"What, what do you mean by saying this?"

Gu Yunxi's question was too sensitive. Wan Yuyao never imagined that she, a rank-second Imperial Noble Concubine, would be questioned in public by a small female slave of the palace. With an angry expression on her pretty face, she was in panic.

Gu Yunxi pursed her lips lightly, sneered secretly, and said with her head down.

"Your Grace, please forgive me. I was just curious and attracted by the fragrance of this tonic soup."

"I am the small kitchen's governor of Chuxiu Palace. I imprudently ask Your Grace for the cooking recipe of this soup, which I would like to study."

"How dare you! Who do you think you are! That's just the most common black chicken soup. Don't you know how to stew chicken soup when you work in the small kitchen—"

Concubine Ye stood up suddenly, with her eyes twisting coldly.

"How dare a governor argue before Her Grace? Your Grace, this servant doesn't understand the rules. She should be punished physically in the Violent Room!"

"Right!"

"Definitely!"

Other concubines agreed.

All the ladies in the room were malicious. Once their schemes were exposed, they all made threatening gestures, even disregarding the concubine's manner.

Gu Yunxi squinted her eyes slightly, and calmly shot back.

"Concubine Ye said that what in the broken bowl was black chicken soup, a harmless delicacy. But when the cat was licking the soup, why did Your Grace look so panicky? Had you already known that there were some problems with that soup?!"

All the concubines were in an uproar, dodging in panic or looked embarrassed.

Gu Yunjin blinked the beautiful eyes, waved the fragrant soft sleeves, and said coldly,

"Tu Muxue, you are so bold that you dare to slander the imperial concubines and despise the courtesy!"

She had suffered two big losses dealing with Gu Yunxi before, so she still felt resentful.

Today, Gu Yunxi rudely broke into Yongning Palace and ruined their scheme to frame up Gu Yunyao. Gu Yunjin took advantage of this matter and tried every means to provoke Wan Yuyao's anger, in an aim to remove Tu Muxue, this burden, by Wan Yuyao's power.

As soon as Gu Yunjin finished her words, Wan Li, the Shenle Marquis, suddenly threw a fist towards Gu Yunxi.

He was accustomed to judging people by their appearance, and he felt disgusted when he looked at her plain features.

Seeing that she was rude to Wan Yuyao and exposed the concubines' scheme in public, he couldn't help being so furious that he wanted to kill her immediately.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yunxi didn't dodge nor hide. Her slender and exquisite body stood straight.

Wan Li's iron fist had the martial power that belonged to martial artists, rushing towards Gu Yunxi's head with a "swish" sound as a sharp cold wind.

When this fist fell, not to mention breaking her head out, there was always a hole left.

However, he didn't know that his fist was undoubtedly the slowest action in Gu Yunxi's eyes.

She quickly raised her hand calmly, and in an instant, her soft right hand grasped Wan Li's wrist firmly.

Wan Li was suddenly astonished.

A cold light suddenly appeared in Gu Yunxi's eyes, and her voice was somber.

"Your Highness, please calm down."

The scene was silent just like a pool of stagnant water. Several eyes were stunned, staring at the two people who were at odds with each other.

The pressure on his wrist was increasingly constant, and Wan Li instantly opened his eyes wide.

The girl in front of him looked homely. How could she have such strength and courage?

She, who on earth was she?

With this question in mind, Wan Li squinted his eyes evilly and pressed a little harder.

He didn't believe he would lose to a silly little girl!

Even if this female slave of the palace knew some martial arts, she was just showing off. As long as he didn't withdraw his hands, she wouldn't be able to support it for long—

On this end, Gu Yunxi's cold eyes turned sharper, raised the arms secretly, and fought against Wan Li. They were at a stalemate.

Wan Li's facial features turned ferocious, and said angrily,

"Stupid maid, you'll die."

Gu Yunxi sneered.

"Your Highness lost your manner in public. Are you angry because of the explosion of the conspiracy?"

Wan Li suddenly changed his face and lifted his foot to kick Gu Yunxi.

Gu Yunxi stared directly at Wan Li coldly. She had already stretched a foot and hooked Wan Li’s boots right to block the attack, and then reversed his ankle and brought it forward. At the same time, she dodged agilely.

Wan Li was unprepared, leaning forward while opening his mouth and yelling. He fell down on the ground straight.

People exclaimed loudly in the hall.

A maid fighting with a master in public was an unheard miracle in the Palace for thousands of years.

The concubines had never seen such intense scenes before. All of them turned pale and were so frightened that they huddled up in the corner.

Gu Yunxi also spared no effort today. She would definitely teach them a lesson who dared to hurt her eldest sister.

"Crazy, you are crazy!"

