The one who struck at Fan Hua was none other than Ming Yue.
Originally, she didn't want to cause trouble in the Imperial Kitchen. The place was too small, and her rank wasn't high enough.
Even if she demolished the entire Imperial Kitchen, it wouldn't be a grave offense, far from what she intended.
She just wanted to find something to eat and ask for directions.
Then, she would head to the Imperial Household Department to enact her death-seeking plan.
Who would have thought that Fan Hua would continuously insult the Wu Man Kingdom?
She even threatened to beat Yan Liu, a fellow Wu Man, to death and feed her to the dogs.
Ming Yue couldn't stand it any longer. She was the princess of the Wu Man Kingdom, and it was her responsibility to protect its people.
Moreover, in this foreign land, she had finally met someone from her homeland.
How could she stand by and watch Yan Liu be beaten to death?
So, she raised her hand, and the dagger hidden in her sleeve spun through the air, slashing towards Fan Hua's throat.
Consort Zheng was the daughter of a military family and had practiced martial arts since childhood.
Fan Hua had grown up with her, so she was no ordinary person.
Although she hadn't expected anyone to dare attack her in the deep palace, disregarding Consort Zheng's influence, she remained calm. She leaned back.
Her upper body was almost parallel to the ground, narrowly dodging the sharp dagger.
"Who are you? Which palace are you from? Whose master do you serve?
How dare you commit assault with a weapon in the inner palace? Seize her!
If she resists, kill her on the spot. There's no need to involve the Department of Judicial Punishment."
Having narrowly escaped, Fan Hua broke out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, her reaction was quick; otherwise, she would have lost her life.
She straightened her body and watched as the spinning dagger circled the room before landing in the hand of a cold, alluring woman.
The woman wore a yellow robe and a white skirt, her hair simply tied up, with no adornments.
Her attire and hairstyle were not typical of the palace, making her identity unclear, which piqued Fan Hua's curiosity.
However, she still reprimanded Ming Yue from a superior position, with Consort Zheng as her backing.
Besides the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, she didn't believe there was anyone in the palace she couldn't afford to offend.
Changning Palace was far from Lanyue Palace, and she hadn't seen what happened that morning.
Therefore, she didn't recognize Ming Yue as the newly enfeoffed Empress.
"With just that sentence, I can kill you."
Ming Yue had always been someone who preferred action to words and was too lazy to explain that she was the Empress of the Central Palace.
She caught the dagger as it flew back and then lunged forward.
Mid-air, she raised her right foot and kicked towards Fan Hua.
Fan Hua had no time to question Ming Yue's identity and crossed her arms, attempting to block the kick.
As a result, an overwhelming force struck her, sending her body flying more than ten meters away.
"What are you all waiting for? Attack together and kill this slut!"
Fan Hua lay on the ground, feeling as if her body had fallen apart. She couldn't even get up.
She hadn't expected Ming Yue to be so strong, knocking her down with a single kick.
Enraged, she ordered the people of Changning Palace to gang up on Ming Yue.
The servants of Changning Palace, relying on Consort Zheng's influence, always acted with impunity within the palace.
When had they ever been bullied like this? They immediately grabbed their weapons and charged forward.
However, their martial arts were mere superficial displays, not even as good as Fan Hua's.
In the ensuing melee, figures were constantly sent flying.
In the end, only Ming Yue stood there, while everyone who had attacked her lay on the ground.
Their bodies were covered in wounds, and blood stained the ground.
"A bunch of sycophantic servants who aided evil. I'll cripple your hands and feet.
Let's see if you dare to commit evil again."
Ming Yue's face was as cold as frost. She walked towards Fan Hua with her dagger.
When the fight began, Feng Tang took the opportunity to lead the people of the Imperial Kitchen and the maidservant Yan Liu to the corner of the wall.
Hearing Ming Yue's words and seeing the groaning servants of Changning Palace scattered on the ground, they trembled uncontrollably.
Because he noticed that the tendons in the hands and feet of those who had fought Ming Yue were all severed.
He didn't know who Ming Yue was, why she was in the Imperial Kitchen, or why she had intervened to save them.
But he knew they had gotten into big trouble with Ming Yue.
Given Consort Zheng's protective nature, she wouldn't let this matter rest.
Feng Tang's eyes were fixed on the doorway, his expression filled with anxiety.
"Don't come any closer! What do you want?
I'm from Changning Palace! If you dare to harm me, Consort Zheng will not let you go."
