Chapter 119: Elbow, Let's Go Bask in the Sun!

Regarding family background, Shen Fuyu, Consort Shu, and Consort Hui were roughly equal; in terms of favor, Shen Fuyu almost monopolized it all; as for luck, Consort Hui, favored and pregnant, had everything fall perfectly into place.

Only Consort Shu had nothing.

"Enough, why the tears?"

The Empress Dowager’s face showed displeasure. Seeing Consort Shu’s eyes swollen from crying, she was instantly annoyed. She had expected her to be more capable, but here she was, utterly crushed by such a trivial matter.

"From now on, aren’t there enough pregnant consorts in the palace? If you keep crying like this every day, the emperor will only despise you when he sees you!"

"Your servant was disrespectful," Consort Shu knelt on the ground. "It’s just that when I see others at least occasionally meeting the emperor, I can’t help but feel envious. But the emperor just refuses to come to me..."

The Empress Dowager felt somewhat disappointed and thought to herself that Consort Shu lacked patience.

"You must first manage the six palaces well for the emperor. If he sees your care and understanding, he will naturally remember you. Those like Consort Xian, who only seek favor, won’t last long."

Consort Shu acknowledged this, obediently taking the Empress Dowager’s advice to heart. Yet deep down, she still felt unhappy. The feeling of being ignored by the one she cherished was unbearably painful, her heart constantly torn apart.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the Empress Dowager inquired several times about the family banquet arrangements. Although Consort Shu performed decently, she was still far from the capable Jing Lanxi of before, inevitably causing the Empress Dowager to feel disappointed.

After a few words dismissed Consort Shu, the Empress Dowager sighed deeply. "I must make the emperor lean towards me."

"Please don’t be angry, Empress Dowager. After all, Consort Shu is still young; it’s normal for her to lack patience," said Ruowei.

"Still useless," the Empress Dowager complained with a headache. "Consort Xian is a sly enchantress who bewitched my emperor, and Consort Hui is restless. Though Consort Shu is obedient, she lacks the ability to win the emperor’s heart away from Consort Xian."

Ruowei understood the Empress Dowager’s thoughts. Consort Xian was indeed the trickiest—arrogant and clever. Ladies from noble families were usually well-bred and virtuous. "If Your Highness thinks Consort Shu is useless, you could carefully select someone from the common folk. Couldn’t we find a beauty even better than Consort Xian?"

"Have them start on that," the Empress Dowager said. "Recently, bring that girl Su’er into the palace. One more person to share Consort Xian’s favor is better than none, especially since Consort Shu is useless."

The midday sun was scorching. Though autumn had arrived, the noon heat was still fierce. Shen Fuyu sheltered inside a pavilion to cool off.

Outside the pavilion, Shen Tangyu was tied to a coffin lid, left to bake under the sun.

"Tang’er, don’t blame me for treating you this way," Shen Fuyu slowly sipped her tea and nibbled on a snack. "You were poisoned by the Ghost Shadow Flower and caught a cold; staying indoors won’t do. The sun today is just right. A little sun exposure will help your recovery. I’m only doing this for your own good."

"Go on, Tang’er must be thirsty. Give her some hot ginger soup," Shen Fuyu gently kicked a nearby young eunuch.

The so-called hot ginger soup wasn’t warmed in a teapot but had just been taken off the stove.

Terrible screams echoed through the air. The pungent, spicy ginger soup was shocking and awakening. Shen Tangyu’s eyes widened in terror as she struggled desperately, her throat scorched and hoarse. Much of the soup was spat out, leaving her skin red and swollen from the burns.

"Shen Fuyu!..." Shen Tangyu gasped harshly, wishing she could devour Shen Fuyu herself. How dare she! How dare she treat her like this!

It was obvious this was cruelty masked as care—a vile woman who wished nothing more than to torment her to death.

The blazing sun made her dizzy and faint. Shen Tangyu bit her tongue in agony. She had to endure! If she gave up here, she would never have a chance to rise again in life!

Shen Fuyu admired such people—those who never gave up, as tenacious as cockroaches, channeling their hatred to the extreme.

As mentioned, Shen Fuyu tormented Shen Tangyu for three days in much the same way.

Every day, she used her pregnancy cravings for spicy food as an excuse to feed Shen Tangyu chili peppers.

After being scalded by the boiling ginger soup, Shen Tangyu’s throat was painfully sore. Even taking medicine was difficult, let alone eating the spicy, salty dishes. Looking at the pungent meals that made her choke just by the smell, Shen Fuyu seemed to delight in putting extra chili peppers into the food.

A wretched woman! She’d make her pay!

"Your Highness, wouldn’t it be better to just send her back to the Shen family?" Yinling was puzzled. She didn’t understand — since her lady knew Yiqi was behind the attack, why not tell the emperor? Why keep such a troublemaker in the palace?

Yinling believed Yiqi was far more vicious than the Ghost Shadow Flower. After all, Yiqi’s poison was harmless and wouldn’t harm the fetus. It was even more insidious and undetectable. Thus, Yinling felt no pity for Shen Tangyu. If she weren’t her lady’s own elder sister, she would have strangled her already!

"You don’t understand," Shen Fuyu said, eating a peach. The peaches here weren’t as good as those in her own space. "Children shouldn’t meddle in adult matters."

Wasn’t Shen Tangyu doing well in the palace? She generated income for her every twelve hours without rest. Would she throw away such a valuable source of anger? Only a fool would do that.

"Alright, it’s noon. Bring the girl and the ginger soup. Time to sunbathe," Shen Fuyu looked outside at the perfect sun. These past few days had been sunny and bright—just the way she liked it.

After three days of torment, Shen Tangyu was quiet today. Shen Fuyu remained seated in the pavilion, unmoved. Unfortunately, Shen Tangyu’s silence was useless; Shen Fuyu had her secret space cheat and knew she was still angry.

"Rare to see you here, Sister Xianfei. What are you doing? It’s scorching hot, and tying someone out here might cause heatstroke. What did she do to make you so angry?"

At these words, Shen Fuyu’s eyes gleamed. The fourth day! Someone finally came to stir trouble!

Turning, she saw it was Consort Hui, recently restored to rank after a short confinement.

Shen Fuyu smiled lightly. "Consort Hui, please sit. You’re only a month pregnant and already out and about—aren’t you afraid of an accident and losing the child?"

"Consort Xianfei is as sharp as ever," Consort Hui suppressed her resentment and sat in the pavilion. Now that she too was expecting, she was no worse than Consort Xian. She then mentioned Shen Tangyu, who was wilting under the sun. "Consort Xianfei, what did Miss Shen do wrong to make you so angry? If word got out, people might say you don’t care about sisterly bonds. You should let her down."

"You say so much, but what does it have to do with you?" Shen Fuyu blinked. "Consort Hui, are you really that bored?"

Consort Hui’s expression shifted slightly. "I only mean well for you, sister."