Chapter 88- Rebirth: The Poisonous Concubine (29)
Just as Xiao Bobao had predicted, Yu Chenyi was currently the Emperor’s favorite. The Empress Dowager couldn’t touch him, but Bai Mo was a nobody—how could she not be able to deal with him?
In her eyes, it was Bai Mo’s fault that he couldn’t hold onto his husband’s heart even after marriage. If Bai Mo had even the slightest bit of ability and kept Yu Chenyi in check, Wei Yuyan wouldn’t have had the chance to cheat, and the Third Prince might not have been placed under house arrest.
The Empress Dowager was completely venting her anger. Since she couldn’t punish the true culprit, she had to take it out on someone else. Bai Mo, with no status or power, was the perfect scapegoat. A couple shared both honor and disgrace—if Bai Mo was punished, it would also embarrass Yu Chenyi.
However, Bai Mo wasn’t worried. What could the Empress Dowager possibly do to him?
He could fight and run, and he had once made an entire group of trained bodyguards cry for mercy. Could he really be bullied by an old woman?
What he failed to consider, however, was that this world was nothing like modern civilized society.
The Empress Dowager, as the reigning champion of palace intrigue, had countless subtle yet ruthless methods to achieve her goals without ever needing to resort to open violence. She didn’t need to call for beatings or executions—she could manipulate the situation so flawlessly that no one could find fault with her actions.
Bai Mo respectfully bowed to the Empress Dowager, yet she ignored him, continuing her conversation with the matron beside her. She didn’t give him permission to rise, forcing him to maintain the bow. Staying in one position for an extended period was difficult, but Bai Mo, with his exceptional balance as a snow ferret, had no trouble holding the stance.
Seeing that Bai Mo showed no signs of weakness, displeasure flickered in the Empress Dowager’s eyes.
The matron, understanding her intent, signaled to a palace maid. Shortly after, the maid returned carrying a steaming hot cup of tea. Instead of taking the spacious route available, she deliberately squeezed past Bai Mo’s side. Pretending to stumble, she fell, tea and all, directly toward him.
Bai Mo instinctively dodged, causing the maid to fall onto the scalding tea and hit her nose on the ground.
Though in agonizing pain, the maid still had to complete the task assigned to her. With blood dripping from her nose, she knelt and began banging her head against the floor as she cried out in Bai Mo’s direction: “Please forgive me, Young Master Bai! I didn’t mean to offend you, but even if you dislike me, you shouldn’t have tripped me in front of the Empress Dowager…”
According to her story, Bai Mo had been captivated by her beauty when she led him into the hall. He had flirted with her and asked her to return home with him, but when she refused, he became angry and deliberately tripped her while she was serving tea, causing her to make a mistake in front of the Empress Dowager.
The absurdity of her claim made Bai Mo frown. His soft voice carried a trace of doubt as he asked, “You’re saying… I was attracted to you?”
His sharp gaze swept over the little palace maid’s face. She was just a scrawny little girl—not even close to his height, and completely lacking in muscle definition. What was he supposed to be interested in?
“You’re pretty average-looking, but your imagination sure is impressive,” he muttered.
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was enough for everyone in the hall to hear clearly.
The palace maids who served noble masters were generally beautiful, and this particular maid was no exception. However, her charm leaned more towards the delicate and demure type.
As she falsely accused Bai Mo, she carried an air of pitiful innocence. Unfortunately for her, Bai Mo despised this type of “pure white flower” girl. While one’s appearance was natural, personality was not, and it was clear to him that this maid’s act was entirely intentional.
“Who picked this one? Their taste isn’t great… She’s not even as pretty as Sister Jin Xin,” The little snow ferret muttered, still chattering away. This time, however, his voice was so low that only the maid could hear him.
In the palace, women despised being compared to others—comparison always led to harm. The Emperor naturally favored the more outstanding ones, and this maid was no exception. Wanting to climb the social ladder, she had eagerly agreed to play this role for the matron.
“Young Master Bai, please don’t lie. It’s all my fault, everything happened because of me. It was my mistake…” The maid secretly gritted her teeth, but she had to continue the act.
The matron’s sharp voice cut through the air, “Insolence!” She was ready to pin the blame on Bai Mo.
