Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 102 Openly Defying the Imperial Decree! Ye Huang sneered: Attend to the sick? This humble woman's medical skills are lacking!

March 18th, just past noon.

Outside Phoenix Perch Villa, the various "eyes" hidden on street corners, behind trees, and even in the teahouse across the street suddenly stirred.

A group of about twenty palace guards, dressed in gleaming armor and with swords at their waists, marched in unison with heavy, uniform steps, directly to the gate of the villa.

At the head of the procession was a middle-aged eunuch dressed in purple robes, holding a whisk, with a solemn expression. He was none other than the Deputy Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household, Eunuch Gao.

"Imperial decree arrives—Madam Yehuang, owner of Jiangnan Jinxiufang, receive the decree!"

The high-pitched announcement pierced through the walls, carrying an unquestionable royal authority.

The gatekeeper of the villa was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he scrambled inside to report.

Inside the warm pavilion, Shen Qingci was looking at the first batch of secret reports sent by Mo Shisan regarding the reactions from all sides after last night's palace banquet.

Eunuch Li stood to one side, while Jinshu accompanied Bao'er to play tangrams in the inner room.

Upon hearing the report, Eunuch Li's white eyebrows furrowed slightly: "They've arrived very quickly."

Shen Qingci's expression remained unchanged. He brought the note in his hand close to the candle flame, lit it, and watched it turn to ashes.

He said calmly, "Out of embarrassment or... perhaps I'm just grasping at straws. Please wait in the front hall, Eunuch Gao, while I change my clothes and come."

She rose and walked slowly into the inner room. Jinshu quickly followed to serve her.

Bao'er looked up and asked curiously, "Mommy, who's here?"

"A eunuch in the palace."

Shen Qingci changed into the slightly formal red dress she had worn at the palace banquet that day.

She wore no jewelry, only loosely tied her long hair up with a plain silver hairpin.

"Bao'er, play with Aunt Jinshu here. Mother will be right back."

"Oh." Bao'er nodded obediently, then lowered her head to fiddle with the wooden blocks.

When Shen Qingci arrived at the front hall, Eunuch Gao was already getting impatient, but he still maintained a respectful demeanor.

Seeing Shen Qingci emerge, he cleared his throat, unfurled the bright yellow scroll in his hand, and proclaimed loudly:

"Lady Yehuang, receive the imperial decree—"

All the servants in the hall, including Eunuch Li, bowed their heads.

Only Shen Qingci remained standing upright, only bowing her head slightly as a gesture of courtesy.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eunuch Gao caught a glimpse of it, his heart skipped a beat, but he dared not say a word and could only recite the text:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have recently fallen slightly ill, and remembering Lady Yehuang of Jiangnan, who is renowned for her benevolence and may even be skilled in medicine, I hereby summon Lady Yehuang, along with her son Nangong Yue, to the palace immediately to attend to my illness. This is my decree—"

After reading it aloud, Eunuch Gao closed the imperial edict, presented it with both hands, and put on his usual slightly arrogant smile:

"Lady Yehuang, His Majesty's grace is an immense honor. Please accept the decree; the palanquin is already waiting outside."

To care for someone who is ill?

Bringing a child into the palace?

Shen Qingci sneered inwardly.

Nangong Ye's move was much more "respectable" than simply sending people to arrest him.

Under the guise of "serving the sick," they legitimately brought her and her son into the palace and placed them under their very noses.

Were they afraid she would run away? Or did they want to confirm something more closely?

Or perhaps... that spitting out blood made him panic, and he wanted to use this method to forcibly pull her back to the position of "Shen Qingci"?

pity.

She was no longer the deposed empress in the deep palace who could be manipulated at will and whose life and death could be decided by a single decree.

She did not accept the bright yellow imperial edict.

He merely raised his eyes to look at Eunuch Gao, a very faint, almost polite smile even appearing on his lips, his voice clear and steady:

"You've worked hard, Grandpa Gao."

Eunuch Gao's smile froze slightly, and he held the imperial edict forward a little further: "Madam, please receive the edict."

Shen Qingci seemed not to notice and continued, "Please inform His Majesty."

She paused, speaking each word clearly and slowly, making sure everyone inside and outside the hall could hear her:

"I am a merchant with some knowledge of business, but I know nothing about medicine. My medical skills are poor."

Your Majesty's body is of utmost importance, but your health is not good. The imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital will take meticulous care of you.

If a commoner were to rashly enter the palace to serve Your Majesty, it would not only be of no benefit to Your Majesty's health, but would also disturb Your Majesty's presence, which would be unseemly.

"I would never dare to bear such guilt."

!!!

The smile on Eunuch Gao's face froze completely, and his hand holding the imperial edict began to tremble slightly.

He...he didn't hear wrong, did he?

This Lady Ye Huang actually... actually openly defied the imperial decree?!

And they even came up with such a high-sounding reason?!

Incompetent medical skills? Fear of alarming His Majesty?!

This is absolutely ridiculous!

His Majesty appointed her to attend to him while he was ill; was it because of her superior medical skills?!

The hall was completely silent.

All the servants held their breath, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

A barely perceptible hint of admiration flashed across Eunuch Li's lowered eyes.

Shen Qingci seemed oblivious to the sudden change in Gao Gonggong's expression, her tone remaining calm, even carrying a hint of negotiation:

"If Your Majesty is considerate of this humble woman's long journey, and remembers our past... and the small contributions we made in Jiangnan, and wishes to visit and comfort her—"

She paused deliberately, omitting the unspoken word "old," before continuing:

"I think it is appropriate to follow the custom of foreign noblewomen entering the palace to pay their respects, and choose an auspicious day to hold a banquet in a certain palace garden to meet them."

