"Seize her!" she orders.
The attendants except the Imperial Consort's charge towards them, two grasping the Noble Consort's arms while others restrain Attendant Nan.
The Imperial Consort strides towards them with a smirk on her lips. Locking eyes with the Noble Consort, she delivers a resounding slap across Attendant Nan's face.
"Attendant Nan!" the Noble Consort cries, struggling against their hold on her.
The Imperial Consort turns to her, lifting her chin with a finger. The Noble Consort glares back, eyes brimming with tears and defiance. "I simply cannot understand his love for you. What do you possess that I or any other woman in this palace lack?"
"Then ask him directly," the Noble Consort spits.
Spite contorts the Imperial Consort's features. She loathes this woman's audacity, despises that despite her lowly origins as a criminal's daughter, she alone holds the Emperor's heart. No matter what she or anyone else does, they can never obtain half the love he has for her.
She impulsively takes out a hairpin from her hair and holds it to the Noble Consort's face. Attendant Nan gasps in fear for her mistress's life. "I wonder if you will still retain your place in the inner palace once your face is marred?" she threatens, pressing it against the Noble Consort's cheek.
The Noble Consort meets her gaze unflinchingly. "Do you dare?"
"Insolent wench," the Imperial Consort hisses. "My father is the Minister of War. Do you think the Emperor would risk unrest over his dearest's ruined face?"
"Surely it's not mercy that's stayed your hand all these years. Proceed, if you dare," the Noble Consort challenges.
"Your Highness!" Attendant Nan shrieks, worried that the Imperial Consort might really ruin her mistress's face.
The Imperial Consort's chest heaves with rage and frustration. She expected pleas for mercy, not this brazen challenge. "Very well," she says, unwilling to appear weak. The concubines and attendants exchange nervous glances, worried if she'll follow through on her threat.
Attendant Ahn, the Imperial Consort's attendant cautions, "Your Highness, you mustn't," but her words fall on deaf ears.
The Imperial Consort's hand trembles as she presses the hairpin harder, drawing a drop of blood from the Noble Consort's cheek when someone suddenly grasps her wrist.
"You shouldn't try to ruin someone's face out of jealousy," a voice cuts through the tension.
The Imperial Consort whirls around, baffled by the sight of a young woman restraining her while another frees Attendant Nan and the Noble Consort.
"Release Her Highness at once!" Attendant Ahn demands.
The Imperial Consort scoffs, flabbergasted. Never has she faced such insolence, let alone from unfamiliar faces in the palace.
They were walking around after settling into their temporary residence when they chanced upon the scene. They observed the scene from a distance, until the bully crossed a line, Yetsune, despite Erya's caution, decided to intervene.
Yetsune approaches the Noble Consort, gently wiping the blood from her cheek with the hem of her sleeve. "Such a beautiful face doesn't deserve to be tarnished," she murmurs. The Noble Consort stares, dumbfounded.
"What is going on here?" Rings another voice from a distance. All eyes turn to see the Empress approaching with her entourage. The attendants immediately kneel while the concubines and consorts curtsy, chorusing, "Your Majesty."
Erya quickly kneels, realizing that this person must be the Empress. Yetsune copies Erya, mouthing the words "Your Majesty."
"Are you the ones who saved the Emperor?" the Empress inquires.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Erya and Yetsune answer together.
The Imperial Consort stands at ease. "What is Your Majesty talking about?" she asks, puzzled by the relation of the strangers to the Emperor.
The Empress tuts. "Imperial Consort, your ignorance is truly astounding."
Yetsune and Erya's exchanged shock glances at the title the Empress just called the bully. It's barely been two days and they've already dug a pit for themselves. The Imperial Consort opens her mouth to retort but snaps it shut. If she can make a scene out of an attendant's unruly manner then the Empress can do the same to her.
The Empress faces Erya and Yetsune. "You may rise," she says, her phoenix roe flowing like liquid silk.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You may have saved the Emperor but the Imperial Palace is not a place for unruly behaviour. I'll grant leniency this once, but you will be severely punished next time," she warns.
Yetsune tries to to defend her actions, but Erya's discreet pinch silences her "We will heed your warning, Your Majesty." Erya bows her head and forces Yetsune's down with hers.
The Empress shifts her attention to the concubines and their attendants. One attendant dares to lift her gaze, only to quickly lower it, her face ashen. "Escort these four to the inner palace bureau for twenty lashes each. As for their attendants, flog them to death." Her command cuts through the air, each word deliberate and decisive.
"Your Majesty, we're innocent!" the concubines wail as their attendants beg for mercy. The Imperial Consort glares at the Empress, certain this is a move to undermine her influence in the harem.
The concubines look to the Imperial Consort for help, but she averts her gaze. "Please, Your Majesty, have mercy," they plead as they're dragged away. The Empress remains unmoved, not sparing them a passing glance.
Yetsune watches in shock, certain the Empress couldn't have witnessed their earlier disrespect towards the Noble Consort. Yet, she ordered their deaths for no reason. Their cries for mercy fade into the distance.
"If everyone were as decisive and cruel with punishments as Your Majesty, I fear the palace would soon be empty," the Imperial Consort remarks with a spiteful, taut smile.
The Empress scoffs, moving to stand beside the Imperial Consort. "These ladies are His Majesty's saviours and esteemed guests. I trust you'll treat them as such," she says before continuing towards the Dragon Palace.
The Imperial Consort turns, watching the Empress leave, her nails digging crescent marks into her palm. The Noble Consort and Attendant Nan quietly depart, while Yetsune and Erya seize the opportunity to do the same.