“Snap! Snap! Snap!”
The loud sound of slapping echoed in the empty palace road, so clear that even the palace people in the distance could hear it clearly.
Yuan Zhao looked calm and said no more after giving his instructions.
Her eyes were cold, like frosted glass in the early morning, revealing royal majesty.
No one dared to stop her anymore.
When she went to the Qinzheng Palace, she saw from afar a group of palace maids in front of the palace gate, craning their necks to watch what had just happened.
Those people were whispering to each other.
Yuan Zhao lowered his eyes and whispered an order to Gan Tang.
Gan Tang immediately took the order and walked quickly forward, followed closely by Fu Feng and Mo Xue, walking towards the palace servants.
The palace maids in the Qinzheng Palace did not have the courage to say that they did not know Yuan Zhao. When they saw Yuan Zhao get off the sedan chair, they all knelt down and saluted.
"You, come out." Gan Tang stared at one of the palace maids with a cold tone.
Before the palace maid could react, her name was called.
She subconsciously shrank her neck, but still lowered her head and took a step forward on her knees tremblingly.
Then, Gan Tang pointed out seven or eight palace servants - both eunuchs and palace maids.
Those who were called out looked pale and some hesitated and did not dare to come out. Fu Feng and Mo Xue immediately stepped forward, pulled them out of the crowd, and pushed them to the steps to kneel down.
The palace maids who were left behind were silent as a mouse, lowering their heads and not daring to make a sound, not even to breathe.
Yuan Zhao then slowly and leisurely took Yuan Zhizhi's hand and walked up the stairs. Each step was taken calmly and unhurriedly, and his footsteps tapped lightly on the stone steps, echoing long and steady.
She stood in front of everyone, her eyes slowly sweeping over the kneeling figure, and asked calmly:
"Where is your leading eunuch?"
The palace maid kneeling in front quickly whispered back, "Eunuch Zheng is waiting in the palace..."
Before he finished speaking——
“Snap—”
A sudden slap hit her hard on the face!
The palace maid staggered and almost fell to the ground.
She covered her burning cheeks, looked up at Yuan Zhao in shock, and said in a trembling voice,
"Your Highness... why did you punish me for no reason?"
Yuan Zhao looked down at her condescendingly, with a hint of coldness in his eyes, a smile that was not a smile.
She did not answer, but raised her hand slightly, motioning Gan Tang to explain.
Gan Tang straightened his sleeves, his expression serious, his voice unhurried,
"Your Highness, according to Article 32 of the Palace Rules, when a palace maid meets a member of the royal family, she must use a respectful title in her response."
"When you replied just now, you didn't even address her as 'Your Highness'. You omitted the honorific without authorization. This wasn't 'without reason'."
The palace maid's face turned pale instantly. She recalled her previous answer and realized that she had called him "Eunuch Zheng" without adding the word "Your Highness".
The other palace maids behind her realized this and couldn't help but feel nervous.
This is not a big mistake. If you forget about it on a normal day, the masters usually won’t care.
What's more, Princess Showa has always been good-tempered, and she wouldn't care if she accidentally bumped into a palace servant when entering the palace.
But I haven't seen you for half a year. Why are you so angry when you come back today?
The palace maid was so frightened that her face turned pale. She quickly bent over and kowtowed, her voice trembling.
"I know I was wrong! I was rude, please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Yuan Zhao looked at her panic-stricken appearance, and the coldness in his eyes became even stronger.
"Do you know you're wrong?" Her voice was calm and emotionless.
The maid bowed her head to the ground and kowtowed profusely, "I know I was wrong! I beg Your Highness to forgive me!"
"It's good to know you're wrong."
Yuan Zhao's voice was still calm and unruffled, yet it made people inexplicably nervous.
"But if I don't ask you today, do you think you can do whatever you want?"
Her gaze swept lightly over the palace maids kneeling on the ground, with a cold look in her eyes.
"The people serving at the gate of Qinzheng Hall should be the most cautious in their words and deeds, and those who know etiquette and manners."
She paused, then changed the subject slightly. Her tone remained indifferent, but with a hint of ambiguous smile.
"But you guys—"
She moved slowly, her snow-white robe trailing on the ground, like moonlight sliding across the bluestone steps.
She looked down at the people kneeling in the front, her eyes swept over them lightly, and her tone was nonchalant.
"Are you quite curious about what's happening outside?"
"Whispering among themselves..."
She curled her lips slightly, her voice unhurried and with a hint of casual chill.
"Today, you are interested in this princess's punishment of the Royal Guards."
"In the future, will you be interested in the political decisions of His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
The air suddenly stagnated.
The palace maids kneeling in the front all trembled, cold sweat rolling down their foreheads.
No matter how stupid they were, they could hear the warning in Yuan Zhao's words.
Yuan Zhao looked at their silent appearance and turned his gaze towards the steps below.
"Since you want to listen, then come closer and listen."
The palace maids all followed her gaze, not knowing what she meant, but their hearts were hanging in the air.
"When I was young, I once offended Your Majesty. I was not careful with my words and actions, and I did not respect etiquette. Your Majesty punished me by making me kneel in front of the Qinzheng Palace for three days."
"I think it's not too much to ask you to kneel for three days and listen to everything you want to hear..."
When several eunuchs and palace maids heard this, they immediately begged for mercy.
"Your Highness, please spare my life! I know I was wrong! I will never dare to do it again—"
"Your Highness! I'll be crippled if I kneel for three days! Please have mercy, Your Highness!"
But Gan Tang took the order, and Fu Feng and Mo Xue immediately stepped forward and forcibly pulled the few people up.
The cries and pleas for mercy frightened the remaining palace servants at the door so much that they all knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.
Yuan Zhao stood quietly on the steps, his eyes coldly sweeping over everyone, his tone gentle but unquestionable.
"Why are palace rules established? They are simply to let you know that when you are in the palace, you should be careful with your words and actions. You shouldn't ask, look, or listen to things that you shouldn't ask—"
"Don't say even a word."
As soon as these words were spoken, the palace maids around them all felt their scalps tingle and kowtowed to the ground in unison.
Yuan Zhao said nothing more, just lifted the hem of her skirt lightly and walked slowly towards the depths of the palace gate with Yuan Zhizhi.
Every step she took fell between the figures crouching on the ground.
Gan Tang Biyun was guarding the door, and after she entered the hall, Zheng Lu was standing behind the door with his head down, waiting.
It was obvious that he was here, taking in everything that happened at the palace gate.
He smiled and saluted Yuan Zhao.
"Good morning, Your Highness."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
