Chapter 31: The Enchantress (1/2)

Awu endured immense suffering.

Her mouth was gagged with some fabric, rendering her unable to speak.

Her struggles and kicks were futile, and eventually, she ran out of strength, lying there with her eyes open, numb.

She vomited.

She felt herself being placed on an ox cart.

The cart was traveling on a mountain road, and the bumpy ride made her stomach churn repeatedly.

She had to suppress the urge to vomit, knowing that if she did, she would only soil herself, which would be a waste.

She didn’t know how long she had been tormented, but finally, she was picked up and thrown somewhere.

The surroundings grew quiet, and Awu faintly caught the scent of incense.

It wasn’t the usual kind of incense like ambergris but rather the type burned in Taoist temples.

Her mind raced with wild guesses.

Had the people from Yan Yang Temple found her and brought her here?

What would happen to her maids and servants who couldn’t find her?

Would they report to the chief steward of Nanqiongzi, or was there some way to directly inform Emperor Jingxi?

Now, Awu didn’t know what to hope for.

If they reported directly to Emperor Jingxi, his dignity would be at stake, and he would surely not let these people go.

But her true identity would be exposed, and she would be doomed as well.

If they didn’t report, then her chances of survival were slim…

Awu thought despairingly that her only hope for survival now might be to rely on the Crown Prince.

She needed to find a way to reach him.

The Crown Prince still had lingering feelings for her and felt guilty.

If she played her cards right, she might convince him to save her and help her escape.

There was a glimmer of hope in that.

But to do so, she would have to see the Crown Prince and somehow evade Lu Yunjian, the Crown Princess, and the Empress.

This seemed nearly impossible.

The Crown Prince was only a young man of sixteen.

Though his status was noble, he was still inexperienced and couldn’t possibly handle things perfectly under the watchful eyes of these people.

He wouldn’t be able to protect her.

As she was lost in these chaotic thoughts, she suddenly heard footsteps.

Someone approached without a word, grabbed her, and dragged her forward.

Awu was already frail and had been through so much.

She couldn’t withstand this rough treatment and stumbled, looking utterly disheveled.

She felt like she wanted to die.

Finally, she was shoved hard, and her body fell to the ground like a rag.

Someone then removed the blindfold from her eyes and took the gag out of her mouth.

She hadn’t seen light for a long time, and the sudden brightness was blinding.

She couldn’t see clearly.

Before she could react, a sharp, forceful slap struck her face, carrying the greasy smell of incense ash.

Awu was caught off guard by the slap, and her face burned with pain.

She covered her face and looked up in disarray.

Her vision gradually focused, and she finally saw several faces-some young Taoist nuns and an older one, who had just slapped her.

Standing in the center was Song Lingguan.

Song Lingguan had an elongated face, and from this angle, her chin looked as sharp as a cone.

She looked down at Awu with a cold, slow voice, “I don’t care who you were or what favor you once enjoyed. Since you’ve entered Yan Yang Temple and joined the Taoist order, you must abide by our rules. But what have you done?”

She sneered, “You’ve had the audacity to disregard our sacred rules, engaging in illicit affairs and tarnishing our Taoist tradition, bringing shame to Yan Yang Temple.”

“Ground!”

Awu struggled to her feet, trembling as she stood upright, lifting her head high.

“Officer Song, since you are an officer appointed by the Great Hui Dynasty and receive its salary, you cannot make baseless accusations. You claim I eloped with someone, but where is your evidence?”

Officer Song’s expression was cold. “Evidence? If you want evidence, just wait. When you stand before the noble, the evidence will be presented.”

Awu: “The noble?”

Officer Song sneered, “Just wait and see.”

Awu felt a pang of panic but forced herself to remain composed.

“I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard, accusing me of eloping. I naturally deny this charge. No matter what, I was once the Crown Prince’s concubine. Even though I’ve now entered the Daoist path, that doesn’t mean you can slander me at will. If I die unjustly, the Crown Prince will surely seek justice for me!”

