TFSRITA Chapter 84

After applying the ointment completely, she extended her hand.

The palace servants naturally took the ointment from her.

A smile appeared on Yan Qing’s delicate face.

Ji Yecheng sensed that this smile was dangerous, but as he watched her approach him with a charming look that seemed to be laced with seduction, he couldn’t tear his gaze away and said in a deep voice, “I was wrong. Don’t be angry but in the future…”

He wanted to say, “I was wrong, but don’t be so unreasonable.”

However, before he could finish his sentence, a fist came flying toward him at lightning speed.

With a loud “bang,” her fist struck his right cheek.

Yan Qing’s face, which had been smiling, suddenly turned vicious, and an overwhelming anger surged through her, her hoarse voice nearly tearing as she yelled, “Damn it, do you think I’m easy to bully? I’ll beat you to death!”

“Bang, bang, bang!” The sounds of punches followed as Yan Qing didn’t bother to look for chairs or sticks, but went straight for him.

Hitting him hurt her fists too, but she didn’t care; she just wanted to hit him enough.

Ji Yecheng grunted and dodged, wanting to fight back, but seeing her current state, he felt somewhat stunned and could only defend himself.

The palace servants in the sleeping quarters watched in shock, kneeling on the ground, and no one dared to step in; since the emperor hadn’t spoken, who would be brave enough to intervene?

Suddenly, Ji Yecheng’s feet got caught on the bed, causing his knees to buckle and he fell backward.

Yan Qing immediately followed him down, sitting on top of him and throwing punches: “If you’re capable, fight back! I won’t give you a gift. Want a gift? Not killing you is already a mercy; are you crazy…”

As she beat him and cursed, she completely disregarded the status of the emperor, abandoning her usual decorum. She was genuinely angry for the first time, only wanting to vent her frustration.

Ji Yecheng was in pain from the hits, but listening to her words, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Why did she suddenly seem so adorable? He couldn’t feel any anger and even forgot about fighting back.

The palace servants felt dizzy listening to the commotion, wishing they could just faint.

Noticing that he wasn’t in pain and was laughing, Yan Qing’s expression grew even more vicious.

She continued to hit him until she was out of breath, panting heavily before finally stopping. The palace servants all exhaled in relief.

Wiping the sweat from their brows, they were filled with panic, thinking they were going to witness the emperor being beaten to death.

Meanwhile, Ji Yecheng lay on the bed, covered in bruises and almost gasping for breath, saying, “…Call the imperial physician!”

It was the birthday of a nation’s ruler, and naturally, it was a day of celebration nationwide.

Although Ji Yecheng looked down on these festivities, everyone was still actively preparing for the occasion.

On the day of the birthday banquet, the court officials arrived early at the Golden Luan Hall.

The Crown Prince was stationed at the entrance, and through the spacious doors, they could see performances on the stage. Although the banquet hadn’t officially begun, these were merely appetizers.

However, the officials and concubines waited and waited, yet the emperor and the favored consort still hadn’t arrived.

By the time the banquet was about to start, many were incredibly anxious.

But no one dared to ask.

They exchanged glances, and it was almost obvious what they were thinking. The fact that both the emperor and the favored consort were absent indicated something significant, especially since the emperor doted on her.

Everyone couldn’t help but think that Yan Qing truly was a bewitching consort; she absolutely couldn’t be allowed to become empress, or else it would spell disaster for Da Qian.

The Prime Minister, who felt the weight of so many eyes upon him, also looked helpless. However, he firmly believed that his daughter wouldn’t engage in such behavior. If it were as they suspected, it could only mean that the Emperor was blinded by lust!

As they all began to think that the emperor might not show up and that they might have to sit there until the end of the event, they suddenly heard the eunuch’s announcement.

Everyone immediately perked up, rising to bow.

“Excuse your courtesies,” came the low voice.

The officials rose and retook their seats, but upon glancing at the stage, their expressions changed drastically.

Was the emperor… assaulted?

They saw their handsome, cold-faced emperor, his fair skin marked with bruises, some of which were still red after applying ointment, and there were wounds at the corners of his mouth and chin, ruining his exquisite features.

Oh, this didn’t look like an assassination; it looked more like he had been beaten up.

In that moment, the officials were more concerned about how badly the emperor was hurt rather than his life.

Noticing the gaze of the officials, Ji Yecheng, even with his bruised face, shot them a fierce glare and said in a deep voice, “None of you are allowed to look at me!”

“Yes,” the officials replied, stifling their laughter.

It was clear that the emperor didn’t want anyone to comment on his condition; he was embarrassed, and they wouldn’t intentionally make things awkward, so they complied.

But there were always those who were dissatisfied.

For instance, the Minister of Revenue, Lord Ran.

He was thinking a lot, even though this was something everyone could have come to realize.

Who in the entire palace would dare to lay a finger on the emperor? Let alone beat him to such a state? There hadn’t been any reports of an assassination attempt, so if the emperor was in this state, who was to blame?

His gaze locked onto Yan Qing.

Most people were too afraid to speak, but Lord Ran, who was already extremely displeased—especially since the treasury had been emptied and he had almost lost his position—couldn’t help but voice his frustrations. Thinking he had caught on to something significant, he stood up and said, “Your Majesty, may I ask who inflicted these injuries on you? This person has harmed the emperor, and the emperor’s well-being is the foundation of the nation. Anyone who dares to harm the emperor should be executed!”

His thunderous words echoed throughout the Golden Luan Hall.

As the Minister of Revenue, he had many supporters.

One after another, people kneeled in the center and said, “Your Majesty, Lord Ran speaks the truth!”

“Your Majesty, you must execute this person as a warning to others!”

Ji Yecheng’s expression darkened as more and more people spoke up.

If this birthday banquet were not for him, he wouldn’t have even shown up today; this was far too embarrassing. However, he couldn’t resist and could only let Yan Qing do as she pleased. He had already endured her hitting him; after all, he was in the wrong. That bite mark was still fresh and bloody.