No one else came, but the presence of one little ferret was enough.
Although the little ferret was small and posed no danger, its ability to cause trouble should not be underestimated.
The women stood there stunned for a moment, then, upon seeing the broken branch, they couldn't help but glance at the Empress Dowager. Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager loved this pot of blue-feathered flowers the most, and whenever the flowers bloomed, she would always invite several groups of princesses, noble ladies, and their families to come and admire them.
The Empress Dowager was very concerned about her image, and she would always show off any good things she had. They were just minor concubines in the palace, and since entering the palace, they had not yet been favored by His Majesty. Naturally, they had to curry favor with His Majesty's mother in order to gain the Emperor's attention.
The Empress Dowager's face was as black as could be. She gently twisted the broken branch with her fingers and angrily rebuked, "Who dares to pluck my Blue Feather Flower! You servants, go and investigate and ask who was in the Imperial Garden just now."
This branch was clearly broken off by someone. If no one had been to the Imperial Garden, how could the flowers have disappeared on their own?
After scanning their surroundings, none of them spotted the blue-feathered flower. The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on the little sable, and she ordered, "Shoo that sable away and see if the flower is behind it."
Although the ferret is small, it has enough space behind it to hide a flower.
Xi Xizhi stared wide-eyed in shock. No wonder people say you shouldn't pick wildflowers by the roadside. Look at her current situation; for the sake of a single flower, she had offended the Empress Dowager.
Who is the Empress Dowager?! The Emperor's mother, and her status even surpasses An Honghan's!
Even without thinking, Xi Xizhi could guess how tragic her fate would be.
At this point, Xi Xizhi couldn't care less about anything else. She plopped down on the flower behind her, completely concealing it. As long as it didn't move, no one could find it. Even when the two women reached out to chase it, it wouldn't budge an inch.
"Mother, we just can't get rid of this little sable." The two women were at their wits' end. Because it was His Majesty's pet, they only gently nudged the sable with their fingers, not daring to use any real force. As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. Although the sable was just an animal, it had His Majesty's backing, so its status was self-evident.
"Useless things." Seeing how useless they were, the Empress Dowager immediately scolded them.
Just as she was about to take matters into her own hands, the eunuch beside her suddenly shouted, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, this servant has checked, and from this morning until now, there has indeed been no one who has come to the pavilion."
"No one has been here, so where are the flowers?" the Empress Dowager roared furiously. Suddenly noticing something, she bent down and approached Xi Xizhi, pointing at the little sable's paws. "I finally know what happened! Look at what's on its paws! It must have been this little sable. Quickly catch it! Those were gifts from the late Emperor; whoever damages them will be punished!"
The ferret's paws, covered in silvery fur, were covered in blue pollen. Its dirty paws were conspicuously perched on the table.
"Pick up this little sable for me. Maybe it's hiding the Blue Feather Flower." The Empress Dowager's appearance was well-maintained, but due to the large fluctuations in her facial expressions, wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.
The two eunuchs obeyed the Empress Dowager's instructions, seized the little ferret, and carried it away from the stone table.
The blue feather flower hidden beneath its body was suddenly revealed. Because it had been pressed down by the sable, the flower's previous beauty was gone. Petals were scattered across the stone table, utterly ruined.
The Empress Dowager's anger intensified. She picked up the few broken petals and cried out, "My Blue Feather Flower only blooms once every four years! Four years!"
Seeing that things were not going well, the women all surrounded the Empress Dowager and tried to comfort her. Two of them even put on a show of being pitiful, squeezing out a few tears as they cried and spoke.
After a period of grief, the Empress Dowager finally emerged from her despair. She glared fiercely at the little sable and ordered two eunuchs, "Put it on the stone table and give it a good beating."
The two eunuchs hesitated, whispering, "Empress Dowager, the Phoenix Cloud Sable belongs to His Majesty. What if His Majesty investigates..."
It's said that it's better to offend a petty person than a woman. Seeing the Empress Dowager's angry expression, Xi Xizhi broke out in a cold sweat. As expected of An Honghan's mother, she was equally ruthless. Wondering how this woman would punish her, Xi Xizhi stared intently at her.
The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment. It was clear that she was also wary of An Honghan, otherwise she would not have hesitated like this.
Several women nearby chimed in, "Mother, you must not fall out with His Majesty over a little sable. You are mother and son, so why not let this matter go unresolved?"
But how could the Empress Dowager swallow this insult? An Honghan had not yet established an empress, so she still controlled the harem. She was inherently proud and arrogant; how could she possibly tolerate such an insult from a mere sable? The other party was nothing but a beast!
"You all say that His Majesty and I are mother and son. Would His Majesty really make things difficult for me for the sake of a beast?"
The repeated utterances of "beast" enraged Xi Xizhi, causing her to struggle. Although she was timid and cowardly, she still had the dignity of being a human being. Being looked down upon like this by the other party made her heart burn with rage.
She should have uprooted the Blue Feather Flower and angered the old empress dowager!
Seeing the little sable's wide, round eyes, the Empress Dowager grew even angrier. "If even a beast can bully me, I'd rather not be the Empress Dowager. You two hold down the sable's limbs, and I'll naturally have a way to deal with it."
The Empress Dowager was a shrewd woman. Since she said she had a way, she certainly wouldn't let Feng Yun Diao go.
Two eunuchs grabbed the little ferret's front and hind legs respectively, while the Empress Dowager poked the little ferret's belly with her long, sharp fingernails. "It seems His Majesty is busy with state affairs and has no time to teach you. I'll take over the task of disciplining you."
The Empress Dowager summoned the concubines and said, "What you said earlier is very true. We cannot let a disobedient little sable harm the relationship between me and His Majesty. So, try your best to make it so that others cannot see it, understand?"
The Empress Dowager had several concubines watch as she demonstrated first, pinching and pressing the little sable's limbs and belly, causing Xi Xizhi to struggle in pain. However, the sable was small and weak, and had no chance to resist.
"Anyway, the sable has a lot of fur, so even if there's an injury, it won't be noticeable. As long as His Majesty doesn't know, our relationship as mother and son will remain the same as before." As expected of someone who has worked in the palace, she's quite shrewd.
Having understood the Empress Dowager's instructions, several concubines, following her lead, took ruthless measures against Xiao Diao.
Her body was burning with pain. Xi Xizhi waved her claws, trying to scratch them, but her limbs were held down tightly by the eunuchs, and she couldn't move.
Look at this group of women, each one of them is a beautiful woman, yet they were so ruthless.
It's true what they say: the more beautiful a woman is, the more venomous she is.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com