Chapter 14

Song Yi wasn’t actually pressing her weight onto Ji Yan’an, yet her hair brushed lightly across Ji Yan’an’s face, as gentle as a caress from her hand.

Listening to the heavy paddle slam down again and again onto Song Yi’s back, Ji Yan’an felt her heart twist with every strike. The blows were clearly getting harsher.

She had come here intending to protect Song Yi.

Instead, it was Song Yi protecting her.

The sight of Liu Wanwan’s seductive, self-satisfied expression filled Ji Yan’an with hatred. The pain in her own body was gradually becoming numb, but Song Yi’s breathing was growing weaker and weaker beneath the punishment.

This was already the twentieth stroke.

The stubborn pride buried deep in Ji Yan’an’s bones finally erupted.

She crawled out from beneath Song Yi. Her clothes were wrinkled beyond recognition, and the ornamental hairpin in her hair was hanging crookedly, on the verge of falling off.

With quick reflexes, she yanked the hairpin free and lunged toward the eunuch.

The moment the hairpin was removed, her long black hair spilled loose down her back, fluttering in the wind created by her sudden movement.

The eunuch was completely focused on beating Song Yi and never noticed Ji Yan’an rushing toward him.

A heartbeat later, blood exploded from the hand holding the paddle.

“AHHH!”

A shrill scream echoed through the palace.

The eunuch’s voice was already high-pitched, and the cry was so piercing that even the birds perched in the western part of the palace were startled into flight, filling the sky with frantic calls.

The eunuch’s eyes instantly turned red with rage.

Ignoring the pain in his injured hand, he grabbed the paddle and began striking Ji Yan’an viciously.

Stabbing him had already exhausted every ounce of Ji Yan’an’s courage and strength.

Now she could only curl up in a corner, trembling helplessly as the blows rained down.

Realizing things had gone terribly wrong, Liu Wanwan hurriedly ordered the other servants to stop the eunuch before rushing over to inspect Ji Yan’an’s injuries herself.

The little girl was huddled in the corner, shaking uncontrollably with fear.

Song Yi had already rushed over and pulled her into her arms. Even when Liu Wanwan approached, Song Yi stared at her with obvious wariness.

Only then did Liu Wanwan truly panic.

The girl in Song Yi’s embrace could do nothing but cry. Song Yi’s eyes were dark with hostility.

With trembling fingers, Liu Wanwan carefully lifted Ji Yan’an’s sleeve.

Underneath—

A mangled mess of blood and flesh.

“Outrageous!”

Just as Liu Wanwan was considering how to deal with the eunuch responsible, the gates of Yong’an Palace were suddenly thrown open.

A large group of people stormed in.

Song Yi looked up.

Madam Ji had arrived.

The Empress Dowager had arrived.

And beside them stood a woman adorned with eastern pearls in her hair—presumably the current Empress.

The one who had just shouted was the Empress Dowager.

Seeing the sheer number of people who had arrived, Liu Wanwan immediately lost her arrogance. She hurriedly bowed in greeting.

No one told her to rise.

“What an impressive display, Noble Consort Liu.”

The Empress Dowager was clearly furious. Even her usual warmth had vanished from her voice.

Liu Wanwan lowered her head without speaking.

While the Empress Dowager vented her anger, Madam Ji rushed straight to Ji Yan’an’s side.

Ji Yan’an lay pale-faced in Song Yi’s arms. Thankfully, she hadn’t fainted.

“Mother…”

Her voice was so faint it was difficult to tell whether it was from exhaustion or pain.

Either way, she sounded as though a breath of wind could carry her away.

“My poor Yan’an…”

Madam Ji could barely bear to look at her daughter in such a weakened state.

But when she turned her head, she saw Song Yi as well—her forehead drenched in cold sweat.

That was the final straw.

Madam Ji immediately stood and pointed at Liu Wanwan.

“Both young ladies of my household have been punished by Your Highness today. May I ask what crime they committed? Or was this deliberate humiliation directed at the Ji family?”

Her voice sharpened.

“Or perhaps… Your Highness believes there is no one left in the Ji family worth fearing?”

Having spent years navigating the circles of noblewomen, Madam Ji knew exactly how to speak.

With only a few sentences, she transformed the matter from a personal dispute into a conflict between two powerful families.

The Liu family might currently be influential, but a towering tree always caught the wind.

And the Ji family was hardly an easy target.

Liu Wanwan’s eyes flickered.

After a moment’s calculation, she immediately dropped to her knees and burst into tears.

