19 Toyed By Power,Just Another Victim

"So.... did she already ingest the last bottle?" the person's tone sound so calm and low that it can be evaluated as a lazy cat's purr.

This can be only given off by a non-caring person or a bored professional....and the latter seems the right one.

"Your highness,i've never wasted even a drop of every bottles since the very start. You can rest assured that this lowly servant did her best to carry out her highness' orders."

The person in front of "her highness" is facing the ground and politely answers to her very questions. She knows the consequence of even a tiny error and shortcoming when serving the sovereign and it is either being crippled or solely death.

"Then why is that kid still breathing? The poison's lethality is unmatched and the symptoms is indiscernible and complicated. Besides...

she is already consuming it since she's in her mother's womb,isn't she?"clicking her tongue, she gives the other her unsatisfied look.

"This slave heard that the doctor who the Right Minister seeks help is very capable. The medication he have arranged may have decelerate the effects of the poison but as your highness said,no cure is available yet so he may have given a wrong prescription."she slightly trembled but tried to get ahold of herself.

Nothing good will happen if she shows weakness.

"Do you think im dumb?"

"T-this slave doesn't dare."stunned by the royalty's words,she tried to answer immediately.

"Then explain to me why you ask for the Minister's ears many weeks ago,

Concubine.Luo.Shi?!"

Even without looking up, she felt a shiver down her spine just with that calm but devilish smile.

"Do you think you'll get away easily just because you have the pity of that official? No.You.Won't!"

"Tell me. Do you want your family to live?"

"Being skinned alive,bruised black and blue,crippled, even tortured halfway to death and killed by scorching fire slowly."

"Do you want them to feel that hell?"

Seeing the quivering figure of the Concubine,the lady chuckled. She walks closer and hold the other's chin up forcefully.

"Im confident that you knew the punishment of what you did,right?"

"Comply to my orders and maybe then i'll give a bit of mercy."she lightly said and lessened the force she applied while holding the other's chin. She even caressed it as if she really dotes at the woman.

"Remember your two daughters. They're still young while your husband is just as powerless as you."

"I can just flick my sleeves and they'll die in a second."

"What a pity that we actually came to this point."

The lady's monologue keeps in forcefully opening a stitch just above the Concubine's heart. It felt like her life force is being sucked out of her body.

Her family...they'll be gone just like that if she doesn't comply but her conscience is killing her. It felt like she's poisoning her own daughter. But even so,killing that child may bring her freedom. She's not 100% positive if her master will do as she said. Only the heaven knows how long did she suffer under her just to be punished severely in the end.

It is certain that she can not live past a few more months because she's caught doing against the master's words. Praying for her family is the best she can do now.

"W-what does the master want me to do?"

"Take all the blame and tell them that you lied about having an accomplice or a backer. You need to carry the weight by yourself and never mention whatever we talked about." she patted Luo Shi's shoulder as if dusting her dress. She even smoothens the sides and smile at her brightly.

No one could believe her if she told anyone that such a serene face carry a million dirt and secrets. Even she,when they first met think that the lady is kind and genuine person. She reveres her so much and serves wholeheartedly in the past.

Flashback...

She knew that the palace is a very dangerous place but that time she is desperate for money for her sick mother. She heard they pay bigger than the others so she do her best to pass the requirements to be a servant even if its very difficult. She is only hired as one of the lowest rank maids in the palace but she can care less as long as she can let her mother live longer.

Weeks pass by,she is working very hard to be recognized just a little but she's still bullied by the other maids especially the older ones and the higher ranks. In addition to her sufferings,her mother's condition just worsened. Turns out that her mother's body is already very weak because of too much manual work and stress. Even when she already felt symptoms of a disease,she never stop working so that they two could eat 2 times a day. This worsened her condition until she can not even get out of the bed.

Few more months after,her mother left the world. Luo Shi is devastated but she has no choice but to continue serving her majesty while mourning.

Then she met Fan Wuming,a guard at the palace. They bumped into each other a few times and each encounter give smile to her lifeless face. He diverted her griefs and makes her a little more happy. They fell for each other more and more each day. Unfortunately,they are caught meeting at the a deserted part of the palace's backyard while hugging. It is forbidden for the servants to have a couple relationship with one another and punishable by death.

That time her Highness show mercy and let them live but with two conditions. Her lover,Fan Yuming is expelled from the palace and she on the other had to agree doing a risky job for her master. It is to become a spy to the Minister's Manor in exchange for their lives. How cruel it is to be a slave but its better than dying. Her lover is against it but what can they do? They are just nameless seravants that can be swatted anytime like a fly.

Few days before she starts serving inside the Minister's courtyard,she found out that she's conceiving a child. Her master eventually found out and summon her to talk. She is scared shitless when the other ask her to abort the child. Luo Shi kneels and kowtowed fiercely asking for mercy until her forehead is bleeding. The lady smiled terrifyingly before clicking her tongue and talked in a very low voice.

"I can let it be but that means a delay to your service and thats not very convenient for me. Do you want this lady to wait?"

She can't think of anything and in the verge of breakdown. Its just like when she lost her mother. She can do nothing to save her baby. She just shook her hed like her life depends on it but thats not entirely wrong either.

"Don't be too down Xiao Yang. You can still do something for me."

She slowly looks up and showed a questioning expression to the other.

"You actually look a little pretty even after crying,aren't you? After you give birth,why don't you serve the Minister then? You will not lose anything and you will be much useful for me by then."

This is when she truly understand how heartless her master is. To force a lady to a man,how ruthless it is. She will not be that different from the ladies of pleasure's house if that time comes. Alas,she know she's not the first one. She can just heedlessly agreed now.

Why can't she just choose another one who's willing to be a whore while spying? The whore house doesn't lack a professional entertainer. She has no experience in that field and will likely to fuck up.

But for her future baby and Fan Wuming,she can do everything. Even if its sacrificing her body.

.....

A servant bring the lady a handkerchief to clean her hands like she just touch the dirtiest person on the world.

"I'll do whatever her highness wants me to do. Is there anything more this lowly slave can do for m-master?"her unstable knees is about to give out but she hardens her resolve to look more convincing to the other.

"A slave thinking that she actually can help this one big time sure is boastful. Do you think that you are that capable? HAHAHA! Pathetic! You can't even do your only job in the first place correctly."the servant beside the sovereign who appeared earlier,slap the concubine as what the royalty gestures.

"I'll think about sparing your husband and children if you do the job perfectly. As for your life...

say goobye to it now so you won't be too surprised when the time comes."she turns her back and about to depart when Luo Shi replied.

"This lowly servant promise to fulfill the job.....

Y-your Highness Empress Dowager."she gritted her teeth and bows.

"En."

The sound of footsteps slowly disappeared under the supervision of the moon and Luo Shi's ears.

'Should i tell Fan Yuming?'