Those who could attend the royal banquet were the wives and daughters of high officials, nobles, and influential families. They would, to some extent, mind their words and manners.
People emerging from such a gathering would not speak so rudely unless they were in a state of extreme panic.
"Are you looking down on our Imperial Guards, or have you done something wrong and are now terrified?"
"Ladies, state your names and origins, or we have the right to detain you on the spot!"
The icy voice rang out again.
Numerous Imperial Guards drew their long swords, ready to act.
At this moment, the ladies and young ladies, led by Zhang Lihua, turned ashen.
"Commander, we..."
"State your names, identities, and present your invitations!"
After the cold voice, the commander of the Imperial Guards and his retinue surrounded Zhang Lihua and the others.
"Ladies and young ladies, I'll say it again, immediately! Now!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Zhang Lihua and the other ladies and young ladies hastily nodded, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads and slowly trickling down their fair faces…
However, at this very moment, these women had no thought of maintaining their elegance, let alone wiping away their sweat.
They quickly took out their invitation letters from their clothing and handed them to the commander of the Imperial Guards, while rapidly stating their names and origins.
"I am Zhang Lihua, the daughter of the Director of the Pass Office!"
"I am Jiuyue, the daughter of the Capital Patrol Commissioner!"
"I am Zhao Lian'ai, the daughter of the Prison Inspector!"
"I am..."
The commander of the Imperial Guards listened to their introductions while quickly examining the invitation letters in his hand.
There were a total of six invitation letters, and the commander finished reviewing them in the time it took an incense stick to burn.
These invitation letters were all real and valid!
However, this was not the end, and what made Zhang Lihua and the others even more distressed and frightened was…
In the fearful gazes of these ladies and young ladies, the commander of the Imperial Guards gave a look to a nearby Imperial Guard soldier.
Upon seeing this, the soldier immediately ran outside the South Hall banquet hall and signaled in a special way by striking the door.
After a while, several female Embroidered Uniform Guard members pushed open the door and confirmed the signal with the Imperial Guard soldier.
…
On the other side.
The commander of the Imperial Guards stared intently at these individuals with a scrutinizing gaze.
Under this atmosphere, Zhang Lihua and the others were almost scared to wet themselves. They dared not even breathe, for fear of losing their lives with a single mistake.
However, Zhang Lihua, cornered, hesitated for a moment before finally gathering her courage and loudly protesting, "I am a distinguished guest invited by the Empress. I protest the Imperial Guards' rough treatment of us!"
Upon hearing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards gave a cold laugh, not the slightest bit worried.
They were merely the wives and daughters of third-rank officials. His backing was the Emperor; what did he have to fear?
Then, the icy voice once again came from the commander's mouth: "I'm very sorry, your protest is invalid. Moreover, if anything is discovered, you will all be detained, and your families will suffer along with you!"
"What???"
Zhang Lihua and the others were shocked again. How could this be? We are prominent figures, and guests at this royal banquet.
Are these Imperial Guards not afraid of our retaliation afterward?
…
Retaliation afterward?
At this moment, if the commander of the Imperial Guards and his soldiers knew what Zhang Lihua and the others were thinking, they would surely sneer.
If it were any other banquet, and you protested our illegal treatment of you, we would indeed have to apologize.
Because we would fear you reporting us. But now, this is within the Imperial Palace…
This is the Empress's banquet; the level and stakes are entirely different!
It is better to kill by mistake than to let a single guilty person go.
For the Great Ming Empire, and for their Imperial Guards, the latter is infinitely more precious than the former!
It can be said that the millions of people in the capital are not as important as the Emperor and Empress. As long as the Emperor and Empress are here, the Great Ming Empire will endure.
If the Emperor and Empress perish, the Great Ming Empire will likely perish as well.
Therefore, protesting is useless, and opposing is also useless.
Bring forth any other means you have, quickly. We are not afraid.
According to the orders given by the Grand General of the Imperial Guards during the previous meeting, Imperial Guards must intervene to stop any behavior detrimental to the Empress at any time and place, and can kill suspected individuals if necessary.
This is all written in an imperial decree; the Emperor has granted the right of temporary unlimited killing!
Furthermore, according to the new laws promulgated by the Central Secretariat this year, Imperial Guards and Embroidered Uniform Guards must immediately resolve any hidden dangers that pose a threat to the Great Ming Empire at any time and place.
Not only will the killers not be punished, but they will also be rewarded.
