Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 163

“Aunt!” Xia Ying’s eyes had lost all spirit as she stared blankly at her own aunt. “When I was little, you held me in your arms,” she murmured.

“Yes,” replied the Virtuous Consort, her heart trembling slightly. However, after all her years immersed in palace life, she knew better than anyone what it had taken to reach her current position. Outsiders only saw how deeply favoured she was by the Emperor, but who knew the price she had paid to earn that favour?!

She had plotted with great effort, climbing step by step to where she stood today. Her son had grown and now there was no turning back. Nor was there any path that allowed retreat.

With the Crown Prince already deposed, her son and Yun Qing were locked in fierce rivalry. Yun Qing was about to form an alliance through marriage with the Jiang family, a century old aristocratic family with powerful and intricate connections. If Yun Qing married a daughter of the Jiang family, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. At such a critical moment, the Xia family could not be allowed to fall into scandal!

Sacrificing one Xia Ying would preserve the safety of the entire Xia clan.

“Go in peace,” the Virtuous Consort slowly closed her eyes and spoke in a voice devoid of all warmth. “This consort will remember your goodness.”

“My goodness?” Xia Ying felt as if all the strength had drained from her body. She collapsed to the floor dejectedly, her face devoid of colour, her lips pale. Her lips twitched slightly, “Was I really good? If I had been good, I wouldn’t have ended up like this today.”

Suddenly, she shot up from the ground and bolted for the door. “I want to see my mother! I want to see my father! I don’t want to die!” she screamed as though possessed.

“Stop her!” the Virtuous Consort gripped the arms of her chair and barked the command.

“Yes.” Yun Yi stepped forward at once, blocking Xia Ying’s path. “Cousin, don’t be impulsive!” he cried as he caught her around the waist.

“Don’t be impulsive? You’re all sending me to my death and you tell me not to be impulsive?!” Xia Ying clawed and bit. Her long fingernails raked across the back of Yun Yi’s hand, leaving long, bleeding scratches. Yun Yi grimaced in pain and instinctively let go. Seizing the moment, Xia Ying tore away and dashed for the door again. The gold-lacquered gates loomed just ahead, so close and yet impossibly far.

“Yi’er!” the Virtuous Consort bellowed.

Yun Yi moved again, this time striking an acupressure point on Xia Ying’s body. Her limbs went rigid, and she collapsed, frozen in place, unable to move.

“Let me go!” She stared wide-eyed at Yun Yi who had circled to block her way. “Cousin! Cousin! Let me go. I only want to see my father and mother!”

“I’m sorry.” A flicker of guilt flashed in Yun Yi’s eyes. He let out a long sigh and turned his back to her. “Mother, what do we do next?”

“Give her this.” The Virtuous Consort rose, walked further inside her bedchamber, and retrieved a small box from a hidden compartment. She returned and handed it to her son.

“Mother, you mean…” Yun Yi looked at the pill inside the box with shock. “But, she’s my cousin.”

“Great matters cannot be achieved by clinging to trivial things,” the Virtuous Consort said slowly. “Do you want to see the Xia family fall, or her fall?”

Yun Yi took the pill. He glanced once more at Xia Ying reluctantly. With a determined heart, he forced her tightly shut lips open and shoved the pill into her mouth. Then he struck her throat lightly, forcing her to swallow.

Xia Ying’s eyes widened so much it seemed they might bleed. She could feel the pill sliding down her throat, down into her stomach.

A cold, miserable smile spread across her lips. “Aunt, you are truly ruthless! Your niece offers you her blessings here and now. May you live forever and ever, because only then will you be cursed to watch every single person you care about leave you, one by one. Hahahaha…” Her laughter was cut short by a stabbing pain in her belly, so sharp she could no longer even laugh.

Yun Yi turned his face slightly, unable to bear the sight of Xia Ying’s features twisting from agony, but the Virtuous Consort seized his chin and forced his head back around to face her. “Watch closely,” she said coldly. “Remember how she died, remember why she died! If you can’t reach that position in the future, your fate will be no better than hers! You remember that for this consort!”

Yun Yi’s entire body trembled. He stared in horror at his cousin, watching her beautiful features contort as bl00d slowly seeped from her eyes, nose, and lips, running down her pale skin.

Never in his life had Yun Yi felt such fear. He had killed before, but he had never watched a loved one die so horrifically before his very eyes. And the pill, he had fed it to her with his own hands!

What had he done?!!!

Xia Ying was dead. Killed with the consent of the aunt she had always respected. Killed by the hand of the cousin she had always trusted.

Her body slowly collapsed, completely devoid of life. She stared at him unwillingly, as if silently accusing the world of its injustice and the wrongs she had suffered.

Just yesterday, she had still been a nervous bride-to-be, preparing for the glorious future ahead. Now, she had become a lifeless corpse, lying silently on the luxurious carpet.

“No matter what I do later, you must remain silent!” the Virtuous Consort hissed fiercely at Yun Yi.

Yun Yi, upon seeing Xia Ying fall, was unable to say a word. He stood there, dazed, staring at his cousin’s lifeless body, unable to process that he had actually killed her with his own hands.

