Chapter 574: The Liang Emperor's Wrath
Chapter 574: The Liang Emperor's Wrath
Jiang Huiyi put down her teacup, her tone stern. "I fear this is not a wise move."
Lu Fengyin smiled lightly. "What do you find improper, Lady Jiang? Ah, I forgot, with my brother's ascension, you are now Consort Hui."
What a sly and manipulative person.
Empress Hu had been repeatedly humiliated by Jiang Huiyi. Seeing someone finally able to undermine her, Empress Hu couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
She sighed deeply, "Consort Hui, I won't blame you for not giving me or the Empress face, but Fengyin has only just returned home. You're arguing over an outsider with Fengyin, who we've watched grow up. In your heart, does Fengyin mean less to you than an outsider?"
Lu Fengyin's eyebrows furrowed at this. "Is this true?"
She turned to the Empress, "Sister-in-law, a consort dares to be disrespectful to you?"
Empress Hu seized the opportunity, feigning a sigh. "It's not just her. There's also the Imperial Consort who rose to power through her son. Fengyin, while you were away, the Empress has endured so much humiliation!"
Empress Hu was just a secondary consort, and the Empress didn't care about her grievances. However, the Empress was the legitimate one, and since she had been raised under the Empress's care, their bond was extraordinary.
Empress Hu had gauged Lu Fengyin's stance from their earlier conversation and decided not to complain about her own plight but to champion the Empress's cause.
Sure enough, Lu Fengyin's expression darkened.
If before she merely disliked Yan Xiaojiu, now she harbored resentment toward Jiang Huiyi as well.
The more Jiang Huiyi tried to stop her, the more determined she became to carry out the punishment.
"Are you all deaf? If you can't hear my orders, then cut off your ears!"
Lu Fengyin's words were followed by the entrance of several strong eunuchs. Though they were castrated, each was highly skilled in martial arts, on par with the imperial guards.
The Empress spoke softly, "Fengyin, I think we should let it go."
Lu Fengyin held her hand. "Sister-in-law, are you afraid it will dirty your Kunning Palace?"
The Empress shook her head. "What are you saying? I have long considered you like my own daughter. Kunning Palace is your palace as well. I'm just worried that if this gets out, people will criticize you for mistreating the Phoenix Lady, which could lead to public outcry."
Empress Hu laughed, "How could that be, Your Majesty? The Grand Princess is second only to the Empress, who would dare speak out against her?"
Meng Qianqian watched as Empress Hu and the Empress played their roles, fanning the flames, and shook her head inwardly.
This was too low.
If Lu Fengyin fell for this, she must have left her brain in her fief.
Lu Fengyin said seriously to the Empress, "Sister-in-law, I have military achievements. How could the people doubt me, a princess who defends the nation, for a mere Phoenix Lady who is only famous by name?"
Meng Qianqian: Indeed, she must have left her brain in her fief.
Lu Fengyin's entourage of eunuchs surrounded Meng Qianqian.
Meng Qianqian spoke calmly, "Grand Princess, I am from the Qinzheng Hall. Are you sure you want to mete out private punishment to me?"
Lu Fengyin frowned. "You are my brother's subordinate? How presumptuous! Your crime is even greater!"
The Empress and Empress Hu remained silent.
Jiang Huiyi laughed coldly. "You didn't say what you should have and said what you shouldn't. Empress, aren't you going to tell the Grand Princess that the Phoenix Lady is officially appointed by His Majesty as the Qinzheng Hall's seat holder?"
Empress Hu mocked, "What's there to say? It's just that His Majesty got a new great-granddaughter and, in a moment of novelty, gave her a playmate. She really thinks she's a seat holder!"
Lu Fengyin had heard of the beloved little one.
A royal descendant, whose playmate wouldn't be from a noble family?
What was so special about it?
Lu Fengyin ordered, "Proceed!"
The six skilled eunuchs didn't take a weak woman seriously. After exchanging glances, the least skilled one moved to apprehend Meng Qianqian.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached out, Meng Qianqian kicked him, sending him flying.
Lu Fengyin was startled, not expecting Meng Qianqian to have such martial prowess.
She suddenly remembered Gongsun Yanming's warning on her way back, mentioning that the Phoenix Lady was not only skilled in medicine but also in martial arts.
As a seasoned warrior, she had always considered other women's martial skills to be mere show.
Empress Hu muttered, "She really knows martial arts?"
Gongsun Liuying had seen her spar with Elder Qiu and knew her martial skills were formidable.
What surprised her was that Yan Xiaojiu's martial arts had improved even further.
She was already the most talented of her generation, but Yan Xiaojiu... seemed even more gifted.
A deep jealousy welled up inside Gongsun Liuying.
"Did you forget to eat?"
Seeing her own people fail, Lu Fengyin lost face and shouted.
The remaining five eunuchs still didn't take Meng Qianqian seriously, thinking the sixth had been careless. It wasn't until Meng Qianqian took down two more that they realized they had met their match.
Their skills were on par with the imperial guards, but this young woman single-handedly defeated three of them in ten moves.
"Attack together!"
The lead eunuch ordered.
The three eunuchs surrounded Meng Qianqian from the left, right, and behind.
Jiang Huiyi slammed her cup. "Shameless!"
