Chapter 12: Profound Aversion
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Chapter 12: Deep Loathing
In the blink of an eye, summer arrived, and the weather grew hot. Compared with the bustle and clamor outside, Guan Ju Palace was unusually peaceful.
The quiet made the summer heat seem to fade considerably.
The gates of Guan Ju Palace had not opened in a long while. To outsiders, Ye Wanwan must have been heartbroken and humiliated, too ashamed to face anyone. Perhaps they imagined her weeping day after day within these walls.
In truth, however, she was enjoying a rare stretch of leisure and freedom.
Had Ye Wanwan forgotten her hatred? No.
Whenever she thought of those people, hatred surged through her chest, scorching her heart as though it might burn it to ash.
She hated them. She wished she could send them straight to hell.
But such a thing could not be done at once. The Empress Dowager, Leng Yunqing, the Leng family, Zhao Yi—none of them were people who could be shaken casually. Even if she managed to kill one of them, she would certainly have to pay with her own life.
With so many enemies, she would have to trade her life for theirs?
She was not that foolish.
Though the pain gnawed at her every moment, she could not afford to be impatient.
There was another reason as well: she cherished who she was now.
Her flawless features, her unblemished body, and her perfectly intact hands.
Back then, she had been neither human nor ghost. The agony she endured had long since eclipsed every grievance, every torment, and every misery she had suffered.
She had loathed her own appearance. She had hated every inch of her skin. Whenever she saw how whole and perfect those people were, she wanted nothing more than to tear off her own ugly skin. She had been driven nearly mad—not by hatred, but by the sight of herself.
After being reborn, what she was most grateful for was not receiving another chance at life, but having a body without the slightest imperfection.
In the past, she had never cared about her looks. Indeed, she had even been troubled by how often people discussed them. But now, she treasured this body above all else and could not bear to let it suffer the slightest harm.
She would have her revenge, but never at the cost of injuring herself.
She raised a hand and touched her neck. The bruises left by Zhao Yi’s fingers had already faded, but she would remember this grudge.
Sooner or later, she would return it in full.
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Within Guan Ju Palace stood a pond filled with numerous golden-red koi, all prized varieties. The Empress Dowager had personally ordered them prepared when Ye Wanwan was to be married into the palace.
Ye Wanwan sat at the water’s edge, holding a dish of fish food. Pinching up a little, she scattered it into the pond.
A school of fish gathered before her, jostling frantically for food. In their eagerness, some even leaped from the water.
Ye Wanwan suddenly stopped feeding them and watched as they swirled below, rushing about in anxious frustration.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone approaching from across the grounds with a food box.
Ah, her lotus-seed pastry had arrived.
The man soon came within a short distance of her. It was Yan Chen, carrying a food box.
“Your Highness, the lotus-seed pastries have arrived.”
He set the fish food aside, washed his hands in a basin nearby, then carefully dried them with a cloth. Ye Wanwan proceeded gracefully toward the table.
The lotus-seed pastries were placed upon it, fresh from the oven, their fragrance spreading through the air.
Once Yan Chen had arranged them neatly, his work for the day was complete.
Something caught the corner of Ye Wanwan’s eye.
“Wait.”
Yan Chen paused. “What are Your Highness’s instructions?”
Ye Wanwan looked at his neck. “Pull down your collar.”
Qing Sha and Hong Shang stood nearby, utterly stunned.
What had the Noble Consort just said?
Yan Chen was startled as well. “What does Your Highness mean?”
Ye Wanwan realized that her words had sounded somewhat improper and changed the question.
“You have been here with me for quite some time. Has anything been amiss?”
Yan Chen lowered his head. “Nothing at all.”
Ye Wanwan frowned. “Has anyone bullied you?”
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Yan Chen replied in a low voice, “No.”
Ye Wanwan paused, then waved her hand. “You may leave.”
Yan Chen bowed. “This servant takes his leave.”
Hong Shang came forward to attend to Ye Wanwan. “Your Highness, what is wrong with Yan Chen?”
Ye Wanwan did not answer. She merely ate the lotus-seed pastry at her leisure.
Meanwhile, Yan Chen was making his way back to his quarters. He had not gone far when several men suddenly rushed out and forced him to the ground. They searched him from head to toe.
“He has nothing.”
The men pinned Yan Chen by the neck and snarled viciously, “Did you hide the Noble Consort’s reward?”
“No answer? Do you think silence will save you?”
“Hand over the reward!”
When they found nothing, they began kicking and punching him, beating him mercilessly. They did not stop until the man on the ground lay motionless. Before leaving, they issued one final warning:
“Remember this, you little bastard. If there’s no reward tomorrow, we’ll beat you to death.”
Yan Chen lay on the ground without moving for a long time, looking as though he had been beaten to death. After quite a while, he finally released his curled limbs and struggled to rise.
It took several staggering steps before he managed to steady himself. Clinging to the wall, he stumbled away.
End of Chapter
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