"What do you want?" Ling Shan put away the casual look on her face and stared intently at Wang Chengbi with her clear eyes.
It was undeniable that Wang Chengbi today was truly nothing like her former self. She had actually managed to figure out that strange poison from the decades - long scheming methods of the Queen Mother in the deep palace. It seemed that they had really underestimated her before.
"Netherworld Poison". Just the name sounded extremely poisonous. No wonder the Queen Mother was so confident of victory. No wonder it could make her suffer so much that she wished she were dead. Ling Shan remembered all these things clearly, waiting for the day when she could return them all.
Unexpectedly, there was this unexpected surprise today.
"Are you laughing at me in your heart?"
Huh? Ling Shan was taken aback. She didn't expect Wang Chengbi to ask such a question.
Well... How should she put it? She had laughed at her before and also hated her with gritted teeth. But now that this person was really about to die, all the grudges and enmities would naturally disappear.
"Not now." Ling Shan was very honest.
Wang Chengbi: "..."
This woman... She frowned and gave a cold look. "Are you deliberately showing off in front of me to annoy me?"
Ling Shan: "?" She rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Do you expect me to comfort you?"
Wang Chengbi: "..."
"Do you still want to listen or not?" Ling Shan took back her previous thought that the former Imperial Concubine was smart. She was extremely speechless in her heart. She nodded perfunctorily.
"Forget it. Even if you are laughing at me in your heart, I won't be able to see it after today. If I had known this..."
Ling Shan: "..."
Hey, lady, have you forgotten that you sent killers after her several times? Come to think of it, she should even "thank" Wang Chengbi for being able to become the little palace maid Ling Shan.
"I have the first volume of the Netherworld Poison. As for where the second volume is, you'll have to find it yourself."
Ling Shan was stunned. She really had it?
"What kind of look is that?" Wang Chengbi got angry. "Don't think that just because I did some stupid things before, I'm a fool. This first volume is what the Queen Mother used to control her pawns. You have to take the antidote every month, right?"
Ling Shan thought to herself: Can't she feel what kind of look she was giving?
"Why do you think the Queen Mother only has the first volume?" Wang Chengbi had thought a lot in the past two days. The medicine manual that was accidentally discovered from the Wang family and obtained with great effort was actually a poison manual. The so - called antidote was just another poison formula to control people.
"Of course, the Queen Mother never intended to detoxify her pawns. Whether they die or are half - dead after they've done their job is not something the noble Queen Mother would consider." Ling Shan's eyes were meaningful, and her tone was also a bit suggestive.
Wang Chengbi's straight back suddenly slumped, and even her face, which had finally shown some vitality, became as lifeless as stagnant water.
Yes, even though she was from the prestigious Langya Wang family, a seemingly noble and unparalleled woman in the world who had always been arrogant and looked down on everyone, in the end...
The dead - like eyes still welled up with hot and sour tears. She bit her lips tightly, not letting a bit of her vulnerability show.
She always thought highly of herself and looked down on these lowly people. But wasn't her ending the same as being casually discarded?
She... Wang Chengbi's back bent even deeper. Suddenly, she wanted to ask Ling Shan, "Do you hate me?" But as soon as the words came to her lips, Wang Chengbi pulled up a sarcastic smile at the corner of her mouth.
How could she have the face to ask such a question? If it were her, she would surely want to eat the other person's flesh and drink their blood. How could a simple word "hate" sum it up?
"Since you understand, I'll trade the first volume with you. After I die, don't let my body be left in the wilderness. Just burn it and scatter my ashes in the Luo River. That's all."
Ling Shan was stunned for a moment and then nodded very readily. The dead should be respected. It was just a matter of helping to scatter the ashes.
Although in ancient times, cremation, which was like grinding bones to ashes, was considered the most vicious end in the world, and no one would be buried in such a way. The noble families always paid attention to face and propriety. How could they choose such an unfilial way of burial? But unexpectedly, Wang Chengbi calmly made this deal with her with a secret.
Was she tired of the family cage where she had no control over her own life and was looking forward to being a free bird in the next life?
"Thank you then."
Suddenly, the Silent Garden fell into complete silence. Ling Shan took a deep look at her, put away the small card with the calligraphy on it, and was about to leave.
Wang Chengbi's voice sounded again, startling a bird on the branch.
"And, I'm sorry."
Maybe it was true that a dying man's words were kind. Even Wang Chengbi didn't expect that one day she could face death so calmly. She could also calmly look back on the past and feel ashamed in front of the person she had once hated so much.
Ling Shan paused in her steps but didn't turn back.
With a thud, the wine cup fell to the ground, and the breath behind her gradually weakened.
Ling Shan, I've witnessed with my own eyes the death of the person who killed you. You can rest in peace.
——
In the Jasper Terrace.
"Your Majesty, news from the Silent Garden. Miss Chengbi drank the poisoned wine and passed away."
The Queen Mother's pale and weak face froze. Although she had long made up her mind to abandon her, after all, she was a niece she had truly loved. How could she not feel heart - ache? But Wang Chengbi was really more of a liability than an asset. The whole family of Wang Yanli was still locked up in the prison.
The Wang family had suffered heavy losses in the court this time. Even though the Grand Tutor Wang had rushed to the palace and had several confrontations with the emperor, he still ended up at a disadvantage and had to cede a lot of power. The position of the Minister of the Secretariat was up for grabs, the political situation in the court was reshuffled, and the two guards around the imperial city had fallen into the hands of Jun Wuyuan... It was really a case of losing both the wife and the soldiers, with heavy losses.
The Queen Mother felt as if her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs were all in pain. Coupled with her illness not yet healed, she was in a bad mood and was annoyed at everything she saw.
"Forget it. Send someone to properly bury her body. Otherwise, when Lady Xue and the second brother come out of prison, they'll blame me and father. Being able to protect the second brother's lineage is already a situation that father and I have strived for by ceding a lot of power."
"Your Majesty..." Nanny Dou looked hesitant. Looking at the impatient face of the Queen Mother, she didn't know how to reply for a moment.
"When did even Aqin become so hesitant and stuttering? Is there anything you can't say in front of me?" The Queen Mother frowned tightly and scolded impatiently. It was obvious that she was in a very bad mood.
"Your Majesty, Miss Chengbi's last wish was not to have her body returned home. She was burned to ashes and scattered in the Luo River..."
With a thud, Nanny Dou knelt on the ground and didn't dare to move for a long time.
"Since she resents the Wang family so much, then remove her name from the ancestral hall. From now on, there will be no such person in the Langya Wang family." The Queen Mother's tone was cold. Nanny Dou's heart sank, and she didn't dare to move.