There was nothing left to take from the kitchen, so Huangfu Yue left, intending to quietly look for other things to put into her spatial dimension. However, she hadn't walked a few steps out of the kitchen when she heard a torrent of curses…
"Get lost, you dead old hag! Don't get in our way!"
Huangfu Yue frowned. The term "dead old hag" was definitely directed at her grandmother…
"You dog servant, how dare you call me a dead old hag! Do you know who I am? I am Consort Zheng, the late Emperor's favorite concubine, and also the current Emperor's half-mother. How dare you call me a dead old hag and show me such disrespect? Do you not want to live, do you not want that dog head of yours!"
Not far from the kitchen, Consort Zheng was confronting a group of soldiers. Her face was flushed with anger as she glared at the man leading them, who, judging by his attire, looked like a guard captain and had a villainous appearance.
"Stop throwing your status around in front of me, you old criminal slave! Because of your son and grandsons, everyone in the Prince Dai's manor is now a criminal. The Emperor is merciful and hasn't taken all of your lives, only your dog heads! You dead old hag, instead of being grateful, you dare to throw your weight around here, wanting to chop off my head? It's laughable!" The guard captain spat contemptuously.
"Get lost, you dead old hag!" The guard captain reached out to shove Consort Zheng.
Consort Zheng immediately fell to the ground. She was hurt by the fall and was about to let out a low wail when she saw a flash of pink and a slender figure fly over. With one kick, she sent the guard captain flying several yards away, eliciting a loud scream of pain…
Everyone was stunned, staring with bewildered expressions at the young girl who had suddenly appeared and kicked the guard captain away.
"Yue'er, you know martial arts?!" Consort Zheng looked at her granddaughter, who had suddenly appeared and kicked the guard captain away, with great surprise.
"Yes." Huangfu Yue nodded, walked to Consort Zheng's side, and helped her up, asking with concern, "Grandmother, are you injured anywhere?"
Although the original host didn't know martial arts, she had never told anyone in the manor about it. Now that she revealed her martial arts skills to the manor people, there was no need to worry about being suspected. Prince Dai was a master of martial arts, and as his daughter, saying she learned from him would never raise any suspicion.
"I'm not injured, don't worry." Consort Zheng shook her head. Her old bones were still sturdy. A fall like that from being pushed wouldn't injure her, it just hurt a little. She would be fine in a while, so there was no need to tell her granddaughter and make her worry. However, she did wonder if the guard captain, who had been kicked flying by her granddaughter, was seriously injured, as he had been sent several yards away and landed heavily on the ground. Seeing the way her granddaughter had flown over to kick him, she was clearly skilled in martial arts. She wondered who had taught her.
"Yue'er, who taught you martial arts? Was it your father? Why did you never tell us you knew martial arts before?" Consort Zheng asked what she wanted to know.
"Yes, I learned from my father. Before, there was no need for martial arts, so I forgot to tell you." Huangfu Yue replied.
"Ouch—It hurts so much! I think a few ribs might be broken!" A pained howl drifted over. The guard captain, who had gotten up from the ground, limped back while crying out in pain.
Huangfu Yue glanced coldly at the guard captain, a flicker of disdain in her eyes. What a fool; if a few ribs were broken, could he still get up and walk?
The guard captain noticed Huangfu Yue's disdainful gaze and became even more enraged. He walked up to Huangfu Yue, wanting revenge. He reached out to hit her, "You little slut, how dare you kick me away, I… ah—"
Before he could finish his curse, or even touch Huangfu Yue, he was kicked flying again by Huangfu Yue, sent several yards away once more.
"A dog servant with a foul mouth truly deserves a beating!" Huangfu Yue snorted coldly. This time, she had kicked him with a bit more force. The guard captain should be unconscious now and wouldn't be able to curse anymore. She had always disliked men who spoke crudely and insulted women.
The deputy guard captain snapped out of his shock and immediately went to check on the guard captain. Seeing that he had closed his eyes and was motionless, he knew he was unconscious and frowned.
"This girl has immense nerve, daring to kick our guard captain repeatedly, and even knocking him unconscious. This is outrageous… apprehend her!" The deputy guard captain ordered his subordinates, who immediately drew their swords and surrounded Huangfu Yue.
A flicker of panic and fear crossed Consort Zheng's eyes. She quickly stepped in front of her granddaughter and shouted, "Don't touch my granddaughter!"
Seeing this, a touch of emotion appeared in Huangfu Yue's eyes. In such a situation, most people would be terrified and wouldn't dare to move, or would hide behind. Yet, she rushed forward to shield her, wanting to protect her, like a mother hen fiercely protecting her chicks. It was deeply moving. From this moment on, she would consider her her real grandmother, her true grandmother.
"Take this old hag down too!" the deputy guard captain ordered his men.
A flicker of disdain flashed in Huangfu Yue's eyes again. Just as she was about to pull her grandmother behind her and deal with all the soldiers around them, a cold voice echoed from not far away…
"What is going on here!"
Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in a prime minister's court attire. He had a face like jade, sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and was incredibly handsome, with a cool and icy demeanor. He walked over with a group of guards.
"Prime Minister, this Consort Zheng and the young princess are uncooperative and extremely arrogant with terrible attitudes. The young princess also knocked the guard captain unconscious." The deputy guard captain immediately ran up to Leng Yu Sheng, bowed, and then pointed at Consort Zheng and Huangfu Yue to lodge his complaint.
Leng Yu Sheng cast a cold glance at Consort Zheng and Huangfu Yue. His gaze lingered on Consort Zheng for only a moment before shifting to Huangfu Yue, whom he began to scrutinize. She appeared small and delicate, but unexpectedly knew martial arts and could kick the former guard captain away. She was a master. Indeed, she was the daughter of Prince Dai, the renowned master of Da Yue!
As Leng Yu Sheng assessed Huangfu Yue, Huangfu Yue was also assessing him. He was the person the original host had admired! The moment she saw him, a flood of memories about him surged into her mind. Leng Yu Sheng hailed from the "Leng Clan of Jinling," a family that had held positions for four generations. His grandmother was the late Emperor's eldest sister, making his family exceptionally prominent. Leng Yu Sheng was a true scion of privilege. Not only did he have an excellent background, but he was also a genius, exceptionally talented and capable. He entered officialdom at the young age of fifteen and rose through the ranks, becoming the Prime Minister of Da Yue at twenty-six last year, earning the title of the youngest Prime Minister in history. Furthermore, Leng Yu Sheng was extraordinarily handsome, surpassing even the legendary Pan An, and was a renowned beauty. People in the capital called him the most handsome man in the capital. Such a man was naturally the dream lover of many women. Unmarried girls in the capital longed to marry him, and even married women harbored secret affections and wished to marry him. Women often argued, and even fought, over him. After the original host arrived in the capital, she met him at a banquet and was smitten, falling in love with him from that moment and hoping to marry him. However, she heard that Leng Yu Sheng was exceedingly proud and aloof, and habitually cold-hearted and detached, showing no interest in women. The original host felt she had no hope and didn't dare to confess her feelings, so she could only secretly admire him. The most handsome man in the capital? His reputation was indeed well-deserved, but… he wasn't her type! She had never been attracted to such cold and aloof men, feeling that they were all pretentious show-offs.