Showing Off Authority

"Who are you?" Su Li looked at the woman and asked.

The woman giggled, gave a perfunctory bow, and said, "I am our lord's nineteenth concubine."

Su Li clicked her tongue, thinking to herself, 'Nineteen concubines already? Zhao Jun really knows how to enjoy life.'

"Where is Magistrate Zhao? When exactly will he come out?" Lin Siyu asked.

The nineteenth concubine turned to look at Lin Siyu, thinking what a handsome young man he was!

Then she said to Lin Siyu, "Please don't be anxious, young master. Our lord is handling urgent official business. As for when he'll be finished... well... I really don't know..."

"What do you mean by that? Does Zhao Jun intend to make Her Highness the Queen of Qin wait here for him?" Lin Siyu's words carried a hint of anger.

"Oh my, how would I know? I'm just a mere concubine here to greet a few guests. As for anything else, I know nothing at all," the nineteenth concubine said arrogantly. "Her Highness the Queen of Qin can just wait here. Our lord will come out eventually. If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. Whenever our lord has time, he will naturally come to greet you all."

"Outrageous!" Lin Siyu slammed the table and shouted angrily, "How dare a mere magistrate of Anchester put on such airs before Her Highness the Queen of Qin!"

The nineteenth concubine curled her lips, sitting firmly without so much as moving her seat. She glanced at Lin Siyu, then at Su Li, and said, "Your Highness the Queen of Qin, our lord has been the magistrate of Anchester for more than ten years. Every matter in Anchester, big or small, must pass through his hands. Our lord is a very busy man. If he can spare a moment to see you, that's already generous. What more do you expect?"

Su Li's eyes remained calm, betraying no emotion. She said lightly, "So, it seems that even if we wait here today, we may not see Magistrate Zhao at all?"

The nineteenth concubine replied, "Tsk, originally, if you had let our household servants lead you in properly, you could have met our lord. But you hurt someone, and now our lord has to deal with the servants' affairs, so he has no time for you. In short, you brought this upon yourselves—who told you to injure my lord's brother-in-law!?"

"Brother-in-law? That servant is your brother?" Su Li recalled the arrogant servant's face—aside from being fat, he did resemble the nineteenth concubine. Could it be that the servant Lin Siyu blinded was actually her brother?

"That's right, he's my brother!" The nineteenth concubine's face changed, glaring angrily at Su Li. "You hurt my brother. If our lord doesn't chop off your heads, consider yourselves lucky! Hmph, 'Queen of Qin'—even if you were the Queen Mother herself, once you're in Anchester, you still have to bow to our lord!"

"Such arrogance from Zhao Jun, and such arrogance from the nineteenth concubine," Su Li said coolly, her gaze steady and cold as she sized up the woman. She shook her head, "A mere magistrate dares to threaten me; a lowly concubine dares to put on airs. It seems Anchester is rotten to the core."

"Rotten or not, good or bad, as long as you're in Anchester, our lord's word is law. A mighty dragon can't beat a local snake. No matter how high your rank is elsewhere, it means nothing here," the nineteenth concubine said arrogantly, sipping her tea. "As for you, after injuring my lord's brother-in-law, you should worry about your own fate!"