"Huai Mei?" Mu Qingyao's expression turned cold, and her movements halted. That woman was indeed suspicious. As soon as she left, she sent someone to deliver a message to the Empress Dowager. How could she allow such a person to cause trouble in Feng Luan Palace? Damn it, her gaze suddenly turned icy as she called out, "Guards."
Several eunuchs and palace maids immediately entered from outside the side hall, casting cautious glances at Yi Yun, who was kneeling in the center, before respectfully addressing her.
"Your Highness, what is your command?"
"Immediately bring the head palace maid, Xiao Qiu, to me," Mu Qingyao's voice fell. The eunuchs and palace maids hesitated, appearing somewhat fearful.
Mu Qingyao was enveloped in an icy aura, her face stern. It seemed these palace maids and eunuchs were afraid of Huai Mei, knowing she was the Empress Dowager's person.
This time, she was determined to make an example of someone, otherwise, these people would never understand who the true mistress of Feng Luan Palace was.
"Why are you still standing there, you scoundrels? Did you not hear the Empress?"
Princess Mu Rong Xing Zhu abruptly stood up, glaring at the servants standing below. Her expression was extremely displeased.
She was eager to finish dealing with these matters so she could go rescue her third imperial brother. These useless fools were still dawdling.
Upon hearing the princess's words, the eunuchs and palace maids below dared not say anything further. The Empress was already formidable, and with the addition of the young princess, how could they afford to lose their heads? Without further hesitation, they immediately accepted the order and rushed out.
In the silent great hall, a chilling aura permeated the air.
Mu Qingyao was surrounded by an aura as cold as ice, having lost all appetite. She waved her hand, signaling for the morning meal to be cleared away.
Mei Xin quickly moved to clear the table, glancing worriedly at her mistress. Her mistress had barely eaten anything. It seemed she was terribly angered this time and would absolutely not let that detestable woman off.
Before long, Xiao Qiu was dragged in by the eunuchs and palace maids, her face contorted in anger as she glared at those pulling her, still issuing fierce warnings.
"How dare you touch me! I will deal with you all later!"
In the side hall, Mu Qingyao, seated high above, coldly regarded the struggling Xiao Qiu. A palace maid dared to berate other eunuchs and palace maids in front of the Empress, breathing heavily and cursing. After finishing her tirade, she seemed to turn her attention to the Empress, kneeling with a thud and speaking with a face full of grievance.
"Empress, you must uphold justice for your servant. This servant has always been loyal and devoted. I never expected these people to treat me this way. I don't know what wrong I have committed!"
This girl was playing the preemptive move. As expected, having lived in the palace for a long time, her schemes ran deep. But to dare play mind games in front of her was truly seeking death. Mu Qingyao's dark pupils deepened, stained with a murderous intent, and she spoke sinisterly.
"Your name is Xiao Qiu. I ordered them to bring you here. I only want to ask you, where were you last night?"
"Me?" Xiao Qiu quickly looked up, her cunning gaze darting about. She hurried to reply, "Replying to Empress, this servant was sleeping in her room all night and did not go anywhere. You must know that I have my own room, so it is normal for no one to have seen me."
"Very good. You are quite sharp-tongued. We shall see if you can hold out later," a cold, sharp voice rang out.
Xiao Qiu fearfully raised her head to look at the Empress from her elevated position. She saw that the Empress's beautiful face was covered with an unfathomable radiance, eerie and terrifying, making one tremble involuntarily.
Could it be that her mistress already knew what she did last night? How was that possible? While Xiao Qiu was in doubt, she quickly spoke, "This servant has done nothing wrong. Why does Your Highness wish to punish me?"
"Yi Yun, tell her if she was in her room last night?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Yi Yun first trembled a little.
She had always lived under Xiao Qiu's tyranny. Her first instinct was to fear her, but after overcoming her psychological barrier, she no longer felt Xiao Qiu was that terrifying. She was merely favored for a moment, a servant relying on her power to bully others.
"Last night, this servant followed Your Highness's verbal instructions to search the entire room. Only Xiao Qiu was not in her room."
Upon hearing Yi Yun's words, Xiao Qiu's face changed drastically, and she glared hatefully at the maid beside her, wishing she could devour her. You are good, Yi Yun, daring to provoke me! Just wait until I deal with you later. Her gaze shifted, and she quickly kowtowed, "Your Highness, please be clear. This servant had a stomach ache and went out to use the latrine. I beg Your Highness to investigate thoroughly."
Mu Qingyao's beautiful brows furrowed, her sharp gaze like a flying sword, fixed directly on Xiao Qiu. It seemed this girl had no intention of confessing. She had no energy to be merciful. Her face immediately darkened, and she issued a chilling command:
"Guards, immediately summon the disciplinary嬷嬷 and attend to the palace punishment. I want to see if her mouth is harder, or if the torture instruments are more powerful?"
In this harem, every palace had嬷嬷 in charge of punishments. These women were ruthless. Anyone who fell into their hands would be left with half a life, if they survived at all. Moreover, these嬷嬷 were different from others; they only recognized the masters of their respective palaces.
As soon as Mu Qingyao uttered these words, the faces of the palace maids and eunuchs in the great hall changed, and their bodies couldn't help but tremble.
The Empress was indeed not an ordinary person. They were already trembling by three points. If they had delayed any longer, these torture instruments might have fallen upon them.
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Xiao Qiu was already terrified. She kowtowed repeatedly, begging, "Empress, spare my life! Empress, spare my life!"
"Speak. Why did you leave Feng Luan Palace? If you dare to deceive me in the slightest, I will make you pay the price."
"Yes, Empress," Xiao Qiu no longer dared to conceal anything, her hands and feet feeling weak as she spoke:
"This servant was acting under the orders of Aunt Huai Mei to deliver a message to the Empress Dowager. Auntie had been following the Empress from afar and knew that the Empress was meeting someone at Biyun Pavilion, so she ordered this servant to report to the Empress Dowager."
As soon as Xiao Qiu finished speaking, her body went limp and she collapsed onto the great hall. She had confessed, and she feared she would not be able to pass the Empress Dowager's scrutiny.
But if she didn't speak, she couldn't endure the palace punishment! The punishments in the palace were not like those elsewhere; they were toxic and cruel. Whether it was finger pinching or silver needles piercing the fingers, they caused such excruciating pain that one wished they could return to the womb.
"Very good. Guards, bring Huai Mei in immediately."
This time, when Mu Qingyao gave the order, none of the eunuchs and palace maids dared to hesitate. They dashed out to fetch Huai Mei.
This tactic of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys had always been effective, from ancient times to the present.
Mu Qingyao was enveloped in a cool, indifferent aura, her gaze icy. Her beautiful face was etched with cold ruthlessness, and the tassels of the phoenix hairpin swayed with fierce killing intent.
In the great hall, not to mention Yi Yun, even Mei Xin and Mo Chou could feel the murderous intent within her. The air was filled with a strong aura of slaughter.
Those who were familiar with Mu Qingyao knew that although she was kind-hearted, she could not be easily provoked. Because of her vindictive nature, if she was angered, there would be no good outcome for the offender.