Chapter 274 - Fifth Princess Got into Trouble at Tianfeng Palace (1/2)

Within the Empress’ Tianfeng Palace.

The Empress sat high up with a cold and ugly expression. Beside her, Fifth Princess sat quietly, watching the servants walk in and out of the hall with pails of b.l.o.o.d.y water. Her face turned pale.

Mo Xuetong sat below, squeezing Mo Lan’s hand tight as she was a bit nervous. Her eyes turned misty and watery, making her look worried and helpless. Her fingers hooked on Mo Lan’s hand as her knuckles were white from using force. However, from the corner of her eyes hid a slight tinge of coldness.

“How is Beauty Liu?” Seeing that a servant had rushed in, the Empress asked.

“I’m afraid that Beauty Liu’s face…” The servant hesitated to choose her words but her meaning was clear.

The Empress could not sit and wait anymore as Beauty Liu was a new concubine of the Emperor. She had to answer to the Emperor for damaging the face of his new lover.

Standing up, she led the group to the side hall, where the smell of blood was mixed with that of sandalwood, and herbs, making all extremely uncomfortable.

“Doctor, can my face be treated? Will I have a scar?” Beauty Liu shouted out with her sharp voice. As a piece of white cloth covered Beauty Liu’s face, only her eyes could be seen.

“I’m afraid that a scar… is probably difficult to avoid.” The old doctor retreated and answered carefully.

“Why? Didn’t Beauty Lin leave no scar behind after having her face hurt? Why can’t I be like her?” Beauty Liu asked anxiously.

A month ago, the Emperor’s another beauty fell while walking, knocking onto the tree in front, damaging her looks. Fortunately, the doctors in the imperial hospital were skilled enough. Just when other beauties were secretly delighted, Beauty Lin came last week with merely a pale face and no other injuries.

The Empress’ gaze fell on the doctor as she asked him the same question. “Why can’t Beauty Liu avoid any scar since both of them injured their face?”

The doctor frowned and replied after seeing the Empress’s dissatisfied face. “Beauty Lin was merely injured by a normal tree branch. However, Beauty Liu was injured by both the sharp claws of monkey, as well as the poison on the claws.”

“Poison? Why?” The Empress asked anxiously as she glanced at Fifth Princess, frowning slightly.

“Please say, what poison?” Seeing that the doctor was hesitating, Beauty Liu was anxious and prompted.

“It is an unusually vicious poison. The poison invades the skin, creating a scar on the face and damaging the parts around it. Even if we use the best medicine, deadly grey scars will appear after it completely healed.” The doctor replied as he lowered his head respectfully. He secretly lamented on the viciousness of these women in the Emperor’s harem. Indeed, only they would use such extreme means to destroy someone’s looks.

However, as a doctor, it was not in his position to say that.

“What? How can such poison exist under a monkey’s claws?” The Empress’ face changed and she expressed her shock.

“Perhaps a monkey stepped on such poison accidentally and left the poison into the scar.” The doctor forcefully explained even though no one believed in his explanation. However, everyone in the palace was too smart to openly doubt his claim.

“No, impossible! Impossible to leave a scar.” Beauty Liu was extremely anxious as she grabbed her head in a frantic. She kept asking the doctor to gain even a last simmer of hope.

The doctor turned around and replied, “Beauty, my shallow knowledge limits me from knowing this exact poison. If I could know what it is, I can use the antidote immediately and perhaps there’s still hope.”

Women in the palace need their pretty face for love from the Emperor, and for survival within the palace. A woman with a broken face will not be loved by the Emperor. A woman without love from the Emperor and children will always have a miserable ending in the harem.

The cold hard palace walls will lock out all the vitality of such women, and their families too.

“Impossible! Impossible!” Beauty Liu screamed in fear, struggling to get up from the bed. She looked around the bed at everyone, stopping at Fifth Princess, who was standing behind the Empress. “Fifth Princess, save me! Please save me! Where is the antidote?”

Her screams made the Empress and Fifth Princess shocked.

“Beauty Liu, please be careful in your words. Fifth Princess had always been in Tianfeng Palace and had nothing to do with you!” The Empress chided.

Thinking about her tragically disfigured face, as well as the sympathy on the face of servants and eunuchs, Beauty Liu could not help but break down.

She was going insane and had no other ways. She knew that Fifth Princess used the poison and a.s.sumed that she must have the antidote. Hence, she tugged the Empress’ sleeves and begged, “Empress, please let Fifth Princess give the antidote to me. Fifth Princess said that I only need to bring Princess Anping there and shake out fragrance to attract monkeys. Princess Anping was rude to Fifth Princess and she merely wanted to punish her. Please ask Fifth Princess.”

“Shut up! Enough with your gibberis.h.!.+ Come and shut her mouth!” Seeing that she had spilled out the entire truth, the Empress had a bad feeling, and thus shouted out.

“It’s really Fifth Princess. Really! Empress, the Emperor will be here soon and I will say the truth in front of him if Fifth Princess does not give me the antidote.” Beauty Liu was insane. Her scar tore open from her agitated speech and blood sipped out from her face, making her look even more sinister and awkward.

“Shut up! I am the Fifth Princess! Why would I harm Princess Anping? You must have set up this trap as you see that my father would rather focus on Princess Anping than you!” Fifth Princess looked at Beauty Liu with cruel merciless eyes, chiding her.