A clear and pleasant voice sounded.
Everyone looked towards the doorway, where a figure appeared.
Her slender and tall figure was accentuated by a long dress the color of the sea meeting the sky.
She walked out slowly, each step measured and steady, as if she were a king surveying a conquered city, emanating majesty. Her face, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, was exceptionally beautiful, but her expression was cold and proud.
The noble and aloof girl stood there, her eyes as clear as the bottom of a lake, yet filled with biting cold.
Even the Empress, who had seen countless scenes, couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by this presence.
It was as if the girl before her was not an unknown person the Crown Prince had brought back from Fenzhou, but someone of immense noble standing.
But she was the Empress of Xueguo, the most esteemed ruler. How could she be overshadowed by a mere young girl?
"Are you Feng Ning?" a palace maid beside the Empress called out coldly.
"I am," Xue Zining replied, calmly looking at the Empress.
Although she was no longer young, one could tell from her gradually aging face that she must have been breathtakingly beautiful in her youth.
"How dare you! You don't refer to yourself as a servant?" the palace maid shouted indignantly.
"Insolent! Her Imperial Majesty hasn't even spoken, who do you think you are?" Xue Yan had already retreated to Xue Zining's side and retorted without politeness.
The Empress sneered, "Miss Feng, your maid is so arrogant. It seems I need to teach you palace rules and etiquette."
With a nod from the Empress, several palace maids stepped forward.
Xue Yan stepped forward, crossing her arms, and looked contemptuously at the approaching maids, saying coldly, "Did you see the ladies from earlier? Do you want to try as well?"
The faces of the palace maids showed fear. They had likely seen very clearly what had happened to the previous individuals.
"Presumptuous! The rules I am teaching you are your honor. Since you choose to reside in the East Palace, if you don't even know the etiquette, won't you be implicating the Crown Prince? Embarrassing him?"
The Empress reasoned that if someone wished to live in the East Palace, they must have their eyes set on the Crown Prince's status, thus harboring considerable ambition. She used palace rules as an excuse, believing no one could stop her.
Unless, of course, she no longer desired the position of Crown Princess.
Sun Yuezhu, standing nearby, caught the underlying meaning of the Empress's words and looked at her worriedly, whispering, "Imperial Aunt, you..."
The Empress whispered back, "If we get them under our control first, then it will be easier to handle, won't it?"
Sun Yuezhu's eyes brightened upon hearing this.
However, things did not unfold as she expected. Upon hearing about palace rules, Xue Yan felt disdain, thinking, "Does she think my Mistress knows nothing? She truly underestimates us."
"What the Empress thinks might not be what I think. How is the Crown Prince's reputation related to me? If I learn his palace rules, will his reputation be saved? If that's the case, then when the Han Kingdom invaded and His Majesty was humiliated, was it because the Empress didn't learn palace rules properly, leading to His Majesty's disgrace?"
"Insolent..." The Empress was utterly furious.
Years ago, during the Han invasion, the enemy had reached the palace. His Majesty, in order to protect her and ensure her timely escape, had revealed himself to draw attention, thus being captured and suffering humiliation for three years. It wasn't until the Crown Prince led troops to drive the Han Kingdom out of Xueguo that the country ended its period of devastation and suffering for its people.
During those three years, she hadn't seen the suffering His Majesty endured, but after His Majesty returned, his health had been poor, and he had been bedridden for a long time.
Now, to have a mere young girl speak of it, placing the blame on her, she was enraged, utterly and completely enraged.
"Take her down! Take her down for me!" The Empress trembled with anger.
"Your Imperial Majesty, isn't this a case of 'only officials are allowed to set fires, while commoners are forbidden to light lamps'?"
The young girl raised her delicate eyebrows and looked calmly at the Empress, her expression unreadable and ice-cold.
"Inso... Insolent..." The Empress's body began to sway with rage.
Xue Li, who had been spectating the scene, was now dumbfounded. This Miss Feng truly dared to say anything, wasn't she afraid of losing her head?
"Miss Feng, discussing the Emperor and Empress in public is a crime of great disrespect."
Xue Lan stepped forward and said coldly.
She saw the girl raise her eyebrows and smile faintly, her smile not reaching her eyes, filled with a mocking tone. "Is that so? Is the Empress allowed to personally attack me, but I am not allowed to fight back?"
"The Empress is the mother of the nation," Xue Lan stated.
"Tell me, what have I said that is incorrect?" the girl asked coldly.
Xue Lan faltered. "Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, your disrespect towards the Empress is a crime."
"Heh..." The girl let out a light laugh. "Regardless of right or wrong, so that's how it is. But I cannot. I need to discern right from wrong. If others deny the right, I must point out their wrong."
"Take her down," the Empress commanded angrily.
Many elite guards appeared behind the Empress. Xue Yan shielded Xue Zining, saying with some difficulty, "This isn't good. There are too many of them. You might have to protect yourself."
"It's alright, you go do your thing too," Xue Zining said.
Xue Yan nodded, a playful smile appearing on her stern face. "Mistress, are we causing a scene in the Snow Palace now?"
"I suppose we are!" Xue Zining replied.
Xue Yan engaged about five or six elite guards, leaving five remaining.
Xue Zining narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on her waist, where a pouch was embroidered with dragon patterns.
Previously, she had found it inconvenient to hide a dagger in her sleeve, so she had asked Feng Wu to make her a whip, which could be used as an ornament normally, but would become a protective weapon when unfastened in times of danger.
Watching the elite guards approaching her, Xue Zining sighed and unfastened the pouch. A not-too-long whip slid out.
It was about two arm lengths long and gleamed with a silver light under the illumination.
A silver whip.
This was the first time Xue Zining had seen the whip made by Feng Yu. She flicked it twice; it was not clumsy.
Xue Li: "..." Good heavens, she's even prepared weapons. Was she planning to fight from the start?
"Xue Li, who do you think will win?"
Xue Li turned to see the smug Xue Song and snorted, "Do I need to say? Of course, it's the elite guards."
He didn't believe a mere young girl could defeat the elite guards, let alone several of them.
Xue Song clicked his tongue twice and said with a mischievous smile, "Xue Li, how about we make a bet? One hundred taels of silver?"
Xue Li's eyes lit up. He looked at Xue Song's slyly smiling face and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Why don't you believe me?"
Xue Li snorted, "Doesn't everyone know you, Xue Song, are a miser who wouldn't part with a single coin?"
"Xue Li, stop with the nonsense. Are we betting or not?"
"Of course, we're betting. But I get to speak first." Xue Li remembered the last time he bet with Xue Song, Xue Song had spoken first, and the result was obvious – he lost.
"Alright, you speak first." Xue Song didn't rush this time.
"The elite guards win." Anyone with a brain would know that.
Xue Song sighed upon hearing this. "Then I'll bet that Miss Feng will win."
Xue Li sneered inwardly. He could finally get his own back this time.
When he saw the fight unfold, his jaw dropped in astonishment.
The young girl stood before the five defeated elite guards, raising her eyebrows contemptuously and saying, "These are called elite guards? From now on, you should be called 'elite rice buckets'!"