A small sedan chair was dropped at the entrance of a luxurious courtyard. Unlike other courtyards in the Nether world that were dull, this seemed quite lively. Though the colours were still dark, there were at least greens in the courtyard. A beautiful lady stepped off the sedan chair and rushed into the courtyard under the surprised stares of some ladies. Her maids tried to calm her, advising her to take note of her etiquette, but the lady was too much in a hurry to care.
She dashed into the receiving room to see, two maids emerging. These were not like other servants who had their faces covered, these were serving ladies. They accompanied their masters and kept them company. She who was in a hurry only had two of these maids and they were the ones rushing after her.
"Well, what do we have here?" one of the serving ladies asked in mockery. They did not care that the lady before them was concubine and as such, above them. They were Her Royal Majesty's serving maids.
"Where is her majesty?" the concubine asked without care.
"What brings you running back? Didn't you say Her Majesty dare not do anything to you after today? What changed?" one of the serving ladies mocked. These words caused the concubine to freeze. She had only said those words to her maids. How did they reach the empress's courtyard? Her maids dared to betray her? She glanced back at them behind her and they lowered their head.
"I don't care what nonsense you are sprouting. Where is Her Majesty?" dark energy rolled off her and pressed down the girls as though to choke them. Her maids did not escape either.
"My Lady please!" the serving ladies started to scream. This was the Nether Lord's concubine. They did not think she would react like this. The empress might feel insulted that she dared to kill them, but the Nether rules will not allow her to kill the concubine. Their death will only be pushed aside by punishment.
"There is no need for all these fuss Lady Gu, the empress is in her gardens," a voice said from behind her. Lady Gu turned back to see a well-dressed lady. Even if Lady Gu did not recognize her, her golden hair pin set in engraved bones, revealed her identity.
"Noble Lady Min," she curtsied and dashed past her towards the gardens. She did not care how offended the noble lady was; she had news for the empress. She rushed into a dark green garden, not quite sure which way to go. After turning around a while, she found a tall figure standing before a tree only tall enough to hover over one's head blooming bright flowers that fluctuated between pink and white as it waved to a nonexistent wind. The tall figure was only slightly taller than this tree. Around the tall figure were two of her serving maids and three ladies. Just as she found the place, she saw Noble Lady Min arrive from the other entrance.
"Lady Gu goes around trying to kill my serving ladies?" the tall figure said and Lady Gu trembled.
"This empress cannot even escape to look at her cazels without getting undermined, I see," the figure continued.
"The petals are glad you came, your majesty," one of the concubines complimented.
"They have no feeling, and hold all that feels. They are getting short no matter what I do. After a while, they will become like the others, I hear they are no more than flowers now," the tall figure seemed to sigh.
"Your Majesty, that girl is in the lord's study!" Lady Gu frantically said and the tall figure turned slightly and glanced at her.
"What were you doing in his majesty's study?" the figure asked, as she slightly petted the leaves.
"I…." Lady Gu swallowed.
"You were going to meet the lord about me? You were going to tell the lord of your punishment?" the tall figure asked, the already slightly deep voice deepening.
"Your Majesty… it is good I went. In fact, it is good if someone goes once in a while or else I would not have seen what I saw. The lord even marked me for it!" she pulled down the fabric around her shoulder and revealed a hand impression burned into her shoulders to her back slightly.
Only then did the tall figure turn around. One would be shocked by the empress' appearance when one sees her for the first time. She looked nothing like a woman, though slender her limbs and slim her hips, her strong bones and sharp jawline were clearly that of a man. Her black skin melted into her black dress, a sharp contrast to her bright red lips. Her hair braided into long twists fell to her waist, allowing the shiny bone crown on her head to take the spotlight.
"Who?" she asked Lady Gu.
"Esteemed Noble Lady Han," Lady Gu answered.
"That mortal? She is back? Well, it is normal that the lord samples his new flavour," the empress said casually and turned away, but one could still hear the darkness in her voice.
"Your Majesty, when I walked in, she was holding his majesty's face," Lady Gu said and the empress turned back sharply. Her figure flashed forward and she was standing in front of Lady Gu the next moment.
"What did you say?" she asked through her teeth, her hands grabbing Lady Gu by the chin.
"I walked in and saw her holding the lord's face as they talked. I was so startled, I gasped too loud, interrupting them, but she did not let go. The lord suppressed me in a second and I had to leave in a hurry," Lady Gu hurriedly said.
"He marked you for interrupting?" the empress let go of Lady Gu and she collapsed to the ground in unsteady breaths; only she knew how painful her majesty's hold was at that moment.
"Where is she?" the empress fumed. The next moment, dark figures dashed away and returned in a few seconds. The few seconds they were away felt like an eternity to those around. When they returned, the dark figures knelt before the empress, "The lord and esteemed noble lady Han are not in the Nether palace," the dark figures said in unison and vanished the next second.
"First he names demotes Min Jiare to noble concubine Min to make her an esteemed noble concubine without consulting me, then puts her courtyard next to his, yet I said nothing. Was I not benevolent? The concubines have to live in the back courtyard behind the empress is the law, yet I did not go to have it changed. Concubines can't leave the palace as liked, yet he lets her come and go from the Nether world as she pleases. He gave her the Jiunhqu and I said nothing. Those girls were made for the empress, yet he kept them all these years to hand my dowry to a concubine. Have I not been benevolent enough?" the empress asked those around and they lowered their heads not daring to answer. The empress was angry and anyone could end up hurt at this moment.
The only one quite happy was Noble Concubine Min. She used to be one of the four esteemed noble concubines, yet she was demoted to an ordinary noble concubine for no reason, just so a mortal could take her spot. At first, she thought the empress would not touch any favoured by the lord and knew she could not retaliate. But now, that girl was as good as dead.