Chapter 31: I Want to Go Home

Liu Shumei had shouldered this black pot.

The hatred in her heart toward He Shu was bound to deepen several times over.

Lin Hanjing saw that things were developing so smoothly.

Feeling that the heat was about right, she stepped in to smooth things over.

“Sister Liu probably didn’t do it on purpose. His Majesty invited us to the banquet today simply to have a good time. Why ruin the mood over this matter?”

Although Lin Hanjing’s words sounded like she was helping Liu Shumei out of trouble, when they reached everyone’s ears they only deepened the suspicion on Liu Shumei.

Hua Yanyun gave Lin Hanjing a meaningful glance.

She pulled He Shu up from the ground with one swift motion.

“Shu Mei, We have long known about the enmity between you and Consort He.”

“We won’t pursue this matter too much today.”

“Afterward, just go apologize to Consort He and that will be enough.”

Liu Shumei thought her ears must have heard wrong when she first heard this.

“Make me apologize to her?!”

She shrieked in disbelief.

Liu Shumei pointed at He Shu, who was being held in Hua Yanyun’s arms with her hair in disarray.

“What? Are you dissatisfied with Our answer?”

The current situation made it hard for Liu Shumei to throw a tantrum.

She could only swallow a bellyful of anger.

“…Naturally I wouldn’t dare… Hahaha, Your Majesty is right. We’ll settle the matters between us in private, hahaha…”

Liu Shumei’s expression was gloomy as she gritted her teeth.

Her fists were clenched tight, and her palms were marked with nail prints.

He Shu lay in Hua Yanyun’s embrace.

Her head rested against Hua Yanyun’s chest.

She had seen Liu Shumei’s entire performance.

In reality He Shu and Liu Shumei had only met twice in total.

But in her heart her evaluation of Liu Shumei had already reached rock bottom.

I really don’t know how a brainless person like this managed to cultivate to the Golden Core stage.

Her head was still dizzy.

He Shu had hit it quite hard earlier.

Fortunately there was no bleeding.

She tried to stand up from Hua Yanyun’s arms.

But her body was firmly locked in place by Hua Yanyun.

“Hiss……”

The wound on her arm was pinched hard.

Beads of crimson blood seeped out.

He Shu’s body couldn’t help but tremble.

“Don’t move. Behave yourself.”

Hua Yanyun laid He Shu horizontally across her own fair, jade-like thighs.

She brought the girl’s wrists together and raised them above her head.

He Shu’s small face was full of confusion.

She didn’t know what new trick Hua Yanyun was planning.

“What are you— Mmph! Mmmph!”

She had only gotten half her question out before a handkerchief was stuffed into her small mouth.

She moved her tongue, trying to push out the foreign object.

But her small mouth was covered by a small, cool hand.

This hand was not Hua Yanyun’s.

It was Qing Lanyue’s.

Qing Lanyue’s hands were very beautiful.

But He Shu only felt disgusted.

Because Qing Lanyue had just been giving Hua Yanyun a foot massage.

Although there was no strange smell and it even carried a faint milky fragrance, He Shu still felt physically ill.

She simply hated everything about Hua Yanyun.

“Causing such a huge mess for Us at the banquet and then you still ask what We’re going to do~”

Hua Yanyun smiled as she looked at He Shu, who was being pinned in her arms by Lin Hanjing and Qing Lanyue.

The corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

“Of course it’s to do you, little one.”

Upon hearing this, He Shu ignored the pain all over her body and struggled with all her might.

But her hands and feet were bound together, her mouth was gagged, and her body was firmly held down by the two wicked women.

No matter how she struggled it was useless.

A flash of fear crossed He Shu’s face.

The unease in her heart reached its peak.

Hua Yanyun wouldn’t really do that kind of thing right here in front of everyone, would she…?

Hua Yanyun’s ruthless hands slowly approached He Shu, as if deliberately trying to make her feel terrified.

No way, no way…

He Shu knew that given Hua Yanyun’s despicable personality she really might do something like this.

Being defiled like that in front of so many people… I really don’t want that…

Hua Yanyun’s hand had already reached her thigh and was slowly moving toward the inner part.

He Shu’s gem-like green eyes were filled with nothing but despair.

However the scene she feared never happened.

Hua Yanyun simply pinched the soft flesh at the base of He Shu’s thigh hard.

“!”

He Shu had not expected Hua Yanyun to play by a different set of rules.

The pain made her whole body convulse.

But Hua Yanyun clearly had no intention of letting her off so easily.

As soon as she released her grip the pinched area turned purple and bruised.

Hua Yanyun continued in the same manner, creating quite a few more bruises on He Shu’s waist, arms, and even her neck.

Two streams of tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes.

He Shu no longer had the strength to struggle.

It was already a miracle that she had not fainted from the pain on the spot.

Qing Lanyue released the hand covering He Shu’s mouth.

He Shu’s lips moved a few times but she could not spit out the handkerchief.

He Shu’s eyelids drooped slightly.

She lay motionless in Hua Yanyun’s arms as the handkerchief was finally removed from her mouth.

The surface of the handkerchief was soaked with more than half her saliva and even carried many tooth marks—all bitten out by He Shu earlier.

It was clear just how hard Hua Yanyun had been pinching her.

He Shu mumbled incoherently.

Her heart ached.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her vision blurred.

He Shu felt so wronged.

She didn’t understand why she was being treated like this.

This world is truly awful…

She bit her lower lip hard and tried her best not to cry out loud.

What exactly had she done wrong to deserve such treatment?

Recalling her tumultuous experiences she always seemed to be the one getting bullied.

It was as if the entire world was against her.

But what had she done wrong?

Here no one would listen to her grievances.

No one would sympathize with her, a spy from an enemy nation.

When she was young and bullied by He Ying she would hide away by herself.

Later when her mother had her become a spy she had not let her down.

When her undercover mission failed and her identity was exposed even her lover was killed right in front of her by Hua Yanyun yet she had gritted her teeth and not betrayed anyone.

In the end locked in a cage and reduced to a plaything she had simply endured it all in silence.

I want to go home so much…

But… can I really make it home alive?

Tears filled her eyes.

He Shu’s heart was overwhelmed with indescribable grievances.

He Ying could hit her.

Liu Shumei could tie her up.

Hua Yanyun could treat her as a toy.

Even Lin Hanjing and Qing Lanyue whom she had just met could effortlessly pin her down.

The tears finally fell.

They slid down her cheeks and into her ears.

It was itchy and uncomfortable.

He Shu did not reach up to wipe them.

She had no strength to do so.

And she did not want others to see her wiping her tears.

He Shu lay powerless on Hua Yanyun’s lap like a broken doll.

She remained motionless and simply sobbed in silence.

A person who had never experienced familial affection since childhood would crave spiritual comfort like a madwoman.

It was precisely because of this that He Shu had gone undercover alone in an enemy country for that one vague, illusory trace of affection from her mother.