Chapter 152
**Chapter 152: A Change in the Wangfu**
The night was as dark as ink, the wind howled, and the accusations of Zhou Shufei were drenched in sorrow.
Young Li Chengzhen cried out in fear, “Mother... I’m scared...”
The Wangfei’s heart ached like a knife, listening to her son’s cries, torn between pain and anger.
Shen Wei sighed inwardly and stepped forward, her tone gentle as she advised, “Zhou Shufei, your son’s body has yet to be buried. If you make a grave mistake today, you may never see him one last time.”
Li Chengming’s body was temporarily placed in the back hall, awaiting burial.
Zhou Shufei’s eyes flickered with emotion.
Yes, she hadn’t seen her child’s body yet...
Shen Wei continued patiently, “The child you’re holding is of a similar age to your son. If he were alive and saw you in such a frenzy, he would be terrified.”
The night wind tousled Zhou Shufei’s hair. She was still young, yet her hair had already turned quite gray. Once a beautiful woman, she had now become a gaunt figure of suffering.
Li Chengzhen continued to cry, his small face streaked with tears. “Wuwuwu... It hurts...”
Tears streamed down Zhou Shufei’s face, and she seemed to be talking to herself, memories surfacing in her eyes. “Chengming was kind; he was the best child in the world. Last year, when I visited him at school, he held my hand and said I was too thin, urging me to eat more... That foolish child, he couldn’t even fill his own belly, yet he worried about me...”
“What kind of world is this? A Wangfu that devours its own, all hypocrites, unable to tolerate even a mother and child who just want to live in peace...”
Thinking of her young child, Zhou Shufei’s heart finally softened.
Her grip slowly loosened, and the dagger that had been pressed against Li Chengzhen’s neck moved away by a couple of inches.
Shen Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Zhou Shufei didn’t go down a dark path, Shen Wei could find a way to plead for her, to let her see her deceased son, or even suggest to the Yan Wang that Zhou Shufei be sent to guard the imperial tombs. She could live out her days away from the hell of the Wangfu, spending time with her child.
Just as Shen Wei felt a sense of hope, a sharp rebuke from the Wangfei pierced her ears: “What hypocrisy? You shameless woman, how dare you insult me!”
Shen Wei: ...
Oh, for heaven’s sake, can you please be quiet at a time like this!
The Wangfei prided herself on her nobility, believing herself above others. She was the second daughter of the Dantai family, raised in luxury, and later married the esteemed Yan Wang, becoming a revered Wangfei of the Da Qing kingdom. Who in Yanjing didn’t envy her?
But tonight, the Wangfei found herself insulted and threatened by a mere concubine, and her fury boiled over.
Clutching her prayer beads, the Wangfei coldly remarked, “You were just a merchant’s daughter back then. It was I who brought you into the Wangfu to serve the Wangye. Without me, you’d still be selling smiles in some tavern. You show no gratitude, and now you harbor ill intentions, even threatening Chengzhen!”
The flicker of compassion in Zhou Shufei’s heart vanished like smoke.
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head in despair. “If it weren’t for desperation, who would want to survive in this devouring Wangfu? The nights are so cold, the walls so high, and there’s not a shred of humanity...”
The wind howled louder, and distant thunder rumbled ominously.
Zhou Shufei closed her eyes in despair, gripping the dagger tightly, her wrist tensing, causing the child in her arms to cry out.
With a swift motion—
The dagger sliced across the child’s left cheek.
In a flurry—
The guards of the Wangfu rushed in, drawing their bows, sharp arrows piercing Zhou Shufei’s throat and heart.
Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and rain poured down in torrents.
Zhou Shufei opened her mouth, blood gushing forth, her eyes filled with defiance as she gazed at the Wangfei, tears of blood streaming down her cheeks. “I... curse you... to die a miserable death...”
Zhou Shufei collapsed into the icy pond, her blood spreading outwards.
Shen Wei clenched her sleeves, her expression heavy.
Li Chengzhen, terrified, cried out loudly, his pupils reflecting the horrifying sight of Zhou Shufei’s corpse. That moment would be etched into the boy’s soul, becoming an inescapable nightmare for the rest of his life.
The Wangfei held her sobbing son close. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Mother will protect you... Let’s go home, take a bath, and get some sleep. Later, I’ll put some medicine on your face, and tomorrow we’ll go back to the Guozijian to study.”
As she cradled her wailing son, the Wangfei ordered the guards, “Drag this shameless woman’s body out and throw it into the mass grave!”
The guards waded into the pond, retrieving Zhou Shufei’s bloodied corpse, carelessly wrapping it in a straw mat and carrying it away.
Before leaving, the Wangfei cast a deep glance at Shen Wei, her eyes filled with displeasure. “You’ve seen enough of the commotion; go back to your Liuli Pavilion.”
With thunder and lightning crashing, the torrential rain fell, enveloping all of Yanjing in a damp shroud.
Shen Wei returned to Liuli Pavilion, drenched in rain.
She didn’t change out of her wet clothes, pacing back and forth in the room, feeling as if she couldn’t find her footing. For some reason, every familiar object in the room felt strange.
In a moment, Shen Wei thought that this lavishly decorated room was not as comforting as the shabby rental she had lived in during her time in Beijing.
Finally, she arrived at the cradle, gazing at the sleeping infant inside.
Thunder rumbled, and the little girl in the cradle slept soundly, her face soft and fair, clutching her beloved rattle, her expression innocent and serene.
Shen Wei’s restless heart settled.
As she admired her daughter’s sleeping face, memories of many figures flooded her mind: the deceased Zhang Yue, the maid who froze to death, Zhou Shufei lying in a pool of blood...
Shen Wei silently rejoiced that she had the means to protect her own safety and the sleeping child in the cradle. Otherwise, she would be the next Zhou Shufei.
In this feudal and backward era, women were powerless. Shen Wei didn’t want to see more Zhou Shufeis in the Wangfu; she wanted to strive a little harder, to lessen the oppression faced by those suffering women.
“Picking lotus, picking apples.” Shen Wei slowly stood up, the candlelight bright, casting a soft glow around her.
Two maidservants hurried into the room.
Shen Wei changed out of her wet coat and instructed the two maidservants, “The Wangfei has been quite troubled these past few days and has no time to manage the Wangfu. You two work hard to maintain order here.”
The Wangfei was hypocritical and incompetent, appearing dignified yet cruel.
To Shen Wei, the Yan Wangfu was like a large corporation, and the Wangfei was a figurehead leader, utterly inept, relying on the exploitation of the wealthy steward to secure her position. Such people were a cancer to the organization, and if left unchecked, would disrupt the entire operation.
A cancer must be excised.
Shen Wei’s original plan was to make the wealthy steward ill for half a month, causing chaos in the back hall, which would surely lead the Yan Wang and the Empress to hand over the management of the household to her.
But the plan changed midway; with Zhou Shufei’s child gone, Shen Wei’s plans had to be expedited.
Cai Lian and Cai Ping exchanged glances, both respectfully saying, “Rest assured, Mistress, we’ll take care of it right away.”
Thunder rumbled outside.
A storm was brewing in the Yan Wangfu.
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