115. Harsh Words and Curses

The dowry of the ugly concubine without ads

The sky darkened as rain began to fall, heavy and oppressive, suffocating in its weight. The drizzle was light, yet it managed to soak one thoroughly.

Yun Xueyan pushed open the window and took a deep breath, feeling her spirits lift with the fresh air.

“Yan’er, I made you your favorite porridge. Eat it while it’s still warm.” Liu Yun entered the room carrying a tray. Seeing Yun Xueyan standing by the window, she hurried over and closed it. “It’s damp outside, and you’re still weak. Don’t stand by the window.”

“Mother, I’m not that fragile.” Grasping Liu Yun’s hand, now roughened by years of toil, Yun Xueyan recalled how those very hands had comforted her to sleep night after night in childhood, and cared for her tirelessly when she was ill.

“Mother.” Looking at Liu Yun, Yun Xueyan suddenly felt tears welling up—not of grievance, but of joy. “From now on, your daughter won’t let you suffer anymore.”

“My foolish child, I only wish to see you live well.” Liu Yun sat her down at the table, ladling a bowl of porridge and handing it over. “Drink it while it’s hot. The weather’s turning colder.”

“Mm.” Just as she took the bowl and was about to sip the porridge, the door was pushed open.

Yun Xiyin stood at the threshold, her belly swollen with pregnancy, face ashen, her glare sharp as needles fixed on Yun Xueyan without a flicker of movement. Her breath, ragged with anger, made her chest heave violently.

“Yun Xueyan, you wretched woman! You actually seduced the prince, you shameless harlot!” Shoving aside Yicui, Yun Xiyin strode in, raising her hand to strike Yun Xueyan’s face.

Her fury consumed her entirely. She had thought Yun Xueyan and Duan Nanyu would have no further contact, but to her shock, they were as close as ever last night. She had restrained herself, waiting until dawn, after Duan Nanyu had left, to come.

“Smack!” A heavy slap landed. Yun Xueyan’s eyes widened as she looked at the reddening face of Liu Yun. A surge of anger erupted within her.

“Yun Xiyin! Have you caused enough trouble? This is the Morning Light Pavilion, not your Junyu Chamber.” Concerned for Liu Yun’s swollen face, Yun Xueyan stepped aside and stood in front of Yun Xiyin, glaring fiercely. “You may bully me, but you have no right to strike my mother!”

“She brought it on herself by protecting you. Serves her right!” Yun Xiyin was relentless, her tone arrogant and shameless. “Third Madam, look at the vixen you raised—only good for seducing other men’s husbands.”

A cold laugh escaped her lips as she appraised Liu Yun. “Oh, I forgot, Third Madam, you yourself are a woman who seduced another’s husband. This is the just punishment for how far you’ve fallen!”

Liu Yun shuddered violently, swaying on unsteady legs until Yun Xueyan caught her.

“Now your daughter is just like you—only good at seducing other men’s husbands. She won’t have a happy ending!” Yun Xiyin’s finger came dangerously close to Yun Xueyan’s face as she spat the cruel insult.

Clenching her silver teeth, Yun Xueyan raised her hand and slapped Yun Xiyin across the face. “That slap was for my mother. No matter what, she’s still an elder. You have no right to speak to her that way.” Her anger melted into a contemptuous smile. “Yun Xiyin, it’s your own fault you couldn’t keep Nanyu.”

Her deliberately intimate tone left no room for compromise. Everything Yun Xiyin had was because of the woman before her, and Yun Xueyan would no longer allow her to tower over her.

“Wretch!” Yun Xiyin cursed loudly. Suddenly, a long streak of blood splattered across the paper window outside. Yun Xiyin turned her head and gasped in alarm.

Concealing her own panic, Yun Xueyan instinctively pulled Liu Yun back a few steps. Though she had seen such terrible scenes before, her heart still trembled with fear.