Seeing that Ming Yue had disabled more than a dozen people from Changning Palace in a flash, Fan Hua finally became scared.
Facing the approaching Ming Yue, she screamed in terror.
"Consort Zheng? I'm so scared!
Don't worry, I'm not that cruel. I won't turn you into like them.
It would be so unsightly for a girl to have her hands and feet crippled!
I just want to kill you directly and feed your corpse to the dogs.
Because you deserve such an end."
Ming Yue's initial words made Fan Hua breathe a sigh of relief, thinking her threat had worked.
But upon hearing the end, she began to scream in terror again.
As Ming Yue's words fell, the dagger in her hand was raised high.
A cold glint flashed, and blood splattered. Fan Hua became a wisp of a ghost.
"How audacious! To dare to fight privately within the palace!
The Imperial Kitchen belongs to the Imperial Household Department, not a place for your insolence.
Guards, take them all to the Imperial Household Department and hand them over to Prince Chun for disposal.
What, what, what is this?"
Ming Yue was wiping the blood from her dagger on Fan Hua's corpse when a voice came from outside the door.
Immediately after, a troop of guards barged in.
A gaunt, stick-like old eunuch walked in last.
He was Hua Qiao, the chief eunuch of Prince Chun's mansion.
Prince Chun was Ji Du Hui, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Household Department.
Earlier, Fan Hua had led people to the Imperial Kitchen with great fanfare.
Feng Tang, knowing something was amiss, had sent someone to the Imperial Household Department for reinforcements, explaining the situation.
Ji Du Hui knew Feng Tang was a coward who wouldn't dare offend Consort Zheng.
But the Imperial Kitchen was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department, so he couldn't ignore it.
He sent his personal eunuch, Hua Qiao, to lead a contingent of guards to the Imperial Kitchen.
He had initially thought it was just a few servants from Changning Palace causing trouble.
Even if he apprehended them, Consort Zheng couldn't do anything to him.
After all, he was the Emperor's uncle, a member of the imperial family, and had been personally enfeoffed as Prince Chun by the late Emperor.
Hua Qiao didn't think much of it. It was just a matter of apprehending a few servants causing trouble in the Imperial Kitchen and bringing them to the Imperial Household Department to be intimidated.
So, he deliberately shouted loudly outside the door to show his authority.
But upon entering, he found a tragic scene.
Blood stained the courtyard, and more than a dozen people lay in pools of blood.
By the wall, one had their throat slit and appeared to be dead.
Hua Qiao's cloudy old eyes fixed on Feng Tang,
implying, "What exactly happened here?"
"Take them to the Imperial Household Department? You are from the Imperial Household Department?
Excellent! I injured these people, and I killed that one.
It has nothing to do with anyone else. Take me away!
Let's go, let's go, it's not wrong, lead the way."
Ming Yue didn't care about anything else. Hearing that she would be taken to the Imperial Household Department, her eyes lit up immediately.
She had been looking for a place to cause trouble, and now here were the guides.
She grabbed Hua Qiao's arm and surrendered, fearing they wouldn't take her.
"Very well, take both the living and the dead."
Hua Qiao, having never seen such a proactive killer, broke free from Ming Yue's grasp and said helplessly.
She was holding on too tightly, as if he were the culprit and would escape.
"Wait a moment, are those pork and chive buns you're steaming in the pot?
Give me a few to eat on the way. I'm a bit hungry."
Thinking she would need strength later and wanted to eat her fill, Ming Yue, who had followed the guards out of the Imperial Kitchen, ran back.
This left the people of the Imperial Kitchen looking at each other in bewilderment. Her composure was truly remarkable!
Only the maidservant named Yan Liu ran into the kitchen.
She filled a plate with steaming hot buns and knelt before Ming Yue, offering them to her.
Ming Yue took the buns, helped Yan Liu up, and left the Imperial Kitchen.
There were about six or seven buns on the plate. Ming Yue carried them, eating as she walked with the guards from the Imperial Household Department.
By the time they entered the Imperial Household Department, the buns were finished.
Ming Yue began to worry. What excuse could she use to cause trouble?
She couldn't just start fighting without any reason, could she?
"If you dare to kill my people, I will kill you to repay the debt!"
At that moment, a beautiful woman in palace attire wielding a treasure sword burst in and lunged at Ming Yue with her sword.
"Here's my excuse!" Ming Yue rejoiced inwardly.