After being exiled for eighteen years, the prince returned to the capital as a veritable immortal.

Powerful and resounding.

The words of the Imperial Grandson resonated deeply with everyone.

At this moment, his image was suddenly elevated.

They seemed to be representatives of justice and embodiments of truth.

A prince of high rank and great power, and the empress who is the mother of the nation...

It pales in comparison.

Empress Yugou clenched her fists so tightly they made a cracking sound.

That damned imperial grandson made her lose all face.

She questioned him coldly, saying:

"When the imperial grandson caused such a disturbance in my palace, did he ever consider the dignity of the imperial family or the proper etiquette of the court?"

With the Empress's support, the palace maid who had been beaten earlier regained her confidence.

She stepped forward, pointed at Si Xuan, and said:

"It was him! He not only hit me, but also killed Eunuch An!"

"This is clearly a deliberate attempt to embarrass Her Majesty!"

Zhou Yi smiled faintly at Hu Die.

"Snapped!"

Hu Die stepped forward and slapped the little palace maid across the face.

Quiet.

Deadly quiet.

The Hundred Flowers Pavilion seemed to have been put on pause.

Everyone stood frozen in shock, their hearts pounding.

They had heard rumors that the palace maids in Yao's mother's palace had been beaten and that one of the eunuchs had even been killed.

This news almost shocked everyone.

This slap was a hundred times more shocking than the previous one.

This was happening right in front of the Empress.

To slap a personal maid in front of others is tantamount to slapping the Empress.

All the servants were as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

The three princes were completely convinced.

The grandson of the emperor dares to issue orders, and even the young lady dares to fight.

These two are a match made in heaven.

"Heh, heh heh..." Empress Jade Hook laughed out of anger.

Despite having the Empress's backing, she was still beaten, which enraged the young palace maid.

She reached forward and lashed out at Hu Die: "You dare hit me?"

"Crack! Crack!"

Hu Die slapped the other person twice more and said calmly, "I'm hitting you because I'm hitting you."

“A mere servant girl dares to criticize her superiors.”

"I was teaching you a lesson for your lack of manners at the palace gate earlier."

"It seems you haven't improved at all."

"Tsk tsk, the girl is incredibly beautiful, and her speech is even more beautiful," the Fourth Prince blurted out in praise.

The Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and their entourage nodded in agreement.

Although the fourth prince's words were flippant, they were entirely reasonable.

This young lady, Hu Die, always managed to get the imperial grandson on the side of reason whenever she spoke.

Who wouldn't want a subordinate like that?

The young palace maid was clearly no pushover either; she covered her face and pointed at Si Xuan in rebuttal:

“This servant did not accuse Prince Yi; I was referring to him.”

The eunuchs and palace maids all looked at Hu Die, ready to jump out and testify at any moment.

Just now, the palace maid did indeed point at Si Xuan, not the imperial grandson.

Hu Die pointed her palm at Si Xuan and said:

"Let me introduce you to General Si Xuan, the Grand Marshal of Liang, a first-rank official."

"According to the regulations of the imperial court, when officials of a prince come to the capital, they are demoted by one rank."

Therefore, General Si is a second-rank official recognized by the imperial court.

"You, a palace maid, what rank are you?"

"Is it fair to say that you, in a lower position, are criticizing those in higher positions?"

Si Xuan was overjoyed.

This general is still a second-rank official in the capital.

The three prime ministers behind the prince also perked up.

When they walked around the capital, following behind the princes, they were always regarded as followers.

Many people don't even know what rank they hold in official positions.

"I……"

The young palace maid covered her face, stammering and unable to speak.

Hu Die showed no sign of letting him off the hook and continued:

"As a commoner servant, do I need someone to teach me how to behave when I meet a high-ranking official of the second rank?"

"You should know that when a servant makes a mistake, it is the master who loses face."

Only then did everyone remember.

After Hu Die bowed to the Empress and the three princes, she subtly bowed to the prime ministers of the three princes as well.

