Chapter 6: The Thief Crying Thief

Chuntao was quite clever; she knew that Cheng Jin, a sheltered official’s daughter, would naturally be incapable of ordering an execution.

All she had to do now was beg for mercy and soften Cheng Jin’s heart.

Cheng Jin had never cared much for such material things. Having grown up surrounded by mountains of gold and silver, how could she possibly fly into a rage over a few trinkets?

"Your Ladyship, please spare me! This servant was just momentarily blinded by greed, which is why I did such a thing. Please, Your Ladyship, spare me."

Weeping, she crawled on her knees to Cheng Jin’s feet. Cuizhu stepped forward first, blocking Chuntao from grabbing the hem of Cheng Jin’s trousers.

"You have committed such a grave offense; how dare you still beg for mercy and cling to Her Ladyship?"

Cheng Jin looked down at Chuntao kneeling at her feet. She remained silent for a long moment before speaking, putting on a facade of empathy

"Chuntao, if it were only because of this matter, I would not have wanted to blame you."

Hearing Cheng Jin’s words, Chuntao thought her pleas were working and immediately kowtowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Your Ladyship, for your magnanimity. Thank you for sparing this servant’s life."

Before Chuntao could finish, Cheng Jin’s voice suddenly rose.

The softness of a young girl was gone from her tone; it was filled with a murderous intent, as if she wanted to devour the Chuntao before her alive.

Hearing Cheng Jin’s fury, all the eunuchs and palace maids in the room knelt to the side, not daring to look up.

Cheng Jin’s temperament was not considered good in the palace, but she had always only caused trouble by bickering with Consort Hui, a fellow concubine. She had never before been this enraged at her own servants, which made everyone tremble with fear.

"I spare your life, but who will spare mine? You took my personal jade pendant and delivered it to Qu Wanxin, trying to frame me for pushing her into the lake. You plotted to pin such a crime on me—why didn't you think about sparing my life then?"

When Chuntao heard Cheng Jin mention this, her spine turned cold and her limbs went limp.

If stealing from Cheng Jin was something that could be forgiven, then being caught conspiring with Qu Wanxin to deceive their superiors and frame Cheng Jin was a capital offense.

She couldn't even manage to beg for mercy anymore.

Cheng Jin couldn't be bothered to waste more words on her. She waved her hand, signaling for someone to drag Chuntao away, and stepped past her toward the main hall.

Seeing the eunuchs coming to drag her away, Chuntao, desperate to live, could only beg Cheng Jin over and over again.

"Your Ladyship, this servant does not ask for your forgiveness. This servant is willing to make amends for her crimes. Please, Your Ladyship, trust this servant one more time and spare my life."

"Consort Hui... Consort Hui will come to beg for your forgiveness tomorrow. She somehow got news that the Emperor will also be coming, and she plans to put on a show for the Emperor tomorrow to make him despise you even more."

Cheng Jin stopped in her tracks, carefully considering Chuntao’s words.

The credibility of Chuntao’s words was low, but in this life-or-death moment, someone as two-faced and opportunistic as her wouldn't be thinking of dying for Qu Wanxin.

If Qu Wanxin really came to stir up trouble tomorrow as Chuntao said, then by using this opportunity to let Qu Wanxin succeed, wouldn't she be able to distance herself from the female lead, Qu Wanxin, and the villain, Chu Chengye, all at once?

Although it was still three years until the Fifth Prince’s rebellion, distancing herself from the protagonist group’s conflicts early would give her a better chance of survival.

She would also find a time to see her stubborn father and mule-headed brother, and tell them to stop meddling in the factional strife between the Emperor and the Fifth Prince. Perhaps when the Emperor eventually fell, she could return home just like the other concubines selected into the palace later on.

Thinking of this, Cheng Jin’s expression softened. She looked back at Chuntao and raised an eyebrow, signaling the guards holding her.

"Let her go."

Chuntao wept with joy. "Thank you, Your Ladyship! Thank you! This servant will do her utmost to assist you and repay your kindness."

Cheng Jin smiled. "For today, just stay in the palace and tell Consort Hui everything I do. Whatever I say, you say."

Since this was her only chance at survival, Chuntao was certain to seize it.

"Tell her that today the Emperor was furious because of the Qu Wanxin incident and wanted to execute me immediately. Say that my position as a consort won't last long, and that as long as someone adds fuel to the fire, I will have no chance of a comeback."

After Cheng Jin finished speaking, Chuntao went to relay the words to Consort Hui without a moment's hesitation.

After Chuntao left, Cuizhu looked at Cheng Jin with some confusion. "Your Ladyship, why do you still trust Chuntao? Regardless of which of her actions we consider, it wouldn't be too much to beat her to death. Now that you've sent her to report to Qu Wanxin, won't we be falling right into her trap when the Emperor comes tomorrow?"

Cheng Jin shook her head. "How could I possibly trust Chuntao again? She betrayed me once today, and there will surely be a next time. After tomorrow, I will have someone drag her to the Bureau of Punishments."

"As for Qu Wanxin coming tomorrow, if I fall into her trap, that would be even better."

The next day, Cheng Jin was woken up by Cuizhu.

Cheng Jin opened her eyes and looked at Cuizhu, feeling utterly hopeless.

"Cuizhu, do you know? You waking me up right now is like prying open my coffin lid."

Cuizhu was stunned. "What coffin lid? Your Ladyship, why say such unlucky things? Consort Hui is coming soon, so I’ve come to help you wash and dress. Let’s not give anyone a handle to use against us."

Even as a concubine, she had to be this competitive? Competing over who wakes up earlier?

After Cheng Jin finished getting ready, Qu Wanxin was already waiting in the side hall.

Cheng Jin looked at Qu Wanxin’s posture and couldn't help but worry for her.

She had a beautiful face and an exquisite appearance—she was clearly the female lead of the book—but her behavior was no different from a modern person.

She was leaning crookedly on the chair, sitting with her legs crossed, and the handkerchief in her hand was being tossed into the air again and again like a prop from a folk dance.

Before the Qu Wanxin in the book had her soul replaced by the one from the modern era, she had been one of the most renowned talented women in the capital. But now, looking at her like this, there wasn't a trace of how a woman of this era should behave.

In this man-eating era, having one's own thoughts might be a good thing, but being too ostentatious would surely lead to a fatal disaster.

As soon as Cheng Jin walked over, Qu Wanxin stood up. She stood there for a long time before remembering to bow, and then clumsily placed her hands on her waist, mixing up her left and right.

"I greet Your Ladyship."

Greeting me in the morning?

Who exactly is having a good morning?

It would be better if you had come later.

She nodded slightly in response, waiting for Qu Wanxin to make her big move.

"I heard that the Emperor came to your place yesterday to hold you accountable. I don't know who turned the news of my falling into the water into your fault, causing the Emperor to misunderstand you. I should have come to clarify things for you yesterday, but I was truly feeling unwell and couldn't get out of bed."

[You don't know who? It was obviously you. And now you're here, the thief crying 'stop thief.' Isn't it because you think I suffered a silent loss at Chu Chengye’s place yesterday, and you've come today to mock me, waiting for me to fly into a rage, disrupt the peace of the harem, and then use that to bring me down in one fell swoop?]

Listening to Qu Wanxin’s hypocritical words, Cheng Jin smiled calmly, playing along with the attitude Qu Wanxin wanted.

"Indeed. I don't know which servant slandered me like that. If I find out, I will surely pull out her tongue."