Chapter 51: Creating a Mortal Enemy

Chapter 51: Creating a Mortal Enemy

An even more formidable presence.

"Intentional slander?"

Noble Consort Mi scoffed, looking at Mo Ling, who was now on the ground, desperately trying to drag Su Jiaojiao into this. She felt her anger reaching its peak.

If she had been coerced into betrayal, that would be one thing, but at this moment, Mo Ling still stubbornly refused to admit her guilt.

After more than ten years of companionship, at this very moment, Noble Consort Mi felt completely disillusioned with the personal maid who had been by her side since childhood: "This poison is known as 'Hundred Days of Harm'! Its effects are slow, and it must be taken over a long period to damage the body. Consort Zhen visits the Palace of Eternal Happiness only once every ten days or so. Are you saying that Consort Zhen is the one who poisoned me?!"

"Only you and Yu Ling have ever handled my personal belongings. If it weren't for you, how could this poison have been slipped into my drink unnoticed, and then consumed by me?!"

Noble Consort Mi raised her hand and hurled the white jade vase beside her to the ground in front of Mo Ling. With a loud "crack," the vase shattered into pieces, scattering across the luxurious carpet.

"Your Highness, spare me!"

Mo Ling was utterly terrified, letting out a sharp cry. Her face was slashed by the flying shards, leaving a long gash from her eyebrow to her chin. Blood seeped from the wound, streaming down her face.

Noble Consort Mi's eyes burned with anger as she looked down at Mo Ling, as if she were a mere insect to be crushed with a single hand.

Mo Ling scrambled backward in panic, her eyes wide with fear, shaking her head incessantly at Noble Consort Mi, as if a terrifying ghost were about to choke her.

Having grown up by Noble Consort Mi's side, Mo Ling knew all too well the ruthless methods and cruel heart of her mistress. Every moment by her side in recent days had been like living as a frightened bird, where even the slightest noise would fill her with fear.

Mo Ling had no doubt about Noble Consort Mi's methods.

She would carve her flesh piece by piece, have parrots peck out her eyes, and then dismember her body to feed to the dogs, leaving her without a decent burial!

She didn't want that, she didn't want that!

Mo Ling pressed her face to the ground, crawling forward on her knees, her face smeared with blood. She kowtowed repeatedly, the sound of her head hitting the floor resounding loudly: "Your Highness, spare me, spare me! Please, don't kill me—!"

A sudden gust of wind swept in from nowhere, extinguishing several of the candles in the room. The half-closed palace doors creaked ominously. Mo Ling, still kowtowing on the ground, was terrified out of her wits. The once opulent and grand palace now seemed like a hellish place, filled with an eerie and sinister atmosphere.

Outside, the rainstorm grew heavier, the rapid downpour accompanied by deafening thunder, as if a deadly melody were playing from the heavens.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Mo Ling let out a piercing scream: "Help—!"

Noble Consort Mi could no longer hold back her fury. She stood up and strode forward, slapping Mo Ling hard across the face. The force of the blow sent blood gushing from Mo Ling's nose and mouth, her face twisted to the side. Through gritted teeth, Noble Consort Mi spat out the words: "Worthless wretch!"

Even when she had learned of Imperial Physician Lin's betrayal earlier, Noble Consort Mi had not been this angry. The Yin family and Imperial Physician Lin had only been connected by mutual interests, a relationship that was never stable. But Mo Ling was her closest confidante, someone she had trusted with her very life. Yet, she had secretly poisoned her, trying to push her into an abyss of despair!

How utterly despicable!

Noble Consort Mi stared at her, asking word by word: "Who ordered you to poison me? Who was it?"

Mo Ling had been kowtowing on the ground for a long time and had just been dealt a heavy blow. Her head was throbbing with pain, and her vision was blurred by the blood. Though she feared Noble Consort Mi, she seemed even more terrified of the mastermind behind the poisoning. She shook her head repeatedly, saying: "I can't say, I can't say…"

"You can't say?" Noble Consort Mi sneered, then called out: "Guards!"

Four young and strong eunuchs quickly entered the hall, kneeling respectfully before Noble Consort Mi.

Without even glancing at Mo Ling, Noble Consort Mi coldly ordered: "Mo Ling attempted to poison me. Take her out and give her thirty lashes!"

For palace concubines, the punishment was administered to the buttocks, but for palace servants, it was the back. For a maid like Mo Ling, thirty lashes could be fatal!

