SYADEPCO – CH021

Chapter 21: Slap Them for This Princess Consort

That voice…

Madam Wang and the others froze for a moment. They turned their stiff necks and saw the grand and elegant Empress Dowager walking in, dressed in a magnificent palace robe and followed by a group of people.

Trailing behind her was none other than Madam Xiao.

Chu Baihan also paused slightly in surprise.

No wonder Madam Xiao had been missing since yesterday; turns out she went to bring reinforcements.

“Long live the Empress Dowager,” Madam Wang and the others hurriedly knelt.

Chu Baihan quickly stood up, shedding her lazy demeanor, intending to follow suit and kneel.

But unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager looked at her gently and said, “No need to kneel, Little Han. Your knees aren’t well, remember?”

Bad knees?

Chu Baihan hesitated. How come she didn’t know she had bad knees?

But she quickly understood — the Empress Dowager was protecting her, giving her an excuse not to kneel.

“Come here, Little Han. Let me take a look at you. It’s only been a few days, how have you lost so much weight?”

The Empress Dowager waved her over with a pained expression.

Madam Wang and the others were dumbfounded.

The world believed the Empress Dowager was kind, but that wasn’t quite true.

She had clawed her way through the harem and remained Empress and then Empress Dowager for so many years — how could such a person be soft-hearted?

Her political finesse back in the day would make even the current Empress shiver.

But the kindness in her eyes now was very real. That could only mean one thing… she truly liked Chu Baihan.

Realizing this, Madam Wang and Madam Qin began to tremble internally.

It seemed they had offended someone they absolutely shouldn’t have.

“Tell me, what’s going on here?” The Empress Dowager held Chu Baihan’s hand, turned to glance coldly at the kneeling servants, her presence commanding even in silence.

“Your Majesty, this servant… this servant…” Madam Wang stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Wan Yiyu’s eyes flickered. She quickly stepped in, “Reporting to the Empress Dowager, we were just helping Elder Sister Consort learn the rules.”

She thought this would make her look good in front of the Empress Dowager.

But what she didn’t know was that the Empress Dowager detested cunning, manipulative people.

“Elder Sister Consort? If I remember correctly, Chu family daughters don’t look like you. You’re not Little Han’s sister, are you?” The Empress Dowager sneered.

“I-I am…”

“Grandmother, she’s a concubine bestowed to the prince by the emperor and Consort Jiang. The prince also agreed to it,” Chu Baihan interjected, though her tone clearly carried restrained anger.

Hearing this, Wan Yiyu and the others inwardly sneered.

So much for being smart; Chu Baihan had just exposed her jealousy in front of the Empress Dowager. Her downfall was near.

But before they could feel triumphant for long, they heard the Empress Dowager’s furious voice:

“The emperor and Consort Jiang must be out of their minds! Lin’er just married Little Han, and they’re already letting others interfere?!”

“And Lin’er too! Is he trying to anger me to death? I told him clearly, Little Han must never be wronged!”

Clutching her chest in rage, the Empress Dowager was fuming.

The Empress Dowager was actually angry over this? Wan Yiyu and the rest were both shocked and resentful.

Chu Baihan, meanwhile, was slightly touched.

Her imperial grandmother was still protecting her…

“Grandmother, I’m fine. I’m not angry.” Chu Baihan quickly supported the Empress Dowager, gently patting her back to calm her down.

“Guards, throw all of them out!” the Empress Dowager was determined to avenge Chu Baihan.

“Your Majesty, I was acting under Consort Jiang’s orders…” Madam Qin cried out in panic, hoping the Empress Dowager wouldn’t humiliate her because of her mistress’s status.

But she underestimated the Empress Dowager’s resolve…

The Empress Dowager only laughed more coldly.

“Didn’t you hear me? Throw them out!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guards accompanying her began moving forward.

Wan Yiyu panicked. She shouted, “Your Majesty, the prince already agreed yesterday to let me stay!”

“Oh? Are you threatening me? That if I kick you out, Lin’er will turn against me?” The Empress Dowager asked coldly.

“That’s not what I meant…” Wan Yiyu bit her lip, looking pitiful.

“Grandmother, please don’t worry about this,” Chu Baihan suddenly pulled on the Empress Dowager’s sleeve and said gently.

“Little Han, you—”

“Grandmother, I know you’re trying to defend me. But I don’t want this to damage your relationship with the prince.” Chu Baihan said quietly.

It had been years since she’d felt this kind of protection from an elder. She treasured the Empress Dowager’s actions deeply.

She didn’t want her to suffer because of her.

“Little Han…” The Empress Dowager stared at Chu Baihan for a long time before sighing.

“Alright, do as you see fit.”

“Let them go,” she ordered the guards.

Once released, Wan Yiyu and her group gasped for breath, both frightened and secretly pleased.

So what if the Empress Dowager supported Chu Baihan?

As long as the prince sided with them, Chu Baihan couldn’t act too smug.

But just as Wan Yiyu was reveling in her little victory, Chu Baihan looked at her and smiled.

Did they really think she was some pushover?

Her gaze turned icy as she slowly walked up to them.

“You may stay in the manor, but your attitude just now toward the Empress Dowager was completely disrespectful. As the main consort of this residence, if I don’t punish you, I’ll be unworthy of Her Majesty’s favor.”

“Ruolan, slap them!” Chu Baihan ordered coldly.

“Yes, Princess Consort!”

Ruolan may have been timid, but seeing her mistress humiliated earlier had lit a fire in her belly…and now was her time to vent it.

Rolling up her sleeves, she strode to Madam Wang and with one powerful slap, left half her face swollen.

Next, she approached Madam Qin.

Madam Qin tried to dodge, but the guards restrained her.

Another heavy slap twisted her face sideways.

Ruolan rubbed her wrist, her palm stung, but her heart felt incredibly satisfied.

She slapped several more of them in turn, drawing blood from their faces, until she finally stood before Wan Yiyu.

Looking down at her, Ruolan gave a cold snort.

This woman thought she could bully the Princess Consort? Time for a lesson.

“Elder Sister Consort, if you do this to me, how will you explain it to the prince?” Wan Yiyu cried, terrified for her prized beauty.

But Chu Baihan only smiled wider at her words.

“Ruolan, use more strength. I’ll treat you to chicken drumsticks tonight,” she said lazily.

“Yes, Princess Consort!” Ruolan was instantly re-energized.

With both hands, she slapped until Wan Yiyu’s face looked like a pig’s head.

At that moment, Ziying entered the courtyard, supporting Prince Yan Lin.

Wan Yiyu, seeing him, ran over frantically.

“My Lord, please save me!”

[T/N – Direct translation of what she said, “Your Highness! Your Highness! Please save me!” An exaggerating kind of it’s exclamation.]