“Please, Your Majesties, hear me out!”

Her voice trembled with grievance.

“I merely invited Miss Song here for conversation, but she showed me disrespect. I only intended to have her kneel briefly to remind her of palace rules. Who could have expected Yan’an to interfere repeatedly? She even tried to drag Miss Song away!”

Tears filled her beautiful eyes.

“She clearly didn’t respect me at all!”

The guilty party had struck first.

To an uninformed bystander, her pitiful appearance would have been completely convincing.

Ji Yan’an was already close to passing out from pain.

Yet hearing such shameless lies instantly forced her back to full awareness.

“How can Your Highness say such things?”

Her voice was weak but sharp.

“From the moment Miss Song and I entered Yong’an Palace, we were respectful in every possible way. We never showed even the slightest discourtesy!”

“You refused to let Miss Song rise and then ordered eunuchs to drag us away for punishment.”

“Where in the world is there any justice in that?”

Her words were so direct and cutting that Liu Wanwan was momentarily left speechless.

The Empress Dowager and Madam Ji naturally sided with Ji Yan’an.

As for the Empress—

She wished she could skin Liu Wanwan alive.

There was no chance she would defend her.

Realizing the situation had turned against her, Liu Wanwan glanced toward a maid standing nearby.

The maid gave a subtle nod and quietly slipped out through a rear door.

No one knew where she was going.

The Empress Dowager saw everything.

She immediately understood.

The maid had gone to summon the Emperor.

This matter had to be settled quickly.

“What Yan’an says is entirely true.”

Song Yi finally spoke.

The Empress Dowager looked at the bloody wounds covering both girls’ arms. The faint scent of blood lingered in the air.

Her heart ached.

“Good children…”

Her voice softened.

“It is my fault. I never should have allowed you into this palace filled with wolves and tigers.”

The meaning behind her words was obvious.

Liu Wanwan, indirectly compared to a beast, knelt there with a face full of embarrassment.

“By my decree,” the Empress Dowager announced coldly, “Noble Consort Liu abused her authority and punished others without cause.”

“She will forfeit this month’s stipend, be demoted from Noble Consort to Consort, and remain confined to her palace for one month without taking a single step outside.”

“As for the eunuchs who carried out the punishment, each shall receive one hundred strokes.”

She paused.

“Anyone who wishes to overturn my decree may first step over my coffin.”

The moment those words fell—

The Emperor entered through the palace gates.

“Mother…”

The Emperor looked at his beautiful, tearful consort kneeling on the ground, his expression complicated.

The Empress Dowager merely glanced at him.

“I’ve already spoken.”

“If anyone wishes to alter my decree, they can step over my coffin first.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“What? Does Your Majesty wish to try?”

The Emperor instantly fell silent.

Filial piety stood above all.

If he openly defied the Empress Dowager for the sake of a single consort, the criticism from officials throughout the empire would drown him.

“I would never dare.”

The Emperor sighed.

Just as he was about to comfort Liu Wanwan, his gaze shifted toward the corner.

There sat Ji Yan’an and Song Yi.

Ji Yan’an had practically grown up before his eyes.

When she was little, she was summoned to the palace constantly. She had even tugged on his beard and hair countless times, making everyone laugh.

Yet now—

The lively child he remembered had been beaten nearly unconscious by the woman he favored most.

“Consort Liu has gone too far this time.”

His voice carried a trace of anger.

He did not help Liu Wanwan to her feet.

Instead, he simply supported the Empress Dowager and left.

Hearing those words, the hatred in Liu Wanwan’s beautiful eyes could no longer be hidden.

Watching them walk away, she dug her long nails deep into her palms.

The Empress couldn’t even bear to look at Liu Wanwan.

Warmly, she invited Ji Yan’an and Song Yi to rest in her own palace and immediately ordered for imperial physicians to be summoned.

Before long, half the people in Yong’an Palace had departed.

Only Liu Wanwan remained kneeling on the floor.

She turned toward the eunuch whose hand was still bleeding.

“Do you hate them?”

Pain pulsed through the eunuch’s wounded hand. The hairpin was still embedded in his flesh.

Grinding his teeth, he yanked it free.

“I do.”

The answer pleased her.

A smile slowly curved Liu Wanwan’s lips.

She stared at Ji Yan’an’s bloodstained hairpin and murmured to herself,

“Good.”

“There’s still plenty of time.”

“Song Yi. Ji Yan’an.”

“We’ll take this slowly.”

Dark clouds spread across the sky.

The wind rose once more.