenth of the lunar month I would go to the temple to burn incense, just praying for your peace and well-being!

You have no idea what she suffered back then! She married a crippled man named Shan, who was greedy and vicious, and forced her to sell herself in a brothel.

Ye Yishan paid to redeem her, but Shan the Cripple held a grudge and spread rumors that she had seduced him.

Desperate, she poisoned Shan the Cripple's wine. Yes, Ye Yishan did help her, but Shan the Cripple was worse than a pig or a dog!

After giving birth to me, following Ye Yishan, she finally had a few days of peace.

But she felt guilty towards you, and was tormented day and night by the sins she had committed. She was a vegetarian for many years, burned incense every month, and often wept alone at night, almost crying herself blind.

She kept saying sorry to you, but back then, she really had no other choice!

Why are you so selfish, only focusing on your own grievances?

I wrote a letter to inform Mother that you were going to Qinghe Town this time.

She longed for you to see her every day, but you never came. Her hopes were dashed, and she fell seriously ill.

Jiang Shuoning, how could you be so heartless?

You have your grievances, but hasn't her life been difficult enough? She's already suffered so much, why can't you forgive her just this once?

Ye Wan gripped the jade hairpin tightly, refusing to let go. With a flick of her wrist, she plunged it a few more inches deeper.

A sharp pain suddenly erupted, and Jiang Shuoning's body trembled violently. He let out a muffled groan, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.

Fresh blood soaked through the white clothes, spreading into a glaring red.

She was in so much pain that her breath trembled, but her gaze remained fixed on Ye Wan.

"Speak."

Ye Wan's voice trembled, her eyes filled with a mixture of tears and ruthlessness, as she waited for her reply.

Jiang Shuoning was in so much pain that his face turned deathly pale, his expression contorted, tears streaming down his face, and his lips trembling.

"Everyone has to pay the price for the path they choose. She chose to marry the cripple, which only cost her a few years of her life, but it ruined my entire life."

If only she had protected me then and hadn't sent me to the palace...

She paused for a moment, her mind churning with thoughts.

If her mother had risked her life to protect her back then, Baozhong wouldn't have had to enter the palace or suffer that knife wound. She could have spent her life with her childhood sweetheart.

Thinking of this, tears streamed down my face.

She swallowed the blood that tasted metallic in her throat, and looked at Ye Wan in a trembling voice:

"Why should I be lenient with you? Ye Wan, you were born into a life of luxury, pampered by your parents. But after several years in the palace, you haven't received the emperor's favor and have suffered some mistreatment from the palace servants, yet you're determined to become someone superior to others."

Why should I be magnanimous? I entered the palace at the age of six, and I am now twenty-two. Do you know how I have survived all these years?

If you were in my position, would you still say those words?