Chapter 89 The Headmistress? Can I Hit Her?
Upon hearing Jing Mama speak, the Empress inwardly groaned.
Granny, why did you provoke her?
Even her uncle, Suo'etu, was slapped and humiliated by her in public. Wouldn't you, a mere nanny, be throwing your life away if you went up there?
She's already being quite polite today.
The Empress wished she could immediately cover Jing Mama's mouth.
But under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could only feign composure, lower his head and gulp down his tea, silently chanting in his heart.
I can't see you, I can't see you...
You'd better pray for yourself, Granny.
An eerie silence instantly fell over the hall.
All the concubines were so frightened that they dared not breathe, their hearts filled with horror.
Is this old woman crazy?
How dare you speak to Consort Jin like that?
Is this like courting death with a lantern?
When Consort Jin gets angry, she should make sure that innocent bystanders don't get caught in the crossfire.
Even Consort Niohuru raised an eyebrow in surprise, her gaze towards Granny Jing carrying a hint of schadenfreude.
Ha, I thought the Hesheri family had a formidable one.
It turns out that she was just being tactful; she guessed that this old woman was in charge for the first time, so she was overconfident.
They've forgotten that they're just servants.
This is going to be interesting.
Jiang Nan was amused by the old woman's sudden courage. What a stroke of good luck!
He was just thinking of teaching the Empress a lesson.
Is this a godsend for someone who's already sleepy?
She raised an eyebrow slightly, looked Granny Jing up and down, and spoke with a hint of surprise and mockery.
"Oh dear? Who do we have here? It's just a nanny. And who are you?"
Granny Jing stood up straight, with a hint of pride in her eyes.
"Your Highness, this old servant is the head maidservant by the Empress's side."
"Oh—the head maid? Or is she from the Empress's side?"
Jiang Nan drawled out her words and nodded, as if she had just understood.
"That's truly remarkable. They must be incredibly powerful in the Kunning Palace, but..."
She abruptly changed the subject, her gaze turning sharp as she looked at the Empress, her tone suddenly turning cold.
"I would like to ask Your Majesty the Empress, where did your head maid learn such manners? When did it become the place of a servant to interrupt when I am speaking to Your Majesty the Empress? Is this a rule that Your Majesty taught you?"
Before the Empress could answer, she glanced around at the silent concubines in the hall and asked in a loud voice.
"It seems that the rules in Your Majesty's palace are truly...unique. However, as the Empress assists in managing the six palaces, I don't recall any rule in the palace regulations that says 'a servant may speak before the master.' Have I misremembered, or have the palace regulations been changed? You all tell me, when did this rule come into being in the palace?"
Consort Niohuru rose first, curtsied respectfully, and replied.
"Your Highness, the palace rules are strict, and there is no precedent for this."
Seeing this, the other concubines also quickly stood up and echoed.
"Your Majesty, there is no such rule."
————————
Jiang Nan nodded in satisfaction.
He turned around and looked again at the pale-faced Granny Jing and the Empress who wished she could shrink into her chair.
"Oh, so there wasn't. I thought that after I woke up from my sleep, the Qing Dynasty had become a completely different world."
Her eyes sharpened as she stared at Granny Jing.
"Since there is no such thing, then you, this lackey, knowingly violated the law and openly defied me, Zhao Deyu!"
"Your servant is here."
Zhao Deyi immediately stepped forward and bowed in response.
Jiang Nan's tone was stern.
"This old servant is so ignorant of etiquette, talking back to her master. What are you standing there for? Why don't you teach her a lesson about respect and hierarchy? Slap her in the face. I'll stop when I feel she's learned her lesson."
She paused, as if just remembering something, and gave the empress at the head of the table a cold smile.
"By the way, Your Majesty, I'd like to borrow your Kunning Palace to teach this ignorant servant a lesson. You... have no objections, right? If you do, please keep it to yourself, understand?"
The Empress felt her skin crawl under Jiang Nan's sharp gaze and dared not utter a single word of dissent.
She forced out an expression that looked worse than crying and whispered.
“Sister…sister, you should handle this according to the palace rules.”
Her heart felt ice-cold.
Granny Jing, I can't protect you... Jiang Nan is making an example of you to scare others, to show me what's what.
Only then did Granny Jing belatedly realize the impending catastrophe, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly.
Consort Jin actually dared to lay a hand on her, the Empress's personal maid, in the Empress's Kunning Palace?
Her mistress is the Empress.
She had lived for over fifty years, but had never encountered someone so reckless and unconventional.
In shock and anger, she twisted her body and screamed, completely losing her composure.
“This old servant is the Empress’s person. Consort Jin, you have no right to punish this old servant.”
