“Manman, you hold the Fengyin and manage the Liugong. You know what to do, so I won’t say more.”
Nanny Xia, who was by the Empress Dowager’s side, pulled over a chair and helped her sit down. The Empress Dowager continued to look elsewhere, turning her prayer beads in her hand.
Li Manman smiled and nodded, then stepped forward slowly. Her slender wrist brushed over the cold surface of the table as she sneered at Su Tuan’er.
“Do you want to know how the woman who tried to climb onto the Emperor’s Longchuang last time died?”
She picked up a pair of iron tongs and held them up to examine them.
Little bitch, let’s see if she doesn’t kill her tonight!
Su Tuan’er shrank her neck and said weakly, “To answer Your Highness Huangguifei, this humble daughter… does not wish to know.”
Curiosity killed the cat. If she wasn’t curious, she wouldn’t die.
Li Manman’s brows furrowed.
She clearly hadn’t expected Su Tuan’er to react this way. She had assumed the girl would immediately burst into tears and beg for mercy…
She stared straight at Su Tuan’er, drawing out her words: “The hour is still early. Let me tell you, so you can die knowing exactly what’s coming.”
Su Tuan’er said, “Your Highness might as well tell me how you plan to kill me instead. I’m more interested in that.”
Li Manman’s brows furrowed again.
At this point, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but glance at Su Tuan’er as well.
The moment she looked, her brows suddenly knitted tightly. She shot up from her chair and strode quickly toward Su Tuan’er.
When her eyes took in that stunningly beautiful face, her gaze froze. A flicker of shock passed through her eyes before they gradually turned icy cold.
These features bore a striking resemblance to someone from her memory…
Nanny Xia beside her wore the same expression.
“Someone! Drag this girl out and beat her to death immediately! Hurry!”
The Empress Dowager’s voice trembled slightly.
Su Tuan’er was utterly bewildered. The Empress Dowager had such a strong reaction after just a few glances at her—could it be because she was too beautiful and the Empress Dowager was jealous?
Li Manman stood frozen on the spot, iron tongs in hand. She hadn’t even used a single one of the torture instruments she’d prepared, and the Empress Dowager was already rushing to dispose of this girl?
Soon, the two guards from before walked over and hauled Su Tuan’er out by her arms.
Just as Su Tuan’er thought she was about to die, a towering, imposing figure appeared at the entrance of Yangxin Hall. He radiated an innate nobility that brooked no violation.
The bright yellow Mangpao under the dim light wasn’t glaring, yet it still couldn’t suppress the majesty befitting a sovereign, forcing all who looked upon him to avert their eyes.
“Mother, why do you want to have her beaten to death?”
Gu Yanbei stood there, his tall frame straight as a pine. Candlelight, starlight, and moonlight fell upon him, making him appear as serene as a clear sky after rain, yet laced with an indescribable danger.
“This girl has committed an offense that tarnishes the royal family’s dignity—a crime punishable by death. Having her beaten to death is already showing the General’s Mansion ample face by leaving her body intact!” The Empress Dowager’s eyes darkened. “Does the Emperor have objections?”
Gu Yanbei’s expression remained calm: “What if I said that tonight’s matter was something I initiated…”
“What did you say?!” The Empress Dowager swayed and nearly lost her footing.
The iron tongs in Li Manman’s hand clattered to the ground with a sharp ring.
Su Tuan’er’s mind was in a daze. This man had been ready to swallow her whole just moments ago—what madness had possessed him to say something that made her jaw drop?
There were many rumors about him circulating among the common folk—that he was a master of unpredictable temperament, impossible to fathom. One minute you might be sitting happily with him drinking tea, and the next, he’d slit your throat with a single stroke.
“Emperor, do you have any idea what you’re saying?!”
The Empress Dowager clenched the prayer beads in her hand, speaking word by word.