The night was like ink, pressing heavily upon the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City.
Suddenly, a fierce wind whipped up a torrential downpour, and bean-sized raindrops hammered against the upturned eaves, creating a crisp, clattering sound.
In the side hall on the west side of the inner harem, a miserable scream pierced the sky, like a bolt of lightning splitting the silent, heavy heavens.
"It's born! It's born! It's a little Prince!"
"Noble Consort, Consort Zhang has given birth to a little Prince!"
Immediately following, the loud, clear cry of an infant resounded through the sky.
On the birthing bed, Zhang Wanrou was pale, her entire body drenched in sweat; the exhaustion and excruciating pain nearly caused her to lose consciousness.
Yet, facing the child she had just brought into the world, her eyes held a gentle, maternal tenderness.
"Child... Nanny Wang, will you let me take a look at the little Prince?"
She spoke weakly, longing with all her heart to see her child just once.
However, she did not expect that Nanny Wang, who had always been kind and pleasant to her, would suddenly have a gaze that turned ice-cold.
Soon, a woman dressed in luxurious palace robes, her head adorned with gold hairpins and jade rings, walked in.
She held the cleaned child, her eyes filled with the satisfaction of a conspiracy fulfilled.
This was her elder sister, Zhang Wanyin, who was also a Noble Consort in the palace and the number one woman in the harem, deeply favored by the Emperor!
It was just a pity that, having saved the Emperor years ago, she had injured her body and could never conceive again.
After Zhang Wanrou entered the palace, this elder sister had been extremely good to her, protecting her at every turn, promoting her, and even arranging for her to be alone with the Emperor, giving her the opportunity to attend the Emperor.
And she, under her elder sister's arrangements, had risen from a lowly Talent to her current position as a Jieyu, and had even conceived the dragon's seed, which had now been born safely!
In this palace, to be able to give birth to one's own child was such a fortunate thing!
She truly loved and respected this elder sister, and was very grateful to her.
"Elder Sister, I want to see my child..."
"Your child?"
Zhang Wanyin let out a low laugh. Her voice, which usually felt like a spring breeze, now became sinister and cold, like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness, ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment!
"Zhang Wanrou, you don't really think I consider you my biological sister, do you?"
Zhang Wanyin handed the child to the nanny beside her, picked up the silk handkerchief at her waist to wipe her hands—which were not even dirty—and then threw the handkerchief onto the floor, which was covered in blood and amniotic fluid, with an expression of disgust.
"You are nothing more than a birth vessel that this Palace has kept in the palace!"
"The Seventh Prince is destined to be mine, and his birth mother is destined to disappear from this world!"
"Fourth Younger Sister, don't worry. After you are gone, I will take good care of the Seventh Prince! I will even make him the most powerful person in the world!"
"Being able to give birth to the future Emperor is the greatest favor this Palace could ever grant you!"
Zhang Wanrou was stunned, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
"Elder Sister, you..."
"Shut up!" Zhang Wanyin's expression changed sharply, her eyes filled with disgust. "A lowly creature born to a performer, how dare you call this Palace 'Elder Sister'?"
"Someone! Come here and tear this mouth apart for this Palace!"
As soon as the words fell, two palace maids immediately stepped forward, grabbed the corners of Zhang Wanrou's mouth, and pulled with force, tearing her mouth open.
Zhang Wanrou screamed in agony, but even as her piercing cries resounded through the sky, no one dared to look up or intervene!
Not until her lips were completely torn and blood flowed like water did the two palace servants stop.
She nearly fainted from the pain, her body devoid of any strength, and she could only collapse onto the bed.
Her gaze was filled with venom as she stared fixedly at Zhang Wanyin.
"Bitch! Why are you looking at me like that? You are nothing but an ant now; with one pinch, this Palace can ensure you have no place to be buried!"
"However, don't worry, I won't let you leave this world lonely!"
"Your mother, that seductive bitch, was stripped naked by my mother today and thrown onto the street, where she was shamed into committing suicide! And your two equally lowly twin younger brothers have also been beaten to death with clubs!"
"They are all waiting for you on the road to the underworld! Hehehe..."
A chilling, sinister laugh echoed in the side hall, where there was no sound other than the rain, making everyone who heard it feel a chill down their spines!
Zhang Wanrou's eyes were filled with monstrous resentment, and two lines of regretful tears slid down, merging with her blood and disappearing.
So, all that sisterly affection was nothing more than a performance!
So, all that help and care was nothing more than a facade she created to steal her child!
So, she had never accepted her mother and younger brothers...
She was so foolish!
She had never seen through Zhang Wanyin's true, venomous face!
"Zhang Wanyin, even if I turn into a vengeful ghost, I will never let you go!"
She gently moved her bloodied, mangled mouth. Even though the sound was incoherent, Zhang Wanyin understood.
She gave a cold snort, her eyes filled with disdain and arrogance. "This Palace is the Noble Consort of Great Jing, and in the future, I will be the most noble woman in this world!"
"A vengeful ghost?"
"So what if you turn into a vengeful ghost? Can you even break into this Imperial Palace, which is surrounded by dragon energy?"
She stopped wasting words and gave an order, "Go notify the Emperor and say that Consort Zhang died from complications during childbirth, despite giving birth to the Seventh Prince!"
After Nanny Wang acknowledged the order, she immediately signaled the two palace maids.
Soon, Zhang Wanrou's neck was tightly strangled. Her eyes, filled with unwillingness and despair, gradually became bloodshot before finally losing all signs of life!
✦✦✦
When Zhang Wanrou opened her eyes again, she felt an indescribable pain all over her body, especially at the corners of her mouth, as if the sensation of being torn was still darting through her pain receptors!
She reached up to touch the corners of her mouth; they were smooth and flat, without a single scar.
At this point, the lingering pain and despair in her mind gradually dissipated.
"Little Master! You're awake!!"
Her personal servant, Qing Ning, brought in hot water and was filled with joy upon seeing Zhang Wanrou wake up.
Little Master? Qing Ning?
She looked around and realized that this was the side room of the Yonghe Palace, where she had lived when she first entered the palace as a Talent!
Had she been reborn?
Reborn to a year ago, when she first entered the palace?
Qing Ning's eyes were red, and she couldn't help but feel aggrieved. "Little Master, you just sprained your ankle and hit a pillar in the Imperial Garden. Your forehead is all red, but the Noble Consort didn't even say she would call an Imperial Physician to take a look at you!"
"Little Master, are you feeling any better? If not, should this servant go to the Imperial Hospital and find a junior physician to take a look at you?"
"With such a large bump, if it isn't treated properly, how will you attend the Emperor tonight?!"
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