The palace maid named Lingxi volunteered to step forward, rolled up her sleeves, and slapped Xu Lingqing's chin repeatedly, showing no mercy.
Lingxi smiled smugly.
"Your Highness, this servant doesn't understand why the Eighth Princess Consort would provoke the Empress Dowager. That slap hurts my face just looking at it." Yun Dong rubbed her cheek.
Song Yue's eyes flickered slightly.
Yes, why did Xu Lingqing provoke the Empress Dowager?
"Has the Eighth Prince entered the palace today?" she asked.
Yun Dong nodded: "I overheard that the Eighth Prince went to the Emperor's court. According to the rules, the Eighth Prince and the Eighth Princess should enter the palace together today to serve tea."
Oh, I see.
Song Yue took a light step and called out, "Stop!"
Suddenly, Lingxi's hand paused, and she looked up to see Song Yue. She then turned to look at Empress Dowager Xu.
When Empress Dowager Xu saw Song Yue arrive, she raised her eyelids and waved to her with a smile: "As expected of Princess Guangjia, she is sensible, unlike the Eighth Princess, who disobeys me at every turn."
Song Yue completely ignored Empress Dowager Xu and went to stand in front of Xu Lingqing. She looked down at Xu Lingqing with a sarcastic look in her eyes, which made Xu Lingqing unconsciously clench her fists.
“Empress Dowager, I heard what my Eighth Imperial Aunt said. Although she was offensive, she just had a miscarriage. You can’t beat her so badly that she’s almost disfigured,” Song Yue said loudly.
Xu Lingqing looked up in surprise.
Did she hear everything that just happened?
Song Yue bent down to help Xu Lingqing up: "Eighth Imperial Aunt, the ground is cold. You just had a miscarriage, so you shouldn't catch a cold. What if you hurt your body and can't get pregnant again?"
He kept repeating "miscarriage" over and over, aiming to stab Xu Lingqing in the heart, all while adding a sarcastic tone to his face.
Xu Lingqing was certain that she did it on purpose.
"No, there's no need. The Empress Dowager is an elder, and even if she wants to punish me, I should accept it." Xu Lingqing raised her hand to refuse Song Yue's kindness.
Song Yue wouldn't give her a chance to refuse. She gave Yun Dong a wink and together they helped her up. "I know you must have been confused and offended the Empress Dowager because you lost your child. Today is the day you and the Eighth Prince are to enter the palace to serve tea. If you go back with these injuries, people will think the Empress Dowager is deliberately mistreating you."
Song Yue emphasized the words "serving tea".
Empress Dowager Xu was so angry with Xu Lingqing that she lost her mind. Now that she has calmed down, she looks at the injury on Xu Lingqing's face and feels a chill run down her spine.
"It was the Eighth Imperial Concubine who disrespected the Empress Dowager first, so what if she was beaten?" Lingxi curled her lips, unconvinced.
Song Yue slapped Lingxi across the face: "Insolence! Kneel down!"
Lingxi was stunned by the blow. She covered her face and knelt down instinctively. She looked at Empress Dowager Xu and timidly called out, "Empress Dowager."
"Your Majesty, this palace maid is so ill-mannered! She beat the Eighth Prince's aunt like this. In my opinion, she should be slapped twenty times to apologize to the Eighth Prince's aunt!"
Lingxi panicked upon hearing this; she couldn't let her face be ruined.
Empress Dowager Xu frowned.
"No, no need." Xu Lingqing endured the pain and spoke indistinctly, "The Empress Dowager is an elder, so I accept whatever punishment is necessary."
“The Empress Dowager has been in the palace for so many years, when has she ever punished anyone without reason? It must have been this ignorant palace maid who instigated it.” Song Yue interrupted Xu Lingqing.
Fortunately, Empress Dowager Xu was not foolish. She immediately gave Lingxi a wink: "I only asked you to teach him a light lesson. Who told you to beat him like this! Hurry up and do it!"
Lingxi had no choice but to slap herself.
Twenty slaps were quickly delivered, and his face was so swollen that it was impossible to see.
"Your Majesty, I've heard that there's an excellent Jade Snow Cream in the palace that can quickly reduce facial swelling. With a face like this, Eighth Prince might misunderstand," Song Yue said.
Empress Dowager Xu gave a wink to the palace maid behind her, who immediately went to fetch the medicine.
Xu Lingqing stared intently at Song Yue; "What exactly do you want to do?"
"Why is Eighth Imperial Aunt so hostile towards me?" Song Yue smiled faintly, "You stole my marriage, and I have never blamed you."
I heard Yun Dong cough softly beside me.
Song Yue said earnestly, "As the saying goes, you shouldn't hit someone in the face, and you shouldn't expose someone's shortcomings. Why should Eighth Imperial Aunt get angry about the Empress Dowager detaining Eighth Imperial Uncle yesterday and delaying the auspicious time, and talk back to her elders in the crowded Imperial Garden?"
“I…” Xu Lingqing did not expect that Song Yue would also be here today.
She even saw it.
Song Yue must have come to laugh at me.
"Stop pretending!" Xu Lingqing shoved Song Yue away. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You're not that kind."
Ouch!
Song Yue exclaimed in surprise, falling to the ground unexpectedly. She blinked innocently at Xu Lingqing and said angrily, "You are really unreasonable. You kneel on the ground without regard for your reputation, making yourself a laughing stock. Have you ever thought about the reputation of the Eighth Imperial Uncle?"
Yun Dong quickly helped Song Yue up: "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Song Yue shook her head and said, "It's my fault for meddling, I deserve it!"
After saying that, Song Yue turned and walked away. As she turned around, she was surprised to see a group of people walking towards her at the end of the corridor. The one in the lead was Zhao Zhiyan.
Zhao Zhiyan's face was ashen.
He hadn't intended to bring Xu Lingqing to the palace to serve tea today, but she insisted on coming, and he couldn't break the rules.
Unfortunately, he came.
Because he was delayed by matters concerning the Emperor, he left Xu Lingqing in the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers.
"Eighth Imperial Uncle?" Song Yue asked in surprise.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lingqing suddenly raised her head and indeed saw a figure in dark blue, with a pair of eagle eyes staring intently at her.
At that moment, Xu Lingqing was a little out of breath.
Xu Lingqing entered the palace today hoping to use the Empress Dowager to inflict some injuries on herself so that Zhao Zhiyan would feel sorry for her, so she deliberately provoked the Empress Dowager.
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