The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"This servant...this servant didn't mean it, Your Majesty, please spare me..." Yunxiu kept kowtowing on the ground, again and again, each time making a loud thud.

Spare my life? Empress Feng's anger did not diminish in the slightest. She coldly snorted, "Spare my life? Keeping someone like you around is to tell everyone in the palace that things in this palace can be broken at will?"

Empress Feng's attitude was so firm that it seemed she had no choice but to kill Yunxiu, but Anmi silently watched everything before her, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, as if she had seen something.

Everyone present seemed shocked by Empress Feng's attitude at this moment. Empress Feng was always dignified and elegant. Who had ever seen her personally reprimand a palace maid in front of so many people?

It seems that the palace maid broke the jade ruyi, which greatly angered Empress Feng. So, what will become of this palace maid...? Everyone looked at the beautiful palace maid and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Such a beautiful woman, today, she committed such a crime and displeased Empress Feng. Her life will probably end here!

Yunxiu knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy. The only sound in the entire Imperial Garden was her pleas. However, her pleas seemed to have no effect on Empress Feng. Empress Feng's cold gaze fell on Yunxiu, and she said, word by word, "If I do not punish her severely, I will be disregarding the rules of the palace!"

Having said that, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, as if he really wanted to take Yunxiu's life!

Yunxiu raised her head, seemingly realizing that begging Empress Feng for mercy was utterly hopeless. The fear in her eyes intensified, but her will to live was also incredibly strong. Finally, a flash of inspiration struck her, and as if she had thought of something, she quickly knelt down in front of Emperor Mingde, grabbed his robe, and cried out, "Your Majesty, spare me... spare me!"

Her pitiful appearance would have stirred pity in any man, but even the rational Emperor Mingde, when faced with such a beautiful and delicate woman, felt no pity, only cold calculation.

Why are Empress Feng and the women sent to the palace by the Feng family so opposed to each other? Could this be another scheme orchestrated by Empress Feng? Emperor Mingde thought of the previous plot devised by Empress Feng and Yunxiu, and the color in his eyes couldn't help but deepen, his vigilance growing stronger.

What were they thinking, putting on an act and scheming in front of him? Ha! He would never let them get away with it!

Emperor Mingde hated being played by women, and he especially disliked these two women from the Feng family. A cold smile seemed to flash in his eyes. He wanted to see what kind of show they were going to put on. He didn't believe that Empress Feng would really do anything to such a peerless beauty that the Feng family had sent into the palace!

With a tug at his hem, Yunxiu's hand, which had been gripping his hem, was flung away.

"Ah..." Yunxiu fell heavily to the ground, looking even more pitiful. She seemed not to have expected Emperor Mingde to react this way, and her eyes showed an increasingly intense fear.

Everyone understood what Emperor Mingde was doing, but this action made Empress Feng's lips curl up slightly, each curl filled with coldness. However, a strange and complex emotion flashed across her eyes and quickly disappeared.

"Your Majesty, this person is a palace maid. I have neglected to discipline her, which has led to her committing this mistake. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to publicly reprimand this maid as a warning to others." Empress Feng's firm voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears and causing quite a stir. A warning to others—they could not forget that Empress Feng was the mistress of the harem and the mother of the nation; her words were enough to decide life and death.

Emperor Mingde's eyes remained indifferent, as if the farce before him had nothing to do with him, and he was only concerned with watching how Empress Feng would proceed.

"Disciplining the harem is the Empress's responsibility!" Emperor Mingde said casually, his words seemingly shattering Yunxiu's last hope.

Empress Feng's lips curled up slightly as her gaze fell on Yunxiu. When An Mi saw that look, she keenly sensed the sharp ruthlessness within it. Then, Empress Feng's resolute voice suddenly rang out, "You destroyed the jade ruyi that was meant for the Emperor. I will not let you off the hook. I will award you thirty strokes of the cane. Fate is yours!"

Thirty strokes of the cane? Everyone who heard Empress Feng's words was shocked and terrified. What did thirty strokes of the cane mean? Let alone a woman, even a strong man would be half-dead if he didn't die after thirty strokes of the cane. Would such a delicate woman still survive after thirty strokes of the cane?

Almost everyone expressed doubt. Even An Mi, who had noticed something amiss, was taken aback after hearing Empress Feng's decision. She frowned and glanced at Empress Feng, then scrutinized Yun Xiu, as if wondering if her previous guess was correct.

What exactly are Empress Feng and Yunxiu up to?

As soon as Empress Feng gave the order, a eunuch immediately took two thick, long wooden sticks, which had been used to kill countless people, and placed them in front of Yunxiu, seemingly as a form of intimidation.

"No..." Yunxiu shook her head in fear. Would she really survive if she were to receive thirty strokes of the cane?

But she had no choice but to agree. Empress Feng's eyes narrowed, and she said in a deep voice, "Let's begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two eunuchs dragged Yunxiu to the ground, and each of them, holding a wooden stick, began to beat her hard on the back...

"Ah..." The sound of the wooden stick hitting flesh and Yunxiu's cry of pain mingled together as the first blow landed.

The sound of the first blow sent a shiver down one's spine, making it easy to imagine how intense the pain must be.

Then, the second, the third, the fourth... the wooden stick quickly tore open the skin on the woman's back, leaving it raw and bleeding. Blood stained her tattered clothes, and in the intense pain, large beads of sweat covered Yunxiu's face, and she looked extremely distressed.

The air seemed to freeze, with only cries of pain and the sound of wooden sticks hitting flesh remaining. As the scene progressed, some of the more timid ladies and noblewomen, seemingly unable to bear the sight of the tragic scene, turned their eyes away.

At first, there were cries of pain, but in the end, Yunxiu couldn't even make a sound. Empress Feng, however, remained cold-faced. It would be better if Yunxiu were really killed, but... Empress Feng glanced at Emperor Mingde without leaving a trace, and noticed that her brows furrowed even more. Unlike her previous calm and collected demeanor, there was a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes at this moment.

Empress Feng saw this, but her heart was filled with complex emotions. What she had hoped for was to dispel the Emperor's doubts, and now that she had achieved them, she began to waver. Was what she did right or wrong?