Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 544 Coercion

Chapter 544: Chapter 544 Coercion

A sharp, thin voice stopped the piercing scream, "Shut up, or I’ll cut out your tongue."

The voice gradually faded away.

Dong Xue’s muddled mind slowly began to clear, realizing that Master Lian had run into trouble, which explained the great commotion. But what did it have to do with her?

Suddenly, she noticed something and looked up, only to realize a eunuch had appeared at some point, his face indiscernible.

This eerie eunuch spoke in a soft, sinister voice, "Miss Dong Xue?"

The voice was chilling, like a cold, venomous snake slithering through her eardrum.

Dong Xue shuddered, a bad premonition surfacing in her mind, and she summoned the courage to respond, "Yes... it’s me, eunuch. Are you going to interrogate me? Have I committed any offense?"

The eunuch did not answer her question. After confirming it was Dong Xue, he pulled something from his sleeve and tossed it to her, raising his hoarse voice, "Your family sends their regards."

After saying this, the creepy eunuch disappeared without looking back, vanishing at the end of the cell.

Dong Xue’s heart raced. Watching the figure disappear, she looked at the object with confusion and unease, unable to discern it clearly in the dimly lit cell.

She swallowed nervously, hesitated, and was afraid to look, as if the object were a devastating flood or beast that could change her fate forever if she dared to see it.

Eventually, she crawled over. The eunuch had mentioned her family; she couldn’t not look.

She was the eldest daughter at home, with a younger brother, both dearly loved by their parents from a young age. Her father ran a small business, and life was relatively prosperous.

But then her father fell seriously ill, income ceased, and they had to sell their possessions, eventually becoming destitute.

Seeing there was no way out, her father secretly stopped taking his medicine, which she discovered and tearfully sold herself to the palace, the silver she earned given to her mother to treat her father’s illness.

Her father’s illness had improved slightly before she entered the palace. She wondered how he was now, deeply concerned.

Thinking of her family warmed her heart a little. She took the object in her hand, which was a bundle of paper with something wrapped inside, somewhat familiar.

As she unfolded the paper, it seemed to have something written on it, but she didn’t have time to read it closely. She extracted the wrapped object and looked down.

Under the dim light, she screamed out, "Father!"

She would recognize that object even with her eyes closed!

In a secluded corner of the Harem.

A young eunuch, vigilant, with scratch marks across the back of his hand, scratched them.

Seeing no one around, he quietly hid in a rockery, and just as he entered, his mouth was covered, "...mmph... it’s me..."

Recognizing him, Xia Lei relaxed his mind, "How did it go?"

"It’s all taken care of, but the actions above were too swift, Brother Xia Lei, I’m worried..."

Xia Lei raised his hand to interrupt, "No need to worry, everything is arranged. Now we just need to release the second piece of news."

"But..." Many people who carried out the tasks have been taken away. The Young Eunuch looked hesitant. He faced great risks in his duties, and luckily, his composure and lack of affiliation within the palace factions had spared him from suspicion.

Seeing the panic in the Young Eunuch, Xia Lei soothed, "It’s just this last step left. Rest assured, once the news is released, you’ll have nothing to worry about."

The Young Eunuch still hesitated. The entire Harem was arresting people, and everyone was on edge. The best approach was to stay low and wait for the storm to pass. Releasing the news now was too risky. Many of those who spread the news earlier had been caught, and he knew it all too clearly.

Noticing his thoughts, Xia Lei’s expression turned ferocious as he threatened, "If you go, I’ll ensure wealth and glory for you and your family outside the palace. If not, don’t blame me for being heartless as a brother."

The Young Eunuch startled and began to back away, "Brother Xia Lei, you promised me..."

Xia Lei sneered, stepped forward, and fiercely grasped the Young Eunuch’s shoulders, lowering his voice, "Have you been feeling itchy lately? It’s about time for the poison to act. Without the antidote, you will die in agony like Blackie, your body ridden with sores, unrecognizable in death."

He had prepared this fallback. The few eunuchs who had seen him and worked for him were poisoned with a toxin named "Rotten Intestines" - hard to obtain in the palace, yet stashed away by him earlier. He had used up all his reserves for this great matter, at considerable cost.

The poison was not difficult to cure, but it was insidious and extremely toxic. Those poisoned first experienced slight itching, much like eczema. Such minor discomfort usually went unnoticed, especially by servants who, even if concerned, couldn’t simply summon the Imperial Physician.

After a few days, the itching would become unbearable, penetrating deep into the bones and causing severe lesions upon scratching. The infected would appear contagious, shunned by others. By then, it would be too late. Even with the antidote, the extensive damage from scratching would be lethal.

The Young Eunuch’s shoulders pained him sharply and cold sweat broke out, as he collapsed to the ground, finally free from the grip.

It turned out Blackie hadn’t died from an epidemic but was poisoned by Xia Lei. He had witnessed Blackie’s death - his body oozing pus, a mass of decayed flesh, so foul and repulsive that nobody dared touch him. In the end, he was dragged away, his clothes burnt.

His eyes filled with hatred and immense fear, making his complexion look even more miserable. He felt itchy on his chest and back, irresistibly scratching himself.

He had long realized how Xia Lei had manipulated him step by step into doing many trivial-seeming tasks that ultimately constituted grave crimes, squeezing him into a position of no return.

Xia Lei’s words implied that his family outside the palace was already under control, just like that girl.

Now, he fully understood that there was no way out for him anymore...

Seeing that he grasped the situation, Xia Lei crouched down and patted his face, "Shunzi, if you still want to live, just obey. Tell me, how have I treated you all this time?"

Under such circumstances, Shunzi concealed his resentfulness and looked at him fearfully, murmuring, "Well, very well..."

Xia Lei’s honest face broke into a smile, "That’s right. This matter is too significant for me to be harsh without reason. Just obey, and I’ll ensure your safety. Now it’s just this last step, and I have no choice. Rest assured, after you deliver this final message, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Then I’ll give you the antidote and ensure your family’s prosperity. Otherwise..."

Shunzi understood the unsaid implication, knelt down, and kowtowed, complying, "Please spare my life, Brother Xia Lei, spare my family. I’ll do whatever you ask, just as you say."

"That’s more like it," Xia Lei was very pleased, crouching in front of him to whisper a few sentences.

Shunzi nodded at each point, and after listening, he got up fearfully to leave, his heart filled with hatred.

"Wait." Xia Lei called him back.