Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 784

Chapter 784: Slapping Oneself

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Fu Zifei looked at Yuwen Chu's cold demeanor, feeling as if her heart was being sliced by a knife. She stood there in a daze, accepting his bow.

Yuwen Guang's face turned even darker.

This woman wasn't here to help but to ruin things further. Was she so eager to die, to provoke the Regent's ire? How dare she accept the Regent's bow so boldly? Did she think she was so beautiful or important? Even in front of him, she dared to flirt with the Regent. Although young, he was still a man!

Yuwen Guang suddenly jumped up, pointing at Fu Zifei, and furiously ordered her to leave, "What kind of Empress behaves like this? Who has ever seen such a talentless and virtueless Empress? Are you here to help or to cause trouble? Apologize to Sixth Uncle and then get out!"

Fu Zifei, looking at Yuwen Guang, who only reached her shoulder, trembled with anger. What had she done to deserve such torment from the Great Empress Dowager? She looked at Yuwen Chu, but his face remained impassive. Her heart grew cold, and she hardened herself, saying, "I was out of line..."

Yuwen Chu raised his hand slightly, "The Empress exaggerates; I dare not accept such an apology." He then looked at Yuwen Guang, frowning in concern, "Your Majesty..."

Even though she held the title of Empress, apologizing to Yuwen Chu would be disgraceful if word got out. It would make the Regent seem arrogant. Yuwen Guang impatiently waved his hand, "Leave now. Do not come here again. If there's something you need, send a message. I can't stand seeing you."

Being Empress had never been so humiliating. If the Great Empress Dowager heard about this, she would surely punish Fu Zifei. Fu Zifei, tears streaming, knelt and begged Yuwen Guang, "It's all my fault, Your Majesty, please don't avoid me..."

Yuwen Guang frowned and directly ordered her to be dragged out, "Relay my decree: the Empress is not allowed to come to Chongzheng Hall or Lansheng Pavilion from now on. If the Great Empress Dowager has anything to say, I will go and speak with her myself."

Fu Zifei, crying and unable to walk, was carried back by the palace servants. All the confidence and dignity she had accumulated since ascending to the throne were completely shattered in that moment. She had never felt such humiliation before. Thinking of the way the ministers and palace servants looked at her, she wished she could bash her head against a pillar in Lansheng Pavilion.

Her trusted Momo tried to comfort her, "Don't think too much, Your Majesty. The Emperor had no other choice."

"Don't mention him to me," Fu Zifei cried so hard she nearly fainted. Mingzhu's methods had become increasingly ruthless, coming up with such a malicious scheme to deal with her. It was just a stomp, yet it achieved such a significant effect. How calculating she must be.

Fu Zifei initially wanted to quietly return to Zhaoyang Palace, but the Great Empress Dowager's people quickly summoned her. She had no choice but to brace herself and go see the Great Empress Dowager. The Great Empress Dowager was listening to Ji Hui play the guqin, the tune being "High Mountains and Flowing Water." Ji Hui's expression was serene and elegant, while the Great Empress Dowager's expression was inscrutable.

Instinctively afraid, Fu Zifei shrank into a corner, not daring to move.

When the tune ended, the Great Empress Dowager opened her eyes and signaled Ji Hui, "You may leave."

"Yes," Ji Hui replied, bowing to the Great Empress Dowager. She then walked over to Fu Zifei, who was still upset. Seeing Ji Hui's beautiful face, Fu Zifei recalled Yuwen Guang's favoritism towards her and Yuwen Chu's different attitude towards her. Jealousy and hatred surged within her, and she stared coldly at Ji Hui without saying a word.

Ji Hui kept her eyes downcast, remaining in a respectful crouch without showing any reluctance.

The Momo gently tugged on Fu Zifei's sleeve, bringing her back to her senses. Fu Zifei forced a smile, personally helping Ji Hui up, and hoarsely said, "Don't blame me, I was so upset I lost my mind."

Ji Hui shook her head, holding her guqin as she gracefully left.

"Come here," the Great Empress Dowager's voice was icy, "kneel."

Fu Zifei's legs trembled as she reluctantly walked over and knelt before the Great Empress Dowager with a loud thud. The Great Empress Dowager glanced at Sang Shen, who silently led all the palace servants out of the hall.

"Slap yourself," the Great Empress Dowager closed her eyes, her voice cold, "until you remember today's lesson."

"Royal Grandmother," Fu Zifei shook her head in despair, "I wasn't..."

"You were!" the Great Empress Dowager's anger flared, "I can tolerate your ambition, but not your stupidity! Knowing that Wei Tiande was provoking you, why couldn't you endure it? If you had endured, there would have been no subsequent humiliation."

Fu Zifei choked up, "I couldn't bear it. He was grinding my foot, going back and forth. It was too much; after all, I am the Empress..."

The Great Empress Dowager sneered, "So what? Because you couldn't bear it, you ended up losing all your dignity, didn't you? Back then, when the late Emperor favored Consort Zhou, she secretly pricked me with a hairpin at a palace banquet to provoke me. I endured it. Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't?"

Fu Zifei shook her head, "I don't know."

"Consort Zhou, to secure her favor, seduced the late Emperor several times despite being pregnant, risking a miscarriage. If I had reacted, she would have blamed the miscarriage on me, and the late Emperor would have been eager to depose me."

The Great Empress Dowager, having spoken so much, was exhausted and took several deep breaths before continuing, "You might not know this story, but your aunt does and she learned from it, using it against you. Without even showing her face, she managed to make the Emperor despise you, stripping you of your dignity and driving you out of Chongzheng Hall and Lansheng Pavilion. You lost this round terribly."

Fu Zifei trembled with resentment, noticing the pride in the Great Empress Dowager's voice when speaking of Mingzhu.

The Great Empress Dowager saw the anger in her eyes and smiled, "Don't think I'm biased. If you can't even handle the Emperor, how can you be an Empress? Slap yourself twenty times and remember this lesson."

Fu Zifei, crying, slapped herself, feeling humiliated to the point of madness. The Great Empress Dowager sneered, "Do you want someone else to do it for you?"

She then numbly straightened up and slapped herself hard. The Great Empress Dowager, counting with her eyes closed, only told her to stop when she felt it was enough, "Will you endure it next time?"

"I will endure it," Fu Zifei felt her face and hand go numb, her tears dried up, but the hatred in her heart deepened. She hated everyone, including this palace and Yuwen Chu.

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