Chapter 270: Chapter 268: InvestigationXiangxiu, of course, refused and struggled desperately.

    But after all, as a weak woman facing a young eunuch, she was powerless to resist.

    Having no alternative, she opened her mouth to bite his hand.

    "Slap!"

    Zhang Tong, after being bitten, showed no mercy and slapped her hard, "Bitch! You won’t drink a toast but must be forced to drink a penalty! Not content with serving one master, do you wish to serve several more?"

    "No! Don’t!"

    Xiangxiu, covering her swollen face, cried hysterically.

    "If you don’t want it, then behave. Dogs that don’t listen will have their teeth knocked out, one by one!"

    Having threatened her, Zhang Tong grabbed Xiangxiu’s shoulders and pinned her against a willow tree.

    Rriipp—

    He began to tear at Xiangxiu’s clothes.

    Xiangxiu closed her eyes in despair, thinking herself foolish to have hoped that Sang Ruoshui might consider the loyalty of servant to master...

    "Presumptuous!"

    While Zhang Tong was preoccupied with his indulgence in soft and fragrant beauty.

    Suddenly someone kicked him in the buttocks.

    He cried out in pain, turning around to curse, "Which blind fool—"

    Before he could finish, realizing who was in front of him, he fell to his knees with a thud.

    "Empress, Your Majesty, forgive me—"

    Zhang Tong kowtowed desperately, shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind.

    Sang Yan looked at him coldly and commanded in a low voice, "Come here—"

    The accompanying guards, who had been following behind, ran up in unison, bowing and saying, "Your Ladyship, your servants are here."

    Sang Yan instructed, "Take him away and hand him over to Mr. Pei, who will know what to do."

    At the mention of Mr. Pei, Zhang Tong was so frightened that he crawled before Sang Yan, beseeching pitifully, "Empress, I was wrong, I was momentarily bewitched by evil thoughts."

    He slapped his own face twice while speaking.

    "You’re not bewitched, you’re blinded by lust!"

    After Sang Yan finished her scathing indictment, she turned to Qiuzhi.

    Qiuzhi, who was outraged, quickly went to help the disheveled Xiangxiu upon seeing her gesture.

    Xiangxiu, coming back to her senses from the shock, and realizing who was standing before her, fell to her knees, weakly, "Empress, Lady, thank you—"

    "There’s no need to kneel. Go to your room first; change into clean clothes and tidy yourself up."

    Sang Yan saw her disheveled appearance and reddened swollen face, feeling even more revulsion toward the eunuch at her feet.

    She kicked him away, seething, "In broad daylight, you dare to assault a palace maid, and others turn a blind eye, abetting tyranny. It’s clear that such incidents are rampant in the palace!"

    She inferred the wider picture from this one incident, discerning the dire living conditions of the low-ranked palace maids.

    Their lives were already difficult.

    Now, they were further subjected to the bullying of the eunuchs.

    It was truly deplorable!

    Qiuzhi, seeing Sang Yan’s severe displeasure, hastily gestured to the guards to take action and pull the little eunuch away.

    The commotion escalated.

    The rest of the Clothing Bureau staff, as if only just noticing, came running out in a swarm to bow and salute.

    "Greetings to the Empress—"

    "Long live, Empress, may you be blessed with peace—"

    They were obsequious and ingratiating.

    Among them, the nanny, changing from her previous cold and harsh demeanor, smiled, wrinkles creasing her face, "Your Majesty graces us with your presence, this servant failed to welcome you from afar, I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

    Sang Yan glanced over, recognized her as the nanny who had been scolding the maids earlier, and said coldly, "You are indeed at fault. These maids are under your care, and this is how you manage them? Allowing them to be humiliated by the eunuchs?"

    "I am but a humble servant, how could I dare—"

    The nanny attempted to shirk responsibility, but halfway through noticing Sang Yan’s displeased expression, she quickly changed her tune, kowtowing repeatedly, "It’s my incompetence. It’s my incompetence. Empress, forgive me."

    Sang Yan was not taken in by her act and said coldly, "Since you’re so useless, you can forget about holding onto this position as well."

    "Empress, forgive me, this servant has wronged, this servant has wronged, please give this servant another chance. Empress, show great mercy, give this—"

    The nanny in charge turned pale with fright, kowtowing with such force that her forehead began to bleed, desperate to keep her job.

    How was she to live the rest of her life without this job?

    She had been in the palace for thirty years!

    Without this job, her life would be nothing.

    Sang Yan, unmoved by her tearful pleas, said without a hint of softness, "Enough. I know exactly what you’re thinking."

    She simply couldn’t be bothered to argue with an old woman like her, "Just wait. Someone will come later to take over your duties."

    With that, she turned and walked away.

    Qiuzhi was supporting Xiangxiu, who had just arrived at the door of her room in the Clothing Bureau.

    Startled and weak in the knees, they walked very slowly.

    Having dealt with the matter, Sang Yan quickly caught up to them and, seeing Xiangxiu’s forlorn expression, comforted her, "Not for yourself, but for your mother’s sake, don’t cheapen your own life."

    On hearing this, Xiangxiu’s tears suddenly gushed forth.

    She couldn’t help it.

    "Thank you, Empress—" Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She sobbed, unable to speak clearly.

    The several bloody bite marks on her neck also stung the eyes of those who saw them.

    Seeing this, Sang Yan felt even greater sympathy and said, "Rest assured, I will pursue this matter to the end."

    Then, she signaled to Qiuzhi to help her inside to change clothes.

    Meanwhile, she sat on a chair outside, waiting for them to come out.

    Since she had taken on this case, she might as well handle the affair of Xiangxiu stealing the jade hairpin too.

    The nanny in charge saw her enter the room and came in crying and wailing, kneeling before her, "Empress, this servant really knows her wrongs, and from now on, I will surely perform my duties diligently and protect them from being bullied by the eunuchs. Empress, please believe me and give me one more chance!"

    Sang Yan was waiting rather bored when she saw her approach again and thus pressed the matter further, "Call them in."

    ’Them’ referred to the palace maids of the Clothing Bureau.

    There were a total of fifteen palace maids.

    They had been waiting outside the room, peeking in.

    For such humble individuals to witness the presence of the Empress was a once-in-a-lifetime fortune!

    The Empress was truly beautiful.

    Not only was she kind at heart, but she also took up their cause as soon as she arrived.

    Indeed, she was as lovely and kind-hearted as the rumors in the palace said.

    All they wanted was to look at her a bit longer, who could bear to leave?

    So, when they heard the call from inside to enter, they didn’t wait to be summoned and rushed in, kneeling down in an orderly fashion.

    "We greet the Empress. May the Empress live a thousand years of golden peace," they said one after another, voicing auspicious greetings.

    Sang Yan raised her hand to have them rise, then asked, "How does this nanny treat you on a regular basis? If it were within your power, would you still want her in charge of you?"

    She left the choice to them.

    Not expecting such power to be in their hands, the maids were momentarily stunned.

    They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

    Could they really dismiss this nanny in charge just by saying they didn’t want her?

    If she still ended up in charge of them, any complaints they voiced today would mean trouble for them down the line.

    How could Sang Yan not see the doubt in their eyes?

    She smiled gently, encouraging them, "I am here, you need not fear. Even if you are afraid, you must fight for your own fate."

    With these words, her tone grew more serious, "You should know, this is the time for you to decide your fate. Otherwise, I can save you once, but not a second time."

    She didn’t want to save those who were incapable.

    If one does not actively save oneself, then that is succumbing to one’s own downfall.

    If so, then there is no cause to complain about the cruel world.