Chapter 99 Just a Mere Tribute Woman

Pan Yueqing heard the Emperor's words that seemed to come out of the blue. She was puzzled but didn't dare to speak casually. The Emperor held the white chess pieces and, ignoring the disastrous situation on the chessboard where his pieces were again in a precarious state, raised his eyes to look at Pan Yueqing, who had a serious expression. The tender gaze made Pan Yueqing even more certain that the Emperor wasn't looking at her, but at her mother.

A sudden sense of crisis welled up in her heart, making Pan Yueqing unconsciously feel horrified.

The Emperor slowly stood up and was about to speak when a little eunuch rushed into the Imperial Garden and bowed to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager heard that the Second Miss is in the palace and sent this servant to invite her!"

The Emperor slightly raised his eyes and saw the word "Cining Palace" written on the waist token that the little eunuch handed over. He collected his thoughts, waved his hand, and without saying a word, let Pan Yueqing leave. However, when Pan Yueqing stood up, he gave an instruction, "Don't be naughty. Don't make the Empress Dowager angry." He looked as if he was admonishing a princess.

"The Empress Dowager wants to see me?" Pan Yueqing followed the little eunuch and asked in a soft voice. The little eunuch smiled obsequiously and bowed to Pan Yueqing, "The Empress Dowager has never been so concerned about someone before! Miss, you've caught the Empress Dowager's eye!"

That might not be the case. Her great-aunt had wanted to kill her last time. Pan Yueqing pursed her lips indifferently. Anyway, the little eunuch couldn't see her expression. They turned and twisted along the long palace path. Just as they were on the corridor, a palanquin coming towards them was carrying the noblewoman who had been driven away by the Emperor in the Imperial Garden earlier - Concubine Zheng.

Pan Yueqing and the little eunuch quickly stepped aside, lowered their brows and heads, and curtsied to greet her.

Concubine Zheng looked down on them haughtily and flicked her fingernail guards twice with her hand. The palanquin stopped at her clear command. She turned her head and looked at Pan Yueqing with a smile, but there was no warmth in that smile. It was more like a ferocious grin, "Did His Majesty clear the Imperial Garden for you just now?" Among the Emperor's harem, except for the Empress, three consorts, and Lady Yang, she had the highest rank. And Pan Yueqing looked very young, so it was natural for Concubine Zheng to regard her as a low-ranking concubine.

The little eunuch didn't dare to answer. Both of them were people he couldn't afford to offend. Pan Yueqing, however, was calm, "Yes."

"Someone, teach this presumptuous thing a good lesson for me!" When Concubine Zheng saw Pan Yueqing's calm appearance, she couldn't hold back her temper. She had been a noblewoman since she was a child. Chaoguo was a vassal state of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and she had received great courtesy when she was sent to the Northern Qi Dynasty. She naturally showed deference in front of higher-ranking concubines, but there was no reason for her to be polite in front of a lower-ranking person.

The maid who had come with her from Chaoguo stepped forward and blocked Pan Yueqing. Concubine Zheng said, "How dare you seduce His Majesty? Beat her hard for me!"

Pan Yueqing raised her hand and grabbed the maid who was about to slap her as ordered. Her eyes darkened, and she looked at Concubine Zheng with a smile, half-reminding her, "Lady Zheng, are you sure you have the right to lay a hand on me?"

"I'll make you cry today!" Concubine Zheng had never been defied like this before. She was so angry that she jumped off the palanquin, pushed aside the maid, and raised her hand to hit Pan Yueqing. Unexpectedly, it wasn't Pan Yueqing who stopped her, but Qi Sian, who had appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Concubine Zheng's hand. He looked at Concubine Zheng, "Lady Zheng, I think if you really hit her, it will be you who cries."

Concubine Zheng still recognized Qi Sian. She just didn't expect Qi Sian to intervene. She didn't like this Prince of Xiangyang because she knew that in the Northern Qi Dynasty, the title of Prince of Xiangyang was the title given to the crown prince before he came of age. But she didn't want this person in front of her to become the crown prince. Since she was married here, she hoped that the next emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty would have the blood of their Chaoguo.

