He coldly cursed her, “You sl*t, how could you be so unchaste?”
After he finished speaking, Xu Shi looked at him with teary eyes.
Her eyes were moist, and when she looked at him with tears in them, she looked especially pitiful and endearing.
His hardened heart softened slightly at that moment.
How could he reprimand such a beautiful woman?
But it wasn’t his fault; the blame lay with Xu Shi for her shamelessness and lack of propriety, for trying every means to seduce him.
“Does His Majesty know of your actions? If His Majesty finds out… You would be drowned in a pig cage.”
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Shi rose from beside his legs, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
“I don’t love His Majesty, I only love the Prince. Prince, please grant my wish, let me be yours.”
Xu Shi was so infatuated with him that she only wanted his pity and favor.
He did indeed like Xu Shi’s appearance, and in his dream, he complied with her wishes and embraced her.
The dream was so beautiful that when Li Xu woke up, he was still immersed in it and couldn’t come back to his senses for a long time.
“Take a bath and change clothes!” Li Xu shouted outside, his anger rising even more after realizing it was all a dream.
He’ll get Xu Shi into his possession, sooner or later.
It’s better to give herself to him than to give herself to that old man, the Emperor.
***
In the inner palace—
“Are you going to deal with her?”
Li Guiren looked up abruptly, her eyes lighting up.
She had previously been Li Gui Pin, a high-ranking concubine in the harem. Having allied herself with Gui Fei, her life in the harem had been relatively comfortable.
Although she had no princes or princesses by her side, the Emperor often visited her palace, which gave her some comfort.
But ever since Xu Lingyi entered the palace, the Emperor’s eyes and heart belonged only to Xu Lingyi.
In His Majesty’s heart, Xu Lingyi was the best, while the others had no place in His Majesty’s heart anymore.
“You should have dealt with her long ago. That vile woman thinks that just because she has His Majesty’s favor, she can do whatever she wants and disregard you and the Princess.”
Li Guiren had long harbored hatred for Xu Lingyi; she couldn’t bear the humiliation of being demoted.
In fact, this humiliation was clearly inflicted upon her by herself and His Majesty, yet she harbored no hatred for His Majesty whatsoever, but only for Xu Lingyi.
“I’ve tolerated her for too long. I’ve come to you this time hoping to get your help.”
Li Guiren nodded.
She had done this kind of thing many times before. Her maid had told her that Gui Fei had something to rely on, but she did not.
Although she had her concerns, she was still determined to take action this time.
She was willing to do anything to get revenge on that vile woman, Xu Lingyi.
“Your Highness, what do you plan to do?”
Gui Fei looked at her and lowered her voice: “What does His Majesty like most about Xu Shi?”
“That face.” Li Guiren said without hesitation.
Even though she loathed Xu Lingyi, she had to admit that she was indeed beautiful, and that it was precisely because of that face that she had bewitched His Majesty.
“So as long as we ruin her face, we’ll destroy her. Without her face, this vixen has no capital. If she is disfigured, His Majesty will be furious and heartbroken at first, but as time goes on, he will surely stop favoring her. When her beauty fades, and his love wanes, Xu Shi will no longer be a threat. After a while, when she has completely fallen out of favor, that will be Xu Shi’s death day.”
Li Guiren was thrilled to hear this.
She couldn’t wait to see that vile woman’s fate.
*****
Translator’s Encyclopedia
Da Ji (妲己)
Da Ji was, according to legend, the consort of the last depraved ruler of the Shang dynasty, King Zhou.
Da Ji was the daughter of the Lord of Su. Because the small country of Su had not delivered tributes, King Zhou attacked Su with his army. In a hopeless situation, the Lord of Su offered King Zhou to present him with his beautiful daughter. The King accepted and withdrew his troops.
King Zhou, fond of wine and women, fell in love with Da Ji to such an extent that he obeyed all her words. His first misdoing was the use of “frivolous music” (yinyue, 淫樂), the dances of the northern mile (beibi zhi wu, 北鄙之舞), instead of the “correct sounds” (zhengsheng, 正聲) normally played at the court. The people suffered under the chaotic administration, and the regional rulers began to rebel.
Da Ji thereupon suggested aggravating punishment in order to demonstrate the authority of the king. Each time Da Ji watched an execution, she burst out laughing. Da Ji was also said to have invented the punishment of the roasting beam (paoluo zhi fa, 炮烙之法). She also deeply enjoyed the spectacle of the King’s most trusted minister’s heart being opened. The royal uncle and minister Bi Gan was thus cruelly slaughtered because Da Ji desired to see whether his heart really had seven apertures, as said from the heart of a wise man. King Zhou had a wine pond (jiuchi, 酒池) constructed for her and a meat forest (roulin, 肉林) created, in which naked men and women pursued pleasure, much to the delight of Da Ji.
When King Zhou’s army was defeated by Ji Fa, the Viscount of the West and eventual King Wu of the Zhou dynasty, Da Ji was executed. Yet other sources say that she committed suicide.
From the Southern and Northern Dynasties period on, Da Ji was interpreted as the incarnation of a nine-tailed fox, as can be attested in Li Luo’s commentary to the Qianziwen. The story figures prominently in the romance Fengshen. Related to this tale is the belief that Da Ji had invented foot binding in order to hide her own small fox feet.
Source: http://www.chinaknowledge.de
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