Xia Wei’s hand froze mid‑air. Though the woman wore a palace maid’s attire, her gaze was so commanding that the slap simply could not fall.
Jiang Nian shielded Lian Zhi behind her, calmly declaring: “Lian Zhi is mine. Without my order, let’s see who dares touch her.”
Anyone who could enter His Majesty’s tent was no ordinary person. The guards dared not advance, and Xia Wei lowered her hand.
Xu Wanqing stared hard, unable to place which consort this might be. If not from the palace, then surely some lowly maid who had climbed into His Majesty’s bed these past days. No wonder His Majesty seemed different—he must have been bewitched by this vixen. Her anger flared: “Just a bed‑climbing slut, yet you dare strut before me? Truly courting death. Since you don’t understand palace rules, I’ll teach you today what rank and hierarchy mean. Guards, drag this maid out and beat her to death. I’ll see how you protect her then.”
The guards hesitated, caught between Consort Xu and this unknown woman.
Xu Wanqing’s eyes swept over them: “Why do you stand idle? I am one of the Four Consorts, with the right to punish. Delay, and when His Majesty returns, I’ll have him execute you all!”
His Majesty’s favor toward Consort Xu was well known. The guards, unwilling to risk it, pressed forward to drag Lianzhi away.
Jiang Nian could not stop them. After a moment’s thought, she spoke: “If the Four Consorts may only punish those of lower rank, then I too am one of the Four Consorts. What right has Consort Xu to punish my maid?”
The air froze. Xu Wanqing was stunned. Among the Four Consorts were herself, Consort Su, Consort Yuan, and the rarely seen Consort Jiang.
She had heard rumors that Consort Jiang, desperate to regain favor, would stoop to anything. To think she would even disguise her maid as herself—truly a vixen’s trick.
Recovering, Xu Wanqing sneered: “Hah, so what? Even if I cannot punish you, can I not punish your maid? Guards, move!”
But now that the guards knew the woman’s identity, they refused. This was Consort Jiang. No matter how favored Consort Xu was now, she could not outweigh Consort Jiang’s former glory. They weighed the matter carefully.
Seeing her order ignored, Xu Wanqing clenched her trembling fists: “A maid offending a consort is unforgivable. Even His Majesty would punish her. Do you truly mean to offend me for her sake? Remember, Jiang Consort is but a faded, discarded woman. Whether she regains favor is uncertain.”
Yet the woman before them, bare‑faced and still breathtaking, hardly matched the image of a faded beauty. The guards did not agree with Xu Wanqing’s words, but one point was true: a maid offending a consort was indeed punishable.
After a pause, the captain decided: “Forgive us, Consort Jiang. By palace law, a maid of one consort may be punished by another of equal rank. Please do not make it hard for us.”
The matter seemed settled. Xu Wanqing lifted her head, triumphant.
But Jiang Nian looked steadily at them and said: “I hold a title bestowed by His Majesty. By palace law, a titled consort outranks one without. Consort Xu has no right to punish my maid.”
Among the consorts, only the Empress held a title. This rule had long been forgotten, but it still stood.
The guards had no grounds to seize Lian Zhi.
“Consort Xu, by palace law, we cannot touch Consort Jiang’s maid.”
Xu Wanqing’s fury blazed anew: “She claims a title and you believe her? Fools, all of you, so easily deceived. Fine—if you won’t act, I will. Xia Wei, summon the guards my father assigned to protect me. Tonight I’ll deal with this discarded consort myself.”
Xia Wei hurried: “Yes, my lady. They’re nearby—I’ll fetch them at once.” She shot Lian Zhi a glare before running out of the tent.
“Your Ladyship…” Lian Zhi tugged at Jiang Nian’s sleeve, frightened. She had long heard that Consort Xu was ruthless—if she truly summoned the Xu family guards, they would surely suffer.
Jiang Nian patted Lian Zhi’s hand reassuringly: “Don’t be afraid. I am here.”
Yet when Xia Wei returned with four Xu family guards, Lian Zhi instinctively pressed closer to her mistress, ready to shield her if danger struck.
“What orders does the young lady have?”
Xu Wanqing, impatient, commanded at once: “This lowly maid has offended me. Cut off her hands and feet.”
“Yes!” The four guards’ eyes hardened, fixing on the girl being protected. Jiang Nian stepped in front of Lian Zhi, retreating until her back pressed against the tent’s beam. From her left waist, a cold sword flashed out, gleaming with icy light. But before it could strike, a sudden dart shattered the blade in an instant.
The guards drew their swords, forming a protective wall around Consort Xu.
“Consort Xu,” a voice rang out, “bringing your family’s guards to storm His Majesty’s tent—what is the meaning of this?”
The curtain lifted slightly. First a mantis‑like stride, then a lean, disciplined waist, a badge at his side engraved with the words *Imperial Guard*. Finally, his cold, stern face and furrowed brows came into view.
The palace guards recognized him at once, bowing in unison: “Guard Xu Zhengchun!”
The Emperor’s foremost bodyguard. Xu Wanqing had seen him before, though only in passing. To encounter him here was unexpected. But what of it? He was only a guard. She was a favored consort—she could not retreat because of a mere servant’s words.
“I only saw a maid trying to steal and, in my haste, summoned my guards,” she explained.
Xu Zhengchun replied evenly: “These two are not thieves. They are Consort Jiang and her maid. The white fox is His Majesty’s gift. Now that you know, Consort Xu, you may return. If His Majesty finds you barging in with guards, the consequences will not be light.”
His words carried a warning. Xu Wanqing watched as Xu Zhengchun stepped forward to shield Jiang Nian, her heart spinning with rage and humiliation. Why? Why did everyone side with Jiang Nian?
The palace guards, now the Emperor’s personal guard—everyone protected her. Yet she was the favored consort, daughter of General Xu, whose father commanded the armies in every campaign. And still, she was treated with disrespect. Blood surged hotly through her veins. Eyes blazing, she shouted: “Fine, fine, fine! You all conspire to help her? Then I’ll act myself. My Xu family has won countless victories. My father is the great general. And today, I refuse to be bullied by a discarded consort’s maid!”
She tore the hairpin from her head and lunged at Lian Zhi.
Xu Zhengchun, though guarding Consort Jiang, dared not truly harm Consort Xu. In that split second, she and Lian Zhi grappled together.
Born of a military family, Xu Wanqing’s strength outweighed Lian Zhi’s. With a shove, Lian Zhi fell to the ground, the hairpin aimed straight for her eye.
Jiang Nian threw herself over Lian Zhi, shielding her tightly. But Xu Wanqing twisted the hairpin’s aim—from the eye to the chest.
“Die!”
Jiang Nian shut her eyes, biting her lip, bracing for the piercing pain.
Yet after a long moment, no agony came. Instead, a crisp crack echoed through the tent. Jiang Nian opened her eyes—the hairpin lay broken in two upon the floor.
Xu Wanqing, moments ago furious, now stood frozen, staring at the doorway. There, clad in deep black robes, the Emperor himself stood tall. A faint laugh escaped his lips: “General Xu, you have indeed raised a fine daughter.”