The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 182

“Er-meimei, what do you think? Didn’t your brother handle this matter exceptionally well? See, Bi Luo…” He Lian Tao rubbed his hands together, with lust written all over his face. He could hardly wait.

“Why so impatient? Look at you—utterly disgraceful,” He Lian Wei Rui sneered disdainfully, then instructed Xue Qin to bring Bi Luo.

The moment Bi Luo entered the room, she was startled by the ruffian-like man seated next to the mistress. Seeing his gaze shamelessly roaming over her, she would have fled without looking back had she not remembered that the young mistress had summoned her for a task.

Suppressing the disgust and revulsion within her, Bi Luo moved to a spot farther from him, trying her best to draw closer to He Lian Wei Rui’s side.

Xue Qin, watching Bi Luo’s subconscious actions, felt a chill in her heart. Bi Luo hoped for the mistress’s protection, but it was a misplaced trust—a disastrous mistake.

“Mistress, have you summoned this servant to assign her a task?”

Looking at the maidservant in front of her with a lovely face and graceful figure, He Lian Wei Rui turned her gaze away.She stared out the window at the osmanthus flowers swirling and floating down, silent.

“Bi Luo-meimei, er-meimei didn’t summon you here to give you a task. Instead, she has already agreed to present you as a concubine to this young master.”

“Impossible!” Bi Luo was shocked. She instantly looked up at the mistress who remained calmly seated at the head seat. She thought the mistress would chide the man for his unchecked, nonsensical words. Yet, as time passed, her mistress stayed silent, merely tilting her head as if offering tacit consent, never once sparing her even a single glance.

She then looked toward Xue Qin, who stood behind the mistress, as if hoping for help. This dear friend, who had once shared a room with her, now frantically avoided her gaze and quickly lowered her head.

By now, what was there for Bi Luo to not understand? Her face went pale in an instant, and she stared blankly at the mistress she had served for over a decade, her eyes gradually reddening.

“Mistress, you promised the wet nurse you would find this servant a good man to marry and live a peaceful life with. How could you give this servant to this beast as his concubine?”

Bi Luo wept uncontrollably, feeling as if today’s events were a nightmare. At this moment, she didn’t recognize any of those she was usually closest to. They seemed like complete strangers. After being blatantly leered at by He Lian Tao’s offensive gaze, Bi Luo’s legs went weak from fear. Gathering her resolve, she knelt down with a loud thud.

“Mistress, Bi Luo begs you, please don’t send this servant to that beast. Considering these more than ten years of faithful service to you, please have pity on this servant and spare her life.” The maidservant, who cried so hard that her words were indistinct, repeatedly kowtowed to He Lian Wei Rui, pleading for mercy. Yet the echo of her head hitting the floor couldn’t move the dignified woman seated upright at the head seat even the slightest.

“Bi Luo-meimei, how can you twist your Young Master’s good intentions toward you like this? Get up quickly and come back with your Young Master. Afterward, you’ll be a distinguished yiniang¹ and mistress, with all the wealth and glory within your reach.” He Lian Tao’s eyes darkened as he listened to this wretch hurl curses at him. All he could think of was quickly getting the person back, having his fun, and then properly dealing with her later.

Regardless of Bi Luo’s pleas, He Lian Wei Rui remained silent, watching indifferently as He Lian Tao entangled himself with her from start to finish.

“If you want to flirt and banter, bring her back to your courtyard and take your time. Don’t soil my grounds.” Bi Luo had been waiting expectantly, hoping that her lady would speak up and change her mind, allowing her to stay. Unexpectedly, as soon as the mistress spoke, she completely shattered her last hope. How utterly cruel!

“Miss, even if you disregard this servant’s service, you must at least recall how the wet nurse protected you time and again, and ultimately perished, being beaten to death with clubs! How can you push her daughter into a living inferno?”

