Please Call Me Your Highness (GL) - Chapter 10

Dong Xiaoning was in the middle of dinner when she was suddenly informed that Madam Ming had arrived. She immediately thought of the encounter earlier that evening. Her feelings toward Madam Ming were complicated—no doubt influenced by the lingering emotions of the body’s original owner.

Curious, she said, “Invite her to the front hall.”

Before long, Dong Xiaoning also stepped outside and came face-to-face with Madam Ming—her current maternal grandmother. The old woman appeared energetic, but there was a harshness in her eyes, an air of severity beyond the ordinary. When she looked at Dong Xiaoning, there was no mistaking the blatant malice in her gaze.

“Greetings, Madam Ming.” Dong Xiaoning gave a slight bow—that sufficed for a greeting.

“Well now, after all these years away, that’s how you greet your grandmother for the first time?” Ming Yuzhi’s tone was sharp and scornful, not only accusing Dong Xiaoning of lacking decorum but also voicing her contempt without restraint.

Dong Xiaoning looked at her calmly. She knew Ming Yuzhi was the heir to the Ming family’s noble title. She was supporting Madam Ming, followed by several other younger Ming family members—but Ming Zhexiu was notably absent.

“It’s just that we haven’t seen each other in so long. I wasn’t sure if Grandmother even remembered me, so I may have been a bit distant,” Dong Xiaoning replied, her tone equally pointed.

So she wants to be sarcastic? Two can play that game.

“Wretch! Is this how you speak to your elders?” Madam Ming suddenly erupted. Though she was not yet old enough to need a cane, she carried a decorative staff, which she now raised as if to strike.

Dong Xiaoning’s brows furrowed. She stepped back, pulling Xiao Fu with her, and shouted, “Zhao Shanggong!”

Are you going to do something about this?

Zhao Minxi stepped forward with palace attendants, trying to mediate and block the confrontation. Yet whether due to Madam Ming’s high status—making it inappropriate to use force—or the Ming family’s numerical advantage, Zhao Minxi and her people were quickly overwhelmed.

Dong Xiaoning sensed things turning for the worse. There was no way she’d sit there and be beaten. Grabbing Xiao Fu, she made for the door. Pingyu Pavilion only had one exit—getting cornered inside would be disastrous.

Just as she stepped forward, Madam Ming, surprisingly agile, jabbed her staff toward them. Dong Xiaoning instinctively raised her hand, grabbed the end of the staff, and with a swift pull, sent Madam Ming sprawling to the ground.

“Aiyo! Heaven help me! You unfilial wretch—you dare strike your grandmother!” Madam Ming wailed with robust lungs, her cries echoing beyond the courtyard walls.

Soon, the Empress arrived, accompanied by Princess Ancheng and her husband Ming Yuzhou, the Second Princess Dong Yanning, the Third Princess Dong Muning, and even Ming Zhexiu.

“Kneel!” Empress Ming commanded. After hearing a brief account of what had happened, she turned her fury on Dong Xiaoning. Her tone was so harsh, it was as if she were addressing a criminal.

“I won’t kneel. I did nothing wrong.”

Dong Xiaoning met the Empress’s eyes, unwavering, with no sign of yielding.

The hall fell into tense silence.

Madam Ming now sat in a chair, Ming Yuzhi fussing over her. Both wore smug expressions of satisfaction, coupled with disdain toward Dong Xiaoning.

The younger members of the Ming family had varied expressions, but most seemed to side with their own kin.

Princess Ancheng looked amused, as if watching a show. Prince Consort Ming Yuzhou appeared nervous, as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Dong Yanning’s brows were tightly knit, while Dong Muning stood with the Ming family, clearly siding with them.

Overall, the odds were against Dong Xiaoning. But would bowing her head ensure her survival? Dong Xiaoning clenched her fists—she would not yield today.

Empress Ming’s eyes grew colder as she stared at Dong Xiaoning. “It seems you’ve learned nothing these past years. Fine then, failure to discipline is my fault. Today, I will do my duty as your mother.”

Her voice rose. “Guards! Drag the Fourth Princess out and beat her! Beat her hard. If she won’t admit her wrongdoing—beat her to death!”

“Mother, please calm yourself!” Dong Yanning rushed forward to block the approaching guards.

“Mother, please, have mercy!” Dong Muning hesitated, but also stepped up.

“The Fourth Princess is young and spoke out of turn. Please, Your Majesty, show mercy and grant her a lighter punishment,” Ming Yuzhou said carefully, weighing every word.

“Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger,” Ming Zhexiu added.

The others, while differing in attitude, remained silent. Ming Yuzhi, on the other hand, scolded them, “Yanning, Muning, the Empress punishes your sister for her own good. Interfering shows your lack of understanding. Can’t you see what your grandmother has suffered?”

As she spoke, Ming Yuzhi feigned a sob—but not a single tear fell.

Madam Ming cast a meaningful glance at Dong Yanning and Dong Muning, her eyes no longer holding the kindness they once did.

Dong Yanning’s brow furrowed even deeper, while Dong Muning’s face was filled with awkwardness.

