The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Chapter 322: Chapter 323: She’s the Most Unfortunate One

Lady Liang deliberately made a couple of passive-aggressive jabs at her.

Hua Qingqing’s mind was consumed with worry for her younger sister’s safety, and she was in no mood for a war of words.

She prepared to walk away.

As they brushed past each other, Lady Liang spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"You probably don’t know yet, do you? Your dear sister was kidnapped. They still haven’t found her. For all you know, she might have already been murdered, her corpse left to rot in the wild."

She even let out a little chuckle at the end, her voice dripping with schadenfreude.

Hua Qingqing stopped dead in her tracks.

She whipped her head around to face Lady Liang, her gaze turning sharp and fierce.

"What did you just say?"

But Lady Liang instantly wiped the smile from her face, feigning utter surprise. "Did I say something? I didn’t say a word just now. You must have misheard."

Hua Qingqing took a step forward, her voice cold as she pressed her.

"What do you mean, my sister was kidnapped? What did you do to her?"

Lady Liang frowned. "What is this attitude? In terms of concubine rank, I am several levels above you. Even if you are carrying a royal heir, you can’t be so disrespectful of hierarchy, can you?"

Hua Qingqing stared at her intently.

Lady Liang continued to feign annoyance, acting as if she knew nothing, but her eyes betrayed a hint of smug satisfaction.

’So what if Hua Jieyu is favored? In the end, she’s just a mere Concubine.’

’As long as I don’t admit it, Hua Jieyu can’t do a thing to me.’ ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

However, in the next moment, Hua Jieyu’s gaze went past her and landed on the Chief Palace Maid following behind her.

This Chief Palace Maid’s name was Furong. She was someone Lady Liang had brought from Xiliang and was now her closest confidante in the palace.

Hua Qingqing said, "But I definitely heard someone cursing my sister, wishing for her body to be left to rot in the wild. There are only a few of us here. Since Lady Liang claims she didn’t say it, then it must have been you."

Her eyes were fixed on Furong.

Furong hastily denied it. "No, this servant said nothing at all just now."

Hua Qingqing retorted, "Are you implying that I’m lying?"

Furong was at a loss for words.

It seemed any answer she gave would be wrong.

Flustered and helpless, she instinctively looked to Lady Liang, her eyes pleading for help.

Lady Liang frowned. "Furong never lies. Since she said she didn’t, she didn’t. Hua Jieyu, stop pestering her without reason."

A faint smile touched Hua Qingqing’s lips. "But I think she *is* lying." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Before Lady Liang could respond, Hua Qingqing pointed at Furong and commanded.

"Men, seize her! For her insolence and disregard for palace rules, give her thirty slaps to the face. Let’s see if she dares to speak so carelessly again!"

The last sentence was clearly aimed at someone else.

Two little eunuchs immediately moved to seize her.

Furong scrambled to hide behind Lady Liang.

"Your Ladyship, save me!"

Lady Liang roared in anger, "I am Princess Longzhu of Xiliang, personally invested as Lady Liang by the Saint himself! Who dares act so brazenly before me?!"

But the two eunuchs didn’t even spare Lady Liang a glance. They seized Furong from either side, dragged her out by force, and pushed her to the ground, where they began slapping her face again and again.

Everyone in the palace knew about Lady Liang. Not only was she disfigured on her very first day here, but she was also spurned by the Emperor and had yet to be summoned to his bed.

No one in the palace paid any mind to a woman so utterly without favor.

The slaps were so painful that Furong couldn’t help but cry out in agony.

Lady Liang trembled with rage. "How audacious! You are all so audacious!"

Hearing this, the nanny beside Hua Qingqing couldn’t help but chuckle. She spoke in a slow, deliberate manner.

"Since Lady Liang can’t properly teach her own palace maid, we are teaching her on your behalf. We hope that after today, you will keep your servants in line and prevent them from running out and making a fool of themselves."

Lady Liang’s face flushed crimson.

Even though she was from Xiliang, she could hear the nanny’s veiled insult, calling her an embarrassment.

Lady Liang cursed through gritted teeth.

"A mere Concubine dares to discipline my personal palace maid? Who gave you such gall?!"

Hua Qingqing replied with unruffled composure, "If Lady Liang feels I have acted wrongly, you are free to report me to the Saint."

Hearing this, the nanny beside her let out another soft laugh.

The contempt in her laugh was impossible to conceal.

It was like a sharp sword twisting in Lady Liang’s nerves.

Furong was still crying. Her miserable wails, mixed with the sharp CRACK of the slaps, drilled relentlessly into Lady Liang’s ears.

Those slaps, one after another, seemed to land on Furong’s face, but in truth, it felt as if they were striking Lady Liang’s.

Lady Liang felt the gazes of everyone present, all filled with contempt and ridicule.

She clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms, but she felt no pain. Her gaze toward Hua Jieyu was filled with venomous hatred.

"You and that wretched sister of yours will both die a miserable death."

Hua Qingqing shot back with a sneer.

"Speaking of wretched, who could possibly compare to you?

You knew perfectly well that Prince Zhao was married, yet you still shamelessly threw yourself at him. What a pity that Prince Zhao wouldn’t even deign to look at you. How pathetic."

SNAP. The last thread of sanity in Lady Liang’s mind suddenly broke.

The negative emotions that had long been festering inside her erupted violently.

She curled her lips into a strange, unsettling smile and began to laugh.

"Hehe... hehehehe."

Her chilling laughter, combined with her venomous glare, was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

She laughed as if she had gone mad, her voice growing louder and louder until she was practically doubled over, unable to stop.

Everyone present stared at her as if she were a lunatic.

Hua Qingqing gave a calm order. "Lady Liang seems to have lost her mind. Go and summon an Imperial Physician to have a look at her."

Lady Liang was still laughing.

She spoke to herself through her laughter.

"Princess Consort Zhao is about to die! She’ll be penned up like an animal, passed around by countless men. She will wish she were dead! Hahaha!"

"So what if I’m not favored? At least I’m still alive! I have food to eat, wine to drink, and servants to attend me. What a comfortable life I lead."

"Not like Princess Consort Zhao, who’s going to be tortured to death at such a young age. And even when she’s dead, no one will ever find her body."

"She’s the truly unlucky one! She is!"

...

At first, Hua Qingqing thought Lady Liang was just raving mad.

But as she listened, she realized Lady Liang didn’t sound like she was lying. It reminded her of the rumors she’d heard—that Princess Consort Zhao had indeed gone missing.

’Could it be true? Did someone really kidnap Manman, just as Lady Liang said?’

The more Hua Qingqing thought about it, the more anxious she grew, and the paler her face became.

Then, she felt a dull ache begin in her abdomen.

The nanny beside her noticed something was wrong and quickly supported her. "Concubine, where are you feeling unwell?"

Hua Qingqing said through the pain.

"I want to see the Saint."

The nanny tried to persuade her. "You don’t look well. We should have the Imperial Physician see you first—"

Hua Qingqing cut her off, enunciating each word clearly.

"I want to see the Saint!"