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Meanwhile, in the forest, Huo Xingwen was quickly bagged by several men in black, followed by a flurry of punches and kicks. His screams echoed through the woods.
Jiang Xi understood that Fong Yang was not one to show mercy; the current situation was merely a light punishment.
"Did the prince not cripple him?" Jiang Xi asked Fong Yang. Fong Yang shook his head gently and replied, "No, would you be unhappy?"
Jiang Xi paused for a moment, somewhat bewildered. Given Fong Yang's courage, he should have been able to discern that she held no feelings for Huo Xingwen.
"Why would you think I would be unhappy?"
She stared at Fong Yang, and suddenly a spark of realization flashed through her mind. "Is it possible that the prince is worried that being too harsh might scare me?" Fong Yang nodded honestly.
Jiang Xi couldn't help but laugh. The more time she spent with Fong Yang, the more she felt how foolish she had been in her past life. How could Fong Yang be terrifying or hateful? He was clearly so endearing.
"The prince wouldn't hit me; what do I have to fear?"
Fong Yang reached out and gently took Jiang Xi's hand, saying earnestly, "I will never hit you, not ever."
The carriage soon arrived at the palace gates. Fong Yang needed to meet with the emperor, while Jiang Xi had to head to the harem, and they had to part ways here.
Fong Yang helped Jiang Xi down from the carriage first. Then, in front of many palace attendants, he solemnly instructed Han Yue and Han Shuang, "Take good care of your lady; no one is allowed to trouble her. If she loses even a single hair, I will skin you alive."
Han Yue and Han Shuang respectfully responded in unison, "Rest assured, my lord. With us around, even if it were the King of Heaven himself, he wouldn't dare lay a finger on her."
Jiang Xi gently raised her hand to smooth out Fong Yang's slightly furrowed brows and softly reassured him, "Don't worry, even if the empress is displeased with me, she will consider your position and won't dare act recklessly."
Fong Yang remained deeply concerned and reminded Jiang Xi again, "If anything seems off, immediately have Han Shuang report it to me."
Jiang Xi nodded in agreement, thinking to herself that Fong Yang was really too nervous; the Queen was no fool and would never openly make things difficult for her.
However, Jiang Xi had overestimated the Queen.
The one sent by the Queen to lead her to Phoenix Palace was not an ordinary palace maid, but the Queen's own younger sister, Bai Die.
Jiang Xi didn't care much about the Queen's intentions; after all, she was now fearless.
As soon as Bai Die opened her mouth, it was filled with sarcasm. "Lady Jiang, you've certainly been the center of attention these past few days. The entire imperial city is buzzing about you; you really are quite impressive."
Jiang Xi showed no signs of anger, merely glancing at her and retorting, "What's wrong with being in the spotlight?"
Bai Die scoffed. "There's nothing wrong with it, but being too prominent can bring trouble."
"You’re fickle and changeable; do you really think the Regent likes you?"
Hearing this, Han Yue couldn't understand why these people always sought their own demise. She immediately stepped forward to teach Bai Die a lesson but was stopped by Jiang Xi's hand.
Jiang Xi looked at Bai Die calmly and said, "Whether the Regent likes me or not seems to have nothing to do with Lady Bai, does it?"
Bai Die shouted angrily, "Since Lady Jiang can't understand my insinuations, I'll be direct: you're not worthy of the Regent. Stop dreaming."
Only then did Jiang Xi realize that Bai Die had feelings for the Regent.
She couldn't help but think that not everyone viewed Fong Yang as a fearsome figure; there were still some who recognized his worth.
Jiang Xi exuded an undeniable aura, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she said, "Not worthy? Does Lady Bai think she is deserving? The Regent is mine, and no one else should dare to covet him. Lady Bai would do well to look in the mirror and see how unworthy she is of the Regent."
Han Yue was deeply captivated by Jiang Xi's bold declaration of ownership, secretly thinking that if the prince heard those words, he would surely be overjoyed.
Bai Die could hardly suppress the urge to slap her, but she knew she couldn't act on that impulse. Instead, she managed to restrain herself and coldly huffed, "You can be as sharp-tongued as you like. Let's see if you dare to speak like that when you reach the Phoenix Palace."
In contrast to Bai Die's flustered demeanor, Jiang Xi remained composed, casually using the queen to assert her position.
Jiang Xi smiled lightly and replied, "Then I invite Lady Bai to wait and see!"