“The Empress Dowager has not yet permitted you to rise, yet you stand on your own—this is blatant disrespect! Flirting with a palace maid outside Cining Palace is a disgrace to the royal family and a disruption to the imperial harem! What punishment do you deserve for these crimes?”
Her voice rang out powerfully, filled with authority, nothing like what one would expect from an elderly woman.
Bai Mo nodded calmly and explained without a hint of panic, “Your Majesty, I must clarify two things. First, this palace maid deliberately fell beside me, which is why I dodged. Second, I was born with a preference for men and have no interest in women, so how could I possibly harass this rather unremarkable palace maid? If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may summon an imperial physician to confirm it. This palace maid has falsely accused me, causing me to be disrespectful toward Your Majesty. In reality, her crime is even greater—she has lied and attempted to tarnish Your Majesty’s reputation…”
Having knowledge truly made a difference. Xiao Bobao looked at Bai Mo with pride as he spoke eloquently, refuting the accusations with clear reasoning. Excellent, excellent.
“Sharp-tongued.” That was the Empress Dowager’s only evaluation of Bai Mo. This was a stark contrast to the silent and unresisting boy from the Flower Appreciation Banquet when he had been wrongfully accused. Even the Empress Dowager had moments where she misjudged people.
“I will investigate this matter thoroughly. But Bai Mo, are you implying that I have wrongfully made you kneel for too long?”
“All this noise is giving me a headache. The palace maid must be punished, but you are not entirely blameless either. Here’s what we’ll do—since I have not yet offered my prayers today, you shall do it for me. Go to the temple and pick up every single Buddha bean scattered on the floor. Only when you have finished may you leave.”
The Empress Dowager now understood how Wei Yuyan had once been rendered speechless by this boy’s sharp words. However, as the highest-ranking woman in the palace, she had absolute authority. She had no interest in debating with Bai Mo.
This so-called “punishment” was not particularly severe, but it was certainly not an easy task. Picking up Buddha beans required sincerity. One had to kneel in the temple and pick up each bean, reciting a Buddhist prayer with every one collected. When Bai Mo was led into the temple and saw the floor covered in countless beans, leaving not a single spot to step on, the veins on his forehead twitched.
This was pure mockery.
The matron smiled and said, “Please wash your hands before beginning, Young Master Bai.”
At that, a palace maid stepped forward to light incense, while another carried a basin of water. Thin wisps of steam rose from the water, and as Bai Mo stepped closer, he felt the intense heat hit his face, making him break into a sweat.
Was this washing water? It looked more like water used to scald chickens and ducks.
Bai Mo glanced at the palace maid carrying the basin. Even her hands were trembling from the heat of the scalding water.
The water was boiling. The basin was burning hot.
“Young Master Bai, hurry and wash your hands. Later, Consort Ming will also be using the Empress Dowager’s temple to pick up Buddha beans.” The matron urged Bai Mo, pressing him not to waste time.
Xiao Bobao was utterly speechless. What a setup! With that massive pile of beans, Bai Mo would be picking them up until the next century. And he had to do it kneeling—his knees were practically guaranteed to be ruined. On top of that, washing his hands with scalding water? Even if it didn’t kill him, it would at least peel off a layer of skin. As expected from the ultimate winner of palace schemes—what a vicious move! And the worst part? Bai Mo couldn’t even fight back.
Picking up Buddha beans wasn’t difficult—everyone did it. Why should Bai Mo be any different? Even the Empress Dowager and concubines in the imperial harem often performed this task. Was he trying to say he was more delicate than the Emperor’s women?
If Bai Mo dared to protest, he would not only offend the imperial concubines but also their powerful families.
“Don’t worry, Mo Mo. We have points now. We can use illusion magic,” Xiao Boba reassured him. Though it pained him to waste their accumulated points and energy, objects could be replaced, but the host was alive. As long as little snow ferret was safe, they could always find ways to regain energy.
The matron was growing impatient with Bai Mo’s hesitation. Suddenly, she saw a strange flicker before her eyes—the boy in front of her seemed to blur, as if there were two of him. She rubbed her eyes, but the illusion vanished.
Bai Mo slowly reached out his hand, hesitantly testing the water’s edge. His delicate, handsome face turned ghostly pale with fear. The matron felt a rush of satisfaction—serves him right for defying the Empress Dowager!
When the boy still refused to wash his hands, the matron grew cruel and decided to help him. She grabbed Bai Mo’s wrist and forcefully plunged it into the steaming water.
