Chapter 58 Consort Su's Undeserved Misfortune
Seeing that Princess Heng appeared gentle and weak, and that she hadn't spoken a word when Princess Yu mocked her outside the courtyard, everyone thought she was a pushover. But now, her words had left Princess Yu and Consort Yan speechless.
As everyone knows, Princess Heng is not someone to be trifled with.
Seeing that things were not going well, the Third Princess Consort Yuan Wenqiang quickly said, "Fenghua, let's go outside and play. Father and the ministers are already entertaining the envoys from Chaoxi Kingdom. I heard that the princess from Chaoxi Kingdom is a great beauty. The Emperor has already bestowed upon her the title of Consort Ya. Let's go and see her."
"The banquet hasn't started yet, it's not proper to go out like this," Jiang Fenghua reminded her softly.
The emperor, princes, and high-ranking officials were all receiving foreign guests, so it was not appropriate for their families to join in the fun. If they made a fool of themselves, they would inevitably be punished, and it might even implicate their husbands. With that in mind, the Third Princess Consort couldn't very well drag her outside.
Just then, a palace maid rushed in and whispered in the Empress's ear, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Princess and Consort Su are fighting with someone."
The Empress frowned and ignored her. She wouldn't have peace of mind as long as Xie Ling'er didn't cause trouble. "Let Consort Su discipline her daughter herself."
The palace maid said anxiously, "The person the Ninth Princess hit was a maid from the Chaoxi Kingdom. That maid was not going to let it go and hit the Ninth Princess back. Now there's a commotion outside."
When the Empress heard that they had beaten people from Chaoxi Kingdom, she felt a headache coming on. Xie Ling'er really thought they had beaten her own palace maids, how could she be so reckless?
She got up to leave, but before leaving, she asked someone to call Jiang Fenghua, since Su Tingwan was now a concubine of the Prince Heng's mansion, and she should go and see what was going on.
After listening to what Granny Xi said, Jiang Fenghua also left Kunning Palace.
Seeing that the Empress and Jiang Fenghua had left in a hurry, Consort Yan and Princess Yu followed closely behind.
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At the same time, Consort Su rushed over upon receiving the news, "Ling'er, what happened?"
"Mother, this lowly maid hit me, boohoo..." Xie Ling'er could only cry.
Su Tingwan also sobbed, "Aunt."
"Useless things! You can't even beat a mere maid? Are all the palace maids you brought dead?" Seeing her daughter's disheveled state, Consort Su's eyes turned green with rage. She stared at the arrogant woman in front of her as if she wanted to gouge several holes in her.
The girl said, "It was your Great Zhou princess who struck first. I was just retaliating in kind. They deserved it because they were less skilled."
Consort Su angrily shouted at the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs, "Are you all dead? You don't even know how to help when the princess is being bullied."
"It was the Ninth Princess who forbade us to help, but we didn't expect her to be able to fly..." the palace maid hurriedly said.
Consort Su was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth. "Guards, seize her and slap her!"
The woman was not about to be captured. When the palace maids tried to catch her, she would hide, causing a great commotion.
When the Queen arrived at the scene of the accident and saw the chaotic scene, she couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "What are you all doing? All of you, get out of here."
No one dared to step forward, and they all retreated to the side.
Seeing the woman before her dressed in a dignified and luxurious manner, the woman guessed, "Could you be the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Empress Cheng noticed that she possessed an extraordinary bearing, unlike an ordinary maid, yet she was dressed in the attire of a maid from the Chaoxi Kingdom. She seemed to understand something and smiled, saying, "It is indeed I, the Empress."
The woman, quick-witted as ever, knelt before Empress Cheng and said, "Your Majesty, I did not mean to offend your princess. They were the ones who attacked first. Please investigate, Your Majesty."
"Get up and speak," said Empress Cheng. She was willing to treat anyone who could anger Su Qingqing and her daughter to death with kindness.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." The woman stood up and said deliberately, "The Empress of the Great Zhou Kingdom is indeed reasonable, unlike some concubines who want to beat or kill without distinguishing right from wrong."
She was referring to Consort Su.
The Empress asked, "What is your name? Why did you enter the inner palace alone, and what caused your argument with the Ninth Princess?"
