Chapter 103: She Doesn’t Want To Watch
“Yang Luo has always liked to coax the princess into a good mood.”
“She often quarrels with her own sister Yang Hui, and has a domineering temperament.”
The palace maid’s trembling voice recounted, and upon saying this, she looked around.
“The young ladies in the school hall can all testify.”
The companion reader young ladies squeezed by the doorway all lowered their heads with no response; even if it was the truth, no one wanted to get involved.
“Your Ladyship, this is all this subject’s fault.” Imperial Consort Li knelt beside, choking as she said, “I failed to teach Wuyang how to discipline those around her.”
The Empress said coldly: “Imperial Consort Li, don’t be hasty first. When this palace questions you, then you speak.”
Imperial Consort Li choked and did not dare speak again.
“You don’t need to speak of before.” The Empress looked at the palace maid again, “Speak directly of this incident.”
The palace maid trembled: “She, she said she was hit on the palms by His Majesty, that it was Princess Pingcheng who reported it, she, she wanted to scare the princess.”
As she spoke, she kowtowed heavily on the ground.
“Your Ladyship, Your Ladyship, this servant didn’t know she would use the cutter to slash the princess’s face.”
“This servant thought she was going to ruin the princess’s painting, to make the princess a laughingstock.”
Imperial Consort Li beside kowtowed again: “Your Ladyship, this servant is just speculating on her own; that Miss Yang might truly have been careless—”
“Truly careless? Pingcheng’s face was truly injured!” The Empress shouted, “Bring that cheap maid up!”
After speaking, she coldly looked at Imperial Consort Li again.
“Bring Princess Wuyang up too; this palace wants to see if that cheap maid was truly careless on her own, or was incited to be careless by someone else.”
Imperial Consort Li’s face turned deathly pale, prostrating on the ground and sobbing.
……
…….
“Young ladies, step back further.”
It was unknown whether because more people were to be brought into the hall, or because it involved imperial dignity, but the Empress finally let the companion reader young ladies who were trembling and tearful in the hall withdraw.
But the young ladies still could not leave; they could only depart after Your Ladyship finished investigating this matter.
Although separated by just a door, with the Empress’s power slightly eased, the companion reader young ladies were like fish entering water, coming alive, and could no longer hold back their whispers to relieve the fear in their hearts.
“It was really her?”
“Impossible, right.”
“How is it impossible? Earlier Princess Wuyang complained to her, and her expression was resentful too; after all, she was also beaten.”
“Such boldness?”
“She looks so delicate and weak, yet so ruthless.”
The young ladies discussed in low voices, and someone squeezed forward to stand, raising her eyes—it was Liu Chan……
Why still squeeze forward? What spectacle to see; she usually walks close with that Yang Luo, not afraid of being implicated.
“She’s been brought.” A young lady said softly.
The companion reader young ladies immediately stopped discussing, peering through the layers of shadows of imperial guards, eunuchs, and palace maids toward the hall, seeing a young girl dragged in, closely followed by Princess Wuyang.
Although her face could not be seen clearly, Princess Wuyang’s angry voice was immediately heard.
“Mother Consort—”
“Empress, she is my lady-in-waiting, but she has nothing to do with me—”
“Why am I locked up too?”
“Slap her mouth.”
Princess Wuyang had not spoken many words when the Empress’s cold shout rang out; the companion reader young ladies standing outside the school hall saw two eunuchs hold down Princess Wuyang and raise their hands to slap her mouth.
Accompanied by the palm strikes, Princess Wuyang screamed and fell to the ground; Imperial Consort Li rushed over to hug her, and from the gaps, Princess Wuyang’s mouth and nose could still be seen bleeding.
“Before this palace questions you, do not speak.” The Empress said coldly.
Princess Wuyang’s cries were also suppressed; Imperial Consort Li reached out to cover her mouth, the mother and daughter curling up on the ground, not daring to make another sound.
Although already retreated to the doorway, the companion reader young ladies were still frightened into stepping back further, wishing to stand in the plum grove beside.
Some among them had seen the Empress before; at this moment, the Empress was completely different from the quiet, kind, and dignified Empress seen earlier at the banquet.
The Empress on the imperial city’s throne was quiet, kind, and dignified.
The Empress at this moment, though her face showed no ferocity or ruthlessness, with one command struck the imperial consort and princess as she pleased, cursing as she wished.
At this moment, the companion reader young ladies comprehended the Empress’s power.
Even the Emperor’s imperial concubines and children were like servants in the Empress’s eyes.
Yang Luo stood at the front, her hands under her sleeves clenched painfully; the companion reader young ladies beside her had all retreated, leaving only her still standing at the doorway.
She could see it very clearly.
She could see the Empress’s such fierce and domineering side.
Yang Luo saw the figure of the young girl kneeling on the other side through the gaps in the crowd.
The Empress’s gaze also shifted over.
“You are Yang Luo.”
The young girl kneeling below had a slender figure; because of the fall, her hair was somewhat disheveled; she kept her head low, only the outline of her face visible.
