Jiang Meiyu pondered inwardly, "I wonder what kind of person this Concubine Liu is? Is she easy to get along with? But no matter what, I just have to stick to the principle of 'I won't offend others unless they offend me'."
Just as she was thinking about it, she heard a sharp voice: "Oh! As expected, Concubine Xian has become arrogant since she slept with her husband last night. She even dared to be late to pay her respects to the Empress. She really thinks that because her family is so powerful, she can ignore the Empress!"
Jiang Meiyu turned to look and saw a woman in a lake-blue palace dress looking at her with a mean look. Qiu Ling, who was standing nearby, whispered in Jiang Meiyu's ear, "My Lord, this is Concubine Cheng. Her father is a third-rank minister, and he's very close to the Empress." Jiang Meiyu suddenly understood. It turned out that Concubine Cheng was deliberately stirring up trouble, hoping to curry favor with the Empress by suppressing her.
Jiang Meiyu smiled faintly and replied in a neither servile nor arrogant manner, "What you said, Concubine Cheng, is truly amusing. I was only slightly delayed today and have no intention of disrespecting the Empress. But Concubine Cheng, you're yelling and cursing like a shrew in the street so early in the morning. Is this how you show respect to the Empress?"
Cheng Jieyu didn't expect Jiang Meiyu to refute like this. She was so angry that her face turned blue, but she couldn't find any words to refute.
"My dear Concubine Cheng, I am truly exhausted after serving the Emperor last night. The Emperor is in high spirits. He had originally exempted me from the formality of paying my respects to the Empress, but I insisted on coming anyway. May I ask how I have disregarded the Empress?"
When Concubine Cheng heard that the emperor was so energetic, and thought about how she had never slept with him since entering the palace, the fire of jealousy in her heart burned even more fiercely, "You..."
Before Concubine Cheng could react, Jiang Meiyu launched a preemptive attack like a whirlwind: "Bold Concubine Cheng, my position is higher than yours. From the moment I stepped into the inner hall of Kunning Palace, you have never even bowed to me. How can you take me seriously? Qiu Ling, give Concubine Cheng twenty slaps!"
"How dare you..." Concubine Cheng was in a panic, like a frightened bird, and she seemed like she would collapse to the ground in the next second. The other concubines were silent, pretending to be indifferent. You know, in this deep palace, the most important thing is to protect yourself, and life is the most important thing.
Everyone understood that the reason why Concubine Cheng dared to cause trouble for Concubine Xian was, one reason was that she was as stupid as a donkey, and the other reason was that she had the support of the Empress.
But everyone had their own thoughts. Some thought, "The virtuous concubine is so beautiful, all the women in the harem combined are not as beautiful as her. The emperor will definitely love her very much, so it's better not to offend her." Others thought, "The virtuous concubine has a good family background, and her father is the prime minister of the current dynasty. Anyone with a bit of sense would not dare to offend her, so it's better not to cause trouble for her family."
Concubine Liu's face was as gloomy as water, Concubine Xie Hui's face was calm, as if she didn't know what was going on, and Concubine Zhang Shu's face was full of anger, and she cursed with dissatisfaction: "This idiot, he really deserves it."
"Qiu Ling, why don't you drag her out and slap her in the face?"
"How bold!" The queen, dressed in a phoenix robe and with great grace, slowly sat on the main seat with the help of the old nanny.
Everyone stood up and greeted the Queen: "Long live Her Majesty, may you live a thousand years."
"Everyone, get up." The queen looked around at everyone, and finally her gaze lingered on Concubine Cheng for a moment, then looked at Jiang Meiyu.
"Xianfei, this is your first time paying respects to me, yet you dare to punish a concubine in my palace? Don't you think I'm serious?"
Cheng Jieyu saw her chance and quickly knelt before the Empress, crying and complaining, "Empress, I felt the same way just now. The virtuous concubine didn't take you seriously. I was so indignant that I couldn't help but speak a few more words to defend the Empress. But the virtuous concubine found an excuse to say that I was of low rank and forgot to pay my respects to her. She threatened to slap me twenty times. I beg the Empress to help me."
"Well, it is true that Concubine Cheng was wrong in this matter, but even if there is a punishment, it should be me who does it, and it is not Concubine Xian's turn to deal with it. Concubine Xian does not take me seriously, and she deserves twenty slaps in the face." Rainbow, the maidservant beside the queen, came over arrogantly and was about to slap her in the face.
"The Emperor has arrived!" As soon as the Emperor stepped into Kunning Palace, he saw Jiang Meiyu's face was as pale as paper, her delicate body was shaky and she seemed to be about to faint. He strode over and held Jiang Meiyu tightly in his arms. Thinking of how she had served him in bed until early morning last night and then ran to pay her respects to the Queen, such a little person, he felt really distressed.
The emperor's face was extremely gloomy, and his eyes revealed an uncontrollable anger.
"Concubine Cheng has no respect for her superiors, knows no etiquette, and dares to disrespect Concubine Xian! She shall be punished with twenty slaps on the face immediately! How could the Empress, as the mistress of the six palaces, be so negligent in her discipline? It is imperative that someone be found who can properly teach Concubine Cheng the ways of etiquette!" The Emperor's voice was so commanding and cold that it made everyone present tremble. Without hesitation, he lifted Jiang Meiyu up and carried her sideways, hurriedly leaving the scene.
The queen clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, leaving her fingertips pale. Suppressing her inner grievance and dissatisfaction, she lowered her head and replied, "Your Majesty, I will obey your command."
At this moment, a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire palace. Witnessing the Emperor's unbridled doting on Concubine Xian, even disregarding the Empress's dignity, a complex mix of emotions surged within them. Some felt anxious and uneasy, fearing they would suffer similar punishment in the future; others were filled with jealousy, resentment at Concubine Xian's favor; others secretly envied her, longing for the same favor from the Emperor; and even more were filled with anger, believing the Empress was being treated unfairly.
The queen waved her hand lightly and said tiredly, "Never mind. I'm a little tired. You can all go back to your palaces."
Hearing these words, everyone felt relieved and bowed before leaving. Each person's face showed a different expression, some worried, some angry, and some unwilling, but they all returned to their respective palaces silently, thinking about their future and destiny.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com