Mo Ling was terrified, struggling desperately against the eunuchs who were trying to pin her down. She crawled forward on her hands and knees, crying out: "Your Highness, spare me, spare me! Please, for the sake of my years of service, spare my life!"

"You have served me for so many years, yet you dare to betray me and seek glory, intending to harm me! Thirty lashes won't kill you, but I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Before the punishment could be carried out, Su Jiaojiao, who had been standing silently by the side, spoke up timidly, "Noble Consort Mi, it might not be the right time to punish Mo Ling now."

Noble Consort Mi coldly glanced at Su Jiaojiao and asked, "Why is it inappropriate? Without harsh punishment, how can we make this treacherous maid talk?"

Su Jiaojiao looked at Mo Ling and said softly, "Mo Ling was once your personal maid, raised under the Yin family's care. Thanks to you, she's seen all kinds of wealth and luxury. What kind of fine clothes and food has she not worn? How could she be easily bribed?"

"I noticed how terrified Mo Ling was of you, yet even in such a situation, she still refused to reveal the mastermind behind this. Consider this: what would make Mo Ling choose death over speaking?"

Hinting at this, Su Jiaojiao hesitated and said, "I think her family might be held hostage, forcing her to act against her will."

Noble Consort Mi, overwhelmed by the series of betrayals, was solely focused on making Mo Ling reveal the mastermind and had overlooked the possibility Su Jiaojiao mentioned.

The Yin family has always been strict with their servants, especially the personal maids, who were kept under tight surveillance, with their entire families living under the watchful eyes of the Yin family.

Given this, why would Mo Ling betray her over her family?

Noble Consort Mi looked at Mo Ling and sneered, "I don't care why you betrayed me or if you took a bribe. I'll just say this. If you stay silent, I'll have the Yin family kill your whole family. If you reveal the mastermind, I might spare your family, considering your years of service."

Upon hearing the mention of her family, Mo Ling suddenly froze. Through her tears, she barely saw Noble Consort Mi, and two lines of bloody tears streamed down her swollen eyes.

She struggled desperately, clutching Noble Consort Mi's ankle, "Your Highness, please spare my family, please spare my family!"

Mo Ling cried tears of blood, begging, "She's secretly taken control of my entire family, saying that if I dare to speak a word, she would know, and the spies outside the palace would kill my family to silence them. Please spare my life, please! I dare not speak, I dare not speak...!"

Su Jiaojiao thoughtfully looked at Mo Ling and gently said, "Your Highness, if what Mo Ling says is true, and the person behind this has already controlled her entire family, threatening to kill them if she speaks, then threatening her family won't work."

"In the current situation, if Mo Ling speaks, the mastermind will eventually notice. If she remains silent, even if you kill her family, you won't get the information you want. Whether she speaks or not, her family's lives are at risk. Since she dared to betray you, Mo Ling must value her family's lives more than her own, and fears the mastermind more than you. Therefore, she will choose to protect her family. The situation is at a standstill, so maybe—"

She stopped mid-sentence, cautiously glancing at Noble Consort Mi's expression, and did not continue.

Noble Consort Mi frowned and raised her voice, "Perhaps what?"

Su Jiaojiao did not answer directly but instead walked to Mo Ling, wiping the blood from her face with a handkerchief, and said in a regretful tone, "You were once Noble Consort Mi's personal maid, always by her side, a position more esteemed than many low-ranking mistresses. When trouble arose, you should have turned to Her Highness. Why did you act alone and make such a mistake? If you can change your ways and stand with Her Highness now, I'm sure she can save your family from danger."

After saying this, Su Jiaojiao turned and said, "If Your Highness gives Mo Ling another chance, stabilizes the person behind her, and has the Yin family rescue her family to a safe place, Mo Ling will gladly stand by your side and reveal the mastermind."

She looked back at the kneeling Mo Ling, "Mo Ling, this is the only way to save your family. Are you willing?"

Mo Ling never expected there could be a turn of events. Like a drowning person clutching at a lifeline, she cried out, "As long as Your Highness can save my family, I, a humble servant, would gladly die a thousand times!"

Su Jiaojiao, seeing that Mo Ling was not foolish, said with some relief, "If Mo Ling is willing to refocus her loyalty on Your Highness, not only will you know the mastermind, but you can also use Mo Ling's position to counterattack."

