"She disrespected me, disobeyed orders, and refused to repent or accept discipline..."
Shu Fei was so intimidated by Ye Yun's gaze that she could no longer speak coherently, stammering as she tried to continue.
"So, what exactly did Huiyue say? There must be something concrete, or else why would Your Highness be so upset?" Ye Yun pressed on, her voice growing colder. "Or perhaps, you are simply looking for a pretext!"
"Ye Yun, your servant spilled my soup first—she was at fault! Am I not allowed to punish her?" Shu Fei's scalp tingled with fear, but she forced herself to stay composed.
For one, she couldn't afford to lose face, and secondly, she didn't want to be seen through by Ning Chen.
"If it was just spilling soup, is such a harsh punishment necessary? Didn't Your Highness claim that Huiyue spoke rudely to you? Surely if she said something so offensive, Your Highness wouldn't have forgotten it so quickly?"
Ye Yun stared directly into Shu Fei's eyes, refusing to let her look away even for a second.
At this moment, a certain decisiveness and strength emanated from Ye Yun—completely different from the soft and gentle girl seen during the day.
Suddenly, an umbrella appeared above her head, shielding her from the raindrops falling on her.
Ye Yun looked down and saw a pair of gold-threaded, black dragon-patterned boots beside her.
When she saw Ning Chen standing by Ye Yun's side, Shu Fei felt a mixture of jealousy, hatred, panic, and guilt.
"Your Majesty, I..."
"Shu Fei misses the Eldest Princess. I have permitted her to return to the palace. Tomorrow, Commander Lu will arrange for someone to escort Shu Fei back," Ning Chen said coldly. (Translator XiaoBai: Ah ha! that's what you get for trying to go against our Ye Yun)
Ye Yun clenched her fists tightly, glaring at Shu Fei, but finally released her grip.
She knew that Ning Chen, for the sake of the eldest Princess, would never truly punish Shu Fei over a mere maid. The decision to send Shu Fei back to the palace was already the most he could do.
"Your Majesty, please don't! How can you send me away because of a servant and Ming Meiren?"
"Watch your words, Your Highness!" Yuan Jiu interrupted. "His Majesty is considering the eldest Princess, who cannot be without her birth mother, and you miss your child. That is why His Majesty has allowed you to return to the palace."
Hearing this, Shu Fei finally understood, and her legs weakened. Xiangluo and Liuying rushed to support her.
Ning Chen glanced back at her, his eyes filled with disappointment and coldness.
He had once thought Shu Fei was merely foolish but not malicious. Now, however, he realized she was not only stupid but also cruel.
When she was questioned earlier, she couldn't even explain what Huiyue had said. It was obvious that Shu Fei had punished her just for spilling the soup, using it as an excuse to vent her anger.
With someone like this raising the eldest Princess, who knew what kind of person the princess would grow up to be?
This farce ended with Shu Fei being sent back to the palace. That evening, Ye Yun and Ning Chen returned to the front courtyard together.
Huiyue had suffered a severe beating. After the imperial physician treated her and applied medicine, he assured everyone that as long as she rested well, no scars would remain, which finally put them at ease.
YOU ARE READING
The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 1)
Historical FictionNote: This is a translated novel by me. Title: 贵妃她千娇百媚 Ye Yun was supposed to be the prince's concubine, but due to the sudden death of the late emperor, her entry into the palace was delayed for over a year. She entered the palace with the new bat...
