In the pitch-black night, the raging wind was howling, and lightning tore through the sky. The deafening thunder that followed made people's hearts jump with fear. Inside the dungeon of Prince Jin's mansion, dim light illuminated the deep, shadowy passage. Spiraling downward, the staircase was plastered with moss, seemingly extending to hell itself. Unstable oil lanterns flickered on both sides of the walls, leaving the air saturated with the mixed stench of rust and blood.
"How about it? Do you still like this place I've prepared for you, sister?"
The voice was enchanting and melodious, but it carried a cold undertone laced with mockery. The owner of the voice was none other than the current Princess Consort of Jin. At that moment, she was lazily half-reclining on the exquisitely carved couch made of premium rosewood. Her bright red dress was captivating and her every gesture was exuding an irresistible charm. And yet, her phoenix eyes hid an ominous glint of murder.
"Ye Yunshang, I'm your elder sister! Are you not afraid of retribution?"
The woman whose limbs were nailed into the chair raised her head. A ghastly scar stretched from her neck to her entire left cheek, her right cheek split open, revealing the raw flesh underneath, contaminated by blood and filth. Her once stunningly beautiful face was now terribly disfigured, with only a pair of blazing eyes full of hatred remaining. Ye Fuchen, the legitimate daughter of the Ye family, never thought she would end up in such a wretched state, unable to live or die.
She couldn't believe that her gentle and compliant younger sister, the current Princess Consort of Jin, would do such a thing to her!
"My dear sister?" Ye Yunshang let out a laugh as if she had just heard the funniest thing in the world. "You are the sister I hate the most. When we were children, mother always reminded me that you are the legitimate daughter, so I must give way to you. The position of the legitimate daughter was bestowed upon you by her! And later on? Why was it so simple for you to return and ascend to the position of the Princess Consort, when I had to curry favor with you and resort to various cunning means only to settle as a concubine? And yet, I was still expected to bow and fawn over you! Why?! In what way am I inferior to you?" Ye Yunshang grabbed a porcelain cup from the table and forcefully hurled it towards Ye Fuchen. The cup smashed right into her forehead, leaving a bloody gash. The scorching tea then seeped into the wound.
One of the old maids immediately replaced the tea cup.
"Hehe, let me tell you something." Ye Yunshang sauntered over to Ye Fuchen, the corner of her lips curling into a cold smile. "Tang Yuan, in his attempts to seize power, infuriated the Emperor and was ordered to be executed at noon today. This also includes the entire Tang clan, oh and the position of Crown Princess previously held by Tang Fengchu has been abolished. Can you guess where she is now?" Ye Yunshang returned to her couch, sipping leisurely from the tea cup. She then settled into a comfortable position, smirking while watching Ye Fuchen as if she was a trapped beast. "I placed her in Dream Awake House. Now Tang Fengchu is just a lowly prostitute, ridden by thousands. I wonder how noble she can continue to be?!"
"Ye Yunshang! Are you not afraid that our father and Prince Jin would find out about this?!" Ye Fuchen's eyes emitted a fierce glare, wishing nothing more than to rip the woman in front of her apart. She now knew firsthand the danger of raising a tiger at home: betrayed and forced out of her position, her once beautiful face destroyed, she had lost her baby, and was nailed into the dungeon where she was tortured daily. Her uncle had been made a scapegoat and the entire family had been executed.
"How dare you! You have no right to utter this consort's name!" Ye Yunshang shot back. "Ye Fuchen, you are no longer the Princess Consort of Jin. Do you think Jin would still care about an adulterous whore like you? Oh, and I forgot to tell you, you've been kicked out from our family records, our family home by our father. Since I pity you, I'm going to tell you one more thing: your mother did not die of an illness, she was poisoned. Our father carried out the poisoning, and your brother? I slowly poisoned him day by day." Ye Yunshang watched as a look of disbelief and agony spread across Ye Fuchen's face. Her heart swelled with joy, and she threw her head back and laughed heartily. She loved the look on Ye Fuchen's face at this moment, and relished her suffering.
"Ye Yunshang, you won't die a peaceful death! Even if I turn into a vengeful ghost, I won't let you off!" Her mother and brother had perished at the hands of her esteemed father and beloved younger sister, leaving her to degrade to such a pathetic state. 'Ye Fuchen, oh Ye Fuchen, how blind you must have been!'
"Ye Yunshang, I swear, even if I have to forsake reincarnation and become a vengeful spirit, I'll make it so that none of you finds peace ever again!"
The dim light in the dungeon cast eerie shadows on her face. Her ghastly countenance resembled that of a vengeful spirit returned from hell. Her dark eyes boiling with hatred and malice sent chills down one's spine.
Her hoarse, despairing, and icy voice echoed endlessly within the dungeon. Hearing this, Ye Yunshang fell backward to the ground in fear, her hairpin falling out and her black hair fanning out on the floor. Seeing her looking fearful, then turning into a monstrous figure as she got up, scrambled over to the maid, snatched the whip from her hands, and madly lashed it towards Ye Fuchen, each whip bringing with it swift gusts of air.
"He he, just look at the supposed number one beauty of the capital now, in such a state. Tell me, will the men of the capital still be interested in you?"
Having had her fill of amusement, Ye Yunshang retreated back to the carved lounge chair made of zitan wood. Her absent-minded attention to her fingernails, a stark contrast to the poison spewing from her lips, highlighted even more in the grim darkness of the dungeon. She rested her chin in her hand, her smile seductive, "What a pity, there will be no more Ye Fuxun in the future."
Ye Yunshang threw her head back and laughed, the sound shrill and jarring. She didn't spare Ye Fuxun another glance and walked out of the dungeon, laughing out loud all the way.
The tongues of fire gradually swallowed Ye Fuxun's clothing. Ye Fuxun sat in her chair like a statue, the rain outside intensifying, the wind becoming more fierce.
"Ye Yunshang, Prince Jin, Ye Hanliang! I swear I will not enter the cycle of reincarnation, but become a vengeful ghost to take your lives!" The hollow, hoarse voice echoed lingeringly within the confines of the dungeon.