Thankfully, at that moment, Zhao Minxi knelt and said, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I was appointed by His Majesty to watch over the Fourth Princess. Her every action, every meal, must be reported directly to him. If Your Majesty wishes to punish the Fourth Princess, I dare not object. But if you intend to take her life—this servant cannot obey.”

Her words, thinly veiled as a warning, successfully redirected Empress Ming’s fury.

“You dare instruct me how to act?” the Empress snapped.

“This servant wouldn’t dare. It’s simply that His Majesty has only three daughters left, and among them, only this one is a Qianyuan. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider.”

Zhao Minxi bowed her head. She dared not meet Empress Ming’s eyes. She had said all she could. If she couldn’t stop what was coming and still bore the Empress’s anger later—that would be her fate.

Normally, such words would have worked. But in front of so many Ming family members, all convinced that Ming Zhexiu was better suited for succession, no one was inclined to show Dong Xiaoning any mercy. Zhao Minxi’s words only fueled their resentment.

Especially Ming Yuzhi—upon seeing the Empress’s hesitation, she exchanged a quick glance with Madam Ming and immediately stepped forward. “Your Majesty punishing her daughter is right and proper, both publicly and privately. Does this palace official not even understand that?”

Zhao Minxi lifted her head, unwilling to clash with Ming Yuzhi directly. She stood respectfully, awaiting the Empress’s command.

Suddenly, the hall fell silent. The oppressive quiet was like the stillness before a storm, suffocating.

At that moment, two announcements rang out like thunder from outside.

“Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager arrives!”

“His Majesty the Emperor arrives!”

Footsteps, orderly and swift, approached the hall, and everyone prepared to receive them according to protocol.

“Greetings to the Grand Empress Dowager! Greetings to His Majesty!”

Once seated, the Emperor spoke slowly, “On my way here, I heard what happened. What’s this? The Empress intends to kill someone?”

Empress Ming responded, “The Fourth Princess defied her elders. I planned to discipline her according to family law. If I cannot correct her, then there’s no need to keep this wretch in the world.”

Her words were heavy with accumulated rage. Before the Emperor could reply, the Grand Empress Dowager cut in sharply.

“They say Kunze bear children. I’ve borne four in my lifetime, raised each one, and every one turned out fine. You, Empress, also bore four. One is dead, and now you say you’ll discard another. My daughters cannot possibly be in the wrong—so this must be your failure as a mother. Instead of reflecting on your own shortcomings in raising your child, you blame the child for lacking sense?”

The Grand Empress Dowager’s words were full of challenge. Madam Ming and Ming Yuzhi, initially eager to escalate matters, wisely held their tongues. The rest of the room kept their eyes on the floor, not daring to get involved in such a high-level confrontation.

Only Dong Xiaoning dared to openly observe, analyzing the shifting emotions of those present.

Her gaze earned Empress Ming’s wrath.

With a loud crash, a teacup smashed at Dong Xiaoning’s feet, shards scattering everywhere.

Xiao Fu, ever by Dong Xiaoning’s side, jumped in fright. Dong Xiaoning herself flinched, instinctively stepping back, confusion and displeasure filling her eyes.

Empress Ming said coldly, “A broken cup—no matter how carefully repaired—can never return to its original state. Scarred and unsightly, better to throw it away.”

The Grand Empress Dowager let out a cold laugh, unwilling to back down. “It’s just a cup. If that’s how the Empress feels, then so be it.”

A chill ran down Dong Xiaoning’s spine. Was this how they saw her? As a shattered teacup?

Sensing tensions escalating, the Emperor stepped in to mediate. “The Grand Empress Dowager should rest and enjoy her years in peace. Such trivial matters are better left to the Empress. Empress, you decide.”

Receiving the Emperor’s unspoken signal, Empress Ming finally relented. “The Fourth Princess has no respect for her elders. She is to be sent back to the capital immediately to reflect on her actions in seclusion. Furthermore, her allowances are to be reduced to the level of a collateral branch.”

The Emperor raised no objections and assigned someone of the Empress’s choosing to carry out the punishment. Dong Xiaoning requested that Xiao Fu be released, but the girl refused to leave her.

“Wretch, you’re not even as loyal as a servant,” Madam Ming scoffed.

And so, Xiao Fu left Changyi Garden alongside Dong Xiaoning that very night.

Perhaps because she couldn’t deal with Dong Xiaoning as she originally intended, Empress Ming found herself unable to sleep that night. Only at dawn did she finally feel drowsy.

Not wanting to disturb her, the Emperor quietly rose and dressed. Just as he finished, a report arrived.

“Your Majesty, the escort convoy returning the Fourth Princess to the capital was ambushed. Most are dead or injured. The Fourth Princess is missing.”

“What?!”

The Emperor’s voice rose in shock and fury, loud enough to awaken the newly asleep Empress.

“What happened? Explain!” she demanded.

Attendants helped her dress as she walked out.

“Your Majesties,” the messenger reported nervously, “it was too dark to see clearly. We don’t know who the attackers were. They stormed the convoy, creating chaos—and afterward, we couldn’t find anyone…”

“Useless fools! Who would dare assault imperial troops? Who could assault imperial troops? Investigate! I want the truth—no matter what!”

“Yes”