Wan Yuyao collapsed into the armchair and hysterically yelled. Her delicate face was changing different colors.

"Guard, guard! Get this rude b*tch out from this palace—"

Gu Yunyao stood in front of Gu Yunxi, with burning anger in her eyes. She stared straight at Wan Yuyao.

"Your Grace, serving His Majesty last night was His Majesty's favor to me, but I have never thought to fight with sisters. Why did you repeatedly abuse me and never leave me in peace?!"

She had seen Madam Mu of Chuxiu Palace only for a few times, but she was rescued by her several times, which really touched Gu Yunyao's heart.

At this moment, Madam Mu tried to rescue her again but ended up in danger. Gu Yunyao was determined to step forward and fight against the Imperial Noble Concubine.

Wan Yuyao sneered triumphantly, and said imperiously,

"Silly. As the Imperial Noble Concubine, I have the power to assist with the palace. Now I kindly gave you soup, but you were being suspicious. Zhaoyi Yu, I advise you not to be arrogant!"

Gu Yunxi resolutely interjected.

"Your Grace, do you dare to invite an imperial doctor to inspect the tonic soup on the ground?"

Wan Yuyao immediately frowned, changing her face, and smashed her armchair with a fist.

"Bold maid, how can you interrupt the masters' talking? Guard—"

The eunuchs filed in, surrounding Gu Yunyao and Gu Yunxi.

Just as Wan Li stood up from the ground with scolding, a soft voice rose from outside the Main Hall and came nearer.

"The Empress is coming—"

Wan Yuyao's eyes widened immediately, looking at Wan Li in amazement.

Hiding the hostility, Gu Yunxi quickly made a humble posture of nodding the head and overlapping her hands together aside.

Empress Qian stepped across the threshold, dressed in a bright yellow robe with a pattern of nine phoenixes showing the majesty of the imperial harem's master. On her both sides were Concubine Xu, Concubine Shu and several young concubines, as arrogant as the moon surrounded by the star.

Wan Yuyao was full of resentment and unwillingness, but had to get up from the main position.

The concubines, who were all arrogant just now, now were like mice in front of a cat, with a frightened and humble expression, and bowed their heads and saluted Empress Qian, shouting in unison.

"Wish Your Grace a good health."

Empress Qian looked cold and disdainful, without looking at the evildoers. She stared directly at Wan Yuyao.

Seeing this, Wan Yuyao put on an ill look, saluted lazily, and pinched her voice speaking slowly.

"Wish Your Grace a good health. I wonder why Your Grace comes to Yongning Palace today?"

Empress Qian raised her eyebrows, snorted coldly, and flicked her sleeves angrily.

"I heard that you were ill at bed and unable to go to Kunning Palace to meet me, so I came to visit you personally! What I just didn't expect was this party in your palace."

The words were bitter. Empress Qian turned her head coldly, and her cold eyes fell on Concubine Ye and the others.

They all felt a cold wind hitting their faces. They trembled and lowered the heads.

Empress Qian turned her head to look at Wan Li again.

"Why is the Shenle Marquis here now?"

Wan Li put on a serious face, clenched his fists, and said,

"Your Grace, I, I heard that the eldest sister was unwell, so..."

"How dare you!"

Without waiting for Wan Li to finish talking, Empress Qian scolded.

"As a courtier, how can you call the Imperial Noble Concubines directly the kinship terms? Not only did you overrule the courtesy, but also stayed in the imperial harem gathering with concubines for a long time. Get out!"

Wan Li's pupils burst into red light. He gritted his teeth with anger.

Reluctantly looking at Wan Yuyao angrily, and seeing her shake her head slightly, Wan Li had to suppress his emotions and reluctantly made a bow with hands folded in front of Empress Qian.

"I obey your order and retire now."

Watching Wan Li rush out of the Main Hall, Empress Qian walked up to Gu Yunyao with a smile on her face.

"Sister Yu just served the Emperor last night. How did you come to Yongning Palace so early in the morning?"

Gu Yunyao replied with grievances.

"Your Grace, I was invited by the Imperial Noble Concubine. Her Grace kindly gave me a golden hairpin and tonic soup. But I was so useless that I broke the soup bowl by mistake, wasting the good wishes of Her Grace."

The reason why Gu Yunyao said that she broke the soup bowl was to protect Gu Yunxi. Regardless of whether there was a problem with the soup, it was always impolite for a maid to deliberately break a bowl, and it was inevitable for her to be punished according to the palace rules.

Before Gu Yunyao finished her words, Maiden Yang retorted immediately from the opposite.

"Your Grace, Sister Yu is lying. That black chicken soup was deliberately broken by Madam Mu of Chuxiu Palace."

