Reborn to be a Stepmother

64: Dispose of the Corpse

Chu Yun was taken aback for a moment. She then saw Xiao Xin slowly get up. Seeing him covered in sand and with a black face, she pointed at him and laughed.

“Wah…”

Xiao Xin immediately cried, and it was the kind of earth-shattering cry.

Chu Yun became dumbfounded for an instant and was just about to ridicule him with a few words when she saw red liquid flowing down Xiao Xin’s head.

She was also scared silly.

“F-father…”

Jiu Wangye was still thinking when he suddenly heard Chu Yun’s screams and hurried over.

“What happened?” Xiao Xin turned his back to him and stopped crying at this moment.

Chu Yun yelled in fright, “Father, h-he’s bleeding.”

“Wah…” Another earth-shattering cry came out. Xiao Xin wasn’t afraid of anything, but he’s scared of blood. He’d cry whenever he saw blood.

Jiu Wangye picked up Xiao Xin and rushed to the front hall.

When Xiao Ting got the news, she hurried over to look. There was a bandage around Xiao Xin’s forehead. It wasn’t a big deal, but because of the exercise just now, he bled more.

The doctor helped him bandage it, but Xiao Xin was still sobbing.

Next to him, Chu Yun looked like a kid who’d done something wrong. She hid behind the screen and wanted to come in but was embarrassed, so she could only look inside.

Xiao Ting hugged Xiao Xin in her arms and whispered comforting words, “Little darling, it’s okay. Sweetie, stop crying.”

“Sister…”

“En, sister is here!”

“Sister, don’t blame Xiao Yun. He didn’t mean it.” Xiao Xin pleaded to Xiao Ting with red eyes.

He knew his sister’s temperament and knew she’s protective of him.

Xiao Ting glanced at a certain mischief-maker and retorted: “You like Xiao Yun that much? He already pushed you down until you bled, and he didn’t even come to see you, but you’re still pleading for him.”

Xiao Xin grabbed her hand and said: “Sister.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t blame him, then you should rest well!”

A long time after Xiao Ting left, Chu Yun sneaked in. She wanted to see Xiao Xin, but as soon as she walked to the bed, Xiao Xin opened his eyes and saw her.

“Xiao Yun, I’m fine.”

Just as Chu Yun was about to say something, she heard Xiao Xin say this, and she shed aggrieved tears.

“Hey, don’t cry!” Xiao Xin sat up and stretched out his white tender little hand to wipe Chu Yun’s tears a bit clumsily.

Chu Yun turned her head and hmphed softly: “This prince didn’t cry. My eyes just hurt a little. This is for you.”

She stuffed a small bag into Xiao Xin’s arms and ran away. Xiao Xin opened it and saw that it’s full of things he didn’t recognize. Lu You came in and took a look, then said: “Yo-young master, who gave you this? They sent you so many medicinal materials!”

Medicinal materials?

Xiao Xin patted the bag and said: “Xiao Yun gave it to me. Sister Lu You, please help me put it in that box.”

Lu You responded with a smile and said: “This servant understands.”

At this moment, Xiao Ting just had a showdown with Jiu Wangye and was thinking about her future life happily when she heard Zhao Hua’s voice come closer and closer.

When Xiao Ting saw that it was really her, she asked: “Did the Emperor allow you to leave the Palace?”

Princess Zhao Hua shook her head, took her hand, looked her up and down, then said: “Wah, you are so lucky that you’re all right.”

“What could have happened? This miss is a god in water. How could I drown?”

Zhao Hua looked at her suspiciously, “When did you know how to swim? Why don’t I know?”

Ugh!

Xiao Ting passed over it with a haha and asked: “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Oh right, did you know? A corpse was dug up at the bottom of the lake, where you nearly drowned that time. Fortunately, you didn’t see it. Otherwise, you might be scared to death.”

Xiao Ting’s heart thumped, remembering that she was frightened by the corpse’s sudden appearance, which caused her legs to cramp.

Then she choked and fell into an intermittent coma.

“Isn’t it just a corpse? Stop making a fuss.” She had heard that this was ordinary among the rich and nobility. Death alone is commonplace, not to mention in the Palace.

That’s where people eat people without spitting out the bones.

“Do you know who she is?” Zhao Hua leaned in her ear mysteriously, “Is the name Tao Zhi familiar?”

Xiao Ting was speechless. Tao Zhi, you mean like the branch?

Who the hell is that? Does she have to know?

“You don’t know, right?” Seeing Xiao Ting’s expression, Zhao Hua triumphantly said: “It took me a lot of effort to find out.”

Xiao Ting was about to say that you might as well think about how to deal with the Emperor when you had this time when she heard Princess Zhao Hua say: “She’s the most powerful maid beside Guifei.”

“Guifei? Which Guifei?”

Was it her aunt?

“Naturally, it’s Xiao Guifei. They said…”

Because of her low birth, Xiao Guifei didn’t bring any dowry maid when she entered the Palace and lived alone in the harem. Only one maid was serving her that year, Tao Zhi.

Later, Xiao Guifei was promoted, and she brought Tao Zhi as her personal maid. However, the Guifei suddenly miscarried, and the Emperor was furious. He ordered a thorough investigation of the matter and found Tao Zhi’s hand on it. She committed it because she’s jealous of the Guifei‘s favor.

But when they went to catch her, they found that she had ingested poison and died.

