Chapter 1132: Like To Ask Her To Kneel
Chapter 1132: Chapter 1132: Like To Ask Her To Kneel
When the senior eunuch guarding the grand entrance spotted them approaching, he immediately raised his voice to announce Bai Xifeng’s arrival to the throne room. Only after receiving explicit imperial permission inside did the eunuch step aside and gesture for Bai Xifeng to enter.
Bai Xifeng adjusted her sleeves and walked inside with smooth, confident strides.
Xiao Li instinctively moved to follow her young miss into the hall, but the guard eunuch instantly put out an arm to block her path.
"Only Young Lady Bai is granted permission to enter the inner hall. Servants must wait outside." The eunuch stated firmly.
Bai Xifeng paused her footsteps and glanced back over her shoulder.
"Xiao Li, just wait out here. I will be fine inside. There is no need to worry." Bai Xifeng said casually.
Since her young miss had spoken, Xiao Li immediately obeyed. She bowed respectfully and stepped back to wait outside the doors.
Bai Xifeng turned around and continued walking into the grand hall. As she stepped onto the central crimson carpet, she saw rows of high-ranking ministers standing on both sides of the aisle, while the Emperor himself sat loftily upon the golden dragon throne at the far end.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Bai Xifeng stated plainly, standing straight in the middle of the hall without making the slightest motion to bow or kneel down.
One of the newly appointed ministers immediately noticed her complete lack of a bow. His eyebrows knitted together in instant outrage. He felt that Bai Xifeng was being extraordinarily insolent and disrespectful toward the supreme ruler of the kingdom.
"Young Lady Bai! Did your family fail to teach you basic court manners?!" The minister barked out, stepping forward to reprimand her. "How dare you greet His Majesty in such an offhanded, arrogant manner?!"
This man was Chang Shu Mo, the newly appointed Minister of Works. He had been promoted to his high official position long after Bai Xifeng had already departed from the Capital City. Because he was a fresh face in the inner court, he knew very little about Bai Xifeng’s true temper, nor was he aware of the special historical privileges granted to her father’s bloodline.
Bai Xifeng turned her head to look at him, an amused expression on her face.
"Well, I suppose you could put it that way." Bai Xifeng shrugged casually. "When I was younger, the family environment I grew up in did not care much for my education anyway. So no, they did not bother teaching me much about these tedious court rules."
She paused for a brief moment before continuing with a smirk. "However, my father, Great General Bai, possesses an official imperial decree explicitly stating that anyone of his direct bloodline is entirely exempt from kneeling before the Royal Family, including His Majesty himself. But I suppose a green official like you was not aware of that decree, were you?"
Chang Shu Mo froze, his face stiffening. Taken aback, he immediately turned to his senior colleagues standing nearby to verify her claim.
The older ministers exchanged subtle, uncomfortable glances with one another before giving him reluctant nods.
It was absolute truth. This young girl genuinely held the legal right to stand upright without kneeling when addressing members of the Royal Family.
Minister Chang Shu Mo’s face instantly flushed a deep, awkward red. He had arrogantly assumed he was catching a spoiled young miss committing treasonous disrespect toward the Emperor, only to end up publicly humiliating himself in front of the entire court.
Bai Xifeng did not care in the slightest about his embarrassment. She simply turned her gaze back toward the golden throne.
Feeling Bai Xifeng’s sharp, fearless eyes locked onto him, the Emperor could not help but feel an unexpected wave of nervousness settle in his chest. For some strange reason, he felt as though he was not looking at a young girl right now, but rather facing Bai Xiang himself.
The father and daughter were shockingly similar. Both of them possessed that same terrifying, unshakeable aura. Both of them spoke their minds completely unfiltered, without giving a damn whether the person sitting before them held the title of Emperor or not.
The Emperor let out a few heavy coughs to clear his dry throat before breaking the heavy silence.
"Young Lady Bai... why did you suddenly sneak out and leave the Capital City back then?" The Emperor began, his tone carrying a subtle, pressuring interrogation.
"Because I felt like leaving." Bai Xifeng stated nonchalantly.
Minister Chang Shu Mo, still burning from his previous humiliation, immediately jumped at the chance to call out her dry response.
"Young Lady Bai! Mind your tone and answer His Majesty’s question properly!" Chang Shu Mo shouted.
Bai Xifeng turned her head back to look at Chang Shu Mo like he was a nuisance.
"I did answer it properly and honestly." Bai Xifeng spread her hands wide in a dramatic fashion. "I left the Capital City simply because I wanted to leave. I went to live with my own family. Is there something illegal about that? Don’t tell me I am not even allowed to go and stay with my own father?"
Bai Xifeng narrowed her sharp eyes slightly, her voice dropping an octave. "Or are you implying I am required to stay locked in the Capital as a glorified prisoner because you are all terrified my father might rebel?"
Bai Xifeng fired off her questions one after another like rapid gunfire, leaving no room to breathe.
An audible gasp echoed through the hall. Every single minister stood frozen in complete shock that Bai Xifeng dared to spit out the taboo word rebellion so casually in the middle of the imperial court.