https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-43-Creating-a-Ruckus-in-the-Palace/12582429/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-Who-Dares-Lay-a-Hand-on-the-Governor-s-People-/12582431/
Chapter 44: Borrowing a Knife to Kill
Chapter 44: Borrowing a Knife to Kill
"Guards!"
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward, shielding Empress Xiao with several of his men as they warily eyed Tan'er.
"Step aside, Commander Lin," Empress Xiao instructed, her voice calm.
Commander Lin turned, his expression grave, "Your Majesty..."
"It's fine," Empress Xiao assured softly.
Commander Lin knelt on one knee. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
The rest of the guards followed suit, kneeling in respect.
Reluctantly, Noble Consort Li emerged to greet the Empress, offering a perfunctory bow.
Empress Xiao's ladies-in-waiting, along with Madame Wang, bowed to Noble Consort Li.
Noble Consort Li, however, barely spared them a glance. She smiled at Empress Xiao and said haughtily, "What brings you here, Your Majesty?"
Empress Xiao glanced at Meng Qianqian and her servants, who were kneeling in the snow, as well as Tan'er and the palace servants who had been beaten by her, lying on the ground. She replied gently, "I was enjoying the snowfall nearby when I heard the commotion from the Palace of Everlasting Spring. I thought I'd come and take a look."
Noble Consort Li glared at her wailing servants, her smile not reaching her eyes as she said, "We were just capturing an assassin. Please forgive us for disturbing you, Your Majesty. Please accept our apologies."
Her words were humble, but her tone and demeanor showed not a hint of respect for the Empress.
The palace servants were used to this; Noble Consort Li had long sidelined Empress Xiao and even taken away her seal of authority. If it weren't for the difficulty in removing the Empress, the central palace would have changed hands long ago.
Unfazed, Empress Xiao asked calmly, "Oh? What kind of assassin would dare to come after Noble Consort Li?"
Tan'er spoke up, her face serious, "I wasn't trying to assassinate her! I'm not an assassin!"
"Tan'er is my personal maid," Meng Qianqian explained. "She got into a fight with the palace servants because she couldn't bear to see me being punished."
Empress Xiao turned to Meng Qianqian, "Who are you?"
Meng Qianqian knelt in the snow, her hands clasped together as she bowed, "I am Meng Qianqian, wife of General Lu Lingxiao, Your Majesty."
Madame Wang quickly added, "Your Majesty, she is the wife of General Lu Lingxiao, the Northern Defense Commander."
Empress Xiao paused, "Lu Lingxiao, the great-grandson of General Hu Wei?"
Madame Wang smiled, "Yes, he is."
"General Hu Wei served the Emperor in countless southern and northern campaigns, making innumerable contributions to the country. He was truly the pillar of the nation," Empress Xiao said. "General Lu carries on his legacy, fighting on the battlefield, and the Lu family continues to produce capable successors."
Madame Wang nodded, "Your Majesty speaks the truth."
Noble Consort Li rolled her eyes.
Empress Xiao turned to Noble Consort Li and asked, "May I ask what crime Lady Lu has committed that warrants punishment from you, Noble Consort Li?"
Noble Consort Li replied indifferently, "Please do not concern yourself with matters of the Palace of Everlasting Spring, Your Majesty. Ying Yue, see the Empress off on my behalf."
"Yes," Ying Yue, the palace attendant, replied, and began to walk towards Empress Xiao.
Empress Xiao spoke sternly, "I have no intention of meddling in the affairs of the Palace of Everlasting Spring. However, Lady Lu does not belong to your palace, and it is for me, as the Empress, to decide if she has committed any wrongdoing."
Noble Consort Li took two steps forward, her arrogance palpable, "Empress, are you going against me?"
Empress Xiao turned her head and said, "Madame Wang, how has Wang Yu Shi been lately? Go back and ask him about the punishment for a noble consort who uses private sentencing on imperial relatives without authorization."
Noble Consort Li's face darkened.
She feared nothing and no one, except for Wang Yu Shi. After all, that fool had once sent his own father to prison! Those implicated by his investigations, not to mention the distant ones, included even Lu Lingxiao, the great contributor who had killed the Northern Liang Prince. Had he not been demoted by one rank?
Noble Consort Li clutched her handkerchief tightly, turned away coldly, and said disdainfully to Meng Qianqian, "Since the Empress is pleading for you, I will let you off for now. If you dare to speak to me like that again, not even the Jade Emperor can save you!"
