Chapter 50

"Great‑grandmother…" Pei Yunxi's sweet, soft words hadn't finished before the Empress Dowager's icy glare forced them back into her stomach.

Translation: "Great-grandma……" Pei Yunxi's sweet, soft words hadn't finished when the Grand Empress Dowager's glare forced them back into her belly.

But we need to be faithful: "Great‑grandmother…" Pei Yunxi's sweet, soft words hadn't finished before the Empress Dowager's icy glare forced them back into her stomach.

We can translate: ""Great-grandma……" Pei Yunxi's sweet, soft words hadn't finished when the Grand Empress Dowager's stare forced them back into her stomach."

But "forced them back into her stomach" means that. Use "stomach". Keep concise.

Let's produce: ""Great-grandma……" Pei Yunxi's sweet, soft words hadn't finished when the Grand Empress Dowager's glare forced them back into her stomach."

Check: we kept meaning.

She hastily lowered her head, afraid to speak rashly again, and pursed her lips in resentment.

Translation: She hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to speak again, and pursed her lips resentfully.

After decades in high position, the Empress Dowager exudes a powerful presence; even the emperor must defer to her, let alone the younger generation. Several princes, though they might have wanted to add more, dare not speak up lightly.

Translation: After decades in high position, the Grand Empress Dowager's aura was mighty; even the emperor had to yield her three points, let alone the juniors? Several princes, though they had more to say, dared not speak up.

Check: "Several princes, even if they wanted to say more, didn't dare to speak lightly." means that. We'll keep.

Only the emperor, the Nine-Five Supreme, could speak at the forefront of the storm: "Grandmother, please rest assured, Mu Yuanzhi's injury has been seen by the imperial physician; it's nothing serious, just a flesh wound."

"Emperor, you don't need to cheer me up; Mu Yuanzhi's injury is not serious only because she is blessed with great fortune, but that doesn't mean someone can escape responsibility." The Grand Empress Dowager pointed directly: "You say, isn't that so, Consort De?"

"Grand Empress Dowager, please calm your anger!" Consort De's heart pounded, the sweat in her palms already soaked her handkerchief; her usual eloquence failed utterly before the imposing Grand Empress Dowager, and she grew even more panicked: "I, I merely…… merely……"

"Merely what?" the Grand Empress Dowager demanded, gripping Mu Yuanzhi's hand tightly and speaking in a low voice.

Pei Shangling couldn't bear to see his mother wronged; he immediately clasped his hands and said: "Great-grandmother! This is all because Mu…… Yuanzhi sister struck first and hit my little sister!"

He had always called her by her full name, Mu Yuanzhi, but perhaps the pressure from the Grand Empress Dowager was too great, and when the words reached his lips they somehow changed.

Mu Yuanzhi, however, shuddered with disgust at the words "Yuanzhi sister."

Pei Yunxi spoke timidly: "It's not Sister Yuanzhi's fault."

Seeing her timid, fearful appearance, Consort De felt another pang of heartache; when her gaze fell on the slap mark still on her daughter's face, her nose soured and she wanted to cry.

At this moment she wished she had never raised Mu Yuanzhi, so she wouldn't feel so guilty.

Zhi'er's character is so awful; her past indulgence is also to blame!

"Of course you can't blame her; just know that." The Grand Empress Dowager gave another cold snort: "If you had to dig up someone else's parents' coffin, a few slaps would be merciful!"

Upon hearing that, Pei Yunxi's held‑back tears finally spilled, drop after drop; she lifted her hand to wipe them, feeling utterly wronged.

The emperor could not bear it and spoke up for his daughter: "Yunxi was only acting for the safety of the imperial mausoleum; I hope Grandmother will not blame her."

"Your Majesty, if someone wanted to dig up the late emperor's coffin over a single remark, what would you do?" the Grand Empress Dowager countered with a sarcastic smile.

Mu Yuanzhi cheered inside; this was exactly how to question those double‑standard people!

The emperor's breathing grew heavier; evidently he had not been questioned so sharply in a long time.

The young emperor, who had ascended the throne early, possessed formidable authority; even before his elders he remained the sovereign, and his lowered demeanor was due to his emphasis on filial piety—since the dynasty had always governed through filial devotion—but that did not mean the Nine‑Five Supreme could swallow this indignity.

