"You're absolutely right," the Queen Mother chimed in with a meaningful smile. "Didn't she just get bitten hard?"
Ling Shan curled her lips in retort. "Indeed. If you keep a dog for no good reason, you're bound to get bitten in return. You deserve the pain."
The smile on the Queen Mother's face froze, and the curve of her lips stiffened, making her look like a clown.
The stunning woman across from her wore a faint smile, but in the Queen Mother's eyes, it was like a blatant slap in the face.
A searing fire of humiliation and anger welled up from the bottom of her heart, and the coldness in her eyes spread bit by bit.
Her tone turned icy in an instant. "So, it seems keeping a dog is a bad idea. A creature that doesn't know gratitude and bites back deserves to be torn apart by five horses and left for wild dogs to devour. What do you think, Consort Zhao?"
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother thinks highly of me. It seems you're more qualified to talk about keeping dogs. Whether it'll be torn apart by five horses or devoured by wild dogs depends on what that dog that bit you thinks. After all, all living things have spirits."
What's more, it's a living person!
The Queen Mother first raised people like dogs, not caring about human lives. How could she blame others for biting back?
"So, Consort Zhao has quite a deep feeling about this?"
"If Your Majesty the Queen Mother thinks so, you're right."
"Right? Consort Zhao is still too young. She doesn't know that sometimes one wrong step can lead to an abyss. One wrong move and you'll be smashed to pieces. Consort Zhao, don't take the wrong path or choose the wrong person."
"I thank Your Majesty the Queen Mother for your concern. I'll surely keep your advice in mind and follow in your footsteps."
How dare she!
In this back - and - forth confrontation, the veiled implications were expected.
However, the Queen Mother was still so angry at Ling Shan's unrepentant and rebellious actions that her vision went black.
This lowly slut dared to be so insolent in front of her!
Every word she said showed that she didn't put the Queen Mother, her master, in her eyes at all.
Moreover, she even dared to envision herself becoming the Queen Mother in the future right in front of her!
Wasn't that like wishing for her early death?
This little slut dared to be so insolent in front of her!
Had she forgotten who gave her a place to stay?
Who raised her like a noble lady, taught her a lot, and spent so much effort on her?
If not for the Queen Mother, how could this lowly maid have that charming and delicate appearance?
How could she have the chance to enter the Taiji Palace, serve the emperor, stay by his side, and become a second - rank consort?
Without the Queen Mother, how could this slut be so arrogant today?
"So, Consort Zhao is so determined that she'd rather suffer excruciating pain than bite back at her master, this old woman?"
The cold words were spat out from a face without a trace of a smile. Her cold eyes locked onto her prey like a venomous snake.
Ling Shan held the tea cup. A fleeting look of triumph flashed across her lowered eyes. When she looked up again, her face showed an indignant look of humiliation.
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, are you threatening me?"
The Queen Mother saw the angry look on Ling Shan's face, which showed that she was finally breaking down. Her heart felt a strange sense of balance.
It's good that she can still get angry and knows to be afraid.
Otherwise, she'd like to see if this newly - promoted Consort Zhao is really tough - boned enough to endure the torture of the poison.
And if she can really ignore the pain and watch her own flesh and blood turn into a pool of blood.
It seems this little girl isn't so bewitched that she'd really throw away her life for that ungrateful Jun Wuyuan!
"Threaten you?" The Queen Mother sneered disdainfully. "You came out of my palace. Without me, you'd be dead by now!
Now that you've climbed to the position of consort and are favored by the emperor, you've grown bold enough to bite me. I think you don't want to live anymore!"
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother!" Ling Shan's pretty face flushed red, as if the Queen Mother's merciless scolding had uncovered her scars, making her extremely angry.
"What?" The Queen Mother looked cold, angry, and mocking on the surface, but secretly, she relaxed.
She even began to reflect on whether she had been too lenient before, which made Ling Shan dare to have second thoughts and betray her.
"Tomorrow is the 15th, right? Are you sure you still want to confront me, Consort Zhao?"
Ling Shan's face turned pale. Her eyes flashed with a strange light, and her long eyelashes trembled, looking as if she was hesitating and struggling.
A glimmer of joy flashed across the Queen Mother's eyes, but her tone became even colder.
"Good! I didn't expect to see another stupid woman who'd rather sacrifice her life for love. It's really great!
I'd like to see what kind of end this infatuated woman who adores the emperor will come to."
The former Xu, who was infatuated with that ungrateful Jun Wuyuan, and her useless niece, their fates were still fresh in her memory.
Looking further back, how many women in the previous emperor's harem died because of love?
The Queen Mother had seen too many such cases!
Seeing the Queen Mother close her eyes as if in a great rage, as if she had really decided not to give her the antidote and just wait for her to die from the poison, Ling Shan panicked.
In a hurry and fear, she quickly said, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I know I was wrong. I'll never dare to disobey you again or betray you. Please show mercy and give me the antidote."
The Queen Mother's lips curled up imperceptibly. She felt extremely delighted.
After waiting for Ling Shan's heartfelt confession and plea for a long time, she slowly opened her eyes and said in a cold voice, "It's good that you can admit your mistakes. You're not completely stupid. You know to turn back from the wrong path. What's the meaning of love? It's the most poisonous thing in the world. Those who touch it will either be heart - broken or lose their lives.
Isn't it better to spend that time on fighting for power? There are plenty of men in the world. Consort Zhao, don't be impulsive and narrow your own path."
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother..." Ling Shan murmured.
She blinked her eyes in confusion, as if she didn't understand the veiled meaning in the Queen Mother's words.
A malicious calculation flashed across the Queen Mother's eyes. She softened her tone and tempted Ling Shan, "Think about it. The path I've paved for you is clear. As long as you obediently give birth to an imperial heir, you'll be the mother of the next emperor and the high - ranking Queen Mother, powerful and unrestrained!
If I, the Grand Queen Mother, and you, the Queen Mother, join hands, and the young emperor is too young to hold court, with the Wang family backing us up, won't it be easy for you to hold the reins of power behind the curtain? You should think it over carefully."
What's the use of a lowly maid rising to become a consort?
It's far less satisfying than becoming the Queen Mother and holding the supreme power!
The Queen Mother was confident and calm.
It shouldn't be difficult for Ling Shan to make a choice.