The young palace maid turned pale and glanced down at the Empress.

The Empress looked helpless and turned away angrily.

It was a court system for lower-ranking officials to bow to higher-ranking officials.

This is especially true when ordinary people meet with officials.

Generally speaking...

In the presence of the Empress and princes, after everyone had bowed to the members of the royal family, they would no longer bow to other officials.

Otherwise, if there were a large number of officials at various levels present, wouldn't it be chaotic if everyone were to greet each other?

However, the rule that subordinates must bow to superiors is an ironclad regulation.

When the ministers attended court, all the civil and military officials greeted each other.

Instead of simply paying respects to the three highest officials, such as the Chancellor and the Grand Commandant, and then stopping there.

But someone like Hu Die simply said, "Greetings, esteemed sirs," and that was it.

Now, because a palace maid has accused Si Xuan.

The other party accused her of being rude, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Since you have acknowledged your rudeness, you should naturally make amends by paying your respects.

Empress Yu Gou naturally did not want her subordinates to bow to the other party.

However, as the empress of a nation, she must be a model of virtue for the world.

If one insists on doing something that violates etiquette, one will surely be criticized by the court officials.

Having served the Empress for many years, the young palace maid still possessed this much sense of propriety.

She glared resentfully at Hu Die, walked up to Si Xuan, and curtsied.

"Greetings, General Si."

She glanced at the three princes and their accompanying officials, and reluctantly bowed to them.

"I have met you sirs."

After performing the ceremony, she walked back to the Empress's side in humiliation.

Hu Die's gaze followed her and settled on the eunuch accompanying the Empress.

The eunuchs looked at each other, their eyes filled with resentment, but they could only bow together.

After all, the reputation of Yaomu Palace cannot be lost again.

"I have met you sirs."

Si Xuan, along with the prime ministers of the three princes, appeared calm on the surface, but were secretly overjoyed.

All these years.

For the first time, people lined up to bow to the royal family.

What surprised them even more was...

The Embroidered Uniform Guards exchanged glances, then surprisingly clasped their hands in a fist and bowed to Si Xuan and his group, saying:

"I have met several esteemed officials."

……

After the ceremony.

A man emerged from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his shoulders embroidered with two stripes and a sword at his waist.

The three princes' eyes turned serious.

The three of them naturally recognized him; this man was none other than Su Wu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Su Wen, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was killed by Zhou Yi, was his own brother.

At this moment, he stepped forward.

Needless to say, they'll definitely cause trouble for the Grandson Si.

really.

"His Highness the Imperial Grandson is very good at etiquette and court regulations."

Su Wu said, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has the duty to investigate officials, and I have a few questions to ask you!"

"Why did Your Highness execute a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the street?"

"Then why did you kill Su Wen, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"Eunuch An Dehai, even if you were standing in front of His Highness, your crime would not warrant death. Why did you have to kill him?"

Zhou Yi turned his back to Su Wu, looking like he couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to him.

“Let me tell you…” Hu Die was not afraid at all.

In terms of the root cause of these matters, Zhou Yi was not in the wrong.

however.

Zhou Yi seemed somewhat impatient.

“Because they all deserve to die.” He turned abruptly and took a step toward Su Wu.

Su Wu felt a chill run through his body.

The other person's gaze seemed indifferent, but their eyes were as if they were staring directly at a dead person.

Startled, Su Wu instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Kill!" Zhou Yi uttered a single word.

Si Xuan stepped forward.

The Dragon Sparrow Blade was unleashed, slashing horizontally towards the opponent's throat.

The Dragon Bird Sword conquers Kyushu!

Cold light.

It flashed across Su Wu's eyes.

this moment.

Su Wu finally understood.

How did his older brother die?

Royal family members should have the spirit of royalty.

He clutched his neck, blood trickling from between his fingers, and exclaimed:

"This is what royalty truly is!"