Consort of a Thousand Faces Chapter 299.1 - down and out

Chapter 299.1: down and out

To think that the once high and mighty He Xiangyu would be reduced to such a state – dressed in dirty rags, ruined makeup, and dishevelled hair strewn messily about. She wasn’t even wearing any shoes, walking around in her bare feet like a complete mess.
Her eyes burned with hatred when she saw Su Xi-er, nearly wailing as she yelled out, “Su Xi-er, you actually entered the Prince Hao Residence! I am in this situation all because of you, bitch!
Ruo Yuan and Hong Li were shocked to recognise the person in front of them as He Xiangyu. There’s not even a trace of her former glory left.
Wu Ling drew out his sword to chase her away, but was stopped by Su Xi-er. “How is she different from a beggar now? It’s not good to point your sword at a defenceless beggar.”
Her casual words made Wu Ling sheathe his word, but only infuriated He Xiangyu further. She called me a beggar!
He Xiangyu wished that she could slap Su Xi-er once on each cheek, but the moment she took a step, she could feel the burning pain on the soles of her feet. She had stolen two buns from a shop yesterday because she was too hungry. Before she could even eat them though, she had been caught and beaten up.
Having heard that Prince Hao would be returning today, He Xiangyu had tolerated the pain to drag herself here; what she hadn’t expected was to see Su Xi-er coming out of the Prince Hao Residence with her own eyes. Seeing that even Wu Ling treated her with respect, she couldn’t suppress the fury welling up in her heart.
“Su Xi-er, we were once sisters, and this is how you treat me? Are you holding a grudge against me for not taking you with me when I entered the Beauty Palace? Is that why you’re so pleased to see that I’ve fallen to such a sorry plight?”
Su Xi-er stared into He Xiangyu’s bloodshot eyes and shook her head. “I am not pleased; I just feel very sorry for you. Your days were glorious when Prince Hao took you in, but now that you’ve been dismissed, you don’t even look like a proper human anymore. To live your life for others this entire time, to be reduced to such a state, what is there for me to be please about?”
Su Xi-er’s words were light, but they cut deeply like a knife into He Xiangyu’s heart. She pursed her lips and clenched her fists tightly before eventually starting to laugh hysterically. “Su Xi-er, you are still trying to justify yourself. You’re the one to blame for my current life. If you hadn’t taken the blame for me, I wouldn’t have gone to sweep the palace path and met Prince Hao! Even after I met him, why couldn’t you just know your place and quietly stay in the Palace Side Quarters!”
He Xiangyu endured the pain in her body and step by step, she walked towards Su Xi-er. Ruo Yuan wanted to stand in front of Su Xi-er to fend off He Xiangyu, but ended up being pulled aside by Su Xi-er.
“If you had been more honest and didn’t seduce Prince Hao, how would he have abandoned me? Su Xi-er, you shouldn’t have taken the blame for me! My days after entering the Beauty Palace have been more torturous than anything that came before. You may be full of it now, but you will soon know what kind of pain I’ve been through! One day, you’ll end up in a worse plight than me! Prince Hao’s heart is frozen solid like a block of ice! The toughest and coldest thing in this world in fact! He’ll soon throw you out like a worn-down shoe. “
He Xiangyu then leaned towards Su Xi-er and whispered, “Don’t think that you are clean and pure. You look timid on the outside, but you’re filthy on the inside! To think that you were already taken in by a rich lord at a young fine age before you entered the palace! This body of yours has been completely tainted! If Prince Hao knows of this, would he still want you?”
Su Xi-er’s brows were slightly scrunched up. Is what He Xiangyu said true? If it is, then that means that the owner of this body had already been…