Chapter 9.

Warning ⚠️:

Torture scenes.

'smack!'

"Vile creature! On your knees!".

Bai Ru Lian's face contorted in shock. She held her cheek in pain. She had a small cut that was bleeding at the edge of her lips.

"What are you staring at?! Kneel!," looking around, she ordered a mama behind her. "Pull this ungrateful creature down"

The mama quickly rushed forward and pulled Bai Ru Lian to her knees. The contrast between the red handprint on her pale face was glaring.

"My Lord, pardon this concubine on her failure to properly teach the young Miss*," she also joined Bai Ru Lian and kneeled down.

"Very well then," the Prime Minister cleared his throat loudly. "Concubine Du, assist the young Mistress to stand. Let this be the last time she does this"

Concubine Du Shao Lian hurriedly stands up and bows repeatedly to the Prime Minister before helping her daughter Bai Ru Lian up. She secretly pinches her from the side and gives her a nudge with her shoulder.

"This daughter has been rude, Father, Mother*old Madam, I beg you to forgive my mistake" she bows and doesn't rise till the Prime Minister waves his hand for her to rise. She is assisted by a proud looking Du Shao Lian to her seat and bow her head down for the rest of the meal.

The meal continues in silence. The Old Madam looks around unsure whether she should continue her request but Concubine Du Shao Lian shakes her head while Concubine Guo Fei Yan looks away.

Bai Shen Ting who is sitting in the same table with her Father and Mother picks a braised fish with her chopsticks and offer it to her mother who smiles and pats her head, "Bai Shen Ting is now very sensible"

Bai Shen Ting offers the same to the Prime Minister and the Old Madam before continuing her meal.

"Ting'er, it will be your birthday in a couple of months. Why would you like to have?," the Prime Minister's words made all the former chatter cease.

"Shen Ting is privileged to have a happy family and caring parents. I could not wish for any more"

"Oh! this child. Your mouth is getting sweeter everyday," the Minister was smiling as he dropped his chopsticks and faced her. "Okay what would you like?"

"Whatever Father gives me is best"

"Father, what about me? It's also my birthday too, don't forget Bai Shen Ting and I are twins?"

He is rewarded with a swift knock from the fú rén, "Aiii! Mother, why are you hitting me?"

"She is your older sister! Change your way of addressing her"

"Father…?," Bai Shen Min looks at his father for justice but the Minister picks his cup and takes a gulp. Then he picks his chopsticks and picks out the soft underbelly of the fish and puts it in Bai Shen Ting's plate.

"Elder sister…" his voice was so tiny the other tables couldn't hear him properly.

"Yes? Did you say something, I can't hear you"

"You!..."

Bai Shen Ting replied with a big smile.

"Elder sister Shen Ting" , his teeth were clenched this time.

"Yes, younger brother?"

Bai Shen Min harrumphed loudly and went back to his food, ignoring everyone.

Their conversation stopped when a woman came to the front of their long table and bowed.

"Greetings to Old Madam, Prime Minister and the fú rén" she bowed.

"You may rise Concubine Guo"

"Thanking the fú rén" she rose and properly stood displaying temperament better than the other concubines. Unlike Concubine Du, she is a legitimate daughter of her father's household so she had all the necessary teachings and etiquette as that of a Di daughter.

"Speak. Why are you here?"

"Replying to the Old Madam, this lowly concubine has a request she would like the fú rén to agree too"

Such timing. Bai Shen Ting wanted to see what this woman was trying to do.

"If it is a request for the fú rén, then there is no need for it to be made here when we're eating. You may go back to your seat"

" I apologize for the bad timing, but it's a request that involves both the decision of the Master and the fú rén," she hurriedly bows to the Old Madam.

"Rise and say it then"

" Thanking the fú rén," she rises with the help of her maid. "It is like this. The young miss Bai Fei Fei has shown incredible talent in embroidery and I would like to invite a teacher for her"

"Impudent!" the Minister stands up in anger.

Everyone stood up and bowed at the Prime Minister.

" Prime Minister please quell your anger"

"Insolent concubine! Kneel!," the Old Madam furiously pointed at Concubine Guo.

The Prime Minister waves everyone to return to their seats as Concubine Guo gets on her knees.

"Let this be the last time I hear of this. Concubine Guo, go back to your courtyard and copy the four womanly virtues six times"

Concubine Guo bows before standing with the help of a mama who escorts her out of the hall.

