Chapter 19: The Portrait of the Empress (Part 2)

  Feng Lian Wu stared blankly at Bailing, who was like a raging lion, and involuntarily took two steps back. Feng Qian Wu let out a shocked cry and almost collapsed to the ground, while Feng Yun Wu closed her eyes in pain, unable to bear the scene before her.

  The sound of Bai Ling's roar echoed in the queen's bedroom, shaking off dust from the ceiling: "I, Bai Ling, certainly have children! But seven years ago, they were thrown off a horse and killed by men from your family, the Yins. My two sons, three daughters, all died at the hands of men from your family. My eldest daughter was only nine years old, but she was beaten to death by men from your family. She was only nine years old! What right do you have to blame me? I merely starved him for a day or two, and you condemn me like this. How should I condemn you? How should I condemn you? My five children, five lives, plus my parents, wives, and concubines - a total of 141 lives. You've only repaid less than 40 lives! You still need to repay at least 101 lives to make up for it!"

  Feng Lin's eyes widened, but she immediately gritted her teeth and said fearlessly: "Bai Ling, I know my husband did wrong back then, but that was a matter of the Yin family! Now that you've killed every last one of them, what more do you want?"

  Bai Ling laughed, his eyes fixed on Feng Linwu with a gloomy expression: "What do I want? What should I be like? Look at my face, look at the scars on it. There are only 199 of them, less than 200! To get these 199 scars, I wasted nine precious daggers from the Yin family. Listen to my voice now, how pleasant is it? It's all thanks to the people from the Yin family who used burning irons for two days and two nights to make me like this. I should be grateful to them! Look at me now, don't I look almost 70 years old? In fact, I'm only 45. All of this is thanks to the Yin family's efforts. Such great kindness, if I don't repay it with my life, how can I face my deceased parents, brothers, sisters, wives, and children?"

  Feng Luan took a deep breath and said indifferently, "Indeed, my husband has done many things that wronged you. If you think lives can be repaid with lives, then kill us, I won't blame you, but please don't torture us before we die."

  "Shut up! Hahaha, why are you tormenting us before we die? What you said sounds so good, so reasonable! How can I not listen? But what about my daughter? Why did she have to suffer so much torture from those men before she died? Why did she beg those men, who inserted something like a plow into her underdeveloped body? On what grounds? On what grounds? On what grounds can you torment my daughter, but I cannot torment you? Is this lawful? Is this reasonable? Tell me, is there any reason why only you can torment me, but I cannot torment you?"

  Feng Luan took a deep breath again and said slowly: "For my husband's sins, I indeed feel deeply ashamed. I am willing to do my best to make up for the hardships you suffered back then, if you are willing to accept it."

  Bailin's maniacal laughter suddenly stopped, and his face returned to normal, becoming more serious than ever before. He said solemnly: "Of course I'm willing to accept, why wouldn't I? You're the empress, you're high above everyone, admired by all, who dares to offend you? How could I not accept? Of course I accept, isn't that right?"

  Feng Lan's heart slightly relaxed, and she said lightly: "Then, please tell me your requirements, let's see if I can satisfy them." Unintentionally, he suddenly saw Feng Yunwu frantically shaking her head in the distance, tears streaming down her face, but he didn't know what it meant.

  Bailin said calmly: "My request is very simple, really very simple, you can completely do it, any woman can do it."

  Feng Lan looked at Feng Yun, who was already numb, with only bitter tears flowing from her eyes, and no other expression. She could only try to calm down and say: "Please tell me carefully."

  Bailin said: "There are many guests in my house, they always tell me that your queen Irina is really beautiful, if I can take a look. I say no way, how can our queen Irina be shown to you casually? They say, then we'll pay money, 10,000 gold coins for one look, will it do? I say no way, that's too cheap for you, our queen Irina is one of the twelve beauties on the Jiangshan Absolute Beauty List, worth a city, and you think 10,000 gold coins can buy a look at our queen's body? Don't even think about it..."

  Feng Lin listened quietly at first, but soon became increasingly impatient. She finally couldn't help but interrupt her: "Bai Ling, please just state your request directly."

  Bailin smiled slightly and said faintly, "Your Majesty, don't be in a hurry. When the time comes, I'll say it, and who knows, maybe I'll have to repeat it many times? Those people said that since they can't see the real person, looking at a portrait should be fine. I said, what about the portrait? Okay, no problem, but each portrait must cost at least 50,000 gold coins. Those people said, 50,000 is 50,000, we'll pay first, and you have to hand over the queen's portrait within a month. I said, okay, no problem, while counting the money, thinking about how I can get the queen's portrait."

  Feng Lian danced with a frown on her face and said, "There is a portrait of me at the imperial painter's place, you can just take it from there, why come looking for me?"

  Bailin smiled wryly and shook his head: "Alas, if they wanted those paintings, the 50,000 gold coins would have come too easily."

  "Feng Luan Dance hesitantly said: 'Then, what kind of portrait are they looking for?'"

