Chapter 294: Retreat to Advance

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the next moment, everyone turned to look at Yu Yunxi. They were all curious how the newly returned Eldest Princess would deal with the Empress Dowager and Empress who made things difficult for her.

Despite all the eyes on her, Yu Yunxi was very calm from the beginning to the end. She smiled and slowly got up before walking down step by step.

Seeing this, everyone was rather disdainful of her. They thought the Eldest Princess would be very capable, but as it turned out, she was a pushover.

Jin Fu, the eunuch next to the Empress ran straight to her and said arrogantly, “Eldest Princess, this way please. The empty seat is here.”

However, Yu Yunxi strode over to a guard at the side. Without any warning, she suddenly drew the guard’s sword.

Everyone only saw the sword glint coldly in the light before it swept past with a swoosh. In the next moment, they heard a shrill scream. When they looked again, they saw Jin Fu, who was in the middle of the hall, on the ground, and his tongue had already been cut off by Yu Yunxi. Blood stained his robe and dripped on the ground.

“Yunxi, what are you doing?”

The Empress Dowager was both anxious and angry. Jin Fu was her trusted aide. Yu Yunxi’s action was tantamount to slapping her face.

Chu Zai, the Emperor, said gloomily, “Yu Yunxi, could it be that you’re dissatisfied with the arrangement of the seat so you deliberately hurt someone?”

Seeing that the Emperor was angry, the others trembled in their seats.

Everyone thought Yu Yunxi would be frightened, but unexpectedly, she replied nonchalantly, “Your Majesty is right. I’m indeed annoyed by the seating arrangement. Although I didn’t grow up here, I still know proper etiquette.

Since when has a princess sat in the seats of the ministers’ family members? Since when did a princess have to listen to a eunuch?”

The Empress Dowager clutched her chest and said angrily, “Yu Yunxi, I agreed to the seat arrangement. Are you dissatisfied with me?”

“How’s that possible? Empress Dowager, you’re my elder after all. How can I be dissatisfied with you? However, it’s truly unbecoming for the dignified Xichu to not behave according to etiquette. Isn’t that an embarrassment to the country? As the most respected woman in Xichu, how could the Empress Dowager not know this? Don’t you agree?” Yu Yunxi said with a smile.

“You…” The Empress Dowager’s expression was extremely ugly at this moment. She could not agree, and she could not disagree.

“You must have been joking with me earlier, but who knew this stupid servant would be so ignorant and tried to lead me to that seat? If I didn’t cut off his tongue earlier, I’m afraid that he would not know his mistake and would implicate you. It would make others think that you were deliberately making things difficult for me,” Yu Yunxi said with a sigh as she shook her head. She feigned a troubled expression on her face as she continued to say, “Empress Dowager, I didn’t have any elders around me when I was young so when I heard that I was going to meet you today, I was very happy. I even thought that you must be the kindest maternal grandmother in the world. You weren’t deliberately making things difficult for me, right?”

Yu Yunxi did not give the Empress Dowagers and the others to interrupt her at all.

The entire hall was silent.

The ministers sighed in relief as their minds began to race.

‘The Eldest Princess’ mouth is really infuriating…’

‘Isn’t obvious the Empress and the Empress were making things difficult for her?’

‘How can the Empress Dowager admit it openly even if it’s the truth?’

‘The Eldest Princess is really not simple…’

The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth before she forced a smile on her face and said, “Yunxi, you misunderstood. Although your mother was not my biological daughter, I still treat you as my granddaughter. I obviously care about you. Why would I make things difficult for you?”

“That’s right. We were just joking with you earlier. Who knew this stupid servant would take things so seriously and dare to be rude to you?” Empress Qin said to appease Yu Yunxi before she ordered sternly, “Men, drag this servant away and beat him to death.”

Jin Fu shook his head, panicking. However, he was still dragged away in the end.

A life was lost just like that, but Yu Yunxi did not waver at all. After all, how good could someone who stayed by the Empress Dowager’s side be? Someone like Jin Fu deserved to die.

At this time, Empress Qin looked at Yu Yunxi and said lightly, “Yunxi, the slave has been dealt with. However, it’s really not right for you to hurt someone in front of the Emperor.”

‘She’s still not done with Yu Yunxi?’

Upon hearing those words, Yu Yunxi brought a handkerchief out and slowly wiped the blood off her fingers as she said indifferently, “Empress, I just returned so I’m unaware of many rules. When I saw that stupid servant had done something wrong, I only wanted to deal with him as soon as possible so he wouldn’t ruin your reputation and the Empress Dowager’s reputation.”

Yu Yunxi frowned and pretended to ask worriedly, “Empress, did I do something wrong?”

“You’re…”

Empress Qin wanted to seize the opportunity and say that Yu Yunxi was indeed wrong.

Unexpectedly, Yu Yunxi interjected, “I understand, Empress Qin. You want to say that the stupid servant almost caused everyone to misunderstand that you and the Empress Dowager were deliberately making things difficult for me. He really deserved to die! It’s a pity I only cut off his tongue. I let him off too easily. I should’ve taken his life directly.”

“You…”

Empress Qin originally had many things to say, but she was now rendered speechless by Yu Yunxi. She was so angry that she was gnashing her teeth. ‘Does she really not understand, or is she pretending?’

“Empress, you seem to be angry? Do you think I’m in the wrong? In that case, I admit my mistake, and I won’t say more in the future. I won’t stop servants from doing this. In any case, I’m just a powerless Eldest Princess. Even if you and the Empress Dowager want to make things difficult for me, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Yu Yunxi said, shaking her head and sighing.

“Yu Yunxi, you…”

The Empress Dowager, was enraged. She had never been humiliated by a junior like that before.

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to scold Yu Yunxi, the latter fell to her knees with a loud thud. She straightened her back and said, “If the Empress Dowager and the Empress feel like I’m in the wrong, then I’ll accept it. I can only blame the fact that I have no parents to protect me.”

How was the Empress Dowager and the Empress going to deal with Yu Yunxi like that? If they punished her, they would be known as vicious women who deliberately made things difficult for her.

Everyone’s thoughts raced again.

‘The Eldest Princess is retreating to advance. She’s forcing the Empress Dowager and the Empress to a dead end!’

Chu Zai looked at Yu Yunxi with a cold gaze and said angrily, “You have a glib tongue! Just based on the fact that you kept contradicting the Empress Dowager and the Empress, I can punish you. Princess Changning didn’t teach you to respect your elders, so I’ll teach you on her behalf. Men, drag the Eldest Princess away and flog her thirty times.”

No member of the imperial family had ever been flogged at a palace banquet, especially one that was held for them. Yu Yunxi had set a precedent. This also meant that the Emperor could not tolerate her existence.

‘So what if she’s the Eldest Princess? So what if she speaks well? Her title is useless. If the Emperor wants to punish her, there’s nothing she can do.’

The admiration in everyone’s eyes was replaced with pity.

“Eldest Princess!”

“Cousin!”

Chu Jing and Meng Xia were so anxious that they wanted to rush out.

At this moment, an old but powerful voice rang from the entrance.

“She didn’t say anything wrong.. How could it be considered contradicting?”