Seeing the little girl answer without hesitation, Tang Youyou nodded. Only then did a smile appear on her beautiful face.
"If that's the case, then stay by this palace's side. This palace will surely protect you and won't let you be bullied like before."
Hearing this, Yi Ran immediately knelt on the ground. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her originally thin body seemed even more petite the moment she knelt down.
She didn't raise her head and silently shed tears. After a while, she finally spoke.
"Your Majesty the Queen, since this servant has been by your side, I haven't suffered at all. I'm already very satisfied. Your Majesty treats this servant like your own child, and this servant will surely be loyal to you and spare no effort."
Perhaps the little girl was too nervous. Tear drops as big as beans slowly fell. Seeing her crying so bitterly, Tang Youyou gently stroked her forehead.
"This palace believes you."
With just this simple sentence, she knew that this matter was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
Hearing this, Yi Ran nodded foolishly. She stared blankly at Tang Youyou and only felt that she was a bit different from usual today.
However, she didn't ask. Just that one sentence from Tang Youyou was enough to make her feel at ease.
Yi Ran smiled and said, "It's this servant's honor that Your Majesty can trust me. I'll never be able to repay your kindness in my lifetime."
Just as the conversation paused, Tang Youyou heard bursts of sarcastic laughter behind her.
She saw An Suzhi, looking arrogant, standing in front of Shen Mengchen, openly sneering, "I really didn't expect the two of you to be so affectionate. What a deep bond between mistress and servant, like sisters!"
An Suzhi's words were also a veiled sarcasm towards Tang Youyou, insinuating that she was like a lowly servant and not worthy of respect.
Then, seeing that Tang Youyou didn't say anything, she continued, "Look at you. You're just like a lowly servant with a cheap life."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou casually glanced at the person behind her, then turned to Yi Ran and calmly said, "Yi Ran, did you hear something barking just now?"
Seeing her mistress acting playfully again, Yi Ran immediately pretended to be innocent and shook her head, "This servant didn't hear clearly. It seems like there really was something barking just now."
Following Yi Ran's words, Tang Youyou half - smiled and said, "Yes, there's not only the sound of a dog barking, but also a foul smell. Can you smell it?"
Seeing that Tang Youyou was going to continue teasing, Yi Ran smiled and said, "Of course I can smell it. It seems this smell is coming from behind Your Majesty."
At this point, even if An Suzhi was dull, she couldn't fail to understand the meaning behind the words.
An Suzhi immediately became angry. Her blushing face was full of ferocity, which made people feel scared.
She angrily grabbed Tang Youyou, stared at her with her scarlet eyes, and was about to slap her.
But Tang Youyou was quick - witted and grabbed An Suzhi's wrist. Her long fingers were held by Tang Youyou and hung in the air, making her look even more disheveled at this moment.
"Sister An, this is not a place where you can act wildly. You've been barking for so long. Are you even going to throw away your last shred of dignity?"
"The Emperor hasn't bestowed titles on you yet, but you dare to show off your power in front of the mistress of the six palaces. If you're not convinced, this palace can teach you today what is respect for hierarchy."
"I am the superior, and you are the inferior!"
As soon as the words fell, Tang Youyou grabbed An Suzhi's hairpin and pulled it. An Suzhi fell to the ground. Her delicate hairpin became messy. She frowned and glared at Tang Youyou fiercely.
"How dare you! This princess came from the Western Regions. How dare you lay a hand on me!"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou smiled and said, "Even if you're the master of the Western Regions, once you come to the Great Ming, this will be your outcome!"
Seeing that this person still wouldn't talk nicely, Tang Youyou turned around and stepped on this person's back, pressing the person below so hard that she couldn't say a word for a long time.
At the same time, she saw a familiar figure in the distance. Rong Xun was walking towards them, and all of Tang Youyou's arrogant actions fell into his eyes.
For some reason, there was a hint of panic in Tang Youyou's heart.
Rong Xun saw Tang Youyou standing still on the spot while her actions were still bold. He said expressionlessly, "What are you all doing?"
Hearing this, An Suzhi on the ground stood up in a hurry. While standing up, she didn't forget to push Tang Youyou.
She turned to look at Rong Xun, with a look of grievance on her face and tears in her eyes as she began to choke and complain.
"Your Majesty, I don't know why Her Majesty the Queen always targets this concubine and won't let me tell Your Majesty..."
As she spoke, she cried so pitifully, trying to make Rong Xun feel soft - hearted towards her. But the stone - faced man in front of her remained expressionless from beginning to end.
Rong Xun looked seriously at Tang Youyou, while his eyes didn't even glance at An Suzhi on one side.
Seeing Rong Xun being so partial to Tang Youyou, the grievance in her heart welled up again. She looked at Tang Youyou resentfully, frowned, and complained again.
"Your Majesty, this concubine just came to the Great Ming and was treated like this. If my father in the Western Regions knew, it wouldn't be good for the relationship between the two countries, would it?"
Everyone present understood the meaning of this sentence. Shen Mengchen, who had been silent on one side, stepped forward and said,
"Your Majesty, what the princess said is right. The princess just came to the Great Ming and was treated differently by you. If this gets out, people might think that Your Majesty doesn't favor the princess and allows the Queen of the Great Ming to treat her harshly."
While Shen Mengchen was speaking, her eyes were fixed on Tang Youyou.
Being stared at like this, Tang Youyou shivered. She remembered that she hadn't done much to this woman, right?
It seemed... there wasn't.
Except for that wedding.
Could it be that this girl still remembered this matter until now? It shouldn't be. After she ran away at that time, she didn't let this girl see her real appearance. Why would she target her?
Thinking of this, Tang Youyou looked at Rong Xun on one side. She saw this person frown. He coldly glanced at An Suzhi who was crying.
"As a princess of a country, you don't even know your own status. In front of so many people, you don't care about your own image at all and even lose your courtesy in front of the Queen. You really bring glory to your mother country!"
Rong Xun's sarcasm made An Suzhi, who was about to throw a tantrum, immediately calm down.
An Suzhi looked at the man she had been longing for in disbelief.