The fú rén pours tea into the Minister's cup, "My lord please quell your anger it is not good for your health"

The Minister sits and drinks from his cup.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

*Crash!!*

An expensive vase laid shattered on the floor.

Across the room, several decorations and antiques lay broken and shattered. The vase seemed to be the last of them to break.

"My lady please calm down"

Several maids and mamas are continually hitting their head on the floor making a squelching sound from the raw flesh opened on their forehead and blood on the floor.

Concubine Du looks sharply at the several maids causing them to shrink back in fear.

It was coming.

She walks and drags one of the maids from her hair and walks inside the courtyard towards her private quarters that were forbidden for anyone to enter.

"My lady please spare me, I beg you please spare my life," the maid hiccuped with tears and snot running from her face. She starts struggling against the concubine's hold but she is simply a young weak girl. "I have old parents and a younger sister who is very young, my lady please spare me!"

Her screams are met with deaf ears as Concubine Guo finally pushes her into the room and slams it shut. The sound of the deadbolt locking is heard.

The other maids and mamas kneeling start crying and looking at each other in relief and regret.

"What are you all still kneeling for? Go back to your posts!," the dowry mama for Concubine Guo roared at them, causing them to all scatter.

On their way leaving, they could hear the muffled screaming of the maid but they all hastened and ran off. This would be the last time they ever saw that maid.

The candle burned weakly and was shaking inside the room. The room was properly arranged and decorated with a lot of books and treasured paintings. The wood from the flooring looked simple yet elegant and gave off a very calming smell. From all of these, it would appear that the owner of the room was very tasteful and elegant. The muffled sound of a hiccup could be heard every now and then.

Another candle was lit which made the room much brighter and the first glance would chill anyone's heart.

A girl laid spread-eagle on a wooden board with her hands and feet tied. Her mouth was also stuffed with a piece of clothing and that was where the muffled hiccups were coming from.

Her eyes were reddened with crying and her hair damp on her face with sweat but other than that, she was stark naked.

From her face, she had candle wax that was in the process of solidifying and many slices that looked like they were carved out from a knife.

Her neck had many red handprints around them and the base of her neck had a small silver hairpin sticking out of it.

Her breasts had many embroidery needles sticking out of them and every tremble of pain caused them to shake causing even more pain.

Her stomach had words like slut, bastard and die repeatedly carved on them with a short knife and with blood flowing out of them.

Looking down, her feet no longer have toenails save her last left toe but rather short stubble remnants of toenails. A tool lay on the floor, with bloody toenails sticking out of it.

Her legs had been branded with a hot coals from the burning Kang*.

Her private area was bloody and bruised with blood dripping from it. A small chunk of flesh from her private part lay discarded on the floor leaving a bleeding wood that was cauterized by a metal brand. A big piece of wood broken from a bed frame was sticking out of her.

The maid shouted in pain as her second eye was pierced with the metal brand, leaving her completely blind.

In front of her, Concubine Guo Fei Yan was breathing loudly and smiling as she held her chest and head before closing her eyes and exhaling.

She washed her hands in the bowl of water beside her and patted it dry with a waiting rag.

She composed herself and smiled in the same genial manner she always did before undressing herself naked and walking towards her bathing room.

Inside, she soaks and cleans herself whilst humming a cheerful melody before reflecting on what happened earlier on.

It seems that manner of asking or approach would no longer be feasible. Biting her nails, she tried to think of a way to help her daughter. She was not like that other wretched Concubine Du that comes from the same disgusting household like the Old Madam no.

She was the second daughter of the Chancellor of Da Liang. Her birth and status was noble. Her family connections were far and wide and she refused to let her daughter only get the basic concubine education, she would not allow it!.

The young Miss*- apparently back then concubines had no legal right to their children as they were all legally registered in the name of the legal wife or fú rén of the household. They had to address their children as the Young Miss or Master. Although some of them privately called their concubine mothers mother but always did so in privacy.

Mother*- the same thing applied for Concubine born children. They could only address the legal wife or fú rén of their father as Mother. Their birth mothers were to be addressed with the statutory position as concubines.

Kang*- A traditional long platform of brick, clay or concrete, used for heating in colder parts of China and suitable for sleeping on at night

A/N: Hello lovelies. Don't forget to like, comment and refer my story to everyone you know.