Song Tangli's face was pale, as if she had been slapped silently.

Only then did the Song family realize that Song Tangli's ankles and below were soaked in blood. Compared to Song Tangli's minor abrasions, the amount of bleeding was shocking.

Song Tangli didn't care what these people thought. She just didn't expect Xie Qianzhong to actually bring medicine. He didn't seem like a kind person.

She turned to look at Scarlet and said, "Please thank Lord Xie for me."

Scarlet nodded, handed the medicine to Begonia, and left.

Li Zhaoxian's expression turned slightly cold: "Summon the physician again for the young lady..."

Song Tangxue's red lips parted slightly, "No need, Your Highness. It's just some superficial wounds. Lord Xie's wound medicine from the Western Regions is excellent. There's no need to trouble the physician to make another trip."

Li Zhaoxian remained silent for a moment, his eyes slightly narrowed, while the Song family members beside him asked a few questions about the wound with concern, as if they were in a hurry to mend it.

Song Tangxue answered calmly, her heart unmoved.

Meanwhile, Song Tangli, who was being ignored, had a cold and resentful expression on her face.

The ship sailed smoothly for the rest of the journey, and by the afternoon they had arrived in Kyoto. Song Tangxue boarded a sedan chair and returned to the East Palace.

-

After Song Tangxue bathed and cleansed herself, she changed her clothes.

She looked at herself in the brass mirror. Her hair was as black as lacquer, her wrists were as white as jade, her features were beautiful and delicate, and the ethereal gauze accentuated her slender figure, full breasts and long legs.

This was completely different from her withered and rotting appearance in the cold palace. She was even a little dazed, realizing that she looked like this ten years ago.

Haitang gracefully stepped forward, straightened her clothes, and helped her with her hair.

Song Tangxue watched as Haitang diligently carried out her tasks, while the other palace maids stood idly by with listless expressions, their postures disheveled.

Her eyes were slightly cool.

Haitang was about to put the handkerchief down when she realized there was no one to take it. Just as she was about to go up and put it down herself, Song Tangxue grabbed her shoulder, which surprised Haitang.

Song Tangxue looked at the few undisciplined palace maids and said, "Come here."

The three palace maids who were chosen looked at each other and hesitated for a while before slowly stepping forward, "Miss Song."

With a sullen look in her eyes, Song Tangxue picked up the handkerchief from Haitang's hand and threw it at them. Then she splashed a basin of handwashing water on them.

The palace maids screamed in fright, one of them shouting, "What is the young lady doing!"

What are you doing?

Song Tangxue suddenly sneered, "Haitang, each take twenty!"

Haitang was slightly taken aback, and the three palace maids beside her were dumbfounded. The usually gentle Miss Song never even scolded anyone, but today she was going to punish someone.

Haitang realized what was happening and immediately replied, "Yes!"

Haitang stepped forward and slapped him across the face. The one who had been arguing earlier instantly swelled up with redness, tears welling in his eyes, crying out, "We are the Empress's people, you can't do this to us..."

The cold light in Song Tangxue's eyes intensified. "Give each of you twenty more slaps, Haitang!"

Haitang: "Yes!"

In her past life, she was too kind and cautious, and she didn't even dare to offend the palace maids sent by the Empress. She treated them with courtesy, and the group of wicked servants she raised became increasingly deceitful and deceitful.

Even during the great fire, these palace maids went to rescue Song Tangli, who was more favored by Li Zhaoxian...

Her magnanimity ironically became an asset for others to perceive her as weak and easily bullied.

At that moment, the head maid rushed over upon hearing the commotion and immediately shouted, "Stop!"

The three palace maids cried out as if they had seen a savior, "Granny!"

The head maid looked at the palace maids under her command, then turned to Song Tangxue with a smile, "Miss Song, what is the reason for this? These are all people carefully selected by the Empress, the most capable ones. If you are unhappy, you can't take it out on the Empress's people."

The more Song Tangxue heard the woman keep mentioning the Empress, the colder she became.

Song Tangxue's gaze shifted to her indifferently, "And what are you?"

The head maid's face darkened instantly, but she quickly forced a smile and stepped forward, "This servant is naturally the Empress..."

Song Tangxue picked up the incense burner next to her and slammed it hard into the head maid's face with a "bang."

A gaping hole was instantly smashed open, and the head maid staggered to the ground, pulling out a handful of blood from her palm. "You, you..."

Song Tangxue looked at her, stepped down from above, and stepped on the palm of the head maid.

The head maid screamed in pain.

“The Empress sent you here to be servants, not masters. You dare to interrupt your master when she is speaking. In any palace, that would cost you your lives. You are supposed to be head maids, yet you are so disrespectful. If I report this to the Empress, let’s see if she will protect you lowly servants or me.”

The head maid turned pale, and the other three maids were even more frightened and cowered. Song Tangxue increased the pressure of her foot, and the head maid trembled even more in pain.

Song Tangxue smiled coldly, "If you don't want to work in my palace anymore, you can leave anytime. Since my palace can't keep you, then you can all go to the Department of Cautious Punishment. It's spacious and comfortable there."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group all changed. The Censorate was a place where one could go and not return alive!

The head maid was so frightened that she scrambled to her feet and kowtowed twice, pleading, "This servant knows her mistake, this servant knows her mistake, please forgive this lowly servant, Miss!"

The other palace maids all knelt down and kowtowed.

Song Tangxue coldly withdrew her gaze, "From this day forward, Haitang will serve as my head maid. As for you... each of you will receive twenty strokes of the cane and be demoted to the lowest rank of maid."

After saying that, Haitang summoned several eunuchs to drag them away, and the whole room fell silent instantly.

Haitang stood quietly to the side, though she didn't know what was wrong with her young lady. But today's actions were very satisfying, saving them from being lazy and not taking her seriously!

Song Tangxue's dark pupils held only a cold glint.

Having dealt with those around her, she should now begin the process of annulling the engagement; her wedding to Li Zhaoxian was in fifteen days.

The fire occurred on the eve of her wedding.

Song Tangxue was completely disfigured back then, but no one ever found out who was responsible for the fire. She investigated it with great resentment and found a special powder in the arsonist's materials. The doctor who treated her at the time told her that it was specially made saltpeter powder.

It cannot be extinguished by water; once it gets into a person's sebum, it burns even more fiercely.

However, at that time she was already bedridden and powerless, and the divine doctor was also called away by Song Tangli, leaving only a few medical books for her to save herself.

This nitrate powder is the source; we must investigate!

in addition……

Song Tangxue turned to Haitang and said, "Haitang, bring me the land deeds, shops, and properties that my grandmother left me. Also, gather the account books from all the shops over the past few years."