A blood-curdling scream rang out, echoing through the temple.
The startled palace maids fumbled, knocking over the water basin. Tears streamed down Bai Mo’s face as his hands turned an angry shade of red, quickly swelling and blistering. It was a pitiful sight.
“Hurry up and pick up the Buddha beans! If even one is missing, you’ll be the only one to blame!” The matron snapped, delivering a harsh kick to Bai Mo—except it felt like she had hit nothing but air.
A sharp crack sounded.
The next thing Bai Mo heard was the matron wailing, clutching her lower back.
“My waist! Ahhh!”
Well, karma sure came fast.
Bai Mo had no intention of playing the good Samaritan. Instead, he found an empty chair, sat down, and casually started munching on an apple.
The old matron, now weak and helpless on the ground, could only stare at Bai Mo in stunned silence. She had no energy left to discipline him. Instead, she ordered the palace maids to stay behind and keep watch over him before limping out to get medicine for her injury.
As she left, her voice faded into the distance. “That was eerie… I definitely kicked him. Why did it feel like I hit nothing?”
Meanwhile, the illusion clone had already begun its work—quietly picking up the Buddha beans.
The palace maid who had burned herself hesitated for a while. Realizing the matron wouldn’t return anytime soon, she also slipped away to apply medicine to her wounds.
Even an old woman like the matron cared about her appearance. As for a young and beautiful palace maid? All the more reason to take care of herself. The Emperor was filial—if he happened to visit the Empress Dowager and took a liking to her, she might just rise to the top overnight.
Once the palace maid left, the doors to the temple were locked behind her—as if Bai Mo might try to escape.
…
After finishing his apple, Bai Mo wiped his hands clean with a wet wipe, generously provided by Xiao Bobao, and said, “Forget tonight—even by tomorrow, I still wouldn’t be able to finish picking them all up. The door’s locked too, and those people probably won’t be coming back tonight. Xiao Bobao, pull up the map—we’re about to cause some trouble.”
Not retaliating after being bullied? That wasn’t little snow ferret’s style. He always took revenge on the spot, and this time, even he felt like he was acting late.
“Yu Chenyi has been summoned by the Emperor and is preparing to leave the palace. Meanwhile, Madam Yu and Madam Bai are asking around about why the Empress Dowager called for you. I suggest you contact Yu Chenyi first and have him inform the two madams. That way, they won’t get dragged into this mess and give the Empress Dowager an excuse to make things worse.”
Xiao Bobao was fiercely protective of his own people—there was no way he was letting them get tormented by the villains.
Following the Prime Minister’s wife, the Empress Dowager had officially been added to Xiao Boba’s list of antagonists.
When it came to agility and skill, The little snow ferret acknowledged no one but himself. Swiftly dodging past patrolling guards, he eventually found Yu Chenyi. The latter was currently meeting with people from Madam Bai’s household, having just learned that Bai Mo had been taken away by the Empress Dowager’s people and had yet to return home.
As an outsider, Yu Chenyi had no legitimate reason to seek out the Empress Dowager, so he was deep in thought when—
“Brother Chenyi~”
A soft, sticky voice suddenly called out beside him.
Yu Chenyi turned in surprise, only to see a young eunuch lifting his head. That bright, playful smile—who else could it be but his Mo Mo?
“Why are you dressed like this? Did the Empress Dowager make things difficult for you? Did you sneak out?” Yu Chenyi had just left the imperial study when Bai Mo suddenly appeared in broad daylight. The patrolling guards assumed he was someone sent by the Emperor and didn’t question his presence, simply brushing past them along their patrol route.
“This isn’t the place to talk. Get in the carriage.”
Thankfully, thanks to the Emperor’s favoritism, Yu Chenyi was allowed to use a carriage within the palace.
Inside the carriage, Bai Mo animatedly waved his hands as he complained to Yu Chenyi. “She’s so evil! There were so many Buddha beans, and the water was boiling hot! If I didn’t have some skills, Brother Chenyi, you might never have seen me again~”
Yu Chenyi’s eyes were blazing with anger when he heard this, and he hugged Bai Mo to comfort him: “I made Mo Mo suffer.”
“But they can’t bully me.” The boy smiled cunningly and whispered in Yu Chenyi’s ear.