The Empress subconsciously wanted her to lift her head, but the words reached her lips and she stopped.
She did not want to see the face of anyone from the Yang Family again.
“You harbored resentment and so slashed Princess Pingcheng’s face?” The Empress asked coldly.
“No, it wasn’t this subject.” Mo Zheng said, without lifting her head, only saying loudly, “Your Ladyship, this subject was framed!”
“Miss Yang! You, you clearly said it!” The palace maid over there shouted, “It was you who told me to hide the blade in the paintbrush!”
“I didn’t! You’re slandering me!”
“Your Ladyship! Everything this servant said is true!”
“I didn’t either! You’re not my servant; how could I command you?”
“Yang Luo! Are you saying I incited you? You this cheap maid! You—”
“Wuyang, shut your mouth quickly! Your Ladyship hasn’t questioned you yet!”
The women’s quarreling voices were sharp, making everyone’s ears buzz; the Empress’s expression was calm, her hands on her knees slowly clenching tight.
“Come.” She suddenly said, “Fetch the punishment staff.”
The noisy quarreling in the hall instantly stilled.
Yang Luo’s heartbeat stopped.
The Empress treated even imperial consort and princess as servants, beating as she pleased; a minister’s daughter was even less than nothing in her eyes……
What’s more, the Empress already disliked the Yang Family women, and now had caught a handle—how could she let it go?
To hell with seeing clearly!
How could she watch A Sheng take the punishment in her place!
Yang Luo grabbed the palace maid at the doorway and urgently whispered, “I, I need to go to the latrine.”
After all, she was just a teenage young girl; being scared by such a matter and going to the latrine was not strange.
The palace maid waved her hand to signal her.
Yang Luo did not look at the hall again where the eunuch had fetched the punishment staff and entered, leaving behind Princess Wuyang’s suppressed fearful cries, lifting her skirt and running toward the latrine area.
……
……
Urgent birdsong rose above the National Academy, then returned to quiet.
At the latrine exclusively for companion reader young ladies, the window was gently knocked.
Yang Luo only felt her eyes blur as she saw a woman drill in through the window.
“What happened?” Sister Tao Hua asked softly, “The Empress and imperial consort have both come.”
Ever since confessing to Yang Luo that she was an accomplice, and knowing there was malice in the palace, besides Zhang Sheng You responsible for picking up and dropping off Yang Luo, Sister Tao Hua had also come along, hiding in advance in the National Academy every day.
Just now something happened on the princess companion reader side, and she perceived it, but because the imperial guards immediately surrounded this area, to avoid being discovered and causing greater trouble, she hid and did not dare inquire for news.
At this moment, hearing Yang Luo blow the wooden whistle she carried, she hurried over.
“They are framing A Sheng for harming the princess; the Empress is going to punish A Sheng. Quickly go find someone from the National Academy to stop the Empress.” Yang Luo said urgently and softly.
The Empress! Sister Tao Hua’s brows twitched.
“I’ll go kill her.” She said, “That will stop it.”
Yang Luo was startled; this seemingly delicate Sister Tao Hua—well, she already knew she was a mountain bandit; daring to murder was not strange, but it was the Empress after all.
Not the slightest fear.
So from now on she dared oppose the Imperial Court; no wonder in that life she became a major threat to the court, requiring a large army to exterminate.
“Even if there are many imperial guards now, I can avoid them being discovered.”
This Sister Tao Hua was still muttering; Yang Luo hurriedly stopped her: “You can’t kill the Empress, or everyone will be buried with her.”
But the young master can definitely escape, Sister Tao Hua thought, though of course she did not say it.
“The Libationer is not here today, but the National Academy must have left someone in charge.” Yang Luo said, “Go lead the person in charge here; I will find a way to make him stop the Empress.”
The way was for her to reveal to this disciple that A Sheng was the true princess, making him stop the Empress and summon the Emperor.
She did not believe the Emperor would dare continue beating A Sheng in front of so many people; if he still wanted to beat, she would shout it out publicly; if the Emperor wanted to silence her, then…
She looked at Sister Tao Hua.
“When there is no other way out, then you murder.”
Sister Tao Hua responded with an “oh,” her expression hesitant: “The Libationer’s disciple Ling Yu is there.”
Ling Yu, who was also an Emperor-appointed Five Classics Doctor—not bad; Yang Luo urged: “Quickly go call him over.”
But Sister Tao Hua, who had said killing the Empress without hesitation, now hesitated, seeming afraid to go.
“Go quickly; the Empress’s staff can truly beat someone to death.” Yang Luo stamped her foot urging, “Do you want to watch A Sheng get hurt?”
Either the young master gets hurt or rises up to murder—choose the one with the smallest cost; Sister Tao Hua turned and went out the window.
Yang Luo looked at the closed window, not worried that Ling Yu would not want to wade into the muddy water and not come; even if he did not come, Sister Tao Hua definitely had a way to threaten him.
Thanks to the friend who used the correction function to fix my typos; I’ve corrected every chapter!
