"Sis-sister, what...what are you saying?" Consort Li seemed terrified, her speech faltering.
"How could Sister Rong possibly... possibly still be alive? She... Sister, you saw her charred corpse yourself!"
"Who knows that the burnt, blackened corpse was hers? What proof do you have that it was her?"
The Empress glared at her, wishing she could strangle her. "Are you still not telling the truth?"
"Sister, in that room back then, besides Sister Rong, there was no one else. If it wasn't her, who else could it be?"
Although Consort Li was terrified, her voice trembling, there was a hint of resentment in her words.
"Moreover, that cup of poisoned wine back then, it was you, Sister... you personally watched her drink it..."
"Silence!" The Empress's expression changed, and she kicked out.
Consort Li was sent rolling across the floor.
Sister Xin, frightened, scrambled over, trying to help her up, but she had no strength at all.
"I was wrong, sister was wrong! Sister knows nothing, Sister, I was wrong! I was truly wrong! Sister, spare me!"
The mistress and servant knelt on the ground, looking at the Empress, both trembling with fear.
The Empress glared at her, her face a mask of ferocity. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"
"Sister, I truly know my mistake! This concubine knows her mistake!"
Consort Li shed tears but dared not cry out loud, only pleading incessantly. "Sister, please, I beg you, show some mercy. This concubine is truly wrong!"
In the harem, the Empress held absolute sway.
She was both sister and consort, and whether in the Nangong family or in the harem, Consort Li had to obey her.
Consort Li was also showing the Empress her stance, that no matter where she was, she was beneath her.
She was a sister, and also a concubine.
Kneeling on the ground, she lowered her head and said hoarsely, "This concubine will return now and kneel in Changle Palace to repent. Your Majesty the Empress, I beg your grace."
"Scram!"
"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress!"
Only then did the mistress and servant, supporting each other, leave with panicked steps, as if fleeing for their lives.
Consort Li's statement about kneeling in Changle Palace to repent was not just for show.
Upon their return, she truly knelt in Changle Palace.
Sister Xin knelt beside her, her heart aching as she saw the swollen handprint on her mistress's face.
"My lady, your face..."
"The Emperor doesn't visit much anymore, and this face isn't of much use. Don't worry about it," Consort Li consoled.
"My lady, you are truly... truly too easily bullied."
Sister Xin sighed, still feeling distressed. "My lady, the Emperor's lack of visits now is only because his health... is not what it used to be, not because he dislikes you."
"What's the difference?" Consort Li laughed dismissively. "His past affection for me was only because of Sister Rong. In the end, I am nothing but a substitute."
"My lady..."
"You don't need to comfort me. I know my place. I've lived like this for so many years, and I don't mind. As long as Yu'er can live peacefully, I will be content."
Mentioning Prince Yu, Sister Xin immediately remembered something. "My lady, Prince Yu is entering the palace tomorrow. Your face cannot remain like this. Prince Yu will be distressed if he sees it."
Consort Li thought for a moment and quickly nodded. "Sister Xin, quickly go and get two hot eggs to reduce the swelling. We can't let Yu'er see it."
"Yes!"
Sister Xin immediately went to the imperial kitchen to get hot eggs. While applying them to Consort Li's face to reduce the swelling, she thought about certain matters:
"My lady, that poisoned wine back then... was it truly Her Majesty the Empress... who made Consort Rong drink it?"