The Virtuous Consort dragged Xia Ying’s body into a side room and then calmly walked to the door, opening it. “Someone! Something terrible has happened! Summon the imperial physician!” she shouted, feigning panic.

The eunuchs outside the palace hurriedly nodded and rushed off. The sound of her frantic cries reached Zhang Wan Yi, Yun Ke, and Gu Yu Qi, who were in the small garden. Zhang Wan Yi quickly walked over. Yun Ke sneered coldly in his heart and also led Gu Yu Qi towards the scene.

“What’s happened, Consort Mother?” Zhang Wan Yi asked anxiously, supporting the seemingly unstable Virtuous Consort. She quickly scanned the room and saw her husband standing dumbly inside, his hands hanging by his sides.

“Go, summon the An Le Marquis and his wife,” the Virtuous Consort said, her face pale, her voice weak. “Then ask His Majesty to come as well.” Although she was supported by Zhang Wan Yi, she appeared as if she might faint at any moment.

Yun Ke raised an eyebrow, silently impressed by the Virtuous Consort’s acting skills. He had not known she was this good at pretending.

Gu Yu Qi, though confused, glanced around. The Virtuous Consort’s pale face, Zhang Wan Yi’s anxious expression, and Yun Yi standing alone in the room made the air seem thick with tension.

Something had happened? Though she did not know exactly what, Gu Yu Qi could tell from Yun Yi’s face that something bad had occurred. Where was Xia Ying?

She looked around but could not see Xia Ying.

A strange feeling crept into her chest. She glanced sideways at Yun Ke, who had been holding her hand the whole time.

He remained cold and detached, like an observer from another world, high above it all, almost like a deity looking down on the happenings within the palace. His eyes glimmered with ice and a hint of disdain.

Gu Yu Qi was most familiar with this kind of expression.

“Where’s Xia Ying?” she could not help but whisper.

“Don’t ask, just watch the drama unfold,” Yun Ke gently squeezed her hand as if to comfort her and replied in a hushed tone.

Very well. Gu Yu Qi sighed softly. Since Yun Ke had said so, she would just watch the drama unfold.

Soon, the imperial physician was hurriedly brought in by the eunuchs, panting as he ran. Before he could catch his breath, the Virtuous Consort grabbed him by the collar, her face full of urgency. “Save her! Save her! If you can’t, this consort will hold you responsible for this!” She disregarded her delicate makeup, pulling at the physician’s clothes with such force that they were crooked and askew.

Just as the physician arrived, another eunuch’s voice was heard announcing, “His Majesty, the Emperor, and Her Majesty, the Empress, have arrived.”

Everyone in the room turned towards the door and knelt.

Soon, Emperor Jing entered, walking ahead with the Empress following closely behind. They moved swiftly, one after the other.

“What happened?” Emperor Jing asked as he scanned the room full of kneeling people. He furrowed his brow and inquired, “Isn’t today the day Ke’er brings his princess and concubine into the palace to express their gratitude?”

The Empress walked behind the Emperor, dressed in full regalia. Her eyes subtly narrowed as they fell on the Virtuous Consort, filled with distaste.

“Your Majesty!” The Virtuous Consort, disregarding all sense of decorum, rushed towards the Emperor, crying as she threw herself at him. “Your Majesty, please, I beg you to do something! Ying’er… Ying’er…” She choked on the words, as though she could not catch her breath, almost fainting.

Emperor Jing hurriedly supported the Virtuous Consort, “Slow down, don’t be anxious. What happened to Ying’er?” Emperor Jing asked in a soothing tone.

“Ying’er poisoned herself!” The Virtuous Consort gasped for air and finally managed to speak, after which she began crying uncontrollably. “I don’t know if she can be saved or not!”

“Poisoned herself? Why would she do that?” Emperor Jing was stunned, his eyes then turning to Yun Ke. “Ke’er, what happened?”

“Father, it would be better if the Virtuous Consort explains,” Yun Ke said with a bow, saying, “I am unable to speak of it.”

“Speak! What exactly happened?” Emperor Jing asked again, his gaze falling once more on the Virtuous Consort, who was weak in his arms. He asked urgently, “Didn’t Ying’er just marry Ke’er yesterday?”

“Yes, Younger Sister, don’t cry so much.” The Empress approached gracefully and gently helped the Virtuous Consort out of the Emperor’s embrace. “If there’s something wrong, just tell us. If you keep crying like this, His Majesty won’t know what happened.”

This vixen really never missed a chance to attract His Majesty’s attention. She was already getting on in her years, with a grown son, and yet she still plays these fragile, delicate games. She must still think she is in her teens and had just entered the palace. Does she not worry about her aging body? As the Empress helped the Virtuous Consort, she complained inwardly.

She could never learn to act like the Virtuous Consort, which is why His Majesty always found her somewhat dull.

Yet, she is the Empress and an Empress should be dignified and magnanimous. How could she stoop to the Virtuous Consort’s level with such lowly tactics? The Empress silently looked down on the Virtuous Consort’s behavior.