Therefore…
What good is protesting? We actually wish you would protest, preferably loudly enough to disturb the important figures in the South and North Halls.
That way, if the high command of the Imperial Guards doesn't commend us afterward, I'll change my surname!
This is what the commander of the Imperial Guards was thinking. However, considering that these women had the backing of several third-rank officials,
After several seconds of consideration, the commander decided to spare them a sliver of dignity and offered an explanation.
"I'm very sorry, ladies and young ladies, your protest is invalid. According to the latest national law promulgated by the Central Secretariat, we have the right of unlimited inspection tonight!"
As the words "unlimited inspection rights" fell, Zhang Lihua and the others exchanged glances, seeing the panic in each other's eyes.
This time, their hearts became even more anxious.
It's over, we're finished!
Buddha, I haven't lived enough yet. I haven't had my fill of a life with servants and riches!
Just then!
The Imperial Guard soldier from before hurried over, saluted the commander of the Imperial Guards, and then relayed the information he had heard from the female Embroidered Uniform Guard members to the commander, before resuming his salute.
Although it was only an oral report, the details were extremely thorough: the names, ages, origins, and items brought into the palace of the individuals.
The commander of the Imperial Guards considered this carefully, but seemed to find no issue.
"No! That's not right! They gave a sachet to Little County Princess Zhu Xiaoyan, and what was inside that sachet?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards suddenly looked up, his murderous gaze instantly locking onto Zhang Lihua and her group.
"You entered the South Banquet Hall carrying a sachet and gave it to Little County Princess Zhu Xiaoyan, correct?"
Zhang Lihua dared not deny it and quickly nodded: "Yes, sir, but it was just a sachet emitting a medicinal fragrance."
"A sachet emitting a medicinal fragrance???"
"Yes, it actually has no side effects, it just enhances the fragrance!"
"And Little County Princess has been playing with it for so long without any problems. The sachet is definitely not an issue."
Under the commander's suspicious gaze, Zhang Lihua took out a small bag of gold from his pocket and handed it to the commander.
Do not underestimate this small bag of gold; it was the commander's salary for several years.
"Could it really be just an ordinary sachet?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards took the small bag of gold with his right hand, weighed it, and nodded slightly.
"It seems there really is no problem. Could I have been too nervous?"
Having accepted the bribe, the commander thought to himself and said to Zhang Lihua and the others, "Alright, ladies and young ladies, you may leave now!"
"Thank you!" "Thank you, sir..."
The stone in Zhang Lihua and the others' hearts finally fell. However, to avoid showing any flaws, they could only walk forward at a leisurely pace.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, once they were sure they had left the soldiers' sight, they directly lifted their skirts and ran outside.
Soon, Zhang Lihua and the others disappeared outside the Imperial Palace.
…
The Imperial Palace.
South Banquet Hall.
At this moment, Empress Ma was chatting with her granddaughter Zhu Xiaoyan and the other ladies and young ladies.
However, to the surprise of these ladies and young ladies, Empress Ma seemed exceptionally talkative and excited today.
For example, if Madam Chen asked a question, Empress Ma would say ten.
Or, if Miss Liu told a joke, before anyone else could laugh, Empress Ma would clap her hands and burst into laughter.
This made everyone, who felt the joke was awkward, can only force a smile and go along with Empress Ma.
And it wasn't just that.
As time passed, the originally rosy complexion of Empress Ma gradually lost its luster, turning pale white.
The change in Empress Ma's complexion, which was the center of everyone's attention, immediately attracted the notice of the ladies, young ladies, and female Embroidered Uniform Guards.
"Meihua, Zhuye, go take a look!"
Liu Xue, the person in charge of the banquet internally, instructed her two subordinates.
"Yes!"
The two female Embroidered Uniform Guards, disguised as palace maids, immediately complied and quickly walked towards Empress Ma and Little County Princess Zhu Xiaoyan.
The actions of the female Embroidered Uniform Guards instantly drew the attention of all the guests in the South Hall.
"What's wrong?"
"What happened?"
"Aren't they palace maids? How dare they be so presumptuous?"
"Could it be, could it be that they are..."
At this moment, all eyes in the South Banquet Hall turned towards the two female Embroidered Uniform Guards who had suddenly walked towards Empress Ma and Little County Princess Zhu Xiaoyan.
Involuntarily, a bad feeling surged into everyone's hearts. The intelligent ladies and young ladies covered their mouths, fearing that they would scream in the next second.
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