"Stop! Stop that!"
Mammy Li finally realized that the people before her were unlike anyone she had encountered in the past few decades. They were actually daring enough to kill!
Jinyi let out a light laugh and offered a well-intentioned reminder: "Mammy Li, your duty is to properly arrange the itinerary for our Princess Consort's audience at the palace. That is your sole purpose."
"How you treat others is no concern of ours, but if you fail to understand your own standing while in our presence, then..."
"Mammy Li will simply have to swallow the bitter fruit of her own making."
Mammy Li shivered violently. She was truly afraid now; in the face of death, everything else was vanity. She prepared to back down immediately!
Just then, the sound of clashing weapons rang out, followed by a fierce shout: "What is going on here?! Committing violence in broad daylight at the palace gate?!"
Jinyi looked over to see two palace guards approaching. They had clearly noticed that among the group, only Duijin was armed with a blade. Jinyi did not panic. She waited calmly for them to reach her before she was about to speak, when a soft clicking sound came from inside the carriage.
"So noisy."
Mammy Li's previous bickering had been far more intense than this. Jinyi knew Yao Yingying was speaking up because she feared Jinyi might suffer a loss.
Jinyi stepped forward quickly: "Forgive me, Your Highness. I was a bit careless in dealing with this and disturbed the guards at the palace gate."
Yao Yingying used her slender hand to lift the carriage curtain, revealing herself to the two stern-faced guards. The moment they saw her face, the two men, who had been glaring with tiger-like ferocity, were instantly stunned into silence.
Just as Jinyi was about to rebuke them, Yao Yingying gave a light laugh: "It truly is not ideal to commit violence before the gates of the Dashang palace. I have caused you both trouble—Jinyi, give these two gold ingots so they may enjoy some wine."
Solving problems with material wealth was what Yao Yingying liked best. If the other party also enjoyed such things, then it was a mutual agreement, which was even better. If they did not, Yao Yingying was also quite willing to listen to some wailing.
A smile bloomed on Jinyi's round, pretty face. She took the gold ingots from Yao Yingying's hand and stepped forward twice.
"The two officers must have seen what happened earlier. This Mammy Li offended the Princess Consort first, so it is only reasonable for the Princess Consort to teach her a lesson. If you two find this troublesome, just pretend you never came over."
As she spoke, Jinyi offered the two fifty-tael gold ingots. She saw that the men made no move to take them, instead staring blankly at Yao Yingying’s face as if their souls had been snatched away. Jinyi took their silence for consent and signaled to Duijin.
Before Duijin’s hand could even move, Mammy Li let out a scream like a slaughtered pig: "I was wrong... I was wrong! Don't kill me... please don't kill me..."
Mammy Li, who had thought she was saved, turned deathly pale. As Duijin pulled back, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground. A hundred taels of gold offered offhandedly just to get them to ignore her—not to mention outside the palace, even inside, things were rarely done this way. Mammy Li understood all too well what those men would choose when comparing their own lives to gold ingots.
Watching Mammy Li’s spineless display, Jinyi felt immensely satisfied. "One quarter of an hour. If Mammy Li cannot bring the palanquin here by then, your life will have no further use."
Faced with such bluntness, Mammy Li was truly terrified. She finally understood that the people before her were not anyone she could manipulate. The young palace maids Mammy Li had brought had witnessed the entire scene; seeing Mammy Li on the verge of wetting herself in fright, they understood immediately and ran off to fetch the palanquin.
Seeing Duijin and the others step back, the remaining maids scrambled to help Mammy Li up. Mammy Li was completely limp, her mind in chaos from the threat of that gleaming blade. She hurriedly asked the maid beside her, "Why does my neck hurt so much?! Quickly, check if I’ve been wounded!"
The maid took a startled look and saw a thin line of blood, no longer than a fingernail. The group descended into a panicked flurry of trying to stop the bleeding. Jinyi scoffed at their panicked, half-dead appearance and remarked, "And with such pathetic ability, you dare to run wild in front of Her Highness."
Duijin sheathed his sword and offered a reminder: "They likely won't let me enter in a moment. None of the others are armed, so keep a sharp eye out and don't get tricked or capsize in the gutter."
Jinyi acknowledged this. Turning back, she saw the palanquin that Mammy Li had previously been stalling to bring. The young eunuchs carrying it were as thin as stalks of dried wheat; one might think the Dashang imperial palace didn't feed its people. Fortunately, Jinyi had no intention of relying on these men.
Mammy Li dared not step forward and instead designated a young maid to speak. Jinyi did not mean to make things difficult for her.
The two guards had finally regained their senses. They awkwardly reminded the group about a body search. Jinyi gave them the two gold ingots and instructed the eunuchs to cooperate. Once it was confirmed that they were not carrying weapons into the palace, Duijin stayed at the gate to guard the carriage, while Jiyu accompanied Yao Yingying and the others into the palace.
Anguo's eunuchs replaced the Dashang eunuchs. The eight of them walked along the palace path with steady, imposing strides. Mammy Li trailed at the very back, followed by a dozen Dashang palace maids, none of whom dared to get too close.
They arrived at the Cining Palace, where the Empress Dowager of Dashang resided. Yao Yingying stepped off the palanquin with grace and saw a Mammy standing at the entrance. The woman approached and offered a greeting: "Princess Consort, the Empress Dowager has been waiting for a long time."
Yao Yingying gave a slight nod, appearing unconcerned.
Mammy Zhang was stunned. She had not expected this attitude from Yao Yingying. In the past, whenever she said this to the noblewomen coming to pay their respects, they would all be filled with trepidation, slipping her silver and begging her to put in a good word while announcing them. Although Yao Yingying had not arrived particularly late, who was to say whether the Empress Dowager had truly been waiting for a long time?
Her words, usually so effective, were ignored today. Mammy Zhang glanced at the maids behind Yao Yingying, who showed no reaction either. She frowned, feeling quite displeased. *They really are from those small, backwater states; they don't even understand these basic rules!*
Mammy Li had just caught up, but she did not dare get too close to Yao Yingying. Without saying a word, she hurried past to enter the main hall. Jinyi glanced at her, worried the old woman might stir up more trouble, and called out lightly, "Mammy Li, the Princess Consort still has a few words for you."
Mammy Li trembled all over, turning back to see Yao Yingying truly looking at her. Those soul-stirring eyes were beautiful enough to make one lose themselves, yet Mammy Li felt only endless terror. A mistress who could condone her eunuchs killing others—how could she be a benevolent person?
Mammy Zhang watched Mammy Li’s strange expression, and just as she was about to ask more, she saw Mammy Li’s face twist into a savage mask.
"I will certainly tell the Empress Dowager everything the Princess Consort has done to this old servant!"