As the command was issued, two eunuchs immediately stepped forward from behind. One of them reached out to grab the small figure standing defiantly before their master.

    "Stop!"

    Jing Yu, who had been crouching on the ground until now, cried out loudly. She slowly supported her bruised body to kneel in front of Consort Xian Fei, speaking with a trembling voice, "Please have mercy, Consort Xian Fei. This young miss is the daughter of General Zhao and Princess Feixian, the Emperor’s sister."

    Jing Yu's revelation caused the two eunuchs to instantly halt their actions, turning to look at their mistress with faces full of uncertainty. Consort Wan Xian Fei glared at Zhao Meihua, her beautiful eyes flaring with jealousy upon hearing who the girl’s parents were.

    If not for Feixian seducing the man Wan Xian Fei loved, leading him to take her as his Furen, Wan Xian Fei would not have been reduced to just another decorative flower in the emperor’s vast palace.

    'If it weren’t for that Feixian, by now I could have been his Furen.'

    Thud!

    Jing Yu's delicate body was forced to roll on the ground of the pavilion due to the forceful kick from Wan Xian Fei. Her sharp gaze quickly turned towards her own eunuchs before she fiercely demanded.

    "Who told you to stop?"

    As her command echoed, the two eunuchs once again prepared to move. Despite the young girl being the daughter of the General, they knew their loyalty was to Wan Xian Fei, the esteemed Consort. Considering their positions, they understood whom they should prioritize. Wan Xian Fei's face displayed a cold smile upon seeing her eunuchs resume their actions.

    'Ha! How could the daughter of a mere general and a princess without rank ever be compared to me, a favored consort like her? That vixen Feixian, I will cut off her daughter's tongue. I wonder how she will look when she finds out her grotesque daughter is tongueless.'

    Zhao Meihua watched the eunuchs with wide, playful eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

    "Do you really dare to touch me? You must have heard the rumors about my contagious disease that's incurable. Aren't you afraid of catching it if you touch me?"

    The young eunuchs flinched and quickly withdrew their hands, even wiping them on their clothes as if afraid of being contaminated. Wan Xian Fei's face twisted in disdain as she saw her own men acting like scared monkeys.

    "Do you wish to be executed?! I ordered you to capture this little demon and cut off her tongue!"

    "You're quite beautiful, almost as beautiful as my mother." She then tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly as she continued, "But it's a pity. My mother is beautiful inside and out, unlike you... who only has outer beauty but a rotten and wicked heart."

    Her words were like adding fuel to the fire, Wan Xian Fei screamed and cursed loudly. That vile child dared to insult her.

    "You...you little demon! You're just as vile as your mother!"

    Zhao Meihua met her gaze with icy eyes. That woman dared insult her mother. If she didn't retaliate now, she might as well consider herself no better than a cowardly dog. The girl, who had been standing still, suddenly lunged at the eunuchs with surprising speed.

    Despite their martial skills, the eunuchs hesitated to fight with the small figure approaching them. The girl smirked under her veil, then suddenly dipped, and spun, tripping the nearest eunuch with a swift movement. Her fingers tensed, channeling energy, and she quickly struck the chest of the unfortunate man who didn't see it coming. He, followed by his companion, tumbled backward, ending up in a heap on top of Wan Xian Fei.

    Screams and shouts filled the air.

    "Aah!"

    "Ouch!"

    " Oh no! Your Highness!"

    The young girl observed the chaos before her with a hint of glee in her eyes, while Jing Yu, utterly stunned by the unfolding scene, quietly retreated, not wanting to draw attention. She then ran towards the emperor’s palace, leaving the scene behind.

    Zhao Meihua glanced back at the departing figure of the young maid, admiring her quick wit for knowing what to do in such a situation. It seemed she too should act accordingly.

    "My father is a great general who fought for this country, earning numerous merits. Do you dare to harm me?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Xian Fei's beautiful face twisted in anger, and she rebuked loudly.

    “You little brat, full of big words. Even if your father is a general, remember this— a general is nothing but a glorified servant. Their life and death are at the discretion of us, the superiors. You are just like your despicable mother. What right do you have to stand before me, a consort appointed by the emperor?”

    “Is your hatred for my mother because she surpassed you?” The young girl provocatively pinpointed the other's insecurity.

    "You wretched child, you'll regret this!"  She stepped toward the girl immediately; her weak spot having been exposed.

    She was not intimidated by the disease the girl had mentioned, confident it was merely a bluff to prevent her men from acting.

     Zhao Meihua stepped back, acting to be attacked, but stealthily sent a surge of force towards Wan Xian Fei's abdomen.

    Wan Xian Fei staggered, the body suddenly halted and collapsed momentarily. She clutched her stomach, bending over in pain, her eyes on the small figure that had been flung away. Had she touched that wretched child? Why was her stomach hurting like this?

    As for Zhao Meihua, after pretending to be flung away, she deliberately used her palms to brace herself against the marble, scraping them until her small hands were smeared with bright red blood.

    "Ugh... g-grab... grab her!"

    The eunuchs, snapping out of their stupor, rushed to seize the girl with each arm. The small face secretly smirked before channeling her energy into her palms. When the moment was right, she struck their stomachs with her qi energy. Both eunuchs doubled over in silent agony, sliding backward but not falling, as their arms were still held by the girl.

