Chapter 118 For You
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Many palace attendants rushed over, led by the Eunuch Rong, who managed the Great Empress Dowager’s palace. Eunuch Rong had hurried over to help Mingzhu upon receiving a letter sent by Yuwen Chu, but halfway there, he heard that something had happened here. He was out of breath from running, but when he saw Mingzhu standing there unharmed, he relaxed completely.
“Oh my, my lady, you’ve really given me a fright! Thank goodness the Great Empress Dowager is watching over you, otherwise she’d have me dismantled! You’re safe and sound, that’s what matters!”
Mingzhu whispered, “I’ve caused trouble for you.”
Eunuch Rong sighed softly, glancing at the blood on the ground, then exclaimed, “What’s going on here?” He looked Mingzhu up and down, and she kept her eyes down, saying, “It wasn’t me, it was Linan Wang.”
Eunuch Rong breathed a sigh of relief again, then instructed his apprentice, “Hurry up, catch up with him and find a doctor for Linan Wang.” He noticed the dead ants and hurriedly stepped forward, taking out a long silver needle and inserting it among them. After withdrawing the needle, he carefully examined it, and the silver needle gleamed black.
“It’s not my business,” the palace maid holding the food container exclaimed in horror, rushing forward to beg Mingzhu, “Miss Fu, please spare me, I haven’t opened the food container…”
Mingzhu remained silent. This wasn’t the time for charity. Just as this palace maid had previously sent her down a path of death by carrying a plate of poisoned camel soup, just as she had let her out to meet Yuwen You even though she knew he would harm her, Zhaoyang palace’s lackeys.
If the poisoned camel soup killed the Second Prince, this palace maid would be the witness to prove her involvement. If she spared her this time, would she be waiting for the next time to plot against her?
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, the palace maid immediately opened her mouth wide to bite hard, but Eunuch Rong saw it clearly and quickly dislocated her jaw, then sternly scolded the people around him, “Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and take action!”
Immediately, someone quickly pulled the palace maid down. The palace maid kicked frantically with her legs, her eyes full of fear and despair.
Mingzhu thought of the cruel and triumphant face of Yuwen Bai, and then remembered the fate of the Second Prince and others in her previous life, her heart as cold as ice. In her previous life, the Second Prince and others had incidents one after another after Fu’s family fell from power.
The Second Prince “lost his footing” and died in the lake after drinking too much, but according to the information she got from Yuwen You, he was actually poisoned. Now that the poison had been administered in advance, it was probably because of her involvement that many things had changed.
Mingzhu panicked. She felt there was so much she needed to do, many things that were urgent. Previously, she had thought she didn’t really need this marriage with Yuwen Chu, but now she felt it was absolutely necessary. She must stir up this situation as much as possible; only then would she have more opportunities, and the Fu family would have a better chance.
Her panicked expression caught the eye of Eunuch Rong who naturally interpreted it as her being scared.
Eunuch Rong sighed lightly, surveyed the surroundings, and exclaimed, “Who would have thought that an accident would prevent such a huge disaster? I was suspicious when I saw this gluttonous little ant unexpectedly die after eating the camel soup. But I didn’t expect that probing a little further would uncover the problem. Such a major issue cannot be delayed. Quickly report the matter to the two empress dowagers and the emperor, and keep an eye on the culprits. We mustn’t allow any loopholes.”
With a compassionate look, he offered to escort Mingzhu, “Let this old servant take you to rest with the great empress dowager? Poor thing, you’ve been frightened.”
Mingzhu remembered Yuwen You’s previous warning, and she really didn’t want to stay here any longer. She listened to Eunuch Rong’s words and followed him to Changxin Palace. The Great Empress Dowager was drinking tea and chatting with Imperial Consort Min near the window. They were both surprised to see Mingzhu come in disheveled. The Great Empress Dowager frowned and asked, “What’s going on?”
Eunuch Rong approached and quietly explained the reason, then showed The Great Empress Dowager the silver needle and the collected camel soup. The Great Empress Dowager was furious and instructed Imperial Consort Min, “This child is frightened. Take her to the back hall to rest.”
Imperial Consort Min led Mingzhu away, and only then did The Great Empress Dowager grit her teeth and say, “I’m not dead yet, but they dare to plot against me! What did those children do to them? They’re too impatient! Looks like some people need to know who’s in charge!” Pausing for a moment, she asked, “Did Old Six send someone to fetch you?”
Eunuch Rong whispered, “His Royal Highness Ying Wang made two preparations. One was to send someone to find me and have me come to save the situation. The other was to arrange people in advance. Whether or not there was a problem with the camel soup, as long as the young lady and the palace attendant carrying the meal arrived there, someone would pretend to play and accidentally spill the camel soup. I didn’t expect Linan Wang to come on his own, and the young lady handled it quite cleverly.”