In this way, His Majesty's favor is fulfilled, and the ancestral rites and regulations are also in accordance with. What do you think, Your Excellency?

Regulations for wives of officials outside the capital?!

Meeting in public?!

Grandpa Gao could hardly believe his ears!

This is more than just disobeying an imperial order!

This is a blatant attempt to distance themselves from His Majesty!

They forcibly twisted His Majesty's private decree to "attend to the ailing emperor" into a public and regulated " audience with the ladies of the court"!

She was telling His Majesty, and everyone else: I, Ye Huang (Shen Qingci), am not your concubine, nor even a subject you can summon at will.

I am merely a "woman of high rank" with some merit. If I am to be seen, I must follow the rules and meet her in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone!

This is simply... utterly outrageous! Utterly arrogant!

Eunuch Gao turned pale with rage, his voice shrill: "Lady Yehuang! This is His Majesty's own decree! His words are law! How dare you... how dare you evade and prevaricate like this! Disobeying an imperial edict is a capital offense!"

He practically roared out the last three words, with the sharp, eunuch-like quality that echoed through the silent hall, sending chills down one's spine.

The guards outside the door seemed to have heard the commotion inside; their hands gripped the hilts of their swords, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Shen Qingci didn't even raise an eyebrow.

She even took a small step forward, getting closer to the bright yellow imperial edict, and calmly met the angry gaze of Eunuch Gao.

"You flatter me, Father-in-law."

Her voice was still not loud, but it carried a strange, icy penetrating power, suppressing the weak and intimidating roar of Eunuch Gao.

"This humble woman is not disobeying the imperial decree. His Majesty has decreed that this humble woman bring her son to the palace to 'attend to the sick.'"

I, a commoner, believe I am not capable of such an act and dare not obey the imperial decree. This is out of respect for Your Majesty's health. How can this be considered "evasion" or "prevarication"?

As for the suggestion of "official wives paying their respects," it is merely a humble opinion of this commoner, made for the sake of Your Majesty's dignity and in accordance with etiquette.

Whether to adopt or not is entirely up to His Majesty's discretion.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the hands of the guards outside the door, which were resting on their sword hilts. A hint of coldness crept into the faint smile on her lips.

"But you, sir, His Majesty was only 'slightly ill,' yet you led your armored soldiers straight into the private residence of a commoner, loudly rebuking him and threatening him with death."

Those who know say that you, Father-in-law, are on a mission ordered by imperial decree, and they are extremely anxious.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was some kind of bandit trying to take advantage of the "meritorious officials" who were trying to curry favor with His Majesty.

Those words sound so casual.

Yet every word pierced the heart!

It not only points out that Eunuch Gao's visit with the imperial guards was an overstepping of bounds and a coercive act, but also implies that he was using his official duties to show off his power, and even suggests that he might have ulterior motives!

Grandpa Gao trembled violently, as if struck by lightning, and all color drained from his face.

He suddenly realized that the woman in front of him was no longer a palace concubine he could easily manipulate or intimidate.

She's a ruthless character who dares to confront even Prime Minister Liu in court and openly "toast" even His Majesty!

In her eyes, his behavior just now was probably like that of a clown jumping around!

"You...you..." Eunuch Gao pointed at Shen Qingci, his fingers trembling violently, but he could no longer utter a single harsh word.

Shen Qingci stopped looking at him and turned to Eunuch Li, who stood to the side and seemed old and senile, saying, "Uncle Fu, Eunuch Gao has come a long way and must be tired. Take fifty taels of silver for him and the other soldiers to have tea. See them out."

Eunuch Li bowed: "Yes, Madam."

Watching Shen Qingci resolutely turn around and walk towards the inner courtyard, Eunuch Gao watched her red figure disappear.

Looking again at the imperial edict in his hand, which seemed to weigh a ton but could not be sent out, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

With a pale face, he bowed stiffly and symbolically toward Shen Qingci's back.

Then, clutching the scroll of imperial edict that no one was going to accept, he led the group of guards who had come with great momentum but now seemed somewhat bewildered, and slunk away from Phoenix Perch Villa.

The door slowly closed, shutting out countless prying eyes from the outside.

Jinshu hurried out from the inner courtyard, her face pale, and whispered, "Miss, such a firm refusal... I'm afraid His Majesty will..."

Shen Qingci stood under the eaves, gazing at a newly blooming white magnolia in the courtyard, her gaze distant.

"The more anxious and angry he gets, the more mistakes he will make."

Her voice was icy.

"This decree is less of an order and more of a test, a bait."

He wanted to see if I would be afraid, if I would give in, if I would... still have feelings for him and willingly return to that cage.

She withdrew her gaze and looked at Jinshu: "If I accept, it means I'm acknowledging the title of 'attendant to the sick,' tacitly agreeing to my old relationship with him, and giving him the opportunity to control me and Bao'er. From now on, I'll be passive at every turn."

"Therefore, this line must be drawn clearly. From how we address each other, to our etiquette, to how we meet... I want everyone, especially him, to understand—"

Shen Qingci spoke each word clearly and distinctly:

"Shen Qingci is dead."

"The one who is alive is Ye Huang."

"And he, Nangong Ye, wants to see me, wants to see his son..."

"You have to do it my way."