Chapter 6: Seeing the Old at Three

Chapter 6: Seeing the Old at Three

Supervisor Li.

Supervisor Li, standing at the far right.

At this moment, he felt his scalp tingle with anxiety, wishing he could bury himself in the ground and become invisible. He lamented his bad luck, caught in this predicament because his superior, the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace, had conveniently disappeared, and the other Supervisor was off duty, leaving him to handle this hot potato.

He dared not offend Consort Xu Zhao.

And he dared not offend Zhu Yan even more.

Supervisor Li shrank his neck, hoping fervently for the Empress to arrive soon while trying to figure out how to smooth things over. He planned to have the eunuchs break the long spanking plank but hadn’t acted yet when he heard Consort Xu Zhao's urging voice, booming like thunder, "Supervisor Li, hurry up and start the punishment."

"No."

"Zhu Yan, do you dare defy authority?" Xu Zhao Consort jumped up from her couch, advancing towards Zhu Yan.

"I dare not," Zhu Yan replied, but showed no sign of backing down. Her bold intrusion into Chonghua Palace was already an act of insubordination. Retreating further would be useless; it might be better to confront the challenge head-on, which might even make Consort Xu Zhao wary.

Facing Xu Zhao Consort's aggressive approach, Zhu Yan tried to maintain her distance, knowing well that Xu Zhao Consort was unpredictable.

"You dare not, but I see you daring enough. Defying authority, that’s a serious offense..."

"Consort Xu Zhao, I mean no disrespect. I came to Chonghua Palace only to fetch someone. Su Cairen is from my palace," Zhu Yan hastily interrupted Xu Zhao Consort, determined not to let the charge of disrespect fall upon her. She relied on her reasoning, backed by the support of her maids and eunuchs, and the Empress's influence.

She needed to have the upper hand.

"Go fetch her then. Su Cairen is in Chongming Pavilion." After saying this, Xu Zhao Consort stepped aside, making way with a sneering laugh, then turned to Supervisor Li and ordered, "Why are you still waiting? There are twenty out of forty strikes left. Finish them quickly and take these guilty servants to the punishment cell."

"Consort Xu Zhao, if Xiangru and the others are to be punished, we must wait for the Empress. Until the Empress arrives, they have not been found guilty and are not guilty servants," Zhu Yan argued.

"Not guilty? Su Cairen's face is ruined, and those who served her have all neglected their duties. None of them can escape punishment."

Ruined her face?

Zhu Yan was momentarily stunned, finding it hard to believe. As the protagonist, it seemed unlikely, but most of the consorts who resided in Chonghua Palace were here, except for Su Cairen, indicating that her injuries must be quite severe.

"And the fourth prince, such a young child with malicious intentions, injuring his elder..."

"Enough."

Zhu Yan could tolerate Xu Zhao Consort's verbal attacks on herself but couldn't stand her son being slandered. Her anger surged, "Xu Zhao Consort, Aji is just a three-year-old child." Although her son was indeed at fault, which she planned to address later, it didn't mean others had the right to insult him.

"Three years old yet already showing one's nature..."

"Indeed, one shows their nature at three years old, and I find Aji quite admirable."

A clear voice suddenly rang out, silencing everyone. Zhu Yan didn't need to look back to know who it was. She didn’t turn around, though she felt a sense of relief deep down. Amidst the bows of the consorts, eunuchs, and maids, she too performed a curtsey.

Lifting her head slightly, she saw a swath of imperial yellow, embroidered with the twelve chapter patterns including the algal, ancestral, and insect patterns, and above all... her son, Zhang Ji.

Her son was being held in the despicable emperor's arms.

Wasn’t her son supposed to be at Fengyi Palace? How did he end up appearing here with the despicable emperor?

Author's note:

Today's update~~

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