Chu Yunge spoke as she pounced forward to bite again.
Empress Dowager Zheng retreated repeatedly in fright, falling awkwardly to the ground with terror on her face. “Don’t come over, don’t come over!”
Chu Yunge had truly gone mad.
The eunuch hurriedly stepped forward to block her. “Your Highness, you cannot touch the Empress Dowager.”
“Get lost.” Chu Yunge kicked him away with one foot. It was he who had ruined her business earlier; otherwise, she would have succeeded.
Chu Yunge’s eyes fixed solely on Empress Dowager Zheng.
Empress Dowager Zheng looked into Chu Yunge’s eyes, crawled to her feet, and retreated nonstop. “Stop her, quickly stop her!”
The kicked eunuch ignored everything else and hugged Chu Yunge’s leg from the ground.
“Your Highness, laying hands on your mother is a capital offense. Do you want to be spurned by the entire world?”
Chu Yunge halted her step and finally glanced at the eunuch.
A flash of smugness crossed the eunuch’s androgynous face. Just as he opened his mouth again, a fierce glint appeared in Chu Yunge’s eyes.
“Pa!”
The crisp slap rang out even sharper than the one from Empress Dowager Zheng. “What are you, to dare lecture This Princess?”
The princess had personally witnessed how this dog thing served the Empress Dowager. That scene had left a massive psychological shadow on the princess, and she had long wanted to dispose of him but never succeeded.
This dog thing was extremely vigilant and often whispered slander in the Empress Dowager’s ear to target her.
The princess had long wanted to slap this dog thing, and Chu Yunge had no intention of holding back.
“This Princess can’t hit Mother Empress, right? Then you’ll bear This Princess’s fury.”
Chu Yunge delivered slap after slap, even deliberately twisting the ring on her hand to scratch his pride-and-joy face.
Feeling the unusual pain on his face, the dazed eunuch snapped back to attention. A fierce light flashed in his eyes as he reached out.
In the next instant, Yan Feng kicked him flying.
Even a eunuch dared to act rudely toward the princess. It was intolerable.
The eunuch smashed into the wall and spat out a “pu” with a mouthful of blood.
Empress Dowager Zheng clutched her blood-soaked arm and watched the scene, so furious she couldn’t speak for the moment.
Since becoming Empress Dowager, she had never endured such humiliation. For an instant, she even thought she was trapped in an absurd nightmare.
But the pain in her arm and on her head told her it was no dream.
“Jin Yun!”
Seeing the eunuch vomiting blood, Empress Dowager Zheng trembled all over.
“Chu Yunge, you’ve gone mad. You’ve truly gone mad!”
Chu Yunge had been shaking out her hand. It hurt like hell.
Yan Feng clenched his teeth to hold back, barely stopping himself from stepping forward to blow on it for her.
Just as he hesitated, Empress Dowager Zheng spoke again. He frowned at her words.
Chu Yunge, however, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Jin Yun, hahaha, Jing Yun.”
Chu Yunge had accidentally recalled the classic line, “I want you to call my name, Jing Yun… ha…” She couldn’t hold back her laughter.
She pictured the eunuch embracing the Empress Dowager, forcing her to shout his name with a lecherous grin on his face. Chu Yunge pointed at them, laughing so hard she couldn’t stop.
But with the red blood still staining her mouth, the sight was utterly eerie.
Empress Dowager Zheng’s anger hadn’t faded, but this scene terrified her completely.
Chu Yunge had truly gone mad.
Jin Yun, finally recovering, touched the scar on his face and let out a shrill cry. “Empress Dowager!”
“Shut up, so noisy.” Chu Yunge laughed her fill and shook her still-throbbing hand.
“Dog thing, how is your face so thick-skinned? You hurt This Princess’s hand. Slap yourself thirty times.”
Empress Dowager Zheng stared at Chu Yunge in disbelief. “You…”
Before she finished, Chu Yunge lunged forward, seized Empress Dowager Zheng, bared her sharp teeth, and whispered sinisterly in her ear.
