The Jiaofang Hall is very large.
From the throne to the entrance, everything was extremely luxurious, which Empress Dong liked.
There were so many people inside the hall and at the entrance that they were all frightened.
No one dared to look at how ugly Empress Dong's face was; they only looked at the Crown Princess's back, her back so straight, as if she wasn't afraid of death.
Princess Yongjia jumped up in anger and shouted, "How dare you speak to your mother like that?"
Huan Yue bravely retorted, "And how dare you talk like that?"
Princess Yongjia was furious: "You only arrived at the East Palace yesterday, and you've already beaten and killed servants!"
Huan Yue turned to her and retorted, "I was merely disciplining a servant, and you, Princess, have the audacity to lecture me? You, a princess who married down, want to argue with me about how the Crown Prince disciplines his servants? Or is this how your mother taught you?"
Empress Dong calmed down and smiled steadily: "I was just asking, why are you in such a hurry?"
Huan Yue turned around and gave a particularly sharp reprimand: "Your Majesty's words are law, and the Empress should also be careful with her words and know what to say and what not to say. I am timid, and these words have caused great discomfort. The Empress should not say such things in the future."
Empress Dong sneered angrily: "So you're lecturing me now."
Huan Yue ignored her and turned to the Emperor, saying, "The Pei family is a fallen household, and their servants are unruly. I fear they will bring shame to the imperial family. It may not be too late to teach them a lesson now. I did not expect Your Majesty to be so concerned about the Crown Prince and to be so anxious first."
Speechless.
Xie Zhou was secretly pleased.
Although Pei Shi changed her approach, she was even more ruthless in tearing down Dong Shi than before.
Madam Dong wanted to find a pretext to intimidate her, perhaps because she felt that Madam Pei's beating indicated she was not easy to deal with. She was genuinely anxious.
But Madam Pei was right when she said the Pei family was in decline. And it was Madam Dong who initiated this arranged marriage.
The key point is that Empress Dong is keeping an eye on the Eastern Palace and hasn't even figured things out yet, which is truly shameful.
Princess Yongjia rushed over, as if to hit or kick Huan Yue, and lectured him from her superior position: "Wasn't the Pei family doing quite well before?"
Huan Yue looked up at her but didn't act inferior. Instead, he was puzzled: "Are you keeping a close eye on the Pei family? If you haven't figured things out, why are you supporting them? What do you mean by that? You wouldn't happen to have taken a liking to Pei Huanxu, would you?"
This is not nonsense.
Pei Huanxu was a handsome and talented man who had a rumored affair with Princess Yongjia.
But why would the Dong family be interested in the Pei family? The current prince consort and his family are far superior to the Pei family.
As for why he was attracted to Pei Huanxu but not Pei Huanyue...
Huan Yue ignored that and instead said something else: "This concubine greets Your Majesty and Your Highness. You, a princess who has been married off, are jumping around so enthusiastically. Is it because you didn't learn your lesson when you were young? Or do you want to be an empress? Doesn't the Kingdom of Osiva have an empress who even sent a letter of state to Great Zhao?"
Princess Yongjia was forced to lean back and retreat tactically by the kneeling Huan Yue.
Xie Zhou frowned deeply, wondering if Yongjia really had such an idea.
Or perhaps she found a way to resolve her past grievances?
Things are a bit crazy these days.
Consort Cui smiled and said, "The servants should be disciplined if they need to be, and the imperial physician should be consulted as well."
It's no big deal. It won't earn me a reputation for being heartless.
The current emperor is very satisfied with Consort Cui.
Xie Zhou spoke up: "Second sister is keeping an eye on the Pei residence, but she probably doesn't know that a couple of days ago, Qing'e was pushed and fell by her sisters at the Pei residence, hitting her head on a stone, and the Imperial Hospital didn't report it."
Huan Yue immediately raised his hand to support his head.
She's a pro at faking illness.
It was a real illness before. Although it didn't start in my head, my whole body started hurting later.
Besides, she is a beautiful young woman of sixteen, and it's not the result of a poor imitation.
No one else dared to utter a sound, and even Consort Cui was rebuked by the Crown Prince.
Although the current emperor favors Consort Gui, she can understand what the second prince is saying.
If the Pei family didn't hire a royal physician, then it must be because the people around them are incompetent, or they simply couldn't find a royal physician.
The emperor, unable to attend to the imperial concubine, was preoccupied with Lady Pei and hurriedly asked, "How is she?" "Stop asking," the emperor replied, and issued an edict, "Summon the imperial physician."
Everyone else was as quiet as a chicken; this development seemed rather strange.
People these days truly care about the younger generation: "Get up and sit down."
If the Dong family doesn't want to reward you, then don't. We'll make up for it later. There's really no need to make things ugly.
The Crown Prince's status was very special, so Xie Zhou and Huan Yue were ranked above Princess Huayang.
The status of the crown prince and the crown princess varied from dynasty to dynasty.
In the Great Zhao, the Crown Prince's position is above all the princes; the Crown Princess is ranked before the Imperial Concubine and Princess, but considering that the Imperial Concubine and Princess are elders, the Crown Princess is ranked before her peers and after her elders.
Princess Huayang was of the same generation as Huan Yue, and she remained calm about Huan Yue sitting in front of her.
Huan Yue knew that Princess Huayang and her birth mother, Consort Cui, were both highly skilled; otherwise, how could they have been favored by His Majesty for decades?
Huan Yue wasn't there to vie for favor; she was still busy recognizing relatives and was now waiting for the imperial physician to arrive.
The Crown Prince's position is close to His Majesty's.
Empress Dong stared at Huan Yue with eyes like knives.
Huan Yue had indeed taken many knife wounds and countless doses of medicine, yet he still held his head and acted even more convincingly.
Xie Zhou looked at her with curiosity and concern, and brought her some tea.
Huan Yue slowly took a sip, clutching his chest with one hand, feeling nauseous.
Princess Yongjia was disgusted: "Didn't you fall and hurt your head?"
Huan Yue wondered if the tea had left a lingering taste: "I feel tightness in my chest. It's too early."
A young man rushed in like a leopard, bringing a foul stench, and charged straight at Huan Yue, bumping into her chest.
Huan Yue grabbed him and pressed him to the ground, then stepped on his back like he was stepping on a turtle.
The boy looked to be four or five years old, very strong, and was wearing a python robe.
Needless to say, he is Empress Dong's youngest son and His Majesty's son born in his old age.
Huan Yue glanced at him furtively. "His Majesty isn't old at all; a man at forty is still in his prime." This was the implication Empress Dong always carried. And Xie Chou was indeed the youngest child in the palace, the same age as Princess Huayang's daughter.
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