“Bi Luo,” He Lian Wei Rui suddenly turned around and locked eyes with her. “Being with him, you could consider yourself settled. Becoming a concubine to the young master of the He Lian household doesn’t disgrace you. Why this fuss now? Are you planning to repay kindness with ingratitude?”

“If you still want her, take her away.” This foolish girl, how dare she attempt to coerce her?

When the wet nurse was still alive, she had already bestowed her family a large amount of money to spend. Even Bi Luo’s elder brother, wasn’t he currently serving at the gatehouse of the He Lian residence, holding that lucrative post? Such a maid should be sent away sooner rather than later—consider it removing a menace.

Xue Qin watched helplessly as Bi Luo, crying and causing a scene, was carried out over Young Master He Lian’s shoulder, her body unconsciously curling up and shivering. She was still alive now, but there was no telling when this close attendant of the miss, who had grown up alongside her, would be rolled up in a straw mat and thrown into the mass grave.

“Xue Qin, remember well what happened today. People must have a clear understanding of their own status.” Not to mention presenting a servant girl to someone— even if they were beaten to death, it would still be a worthless life that no one would care about.

He Lian Wei Rui’s icy admonition entered Xue Qin’s ears, causing her to bury her head deep down, chilled to the core by her mistress’s ruthlessness.

Her contract of servitude, just like Bi Luo’s, was entirely in the mistress’s possession…

While the atmosphere in He Lian residence was tense, Danruo Courtyard was relaxed and easygoing, thanks to Mu Xi Yao’s unseemly bearing and playful banter.

Wei Zhen’s mouth twitched as he couldn’t think of how to answer his mistress’s question. He could only wear a long face, waiting for the teasing to end and to be let off the hook.

“Hmm, it seems Qie was lacking in consideration as your Mistress. Commander Wei, as a man who leads troops, shouldn’t be put in a difficult spot by such deeply nuanced questions.” Mu Xi Yao deliberately elongated her tone, catching sight of Mo Lan beside her covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. Her eyes suddenly brightened.

Excellent. Her role as a matchmaker was finally paying off. As for Hui Lan, more effort would be needed. Too bad Yan Cheng Zhou was as dense as a block of wood and never got the hint.

Deeply nuanced…shouldn’t ask him. Was Mistress Yao implying he was slow-witted? Wei Zhen kept his face stern, though his heart twinged. Things were better when His Highness was around; the moment he was gone, Mistress Yao started teasing people.

“Ah, people—it’s when they’re most pleased with themselves that they fall the hardest.” Too bad the boss wasn’t here; otherwise, he’d be able to answer this question with ease.

It was unusual for Mu Xi Yao and Wei Zhen to think alike. Unfortunately, both found faults with each other, and their reasons for it were miles apart.

Zong Zheng Lin once said he was always self-disciplined, especially cautious regarding the allure of women. Unfortunately, ever since he met Mu Xi Yao, that lord had broken many of his own rules, and to this day he still enjoyed doing so. If you ignore him, he’d even put on a displeased face to intimidate you.

“When brewing tea with the Head Monk of Anguo Temple, Qie once heard him tell a very interesting story.” At the time, the old monk intended to advise her, cautioning her against being overly frivolous. As for what she approached lightheartedly— though he hadn’t stated it, Mu Xi Yao knew he had already seen through her.

The Head Monk of Anguo Temple had advised her twice, with the root cause each time being Zong Zheng Lin. Mu Xi Yao was not a stubborn and inflexible person, so she naturally understood the other party’s kindness. From then on, she gradually placed some trust in the big boss, which is why the extremely perceptive Zong Zheng Lin swiftly came to regard her his exclusive possession, allowing no one else to touch her.

This man had an incredibly domineering nature. The more care he gave, the more he forced you to accept his protection and affection. Unfortunately for Mu Xi Yao, Zong Zheng Lin had noticed her change, and without any hesitation, the big boss branded her as his own, his control over her becoming increasingly strict.