    Then Zhao Meihua feigned a fall, it seemed as though she was being dragged down by the eunuchs.

    Stricken with intense pain, the eunuchs struggled but attempted to perform their duty by flipping the girl over to pin her down. Wan Xian Fei approached, slapping the girl's face with a loud smack. Zhao Meihua coolly vowed to remember this injustice.

    "Ha! You little demon, today I will teach you a lesson. Cut off her tongue!"

    As her close maid hurried to pull Wan Xian Fei away, one of the eunuchs drew a short blade, intending to remove the cloth from the girl's face.

    "Wait! I'll reveal her face myself," Wan Xian Fei commanded, stepping forward to do the deed.

    As the order was given, the young servant dutifully stepped aside, making way for the voluptuous figure to approach the girl in his stead.

    "You're covering your face with that cloth because you're ashamed of it, aren't you? I really want to see just how hideous you are," she said.

    Zhao Meihua responded with a mocking smile to the derisive words before replying,

    "No matter how hideous I may be, it can't compare to the filth in your heart."

    Slap!

    "Even now, you dare to talk back. You're just like your mother," the woman retorted, angered.

    The young girl tasted blood in her mouth but was determined to remember this injustice, her eyes blazing like torches.

    "Let's begin. I'm really curious how your mother would look when she sees you without a tongue."

    As she finished speaking, she reached up to grab the thin white cloth covering the girl's face, intending to rip it off.

    Whoosh!

    The eunuch holding Zhao Meihua shuddered violently as an unidentified force pierced his forehead, killing him instantly before he could even realize what had happened. The other eunuch, equally unfortunate and confused, watched in shock as a silver sword swiftly pierced through his throat, its power undeniable and irresistible.

    Wan Xian Fei, witnessing her servant being cut through the neck by the sword, screamed internally in madness. As blood splattered and stained her beautiful face, her terror grew. The imposing figure of General Zhao moved like the wind, swiftly scooping the fallen girl into his arms, and stepping beside his wife with a swift motion.

    Zhao Feixian, receiving her daughter from her husband's arms, glared fiercely; the same thought came to the minds of the couple. With a burst of energy, one struck the face with qi energy, and the other cut the neck with a sword.

    Wan Xian Fei, feeling as if drowning, could hardly breathe. As she saw the couple looking at her as if they were about to tear her apart, her heart pounded with fear. Her expression quickly changed to one of pitiful begging when she saw the emperor in golden robes approaching.

    "Your Majesty... please, help me. General Zhao and his wife are trying to kill me."

    Yu Lang stood watching his beloved consort with a stern gaze, recalling the moment when Jing Yu had come to him, her body battered and covered in blood. He could hardly believe that the woman before him could be so audacious.

    "Please, Your Majesty... help the young miss Zhao Meihua."

    The husband and wife hurriedly stood up when they saw the maid, whom they had entrusted with their daughter, returning covered in blood and without their daughter. The emperor, seeing the maid’s condition, felt his heart blaze with anger and immediately shouted,

    “What happened? Why are you like this? And where is Hua'er?”

    "Your Majesty, the young miss is at the pavilion in the royal garden. Right now, Consort Wan Xian Fei is about to cut her tongue..."

    Like lightning striking, Zhao Minglong immediately used his light body technique to rush toward the royal garden, followed by Zhao Feixian and Yu Lang.     

    Arriving at the scene, the young general clenched his jaw at the sight of his daughter being held down by two eunuchs, while that despicable woman slapped her face.

    Seeing his daughter, whom he cherished, with blood on her hands and her beautiful dress torn, and tears in her once bright eyes, he unleashed his energy, striking one eunuch directly in the forehead.

    Zhao Feixian, usually the one to restrain her husband, did not hesitate to draw her sword against the other eunuchs, her gaze fierce and deadly.

    'How dare they turn their blades towards my daughter? Even if they die a thousand times, it won't be enough to atone,' they thought.

    At first, Wan Xian Fei feared this couple. Now, seeing her husband, she began to feel triumphant. They dared to kill her people, and she would ensure they paid dearly for it.

    "Your Majesty, look! They dare to commit murder right before you. If this continues, won't they rebel one day?"

    Slap!

    "Ah!"

    The voluptuous figure of Wan Xian Fei fell to the ground under the forceful hand of the emperor. She clutched her beautiful face with her hands, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at the fierce and wrathful gaze, causing her slender body to tremble uncontrollably.

    "How dare you harm our niece, showing no respect for me in the slightest? And to speak against my brother-in-law and sister?"

    The deep, thunderous voice echoed, startling both Wan Xian Fei and her maid into quivering shock. They quickly knelt down, heads bowed, pleading in unison.

    "I was wrong, Your Majesty. Please show mercy. I am the one who has been wronged here," Wan Xian Fei said, her delicate hands grasping the emperor’s legs, her face streaming with tears.

    Yu Lang remained silent and stern.

    On one side was his beloved niece and sister, and on the other, a favored consort, backed by the influential Wan family within the royal court.

    An unjust decision could lead to public outcry. Yet, failing to punish this woman might jeopardize the familial bonds going forward.

    "Summon the royal physician to attend to Hua’er. Then, head to the imperial court. I will personally judge this matter!"