She whispered, "Wouldn't that be a win-win?"

Noble Consort Mi stared at Su Jiaojiao for a long time, then looked at her with a somewhat unfamiliar gaze, saying coldly, "I always thought you were weak and timid, easy to manipulate. I never realized you were so clever."

Su Jiaojiao bowed her head, her eyes flustered, not daring to meet Noble Consort Mi's gaze, and evaded, "I am naturally timid but not too foolish. After living in the palace for a few years and receiving Your Highness's care, I dare not neglect to think for you."

"If I only sought your protection, I would feel uneasy, wondering if I was useless. What you couldn't think of in your anger, I could calmly consider for you. Even if I can help Your Highness in the slightest, it would be my greatest fortune."

After today's events, Noble Consort Mi became more suspicious of everyone, saying coldly, "I trust no one now!"

Su Jiaojiao said with grievance, "I only wanted to help Your Highness with some advice, never intending to upset you. If Your Highness is dissatisfied with me, you can punish me as you see fit, and I will not complain. But now, you are like a small boat on the vast sea, one misstep away from ruin."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, "You have helped me so much. In my heart, you are more like a sister to me, strict yet caring. Today, I could have stayed out of this, but I spoke up because I wanted to repay your kindness..."

Su Jiaojiao's eyes were extremely sincere, her reddened eyes filled with tears like rolling pearls. Noble Consort Mi looked at her expression and suddenly remembered the day she braved the cold wind, ill, to ask the monk to bless her unborn child for a good afterlife. Her heart softened, and she struggled intensely between trust and suspicion.

After staring at Su Jiaojiao for a long time, Noble Consort Mi finally said in a cold voice, "If you stay by my side and remain loyal, I will never forsake you. But if you betray me like the others, you should also experience the agony of having your heart gouged out."

Su Jiaojiao knelt down, trembling, and said, "I will serve you, Your Highness, with absolute loyalty."

Hearing her vow, the tension in Noble Consort Mi's heart slightly relaxed.

She glanced down at Mo Ling with a cold expression and, after a moment, spoke, "Mo Ling, if you can pledge your loyalty to me, I will write a letter to my grandfather, asking him to send someone to rescue your entire family."

With that, she glanced at everyone in the hall, her gaze as sharp as a blade, "Go and tell everyone in Jiangyun Palace that no one is to speak a word of what happened today. If I find out that anyone has betrayed me by leaking today's events, they will be promoted and their entire family will be implicated."

Hearing the words "promotion," the people in the hall turned pale with fear and knelt down, saying, "We dare not!"

"Convey my message and leave."

When only Noble Consort Mi, Su Jiaojiao, Yu Ling, and Mo Ling remained in the hall, Noble Consort Mi circled around Mo Ling and stood behind her, asking coldly, "Who is the one behind you?"

The fear of not being able to see the expression or hear the voice of someone behind her made Mo Ling tremble even more. She said, "It's Noble Consort Wang... it's Noble Consort Wang..."

A hint of mockery flashed in Noble Consort Mi's eyes as she said, "That despicable woman, Noble Consort Wang, plotted to cause my miscarriage and, because of it, lost her authority to assist in managing the six palaces. Recently, she displeased the Emperor, and even the Crown Prince has fallen out of favor. She has lost everything because of me and now she truly can't hold back anymore."

She looked toward Su Jiaojiao and asked, "Has Imperial Physician Lin also joined Noble Consort Wang?"

Mo Ling shook her head urgently, "Noble Consort Wang only met me once in person. Every other time, it was a hooded maid who came. She only told me to poison you, and I know nothing else!"

Su Jiaojiao spoke up at the right moment, "Since Mo Ling has already revealed that it was Noble Consort Wang who instructed her, there's no reason for her to hide anything else. It seems she really doesn't know about Imperial Physician Lin."

After speaking, she seemed to remember something sorrowful and began to cry, saying, "Noble Consort Wang once plotted to lure me to the pavilion to meet you, trying to drive a wedge between us. She also took advantage of your concern for the Emperor to cause your miscarriage. She is truly malicious. Even after you lost your child, she still wouldn't let go, determined to see you dead before she feels satisfied."

Noble Consort Mi sneered, "She wants to kill me? Let's see if she has the ability! I am not some weakling that anyone can push around!"

"Yu Ling, go and call Imperial Physician Liu to examine Mo Ling's wounds to avoid raising any suspicions."

