C41 Shameless

The Palace, Heaven Obeying Hall

After Lee Chengrui left, Dugu Rou didn't throw anything in anger. Instead, she returned to her chamber with a blank expression, while Mo Hua followed cautiously behind her.

On the bed, Dugu Rou sat like a statue, holding the imperial decree in her hands, her beautiful eyes fixed on the yellow scroll. Gradually, her delicate face twisted with rage, and her fair hands clenched the decree, crumpling it.

Mo Hua knew her mistress was upset, but damaging the decree was a serious offense. "Ma'am..."

"Don't call me that!" Dugu Rou suddenly shouted, her eyes blazing with fury, scaring Mo Hua into kneeling on the floor.

Her gaze returned to the yellow scroll in her hands, and suddenly, Dugu Rou laughed, her eyes filled with tears, her laughter shaking her whole body. "Ma'am? After all my scheming to get here, what have I really gained?"

The power she longed for, the man she wanted to control? None of it was hers.

She thought she was clever enough, but now she realized she had become a fool, the most ridiculous person in the entire royal city.

"If you didn't want this, why agree to the Crown Prince? You've held on for so long, just a little longer..."

Mo Hua looked up, her words cut off by Dugu Rou's cold laugh. "How long has it been since Dugu Yan died, hmm?"

Dugu Yan?

Mo Hua was stunned.

"I'm scared! I'm afraid that if I don't agree, I'll end up just as miserable as that woman..." Dugu Rou didn't say "more miserable than Dugu Yan" because, in her eyes, Dugu Yan's death was the most tragic thing she could imagine.

Mo Hua, trembling on the ground, said, "The Crown Prince wouldn't be so heartless to you..."

"But what if he is?" Dugu Rou reopened the scroll in her hand, each word on it cutting through her heart like a sharp blade, over and over, without end.

Mo Hua didn't know how to respond. If that "what if" came true, it would be a disaster.

On the imperial decree, the words "Vice Consort" stood out starkly. Dugu Rou's tear-filled eyes grew cold. "If I'm to be a Vice Consort, so be it. I want to see who dares to surpass me and become the Crown Prince Consort."

She had outmaneuvered Dugu Yan; could there really be another Dugu Yan in this world?

As the harsh winter drew to a close, the weather grew colder.

The last time Feng Tiange visited the Nether Market, she deliberately bought a black mink vest for Empress Dowager Chu.

Since Virtue Helping Hall became a royal merchant, the money deposited monthly into Feng Tiange's account at Shunchang Bank had become quite substantial, making her a wealthy woman now.

After a casual chat with the Empress Dowager, Feng Tiange left the palace and unexpectedly ran into Beiming Yuan in the royal garden. This was a surprise. Usually, Feng Tiange would avoid times when she might encounter Beiming Yuan; he should have been in the Imperial Study Room at this hour.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Feng Tiange said, her face partially covered with a thin veil as she bowed.

Beiming Yuan silently observed the woman before him, his deep, dark eyes glinting with a hint of curiosity. Ever since the last time at the palace, Feng Tiange's name had been mentioned more frequently around him. Once forgotten by society as an unattractive figure, she had suddenly become the center of attention, even catching his interest.

Beiming Yuan admitted he was intrigued by this sister of his, despite their lack of blood relation. The reason was simple: Feng Tiange had regained the Empress Dowager's attention, and he sought her support.

"It's cold. Why aren't you wearing more?" Beiming Yuan asked, standing firmly in front of Feng Tiange, showing no intention of leaving.

The cold weather was nothing compared to the chill of the human heart. Feng Tiange bowed deeply, remaining silent.

Nearby, Lee Chengrui was about to speak but was stopped by Beiming Yuan. "In three days, I'll be attending the entrance exam at the Imperial Academy. I hope you won't disappoint me," he said.

"I certainly won't let the Crown Prince down," Feng Tiange replied, her words carrying a depth that Beiming Yuan couldn't grasp at the moment.

As Beiming Yuan brushed past her, Feng Tiange slowly rose, her lips pressed tightly beneath the thin veil, her clear eyes fixed ahead, recalling the thirteen mutilated bodies vividly...

Beiming Yuan walked a bit further before suddenly turning around, only to find that Feng Tiange had vanished from where she had stood moments ago.

"Crown Prince?" Lee Chengrui noticed Beiming Yuan's unusual behavior and called out softly.

"It's nothing. Let's go pay respects to the Empress Dowager."

Beiming Yuan continued walking, the inexplicable emotions that had surfaced gradually calming within him. He couldn't quite decipher what these subtle shifts in feeling meant, only attributing them to curiosity.

Leaving the palace, Feng Tiange headed to the Nether Market, where she learned from Xue Li about Mrs. Zhao from Pear Blossom Alley.

Mrs. Zhao had lost her husband years ago and had a son with a severe gambling addiction, who owed a significant debt to the gambling house. Their life was on the brink of collapse.

Unexpectedly, her son had recently reappeared at the gambling house, now treated as a VIP.

Feng Tiange wasn't surprised by this. Sunn Hexiang would naturally use money to win over Mrs. Zhao. Judging by Mrs. Zhao's sudden wealth, it was clear that Sunn Hexiang had tasked her with something significant.

Aside from that, Xue Li informed Feng Tiange that Mrs. Zhao had secretly met with the limping Lee from the South Suppressing Marquis Mansion's woodshed twice recently. Given the ages of Mrs. Zhao and the limping Lee, Feng Tiange had a hunch about Sunn Hexiang's schemes, though she wasn't sure just how shameless they might be.

Whether it was Sunn Hexiang or Mrs. Zhao and her ilk, Feng Tiange didn't really concern herself with them. If she had to waste her energy guarding against the petty plots of such minor figures, it would truly be a waste of a lifetime.

Before leaving the Virtue Helping Hall, Feng Tiange asked Xue Li to handle three tasks for her, then returned to her residence with the last prescription from Chu Ping.

Ever since she had sought help from Wen Yu, Feng Tiange would always take a detour to the street of the Four-sea Merchant Alliance whenever she left the Nether Market.

So at this moment, Rong Qi watched as Feng Tiange departed.

"Why do you think she insists on taking this street before leaving?" Rong Qi, dressed in a deep purple robe with a jade crown, lounged lazily against the chair back, casting a curious glance at Lei Yi through the lattice window.

Lei Yi shook his head, "I don't know."

Whenever it came to questions about Feng Tiange, he claimed ignorance.

Rong Qi pouted, his gaze drifting back to the bustling street outside the window. "Maybe she's hoping for a chance encounter with the leader of the Four-sea Merchant Alliance. After all, in this royal city, there's only one Wen Yu."

Rong Qi tilted his head slightly, watching a familiar figure pass by. "Is it him again?" he asked, glancing in the direction Gu Ruochen had gone. "Does Gu Ruochen come to the Nether Market often?"

"His mentor is here," Lei Yi replied.

Rong Qi turned sharply. "Isn't his mentor his father?"

"Gu Ruochen secretly apprenticed under Uncle Xia at the Five Coins Ironworks," Lei Yi explained.

Rong Qi was taken aback. "And no one thought to tell me, the Prince, about something this important?"

Lei Yi looked puzzled. Was this really that important?

Ignoring Lei Yi, Rong Qi called over Wen Ci, the elder who had brought Feng Tiange up the other day. "I want to meet Uncle Xia!"

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