The palace maids in front of them laughed and dodged, but unexpectedly bumped into Lady Nian who came out of the bushes. When they turned around, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they dropped their brooms and knelt down in a panic.
Bai Zhi stepped forward and slapped the palace maid across the face. A handprint appeared on the maid's face instantly, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. The maid was terrified and touched her face, trembling and unable to utter a sound.
"How dare you talk about the Imperial Concubine behind her back?" Bai Zhi rebuked angrily.
Two palace maids cried and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, we know we were wrong, Your Highness, please spare our lives..."
Lady Nian glanced sideways, her face revealing a terrifying murderous intent, and sneered, "You were just trying to seduce the Emperor and become a concubine, and now you're begging for mercy from me?"
Upon hearing this, the palace maid trembled and kowtowed repeatedly, crying, "Your Highness, I was just talking nonsense. I'll open my mouth, I'll open my mouth right now..." As soon as she finished speaking, the two of them slapped themselves in the face, each slap more forceful than the last.
Lady Nian glared at him, sneered, and said angrily, "Even if I have no son, the Emperor's affairs are none of your business, you lowly maids. Since you have no hope in this life, I might as well grant your wish and let you be reincarnated sooner, so that you might have a chance in the next life..."
After saying that, he coldly said, "Beating him to death!"
The two palace maids were terrified, their bodies limp. They collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, unable to speak coherently, only able to desperately plead, "Your Majesty, spare us... Your Majesty, spare us... We'll never dare again, we'll never dare again..."
Cui Ling thought for a moment, then stepped forward and whispered to Lady Nian, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Mrs. Nian turned around and glared angrily: "What? Are you going to plead for them?"
Cui Ling quickly lowered her head and explained in a low voice, "Your Majesty, this servant wanted to advise you to think carefully. Because of the wet nurse's death, Your Majesty was trapped in a predicament and almost couldn't recover. Your Majesty's most urgent task now is to win back the Emperor's heart. You absolutely cannot kill someone at this time..."
Only then did Lady Nian calm down a little. She slowly looked at the bright red maple tree on the ground and said slowly, "Since Cuiling pleaded for you, then I will spare your lives..." The two palace maids looked at each other and thanked her repeatedly with great emotion.
Lady Nian fiddled with her sleeve and sneered, "I'll reward you two with a 'one-zhang red' (a severe beating)."
The palace maid was startled, seemingly not quite understanding. Bai Zhi stepped forward triumphantly and laughed, "'One Zhang Red' is a form of punishment in the palace for concubines and palace servants who have made mistakes. A two-inch-thick, five-foot-long board is used to beat the female offender below the buttocks, without counting the number of blows, until the tendons and bones are broken and the flesh is a bloody mess. From a distance, it looks like a bright red patch, hence the name 'One Zhang Red'."
The two palace maids were terrified, their faces turning deathly pale. They collapsed to the ground in despair, wailing loudly. This punishment was hardly better than being beaten to death; those who couldn't endure it would still die.
But no matter how much they pleaded, they were still dragged away and executed.
Lady Nian returned to Yikun Palace in a huff, smashing everything in sight, but still could not quell her anger.
Bai Zhi and Cui Ling stood by, not daring to step forward to persuade her. Only after Nian calmed down did they dare to clean up the mess in the house.
Lady Nian walked to her dressing table and said to Bai Zhi, "Starting today, I will be applying pearl powder twice a day. You should prepare it for me as soon as possible..."
Bai Zhi hesitated slightly, not daring to disobey the imperial decree, but pearl powder was easy to obtain, while dew was rare. Bai Zhi had no choice but to send more palace maids to collect dew.
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