ebookland Chapter 382 Huo Shuixian's miserable condition
Chapter 382 Huo Shuixian's miserable condition
Chapter 382 Huo Shuixian's miserable condition
Concubine Rong's palace seemed to be shrouded in a haze, so depressing that it made people feel breathless.
Ever since the Second Prince was demoted after marrying Princess Min'an, Concubine Rong felt as if all her energy and spirit had been drained away, and she was depressed all day long.
When the master is in a bad mood, the servants under him will suffer. They have to walk carefully and dare not breathe, for fear that they will bring bad luck upon themselves.
In the most remote and deserted corner of the palace, there was a dim room. Huo Shuixian was lying on the couch in a mess, like a wounded and abandoned fawn.
Her eyes were empty as she stared straight at the mottled wall. Below her waist was a shocking dark red, the mark left by severe torture.
Every breath was accompanied by piercing pain, but she didn't even dare to move.
A few months ago, Huo Shuixian, who was far away on Donghai Island, received a mysterious letter.
The sender of the letter was a childhood friend of hers, who said he had a way to help her escape from this place of exile and return to her peaceful life.
After the decline of Marquis Huo's Mansion, all her former friends and relatives avoided her. This sudden kindness made Huo Shuixian both surprised and suspicious.
"Is this true? Is she really willing to help me?" Huo Shuixian held the letter, her hands trembling slightly, her heart full of confusion.
At that time, she had suffered all kinds of bullying on Donghai Island. As the daughter of a marquis, she had lived a life of luxury for twenty years. How could she endure such a rough and difficult life in exile?
Her father passed away, her sister ignored her, and her stepmother Deng regarded her as a thorn in her side. At this desperate time, this letter was like a ray of light in the darkness.
"Never mind. Even if it's a trap, it's better than dying here." Huo Shuixian gritted her teeth and made up her mind to take a gamble.
Taking advantage of an opportunity to go ashore, she followed the instructions in the letter, successfully escaped, and found the contact person mentioned in the letter.
But she never expected that this so-called "help" would actually push her into another abyss.
She was first secretly taken back to Kyoto, and then inexplicably sent to the imperial palace, becoming the lowest-ranking maid in Concubine Rong's palace.
"Why is this happening? What did I do wrong?" Huo Shuixian cried silently in the middle of the night countless times, her heart full of regret and helplessness.
In this cruel harem, Huo Shuixian had no one to rely on and soon became a scapegoat. Because of some trumped-up charges, she was dragged out and severely beaten with thirty sticks.
Those thirty lashes almost took half her life.
"Someone can come and save me..." Huo Shuixian called out weakly, but the only response she got was deathly silence.
At this moment, she was lying in this cold room, tears flowing uncontrollably, wetting the worn pillow.
At first, she was just sobbing quietly, afraid that someone would hear her and cause her more trouble. But the grievance and despair in her heart were like a surging tide that she could not suppress. Gradually, her crying became louder and louder, and the whole house was filled with her sobs.
Huo Shuixian lay on this tattered couch for two days and two nights. No one came to visit her, and no one brought her a sip of water or a bowl of rice.
This remote corner seems to have been forgotten by the whole world.
In the main hall of Concubine Rong, the atmosphere was equally depressing. Concubine Rong leaned on the couch, staring blankly out the window.
The face that once was bright and beautiful was now haggard and without any trace of its former radiance. She was casually playing with a handkerchief in her hand. The palace maids and eunuchs around her all lowered their heads and even breathed very lightly.
Suddenly, Concubine Rong seemed to be irritated by something. She sat up abruptly and smashed a priceless vase at hand to the ground.
With a "clang", the vase shattered instantly, and the crisp sound of the crack broke the silence.
"Waste! All of them are waste!" Concubine Rong roared hysterically, her eyes full of anger and unwillingness.
The palace maids and eunuchs were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe, for fear that they would be the next ones to be taken out against.
"Go and bring the new palace maid to me!" Concubine Rong panted and ordered viciously.
She desperately needed an outlet, and the person who came to her mind at this moment was Huo Shuixian, the helpless and vulnerable person.
Soon, several eunuchs rushed into Huo Shuixian's room and roughly pulled her up from the couch.
"No, I beg you, I can't move..." Huo Shuixian pleaded painfully, but the only response she got was ruthless dragging.
