It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

"You are Welcome."

Su Wanyu smiled lightly, and said with a sense of ease, "Just to repay your help today."

Tan Xinyue's deep eyes curved into crescents, her smile was as beautiful as a flower, and she bowed to Su Wanyu to express her gratitude: "As you command, Your Highness."

At Siqi's command, the carriage's hooves quickened and it sped away towards an unknown future.

At the same time, deep in the palace, Concubine Xue was proudly showing off the emperor's reward. That honor and glory reflected the complex emotional entanglements in the palace.

Her words, on the surface, were a show of bragging, but in reality they concealed a provocation to the concubines around her, as well as her concealment of the loneliness and bitterness behind the emperor's favor.

The reactions of the concubines fully demonstrated the struggles and helplessness in the harem.

In this golden cage, everyone's fate is like a candle in the wind, swaying unpredictably.

Su Wanyu, dressed in gorgeous clothes made of brocade, walked lightly as she led a group of palace maids in light pink palace costumes to walk slowly between the palace corridors with carved beams and painted buildings. They walked in unison, with lowered brows and submissive eyes, like petals swaying in the spring breeze.

Following closely behind was a team of well-equipped guards with stern faces, pushing a mysterious figure dressed in black clothes as dark as night. The man in black was thin, with his face hidden under the cloak, and every step he took seemed extremely reluctant and helpless.

The group walked slowly through several vermilion gates and finally stopped in front of a magnificent palace - the residence of Concubine Xue.

Inside the palace, Su Wanyu first stepped into a bedroom inlaid with pearls, where the air was filled with a faint scent of incense. The two palace maids serving on the side, Siqi and Yunyi, hurriedly bowed to greet her. They had pretty faces, elegant clothes, and their manners revealed well-trained elegance.

Su Wanyu nodded slightly, motioning them to follow her.

"Your Highness, why did you choose to come to my humble abode at this moment?"

When Concubine Xue saw Su Wanyu, her dissatisfied look disappeared in an instant like morning mist meeting the sun, and was replaced by a face full of smiles and enthusiasm. She moved lightly with lotus steps, her dress brushing the ground, like a blooming peony, walking towards her slowly.

Then, Concubine Xue turned around and instructed the maid standing beside her, her voice gentle but with hidden authority: "Hurry up and prepare the best tea for His Highness. Remember, it must be the top-grade Longjing tea granted by the emperor."

The maids responded in unison, their expressions respectful, and quickly withdrew to prepare.

Su Wanyu's lips curled up into a faint smile. Although the smile was gentle, it was like ice that had not melted in spring, with an imperceptible chill: "Of course I came to visit you, the queen. How have you been lately?"

The corners of her eyes curved into crescent shapes, but the warmth in them seemed difficult to reach her heart.

"Visiting me?"

When Concubine Xue heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, as if she had not expected the imperial sister to visit suddenly.

Catching the confusion in Concubine Xue's eyes, Su Wanyu strolled forward, seemingly casually glancing at the various treasures given by the emperor on the table, with a faint smile on her lips: "The emperor's brother dotes on you so much, as your sister, I should be concerned about whether your life is going well."

Although these words were plain, they created an indescribable chill in the air.

Xue Fei's smile froze slightly at that moment, and the effort to raise the corners of her mouth seemed a little far-fetched.

Just at this moment, a little maid came in quietly with two cups of freshly brewed tea, the aroma of tea filling the air. One cup was presented to Concubine Xue, and the other was placed on the exquisite tea tray in front of Su Wanyu.

Concubine Xue forced herself to maintain a smile: "Your Highness, please taste this new tea from Zizhou. It is as smooth as spring water and will surely make people feel relaxed."

As he spoke, he encouraged the other person with his eyes.

"Thank you for your kindness, my lady. I won't be shy about it."

Su Wanyu took the teacup and gently blew away the rising hot steam. Her movements were gentle and graceful, as if she was enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

Looking at Su Wanyu's gentle expression, Concubine Xue's tension eased a little. She said with a smile, "The eldest princess's enthronement ceremony is just around the corner. We need to be more careful and must not let personal feelings delay state affairs."

"Your Majesty will personally preside over this, so there will be no mistakes."

Su Wanyu took a sip of tea leisurely, then looked at Concubine Xue meaningfully, "However, your sudden concern for me, Your Majesty, does surprise me."

Concubine Xue smiled awkwardly, trying to hide her uneasiness: "Your Highness is the most respected sister of His Majesty, so I should naturally pay attention to her."

Su Wanyu gently put down the teacup, her eyes flickering with a subtle light: "I heard that you, Princess Xue, like to read storybooks. Have you ever heard of "The Golden House Hidden Beauty"? "

Concubine Xue frowned in confusion: "I have heard a little about it, but why did Your Highness suddenly mention this?"

Su Wanyu gently shook the teacup in her hand, her eyes slightly lowered: "I just think it's quite interesting. If you were in the position of the princess, how would you deal with a proud and arrogant concubine?"

Concubine Xue blurted out, "I should follow the example of the princess in the storybook and support the son of another concubine to be the crown prince, so that the arrogant concubine will regret it."

"that's it?"

Su Wanyu's voice was so calm that it was chilling.

A trace of confusion flashed across Xue Fei's eyes, but she still nodded: "Yes, let her regret it for the rest of her life."

"Isn't that too kind? Those who disrespect the princess or even harbor other intentions should suffer the consequences."

Su Wanyu's words fell softly, but they were like a sharp ice cone that struck Xue Fei's heart.

Xue Fei's eyes flickered and she turned her head away, her heart filled with panic and guilt.

At this time, Su Wanyu continued, "If it were me, I would definitely use the ten tortures of the Ministry of Justice to make her understand the consequences."

She deliberately raised her voice and asked, "Does Princess Xue know what the ten tortures are?"

Xue Fei tightly grasped the teacup, her palms sweating, and she dared not look directly into Su Wanyu's eyes: "I don't know much about the Ministry of Justice."

Su Wanyu's words seemed to have a hidden meaning: "Is that so? Then I will explain it in detail to you, Your Majesty."

Xue Fei's eyes were filled with fear, but she couldn't escape.

Su Wanyu began to list them one by one: "There are broken bones, skin peeling, hanging, water clock punishment, five horses pulling apart, disembowelment, tongue cutting, nailing boards, bamboo sticks piercing fingers, and rat bites."

With each punishment Su Wanyu mentioned, Xue Fei's hands became more and more tense, and her body trembled slightly as the words became more profound. The names of these punishments were enough to make people tremble.

"My lady, do you understand now?"

Su Wanyu's tone was light, but every word was as strong as iron, weighing heavily on Xue Fei's heart.

Concubine Xue felt that it was difficult to breathe and was about to nod in agreement, but unexpectedly Su Wanyu spoke again: "Perhaps, Your Majesty has not yet truly understood the meaning of 'Five Horses Dismembering a Corpse'. Let me describe it to you."

Her words were calm and clear: "It is a cruel method of separating the head and limbs from the torso, and then dividing the body into three parts."

These words were like an invisible sword that pierced through Xue Fei's fantasy. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and she was distraught for a moment. She whispered, "This... This is too cruel..."