Yu Ling gazed at Mo Ling with both anger and pity, shedding a few tears before saying, "I will go now."

After handling the matters behind, Noble Consort Mi stood at the wide-open palace door, looking at the pouring rain with an icy gaze.

Jiangyun Palace fell silent for a while, with only the sound of the rain. Su Jiaojiao sobbed for a while before wiping her tears with her sleeve and saying, "Your Highness, there is one more thing that has always seemed suspicious to me."

Noble Consort Mi's breathing was unusually heavy. Without turning around, she asked, "What is it?"

Su Jiaojiao hesitated for a while before saying, "Since you became pregnant, you have often experienced unstable fetal movements, and in the later stages, the fetal signs were frequently unstable. Although I have never been pregnant, I still find it strange. You have always been in good health, and even if the pregnancy reactions were severe, it shouldn't have been like this."

"Besides, it was always Imperial Physician Lin who took care of your pregnancy. Now that we know Imperial Physician Lin has ulterior motives, it's possible that he deliberately exploited your trust... to harm the royal heir in your womb."

Seeing Noble Consort Mi's face darken, she added, "But I wonder if Imperial Physician Lin is truly Noble Consort Wang's person."

At the mention of the royal heir, Mo Ling suddenly knelt down and cried out, "Your Highness, the person who harmed your royal heir is also Noble Consort Wang. She ordered me to add poison to your pregnancy medicine, not wanting you to give birth to the royal heir... But I can confirm that Noble Consort Wang only entrusted this task to me. Imperial Physician Lin never had any contact with me! I am willing to atone for my actions! Please give me a chance!"

"What!?" Noble Consort Mi's voice suddenly rose, her pupils contracting as she turned and asked, "Are you saying that my miscarriage was also orchestrated by Noble Consort Wang?"

Mo Ling, frightened by her imposing presence, knelt on the ground, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Yes... Noble Consort Wang has been using me for a long time. First, she instructed me to poison you with something harmful to the fetus, and recently she ordered me to administer a slow-acting poison to harm your body. It was all to target you. Please, Your Highness, give me a chance since I have come forward voluntarily..."

Su Jiaojiao, watching the situation unfold with twists and turns, couldn't help but doubt her earlier suspicion that Imperial Physician Lin was the Empress's person. Yet, she still felt something was off. As she unraveled the threads, she seemed to understand a key point.

Both the poisoning of the royal heir and Noble Consort Mi were carried out by Mo Ling. If Imperial Physician Lin was truly Noble Consort Wang's person, there was no need to involve another spy. So, what role did Imperial Physician Lin play in Noble Consort Mi's miscarriage?

As the primary physician responsible for Noble Consort Mi's pregnancy, he should have been accountable for the fetus. Yet, he never detected that Noble Consort Mi had been poisoned while carrying the royal heir...

Su Jiaojiao put herself in Imperial Physician Lin's shoes and deduced something. Suddenly, she seemed to have understood a key point.

No!

Imperial Physician Lin likely noticed, but someone behind the scenes ordered him to play along!

Aside from Noble Consort Wang, the Empress naturally didn’t want Consort Mi to bear the royal heir.

Noble Consort Mi, holding the authority to assist in managing the imperial harem, already stood high enough, and Noble Consort Wang had the eldest prince, forming a perfect counterbalance.

But if Noble Consort Mi gave birth to a prince, the situation would completely tilt in her favor, and the Empress’s position would be in jeopardy, risking being sidelined.

Thus, even if Noble Consort Wang didn’t act, the Empress would likely take action. But Noble Consort Wang was more impatient, so the Empress simply watched the tigers fight, effortlessly removing Noble Consort Mi’s child.

The Empress, always lacking in favor, maintained a balance of gentleness and authority in front of the Emperor and the concubines, earning the admiration of most. But in Su Jiaojiao’s eyes, the Empress was a more formidable opponent than Noble Consort Wang and Noble Consort Mi.

However, Noble Consort Mi now sees Noble Consort Wang as her sworn enemy. There’s no need to let her know what the Empress has done. Let her speculate for now; it won’t be too late to reveal the truth after Noble Consort Wang’s downfall…

Watching the tigers fight isn’t a tactic exclusive to the Empress.

When Noble Consort Mi was in a rage, Yu Ling brought Imperial Physician Liu in from the study, saying, "Your Highness, Imperial Physician Liu is here."