Tong Yun once again looked arrogantly at Qian Dai.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
Qian Dai lowered her head. “This servant has nothing more to say. I only hope the Grand Elder will uphold justice for His Majesty the Flower King!”
“Hmph!” Tong Yun snorted coldly. “Qian Dai! As His Majesty’s personal attendant, regardless of the reason for his injury, you are guilty of dereliction of duty. Do you accept punishment?”
“Grand Elder, until the one who harmed His Majesty is found, this servant cannot rest easy!”
Qian Dai raised her head, fearlessly meeting Tong Yun’s beautiful face.
“Unwilling to submit?” Tong Yun bent down, her fair and slender fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, gripping Qian Dai’s chin. “Do you even have the right to be defiant?”
As she spoke, Tong Yun exerted a slight force, and a red light shot from her fingertips. Qian Dai was struck by the red light and sent flying backward like a sack, crashing heavily against the palace wall. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, a testament to the severity of Tong Yun’s attack.
“Bad person!” Yun Qingxue suddenly shrieked in a muffled voice, rushing forward like a madwoman and shoving Tong Yun to the ground. She grabbed Tong Yun’s hair like a shrew, pulling wildly.
Perhaps Yun Qingxue’s attack was too sudden, or perhaps neither Tong Yun nor her attendants had expected the seemingly foolish Flower King to suddenly lash out. In their shock, no one thought to use magic. Tong Yun’s once-elegant hairstyle was instantly turned into a disheveled mess, her dignified aura completely shattered.
“Stupid fool! Let go of the Grand Elder!” Fen Yao snapped out of her daze and rushed over to pull Yun Qingxue away, but Yun Qingxue stubbornly clung to Tong Yun’s hair, refusing to release her.
“Stupid fool! Let go now!” When Fen Yao couldn’t pry Yun Qingxue off, she began pinching her.
Yun Qingxue yelped in pain and released Tong Yun, allowing the maids who had accompanied Tong Yun to quickly help her up.
But as soon as Yun Qingxue let go of Tong Yun, she turned her attention to Fen Yao. While the others were busy assisting Tong Yun, she swiftly and sharply slapped Fen Yao across the face.
*Slap!*
The sound was crisp and loud.
A red mark immediately bloomed on Fen Yao’s fair cheek. Meanwhile, Tong Yun, who had been pushed down and had her hair pulled into a tangled mess by Yun Qingxue, was now standing with the help of her maids. However, her disheveled, bird’s-nest-like hairstyle made her look nothing like the haughty and aloof Grand Elder she had been moments ago.
“Stupid fool! How dare you hit me?!” Fen Yao glared at Yun Qingxue with eyes full of hatred, but before she could finish speaking, another slap landed on her face.
This time, it wasn’t Yun Qingxue who struck her—it was Qian Dai, despite her injuries.
“What kind of lowly thing are you to dare disrespect His Majesty the Flower King?” Though wounded, Qian Dai’s voice was firm and unyielding.
Tong Yun, supported by her attendants, had a faint red glow flickering at her fingertips.
Qian Dai shielded Yun Qingxue behind her, fearlessly meeting the gaze of the disgraced Grand Elder. Her heroic spirit was undeniable.
“Grand Elder! Since ancient times, the Flower and Wood Clan has upheld the distinction between nobility and servitude. Even if our young master is childlike, she carries the noble bloodline of the Star Blue Peony Clan—the natural ruler of our people. Even without magic, she is not someone to be belittled!”
The red glow at Tong Yun’s fingertips dissipated as she glared coldly at Fen Yao. This fool had handed Qian Dai a perfect excuse to challenge her. She could have openly favored Fen Yao when Qian Dai complained, but now, Fen Yao’s insults against Yun Qingxue had been heard by everyone.
Though Tong Yun currently governed the Flower and Wood Clan in the Flower King’s stead, she was not the true ruler. Qian Dai’s reminder of hierarchy instantly suppressed her. Upon reflection, even her earlier attack on Qian Dai had been an act of insubordination—because regardless of whether Yun Qingxue held real power, she was still the Flower King, and Qian Dai was her personal attendant. As the saying goes, “Even when beating a dog, one must consider its master.”
Having grown accustomed to wielding power, Tong Yun had momentarily forgotten herself.
Humiliated by someone she considered a fool yet unable to retaliate due to Yun Qingxue’s status, Tong Yun’s pride burned with fury. Her sharp gaze at Fen Yao darkened with suppressed rage.
Fen Yao trembled under Tong Yun’s glare and dropped to her knees. “Grand Elder, this servant spoke without thinking!”
“Hmph! Disrespecting His Majesty the Flower King is not something you can dismiss with a careless excuse!” Tong Yun snapped, the red glow at her fingertips flaring once more. Like living tendrils, the light wrapped around Fen Yao’s body.
Fen Yao cried out in fear. “Grand Elder, this servant has always been loyal to you! Please spare me! Ah—!”
Her agonized scream echoed through the hall.
“Fen Yao has committed insubordination. As punishment, she shall lose a century of cultivation!” Tong Yun declared coldly before turning her gaze to Yun Qingxue.
“Does His Majesty the Flower King find this punishment satisfactory?”
Still playing the fool, Yun Qingxue naturally couldn’t respond. She simply tugged weakly at Qian Dai’s sleeve, whimpering pitifully, “Hungry… so hungry…”
“Your Majesty, please endure a little longer. This servant will fetch you some food soon,” Qian Dai soothed gently, as if comforting a child.
“Since His Majesty has no objections, Tong Yun shall take her leave.”
The Grand Elder, her pride wounded, gave a perfunctory bow to the oblivious Yun Qingxue before storming out of the palace with her entourage in tow.
Only after they had been gone for a while did Qian Dai finally relax slightly. She coughed up another mouthful of blood, swaying unsteadily on her feet.
Yun Qingxue quickly steadied her, concern in her voice. “Are you alright?”
Qian Dai smiled weakly. “This servant is fine. A little rest and some spiritual energy will suffice. Your Majesty need not worry.”
“Let me help you over there.” Yun Qingxue gestured toward the divan in the hall.
“No need. Your Majesty need only help this servant to that chair for a moment.” Qian Dai pointed to a high-backed chair at the side of the hall.
“In your condition, you should lie down and rest,” Yun Qingxue insisted, guiding her toward the divan.
Qian Dai resisted. “This servant cannot!”
Yun Qingxue stopped and glared at her. “You can barely stand, yet you claim you’re fine?”
“Regardless, this servant will not lie there!” Qian Dai frowned.
“Reason?” Yun Qingxue pointed at the divan. “Is there something wrong with it?”
“No.” Qian Dai shook her head.
“Then why?” Yun Qingxue crossed her arms. “Unless you give me a proper explanation, you *will* rest there.”
Under Yun Qingxue’s firm gaze, Qian Dai lowered her head. “Because… that is Your Majesty’s divan. This servant… has no right to use it.”
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