6
Phúc An and I lived together for a very long time… with a respectful but distant understanding.
The girl was very well-behaved. Knowing I didn't like her, she never came to see me of her own accord.
By contrast, Thúy Trúc often looked at me and sighed. “I’ve never seen a child as well-behaved as Princess Phúc An.”
“She’s so tiny. Just looking at her makes your heart melt. How could Your Highness be so cruel?”
I casually spit out a grape skin. “Do you expect me to treat Tạ Thư Nhiên’s daughter like royalty and wait on her hand and foot?”
“I’m a cruel woman. The fact that I give her food at all is already generous.”
Thúy Trúc couldn’t help muttering, “Your Highness is always like this, ruining your own reputation. Even His Majesty hasn’t visited our palace in ages.”
“All the better if he doesn’t come. If he does, I’ll have to wait on that bastard—”
Before I could finish, Thúy Trúc hurriedly covered my mouth. “Your Highness, mind your words!”
There was no one else in this palace but us.
Did she expect the birds in the sky to fly off and report to His Majesty that I’d just cursed him?
Thúy Trúc had been with me for years, yet she was becoming more and more like a stuffy old woman.
7
Whenever I had free time, I liked strolling around the imperial garden with Thúy Trúc.
Not because I particularly enjoyed looking at the flowers and plants. It was mainly because my rank was high: in the imperial harem, everyone but the Empress had to bow when they saw me.
After years of struggling, I’d finally clawed my way up to the rank of Noble Consort. Of course I had to go out and flaunt it a little.
As it happened, the Empress didn’t like taking walks.
Even as a young woman, she had been a delicate beauty, always ill. After becoming Empress, she seemed to be sick all the time.
If her family hadn’t been a cut above mine, she might not have gotten the position of Empress.
When all was said and done, I had to blame my father for not pushing hard enough.
I’d have to write him a letter and give him a good scolding one of these days.
Thinking of that, I had reached the little pavilion in the imperial garden.
I’d intended to stop there and rest for a while, but then I heard the noisy voices of children.
The princes must have finished class and be playing in the garden.
Not wanting to spoil the children’s fun, I started to turn back. But as I turned, I happened to witness a scene that made my blood run cold.
Phúc An was pinned to the ground, with a chubby boy on her back.
The boy was twice Phúc An’s size. Sitting astride her, he shouted gleefully, “Giddyap! Giddyap! Hurry up and crawl!”
Phúc An’s face was smeared with mud. Her tiny body lay face-down on the ground, lips pressed together as she said nothing.
Thúy Trúc was so furious she clenched her fists and was about to rush over.
I raised a hand to stop her and signaled her to be quiet.
Though she didn’t understand what I meant, Thúy Trúc obediently stopped.
I stood still and watched Phúc An.
If I hadn’t been mistaken, a faint, sinister smile had just flickered across the girl’s lips.
I’d stopped Thúy Trúc because I wanted to see what Phúc An would do next.
Usually the girl was a little crybaby who burst into tears at the slightest thing. Yet now, bullied like this, she wasn’t crying. It was truly unusual.
Sure enough—The next second, a piercing scream rang out, and Phúc An crashed heavily to the ground.
At the same time, the chubby boy sitting on her back was thrown off too. His chin struck a sharp stone, and blood streamed down.
A perfect case of mutual destruction.
The boy let out a wail and burst into tears.
The princes and princesses who had been watching the commotion crowded around.
Seeing that things had taken a bad turn, Phúc An scrambled to her feet and darted away.
Before she ran off, she even gave the boy a kick in the butt.
She really was a child who never let anyone get the better of her.
But… if I remembered correctly, the boy who’d bullied Phúc An was the son of Ngu, a Palace Noble—none other than His Majesty’s Third Prince.
That year, Ngu, a Palace Noble, had nearly died giving birth to him, and had doted on him as her precious treasure ever since.
As a result, the Third Prince had been unruly since childhood, and no one dared lay a finger on him.
