Chapter 107: Kind Words
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
“Shh…” Su Lan walked alertly to the door, pulling back the curtain to peek inside. Mingzhu laid motionless, pretending to be asleep, while Su Lan quietly scolded Su Jin, “Are you crazy? Why are you spreading such rumors inside?”
Su Jin nodded obediently, “Sister, I’m just worried about the young lady. Saying Linan Wang is pitiful, isn’t that blaming our young lady?”
Su Lan sneered, “Those people just want to cause trouble for our young lady. Let’s not pass these words on to her. Get back to work. Whoever gossips again, even if I don’t say anything, the Madam will handle it, and then you’ll regret it.”
The maids dispersed, and it became quiet outside again. Mingzhu cleared her throat, “Su Lan.”
Su Lan quickly walked in, smiling, “Is the young lady awake?”
Mingzhu sat up and asked, “What were you talking about just now?”
Su Lan knew she had heard it, so she didn’t hide it. She just advised, “Young lady, don’t worry about it. It’s all decided by the elders, and the Masters will take care of everything. You don’t need to worry.”
Mingzhu smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t interfere. I just wanted to ask, did Fourth Brother and that person fight? Did he knock him to the ground? Also, did Fourth Brother get hurt? Did he get punished?”
Su Lan replied, “They didn’t really fight. The stewards are very capable, and Fourth Master is very sensible. I just heard that Linan Wang was very drunk and bumped his head.”
She didn’t expect Yuwen You to have degenerated into a drunken mess, but then again, he had always been like that, a particularly tasteless drunkard who would go crazy after a few sips of horse urine.
Mingzhu sneered coldly, finding Yuwen You even more displeasing due to the dream she had just had, “Is that so? Why didn’t they just drink him to death?” Thinking of what Su Jin said about Yuwen You being pitiful, she added, “He’s causing such a commotion. The first time, he was afraid of death; the second time, he’s just embarrassed. It’s strange how people have always felt sorry for him from start to finish. When I was going to marry him, he was pitiful. Now that I’m not, he’s still pitiful.”
Su Lan saw that she was in a bad mood and quickly advised, “From now on, he has nothing to do with you, young lady. You don’t need to pay attention to him.”
“Exactly.” Mingzhu got out of bed lazily, looking at herself in the mirror with a very light tone, “Yes, I want to see how he’s going to court death.”
Because of timely intervention, the Wusun delegation ultimately did not propose to marry Mingzhu as their princess. Instead, with some reluctance, they accepted the arrangement—elevating Yuwen Xue to the status of princess and selecting her as the bride. The dowry was also quite generous. This matter didn’t cause much backlash. The true princesses were spared, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the attention quickly shifted to the shock brought about by the engagement between Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu. No one could behave so arrogantly and capriciously, first being engaged to the younger brother, then changing their mind at the last minute, nearly causing a fatal incident, and now wanting to be engaged to the older brother, all with such open and justified reasons.
Some couldn’t bear to watch and quietly went to Empress Dowager Min to request to stop such a thing from happening. However, Empress Dowager Min smiled and said, “It’s just a marriage, even if we don’t consider Old Six’s face, we still have to consider the national interest.”
Originally, there was nothing wrong with this statement. Mingzhu couldn’t marry into Wusun to avoid constraining the Fu family. This decision had been unanimously agreed upon by several court ministers after consultation. However, after Empress Dowager Min’s words, it became interpreted as simply to satisfy the Fu family, avoiding political turmoil.
As a result, all kinds of rumors spread like wildfire, mostly about how the Fu family controlled everything and manipulated the princes’ marriages and state affairs. Empress Dowager Min and her son were mere puppets, well-intentioned but powerless. However, no one knew what role Empress Dowager Min played in this matter. The only people who knew the truth were struggling with the delicate balance between the two Empress Dowagers and couldn’t speak out. But no matter what, the situation was already irreversible.