Concubine Xu stood on the side of the Empress, and looked at Gu Yunxi in shock.

Empress Qian frowned.

"Tu Muxue, it was you again?"

She hadn't forgotten when she was in Chuxiu Palace last time, this plain female slave of the palace irritated Emperor Jingxiao.

Soon after, how could she make trouble in the imperial harem again?

Gu Yunxi knelt on the ground with a courteous expression.

"Your Grace, there's more to it. I will take my punishment after making this thing clear."

Empress Qian said in a deep voice, "Speak!"

Gu Yunxi calmly told her story that she was stopped when she was ordered to send fruits to Yongning Palace, and when she entered the inner courtyard, she heard people forcing Zhaoyi Yu to drink the soup. Then Song Qin tried to protect her master but was beaten up by the Shenle Marquis.

Empress Qian changed her face drastically when she heard it. After Gu Yunxi finished speaking, she flashed her cold eyes at Wan Yuyao and said coldly,

"You are really in a good mood. I know you are the most careful with the food, so I think the tonic soup stewed in your palace is undoubtedly delicious. I wonder if you are willing to let me try a bowl of soup?"

Wan Yuyao's clear eyes flashed a cold light, and a vicious smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"What a pity for Your Grace to come late. There was only one bowl of tonic soup, and it was broken now, so no rest was left."

After a sneer, Empress Qian turned her eyes away and no longer looked at Wan Yuyao.

The Imperial Noble Concubine did all kinds of evils in the imperial harem with no fear. If she let her go today, she would probably hurt Gu Yunyao more in the future.

Thinking of this, Gu Yunxi was determined to take advantage of the victory. She said, nodding,

"Your Grace, I deliberately knocked over the bowl of black chicken soup only because I found something abnormal. The meat was swallowed by the Imperial Noble Concubine's pet, a white cat."

"Your Grace only need to look at that white cat for a few hours to verify my words."

Empress Qian immediately ordered.

"Guard, go and catch the white cat!"

People of Yongning Palace seemed to be prepared for a long time. Hearing Empress Qian's order, Baiquan, the chief eunuch, quickly walked into the hall.

He carried the dead white cat with blood on the head and body.

Baiquan bowed to the Empress, and his pale and bloodless face revealed a wicked smile.

"Your Grace, it was unlucky that Snowball fell on the steps when it jumped down the high wall. It broke its neck and died!"

There may be a hundred ways for a cat to be killed, but none of them would be jumping down a wall.

Empress Qian’s face was gloomy. She knew that Baiquan killed the cat before it was poisoned to die in fear of exposing the scheme. But facing with the nonsense he said and the dead evidence, she was also at a loss for a while.

Wan Yuyao was just too lucky!

Empress Qian came out today only because she wanted to hold the evidence of the Imperial Noble Concubine's cruelty and then went to impeach her in front of the Emperor to bring her down. But she unexpectedly escaped once again!

Staring blankly at Gu Yunxi, Concubine Xu sighed, shook her head, and secretly regretted her imprudence.

As the situation changed, Wan Yuyao had already turned from loser to winner. She put up a proud and dominant posture, squinted her eyes, and watched Empress Qian clenching fists, whose eyebrows and eyes could hardly conceal the sense of defeat. She laughed and turned the eyes cold.

"Sister, you always misunderstood me in the past, but I have always been thinking of all the sisters in the imperial harem."

"I worried about Zhaoyi Yu's poor health, so I stewed a tonic soup for her. Now, all my good was twisted by people with ulterior motives. If the troublemakers are not punished severely today, I will meet the Emperor and ask for an explanation!"

Concubine Xu immediately raised her voice.

"Your Grace lost the manner. The Emperor is the king of a country. How could he be distracted by the trivial things in the imperial harem?"

"It was indeed my fault for neglecting educating the servants in the palace. Please allow me to redeem, and let me take the offender back and punish her. It shouldn't bother the Empress and the Imperial Noble Concubine."

Wan Yuyao sneered suddenly.

"You take her back? Is there anyone who doesn’t know that Tu Muxue comes from your palace? The master and her servant are always together, and you naturally prefer her. You said to bring her back for punishment, but who will know if you're playing tricks for saving her?"

Concubine Xu raised her burning eyes and replied determinedly.

"I said I would punish her, so there will be a punishment! Is your distrust for me because Your Grace is accustomed to misinterpreting and doubting others?!"

Wan Yuyao stepped forward and pointed at Xu Yuanjiao, hissing angrily.

"How dare you! You are just a concubine with a prince. How dare you yell at me?!"

Concubine Xu didn't make a concession. When she was about to speak, a low and majestic voice arose leisurely.

"Leng Qingtang, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot has something to report."