After her initial anger, Mingxi quickly calmed down. She sat there steadily, her expression unreadable.
In the shadows of this palace hall, she couldn’t be sure if someone was watching her. Whether they were or not, she couldn’t afford to show fear.
The moment she displayed weakness, she would be easily manipulated.
The officials who delivered the decree had brought her directly to Kunde Palace. This likely meant that Consort Shu was unaware of the situation. If she had known, she would never have allowed the people of Kunde Palace to act this way.
With this thought, Mingxi felt even more composed.
Time passed slowly. She didn’t know how long it had been when, suddenly, the palace doors were pushed open.
Several burly, imposing palace maids strode in, their faces fierce, their eyes filled with hostility as they stared straight at Mingxi.
Mingxi narrowed her eyes slightly upon seeing them, but her expression quickly returned to normal. In a steady voice, she asked, “Has Her Majesty the Empress returned to the palace?”
“Miss Duan, I advise you to confess honestly. It will save you unnecessary suffering. Attempting to poison County Princess Muhua is a grave crime—do not think you can escape punishment!”
Duan Mingxi glanced at the head palace maid and immediately shut her mouth, refusing to say another word.
“Miss Duan, I am under orders to interrogate you. You would do well to answer truthfully,” the maid pressed, stepping closer to intimidate her.
Duan Mingxi’s gaze turned cold. “You accuse me of poisoning County Princess Muhua. Where is your proof? Do you think mere words will suffice? Do you not realize that as a servant, slandering the descendants of a noble house is a crime in itself?”
“County Princess Muhua was poisoned after eating the dishes from your table. If it wasn’t you, then who?”
Mingxi scoffed. “I was invited to the palace banquet. If the food was tampered with, what does that have to do with me? In fact, if poison was found in the dishes, I suspect that someone was trying to assassinate me. My grandfather will surely appeal to His Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my name.”
She fixed her sharp gaze on the maid. “You are forcing a confession without evidence. Who ordered you to do this? Was it the Empress? That would make sense—after all, the banquet was held in Kunde Palace. Now that something has happened, is she looking for a scapegoat?”
“Insolence! Miss Duan, how dare you slander Her Majesty! Confess immediately!”
“What’s this? The government office is your family business? You can slander others, but others can’t make reasonable guesses? Look at how angry you are; have I guessed correctly?” Duan Mingxi sneered repeatedly, her eyes sharp like a blade as she stared at the other woman.
“If Miss Duan is so ungrateful, don’t blame this old maid for being rude,” the maid said, rolling up her sleeves and stepping forward. She looked at the people behind her and ordered, “What are you standing around for? Don’t you know where you are? Watch your words carefully.”
Duan Mingxi didn’t expect them to dare lay hands on her. In Kunde Palace’s territory, did the Empress really dare to kill her to silence her?
Two burly maids in green clothes stepped forward, their large hands reaching out to grab Mingxi.
Duan Mingxi immediately said, “You want to force a confession with no evidence?”
“Miss Duan, I advise you to be smart and confess. We’ve served in the palace for decades, and we have the means to make you talk. If we really harm you, it won’t be good.”
“How coincidental, I also know how to fight back,” Duan Mingxi said as she kicked one of the maids in the chest.
Unexpectedly, the maid only took a step back but managed to steady herself. Mingxi narrowed her eyes—this maid was quite strong!
“Grab her!” the leading maid barked.
At this point, if they didn’t get Mingxi to sign a confession, things would not end well.
As Duan Mingxi saw the maids charging toward her, she swiftly turned and leaped up, grabbing the curtains by the window and swinging outside. She landed lightly, immediately grabbing a beautiful vase from a small table and smashing it into the head of one maid rushing toward her.
With a loud crash, the vase hit the maid squarely on the head, blood flowing down her face. The maid staggered, her mouth opened as if to speak, but not a single word came out before she collapsed unconscious on the ground.
The room fell silent.
The remaining two burly maids were so frightened that they instinctively took a step back. They didn’t expect Duan Mingxi to kill someone right here in Kunde Palace!
Duan Mingxi stepped forward, staring them down. The two maids were so intimidated by her aura that they stepped back again. “What… what are you going to do? This is Kunde Palace, Miss Duan! If you kill someone, you won’t escape either!”
Mingxi sneered, “How ridiculous. A villain dares to lecture me?”
The two Momos exchanged glances. Since they couldn’t take down Mingxi today, they wouldn’t get away unscathed. Might as well go all out!
The two immediately charged at Mingxi, one aiming to grab her leg and the other her arm in an attempt to subdue her.
Duan Mingxi quickly retreated to avoid their attack, and they almost stumbled to the ground. She immediately turned back, flying forward to grab one of their hair and slammed her head into the wall with a loud “bang.”
The other maid, seeing her companion bleed on the palace wall, froze in fear. Mingxi looked like a demon from h*ll. She immediately wavered and attempted to flee.
Mingxi threw the maid she was holding, smashing her into the ground.
In the blink of an eye, one maid was unconscious from the blood loss, and the other was pinned to the ground. As she tried to struggle, Mingxi stepped on her back, causing her to almost vomit blood.
Duan Mingxi hadn’t even asked anything yet when suddenly, with a loud crash, a group of people burst into the room.
The first person through the door was none other than Consort Shu. Seeing the scene in the hall, she was momentarily stunned.
Mingxi blinked, locking eyes with Consort Shu. She instinctively withdrew her foot.
Consort Shu’s expression was complex, but she quickly composed herself, stepped forward, and grabbed Mingxi’s hand. Choking on her words, she said, “Good child, I know you’ve been wronged. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get justice for today’s incident!”
Mingxi: …
She had just been stepping on someone’s back.
Consort Shu didn’t care about Mingxi’s subtle gaze. She immediately turned to shout, “What are you standing there for? Tie up these servants!”
Hu Momo immediately led her people forward. Two of them, covered in blood, had already fainted, while another lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up. The three remaining, burly palace maids from the Punishment Bureau looked like nothing more than a pile of useless rags.
She had long heard that Miss Duan was highly skilled, and today, she finally witnessed it firsthand!
Just as they finished tying up the defeated servants, Lu Momo arrived in a hurry with more people. She stepped into the hall with a somewhat unpleasant expression and bowed to Consort Shu.
“This old servant greets Your Highness, Consort Shu.”
Consort Shu reached out and pulled Mingxi behind her, lifting her chin slightly as she gazed at Lu Momo with a sharp glint in her eyes.
“Lu Momo, you certainly arrived just in time. Had I not come sooner, I fear I would have had to collect the corpse of my future daughter-in-law!”
“This old servant truly does not know what has happened. Please, Niang Niang, do not be angry. Allow me to investigate the matter thoroughly before reporting back to you.” Lu Momo replied with a solemn expression.
Consort Shu let out a cold laugh. “Oh, this is truly something new! Do these lowly servants dare to act recklessly within Kunde Palace? In all my years in the palace, I have never seen such a thing. What an eye-opener!”
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Aaa I caught up with the translation 😞
Thank you very much for all your work 💖 it made my last days so happy! I can’t wait to read more!