"You're molesting me?" Concubine Zheng's eyes darkened, and a vicious plan formed in her mind. Immediately, tears welled up in her eyes. Even after Qi Sian released her hand, she rubbed her hand and rushed forward, shouting, "I don't want to live anymore!" Just then, she bumped into the chief eunuch who was coming with a food box.

The chief eunuch was knocked into a mess. He let out an "ouch" and quickly knelt on the ground, saying he deserved to die. Concubine Zheng had tears streaming down her face. Without caring about her appearance at all, she was about to bang her head against the wall and commit suicide. The passing palace maids were so alarmed that they turned their heads and came forward to pull Concubine Zheng with great effort.

Sure enough, it alerted the Emperor who was still in the Imperial Garden. When the Emperor came with his hands behind his back, Concubine Zheng had blood all over her head from the bump. Only when she saw the Emperor did she lose her strength, "Your Majesty, your concubine... your concubine will defend my chastity for Your Majesty..."

The Emperor was completely confused. He raised his eyes and saw Qi Sian and Pan Yueqing standing side by side. He patiently asked for an approximate account of what had happened. Then he frowned and glared at Qi Sian, "Third son, did you touch Concubine Zheng?"

Before Qi Sian could speak, Pan Yueqing stepped forward and curtsied slowly to the Emperor, "Your servant can testify that when Lady Zheng raised her hand to teach your servant a lesson, His Highness Prince of Xiangyang did indeed grab Lady Zheng's wrist."

With a few light words, Pan Yueqing hit the most crucial point. She smiled and raised her eyes to look at Concubine Zheng, whose face had already changed. "Perhaps it's due to different customs, so Lady Zheng thought that His Highness Prince of Xiangyang..." She paused and coughed softly. She looked past the Emperor at Concubine Zheng who was being carried away, "Your servant congratulates Your Majesty on having such a beautiful woman. There aren't many people who are willing to risk their lives for Your Majesty like this nowadays."

The Emperor smiled, but there was no real joy in his smile, "Why did Concubine Zheng want to slap you?"

Concubine Zheng's eyes were completely panicked. She held her forehead and pretended to faint, causing several exclamations. Pan Yueqing watched her act and, with a smile on her face, said indifferently as if she wasn't affected at all, "Perhaps she thought that your servant was a newly selected concubine of His Majesty. She has only Your Majesty in her heart, so she was a bit overbearing. Your Majesty, please don't blame her. This is just a misunderstanding." She had an expression of "I understand very well".

Although Pan Yueqing's few words were all in defense of Concubine Zheng, the Emperor, who had come through countless intrigues, immediately understood most of the situation. The Emperor looked at Concubine Zheng, who was pretending to be unconscious, and smiled without saying a word. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Call the imperial doctor to give her a few needles. I want to hear what she has to say."

Seeing that she couldn't hide it anymore, Concubine Zheng slowly woke up. The blood on her forehead wasn't fake. As soon as she opened her eyes, she looked weak and full of tears, and softly called out to the Emperor, "Your Majesty."

The Emperor's face was cold. But when he saw Concubine Zheng's appearance, he smiled as if spring had returned, but his words were extremely cold, "Why does your Chaoguo never send more obedient tribute women each time?"

Concubine Zheng's face changed. The Emperor turned around and said softly, "Tell the king of Chaoguo that Concubine Zheng suddenly caught a cold and, due to the unfamiliar environment, died suddenly." Facing Concubine Zheng's terrified gaze, the Emperor slowly smiled, "As an apology, we will promise the position of concubine to the princess you send."

Concubine Zheng let out two dry sobs and was dragged away with her mouth covered. Only at this moment did she understand why so many noblewomen had been sent, and some of them had died soon...

The Emperor looked at Concubine Zheng, whose mouth was covered and couldn't speak, and chuckled, "Just a mere tribute woman."