The night was as dark as spilled ink, the bright moon hidden among the clouds.
Young Tangning, her hands and feet bound, curled up in a corner like an injured cub, pale and frail.
"She can't stay. If she lives, we won't be able to hide Rong Zhen's death from Rong Qian'an. He won't let it go easily."
"But if she suddenly dies, the Rong family will demand answers."
"She's just a small child. Any excuse will do—drowning, falling, or even a sudden fever from a cold…"
"No!"
Old Madam Song firmly refused: "The Song and Rong families are tied by marriage. The Rong family has always supported us because of it. Your smooth career in the court relies entirely on their backing. Rong Qian'an holds a special position in the court, and Rong Yue is the Princess of Cheng. Don't you know how much they dote on Tangning?"
"Rong Zhen is already dead. If Tangning dies in the Song household too, they'll turn against you. Without the Rong family's support, what will become of your future and Jin Xiu's?"
Song Hong, however, felt a chill of fear, recalling the terrified face of his suffocated younger sister. "But Mother, Tangning saw what happened to Rong Zhen. If even a hint of it leaks, the Rong family will never let it rest…"
Old Madam Song's tone was icy: "The servants who knew about it have all been silenced. Rong Zhen's remains have been falsified, and she and your second brother have already been buried. Rong Qian'an is bedridden with grief, and Rong Yue is tending to him. I'll use the excuse that Tangning is ill from losing her mother and have her stay here for a while."
She glanced at the struggling little girl tied up behind the green gauze screen, recalling how she had cried out for her mother and demanded to go to the Rong family. Her voice was venomous, like a haunting ghost.
"She's just a child. There are ways to make her obedient. If a month doesn't work, then two months. If two months fail, then half a year. I’ll make her learn."
Song Hong felt an inexplicable chill down his spine. "Mother, you…"
Old Madam Song said, "You don't need to worry about Tangning. Focus on what you need to do. The Empress is displeased because we haven't found what she wanted. Carefully go through Rong Zhen and your brother's belongings, and make sure the Rong family doesn't suspect anything."
"If it comes to it, get Prince Cheng to help you. Better yet, keep Rong Qian'an sick and too distracted to care about Tangning."
The voices from outside reached Tangning's ears, and despite her young age, her sharp mind understood everything clearly.
As she watched her uncle turn to leave and her once-kind grandmother approach, she shrank back in fear, her back pressed against the wall as tears fell in large drops. Her gaze toward Old Madam Song was filled with hatred.
"I don't like that look in your eyes," Old Madam Song said, touching her face with a gentle voice. "Grandmother likes obedient children. Tangning, you must learn to behave."
Then, little Tangning was dragged into a cramped, suffocating "dark room."
The room was empty, completely sealed, with no trace of light. There was no sound, only the terrified sobs of the little girl.
She cried until her voice was hoarse, until she fainted. When she woke, she was still inside.
The dark room became Tangning's prison, where she ate, slept, and relieved herself. At first, she refused to eat, screaming and crying whenever someone came. Each time, she was punished.
Long, thin needles pierced her flesh, leaving bruises on her tender skin. She screamed in agony, but the women holding her down never stopped until she passed out from pain.
Cold water was splashed to wake her, and they forced food into her mouth. When she vomited in tears, they mixed the filth with food and forced her to swallow it again…
The door of the dark room opened and closed, the filth inside left uncleaned. Young Tangning began to reek, her body emanating a foul odor.
The spark in her eyes gradually faded. She stopped speaking, becoming like a startled bird.
Whenever light seeped in and someone entered, the pain and torment followed. She began to fear those people, fear the light, fear everything outside.
It felt like an eternity. When the door opened again and someone entered, Tangning instinctively cowered into the corner. But this time, she wasn't beaten. The person approached, looking down at her, and after a long moment, a kind smile appeared.
"Tangning."
Tangning stared blankly, then mumbled, "Grand…mother…"
Her voice was strained from disuse.
Old Madam Song spoke softly, "Good child, do you miss Grandmother?"
Tangning trembled instinctively. "Yes…"
Old Madam Song smiled. That day, Tangning wasn't beaten.
Life in the dark room gradually "improved." The women who disciplined her still came to teach her "manners." When she was "disobedient," the long needles would make her faint from pain.
But when Old Madam Song visited, they wouldn't hit her. Sometimes, when Old Madam Song praised her, she’d get clean clothes or a warm meal.
Later, her older brother came to see her, as did the Lu family brother. When they visited, she was allowed out of the room for two days, spared from learning "manners." She didn't dare cry or speak, listening as the matron beside her spoke to her brother and the others with feigned pity.
"The young lady lost her father and mother, crying day and night until her health weakened. She often goes a whole day without speaking. Old Madam is heartbroken…"
Tangning only stared blankly out the window, her pale face clutching something around her neck, "sickly." She trembled, too afraid to say a word, only numbly calling out "Brother" and "Lu-gege"…
Later, she fell gravely ill, her face flushed with fever, murmuring "Mother" in her sleep.
The doctor said she was too young and frail, unlikely to survive.
For some reason, Rong Yue suddenly arrived at the manor. Ignoring Old Madam Song, she called for an imperial physician. After a day and night of watching, the fever finally subsided, and the little girl on the bed stirred awake.
In Rong Yue's tearful joy and Old Madam Song's fearful gaze, Tangning’s voice was soft and obedient: "Aunt, Grandmother~"
Tangning had forgotten. She forgot everything about Rong Zhen's death.
…
Outside the manor, the chirping of insects could occasionally be heard. The little girl on the bed wept silently.
She softly called for "Mother," her hands reaching out as if to grasp something, her lashes trembling as her eyes remained shut, her small face flushed with fever.
Xiao Yan held her hand, patting it gently, then looked up at Qin Niangzi. "What's wrong with Tangning? Why the sudden fever?"
Qin Niangzi held a silver needle. "She's been frightened."
Xiao Yan suddenly recalled the last time Tangning fainted at the Qian household, when Qin Niangzi mentioned a "ghost pulse," saying Tangning had been shocked into a seizure. And… the Song family!
Holding Tangning’s burning hand, his eyes darkened with rising murderous intent.
"Supervisor, someone from the palace is here."
Xiao Yan’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Qin Niangzi.
Qin Niangzi said, "The Grand Empress Dowager took medicine and is resting. Lingyin is with her. I’ll stay here to watch over Tangning."
Xiao Yan nodded, tucking the blanket around Tangning before standing, his aura filled with menace.
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T/N: I expected something bad but this is terrible beyond words
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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