After speaking, she turned to the elderly Daoist nun beside her and said coldly, “Do you think that just because I’ve fallen to this state, you can bully me as you please? If you dare slap me again, wait and see how the Crown Prince deals with you when he finds out!”

Hearing this, Officer Song chuckled. “Miaozhen, the charges against you now are not something I’ve fabricated. With your status, I can’t handle this. Just wait there will be a noble who comes to judge you!”

The firewood shed.

With a wave of her hand, she ordered, “Lock her up in the firewood shed for now!”

As soon as the words fell, two burly Daoist nuns stepped forward, grabbed Awu without a word, tied her up, and dragged her away.

Awu, already weakened from her ordeal, couldn’t resist and was hauled off, eventually thrown into a dilapidated shed.

She looked around and saw the floor covered with dry straw scraps, with some broken tables and chairs piled in a corner.

As she was observing her surroundings, she heard a rustling sound from the straw.

Looking closely, she saw a rat!

She had always been terrified of rats and immediately scrambled to hide in a corner, hugging her arms and shivering.

But the rat seemed to be deliberately tormenting her.

It wasn’t afraid of her and even poked its head out, staring at her.

Awu’s eyes widened in fear as she watched it warily, afraid it might pounce on her.

Truly, a tiger in the plains is bullied by dogs-she had fallen so low that even a rat could torment her!

When she gains power one day, she’ll kill it first!

Gaining power…

At this thought, Awu’s nose tingled, and she felt like crying.

What hope did she have left?

She thought of all the men she had known-Nie San was no good, and Lu Yunjian was no good either.

As for Emperor Jingxi, he was completely out of the question.

Looking back now, he had been infatuated with her body and seemed to adore her, but then he suddenly got up and left without a second glance, so heartless.

That’s how emperors are when they like you, they shower you with affection, but when they don’t, they can’t even be bothered to lift an eyelid.

After he left, there was no news from him at all.

Clearly, he had completely forgotten about her.

She hugged her knees, burying her face between her legs, shivering as she thought to herself.

In truth, only the Crown Prince had never wronged her.

At this point, the last trace of her pride had turned to ash.

She even thought to herself, so what if the Crown Prince had a Crown Princess?

After all, someone like her could never be a proper wife-she was destined to be a concubine.

Starving and dizzy, she drifted off to sleep amidst her chaotic thoughts.

Her sleep was far from peaceful, filled with nothing but dreams.

She dreamt of a raging storm at sea, the boat capsizing, her father and brother perishing in the waves.

She dreamt of her mother gone, leaving her to flee in panic and helplessness.

At first, a neighbor’s brother protected her, but eventually, they got separated.

She also dreamt of how Lu Yunjian forced her repeatedly, and how her body trembled uncontrollably in his arms.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain and jolted awake.

Opening her eyes, she saw Miaoxin, who held a horsetail whisk in her hand, looking at her with disdain.

Awu was dazed for a moment, then spoke in a placating tone, “Miaoxin, it’s you—”

But before she could finish, Miaoxin raised her hand and brought the whisk down hard, causing Awu to hiss in pain.

It hurt so much.

Miaoxin sneered, “You shameless wretch! You joined our sect but couldn’t stay virtuous. You stole money from our temple and ran off with a man. Have you no shame?”

Awu, tears welling up in her eyes, said in disbelief, “I stole money from the temple?”

At that moment, an elderly nun nearby barked, “Let’s go. The Spiritual Official is waiting.”

Awu was then forcibly dragged out, with other nuns curiously watching as they passed by.

Miaoxin, however, walked with her head held high, as if she had accomplished something monumental.

Soon, they arrived at the main hall, where Song Lingguan was already seated at the table, his expression stern.

Beside her stood over a dozen elderly nuns, all with grim faces.

Song Lingguan examined Awu for a long moment before asking, “Miaozhen, you have violated our sect’s rules, consorted with a man, stolen silver, and fled in disgrace. Do you admit your guilt?”

Awu was overwhelmed with frustration.

She could accept the accusation of running off with a man, but why accuse her of stealing?