That morning.
Liu Ling'er had only just calmed her excitement and had yet to sit down to cultivate when a palace maid told her the principal consort had arrived.
She tensed up instinctively for a moment and even straightened her appearance.
But she quickly came to her senses-
Why should I still be afraid of the principal consort?
I'm already a Quasi-God powerhouse, only one step away from the God Realm. What is she in front of me?
Let alone a principal consort, Liu Ling'er could now refuse to show respect even to the ruler of Chishui.
Recalling how the principal consort, Shi Feifei, had declared that she would throw her into the Devil-Sealing Well once she gave birth, Liu Ling'er couldn't help letting out a cold snort.
Instead of going out to welcome Shi Feifei, she lay comfortably on her bedroom bed and put on a very sleepy, weary look.
Before long, Shi Feifei entered the bedroom, accompanied by an elderly nanny and Su Ying.
Liu Ling'er slowly sat upright and leaned against the headboard. "The principal consort has come, and I failed to go out to greet you. Please forgive me!"
"Consort Liu, even though you're pregnant, you can't neglect palace etiquette!"
Su Ying rebuked her with a cold sneer. "We're all martial artists, not ordinary women. Being pregnant wouldn't leave us unable to walk!"
"The principal consort has given you tremendous face by coming to see you. Don't put on airs in front of her just because you're pregnant!"
It was both a rebuke and an attempt to stir up trouble!
Recently, she had spoken ill of Liu Ling'er plenty of times in front of Shi Feifei.
She had happened to run into Shi Feifei just now, and upon hearing that she was going to visit Liu Ling'er, Su Ying had come along.
"Consort Su, if you came looking for trouble today, then please leave."
Liu Ling'er said indifferently, "I'm no longer your maid. We're both secondary consorts now, so you have no right to lecture me, and I can't be bothered to listen to you nagging away like a resentful wife."
"You! What did you say?"
Su Ying trembled with anger.
The last time they had argued at the Ancestral God Temple, Liu Ling'er's words hadn't been very pleasant either, but she had at least been somewhat tactful. Today, however, she was extraordinarily direct, showing no mercy at all!
"What, Consort Su, are you already hard of hearing at such a young age?"
Liu Ling'er gave a derisive laugh. "I told you to... get lost!"
Get lost?
Su Ying wasn't the only one stunned. The principal consort, Shi Feifei, was just as shocked.
Although Liu Ling'er was carrying the ruler's child and had been made a secondary consort, there was still a vast gulf between her and Su Ying, like the difference between clouds and mud. How dared she tell Su Ying to get lost?
Meanwhile, Lin Heng, still in his mother's womb, felt thoroughly pleased and at ease.
You absolutely can't indulge women as venomous as snakes and scorpions!
Way to go, Mom!
With enough strength, why act like a grandson?
There's no need for that!
"Liu Ling'er, it's only been a few days since you turned your life around like a salted fish flipping over, and you already dare to be this insolent?"
Su Ying was furious, her fairly pretty face twisting somewhat. "You were only a maid. Even if you bear the ruler a prince, it won't change your lowly status! You've been pregnant all these days, and the ruler hasn't come to see you once. Isn't that enough to show you where you stand?"
"Lowly?"
Liu Ling'er shifted her legs and slowly got out of bed.
She stood straight in front of Su Ying.
Whoosh!
Without warning, Liu Ling'er raised her right hand!
Smack!
The slap landed hard on Su Ying's face.
A bright red, five-fingered mark instantly appeared on her pretty, fair cheek.
"I told you to get lost, but you wouldn't. Instead, you stayed here spouting nonsense and making a fool of yourself!"
After delivering the slap, Liu Ling'er felt thoroughly pleased herself.
When she had been Su Ying's maid, beatings and scoldings had been as common as meals. Now she could finally hit back!
"You... you dare hit me?"
Su Ying touched her cheek, which had already begun to swell. Her eyes widened, and her face was full of disbelief.
Where had this lowly woman, whom she had once ordered around and bullied at will, found the nerve to lay a hand on her?
Su Ying had yet to realize it, but Shi Feifei suddenly thought of something very important!
Su Ying was at the Purple Mansion Realm. Liu Ling'er had struck openly, not with a sudden sneak attack, so how had Su Ying failed to dodge or block the slap?
One was at the Spirit Guiding Realm, the other at the Purple Mansion Realm. The gap was enormous!
It would have been normal if Su Ying had slapped Liu Ling'er!
"You dared send someone to poison me, and you even dared send someone to assassinate me at the Palace of Reflection. Why wouldn't I dare hit you?"
Liu Ling'er asked in return.
The assassination attempt at the Palace of Reflection hadn't been all that dangerous. After all, by then, she had already possessed considerable strength.
But the palace maid's poisoning had truly almost cost her life.
Fortunately, she had noticed that something was wrong with the maid's expression. Otherwise...
"Principal Consort, please see that justice is done for me!"
Su Ying looked at Shi Feifei.
Shi Feifei frowned. Could Su Ying have deliberately chosen not to dodge or block just now?
Did she deliberately take a slap to give me, the principal consort, a reason to punish Liu Ling'er?
This Su Ying was really willing to pay the price!
"Consort Liu, you've gone too far!"
Shi Feifei spoke with a dignified expression. "Chief Steward Hong is still investigating the poisoning and the assassination attempt. Nothing has been established yet, so you can't go pinning charges on others at will!"
"What's more, based on nothing but your own guesses, you actually struck Consort Su in front of me. You are utterly lawless!"
"Don't forget, you behaved improperly at the Ancestral God Temple. The ruler spared you immediate punishment because you were pregnant, but you are still under accusation!"
Hearing Shi Feifei say this, Su Ying gave a cold sneer.
Liu Ling'er, oh, Liu Ling'er, you were too impulsive. You actually dared slap me. You're courting death!
The principal consort has been waiting all along for a good chance like this to get rid of you!
"Principal Consort, you heard it just now. Consort Su was the one who called me lowly first."
Liu Ling'er said, neither servile nor overbearing, "My status was indeed lowly before, but now I too am a secondary consort appointed by the ruler. If she still calls me lowly, isn't she openly insulting the ruler?"
"Stop using the ruler to excuse yourself!"
Shi Feifei narrowed her eyes. "In this palace, apart from the ruler, I too can deal with you!"
"You were a palace maid, yet you seduced the ruler when he was drunk. That's a capital crime. The ruler is merciful enough to tolerate you, but I won't spare you!"
"Nanny Xu, Consort Liu has acted recklessly and struck Consort Su. I order you to slap her on my behalf, so she learns her lesson and restrains herself in the future!"
The elderly nanny acknowledged the order.
Then Nanny Xu took two steps forward and said in a low voice, "Consort Liu, don't resist, or you'll only bring suffering upon yourself. If your pregnancy is disturbed and something happens to the ruler's flesh and blood, a slap won't be the end of it. I'm afraid you'll be thrown into the Devil-Sealing Well and torn apart by ten thousand devils!"
"Nanny Xu, don't waste words on her. Slap her!"
Su Ying urged hatefully.
In her eyes, Liu Ling'er was already as good as dead, but before Liu Ling'er died, she didn't mind tormenting and humiliating her!
Whoosh!
Nanny Xu suddenly swung her right arm, her hand carrying a fierce gust as she slapped at Liu Ling'er's face.
Smack!
It was an exceptionally loud slap.
But the one who had been slapped wasn't Liu Ling'er. It was Nanny Xu!