"Yes someone has to be a scapegoat, but what's a scapegoat" Xiao Xiao asked excited.
Yanhui immediately facepalmed. The consorts immediately quieted down as soon as she entered, they all bowed in greetings:
" Greetings your majesty, may you live for a thousand years"
She merely looked at them indifferently, sat down and waited for Xiao Xiao to pour her tea. She slowly sipped her tea and then finally allowed them to rise:
" Oh, you're all still kneeling, rise, rise, take your seats" she said in mock surprise.
As the consorts were about to stand up she suddenly said:
"It seems I heard some dogs barking viciously on my way here just now, bad dogs should be killed isn't that right concubine Yue Liang?"
They immediately fell back in fear, concubine Yue Liang trembling:
" Your majesty please forgive me" she cried kowtowing.
" What I'm I forgiving you for, afterall, I said a dog was barking or is the dog yours?" She mocked.
"Empress you shouldn't be too over bearing" consort shu interjected.
" Oh Consort shu are you maybe the dog's owner?" Yanhui asked, her smile not reaching her eyes
Consort shu immediately bowed down in fear " I dare not"
" I thought so" turning back to concubine Yue Liang.
" Your majesty I was wrong" Yue Liang cried.
" Someone come drag this dog and slap her a hundred times " Yanhui commanded.
" Your majesty, aren't you afraid of what the emperor Will say?" Consort shu said livid.
"So?, what you want to join in?" Yanhui answered as she leisurely sipped her tea.
Concubine Yue Liang was immediately held down and slapped by one of the mammas given to her by the dowager. After concubine Yue Liang had been slapped a hundred times, Yanhui looked away in disgust at her blood stained face. Let this be a lesson to them that she's not to be taken lightly, in this dog eat dog palace, she had to maintain a certain amount of power and instill fear in them. The hall was shrouded in dead silence you could hear a pin drop.
" What? Won't you thank me for the reward?" Yanhui mocked
" Thank you your majesty for sparing my life " she kowtowed and said with difficulty.
" That's more like it, look at your beautiful face covered with bruises you should get that treated, next time don't have a vicious dog it bites. You can all leave I have an headache " Yanhui advised in good will waving them off.
The other concubines looked at fear in both fear and hatred as they left for being able to do nothing because Yanhui's family was simply too powerful. Her handmaids were proud and happy at the display of power but Yanhui was disgusted at the kind of person she was slowly becoming, she sighed and decided to spend all day in her Kunning palace to avoid further trouble. She laid down on the luó hàn chuáng - a couch often placed by windows to bathe in the sun as she munched on pastries. It was this scene that greeted the emperor when he entered ; a fairly like figure sitting by the window, the wind blowing her hair around, her lashes like cicada wings and her lips beaming in smiles, her toes curled up,looking pure and innocent and was for a moment stunned.
Yanhui immersed in her own world felt eyes on her, turning to see the dog emperor scaring at her. She immediately turned to put on her shoes but was stopped by a strong hand who helped her gently put it on and sat beside her, she noticed her handmaids were nowhere to be found; snitches!. The emperor was putting on his dragon rope, his hair all combed up, it seems he was just returning from morning court when he rushed to her palace. She wanted to bow in greetings but was stopped by him.
" What brings you here your majesty" she asked already thinking of ways to refute any accusations.
" Empress I heard you punished a concubine today"
" What? The emperor wants to meddle?" She retorted slowly standing up.
'" no, I just wanted to see if you were alright after seeing blood, afterall I heard you quite sensitive to blood as it brings bad luck"
It seems the blaming her for her actions but won't outright say it, what a schemer but she had her own tricks down her sleeve, she was no push over. She immediately fell down, held his legs and cried:
" Your majesty truly cares for me and know I'm sensitive to blood but I just couldn't stand it, if only she was disrespectful toe I would have let her go but she she.. she was disrespectful to your majesty"
" Oh?" He replied trying to push her away but couldn't
" Yes, she said your majesty that your majesty....."
" What did she say about me" he was now angry
" I dare not say it"
" Go ahead" he urged
" She said your majesty is a puppet emperor with back bone who was just with me out for fear of the Yan family and that.... " She purposely paused to further infuse his anger.
" Continue " he seethed
" And that you value consort so much because her family had wealth " she said slowly moving back fake crying.
The emperor stormed off in anger and as soon as he left Yanhui stood and cleaned her tears smirking :
" Two can play at this game, you disgust me, I disgust you more. The former owner of this body had been well trained from childhood how to balance being a green tea and ruthless at the same time. Xiao Xiao! " She called
" Yes your majesty " she rushed in
"Next time an uninvited guest comes in, remind me first "
"Yes"
Yanhui smiled at her and asked her to bring more pastries for her to try and shared it with Xiao Xiao and Xiao Qi. Later that evening she heard concubine Yue Liang had been demoted from a concubine to a noble lady. Yanhui was disappointed at the emperor's cowardice: he couldn't even banish to the cold palace! It seemed he had some reservations against her family maybe he needed their help. Yanhui didn't care, no matter how light the punishment, it was still a punishment wasn't it? Now everyone will know she's not to be messed with. Yanhui was happy!. Her maidservant Xiao urged her to groomed herself because 'what if the emperor comes?' but Yanhui asked the silly girl not to jinx it; when the emperor's presence was announced.