The Great Empress Dowager pondered for a moment and sighed, “It’s fortunate she didn’t act foolishly. Rongming, go and handle this… “
“Yes.” Eunuch Rong bowed and withdrew to deal with the matter.
Outside the Zhaoyang Palace, Princess Funing was already exhausted, gasping for air. Her chest and throat felt like they were burning fiercely, and the sensation made it difficult for her to breathe. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if she might collapse at any moment. Her legs felt heavy and unresponsive, making it extremely difficult to move forward. Unable to bear it any longer, she broke down in tears, wishing for death to relieve her suffering. Yet, the palace attendants sent by the young emperor continued to urge her on, “Princess, please hurry. You’ve only run three laps, still a long way from ten…”
Princess Funing, accustomed to a life of indulgence and favor since childhood, had never experienced such hardship. Finally reaching her breaking point, she collapsed forward, crying bitterly on the ground, “Just kill me! I can’t run anymore.”
In the midst of her sorrowful sobbing, she suddenly saw a pair of azure embroidered boots with dragon patterns standing before her. She lifted her tear-filled eyes and saw Yuwen Chu standing there, looking down at her indifferently.
She couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope, “Sixth Brother, are you here to save me? Did the emperor revoke his order, telling me not to run anymore?”
Yuwen Chu’s expression remained impassive, “The emperor sent me to see if you’ve passed out.”
Princess Funing felt both disappointed and resentful, crying even harder, “Why won’t you plead for me? It’s all because of Fu Mingzhu, that jinx. She’s the one who brought this upon me… sniff… I know now, you only have eyes for her, not me. You refuse to help me because I criticized her. Don’t you care? How can you be so heartless? I’m your own sister… How could you treat me like this? You’ve been bewitched by that vixen. I’ll tell Mother, you and her are teaming up to bully me, trying to take my life… sniff…”
Unmoved, Yuwen Chu instructed the attendants, “Since the princess still has the energy to curse, it means she’s still capable. Help her up and let her continue running. If she can’t run, let her walk. If she can’t walk, then you’ll have to drag her!”
“What? No!” Princess Funing never expected him to be so cruel to her. She was crying and angry, almost going crazy. “Yuwen Chu, how dare you treat me like this?”
“You just lack discipline, that’s why you’re like this! What are you still standing there for? Help the Princess continue running!” Yuwen Chu sneered and turned to leave. But as he walked away, someone came forward with a lowered head, stopped about two steps away from him, bowed gracefully, and whispered, “Jiang Shanshan pays respects to His Royal Highness Ying Wang, to Princess Funing.”
Seeing her, Princess Funing cried even harder, “Second Sister Jiang, please think of a way for me, help me, I’m about to die…”
Yuwen Chu glanced at the palace maid coldly, and she forced Princess Funing away. Princess Funing let out a sharp and miserable cry, sounding out of breath, extremely pitiful.
Jiang Shanshan couldn’t bear it and said softly, “Why must you treat her like this, Your Highness? Princess Funing is just childish and not malicious.”
Yuwen Chu indifferently replied, “She’s my little sister.”
His implication was clear: he knew better than an outsider what kind of person his own sister was. There was no need for her to remind him or interfere.
Jiang Shanshan suddenly understood his meaning and blushed with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean that. I just feel responsible for this matter. I can’t just watch her suffer. That’s why I dared to ask the Emperor earlier…”
Yuwen Chu casually said, “Is that so?”
“Yes. The Emperor has already agreed. He said the Princess was cursing your fiancée…” Jiang Shanshan paused in pain, then continued softly, “As long as you don’t get angry with the Princess, the Emperor won’t pursue it. So I dared to come here and plead for the Princess. If Mingzhu is angry because of this, I’m willing to persuade the Princess to apologize to her. I don’t want to cause discord between you two because of me.”
Yuwen Chu remained silent.
Jiang Shanshan couldn’t discern his true thoughts, so she nervously gripped the half-scroll painting hidden in her sleeve. She decided that if he agreed to persuade Princess Funing, that would be best; if not, she would still seize the opportunity to reveal the painting.
Yuwen Chu finally said, “It’s not necessary. This is our family’s affair, and I will handle it myself. Second Miss Jiang is admirable and magnanimous, which is highly commendable. It’s too sunny outside at the moment, not suitable for lingering. You should return home soon.”
Seeing him finish with these polite words and turn to leave, Jiang Shanshan hurriedly stepped forward to block his path, boldly retrieving the half-scroll painting hidden in her sleeve and firmly stating, “Your Highness, I have something to give you.”
She bravely met Yuwen Chu’s gaze. He didn’t know that from the moment she first saw him, her eyes had been following him. Despite his exceptional competence and future greatness, he was also extremely attractive. As a man, his charm was irresistible, so despite various difficulties and obstacles, she would endure. One day, she would make him realize her value and importance.
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