Empress Hu said coldly, "Consort Hui! This is the Empress's private chambers, you have no right to act so recklessly!"
A eunuch was slapped away by Meng Qianqian and crashed into Jiang Huiyi's feet.
Without a word, Jiang Huiyi stomped on the man's head, knocking him out cold!
Lu Fengyin asked with a cold expression, "Consort Hui, are you defying me?"
Jiang Huiyi chuckled, "Defying? Haven't you seen that I'm already defying you?"
A cold light flashed in Lu Fengyin's eyes.
Another figure fell, and Meng Qianqian clapped her hands. "Grand Princess, your people are really weak. They're already out cold."
Lu Fengyin, seeing her subordinates sprawled around, felt her face and dignity completely lost, and she was fuming.
"Fine! You dare to defy my orders and severely injure my guards just because of your Phoenix Lady status? I'll deal with you personally and see what you're made of!"
"Sister-in-law, do you have my Divine Whip?"
The Empress replied, "I've kept your weapons safe. They haven't been touched."
Lu Fengyin instructed her personal maid, "Go fetch it!"
A lady-in-waiting beside the Empress glanced at her, and the Empress nodded helplessly.
The lady-in-waiting led Lu Fengyin's maid away.
When the Divine Whip was brought in, Empress Hu mocked without hesitation, "Fengyin, that whip isn't worthy of its name. From now on, let's call it the Dog-Beating Whip!"
Everyone in the room, except for Jiang Huiyi's lady-in-waiting, burst out laughing.
This whip had a longer handle, combining the features of a staff and a whip, requiring more strength but also delivering greater power.
Meng Qianqian had seen the real Divine Whip in the Goddess Hall. The one in Lu Fengyin's hand was a fake, but it would still hurt if it hit her.
Lu Fengyin leaped and swung the whip at Meng Qianqian.
Meng Qianqian didn't move, just stared at the whip with a stern gaze.
"Is she scared stiff?"
Empress Hu whispered.
Gongsun Liuying said, "Maybe."
If the Grand Princess took action, it wouldn't be just a matter of punishing a few eunuchs and guards. If Meng Qianqian injured the Grand Princess, she would be in grave danger.
Come on, Yan Xiaojiu, you were so bold before. Why are you acting like a coward now?
Gongsun Liuying's eyes were sharp, reflecting Meng Qianqian's unwavering figure in her pupils.
Just as the whip was about to hit Meng Qianqian, she suddenly sidestepped.
A figure in bright yellow entered the Kunning Palace.
With a loud crack, Lu Fengyin's whip struck the Liang Emperor.
His imperial robe tore, and a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder.
His expression turned cold, and his imperial authority radiated, dominating the entire Kunning Palace.
Lu Fengyin's face changed dramatically. "Brother Emperor!"
Empress Hu covered her mouth. "Heavens!"
Gongsun Liuying clenched her fingers, feeling a lump in her throat, nearly choking to death.
The Empress's eyes flashed with shock, and she quickly stood up. "Quick, fetch the Imperial Physician!"
Only Jiang Huiyi was disappointed. She missed.
It would have been better to hit his dog head.
The Empress led everyone to greet the Liang Emperor.
The Liang Emperor asked Lu Fengyin sternly, "What are you doing?"
Lu Fengyin looked at the Divine Whip in her hand and pointed at Meng Qianqian angrily. "Why did you dodge?"
Meng Qianqian said innocently, "The Grand Princess was going to hit me. I was scared, so I dodged."
Lu Fengyin said fiercely, "You were scared? With your big mouth, you were scared?"
Meng Qianqian moved closer to the Liang Emperor, looking pitiful.
The Liang Emperor questioned, "Why did you hit the Phoenix Lady?"
Lu Fengyin complained, "Brother Emperor, you didn't see how arrogant she was! She not only disrespected me with her words but also severely injured my guards. I was just teaching her a lesson—"
Jiang Huiyi laughed, "The Grand Princess's 'disrespect' was pointing out your excessive indulgence in pleasures, which you then used as an excuse to torture the Phoenix Lady. She fought back and took down your guards."
Lu Fengyin said coldly, "Consort Hui, be quiet!"
The Liang Emperor said sternly, "Consort Hui is your elder!"
The Empress tried to smooth things over. "Your Majesty, you are injured. Let the Phoenix Lady check your wound."
The Liang Emperor's gaze fell on the Empress's dignified face. "Fengyin doesn't understand palace etiquette. What about you, Empress? How have you been teaching Fengyin?"
The Empress quickly knelt. "Your subject knows her fault."
Empress Hu also knelt with Gongsun Liuying.
Jiang Huiyi rolled her eyes and had to kneel as well.
At her age, all this kneeling was really too much!
Lu Fengyin, enraged, threw the whip.
Jiang Huiyi added fuel to the fire, telling her maid, "Dong'er, quickly put away the Grand Princess's Dog-Beating Whip. Be careful not to break it."
The Liang Emperor, hearing it called a dog-beating whip, was furious. "What whip?"
Seeing her brother really angry, Lu Fengyin stammered, "It's the Divine... Divine Whip..."
Jiang Huiyi, enjoying the chaos, added, "But didn't you just change its name to Dog-Beating Whip?"
Empress Hu hung her head, wishing she could find a hole to hide in.
The unfortunate Liang Emperor needed a ticket to comfort him. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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