She was dragged all the way, leaving a trail of blood on the cold ground, heading towards Concubine Rong's main hall, not knowing what fate awaited her.
Huo Shuixian was dragged into the main hall, where she collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud. The wounds on her body were rubbed and torn, and the excruciating pain nearly made her faint. Concubine Rong looked down at her condescendingly, her eyes devoid of any pity, only endless annoyance and anger.
"You are such an unlucky star. Ever since you entered my palace, nothing has gone well for me!" Concubine Rong suddenly threw the handkerchief in her hand at Huo Shuixian, and her sharp voice echoed in the palace.
Huo Shuixian was unable to defend herself and could only plead in a weak voice: "Your Highness, I am innocent..."
"Unjust?" Imperial Concubine Rong sneered, "In this palace, if I say you're guilty, you're guilty! Come, slap her in the face, and let her know what to say and what not to say in this palace!"
Immediately, two sturdy maids stepped forward and slapped Huo Shuixian in the face left and right, like raindrops. After a while, Huo Shuixian's cheeks were swollen and blood oozed from the corners of her mouth.
At this moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the palace. A young eunuch ran in in a panic and knelt on the ground with a plop. "Your Highness, this is bad! His Majesty heard that the Crown Prince was vomiting and having diarrhea. He is furious and demands a thorough investigation!"
Imperial Concubine Rong's face instantly turned pale, her body swaying, almost losing her balance. She forced herself to remain calm and shouted, "What are you panicking about? This has nothing to do with me. Your Majesty must have believed the slander of this villain!"
However, she knew in her heart that if His Majesty really conducted a thorough investigation, the secrets behind the Crown Prince's demotion would probably be difficult to cover up.
Concubine Rong's eyes began to flicker and her thoughts were confused. She subconsciously looked at Huo Shuixian who was kneeling on the ground, and a crazy idea flashed through her mind.
"Everyone, get out of here!" Concubine Rong suddenly shouted. When only she and Huo Shuixian were left in the palace, she slowly walked over to Huo Shuixian and said in a low, threatening voice, "I'm giving you a chance to live. If you can just come forward and admit that it was you, under the treacherous instructions, who tampered with the prince's food, causing his illness, I'll not only spare your life but also grant you wealth and honor."
Huo Shuixian raised her head in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief: "My Lady, this...this is asking me to commit perjury! I have never done this, how can I..."
"Hmph, if you don't agree, you'll die right now!" A fierce glint flashed in Concubine Rong's eyes. "In this deep palace, your life is like an ant. I can easily crush you to death, but as long as you obey, I will ensure that you have food and clothing."
Huo Shuixian was struggling in pain. On the one hand, she had to make a choice between life and death, and on the other hand, she was condemned by her conscience. She thought of her difficult days on Donghai Island, and then of the humiliation she suffered in this palace. Tears blurred her eyes again.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I really don't dare to do such a thing..." Huo Shuixian cried and begged for mercy.
"Don't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit!" Concubine Rong lost her patience again, "I'll give you another half an incense stick of time to consider it. If you don't agree, there are plenty of ways in this palace to make you wish you were dead!" After saying that, she turned around and sat on the couch, no longer paying attention to Huo Shuixian.
Huo Shuixian collapsed to the ground, feeling mixed emotions.
She knew that no matter what choice she made, she would be doomed.
If he agreed to Concubine Rong, he would be betraying his conscience and would be cursed for eternity. If he did not agree, the torture he was facing would become even worse, and death might be just around the corner.
Half an incense stick of time passed in a flash, and Concubine Rong urged impatiently: "Have you made up your mind?"
Huo Shuixian gritted her teeth and said with all her might, "My Lady, I would rather die than do such a heinous thing."
Concubine Rong's expression suddenly changed, and she was furious. "Very good! Since you are so ungrateful, don't blame me for being ruthless! Come, drag her away and lock her up in the darkest dungeon. Without my order, no one is allowed to give her a single grain of rice or a single drop of water!"
Huo Shuixian was dragged away roughly again. Her consciousness gradually became blurred. She felt that her fate was like a fallen leaf drifting in the wind, not knowing where it would be blown to.
Concubine Rong looked at the direction where Huo Shuixian left, and a sense of uneasiness welled up in her heart.