"My name is Yu Pianpian. I am a maid of Princess Qianya of Chaoxi Kingdom. I came here because I got lost."
She pointed in Su Tingwan's direction and said, "She started by hurling insults at me, so I swore back. Then that girl was unreasonable and slapped me. I was so angry that I slapped her back twice. Then another girl, who knew some martial arts, attacked me. I was so angry that I fought back..."
She went on and on, the gist of which was: Su Tingwan wasn't actually insulting Yu Pianpian, but rather she blurted out that Chaoxi Kingdom was a tiny place, and that it would be as easy for the Zhou Dynasty to conquer it as crushing an ant; she was insulting the entire Chaoxi Kingdom.
Yu Pianpian overheard this and was naturally indignant. She argued that Chaoxi Kingdom's initiative to seek peace was a noble act, as they did not want to cause bloodshed in both countries. If Chaoxi Kingdom insisted on war, the outcome would be uncertain. Therefore, Yu Pianpian scolded them for being frogs in a well, short-sighted, and arrogant.
Xie Ling'er couldn't stand being called a frog in a well. Seeing that her clothes and accessories were those of a maid, she took advantage of her unpreparedness and slapped her. Yu Pianpian was no pushover either, and slapped her back twice.
Seeing this, Su Tingwan naturally wanted to help, but unexpectedly, Yu Pianpian also knew martial arts, and the two started fighting.
Su Tingwan was outmatched and fell into a disadvantageous position. Yu Pianpian then rudely attacked the two of them. Xie Ling'er was completely weak, her hair was pulled and her clothes were torn. Although Su Tingwan was not seriously injured, she was in a very sorry state.
The Empress slapped Su Tingwan across the face, "Trying to incite conflict between the two countries, Su Tingwan, what do you want to do?"
Su Tingwan was instantly stunned, "I didn't..."
"Palm mouth." The queen said angrily.
Granny Xi didn't hold back and slapped her twice in front of everyone. "Consort Su has been studying etiquette for so long, but she still hasn't learned it. In front of the Empress, you are the Prince's consort. How can you not even understand this basic etiquette?"
Su Tingwan was shocked to be beaten and was stunned by the blow. She hated Empress Cheng to the core.
The Empress finally calmed down. "Fine, let her go to the ancestral hall to reflect on her mistakes!"
Su Tingwan didn't want to go to the ancestral hall, so she could only turn to Consort Su for help. "Your Majesty, I didn't say that. She's lying." She was just a servant girl. Who would believe her? Besides, the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not helping the Great Zhou, but instead helping a maid from another country. It was truly beneath her dignity.
Xie Ling'er also denied it, "Mother, I did not say those words. On the contrary, it was this maid who beat my daughter like this."
The palace maids and eunuchs around also shook their heads, indicating that the Ninth Princess and Consort Su had not said such a thing.
The Empress pointed at Consort Su's nose, "This is the princess you raised, Consort Su. You've done a good job teaching her! She's even learned to lie." Having caused such a scene and brought it before the Emperor, Consort Su will not escape punishment.
"The Empress cannot just listen to one maid's side of the story. Ling'er and Wanwan would never say such a thing." Consort Su vehemently denied the accusation, seeing her daughter wronged. "The Empress cannot lock Wanwan in the ancestral hall. Now that the Empress has already punished her and her anger has subsided, the Emperor is still entertaining distinguished guests. If this matter blows up today, Your Highness will also be punished."
She didn't believe the Empress would want to make a big fuss, as it would be a disgrace to the Great Zhou royal family. Could she bear His Majesty's wrath?
Moreover, no matter what the Empress says, His Majesty will never stand on her side.
The Empress was indeed frightened by Consort Su. "I have already punished them, so Miss Pianpian, please don't hold it against them. After all, your mistress is currently negotiating with His Majesty about the friendly relations between the two countries, and she doesn't want to cause any more trouble."
Yu Pianpian was instantly dumbfounded. "Everyone says that the Great Zhou Kingdom values reputation and etiquette the most. It's truly an eye-opener for me that they dare not admit what they have done."
After saying that, she left without looking back.
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