Su Yunzhao remained expressionless as she pulled the soup bowl over and sniffed it. The scent of musk and safflower was far too obvious.
A contraceptive decoction. They certainly acted swiftly, though their methods were far from subtle.
Su Yunzhao stood up and said to the old servant woman with a sinister tone, "Are you in such a hurry to die?"
The old woman was taken aback but still didn't take it seriously.
Since she had already entered An Wangfu, and the Second Young Master and the young mistress had successfully married, the threat Su Yunzhao made at the main gate was no longer effective.
"What does the Consort of the Heir Apparent mean by this? This old servant kindly brought you a meal, only to be met with such harsh words," the old woman retorted.
In her mind, she even thought that as long as she watched the Consort of the Heir Apparent drink this soup, she could return and pledge her loyalty to the Second Young Mistress. Her daughter would surely find a good family through the Second Young Mistress in the future.
Without wasting any words on her, Su Yunzhao suddenly grabbed the old woman by her hair, pressed her face into the soup bowl, and forcefully pushed it down twice.
As the old woman struggled, Su Yunzhao yanked her hair, lifting her up just enough to give her a moment to breathe. Just as the old woman felt a fleeting sense of freedom, Su Yunzhao slammed her head back into the soup bowl with brutal force.
The bowl shattered, cutting the old woman's face and leaving blood everywhere. The spilled food mixed with the blood, creating a gruesome mess.
"Murder! Someone, help! The Consort of the Heir Apparent is killing someone!"
Only now did the old woman realize that this Consort of the Heir Apparent wasn't just someone who dared to target Mama Du.
By the time the guards arrived, Su Yunzhao had already dragged the old woman by her hair to the doorway.
Seeing the scene before them, the guards couldn't help but think that if Su Yunzhao had a knife in her other hand, the entire atmosphere would have been even more intimidating.
The old woman's scalp felt as if it were being torn off, the pain making her flail wildly. Blood covered her face, her hair was disheveled, and she looked nothing like the neat and respectable servant who had entered earlier.
Even so, as soon as she saw people, she screamed desperately, "The Consort of the Heir Apparent is killing someone! Go and inform the Prince, go and tell the side consort!"
The few people who had come with her stood frozen, their legs too weak to move.
Su Yunzhao glanced at the guards with a mocking tone. "So you're here after all. This old hag barged into the bridal chamber of the heir apparent and me, kicking the door open with leftover food in hand, and you pretended not to see it? Since you chose to turn a blind eye earlier, don't show your faces now."
The guards exchanged uneasy glances. They were indeed in the wrong.
"Consort of the Heir Apparent, it was our negligence. However, this Mama Wang has served in the mansion for many years…"
The guard's voice trailed off into a whisper.
Under Su Yunzhao's scrutinizing gaze, he felt a pang of guilt.
Su Yunzhao glared at them coldly and said, "Don't think that just because I come from a concubine-born background, you filthy creatures can manipulate me. Today is just a warning. If there's a next time, I don't believe that if one or two of you die in this mansion, anyone would dare to make me, the Consort of the Heir Apparent you look down upon, pay with my life."
Then, she turned to the guards and added, "This time, the situation was sudden, so I won't blame you. But if next time I, the Consort of the Heir Apparent, have to take matters into my own hands again, then the heir apparent truly has no use for you."
Su Yunzhao knew these people wanted to sweep things under the rug, but she had no intention of letting them.
Looking at the dazed Mama Wang on the ground, Su Yunzhao said coldly, "Go and check if she has any children in the mansion. If she does, then that delicious soup should be served to her daughter-in-law and daughter as well…"
"Consort of the Heir Apparent, please show mercy! It was this old servant who was momentarily confused. It has nothing to do with them!"
Mama Wang finally grew anxious and hurriedly knelt to beg for mercy.
From start to finish, she had known exactly what that bowl of soup was for.
Su Yunzhao felt no pity for such a person, but she also did not want to directly take her life.
Even without her own intervention, there would surely be others who did not want Mama Wang to live.
"Consort of the Heir Apparent, spare my life! Consort of the Heir Apparent, spare my life!" Mama Wang continued to kowtow incessantly.
Her concern was no longer just for herself but, more importantly, for her daughter.
Su Yunzhao's smile remained fixed on her face, yet it conveyed no warmth whatsoever.
She spoke quite naturally to those who had come with Mama Wang, "As for her life, I will indeed spare it. After you take her back, help me relay a message to Consort Tian: although this despicable servant is arrogant, disregards hierarchy, and deserves to die a thousand deaths, given that she has served in the mansion for so many years—if not with merit, then at least with toil—I will grant her this favor. Let her remember to repay it in the future."
The listeners felt their heads spinning. Such words were not something they could possibly convey.
Someone moved to help Mama Wang up but was stopped by Su Yunzhao.
"Consort of the Heir Apparent…" The servant thought Su Yunzhao had changed her mind.
Without answering immediately, Su Yunzhao aimed at the hand Mama Wang was using to support herself on the ground and stomped down hard.
"Ah…" Mama Wang's pig-slaughtering scream was quite piercing.
"I no longer want your life. As for the food you brought, finish it yourself before you leave."
With that, Su Yunzhao once again grabbed Mama Wang by the hair, dragged her to where the food had spilled earlier, and then released her.
Enduring the excruciating pain that seemed to pierce her very heart, Mama Wang crawled on the ground, staring at the food stained with her own blood, feeling a wave of nausea.
"Either eat it or die. My favors are not so easily granted. If anyone else pleads for mercy, why not help her eat it? Many hands make light work."
In the end, Mama Wang endured the intense pain in her hand and haphazardly stuffed the food into her mouth before being dragged away.
Just as Mama Wang's matter was settled, someone arrived from the palace, announcing that The Emperor wished to meet the Shizi and the Consort of the Heir Apparent the following day.
Su Yunzhao curled her lips. Indeed, showing her skills in front of Elder Mo had been the right move.
As for the filthy affairs within the mansion, they could be dealt with slowly.
Consort Tian reacted swiftly. As soon as the imperial decree arrived, she sent someone to inform Su Yunzhao that Mama Wang had already been expelled from the mansion. This incident was ultimately due to Consort Tian's usual kindness, which had allowed such audacity. Such mistakes would never happen again in the future.
Su Yunzhao cast a mocking glance at the messenger, her tone blunt and laced with disdain. "One Mama Du who brought about her own demise wasn’t enough to teach Consort Tian a lesson, and now there’s a Mama Wang. Yet Consort Tian uses kindness as an excuse to cover up her incompetence. No wonder, despite enjoying favor for so many years, she still hasn’t managed to be elevated to the main consort."
Su Yunzhao's words left the messenger maid utterly shocked.
How dare she speak of Consort Tian in such a manner!
"The Consort of the Heir Apparent must have misunderstood…"
In the end, remembering the fates of the two mamas, she dared not retaliate.
"What misunderstanding? A mere side consort, a concubine, who indulges her lackeys in trying to trample on the dignity of this Consort of the Heir Apparent, and still dares to come before me claiming innocence—these years of comfort must have made her forget her own status."
Observing the maid's pallid expression, Su Yunzhao added lightly, "Go back and tell your 'innocent' mistress that what I choose to say when entering the palace tomorrow is not for her to remind me of!"