The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

She wouldn't tell her that she had tampered with her clothes, and now, all traces of that tampering had been thoroughly cleaned away.

"No, I can tell the Emperor, and she will make the decision for me. Empress Feng, don't be too happy yet. I will make you pay with your life for my child." Consort Rong gritted her teeth and said firmly.

But Empress Feng seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "To be buried alive with someone? Heh, Consort Rong, I just told you not to underestimate me, and you've already done it again. Consort Rong, with your brain, you think you can outwit me? You'll only end up hurting yourself. Besides, how are you going to tell the Emperor now? Do you think he'll believe you?"

"Yes, he will believe it. The Emperor loves this child so much and dotes on me so much..." Consort Rong said, word by word, determined to make Empress Feng pay the price.

"Haha..." Empress Feng laughed even more heartily, the sarcasm in her laughter becoming even more intense. She reached out and lifted Consort Rong's face, which was wrapped in gauze, and said coldly, "Consort Rong, the imperial physician said that it would be best not to let you see your current appearance, otherwise it would only make you more heartbroken. However, we have been sisters for so many years. If I were to keep it from you, wouldn't that be too unkind?"

Consort Rong's face stiffened. "You... what do you mean?"

A deep unease welled up in her heart, and Empress Feng's voice made her tremble and her scalp tingle.

"What do you mean? I'll let you know." Empress Feng raised the corner of her mouth, tossed aside Consort Rong's chin, got up and walked to the dressing table in the room. She picked up a small bronze mirror and a pair of scissors from the side. When she walked back to Consort Rong, the evil look on her face became even more intense.

"What...what are you going to do?" Consort Rong saw the scissors in Empress Feng's hand and became extremely defensive. "You...someone, help me..."

But she couldn't shout too loudly. Empress Feng squatted down and spoke again, "Sister Rongfei, don't be afraid. There are only the two of us in this room. If I were to kill you, it would be too obvious."

"What...what are you going to do?" Consort Rong swallowed, her wounds throbbing with pain again. But no amount of pain could compare to the unease in her heart. Yes, unease. Empress Feng was right. There were only the two of them in the room. If she really died, then Empress Feng would be the murderer. Empress Feng wouldn't be that foolish.

However, she knew even more that Empress Feng was not so kind.

"Me..." Empress Feng's lips curled up, a profound look flashing in her eyes. Then, she picked up the scissors in her hand and cut the gauze. The gauze came loose in the next instant. Only then did Empress Feng continue, "Sister Rongfei, I told you I didn't want to lie to you, so I'm letting you see yourself clearly now. Don't thank me too much; we're sisters after all, aren't we?"

As Empress Feng spoke, she removed the gauze from Consort Rong's face and picked up the bronze mirror that had been placed on the ground. Only after all the gauze on Consort Rong's face was removed did Empress Feng hold the mirror up to her.

Empress Feng felt an unusual sense of relief. "Consort Rong, I wonder if the blow of losing your child or the blow of having your face ruined is heavier for you?" However, Empress Feng knew one thing for sure: no matter which of the two blows was heavier, the combination of the two was enough to be unbearable for Consort Rong.

Thinking this, a glimmer of anticipation rose in her heart. She couldn't help but think of An Mi. An Mi was no merciful person either. If it weren't for her suggestion, she wouldn't have seen Consort Rong's miserable end so soon. She really should have asked An Mi to come and see Consort Rong's current state. But she knew that even if she asked An Mi, An Mi would definitely not come. That woman was very clever, smarter than she could imagine. She was avoiding these things as much as possible, so how could she risk being suspected for a moment of pleasure?

That woman knew how to protect herself and how to observe from the sidelines. That's why she dragged me into this plan. Even Empress Feng had become a tool for An Mi to use.

However, this time, even if she was just a tool, she was happy to do it. After all, she wanted Consort Rong to be doomed and never have a chance to turn things around, more than anyone else.

At this moment, Consort Rong finally saw herself in the bronze mirror. In the bronze mirror, that face... was it her? No, how could it be? The face in the bronze mirror could not even be called a face. Her originally fair skin was covered with no intact spots, and was densely covered with terrifying red swellings and bumps. Her original face was almost distorted.

"No...no, it's not me...it's not..." Consort Rong kept murmuring, shaking her head. The loss of her child earlier was not as devastating as this moment. Even she herself couldn't bear to look at her face, let alone anyone else.

“Your Majesty…” Consort Rong’s eyes flickered with unease. Did Your Majesty see her like this?

If the Emperor were to see this, then… she thought, if the Emperor were to see this, she would probably receive not pity, but disgust. How could the Emperor possibly… have a face that even she herself finds repulsive…

Empress Feng seemed to see through her thoughts, and with a slight smile, she said softly, "Sister Rongfei, don't worry, His Majesty hasn't come to see you yet."

"Is...is that so?" Consort Rong was secretly pleased. That's good. It's good that the Emperor didn't see her like this. She couldn't believe how the Emperor would react if he saw her like this, but she knew that she definitely didn't want to see the Emperor's reaction.

"Empress, please, please don't let the Emperor come to see me until my face is healed." Consort Rong grabbed Empress Feng's hand, but her hand was bandaged and she couldn't reach her. Even so, she still looked at Empress Feng with a pleading expression, as if she wanted to get a bit of sympathy and pity from her.

Consort Rong was ultimately too naive. Empress Feng would rather she die than have any sympathy or pity for her.

Empress Feng frowned, then her smile grew even brighter. "Alright, I know your concerns. You're afraid the Emperor will be disgusted by your face, aren't you? Heh, that's right. Who wouldn't be disgusted by such a face? Even I find it utterly repulsive. There are so many beauties in the harem. If the Emperor takes one look at you, he probably won't want to see you again!"

Consort Rong's face stiffened. Although this was exactly what she had in mind, hearing Empress Feng say it aloud still left her feeling uneasy.

Empress Feng saw the unpleasant look on her face, but she didn't care whether Consort Rong felt good or not. On the contrary, Consort Rong was also in pain. The more she rubbed salt into Consort Rong's wounds, the more she felt good.