Jiang Nan scoffed, too lazy to engage in verbal sparring.
“Shut her up. How dare she make such a racket in the main hall of Kunning Palace? What kind of behavior is this? She really has no manners.”
The eunuchs who were prepared immediately stepped forward and deftly stuffed a wad of cloth into Granny Jing's mouth.
Zhao Deyi stepped forward personally, rolled up his sleeves, and began to attack with both hands.
The crisp sound of slaps echoed loudly in the silent hall.
Every slap felt like a blow to the Queen's face.
She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
The other concubines in the palace were also terrified.
Jiang Nan returned to her seat and watched coldly. She wished the Empress would try to stop her.
Only after seeing that Granny Jing's cheeks were swollen and red from the beating, and blood was seeping from the corners of her mouth, did he slowly pick up the tea that Chunlan had served and leisurely drink it.
————————
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
The crisp, resounding slap echoed rhythmically in the silent main hall of Kunning Palace.
Empress Hesheli lowered her head and tightly protected her abdomen with both hands.
Each slap felt like a blow to her face, a mixture of humiliation and fear.
She could feel the gazes, whether overt or covert, from all the concubines in the hall, which felt like needles pricking her.
She desperately wanted to escape this suffocating scene.
Time passed slowly, and beads of sweat appeared on Zhao Deyi's forehead, and his movements slowed down.
Granny Jing's face was swollen beyond recognition, her eyes were unfocused, and she had almost lost consciousness.
The Queen could no longer endure this public, humiliating ordeal.
She mustered her remaining courage, her voice trembling uncontrollably, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Can you stop now? The punishment is enough."
Zhao Deyi stopped what he was doing upon hearing the sound, shook his numb hands, and looked at Jiang Nan, panting, awaiting his master's instructions.
Jiang Nan slowly put down the teacup in her hand.
She gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, looked up, a lazy smile on her face, and waved her hand.
"Alright, Zhao Deyi, you're tired too. Look, you're sweating even in this freezing weather. Since Her Majesty the Empress has spoken, let's stop."
Her tone was casual, yet it carried a strong sense of sarcasm.
"After all, she is the Empress, and her majesty is immense. If we don't listen to her, she might punish us for disrespecting the Empress, which would be a grave offense."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the limp, unrecognizable Jing Mama, and let out a soft snort.
"I also think that this head maid should receive a sufficient education. She will surely remember for the rest of her life what strict palace rules and the distinction between superiors and inferiors mean."
Upon hearing this, the eunuch supporting Granny Jing released his grip.
Granny Jing collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, making a dull thud, and lost consciousness.
The Empress was filled with anger and resentment, cursing inwardly.
Haven't you, Jiang Nan, contradicted me enough? Now you're pretending to be virtuous.
But she dared not show it at all, only wanting to end this humiliation as soon as possible.
He quickly gave instructions to Qin Huai'an, the chief eunuch who was standing to the side with a complicated expression.
"What are you standing there for? Quickly take Granny Jing away to treat her!"
Qin Huai'an quickly responded and directed two eunuchs to drag the unconscious Granny Jing away.
He felt a secret sense of pleasure; this Granny Jing was relying on the Empress's backing.
He used to boss him around all the time, so today's outcome was a good way of getting revenge.
Seeing that the person had been dragged away, the Empress suppressed her surging emotions.
All she wanted at that moment was to end this torment as soon as possible. She waved her hand weakly, her voice weary.
"Since there is nothing to do today, and I am also tired, let's all disperse."
The Empress's words had barely faded when she finished speaking.
The concubines, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, were about to rise and take their leave when Jiang Nan slowly stood up.
"Wait a minute."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire hall, freezing everyone in place.
Jiang Nan turned around, her gaze sweeping over the group of uneasy concubines, her face bearing an undeniable air of authority.
"Her Majesty the Empress is tired and needs to rest. What's the rush? I am assisting with the management of the six palaces and have some matters to attend to. Please sit back down."
She paused, turned to look at the Empress, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.
"I wish to borrow Your Majesty's Kunning Palace again."
The concubines looked at each other, but none of them dared to disobey Consort Jin's wishes, and they all carefully returned to their original seats.
He lowered his head and looked meek, but inwardly he was groaning, wondering what kind of trouble his master was about to stir up.
————————
My page actually got 6000 recommendations! Even though most of them are just there to earn coins, I'm still very happy. I hope there will be more today. The more the merrier! Although it lowers the completion rate, it gives this book hope for improvement. I thank Tomato for loving me.
Another chapter is coming, so you guys can enjoy it.
Leave more comments and reviews, don't just click the "request for more updates" button. That stuff is worthless. A book review is worth one cent. Help me buy a few packs of spicy strips.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
