"Since you've fallen in love with someone far above you in status, you should know that, barring any surprises, you'll only be a woman at his beck and call.
If you want to stand beside him as his official wife and bear his children,
you should do everything in your power to narrow the gap between you two.
Instead of constantly compromising yourself and just trying to please him."
He Qing was so stunned that she couldn't help but ask, "Then how can I narrow this gap?"
Bai Zheng gave a faint smile, propped her hands on her knees, leaned forward, and looked directly into He Qing's eyes.
"Either pull him off his pedestal. Or make yourself even more powerful."
He Qing lowered her head and murmured Bai Zheng's words, "Pull him off his pedestal... become more powerful... You're right!"
A glimmer of light appeared in He Qing's eyes. She let out a loud laugh towards the sky and replied, "Now, I'm going to drag him down! I'll drag the entire Grand Tutor's Mansion into the mud!"
Bai Zheng remained unmoved and only asked, "How do you plan to drag him down? Counting on the Marquis?"
"Why not? The Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion and the Grand Tutor's Mansion have sworn enmity!" He Qing replied justifiably.
"Just based on this?"
Bai Zheng was amused by her and couldn't help but remind her, "In this Yongding City, there are plenty of people who have grudges against our Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion. The Prime Minister's Mansion, the General's Mansion, and the culprit who planned the disaster six years ago, the one sitting on the throne now. Which one of them is easy to deal with?
I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. The Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion has been severely damaged by you and your father. Over the years, the Marquis has just been holding on.
Want to take revenge? The time is not right yet! Even the Marquis has to lie low and bide his time.
What makes you think he'll help you take a desperate gamble against the Grand Tutor's Mansion now?"
Yes, what made her think so?
Hearing this, the brief spark that had ignited in He Qing's eyes the moment before was instantly extinguished, like a bucket of cold water had been poured on it, leaving only a dull gray.
She stared blankly ahead.
Yes, in this Yongding City, there were hardly any innocent people. Almost all of them had the blood of the Changping Army and the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion on their hands.
Why should Feng Linyuan listen to her just because she said she wanted to deal with the Grand Tutor's Mansion first?
"What should I do... That scoundrel killed my father and my child. Am I just going to let him live a carefree life and I can do nothing about it?"
He Qing felt a continuous chill seeping into her body, making her shiver involuntarily.
"I'm not reconciled, not reconciled, Madam..."
"You're not reconciled?" Bai Zheng sat up straight, looking down at her with a bone-chilling indifference in her eyes. "What do you have to be not reconciled about?
Have all your siblings been killed by him since childhood?
Have you been seriously ill because of him, having to wear thick cotton-padded clothes even in the middle of summer for fear that a little cold might take your life?
Have you ever experienced the fear of not being able to sleep soundly day and night, constantly having to be on guard against assassins breaking into the mansion, and risking your life at any moment?
Do you have to be extremely careful in front of your enemy every day, afraid that he'll see through your thoughts and wipe out all your remaining relatives?"
He Qing stared fixedly at the cold and terrifying face in front of her. Suddenly, she seemed to lose her voice and slowly shook her head.
"Over the years, the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion has been ruined because of you. But what about you? Weren't you still living a glorious life as the concubine in the Grand Tutor's Mansion, wearing gold and silver and enjoying delicious food? Except for not having a child, wasn't your life better than before?" Bai Zheng sneered.
Recalling her days in the Grand Tutor's Mansion, He Qing had to admit that although Zhao Yujin hadn't made her life very comfortable, he hadn't been stingy with money.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to buy things without blinking an eye in Bai Zheng's shops.
By Zhao Yujin's side, she had indeed enjoyed a luxury and wealth she had never experienced before.
"But this is only temporary, isn't it?" Bai Zheng looked at her, a mocking smile escaping from her lips. "Look at yourself now. Your child has been killed by Zhao Yujin, and now you're about to be abandoned by him.
You're forsaken by everyone and have nowhere to turn.
This is exactly what a person who has harmed others deserves, isn't it?"
He Qing instantly froze in place, all the color draining from her face.
Bai Zheng's words were like a resounding slap on her face.
Ending up in this situation was exactly what she deserved for being ungrateful and bringing it upon herself.
She had done so many wrong things, and now that she was just starting to receive retribution, she couldn't bear it.
What about Feng Linyuan, who had done nothing wrong but had been pushed to the brink of despair because of her? How had he managed to drag his weak and sick body through so many open and hidden attacks over the years and survive with the will to take revenge?
She felt a burning pain on her face.
She was the sinner. What right did she have to expect someone she had once harmed to help her out of kindness?
"If you want to take revenge, don't rely on others. That's wishful thinking. But you can find a way to make yourself powerful so that you have the capital to cooperate and negotiate with the other side." Bai Zheng said calmly.
He Qing suddenly looked up. Now there was no longer the madness and hatred in her eyes, only a firm look.
"Madam, how can I make myself powerful?"
Previously, she had also thought about using the handles in her hand to make a deal with Feng Linyuan, but Feng Linyuan hadn't shown any interest.
Now that she thought about it, those were just some information she had obtained during her daily interactions with Zhao Yujin.
At that time, she had never suspected Zhao Yujin and had been focused on having a child and taking care of her body. She hadn't paid much attention to Zhao Yujin's and the Zhao family's movements.
If Zhao Yujin had wanted to hide something from her, she naturally wouldn't have been able to get any useful information.
No wonder Feng Linyuan hadn't even given her a chance to speak.
Now, if she wanted to obtain information that could even move Feng Linyuan, unless—
Just then, Bai Zheng gave a soft smile and said, "Swallow today's incident and go back to the Grand Tutor's Mansion. Try to collect some information that our Marquis can't get. Only then will you have more value and bargaining chips."
Hearing this, He Qing's eyes paused slightly, and there was an emotion surging silently in the depths of her eyes that only she understood.
Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Bai Zheng stood up, walked to her side, and gently patted her on the shoulder.
"If you want to get what you can't have, you must first endure what you can't endure."
Leaving this sentence behind, Bai Zheng didn't look at her anymore and left the main hall without looking back.