Everyone thought that Song Zhao didn't want to enter the palace,
But no one knew that she actually wanted to enter the palace more than anyone else.
Because only by entering the palace could she completely escape the earthly purgatory of the Song family and avenge her deceased mother.
Bai, Song Zhao's birth mother, was a concubine of Song Shicheng.
Bai was beautiful and became the favored concubine upon entering the Song family.
Therefore, after she entered the family, the main wife, Jiang, had some grievances against her.
When Song Zhao was still young, Jiang framed Bai for theft and publicly whipped her to death, right in front of Song Zhao.
Jiang's family had provided considerable support to Song Shicheng in the officialdom, so even though he knew that Bai was wrongly killed, he never questioned it.
Having witnessed the tragic death of her birth mother, Song Zhao understood from a young age:
Men must have power, and women must also hold real power in their hands.
If they only rely on men, when their beauty fades and love weakens, even if they are beaten to death, it would be considered a worthless life, and no one would care.
So she didn't want to be the one who was beaten by others.
If she had to, then she must be the one holding the whip.
Late one night, Song Zhao went to the firewood shed.
She saw that Jiang and her daughter had indeed suffered some torment.
Their faces were pale, with many bloodstains, and they had no strength to speak.
Seeing this, Song Zhao furrowed her brows and reprimanded the executioner, saying,
"Father told you to administer the punishment, not to beat my sister and mother to death. If you leave visible injuries, how can they entertain guests in the future?"
The executioner scratched his head and said, "But the master said that thirty lashes must be completed, and we still have ten lashes left."
"Women are weak. If you continue beating them like this, they will be half-dead."
Song Zhao rolled up her sleeves, took the whip from the executioner's hand, and said, "Forget it, I'll finish the remaining ten lashes for you. It's just a formality, so you can report to my father."
Jiang was the main wife after all, and the executioner didn't want to do this job that offended people.
Seeing that Song Zhao was going to take over, he quickly handed her the whip and fled as if his life depended on it.
Song Zhao walked slowly towards Jiang and her daughter.
With both hands gripping the whip, she cracked it, making a loud sound.
Jiang and her daughter looked at her in horror, cowering against the wall.
"What... What do you want?" Jiang stammered.
"Crack!"
Song Zhao raised the whip and struck Jiang's face harshly.
A red, almost black, bloodstain appeared on her left cheek, and the pain made her scream as she fell to the ground, covering her face.
Song Yue rushed to protect her mother, glaring at Song Zhao with eyes full of hatred.
"You... You wicked woman! All of this was your plan against me and my mother! You... Ah!"
"Crack!"
Another lash struck Song Yue's forehead.
"You think I planned all this against you? Ha~ Compared to the humiliation you have subjected me to all these years, compared to your mother killing mine, these few lashes today are far from enough!
If it weren't for the rule that newly entered palace maids cannot attend funerals, do you think I would let you live? But it doesn't matter. After I enter the palace, that will be the beginning of your nightmares."
"I spit on you!" Jiang spat a mouthful of blood at Song Zhao. "You've disfigured your own face in order to frame us. Tomorrow, when you enter the palace, you won't be able to receive favor anymore!
Yes, you're good-looking, but the palace is never lacking in beautiful women. You're a common-born daughter, and there has never been a precedent of a common-born daughter becoming a noble concubine in Qichao Dynasty! Just be content with your fate and wait to die in the palace!"
Song Zhao twirled the whip in the air a couple of times and then laughed.
"Noble concubine? Haha! I entered the palace to become an empress, or else what's the point? Should I go cook for others?"
Her eyes turned cold, and suddenly, he turned fierce, lashing out at Jiang and Song Yue with the whip.
After suppressing the anger that had been pent up for years, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"I've endured you all these years, and you should know to what extent I can go to get what I want.
I'm not my mother, sacrificing my life for empty promises from Song Shicheng.
I know very well what I want, and anyone who stands in my way will be eliminated one by one, completely eradicated.
And you, today, are the best examples!"
With that, she casually threw the whip at Jiang's face and walked away, clapping his hands.