Chapter 19: Butterfly

“You still dare to argue! You wretched woman! I’ll fight you to the death!”

As Qiandai finished speaking, Fenyao suddenly scrambled up from the ground and lunged at Qiandai like a madwoman.

“Hold your temper!” Lanxin barked sharply, waving her hand. A gust of wind sent Fenyao stumbling back two steps before she barely managed to steady herself.

“Fenyao, as the victim, is understandably agitated. Isn’t Second Elder’s intervention a bit too harsh?”

Tongyun shot Lanxin a sidelong glance, her tone indifferent.

“No matter the grievance, no one is allowed to act recklessly in the presence of Her Majesty the Flower King!”

Lanxin met Tongyun’s gaze head-on, her rebuttal firm and righteous.

Tongyun snorted coldly before turning her attention back to Qiandai. “I advise you to confess sooner rather than later, lest you suffer needless pain!”

“This servant is wronged!” Qiandai bowed her head, her expression one of suppressed endurance.

“You’re wronged?” Tongyun struggled to contain her rising anger, glaring at Qiandai. “Fine. Since you claim innocence, let me ask you this: Did you see Lord Gu in the Flower King’s palace early this morning?”

“This servant did. At the time, Lord Gu was apprehending an assassin!”

Qiandai’s face was utterly unflinching.

“Assassin? Hmph!” Tongyun laughed bitterly, her eyes icy. “Do you know that the so-called ‘assassin’ you speak of was none other than Fenyao, Liangyue, and Yexiang—three servants from my palace?”

Qiandai’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stared at the furious Tongyun and murmured, “How could that be?!”

“How could it not be?!” Tongyun suppressed the urge to strike Qiandai dead on the spot and continued her interrogation. “Do you plan to keep feigning ignorance and denying everything?”

“This servant is wronged!” Fenyao bowed her head, her voice trembling with grievance. “This servant went early to fetch Her Majesty’s meal but was delayed in the kitchen. When I returned, Lord Gu had already surrounded the Flower King’s chambers with his men. Fearing something had happened to Her Majesty, I rushed into the hall with the meal. But in my haste, I tripped over the threshold—the meal flew from my hands and landed on the people nearest the door!”

“Then I saw the young mistress revert to her original form. Panicked, I immediately shielded her without noticing anything else. It was then that Lord Gu told me someone had attempted to assassinate Her Majesty the Flower King!”

“Upon hearing this, I was furious—both at myself for failing to protect my mistress and at the villains who dared harm her. Without hesitation, I crippled their cultivation to prevent further harm!”

“Are you implying that I sent assassins after Her Majesty the Flower King?” Tongyun’s temper flared as she demanded an answer.

“This servant meant no such thing!” Fenyao quickly defended herself. “It was Lord Gu who claimed there were assassins, and I acted in panic!”

“Panic? You did it on purpose!” Fenyao shrieked, pointing accusingly at Qiandai.

Liangyue and Yexiang’s sobs grew louder as they kowtowed to Tongyun and Lanxin, pleading tearfully, “We beg the Elders to deliver justice for us!”

“Qiandai maliciously destroyed others’ cultivation—her heart is wicked. Considering her past service to Her Majesty, we spare her life. But though death is pardoned, punishment is unavoidable! Cripple her cultivation as retribution!”

Tongyun had no patience for further questioning and delivered the verdict outright.

“This servant refuses to accept this!” Qiandai cried out.

“Who cares if you accept it or not?!”

Tongyun sneered, her hand already glowing with power.

Yun Qingxue stood frozen nearby, her heart tightening at the perilous scene. She and Qiandai had agreed in the Flower King’s palace to pin everything on Gu Mu—yet Tongyun was dead set on blaming Qiandai!

A butterfly fluttered in from nowhere, circling aimlessly through the Golden Phoenix Palace.

“Butterfly…”

A childlike smile spread across Yun Qingxue’s previously vacant face. Her eyes fixated on the fluttering insect as if entranced, utterly oblivious to the crisis facing her loyal servant.

Just as Tongyun unleashed her spell toward Qiandai, the colorful butterfly flew straight at her.

“Butterfly… pretty… hehe…” Yun Qingxue giggled foolishly, lunging for the butterfly at the same moment Tongyun struck.

“Your Majesty, be careful!”

Gu Mu’s panicked shout echoed through the hall.

“Ah!” A woman’s pained cry followed.

“Crash!” The sound of shattering objects rang out.

Gu Mu’s hand remained outstretched mid-air as everyone in the hall stared at Yun Qingxue and Elder Tongyun.

When Tongyun had cast her spell at Qiandai, Yun Qingxue’s sudden lunge knocked her to the ground. The misdirected magic struck a nearby screen, reducing it to splinters.

The butterfly—Yun Qingxue’s excuse for tackling Tongyun—now perched atop the elder’s silken black hair.

Yun Qingxue acted as if unaware of what she’d done, her eyes still locked on the butterfly. Slowly, like a playful child, she reached out to grab it.

But just as her fingers neared the insect, Tongyun shoved her off with a forceful push.

The butterfly took flight again.

Yun Qingxue pouted, bursting into loud, childish sobs. She flailed at Tongyun, wailing, “Give me back my butterfly, you meanie! Give it back! Meanie!”

Tongyun blocked the blows, her fury barely contained.

“Your Majesty, calm yourself! Please!” Gu Mu hurriedly tried to pull Yun Qingxue away.

In his haste, his foot slipped—kicking Tongyun squarely in the waist.

“Ah!” Tongyun cried out in pain. No longer restraining herself out of deference to the Flower King’s status, she hastily cast a spell at Yun Qingxue.

“Elder, don’t harm Her Majesty!”

Gu Mu bellowed in alarm, clumsily countering with his own spell.

Lanxin frowned at the chaos and waved her hand.

A gentle breeze wrapped around Yun Qingxue, lifting her into the air. Gu Mu stepped back, leaving Tongyun sprawled on the floor in disarray.

Quick-witted maids rushed forward to help Tongyun up, straightening her disheveled robes and hair.