The maid's entire face was swollen and red from the beating. Even Donghua's palm started to hurt from hitting. So she asked Dongfang Yi beside her, "Shall I keep hitting, Your Majesty?"
Dongfang Yi looked down at the maid haughtily.
The maid immediately kowtowed repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, this servant was wrong. This servant will never dare again. Please show mercy, Your Majesty!" Then she looked up at Dongfang Yi in front of her with a terrified expression.
"Humph - Go back and tell Concubine Chu to stop causing trouble for this palace. Otherwise, this palace will surely make her regret it! Now get out!" Dongfang Yi snorted.
She still remembered clearly how Concubine Chu had colluded with the previous court. Just because she didn't mention it didn't mean she had forgotten. If Concubine Chu continued to push her luck, she would find out the truth even if it meant both of them would suffer!
The maid covered her face and quickly ran out of the palace upon hearing the order. Then she immediately headed towards Concubine Chu's palace.
Dongfang Yi remained there with a cold look on her face, staring at the direction of the palace gate. She thought that since she had returned to the palace, even if it was against her will, she would never let herself live a bad life. If anyone in this palace dared to bully her, she would surely retaliate ten - fold.
Donghua, standing beside her, looked at her determined profile and couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration from the bottom of her heart. After all, in this huge harem, it took a lot of courage to get angry, especially to make up one's mind to oppose someone.
Dongfang Yi stared for a while and then turned around to walk towards her bedroom.
Donghua quickly followed her and murmured, "Your Majesty, I never thought slapping someone could be so satisfying. It's even more satisfying than punching!"
Dongfang Yi, who had a serious expression on her face, was suddenly amused by this remark.
She turned around and looked at Donghua. She was still as beautiful as the first time she saw her. Even though she was wearing the most ordinary maid's uniform in the palace, her beauty couldn't be hidden.
Taking a closer look, one could tell that she wasn't very old, only about eighteen or nineteen years old. That's probably why she said such naive words.
Seeing Dongfang Yi smile, Donghua was also happy. She knew that since the moment Dongfang Yi received the news that she had to return to the palace, she hadn't smiled. People who didn't know Dongfang Yi's past might think she was an ice - cold beauty who never smiled.
But once she smiled, it was like the ice that had been there for a thousand years was melting, giving people a stunning feeling.
However, Dongfang Yi's smile only lasted for a moment and then disappeared. Then she entered her bedroom.
The Queen's palace hadn't been peaceful for even the time it took to burn an incense stick when there was another commotion outside the palace. Donghua came to report, "Concubine Chu is here."
Dongfang Yi snorted and thought to herself what an impatient woman Concubine Chu was. It had only been a short time since the slapped maid had returned, and now she was in such a hurry to come. Then she said, "Let's go. Let's go and meet my dear younger sister."
Outside the palace gate, there was a long parade. Concubine Chu was sitting on the chair in the middle of the parade, about to get off.
She was still wearing a golden crown and hairpins that made one's neck ache just looking at them. Her face was still covered with thick powder, and her lips were so red that it seemed as if blood was about to drip.
Dongfang Yi stood at the door of the bedroom, looking at Concubine Chu walking towards her with a half - smile. Suddenly she asked, "Aren't you getting a neck ache?" Then she burst out laughing.
Hearing this, Concubine Chu frowned in confusion. Then she said arrogantly, "Dongfang Yi, how dare you beat this palace's maid like that?"
"Dongfang Yi? Is that a name you can call? Even if this palace is nothing else, this palace still holds the title of the Queen. How dare you be so disrespectful!" Dongfang Yi said in a cold tone. Then she rushed forward like lightning and slapped her.
Concubine Chu showed a surprised expression on her face, and all the maids beside her gasped.
She immediately covered her face and wanted to fight back, but how could Dongfang Yi let her succeed? She raised one hand and grabbed the hand that Concubine Chu had raised to hit her, and then slapped her with the other hand.
"Slap, slap - " Two more slaps landed on Concubine Chu's face. While she was still in a daze, Dongfang Yi had already turned around and returned to her original position and said, "It's understandable that the maid doesn't know the etiquette, but as the mistress of a palace, you are also so unreasonable. These three slaps are a lesson for you. If you are disrespectful to this palace again... Humph!"
She said sternly, looking coldly at Concubine Chu who was covering her face with both hands and full of anger and resentment on the steps below.
This scene seemed familiar to Concubine Chu. When Dongfang Yi had just come out of the cold palace, it seemed to be like this. That time, she had injured her knee with a sandalwood stick, and she hadn't been able to stand upright for more than two months. She still remembered that hatred clearly. Now she was publicly slapped and humiliated. How could she let it go easily!
"You -!" Concubine Chu roared.
"So what?!" Dongfang Yi replied in a cold tone. She finally understood that in this harem, all the disobedient sluts needed to be taught a lesson. Concubine Chu was the first one who needed to be taught a lesson.
Just as Concubine Chu opened her mouth to say something, she suddenly heard a shrill voice of a eunuch outside the palace report, "His Majesty is coming - "
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi couldn't help but frown tightly. What was he doing here? Then she remembered that on the day before she escaped from the palace, the situation was similar to this. He had given her a hard slap. Thinking of this, her eyes became even colder.
A moment later, Helian Qi walked into the palace from outside. He should have just come down from the court and hadn't even had time to take off his bright - yellow court robe.
As soon as he came down from the court, he heard that Concubine Chu had gone to the Queen's palace, so he immediately rushed over. He was afraid that just like last time, if he came too late again, Dongfang Yi would be bullied.
He was always good at underestimating Dongfang Yi, thinking of her as a canary that could only be pampered in a cage.
But what he saw when he entered the palace was Concubine Chu kneeling on the ground, wailing.
Dongfang Yi snorted when she saw the person coming. Then she glanced at Concubine Chu kneeling on the ground and thought what a pretentious woman she was. As soon as she heard that the emperor was coming, she immediately knelt on the ground. Others might think it was she who had pushed her.
Helian Qi frowned as he looked at everything in front of him. He saw the red and swollen area on Concubine Chu's face, but Dongfang Yi seemed to be fine, standing at the door of the bedroom. Unconsciously, he felt relieved.
"Your Majesty ~ This concubine just heard that the Queen had returned, so she rushed over to have a look. But unexpectedly, she was beaten and scolded by the elder sister. This concubine... Why did this concubine do this..."
As she said, Concubine Chu started to cry and wail. She even squeezed out a few tears from the corners of her eyes, looking pitiful.
But Helian Qi just gave her a cold look and then walked up to Dongfang Yi. He asked softly, "Are you okay?"