Chapter 117: Fend for Yourself

Having dismissed the two, Shen Fuyu turned her gaze toward the Shen family.

Shen Shucheng, feeling guilty under her stare, feigned comfort. "Thankfully, Your Ladyship is unharmed today."

"What grave harm could possibly come to me?" Shen Fuyu sneered. "Whose person Cuiyu really is, I shall give you face and not mention today. As for who really administered the 'Yi Qi' powder, I will not say either. You would do well to look after yourselves."

Shen Shucheng was startled, but he grasped the implication instantly. Looking at Shen Fuyu’s slightly rounded belly, his complexion turned ashen.

"You are simply outrageous! This is your father!" Lady Shen, who had remained silent all evening, finally spoke up. "Your eldest sister has ended up like this—isn't it all your doing?"

"Slap her mouth," Shen Fuyu commanded, pointing at Lady Shen.

Yinling, ever the most loyal, stepped forward and struck Lady Shen twice, leaving the old woman dizzy and disoriented.

"Mother!" Even Shen Shucheng was caught off guard; he kicked out at Yinling in a rage.

Shen Fuyu flicked a pearl, striking Shen Shucheng’s leg with precision. Both mother and son collapsed to the floor in agony. Shen Fuyu watched them, smiling coldly. "What I, this Consort, can give to the Shen family, I can also take back. Just because I choose not to argue doesn't mean you can climb onto my head. Since I have become the Emperor’s consort, I will always be above you. Behave yourselves, and think clearly—consider just how much the Shen family stands to lose if they lose me."

Shen Shucheng stared at the imperious Shen Fuyu in disbelief, his mouth agape, momentarily struck speechless by her power.

"Oh, right." Having vented her frustration, Shen Fuyu happily accepted the surge of anger points from the crowd. "As for Shen Tangyu, you may either take her back to the Shen residence today, or she can stay here as a palace maid. You choose."

Lying inside, Shen Tangyu felt nothing but bitter resentment. Seeing Shen Shucheng enter, she wept piteously. "Father..."

Shen Shucheng felt a pang of heartache. "Tang'er, let's go home." Despite his regrets, he did not want his daughter to suffer.

"I am not going back." Shen Tangyu gritted her teeth. Why should Shen Fuyu be so triumphant? She had even struck their father, mother, and grandmother! What gave her the right? Beyond that, she was consumed by jealousy. Shen Tangyu was proud; she could not be inferior to anyone, especially not Shen Fuyu. Shen Fuyu was merely a concubine-born daughter, while she was the legitimate daughter—the one who should be superior. She could not lose to her!

"Father, do not try to persuade me," Shen Tangyu said with a chilling gaze. "Whatever she can achieve, I can do better. I am not going back."

Outside, Shen Fuyu grew impatient. She summoned Bai Lian and Lu Cha, instructing them to accompany Shen Liyu in seeing the Shen family out. Then, taking Yinling with her, she hurried toward the Cold Palace.

"I recall that one must wait until nightfall to send a condemned person on their way, correct?" Shen Fuyu glanced at the sky. Lady Jiang should not be dead yet!

Full speed ahead! Since she was going to die anyway, she might as well squeeze out some more anger points!

"Let me go! Let me go! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

The Cold Palace was a place Shen Fuyu had visited twice, but this time, she was here to watch someone drink poisoned wine.

Lady Jiang no longer possessed her former luster. Stripped of her palace robes and hair ornaments, with blood staining her earlobes, she looked deathly pale and wretched.

"Consort Xian!"

The one overseeing the task was a young eunuch named Li Xi, an attendant of Chang Fu. Seeing Shen Fuyu approach, he bowed low and fawned, "Your Ladyship, why have you come to such a place while carrying the Imperial heir? It is unclean here."

Too many consorts had died in the Cold Palace, though under the reign of Qin Zhiyi, Lady Jiang was the first.

Shen Fuyu replied, "I have some matters to ask Lady Jiang. You and your men may wait outside for a while."

"Yes, of course." Li Xi did not hesitate. Shen Fuyu was the Emperor’s favorite; who dared to offend her? As long as Lady Jiang died tonight, that was all that mattered. He didn't care about the rest; currying favor with Shen Fuyu would only lead to greater benefits later. With that, he led the other eunuchs away.

Lady Jiang was now at Shen Fuyu’s mercy.

"It’s you..." Lady Jiang sneered upon seeing her. "What are you here for?"

"What could I possibly be here for?" Shen Fuyu sat on a stool brought by her attendants. "I am here to kick a man when he is down, of course."

Looking at Lady Jiang, who was pinned to the ground, Shen Fuyu chuckled softly. "Your scheme was quite good, and the statue of the Goddess of Mercy was carved with such lifelike detail. It is a pity you never expected that you weren't the only one making a move. A dash of Nether-Shadow flower mixed with Yi Qi powder—one plus one did not equal two."

"I only hate that I couldn't kill you with my own hands!" At this point, Lady Jiang stopped struggling. "How did I ever offend you? Why did you humiliate me so? Shen Fuyu, may you die a miserable death!"

"Today, I shall let you be the one to taste the feeling of a miserable death."

The attendants brought over a charcoal brazier topped with a pot of bubbling liquid. The heat shimmered in the air, and the pungent smell of smoke wafted out—it was a pot of boiling oil.

"Press her hands into it," Shen Fuyu commanded.

"You dare! Shen Fuyu, you dare!" Lady Jiang struggled, but she was held down firmly by four or five eunuchs. Her delicate hands were shoved directly into the oil. The sudden, intense heat caused her to thrash in agony, her screams echoing through the room. The oil hissed as it seared her flesh. As she writhed in pain, her eyes fixed on Shen Fuyu with growing ferocity.

*Ah! That’s it! Keep hating!*

Shen Fuyu curled her lips into a slight smile. Honestly, meat was quite fragrant when deep-fried, though it did have a tendency to splatter. Thinking this, she tossed a spoonful of salt into the pot, remembering that it helped prevent splattering.

After frying Lady Jiang’s hands for a full few minutes, Shen Fuyu finally gestured for them to be pulled out. Watching the woman collapse to the floor, gasping for her last breath, Shen Fuyu tutted. "You hate me, don't you? But you have only yourself to blame. Why did you have to look so displeasing to my eyes?"

Lady Jiang’s eyes were wide with pure hatred. She hated it! She hated it so much! Why was heaven so unfair? Why should she be discarded by Shen Fuyu for such a trivial reason?

"Don't just stand there. Raise the oil temperature and fry them again," Shen Fuyu said, casting a look of disdain at the young eunuch. "Do you not even understand such a simple thing?"

The young eunuch: "..."

Who would understand this?!

Nevertheless, after a brief pause, Lady Jiang was hoisted up, and her hands were shoved back into the oil!

"Ah!—"

Her hatred had been thoroughly squeezed out. As she neared death, many things became clear. Shen Fuyu ordered them to stop. "Tsk, tsk, what a pity. You went to such lengths, yet in the end, it was all exposed. Whether it was the Noble Consort or the Hui Zhaoyi, they are all perfectly fine. You might not know this yet, but the Emperor has ordered your entire family to be imprisoned. Before long, they will all be joining you in death."