Fierce Consort

Chapter 42

The slender and fragile Concubine Pei lay prone on the edge of the kiln, coughing with all her strength.

The red embroidered gauze mattress had been messed up due to her struggles. She coughed while tears streamed down her face. The maids outside heard the commotion and quietly inquired within. They were scared into silence by Yan Ting smashing a teacup on the ground.

Concubine Pei looked extremely wretched. Her fair and slender neck was a shade of purple, her eyes were swollen and her makeup was running all over due to her tears.

Yan Ting gave her a dull glance. He half lifted the hems of his robes, turning to sit in one of the chairs.
After a long while, Concubine Pei finally recovered. She wasn't able to do anything about her appearance, merely using her sleeves to wipe her face before crawling over to Yan Ting and hugging his leg.

"Co-cousin, you've truly...accused me wrongly. I know about this matter....not having told you earlier was my-my fault. But you've only stopped by the Ziyu Pavilion once after coming back. I hadn't seen you in so long and forgot about it due to excitement. I remembered afterwards and wanted to go tell you, but was afraid the madam would be unhappy if she saw me....."

Her normally soft and delicate voice was now raspy like an old woman's. Concubine Pei's throat was in a lot of pain, but she couldn't care about it at this moment. She was trembling all over from shock, but still forced a sweet and pitiful expression on her face.

She didn't know just what on earth had happened, but Yan Ting's words had revealed quite a lot. Concubine Pei had never been stupid. She thought of how Yan Ting was mysteriously relocated, thought of how the servants found out the lord marquis left early every day and returned late in a bad mood. Having managed the household for several years, she also had her own people placed in the front courtyard. Therefore, she was clear he hadn't been in a good mood these days.

Connecting this with the words he just spoke in a rare fury, Concubine Pei came to an astounding conclusion. Did the Zhenguo Duke take his anger out on her cousin over last time's matter, and have him relocated back to the capital?

Concubine Pei understood what was most important to Yan Ting. Therefore, no matter what, this couldn't have anything to do with her. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't let her off! She wasn't as naïve as Shen Yi Yao. She knew too well what lay beneath her handsome cousin's normally mild expression!
She still remembered something that happened many years ago when Yan Ting's marriage with Shen Yi Yao had been arranged but not yet occurred. One of Yan Ting's chambermaids secretly switched out her birth control soup and got pregnant. That chambermaid was clever and kept it hidden until her stomach made it impossible to do so.

The old madam couldn't bear aborting the child since it was Yan Ting's first child. However, Yan Ting personally had the granny brew the abortion medicine and watched as they force-fed it to her. Finally, the chambermaid bled out. Two lives were lost in one go.

It was at this moment Concubine Pei realized that the gentle-looking Yan Ting was actually very ruthless. He would kill anyone who got in his way, regardless if they were god or human.

".....that matter was due to Hong'er losing his temper, and wasn't on purpose. But the third miss refused to let it go and insisted that Hong'er pushed the fourth young master on purpose. The fourth young master's health isn't good so it isn't convenient for him to make aunt happy. Hong'er on the other hand has made aunt happy countless times, and let her feel the joy of having a grandson. Therefore, aunt was a little biased towards

Hong'er...."

Concubine Pei's expression was melancholy and mournful, as though having suffered limitless grievance.