Now that Phúc An had smashed his face, he certainly wouldn’t let it go.
Thúy Trúc had been worried about Phúc An, but at the thought of this, she grew even more uneasy.
I gently patted her hand and smiled faintly. “Come on, Thúy Trúc. It’s time to let the entire imperial harem know that no stray cat or dog can bully anyone from Chiêu Hoa Palace.”
At that, Thúy Trúc’s face lit up.
She looked as if she wanted to rush out and start a fight that very second.
That girl had definitely been reading too many palace-intrigue stories.
8
By the time Thúy Trúc and I returned, Phúc An had washed up and tidied herself.
She lay obediently in front of the writing desk, reviewing the lessons her tutor had assigned.
When she saw me return, Phúc An looked a little guilty and quickly avoided my gaze.
I beckoned her over.
Her little eyes lit up, and she scampered over to me. She lifted her porcelain-white face and called softly, “Your Highness, Noble Consort Uyển.”
I curled my lips slightly and asked slowly, “Phúc An, tell me, has anyone been bullying you at school?”
Phúc An blinked, then gently shook her head.
“No one bullies me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, someone shoved my palace doors open with great force.
The woman who entered wore pink embroidered with flowers, with tiny pearls adorning the hem of her skirt, making her look even more beautiful and graceful.
If you ignored her contorted face, twisted with anger, she really was a beauty.
I raised an eyebrow and drawled, “Ngu, a Palace Noble, you certainly have some nerve. You see me and still don’t know to pay your respects?”
Hearing this, Ngu, a Palace Noble, reluctantly bowed in greeting.
She had been favored lately, and was growing more and more arrogant, much like I’d been in my younger days.
In this palace, rank wasn’t everything. The favored were the ones who could throw their weight around.
Still, my reputation was so formidable that no matter how domineering Ngu, a Palace Noble, was, she didn’t dare go too far in front of me.
She forced a smile, her voice carrying a hint of resentment. “Your Highness, Noble Consort, I’ve come today to ask you to see that justice is done.”
As she spoke, she glared viciously at Phúc An behind me.
I calmly stepped in front of the girl, looking at Ngu, a Palace Noble, with keen interest. “What justice do you want, Palace Noble Ngu?”
Ngu, a Palace Noble, gave a cold laugh.
“Your Highness, Noble Consort, matters within your palace are none of my business, and I shouldn’t interfere. Princess Phúc An may not be your own daughter, but you are the one raising her, after all.
“Surely you shouldn’t just leave the poor girl to fend for herself like this?”
“If Hồng Chương hadn’t come back in tears today, I wouldn’t even have known those children were bullying Phúc An.”
“I once wanted to raise Phúc An myself, so she could keep Hồng Chương company. But Phúc An insisted on staying with you, so I had no choice but to let it go.”
“But seeing how you treat her now, I truly look down on you.”
“If you’re going to raise a child without loving her, you’d be better off not raising her at all.”
“Phúc An is a princess, born to wealth and privilege. Hiền Phi raised and cherished her before, so how is it that after coming to Your Highness, Noble Consort, she’s become a rootless weed that anyone can trample?”
With that, Ngu, a Palace Noble, turned toward the door and shouted, “You little brat, get in here this instant!”
As soon as she finished shouting, a round head peeked through the palace doorway.
The chubby little boy shuffled in, limping as he walked. His round face was full of grievance, and he looked utterly pitiful.
Ngu, a Palace Noble, had a naturally hot temper. When the Third Prince hesitated, she angrily smacked him on the head.
“What are you dragging your feet for? Hurry over and apologize to your little sister!”
“Have all the propriety and shame I taught you gone to the dogs?”
I was completely bewildered.
Ngu, a Palace Noble… hadn’t she come here to cause trouble?
The Third Prince’s face crumpled as he stammered, “F-Fifth Sister… I’m sorry…”
Phúc An peeked out from behind me, her round eyes narrowing slightly as she replied softly, “It’s all right.”