Having already faced off against several noblewomen, Jiang Xi was well aware of the rumors swirling around her. Yet, there were still those who foolishly challenged her.
This time, the main players were the queen and her sister.
Jiang Xi's sharp tongue clearly wouldn't gain her any advantage in a battle of wits with Bai Die. With no further words exchanged, Bai Die silently led Jiang Xi to meet the queen.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Phoenix Palace, she respectfully announced, "Your Majesty, Lady Jiang has arrived."
Inside the hall, it had been bustling with activity as numerous women flattered the queen, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
As soon as Bai Die's announcement echoed through the hall, there was a brief moment of silence before the chatter resumed, seemingly ignoring her words and continuing with their insincere praises.
The queen basked in their flattery with a hint of pride, laughing as she said, "You all are so good with words. Just last night, the emperor remarked that I looked a bit worn out these days, yet in your mouths, I have become radiant."
Standing outside the hall, Jiang Xi listened to the hollow compliments within and realized that the queen was deliberately leaving her out to establish her authority.
Jiang Xi still wore a faint smile as she said to Bai Die, "Please inform her again. If the Empress is too busy to see me, I'll just head back."
Bai Die's expression changed slightly at these words, surprised that Jiang Xi was unwilling to wait. How dare she disregard the Empress? She was determined to go in and add fuel to the fire.
When the Empress saw her sister enter, she was quite taken aback and quickly asked, "What’s wrong, sister?"
Bai Die replied, "Lady Jiang is becoming impatient and says she wants to leave."
At this statement, the hall fell silent once more. No one expected Jiang Xi to have such audacity, daring to disrespect the Empress. It seemed she was relying on the Regent's influence and had become quite arrogant since entering the palace.
The Head Maid beside the Empress spoke up in time, "I'll go take a look. Your Highness need not be upset over someone who doesn't understand etiquette."
The Empress managed to suppress her anger, considering the many concubines present; she couldn't allow them to witness any embarrassment.
"Go ahead and tell her that I just got up and for her to wait a little longer outside."
The Head Maid nodded and turned to leave.
Bai Die followed her out, eager to see how Jiang Xi would fare.
"Lady Jiang, the Empress is unwell and has just gotten up. Please wait a moment longer," the Head Maid said.
Jiang Xi understood well that this "moment longer" would likely stretch into an hour or more. She had heard of such torturous tactics before and could no longer tolerate these blatant lies.
Quickly, Jiang Xi raised her hand to stop the Head Maid, saying, "Mingyue, it's alright. The Empress's rest is more important."
Bai Die thought Jiang Xi had given in and was about to mock her when Jiang Xi calmly interrupted, "Please inform Her Majesty the Empress that she need not worry; I will come by later." With that, she turned and walked out, clearly surprising everyone.
The Head Maid grew anxious and exclaimed, "Jiang Xi, how dare you! The Empress summoned you; how can you leave on your own?"
Jiang Xi turned back, still wearing a faint smile. "The Regent has a bit of a temper; I cannot be away from him for too long. If he sees the Emperor and then cannot find me, he might get upset."
Han Yue quickly chimed in, "That's right; my lord has a bad temper and will be very angry if he can't see the lady."
Bai Die's expression darkened, a mix of fear and anger. "You actually dare to use the Regent to pressure me!"
Jiang Xi showed no mercy to such an absurdly confident person. "Lady Bai, don't flatter yourself. Do you really think you deserve to use the Regent against me? I'll come back when Her Majesty has time."
With that, Jiang Xi turned and walked out, completely unconcerned about revealing that she was relying on the Regent's power and disregarding even the Empress.
The Head Maid realized that if Jiang Xi truly left, the Empress would lose face today.
She quickly spoke up to retain her, softening her tone. "Lady Jiang, please wait. There are several concubines in the hall who are here to pay their respects to Her Majesty. If you don't mind, perhaps you could go in and greet them first."
Jiang Xi turned back and said, "In that case, I appreciate your trouble."
Seeing Jiang Xi's relaxed demeanor without any of the expected restraint befitting someone in Phoenix Palace only fueled Bai Die's anger further. "Lady Jiang, today has truly opened my eyes. No wonder you abandoned your fiancé of four years for the Regent."
Jiang Xi glanced at her and simply smiled, thinking to herself that such a foolish young lady from a noble family wasn't worth her time.
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