It’s a pity, though. The Empress was just a weak woman with no martial skills, while Zhi’er had been trained in martial arts since childhood. As the leader of the Western Regions’ evil clan, Zhi’er’s martial prowess was not to be underestimated. She could even defeat an ordinary man, so what could the Empress do about her at this point?
Thus, the instant the Empress raised her hand, Chi’er’s expression remained unchanged. Watching as the Empress’s hand almost touched her face, a cynical smirk played on her lips.
She subtly turned her body, effortlessly dodging the queen’s blow.
Before the Empress could react, Zhi’er’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly. She suddenly slapped the Empress hard across the face with her backhand.
Jiǎ’er’s actions were extremely swift, and no one present could react in time.
When everyone came to their senses and realized what Chier had done, they all looked at each other in utter shock.
You know, the person she hit with her hands is none other than the empress herself!
No matter how favored the Consort was, she was still a Consort after all. No one present had ever seen her act this boldly towards the Empress.
So at this moment, everyone was shocked and their mouths were slightly open. Their minds were blank, not knowing what to do.
The Empress clearly hadn’t expected this newly appointed Noble Consort to be so bold and reckless, daring to strike her, the mistress of the harem.
She was also stunned for a moment, and after she came to her senses, she immediately screamed, “You… you lowly woman dare to hit this palace? Do you know who this palace is?”
Since being crowned empress, Hu Jinfeng had never suffered such humiliation.
Although the Emperor didn’t often visit her Kunning Palace, he did everything in his power to maintain peace in the harem and give her, as the Empress, face.
These days, no one had ever dared to treat her this way.
So after being slapped by Zhi’er, the Empress was furious. She gnashed her teeth and wanted to rush up to give Zhi’er a lesson.
She didn’t care about her status at all, and forgot to maintain the dignity befitting a queen.
At this moment, the Empress was like a madman, unable to control her expression. She lunged at Zhi’er with a ferocious and menacing look.
But her maidservants had long since seen that this new noble consort was clearly more powerful than their empress. The empress herself was simply no match for this newcomer.
Thinking of this, one of the maidservants changed color as the Empress rushed past and hurriedly darted forward to stop her, risking her own life.
Fortunately, the maidservant was quick enough. She managed to get in front of the empress just in time, so Zhi’er’s palm strike landed on her face instead.
The maidservant dared not speak, she only silently used her body to block the furious empress.
The Empress, seeing Zhi’er had even struck her maid, was filled with even greater rage. “You… you wretched woman, this palace…”
The Empress’s harsh words hadn’t even been fully uttered when the frightened imperial physician suddenly cried out, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty is awake!”
“!”
The Empress, hearing this, immediately turned around and rushed back to the bed. Her face was filled with urgency. Seeing that the Emperor had truly opened his eyes, she was instantly overjoyed and burst into tears, “Your Majesty… Your Majesty, you’re finally awake! You scared your concubine half to death.”
The Empress did not notice the odd glint in the Emperor’s eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her worry for him was genuine.
Unfortunately, the emperor at this moment had icy eyes. He glanced indifferently at the Empress and then looked away.
At this moment, Zhi’er walked leisurely to the bedside. The emperor saw her in an instant, his eyes widened, “My beloved, come here, come to my side, let me have a good look at you.”
The Empress: “…”
The emperor’s first words upon waking were directed at Zhi’er, that wretched woman.
When she heard this, the Empress’s heart sank. Since the Emperor had been involved in this incident, she had been frantic and at a loss.
To her surprise, the emperor didn’t even glance at her after waking up. He didn’t utter a single word to her. Not only that, but he spoke to this woman with such an affectionate tone.
After the emperor finished speaking, Chi’er gave the empress a very provocative look and then shoved her aside with force.
The emperor saw Zhier’s behavior but said nothing.
The Empress stared at Chi’er in disbelief, her eyes narrowed dangerously. After a moment, she looked away from Chi’er and toward the Emperor, hoping he would defend her.
No matter what, she is the empress of six palaces, the queen of a country, and she was bullied into this state by a newly appointed noble concubine. If this got out, it would surely become the laughingstock of the world.
As the queen, she brought no glory to her face, let alone the entire Tianba royal family.
But when she looked at the emperor, he glared at her with extreme impatience, as if blaming her for blocking the way of that lowly woman.
Seeing the emperor’s gaze, the empress felt completely defeated at that moment, staggering backward two steps.
The more the Empress acted this way, the more obvious a smile became on Zhi’er’s lips.
She cast a meaningful glance at the Empress, then walked forward and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and grasped the Emperor’s hand, speaking in a coquettish tone, “Your Majesty, please forgive me for being late. But Your Majesty, what happened just now? Did something happen in the Empress’s palace that upset You? Otherwise, why would Your Majesty suddenly faint?”
The Empress, furious and gnashing her teeth, ignored everything else. She took two steps forward and pointed at Zhi’er angrily, “You bitch, you… don’t even try to slander this palace! Why the Emperor suddenly fainted must be because you, you wicked woman, did something!”
The empress’s words instantly angered the emperor, especially when he heard her call his beloved concubine a “cheap woman.” The emperor’s face instantly darkened, and he sat up, frowning.
Seeing the Empress continue to speak, he narrowed his icy eyes and trembled slightly as he pointed at her, roaring, “Impudent! As the mistress of the six palaces, do you hear yourself? Such words should never come from your mouth? Have you forgotten your own status? In my view, you are no longer fit to be Empress.”
Everyone: “!”
The emperor’s words made everyone present widen their eyes in astonishment, and a wave of sighs swept through them.
Does the emperor’s words…mean he wants to depose the empress?
Not only were the maids, eunuchs, and imperial physicians present shocked, even the Empress herself was so surprised that her eyes widened in disbelief, staring straight at the Emperor in astonishment.
Before, she only guessed that the emperor might have thoughts of deposing her, but then again, she and the emperor had lived peacefully for so many years, they had reached this point. It was impossible for the emperor to depose her at this juncture.
After all, over the years, she hadn’t made any great achievements, but neither had she committed any major mistakes. She lived almost entirely according to the emperor’s wishes.