“My dear Mother Empress, he’s served you for so many years. Aren’t you tired of him? You’re truly devoted. If Father Emperor’s spirit in heaven knew, he’d probably be gratified.”
Empress Dowager Zheng’s face twisted further. “You!”
Chu Yunge pressed accurately on the bite wound through her clothes.
“Mother Empress, remember this: you and your good son need This Princess. You’ll beg This Princess and can’t do without her.”
Her expression turned icy. “If you dare strike without distinguishing right from wrong again, today was just a small lesson. Next time…”
Chu Yunge pressed on Empress Dowager Zheng’s carotid artery. “This Princess will bite right here.”
“After biting you to death, This Princess will kill Imperial Brother too, so you can reunite in hell.”
Empress Dowager Zheng screamed in agony from the pressure on her wound, but those words choked her cries instantly.
Gazing into Chu Yunge’s eyes, Empress Dowager Zheng felt chills rack her spine. She seemed to mean it.
Empress Dowager Zheng was utterly terrified and yielded. She was only in her thirties; her good days weren’t over. How could she bear to die?
“You…”
After two failed “you”s, Empress Dowager Zheng whipped her head toward Jin Yun.
“Didn’t you hear the princess tell you to slap your mouth?”
Jin Yun’s face drained of color, disbelief etched across it, but he dared not refuse.
After he finished, his face was a gruesome mess.
Worse still, once he was done, Empress Dowager Zheng didn’t dare stir trouble. No matter his misery, she hurried away.
If the Chu Emperor didn’t need Chu Yunge, she could have done plenty. But now, she held back for fear of harming something valuable.
Empress Dowager Zheng slunk away like a whipped dog.
The hall, moments ago filled with chaos and screams, fell utterly silent.
Yan Feng looked at Chu Yunge. “Your Highness.” His tone was cautious.
Chu Yunge gaped her mouth. “Ahhh, so disgusting. Quick, I need to rinse, rinse my mouth!”
Yan Feng hurriedly brought her teacup over, then fetched the teapot.
Chu Yunge rinsed repeatedly. Yan Feng carefully wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth.
“Done, Your Highness. It’s all gone.”
“Still gross.”
Jimo immediately brought rinsing tools. Chu Yunge sent Yan Feng out and cleaned again.
Yan Feng waited obediently outside, listening to Chu Yunge and Jimo’s conversation. He thought silently that Her Highness seemed normal again.
But upon seeing Chu Yunge, he still asked, “Your Highness, are you alright?”
Chu Yunge waved him off. “Of course I’m fine. I just lost it for a bit.”
“Losing it works on some people. Don’t worry. I’m a little crazy, but not totally gone. I’m still clear-headed.”
Whether against the Chu Emperor or Empress Dowager Zheng, ordinary methods were useless. Dragging others in would only implicate them. The best approach was for her to handle it herself.
She had experience dealing with them.
Yan Feng hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue. Her Highness seemed indifferent, but why did his chest feel so stuffy?
He had no father or mother, no family or country. Taking beatings and abuse was par for the course.
But Her Highness had a mother and brother—even the most noble princess. Everyone said she was deeply favored, so why suffer beatings and humiliation?
How could a mother treat her own daughter this way?
“Has Your Highness been struck by her before?”
Chu Yunge glanced at Yan Feng. “What? Been hit and you want to avenge This Princess? Don’t take stupid risks.”
“Rest assured, it was rare before. This Princess was obedient back then.”
Though the princess caused trouble, she was firmly under their thumb. Empress Dowager Zheng and the Chu Emperor had teamed up to gaslight her, so they rarely laid hands on her.
“Tonight wasn’t your fault for blocking.”
Chu Yunge stepped up to inspect Yan Feng’s face. “Does it hurt?”
“This subordinate is fine.” Yan Feng paused. “But that’s because my flesh is thick. Your Highness must never take a hit.”
He feared that saying it didn’t hurt would make her careless.