The emperor's displeasure was obvious to all, and even Granny Zhang beside the Grand Empress Dowager was on edge, for truly angering the emperor would be no good affair.

Seeing the father emperor give no reply, Pei Shangling grew irritated: "How could the late emperor be compared to ordinary folk?"

"Ordinary folk? In the Fourth Prince's eyes, are those who have earned battlefield merit, who defend home and country, considered ordinary?" The Grand Empress Dowager's piercing gaze swept over Pei Shangling and then turned to Pei Shangyan: "Do you think the same, Crown Prince?"

"Of course not; the Grand General who guards the state is a great hero of the empire, worthy of enshrinement in the imperial temple, and therefore certainly not an ordinary person." Pei Shangyan clasped his hands and said.

Only then did the Grand Empress Dowager nod in satisfaction.

The emperor's icy aura softened a little as he locked eyes with the Grand Empress Dowager, a warmth flickering in his gaze, and he said: "Grandmother's reprimand is just; the Fourth Prince indeed spoke rashly, and the Grand General's sacrifice for the country grieves me deeply—only by sending his wife back to their hometown to be buried alongside the imperial mausoleum can this be somewhat soothed."

The Grand Empress Dowager did not know that the emperor and Mu Yuanzhi had reached an agreement; hearing his words, she felt considerably relieved, and her gaze lost its aggressiveness.

"The Fourth Prince is young and immature, so he is easily swayed; I do not blame him." The Grand Empress Dowager gave Pei Yunxi a pointed glance, then continued: "But Consort De, as a mother, is no spring chicken and has plenty of experience—yet she is so addle‑brained, which is utterly unacceptable; how could she possibly manage the affairs of the six palaces? Your Majesty, don't you agree?"

The emperor could only echo: "Grandmother is right."

Consort De nearly lost her footing, and Pei Shangling hurried to support her.

The Grand Empress Dowager actually wants to strip her of her authority?!

She had barely managed to survive until the empress's death, holding power in the harem, and this old woman's offhand remark would render all her years of effort wasted?!

It would be better to just give her twenty blows!

Consort De gritted her teeth in hatred: "Thank you, Grand Empress Dowager."

Mu Yuanzhi certainly knew how much Consort De now resented her; without authority over the six palaces, even before being laughed at by the other consorts, she could no longer command any presence, and a favored consort, no matter how favored, is nowhere near the rank of a deputy empress.

What a brilliant move by the Grand Empress Dowager!

But the Grand Empress Dowager was evidently not satisfied; she curled her lips and said: "Don't thank me too soon—go receive twenty blows as a warning to others."

What?!

"Great‑grandmother, you mustn't!" Pei Yunxi pleaded urgently.

Would even twelve blows on her delicate mother‑in‑law's tender flesh be bearable?!

"How could Mother endure twenty blows? This would kill her!" Pei Shangling clenched his fists, the joints cracking.

Pei Shangyan also wanted to intercede, but catching sight of the blood‑stained band on Mu Yuanzhi's forehead in his peripheral vision, he hesitated; the ever‑silent Pei Shangjue likewise remained mute, standing like a wooden post, as if the events in the hall had nothing to do with her.

Consort De could not believe that, having been stripped of her authority, she still had to endure a beating; she looked to the emperor for help.

"It was the master who almost got beaten to death by Consort De!" Hongdou, unable to hold back, blurted out: "Prime Minister Xiao can testify! Many others saw it too!"

At worst they'd beat her together; after all, she's just a servant, and sharing punishment with the noble Consort De would be no loss.

"Hongdou!" Mu Yuanzhi quickly grabbed Hongdou's hand and whispered a reprimand.

That girl really—whether Consort De strikes or not, there's no need to drag her into it!

Pei Shangling wished he could rip Hongdou's mouth off, but as soon as he took a step, Mu Yuanzhi stepped forward to shield her; the Grand Empress Dowager's sharp gaze swept over him, forcing him to grit his teeth and retreat: "Great‑grandmother, Mother is frail; she cannot withstand twenty blows—I will take them in her place!"

"No, impossible! Grand Empress Dowager, don't listen to him—I, Consort De, am at fault and willingly accept punishment!" Consort De hastily shielded her son behind her.

"Great‑grandmother, Yunxi also willingly takes the punishment in Mother's place—everything is her fault!"