<h4>Chapter 3</h4>


    Everyone thought that Song Zhao didn''t want to enter the pce,


    But no one knew that she actually wanted to enter the pce more than anyone else.


    Because only by entering the pce could shepletely 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 thirtyshes must bepleted, and we still have tenshes 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 tenshes 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 ck, 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, ring at Song Zhao with eyes full of hatred.


    "You... You wicked woman! All of this was your n against me and my mother! You... Ah!"


    "Crack!"


    Anothersh struck Song Yue''s forehead.


    "You think I nned all this against you? Ha~ Compared to the humiliation you have subjected me to all these years,pared to your mother killing mine, these fewshes today are far from enough!


    If it weren''t for the rule that newly entered pce maids cannot attend funerals, do you think I would let you live? But it doesn''t matter. After I enter the pce, 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 pce, you won''t be able to receive favor anymore!


    Yes, you''re good-looking, but the pce is nevercking in beautiful women. You''re amon-born daughter, and there has never been a precedent of amon-born daughter bing a noble concubine in Qichao Dynasty! Just be content with your fate and wait to die in the pce!"


    Song Zhao twirled the whip in the air a couple of times and thenughed.


    "Noble concubine? Haha! I entered the pce to be an empress, or else what''s the point? Should I go cook for others?"


    Her eyes turned cold, and suddenly, he turned fierce,shing 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,pletely eradicated.


    And you, today, are the best examples!"


    With that, she casually threw the whip at Jiang''s face and walked away, pping his hands.