Seeing this, Ngu, a Palace Noble, nodded in satisfaction.
Then she turned and stared at me.
For some reason, that look made me feel guilty.
She silently regarded me for a long while, then suddenly let out a sigh.
“Sister Tạ chose you. She must have had her reasons.”
“Your Highness, Noble Consort, don’t disappoint her.”
With that, she took the Third Prince by the hand and left.
I watched her go, sinking into thought without realizing it.
9
Tạ Thư Nhiên and I entered the palace on the same day.
She really was so kindhearted it bordered on foolishness.
A palace maid was caught secretly selling things from the palace. She knelt and begged Tạ Thư Nhiên for mercy, making up a story about her parents being gravely ill and claiming she’d had no other choice.
It was obviously a clumsy lie, yet Tạ Thư Nhiên believed it.
She even used her own money to make up the shortfall for the maid.
But what happened in the end?
The other consorts bribed the maid, who turned on her and falsely claimed that Tạ Thư Nhiên herself had ordered her to do it.
I will never forget the look in her eyes that day.
Fearful and heartbroken, yet not the slightest bit regretful.
Afterward, I dealt with the traitor for her.
Her tongue was cut out and her bones stripped bare; blood stained the long steps before the palace gate.
From then on, my reputation as a “vicious woman” spread far and wide.
That day, Tạ Thư Nhiên came to find me and happened to see me drive my knife straight into the maid’s heart without hesitation.
Blood splattered across my face.
I should have been horrified that she’d witnessed such a gruesome scene. But for some reason, I curled my lips into a taunting smile at her.
Tạ Thư Nhiên stood silently watching me, her eyes clear and bright.
She said, “Ôn Cẩn, you don’t have to do this.”
I always thought she was calling me cruel.
It wasn’t until many years later that I understood.
What she meant was, “Ôn Cẩn, you don’t have to ruin your own reputation for my sake.”
Tạ Thư Nhiên, I hate the way you act as if you understand me better than I understand myself.
Tạ Thư Nhiên, I hate you more than anyone.
I hate you, hate you, hate you more than anyone!
I’ll raise your daughter and make her into a “vicious woman” just like me.
I want to make you regret it… regret it… regret ever knowing someone like me…
10
The next day, when Phúc An finished class at the palace school, I went to pick her up myself.
Her big, round eyes lit up with joy when she saw me.
“Your Highness, Noble Consort Uyển…”
This time, I didn’t pull away. Instead, I took Phúc An’s little hand in mine.
“Phúc An, if anyone dares bully you, I’ll bully them right back for you.”
Three hundred imperial guards surrounded the palace school, leaving not a single gap.
You can’t blame me for being overbearing. After all, my older brother is the commander of the imperial guards.
The elderly scholar at the palace school trembled as he pointed at me, so shaken he could barely breathe.
I didn’t care. I simply waved a hand.
“The teacher is getting on in years. Help him back so he can rest.”
Then I looked toward the Third Prince, cowering in a corner, and beckoned to him.
“Hoằng Chương, be a good boy…”
“Tell me, who bullied your Fifth Sister?”
The chubby Third Prince knew how to behave, at least.
His pudgy hand quickly pointed out several children.
I glanced over them. They were all little children, and I couldn’t remember which families they belonged to.
But in this world, apart from the Empress Dowager, there was no one I, Ôn Cẩn, wouldn’t dare lay a hand on.
Still, beating or killing a bunch of kids was no fun at all.
Each child left with a huge turtle drawn on their face.
They also had a placard hanging around their necks.
It read: [I’m a bully who picks on others.]
Phúc An had carefully drawn each turtle herself.
I had personally written the words.
Later, I heard that on that night, the entire imperial harem had rushed to the Empress’s chambers to make a scene.
But for some reason, after leaving the Empress’s chambers, the consorts seemed to reach an unspoken agreement not to come looking for trouble with me.