Mu Xi Yao shook her head—why was she thinking of that tyrant? She had just been bullied by him, and now that she’d finally seen him off and had a moment to herself, it was far more relaxing to tease her own people.

Seeing the curious expressions of those around her, Mu Xi Yao, brimming with pride, began flaunting her knowledge, proving she was definitely not the lazy, ignorant person the boss had said she was.

“Three people went out to run errands on a chilly, gloomy day. One brought an oil-paper umbrella, another wore wooden clogs, and the last one set out empty-handed, traveling light. When they returned, the person with the oil-paper umbrella was drenched, the one in clogs had pants covered in mud, and only the empty-handed person, aside from a few drops of mud on the very bottom of their clothing, looked the same as when they first set out.”

“Have you figured it out?” Mu Xi Yao believed that the maids she had so carefully trained would be the quickest to grasp the reasoning. To her disappointment, even after waiting for quite a while, no one in the room had caught on to her meaning, and everyone looked completely lost.

A wave of reflection suddenly washed over demoness Mu. Very well, she had been taught yet another lesson from this story—how fitting. Never being too full of oneself was exactly the lesson she needed.

“When people are at their most confident and capable, they often lose their vigilance and neglect the attention they should give, leading instead to reckless actions. Carelessness and arrogance inevitably bring about remorseful outcomes.”

“Miss He Lian takes the greatest pride in her unmatched wit and tactics, as few can rival her in schemes and deception.”

The biggest difference between He Lian Wei Rui and her lay in their nearly polar opposite attitudes toward the use of strategy.

Mu Xi Yao favored open and aboveboard confrontations. Even when employing schemes, she could still secure her opponent’s weaknesses, unafraid of being exposed on the spot. Most of the time, her tactics left others too guilty to argue, forcing them to grudgingly tolerate her throwing her weight around.

He Lian Wei Rui, on the other hand, placed more emphasis on cunning and deceit, using ruthless methods. If she could act in the shadows, she would never reveal herself in front of others. This woman believed that secret confrontations best tested wit and resourcefulness, and she was willing to go so far as to sacrifice lives to achieve her goals. This content belongs to thehlifestyle.com, if you see this translation elsewhere, it’s been stolen!

Mu Xi Yao typically struck after assessing the situation, while He Lian Wei Rui, brimming with confidence, often seized the advantage early.

Thinking of that woman so incompatible with her, Mu Xi Yao pouted. When encountering someone so fundamentally different, it was preferable for the other person to suffer bad luck.

Wei Zhen gazed admiringly at Mistress Yao, who spoke eloquently. Only today did he discover that this often unreliable mistress, aside from her boldness and slight fierceness, also possessed the virtue of hidden wisdom beneath a facade of seeming foolishness. Only Zhao Mono and her personal maids knew that seeing their mistress like this was at best a once-in-a-year occurrence. Most of the time… she caused even more headaches than Young Master Cheng Qing.

“In that case, Sir Wei may attend to his duties. Qie shall take her maids and have a walk in the woods by herself.”

“Mistress, His Highness has instructed that you are not allowed into the rear garden and may only stroll in the main garden.”

“His Highness is worrying needlessly. Qie is in excellent health and won’t suddenly collapse, making him come looking for Qie from afar.”

Mo Lan, resigned, could only sigh, “Mistress, does that story not apply to you as well?”

With a stiff expression, Commander Wei left the room in shame. Even Mo Lan, that girl, hadn’t been fooled by the mistress’s profound façade. Ye he— a distinguished scion from a noble house, well-versed in history and military strategy from a young age—had fallen for it time and again. Comparing himself thus, Wei Zhen felt he had truly let down His Highness’s years of careful nurturing.

Translator’s Notice:

Hey everyone! Sorry for disappearing for so long—between family issues and new work my brain needed a little break. I’m popping in a few hours early to wish you all a very Happy New Year! Take care and stay awesome ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Translation notes:

[1] Yiniang refers to a concubine.

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