Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Helian Qi sat on the grand master's chair at the highest position, while below, Dongfang Song and Nangong Liuyun were surprisingly united in their stance. Even though the Secretary of State kept defending Yaoji, they both firmly believed that since she had endangered the royal family, she must be severely punished.
He stared at the people below arguing for their own positions, his eyes growing colder and colder. Then he roared angrily, "Enough!"
"When did the affairs of the harem require your interference? Do you think the emperor is dead?!" he said with a scowl.
After hearing this reproach, the ministers immediately dared not say a word. They lowered their heads and kept saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Then the Secretary of State asked again, "Then, Your Majesty, how do you intend to handle this matter?"
As soon as he asked this question, the other ministers all looked expectantly at the man sitting high above.
"I will personally inform the emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country about Yaoji's attempt to assassinate the queen. Since that woman is already my concubine, the crime she committed should naturally be judged according to the laws of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom," he said coldly, word by word.
Then, regardless of what others thought, he swept his sleeves and left.
On the other side, in the dungeon of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom.
At this moment, Yaoji was being held at the end of the second - floor cell, the very cell where her elder brother had once been imprisoned. Now she was extremely down - and - out. Her hair was in a mess, and her clothes were dirty and covered in mud.
"Do you think why Concubine Yao would attempt to assassinate the queen?"
Two jailers were walking over from a distance. They were here to bring her food. One of the jailers asked.
"Who knows? Maybe it's for the emperor's favor. You know, those women in the harem are crazy. They spend their whole lives just trying to win the emperor's affection," the other jailer replied.
Every word of theirs fell into the ears of the down - and - out woman. She couldn't help clenching her teeth. She never thought she would end up being ridiculed by two slaves. Her strong self - esteem was roaring uncontrollably, and then she couldn't help shouting angrily, "Shut up! How dare you, two slaves, discuss the affairs of your masters!" She raised her head and stared coldly at the two men in the distance.
After hearing the scolding, they were stunned for a moment. Then they burst into laughter as if they had heard a big joke and said, "Do you still think you're a master? You've ended up in the dungeon. What good can come of it for you?!"
Then one of them opened the cell door and walked in, holding a bowl of stinky rice. He raised his eyebrows and said threateningly, "If you kneel on the ground and call me 'uncle' now, I might even give you a bite to eat!"
This world is really a place where even a powerful person can be bullied by the lowly. Even someone like her has reached a point where even slaves can show no respect.
After hearing this, Yaoji couldn't help sneering. Then she stared and raised her head, spat, and said loudly, "Do I need your pity? You dog slave!"
Her pair of bright blue eyes seemed to be filled with water, as if they contained boundless anger. Even though her face was dirty and messy, those eyes were still incredibly charming.
This made the jailer not care at all about the harsh words she said. Instead, he was deeply attracted by her beautiful appearance and even took a deep breath uncontrollably.
"So... so beautiful!..."
He couldn't help muttering. The jailer outside first sneered disdainfully, saying how spineless he was and that the emperor's concubine was bound to be beautiful. But when he also saw Yaoji's appearance, he was as stunned as the other man.
How could such a beautiful woman be thrown into such a dirty and messy dungeon?
Yaoji felt a bit of pride and a bit of disgust at their reactions. The pride came from knowing that her beauty was still intact, while the disgust was because she had now reached a point where she had to use her appearance to win over these slaves.
"Have you looked enough?!" she roared angrily.
The two jailers then came to their senses. Then they blushed and stammered, "We slaves are guilty. We forgot that Your Ladyship is of noble birth. We'll go and get you a new meal right away."
Saying this, they left the prison, leaving Yaoji inside with a cold smile on her lips. She reached out and stroked her face, then burst into a crazy laugh.
Now she only thought that her beautiful appearance was her greatest asset, but she never thought that one day it would take away everything from her, even her dignity.
On the other side, the two jailers who had run out in a panic were breathing nervously. One of them, a man named Xiaosi, said, "Second Brother, I didn't expect this concubine to be so beautiful. Why do you think the emperor abandoned her?"
"Are you stupid? She attempted to assassinate the queen!" the man called Second Brother replied disdainfully.
"Ah? Is the queen more beautiful than her?" Xiaosi asked again.
Second Brother didn't answer because he had never seen the queen either. But the woman in the cell was the most beautiful one he had ever seen, so he couldn't help feeling a bit tempted. However, this was the palace, and she was the emperor's woman, so he naturally didn't dare to have any improper thoughts.
"Do you think this concubine will be executed? It would be such a pity if such a beautiful woman were to be executed," Xiaosi said and then lowered his eyes, as if he was a bit regretful.
But when Second Brother heard this, he had a sudden thought. A cold smile curled up on his lips.
If that concubine was going to be executed, then wouldn't he have a chance...
Thinking of this, the smile on his lips grew deeper, which made Xiaosi beside him couldn't help asking, "Second Brother, what are you smiling at? Is there something fun?"
"Get out of here and shut up. Go and bring some delicious food for Concubine Yao!" Second Brother frowned and ordered.
Although Xiaosi always called him Second Brother, he was actually older than Second Brother. But he had a mental disability since childhood, and his intelligence had remained at a child's level, so he seemed a bit silly. But he was very stubborn - minded, so he got the job of guarding the dungeon.
In this dungeon, Second Brother was like the sky and the earth to him, and he would obey all his orders.
So he didn't ask any questions and went to get some better food and brought it to Yaoji's cell. While the woman inside was eating, he stood outside and stared at her blankly, muttering, "Your Ladyship, Xiaosi also wants to find a woman like you as his wife!"