“…It’s only in the imperial family that such disgraceful acts could happen. Otherwise, it’s impossible for any other family to commit such deeds…” The servant brought in for questioning by Mingzhu blushed and stammered as he relayed the rumors from outside.
Unable to endure further, he knelt down and begged, “Miss, spare me, please. I dare not say anymore.”
Mingzhu waved her silk fan, smiling ambiguously. “There’s nothing to be afraid of saying. People’s mouths are made for speaking, and ears are made for listening. What I do, they say, what they say, I listen. Let me help you finish your sentence, see if it’s like this or not.” Pausing for a moment, she changed her tone and mockingly pinched her throat, “It’s none other than Fu Mingzhu, relying on the power of the Great Empress Dowager and her family, picking a prince like picking cabbage. Such a shameless act, such lack of modesty, such a scandalous matter, the imperial censors surprisingly turn a blind eye to it. No, they don’t turn a blind eye, they simply can’t do anything about it…” She burst into laughter at this point.
Su Lan saw the servant pale with fear and trembling uncontrollably, so she decided to dismiss him, “Go down. Don’t mention today’s events to anyone.”
The servant, feeling as if he had been spared, was about to flee, but Mingzhu stopped him, “Stop right there. I still have some questions. I ask you, while everyone is only cursing me and the Fu family, has no one mentioned Ying Wang?”
Upon asking this question, there was an unexpected silence, bringing a faint hope—Yuwen Chu had told her that this matter was because of him, and he would take responsibility, not involving her. She wondered if he just said that casually or if he had really done something.
Seeing that the servant was relieved to be asked about this rather than repeating insults towards the master’s family, Mingzhu felt a little hopeful.
The servant spoke more smoothly, “Yes, there were also some who said that the Second Miss of the Changxing Marquis’s Mansion had bad luck, encountering a heartless man who valued wealth over loyalty and was captivated by beauty. It’s a waste of her years of waiting and a loss of her youth.”
Hearing him mention Jiang Shanshan, Mingzhu felt a twinge of guilt. “Did the Changxing Marquis’s Mansion say anything?”
The servant shook his head, “No, everything remains as usual at the Changxing Marquis’s Mansion. I heard that if anyone complains, they not only refuse to let others speak ill but also speak a few good words.”
Did Jiang Shanshan not resent her? Or was she truly adept at handling things, or perhaps she loved Yuwen Chu so much that she couldn’t bear to see his reputation damaged? If that was the case, Jiang Shanshan was truly remarkable. Mingzhu was curious, “What good words did they say?”
“They said that there must have been a reason why this marriage couldn’t happen. A hermit once divined for Ying Wang, saying that he had a strong fate and needed someone with an equally strong fate to be successful. Although Second Miss Jiang’s fate is good, it’s not as strong as Ying Wang’s. If they force it, she might die young. Ying Wang couldn’t bear it and, because it wasn’t easy to annul the marriage, he kept delaying it. Until now, both of them are older, and it’s not feasible to delay further, so he asked the Great Empress Dowager to withdraw the decree…” The servant flattered, “Our young lady’s fate matches Ying Wang’s extremely well. You don’t need to worry.”
Mingzhu lowered her gaze and toyed with the tassels hanging from her fan handle, smiling indifferently. This explanation was similar to what the wife of the Dali Temple had previously spread. However, Yuwen Chu did indeed consider Jiang Shanshan’s feelings. This explanation didn’t harm Jiang Shanshan at all and maintained her dignity. He was considerate and amiable to others, so why was he so petty when it came to her?
Su Mei said indignantly, “The Changxing Marquis’s Mansion is really good at spreading rumors. Isn’t this just saying that our young lady has a strong fate?”
However, Su Lan thought that it sounded like Ying Wang was reluctant to harm Jiang Shanshan but didn’t mind harming Mingzhu. It was clear who he favored more. Worried that Mingzhu would take it to heart, she advised her, “Don’t trust the rumors outside. The Changxing Marquis’s Mansion lost a good marriage, so they naturally want to defend themselves with some good words.”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
