Since entering the Imperial Palace, Shen Liuying had heard many rumors about Princess Jinzhi.
She was described as willful and overbearing, using her power to bully others.
Cruel and ruthless, living in excessive luxury.
But no one had ever told her that this Princess was so utterly disregardful of human life.
The way she had just said she would throw her to feed the arowana was too nonchalant.
As if a human life was not worth mentioning in her eyes.
Shen Liuying's voice trembled as she said, "I am a first-class palace maid by the Empress's side. How dare you kill someone in the Imperial Palace!"
Qin Jinzhi chuckled, "Why are all the ones sent in now so foolish? How boring."
She looked at Shen Liuying's bloodless face and asked curiously, "You've been in the Imperial Palace for so long, and you don't even know why I was sent to White Sparrow Temple?"
Shen Liuying almost fainted upon hearing this. How could she have forgotten? Qin Jinzhi had almost drowned Prime Minister Cui's legitimate daughter right in the Imperial Palace, in front of the Emperor and the ministers!
If she dared to kill Prime Minister Cui's legitimate daughter, what was a small palace maid like her?
"However, if you tell me who is behind you, I can consider letting you go. After all, Imperial Grandmother is very fond of you, and I don't want to make her sad."
Qin Jinzhi's face was full of smiles, but Shen Liuying was already covered in a chill.
It was as if an evil spirit, breaking free from its restraints, could emerge at any moment from beneath that stunningly beautiful exterior.
She bit her lip tightly.
Qin Jinzhi smiled, "It doesn't matter if you don't speak. I'll speak, and you listen."
"Feiyan said you were a disaster victim from Jiangnan. How could a disaster victim who couldn't even afford food have the money to teach you such proper etiquette?"
"Your skin is soft and white like snow, so delicate it could break with a touch. That can't be achieved without more than ten years of secret medicinal conditioning."
"You entered the Imperial Palace as a servant but never referred to yourself as such, only using your own name."
"Legend has it that a branch of the Shen family in Jiangnan excels at cultivating rare Yilan flowers. If a woman bathes with these rare flowers for many years, her body will develop a natural fragrance. One only needs to get close to smell a faint Yilan scent. Later, due to the difficulty of cultivating the rare flower, this Yilan flower was exclusively for the Shen family members."
"And this Yilan scent has a marvelous use: it's an aphrodisiac. Am I right, Miss Shen?"
Shen Liuying couldn't believe it. With just a single meeting, Qin Jinzhi had guessed her identity.
She opened her mouth several times before a sound escaped, "Since the Princess knows I am from the Shen family, killing me will bring you trouble too. Does the Princess want to be expelled from the capital again?"
Qin Jinzhi looked at her panicked expression and laughed even louder, "You, a concubine's daughter from a branch of the Shen family, are you even worthy of being my trouble?"
Indeed, she was sent in by those dirty things.
Those prominent Families who appear honorable on the surface but are like rats in a sewer underneath.
The so-called noble spirit of prominent Families is so condescending, so arrogant.
In reality, they are already crawling with disgusting and filthy maggots.
Shen Liuying looked at her in disbelief; Qin Jinzhi even knew she was a concubine's daughter!
Qin Jinzhi smiled and looked at her, "After all, the legitimate daughters of Families are used for marriage alliances with other prominent Families, so dirty deeds like climbing the dragon's bed can only be done by concubine's daughters like you. Noble Families, truly as pure as autumn moonlight, worthy of admiration!
What if I threw you at the Shen family's doorstep? Would the Shen family acknowledge you? Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Shen Liuying felt like she was suffocating as she watched Qin Jinzhi laugh.
The Qin Jinzhi before her was completely different from what she knew.
Sharp, eccentric, unfathomable, and chilling!
Just as Qin Jinzhi said, how could Families who prided themselves on nobility admit to such a base act?
If it were an ordinary family, climbing the dragon's bed might be something to bring glory to their ancestors, but for prominent Families, sending their daughter into the Imperial Palace just to climb the dragon's bed was an utter disgrace.
If she really threw her in front of the Shen family, the Shen family would never acknowledge her. Not only her, but her aunt and her younger brother would all die without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Qin Jinzhi looked at the rippling water as if in thought, "I wonder if my big arowana is hungry now."
Upon hearing this, Shen Liuying could no longer hold on and fell to her knees, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Princess, spare my life! Princess, spare my life!"
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything! Our family head chose me and sent me into the Imperial Palace to find an opportunity to climb the Emperor's dragon's bed! The family head said that once I reveal my identity as a Shen family member, the Emperor will surely bestow upon me the title of Noble Consort!"
Qin Jinzhi grabbed a handful of fish food, "More than ten years ago, the Emperor canceled the imperial selection. All the Families desperately tried to find ways to send people into the Imperial Palace. How could a small branch possibly establish connections within the Imperial Palace? Naturally, it was all at the behest of the various family heads. Miss Shen, what you're saying is of no value to me."
Shen Liuying's forehead was already cut open, blood smeared on her eyes and hair, making her look quite terrifying.
Qin Jinzhi burst out laughing at her despairing expression.
"Hahahahahahahahaha! Miss Shen, you didn't think I was going to throw you into the pond to feed the arowana, did you? Don't worry, my arowana is a vegetarian; it doesn't like meat. I was just joking with you, Miss Shen, don't be so nervous."
Shen Liuying tremblingly looked at the surface of the pond, and indeed, the koi bitten into two pieces were still there.
She felt dizzy and completely at a loss as to what Qin Jinzhi truly intended.
Just then, she heard Qin Jinzhi say again:
"However, your mind is as unimpressive as your courage. Not as interesting as the last one.
The last one actually succeeded, and was even granted the title of Noble Consort, making Imperial Grandmother sad for a long time. It's been too long.
I've even forgotten her name, but I still remember how she looked when she died."
Qin Jinzhi's smile widened, "Have you ever seen a pig?"
Shen Liuying was like a startled bird, unsure how to react.
"Actually, pigs are not vegetarians; they are omnivores. They eat everything. Anything that appears before them when they are eating becomes their food: chickens, ducks, fish, meat, everything."
They also eat pork, and sometimes even small piglets that run into their food trough will be eaten by them."
Shen Liuying's eyes grew wider with terror, and she even felt a little nauseous.
Qin Jinzhi, however, looked at her face with extreme excitement, as if her desire to share was overflowing, and said, "They eat a lot, and they eat very quickly. They can eat a person completely in just half an hour, leaving no trace. Isn't that interesting?"
Shen Liuying could no longer hold it in and began to vomit violently. A fishy smell smell emanated from below her, and her body convulsed uncontrollably. Her gaze trembled whenever she looked at Qin Jinzhi.
Just then, a gentle voice said anxiously, "Stop!"
Qin Jinzhi looked up at the newcomer but did not get up, still smiling as she looked at the palace maid and said, "Sister Shen Liuying hasn't answered me yet, is this story interesting?"
Shen Liuying looked at that stunningly beautiful face, with only one thought in her mind: an evil spirit, an evil spirit from hell has emerged!
Then she could no longer hold on and fainted.
Qin Jinzhi stood up, a little disappointed. How could this person be so easily scared?
Then she smiled at the person.
"Long time no see, Pei Jinnian."