Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 28

The noble ladies tensed up, exchanging uneasy glances.

“Besides,” Yun Zishu looked at the princesses and noble ladies from the imperial clan before her, and a faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips, “do all of you also believe this princess is less noble than a daughter born of a concubine?”

Yun Zirou’s expression was slightly gloomy, while Xiao Yunwu clenched her hands, glaring coldly at her.

“Although it’s disrespectful to speak ill of the deceased, I heard that the late empress was from a merchant family,” a woman said in a low voice during the banquet. “So the princess’s status…indeed isn’t considered very noble.”

“Leng Yue,” Yun Zishu tilted her head, “who do you think is more noble?”

“None of the ladies present here are more noble than Your Highness, the legitimate princess. Anyone who dares to be rude to the legitimate princess is overstepping their bounds.” Leng Yue answered concisely and said with great momentum, “The last ones who overstepped, the pair of siblings from the Li family, are still in the Dark Shadow Pavilion. I heard that they were whipped a hundred times and went without food and water for three days. If the princesses and noble ladies present also want to go to the Dark Shadow Pavilion to see what it’s like, I will report to the commander and try my best to fulfill everyone’s wishes.”

As the words fell, a chill seemed to sweep through the air.

The faces of the noble ladies turned pale.

They were all daughters of noble families who spent their days reading, playing the zither, or embroidering in their chambers. How could they have ever experienced the taste of torture? When the maids in their homes made mistakes, they only needed to order them to be dragged out and slapped or beaten with a board. But the board never fell on them, and it wasn’t them who felt the pain.

The Dark Shadow Pavilion is a place that even men feared. Which of these noble women would dare to try it?

Xiao Yunwu glared at her: “Is the Ninth Princess trying to scare people with the Dark Shadow Pavilion?”

“Miss Xiao,” Yun Zishu smiled faintly, “If I were you, I wouldn’t do such a stupid thing at a time like this. Your brother is now living in my mansion. If I want to do something to him, not only will he not be able to call for help, but you, the young mistress of the Xu family, will also be helpless, right?”

Xiao Yunwu’s face changed dramatically: “You dare?”

“I’ll go back and try it tonight, and let Miss Xiao see if I dare.” Yun Zishu said, turning her head and instructing, “Xiao Yunheng’s injuries are still serious, so don’t send him dinner tonight; let him have a good rest.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Yunwu sat stiffly at the table, her face alternating between shades of flushed and pale, looking utterly discomfited.

At that moment, a voice from outside the garden announced, “Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess has arrived!”

The princesses and noble ladies suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and they all stood up to greet her and respectfully bowed.

The grand princess is here. Let’s see if Yun Zishu still dares to be so sharp-tongued.

Yun Zirou glanced at Yun Zishu with a meaningful look and stood in the hall with the noble ladies to welcome the grand princess. The grand princess soon arrived, escorted by a large entourage of maids. She wore a dark red brocade dress, with intricate patterns and exquisite embroidery, every detail exuding nobility.

Now nearly fifty, the grand princess had maintained her appearance very well. Her makeup was magnificent and made her look forty. She was beautiful and charming with a graceful bearing.

She walked into the flower hall, looked around, and said with a bit of arrogance in her eyes, “No need to be so polite; sit down.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

The grand princess walked to the main seat and sat down, looking at Yun Zishu: “You’ve been causing quite a stir lately. As a princess of the imperial family, how can you be so inconsiderate of the royal family’s dignity and inconsiderate of your husband’s family’s reputation, making a spectacle of yourself for the entire city to see?”

Yun Zishu remained unfazed by her lecture and replied indifferently, “It was the Xiao family who behaved inappropriately first.”

So what if people were watching?

Her purpose was to let everyone see the Xiao family’s disgrace—not just to watch them become a laughingstock, but to witness their gradual downfall and eventual destruction.

The Grand Princess obviously didn’t expect that she would dare to talk back, and her face instantly darkened.

“You are a princess of the royal family,” she emphasized coldly. “Is it because your mother was of low birth and died early that you didn’t receive much education, so you are so lacking in propriety? Madam Xiao is now your mother-in-law, and she is teaching you some rules for your own good.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the air became still.

Xiao Yunwu had a smug smile on her face. So what if she is a legitimate princess? With the grand princess here, she still had to listen to her obediently. Did she really think that she could be arrogant and not take the Xiao family seriously just because she had temporarily gained a little advantage?

A legitimate princess?

A legitimate princess without power or influence is nothing more than a title. As long as the noble ladies ostracize her and the royal family does not value her, she is worthless.

“Madam Xiao is not teaching the princess the rules but deliberately mistreating the princess.” Leng Shuang interjected bluntly, “Madam Xiao and Xiao Yunheng like to favor the concubine over the legitimate wife, treating the daughter of the Li family like a treasure while targeting the princess at every turn. Therefore, the princess’s retaliation is justified. The Xiao family are just subjects, and their overstepping is a capital crime. If the princess does not pursue the matter, it is her magnanimity. If the princess wants to pursue it, they must be punished.”

Xiao Yunwu’s face turned green with rage, and she could no longer contain herself: “When the masters are talking, is it your turn to interrupt as a servant?”

Leng Shuang retorted coolly, “I am a shadow guard of the Shadow Pavilion. I have the authority to state the facts and report the truth at any time. If Miss Xiao thinks it is wrong, she can go to the Commander of the Shadow Pavilion to state my crimes and let the leader punish me.”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Xiao Yunwu’s face turn stiff and pale, but also a shiver went through the other noble ladies.

Bring out the Commander of the Dark Shadow Pavilion?

“Yun Zishu, what are you trying to do?” The grand princess’s expression turned even uglier. “Are you deliberately threatening me with the Shadow Pavilion?”

Yun Zishu didn’t say anything.

Leng Shuang lowered her head and said, “We are only following the orders of the Commander to protect the princess and ensure her safety.”

The Grand Princess sneered coldly, “I always thought the Dark Shadow Pavilion answers to the Emperor. But now, it seems that the Dark Shadow Pavilion is more likely to answer to Yun Zishu.”

“All princes and princesses who have left the palace to establish their own residences have shadow guards protecting them. This is a rule that has been passed down through the generations; it is not because the legitimate princess is special.” Leng Shuang stated methodically, word by word. “Didn’t Your Highness the Grand Princess also have a shadow guard before?”

The grand princess was left choked and speechless.

When she was young, she left the palace to establish her own residence, and there were indeed shadow guards around her. However, she had a bad temper in her youth, and that shadow guard was too upright. While following her orders, she reported all her affairs to the commander in detail. This led to her becoming furious and having the guard killed.

Later, she did whatever she wanted, with no one left to restrain her—not even the Prince Consort dared to interfere with her behavior.

“The weather is good today, and the scenery in the garden of the Princess’s Mansion is really exquisite.” Yun Zishu turned her head and looked at the garden. “My mother was born into a merchant family, which is a fact. It is also true that she suffered from dystocia when she gave birth to me, which caused damage to her body. She passed away not long after. But my mother was still the queen when she passed away, the rightful and legitimate mother of the country of the Great Yong Dynasty. And I, her daughter, am the legitimate and rightful princess, without a shred of falsehood.”

Turning her head, she looked around at the noble ladies present: “As everyone knows, the reason why Father Emperor was able to sit on the throne securely was because Mother Empress’ family contributed money and effort back then. Father Emperor should be grateful to Mother Empress, so if I hear anyone slander or defame Mother Empress again in the future, this princess will never let them off lightly!”