Ten Months On

Chapter 25: Desperation

A/N: Double updates today.

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"Ah! Wang Fei!! Please stop! Nubi knows her wrongs--- Ahh!"

The other servants trembled with fear as Su Li vented her anger onto a beautiful maid that served in her tea room. The slaps resounded as blood dripped from the maid's swollen face.

"Even you! Even you, a lowly servant dared to laugh at me?" Another slap and a harsh pinch.

Su Li felt a bizarre sadistic pleasure when seeing the young, tempting face warp under hands.

"You are merely a servant. Did you think I did not see your flirtatious behavior to your Master as you serve us.  Did you think you could be like a phoenix ascending to the sky? Did you think I did not see your smirk just now? This is for laughing at me! This is for being rude and disrespectful to your masters!!"

Screams and cries emanated from the hall.

Afrer a long while, the maid laid on the floor, breathing heavily. The rest of the maids who were forced to witness the scene were all pale.

"Remove her from my sight. Ask the mamas to take her to the nearest brothel to be sold as the lowest level courstesan there. If she likes serving so much, she can serve all the men she wants there."

The maids shivered and did as they were asked, dragging the bloody corpse-like body out of the hall.

They missed the warm and comfortable days under Madam Su Chen.

"Aiya, Jie Jie. Why all the blood in this room? Do you want to bring bad luck to the Prince's Residence?" an oriole-like voice greeted Su Li.

Concubine Liu walked in gracefully with her maids holding her hand up.

She hid her smile behind her fan as she sat down without bothering to greet Su Li.

Su Li glared at her with hatred.

"Aiya, Jie Jie. Why the angry face? Have you finally decided to rip off your fairy mask? But if you do so, would Wangye ever come to love you back again?"

Su Li gritted her teeth at the true words spoken by this thorn in her side.

Su Li knew Sun Rui was avoiding her. She did not understand it at all. He had always been loving to her. So, why was he doing this?

She was there when the Eunuch came from the Emperor to berate Sun Rui and to take away his Crown Prince position. And to top it all off, by being banned from court, the Residence had no income for at least three years. The Residence goes through money like water with how big the Prince's palace was, how many servants they had and the many barren concubines and tongfangs they were to feed. The new Steward Hung showed promise and she found him a great accomplice to her plans to embezzle some of the money from Rui Wang's businesses.

I mean, does the money she took matter once she becomes the Empress? She needed some money in her purse to bribe people once she was at the palace, after all. She also needed the money to look the part. She did not want to bring shame to her new status.

But now that source of income was not viable as even the profits from the businesses were not enough to pay for the entire residence's food and living costs.

She had a headache trying to manage the messed up accounts as the Wang Fei. She never had to do such things as a concubine before. All the concubines had to do was to seduce their husbands and reap the rewards. She never knew that the official wives were so troubled by all the petty administration.

And as she tore her hair out to handle the administration, Sun Rui did not show any appreciation for her work despite her tears and pitiful act. At this time, the other concubines were grappling for Wangye's attention, the attention of the Wangye who no longer bothered with Su Li. Every night, Wangye was either with one of the concubines, or outside at the brothels, drinking and whoring.

Now today, worse news came in as Steward Hung came to report that their business with the highest profit revenue, Flying Phoenix Restaurant was closed down as the Emperor found out that the corrupted ministers under Rui Wang were making their shady deals at the restaurant.

Why? Why???

Why did the heavens give her a chance to be reborn but only to make her go through this?

She had never heard of her sister going through such things in her previous life. It was an enviably smooth path.

Her sister was married and took over the household like she did. The Ninth Prince was crowned Crown Prince and her sister became Crown Princess.

In a few years, the Emperor would pass away and the Ninth Prince ascended to the throne but no longer took in any concubines into his harem. He was loyal to her sister all the way until Su Li died. In fact, she remembered how attentive and devoted Sun Rui was to her sister whenever she met them.

So why was this happening to her? None of this happened in her previous lifetime and she was at a loss on how to save this shambles of a home. She was too ashamed to visit the other noble families who were pointing at her for being the fox demon that stole her sister's husband to ask for help.

Her father too was caught in the scandal and was demoted from his rank. In fact, her mother had come several times to the residence to seek help, but had to drive her mothey away as she too, was struggling.

The husband she had worked so hard to catch did not give her his full attention and affection like he used to do. Instead he left her to deal with all the mess.

And now the servants and the concubines were trying to climb over her head.

Why should she scramble her head to feed these white-eyed wolves? She should just sell them and feed them to the dogs!

At the thought, Su Li's eyes lit up.