Empress Xiao addressed Commander Lin, "Withdraw your troops."
Commander Lin signaled, and the archers uniformly retracted their bows and arrows, retreating to the side.
"Sister!" Tan'er cried out as she rushed into the bushes. She stood up and ran towards them, "Ban Xia!"
Ban Xia's lips were almost frozen as she said, "I'm fine... but Miss is freezing..."
Tan'er, with Meng Qianqian on her back, her body ice-cold, said resolutely, "Sister, Tan'er will take you home!"
Madame Wang quickly took off her cloak and draped it over Meng Qianqian, while her maid came to support Ban Xia.
Empress Xiao said, "Let's go."
The group left the Palace of Eternal Peace.
Some of the Imperial Guards were also injured, and Deputy Commander Lin arranged for his men to take the wounded and clear the scene of the fight. As he pulled out the long sword that was stuck in the bushes, his expression changed subtly.
There was a tiny hole in the blade, as if something had pierced through it.
How is that possible?
Who is so skilled?
That little girl?
Meng Qianqian's condition was not looking good. Her face was devoid of color, and her eyes held a hint of distraction.
"Let's go to my palace to warm up. Xiao Dezi, go and invite the imperial physician." Empress Xiao instructed.
"Yes!"
Xiao Dezi hurried off to carry out the task.
Meng Qianqian's lips quivered slightly.
Tan'er asked, "Sister, what are you trying to say?"
Meng Qianqian weakly said, "Return to the Hall of Crabapple... Also... Thank you, Madame Wang..."
Tan'er listened intently, then suddenly said, "Alright! Let's go back to the Hall of Crabapple! Let's go now!"
Madame Wang asked, "Hey, where are you going?"
Tan'er turned her head, glanced at the half-summer being supported by others, and said to Madame Wang, "Madame Wang, thank you! Sister-in-law remembers your great kindness! I'll take care of Half-summer first, and I'll come back for her after sending my sister-in-law home!"
"Hey, Tan'er, Madame Lu, wait—"
Madame Wang tried to stop them but to no avail. Tan'er, with Meng Qianqian on her back, disappeared into the heavy snow in the blink of an eye.
Madame Wang sighed.
"She has her reasons for going back," Empress Xiao said.
Madame Wang nodded and bowed deeply to Empress Xiao. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for today. Madame Lu has done me a great favor, and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. It's just... I've caused trouble for Your Majesty."
She hadn't realized how serious the situation was and had thought it was just a minor misunderstanding.
Now, thinking back, that woman, Lin Wan'er, probably knew about Tan'er's abilities and temper. She must have deliberately instructed her maid to provoke Tan'er in front of her, intending to let Tan'er make a big scene and worsen the conflict between Madame Lu and Noble Consort Li.
What a cunning scheme.
Empress Xiao spoke gently, "Noble Consort Li and I have had our differences, but it's not worth worrying about, cousin. Don't take it to heart."
Meanwhile, back in her bedroom, Noble Consort Li had calmed down after drinking three large cups of tea.
"What court lady? She hasn't even been granted the title of a commandery duchess! Xiao Lanyi, don't try to scare me!"
"Fetch that little wretch back to me! And her maid as well! I want their lives!"
Wang, the eunuch, stiffened his neck and left to carry out the order. However, he soon returned with bad news. "Your Majesty, Madame Lu and her maid have already left the palace!"
Noble Consort Li was so angry that she smashed a cup. Coldly, she said, "Send the Imperial Guards to catch them! Say we're catching assassins! Once they're out of the palace, let's see if Xiao Lanyi can still protect them!"
On the quiet official road stretching into the distance under the icy sky,
"Sister, hold on!"
Tan'er felt Meng Qianqian's breath becoming weaker, so she pushed her speed to the limit, feeling as if her internal organs were burning.
"Tan'er... Let's rest..."
"I don't want to!"
"I want to rest..."
"You're not allowed to rest or sleep!"
Tan'er ran for her life, sweating profusely and soaking her clothes completely.
Finally, she saw a carriage.
She jumped onto the carriage with Meng Qianqian on her back, pulled out a hairpin, and threw it at the coachman. "Go to the Lu family on Changyang Street! If you don't, I'll kill you!"
The coachman was so scared that he quickly grabbed the reins and drove the horses towards the Lu family residence at full speed.
However, they hadn't gone far when the Imperial Guard cavalry caught up with them, surrounding the carriage from both sides of the alley.
An early update, a quick check-in.
(End of Chapter)
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