There’s even a confession book beside her, saying that she was also a showgirl and started the same as Xiao Guifei but had a completely different ending. That’s why she caused Guifei‘s miscarriage through medicine.

She regretted it and so committed suicide to repay her kindness.

The truth of this matter was revealed, and Tao Zhi was about to be burned by the Emperor’s orders. Still, Xiao Guifei was softhearted and finally ordered her corpse to be taken out of the Palace and buried somewhere.

For many years after that, Xiao Guifei couldn’t become pregnant.

Xiao Guifei‘s temperament changed drastically for a while, and the Emperor comforted her several times over a long period before she went back to normal.

At this point, the Emperor issued an order. The Six Palaces has since forbidden anyone to mention this matter.

And so, many people didn’t know who Tao Zhi was until Tao Zhi’s body suddenly appeared in the lake. It also hadn’t rotted even after a long time, so that the others quickly recognized it.

Just like that, this past event was turned over and spread throughout the Palace in an instant.

Not to mention how chaotic the Palace was at the moment and how many people were shocked, Zhao Hua hurried over to tell Xiao Ting when she got the news.

The most important thing was to avoid everyone’s sight so that the Emperor wouldn’t know and punish her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Ting stood up and said: “Hong Shao, I want to change clothes. This consort is going to enter the Palace.”

Princess Zhao Hua just wanted to die.

At this moment, the Palace was in an uproar because of a maid who had been dead for many years.

Especially in YaoChi Palace. After Xiao Guifei fainted, the Emperor called almost all the Imperial doctors. After an hour of diagnosis and rescue, the person woke up and became a beautiful sickly woman.

Lying on the chaise couch and looking like a dead person, she didn’t want to see anyone, not even the Emperor.

The Emperor was anxious but even more distressed.

Therefore, he ordered the corpse to be burned to ashes. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything that made his beloved sad exist.

The Commander of the guards, who was investigating the matter, came back. Because the lake had been calm and the water was deep in some places, the lake had always been guarded, especially by the Imperial guards, for fear that someone would fall.

In the times when the lotus bloomed, there’ll always be a dedicated person in charge of it, and they didn’t find anything strange.

They never saw that corpse.

The Commander of the guards put forward his conjecture that this corpse should have been thrown into the lake only two days ago.

“In another two days, it will be your birthday, and Guifei would always dance for you on the lake every year…”

When someone said this, the Emperor immediately understood, and his face became angry, “This is just aiming for the Guifei‘s life, ah!”

If today didn’t happen, just imagine what would happen two days later. Xiao Guifei would faint once she saw Tao Zhi’s body. If it’s at night when the moon is high, she’d see the center of the lake and suddenly became frightened. Would there be a way to survive once she fell into the water?

Thinking of this, the Emperor immediately issued an order, “Investigate thoroughly. If this matter is not cleared, you will leave your post and return to the fields.”

Although today’s Emperor might not be considered a great talent, he had always been generous and kind, so he would never say such words.

It could be seen how angry he was today.

“This minister accepts the decree. Just that, this corpse came from an unknown source and hadn’t rotted for a long time. Please dispose of it later.”

The Emperor stared and was just about to say something when his Guifei walked out with the help of a court lady and said: “Emperor, you should do it! Tao Zhi has been dead for so many years, and this concubine also wants to know. Who in the world would harm me back then, and why would they abuse her like this.”

Obviously, Xiao Guifei had never believed in that so-called confession, but at that time, her foundation was unstable, and troubles occurred, so she could only wrong her loyal servant.

“Okay, okay. Do it according to Guifei‘s words. You’re not well enough to come out and do anything, go in and rest.” The Emperor looked distressedly at his beloved. That pale face reminded him of the past.

He still felt guilty.

When Xiao Ting arrived in YaoChi Palace, the Emperor had already left. Xiao Ting shook her head at the personal maids serving the Guifei. Seeing that it was her, the maids retreated after thinking about it.

The woman on the chaise couch laid sideways, her slender and graceful figure showing exquisite ups and downs. With only a side view of her back, one could imagine her majesty and tenderness.

A shawl was randomly draped on her body. The black silk fell, almost touching the ground, and rippled in the gentle wind.

When Xiao Ting approached, she realized that Xiao Guifei was asleep.

The corners of her mouth were raised, and her hands were in an embracing posture in front of her. Her face was gentle and loving like never before.

But there was a line of tears in the corner of her eyes, which was very obvious.

Sadness almost covered her whole body, and even the smile on her lips seemed bitter.

Aunt, who was honored and favored back then, naturally attracted countless envy, but it was more jealousy rather than hate.

Not long after Xiao Guifei was favored, there was a happy event. The Emperor, who learned of this, pampered her even more. It was also at that time that Imperial Uncle Xiao got his position.

Everyone had a deep understanding of what ‘when a man achieves Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven’ meant!

The outside world was so envious of Xiao Guifei, not to mention the women in the Palace.

Therefore, Tao Zhi drugged Xiao Guifei, causing Xiao Guifei to miscarry and lose her child.

Seeing her aunt like this, Xiao Ting felt a sense of sadness in her heart.

Xiao Ting sat on the ground, leaned on the chaise couch, and stretched out her hand to hold Xiao Guifei‘s arm. She clearly felt her aunt’s body tremble and hold the void in her arms tighter.

“Aunt…”