  Bailin shrugged his shoulders, helplessly saying: "My guests are all either rich or noble. They already have ordinary portraits of the empress in their homes. What they want this time is something special."

  Feng Lian danced a cold smile and said disdainfully: "What's so special about it?"

  Bailin scratched his head and said with difficulty: "They want to see the true side of the queen."

  Feng Lin said coldly: "Is my portrait not realistic enough?"

  Bailin hastily waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, Your Majesty has misunderstood. What I meant to say is that the previous portraits of you had too many things that shouldn't exist. This time, they hope to see a portrait with no decorations at all."

  Feng Lin said impatiently: "Alright, I won't wear any gold or silver jewelry then."

  Bai Ling said faintly: "No, no, no, gold and silver jewelry is nothing, I'm talking about something else... like clothes."

  Feng Lian was about to speak when she suddenly realized something, and in an instant, her face turned bright red, like a ripe apple on an autumn day. Her full chest heaved with anger, and her whole body was consumed by a huge rage and sense of humiliation. She was furious beyond control, screaming wildly, "Bai Ling, you're really shameless! You... I won't agree to it! You... get out!" As she screamed, a mouthful of saliva also flew onto Bai Ling's face.

  However, Bailing seemed to feel nothing, he just shrugged his shoulders indifferently and said helplessly: "Alas, what a pity, my 400,000 gold coins can't be obtained. Alas, there's no way out, it seems I can only go take a look at that poor little boy, maybe he has a way to make his beautiful aunt agree to this small wish of mine."

  Feng Lan's dance was like an enraged phoenix, pointing at the door and scolding fiercely: "You treacherous thief! You shameless rascal! Get out of my sight immediately! Never show your face in front of me again..."

  Bai Ling sneered coldly and walked out of the door with large strides, followed by the painters who hastily retreated. As he stepped out of the door, Bai Ling suddenly turned around and said in a cold tone: "Do you know what I was thinking when I was struggling to make ends meet at the South City Gate? I can tell you that back then, every day and night, I thought that if I ever grasped power over Irina, my first task would be to kill all members of the Yin family. Now, I've basically achieved that - except for Yin Ji, there's no one left in the Yin family. My second goal was to obtain the women of the Yin family, and now I've also basically achieved that - except for you! However, I don't want to treat you like I did them; I just want to cherish and love you well. I'll have your portrait painted and show it to everyone - this is what our Irina's glorious empress looks like, one of the twelve beauties on the mainland's Jiangshan Absolute Beauty List. I think your portrait will be very popular." With that, he smiled triumphantly and disappeared out the door, leaving the three women in the room feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

  Feng Lan danced wildly, screaming in a sharp voice like an owl in the dark night: "Bailing, you have done such beastly and conscienceless things, one day you will suffer heavenly punishment."

  Disregarding her dignity, she chased after Bailing's back to kick him a few times, but was already being cried out and pounced on by Fengyunwu, who held her tightly. She knelt in front of Fengshanwu, wailing and crying bitterly, pleading: "Sister, for the sake of Jier, for the last bit of flesh and blood of our Feng family, just agree to him, I beg of you, please agree to him, otherwise...otherwise, Jier will starve to death..."

  Feng Lan danced with a flourish, flinging open the sleeves of her dress, and tears slowly began to flow down her face. In agony, she said: "How could I possibly agree to such a request? How could I possibly agree to such a request? I won't, I won't..."

  Feng Yun danced and begged: "Sister, he just wants your portrait, not your body, for the sake of Jie, can you bear this humiliation? I beg of you, my third sister and I are insulted by Bai Ling every night, but for the sake of Jie, we endured it. Sister, please agree."

  Feng Lian's face gradually regained its usual calm, but her chest was still heaving violently. She turned her head away with a heavy heart and said in a low voice: "I'm sorry, Sanmei, I understand your pain as Jie'er's mother, but I won't agree to this. It's a matter of a woman's dignity..."

  Feng Yun's entire body was paralyzed on the ground, her expression wooden, and she muttered to herself: "Sister, can you really bear to see our Feng family become extinct from now on? Can you be worthy of our Feng family ancestors? Can you bear to watch Jiji's life disappear bit by bit?"

  Feng Lian danced angrily and said: "Bai Ling is making progress inch by inch, I can't bear it. Maybe what she wants today is just my portrait, but tomorrow, who knows, maybe she'll want me to serve her in bed. How can I agree to such a shameless request from this treacherous person? Of course, I know Jiji is our only flesh and blood, but... how can I..."

  Feng Yun clutched Feng Lan's legs tightly, her head bowed in the hem of her skirt as she wept uncontrollably, her voice completely choked with sorrow and weakness: "Sister, only we two know that you are still a virgin, not even Second Sister knows, so you care so much about your chastity. But for Ji'er's sake, for the last bit of our family's honor, no matter how great the humiliation, you must endure it... Eldest Sister, I beg of you, please open up your noble body and let them describe your chaste body. If White Commandant wants to violate your chastity, Third Sister and I are willing to take your place and suffer punishment, we absolutely won't let your virgin body be ruined by White Commandant."