Su Nuan froze when she heard this.
Wait a minute, this is… a shocking secret about the Empress Dowager and the Emperor!
With a strange expression on her face, Zhen Zhu asked, "Your Majesty, what…"
Su Nuan covered her mouth before she could finish her question.
The Empress Dowager was approaching from a distance. She had nowhere to escape and could only hide behind the artificial rockery with Zhen Zhu.
"Don't talk."
Su Nuan even became cautious of her breathing.
The Empress Dowager and the Regent appeared one after another, and the three gossiping palace maids fell to the ground in shock.
"Please spare me, Empress Dowager. Please spare me, Regent."
The palace maids began crying out repeatedly. Their lives were at stake, but they could only kneel on the ground and beg. They had lost all strength in their legs.
The Empress Dowager was clearly enraged, but she tried to suppress her anger. She turned to look at the man beside her.
"I'll let you settle this."
The Empress Dowager spoke with an arrogant tone and narrowed her eyes at the Regent.
At this moment, Su Nuan saw the true colors of the Regent.
The man was tall and handsome. He was capable of intimidating others just by standing there.
In the novel, after Feng Junyi had killed the Empress Dowager, the Regent hanged himself. At that time, Su Nuan oddly felt like they had such a bitter romance.
Without the difference in their status, they were a match made in heaven.
Her fingers gripped Zhen Zhu's hand tightly as she tugged her down to squat.
Unexpectedly, Zhen Zhu stood up abruptly and asked, "Empress, why did you squat down suddenly?"
Su Nuan's expression turned cold as she stared at this little palace maid who stood up suddenly and gave her a death sentence.
"There's someone over there."
The Regent spoke in a low voice and rushed over. Su Nuan met his murderous gaze and exclaimed internally, It's over, it's over. I might not have been pushed into the well this time, but I'm going to die again. This time, it's because of my palace maid!
Without warning, she felt someone pulling her. She staggered a few steps before falling into a thin embrace.
Su Nuan turned and saw Feng Junyi standing next to her.
"Big Brother Emperor…"
Su Nuan stared at Feng Junyi with big eyes and panicked breaths.
He was her only hope.
When the Regent turned, the three palace maids were left with broken necks on the ground. Then, the Regent extended his hand, initially reaching for her, towards Zhen Zhu instead.
"Your Majesty."
Although he had seen the Emperor, the Regent still did not let go of Zhen Zhu's neck. There was a flash of panic in his eyes, but they quickly returned to normal.
"So it's the Emperor."
Feng Junyi glanced at the Regent and asked, "What is the Regent doing? Are you trying to kill my Empress?"
Before the Regent could reply, the Empress Dowager replied calmly, "Emperor, what are you saying? How could I kill the Empress? I only killed a few people who were wagging their tongues. After all, the Empress is not such a person."
The Empress Dowager then turned to Su Nuan.
Su Nuan knew that the Empress Dowager did not kill her today because Feng Junyi was here. She also understood that the Empress Dowager's last words were meant to serve as a reminder to her.
But she was still worried. Sooner or later, she might have the same fate as those palace maids.
Even if the Empress Dowager doesn't kill me, if the Emperor finds out that I overheard them, won't he still kill me?
It seemed like she would die no matter what. The only questions were where and who would do it.
"Empress… save, save me…"
Zhen Zhu's face turned green from being strangled, and she looked at Su Nuan anxiously. Su Nuan looked at the Empress Dowager. She knew that although she could temporarily escape this calamity, her palace maid definitely would not.
However, she didn't want the palace maid to die yet because she still hadn't found the culprit who wanted to harm her. She couldn't think of what to do at this moment, so she looked towards Feng Junyi for help.
The Regent said coldly, "We cannot let this little palace maid go. She has heard things she was not meant to hear and may gossip about it in the future. It is better to allow me to deal with her."
"Deal with her?"
Feng Junyi's eyes lit up when he heard this. He said mildly excitedly, "Since you want to deal with her, leave it to me. I previously accidentally overheard the Empress say that it's easier to skin a person when you pour mercury into them. I want to try this method. How about that, Regent?"
The Regent glanced at the Empress Dowager, who was resting her forehead in her hands. "Let him be."
The Regent finally let go of Zhen Zhu's neck. He wore his usual expression. "Your subject accepts the decree."
The Regent and the Empress Dowager left together. Feng Junyi remained unperturbed. He overlapped his hands across his chest and greeted, "Farewell, Mother."
Su Nuan heaved a sigh of relief. At least those two left.
Just when she thought she had escaped, Feng Junyi stood in front of her and asked, "Did you hear everything just now?"
Zhen Zhu coughed violently and took the opportunity to crawl in front of Feng Junyi. "Your Majesty, I didn't hear anything."
"What about you?"
Feng Junyi looked at Su Nuan playfully. Su Nuan's heart began thumping again.
If she were to spout nonsense like Zhen Zhu, she would probably be dragged out and skinned instantly.
Feng Junyi was not comparable to the Empress Dowager, who was a scheming woman. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to kill her, she would do it secretly.
So she leaned in closer and whispered, "If I say I heard everything, will you hit me?"
She looked at Feng Junyi pitifully, her eyes wide with fear and coyness.
She was 10 years old, but she was petite and looked around seven or eight years old. Her skin was fair, and her face was chubby. She knew what advantages she had.
"Yes."
Feng Junyi flicked her forehead and exclaimed, "Guards—"
Before Feng Junyi could finish, Su Nuan began crying. She sobbed and said, "Then, then I didn't hear anything. Zhen Zhu and I didn't hear anything. Please, don't kill us…"
Maybe it was because she thought that Feng Junyi would fill her body with mercury and skin her, but she started crying uncontrollably.
Feng Junyi looked at the crybaby in front of him and was inevitably stunned. Su Nuan had huddled up in a ball. Her eyes and nose were red. She had tears everywhere, and her mouth was in a small pouty frown. She looked cute.
"Kill the both of you?"
The corner of Feng Junyi's lips curled up slightly as he reached out to touch her chubby face. "I won't kill you."
"Then can you not kill Zhen Zhu?"
When Su Nuan heard that she was safe, she quickly begged for mercy.
If Zhen Zhu died, she would lose a clue.
Little did she know that Feng Junyi had viewed her actions differently.
From his point of view, she was as stupid as a pig—not only were her acting skills poor, but she was also very naive.
Anyone with a brain should be able to tell that the palace maid had deliberately stood out to harm her, and yet she's still asking me to spare her.
If not for me, that old fox—the Regent—would have broken her neck.
He eyed her slender neck and frowned slightly.
Her neck is thin. Wouldn't it break easily?
If her neck has to break, I should be the one to do it.