"What's going on with this guy? How did he end up here in front of the Empress Dowager?"
"How would we ordinary folks know what's going on inside? Come on, just enjoy the show. Maybe we'll find out some big secret later."
Hearing the discussions of the surrounding commoners, Ziyi shot them a fierce glare.
"Daring to gossip about the Empress Dowager. It seems you people think your lives are too long."
Feeling the threat in her eyes, the two commoners who had been talking just now swallowed hard and scurried away.
Now, it was time to deal with the man in front of them.
Ziyi unhesitatingly blocked the entrance of the tent with her body. "Get out of here quickly. The Empress Dowager never asked you to bring these things. You don't know our mistress at all. Don't sully the Empress Dowager's reputation."
The middle - aged man's eyes dimmed. He hadn't expected this person to be so difficult to deal with. Finally, he rolled his eyes and came up with another plan.
He cried like a child and fell to the ground. "I just wanted to bring some snacks to the Empress Dowager to express my apology. I really did something wrong the other day. I never thought I'd be treated like this. Even if the Empress Dowager doesn't want to eat the things I brought, there's no need for you, a little maid, to make things so hard for me, right?"
Every word he said seemed to express his apology. If someone didn't know the truth, they might really think he was here to apologize. And there were always one or two peace - makers in the crowd.
"Isn't this young lady being a bit too pushy? He just wants to apologize to the Empress Dowager. Is that really so hard? I heard that the current Empress Dowager and the Emperor rule the world with benevolence. But now it seems that some things are just rumors and not to be fully believed."
"Yeah, he doesn't mean any harm. Miss, by blocking the entrance like this, do you have some other motives? You're not the Empress Dowager. How can you make decisions on her behalf?"
The voices of the surrounding people were neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Ziyi to hear clearly. However, she remained unmoved.
These people were just cowards. They only dared to be domineering in front of those without power and were bullies who feared the strong. Compared with the people she had met before, they were much easier to deal with.
"It seems I have to teach you people a lesson or you'll never learn."
Just as everyone was chattering and blaming Ziyi, Shi Muwǎn lifted the curtain of the tent.
The young girl's cold gaze swept across everyone's faces.
"Guards! Did I not punish some people severely enough the other day? They still don't know what they should or shouldn't say. Well, today, I'll teach them all a good lesson."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ze Ze and Xiao Xiao led the guards to surround the people from different directions.
These people were only good at talking. When they really saw so many people getting serious, they immediately panicked.
Some of them even began to kneel on the ground and beg for mercy.
"Empress Dowager, we know we were wrong. Please forgive us. We didn't know before..."
Before the speaker could finish, Shi Muwǎn interrupted him mockingly.
"Heh, what do you mean by 'didn't know'? Did you mean you didn't know I was inside? If you had known, you wouldn't have been so domineering, right? Or did you think I wouldn't really do anything? Do you think I'll be afraid to punish so many of you?"
After she finished speaking, she waved her hand. The guards stepped forward in unison and quickly grabbed the most annoying people who had just been talking.
The person who had been retorted by Shi Muwǎn wilted like an eggplant beaten by frost. All his thoughts had been seen through by the Empress Dowager, and there was no way he could even try to argue.
After the most trouble - making people were taken away, Shi Muwǎn looked at the remaining people.
"Today, I'll spare you for now. If you still don't learn your lesson and want to challenge the dignity of the royal family, then feel free to test the laws of the Great Liang and see if they apply to you commoners."
Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground admitting their mistakes, Shi Muwǎn knew that her goal for today had been achieved. She led Ze Ze, Xiao Xiao, and Ziyi into the tent.
Ziyi originally thought that the Empress Dowager would scold her for letting those people make noise outside and disturbing her rest. After all, the Noble Consort Rui had always punished her for such reasons. She was already used to it and just silently waited to see if she could survive this time.
But things always turned out unexpectedly. Moreover, Shi Muwǎn didn't have the habit of punishing servants physically.
She came from modern times. Although she enjoyed the power in ancient times, she knew what she really wanted. In this slave - based society, no one wanted to be born at the bottom. Everyone was forced into it, and there was no need to make things difficult for others.
So, she sat on the main seat and asked Xiao Xiao to make a cup of tea for Ziyi.
When Ziyi felt the warmth in her hand, she came back to her senses. Looking at the tea cup in her hand, surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by panic.
"Empress Dowager... This is me overstepping my bounds. I deserve to die. If the Empress Dowager wants to blame me, I have no objections."
When she said this, she was like a doll without any emotion. Even though Shi Muwǎn was sitting on the seat, she could feel a chill.
Shi Muwǎn suddenly became interested in this little maid. She wondered what this little maid had been through before that made her always think of the worst outcome when something happened.
"Why do you think I'm offering you tea because I want to punish you?"
The memories of the past came flooding back, making it almost hard for her to breathe and stand steadily.
She would never forget how she had lived in front of the Noble Consort Rui. It was also the Noble Consort Rui who had taught her many tricks.
During that time, not only her but also many other maids in Qingning Palace had suffered the same abuse.
Even if they did nothing wrong and served carefully, the Noble Consort Rui could always find something wrong with them and punish them, just to vent her anger.
Thinking of this, her eyes drooped, and a trace of sadness flashed across her face. If Shi Muwǎn hadn't been observing carefully, she might not have noticed it.
"Isn't this how the concubines in the harem treat the maids? I'm already used to it. The Empress Dowager must be angry because of the false accusations from those commoners today and has nowhere to vent her anger, so she wants to find fault with me. But, the Empress Dowager doesn't need to go through so much trouble. I'm your servant anyway. Even if you kill me, no one will protest."