Chapter 129: Zhongshan Wang
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The morning light seeped through the window adorned with the Five Blessings, casting the pale blue curtains in a hazy and transparent light, like the spring rain in spring. Mingzhu rarely got up early. She sat by the window, painting a pot of freshly blooming ink chrysanthemums.
Fu Mingzheng walked in, gesturing for Su Lan and the others not to make a sound, waiting quietly until Mingzhu stopped writing before smiling. “Your painting skills have improved since last time.”
That was natural. Before, she was just an ignorant girl, but now she had experienced wind and rain, so naturally, she was different. Mingzhu washed her hands in the silver basin and personally served tea to Fu Mingzheng. “Fourth Brother is up early.”
Today she was dressed in white, her usual attire, without much decoration, but she exuded a bit more gentle tranquility than usual. Fu Mingzheng looked at her silently for a while before saying, “There are three things. First, the palace maid responsible for carrying the food tray suddenly died. Empress Dowager Min pretended to be ill, and there are still many people in the royal family and court who sympathize with her and believe in her. Even Zhongshan Wang inquired about this matter; Second, the Emperor pardoned Linan Wang for his disrespect and recklessness; Third, the marriage of the Princess of Wusun has been settled. Guess who?”
The first thing Mingzhu had already guessed. Empress Dowager Min and her son were not to be trifled with. Since they dared to take such a big risk, they must have a way out. Even if they hadn’t killed the palace maid, Empress Dowager Min couldn’t let her live. The reputation of the royal family couldn’t be tarnished. If the Emperor poisoned his own brother, it would be a huge scandal!
As for Empress Dowager Min, she was accustomed to retreating to advance, pretending to be weak and pitiful, winning sympathy from the royal family and the neutral. If she didn’t take advantage of this opportunity to play the victim, that would be strange.
The second matter was unexpected for Mingzhu. How could Yuwen Bai easily forgive Yuwen You? He forced Yuwen Chu to monitor prison because he wanted these brothers to hate each other and never stop. Yuwen You hadn’t been pushed to a dead end yet. How could he easily let go?
As for the third matter, Mingzhu knew. She remembered that the marriage of the Princess of Wusun was decided by the Great Empress Dowager and was married to Fu Wang. Fu Wang was Yuwen Chu’s second brother, older and more stable. He indulged in wine and women, had many children, and still wanted to share the pie in the later stage. The relationship between him and the Princess of Wusun was average, and even after many years of marriage, they only had one daughter.
Fu Mingzheng, seeing Mingzhu lost in thought, smiled triumphantly. “Can’t guess, can you? It’s something you can’t guess, and I didn’t expect it either. It’s actually that little Yuwen You.”
Mingzhu was first surprised, then understood. Since she successfully broke off the engagement, Yuwen You would certainly marry someone else. However, she never expected it to be the Princess of Wusun, which was quite unexpected.
She asked, “Did the Great Empress Dowager also agree?” Logically, the Great Empress Dowager would never agree. Even if the Min family wanted to play tricks, they had just made a mistake and shouldn’t have the audacity to challenge the Great Empress Dowager.
Fu Mingzheng sighed, “The Great Empress Dowager is naturally unhappy, but this matter is somewhat suspicious. Zhongshan Wang also submitted a memorial, with many officials in support, and the Emperor also intends to facilitate it. Some have also brought up your previous engagement with Yuwen You and his self-inflicted injury, so…”
Mingzhu understood everything. In order for her engagement with Yuwen Chu to proceed smoothly, and because Yuwen You had previously helped her voluntarily, her father and the Great Empress Dowager had taken a step back. Perhaps Yuwen Chu had also played a role in this. But why would Zhongshan Wang repeatedly help Yuwen You? She didn’t have many memories of Zhongshan Wang, only remembering him as a pivotal figure who wielded considerable power, stationed troops on the border, had many supporters, and rarely interfered in court affairs. Whenever he did speak up, her father and aunt usually complied.
Zhongshan Wang seemed neutral, neither favoring the Fu nor the Min faction. In her impression, he had only been to the capital once, the year Emperor Zhengqian passed away and Yuwen Bai ascended the throne, and hadn’t appeared since, including after her aunt’s death.
After her father and brothers died, Empress Dowager Min and her son couldn’t control the situation. The capital fell into chaos, with major noble families harboring selfish motives, forming factions, and all aspiring to take the throne. They all rushed to flatter Royal Uncle, who was highly respected and commanded a large army. He, however, remained firmly in his position…
Wait! Mingzhu suddenly shook. Even if Yuwen You had joined forces with Empress Dowager Min and her son, as a county prince with no real backing, he couldn’t have enjoyed such prosperity and prestige in the later stages just by relying on their mercy and charity.
Mingzhu remembered one thing clearly: after her father and brothers died, some people clamored to drag her out for punishment. She thought she was bound to die, but then Yuwen You suddenly appeared. Even though he remained silent, those people didn’t dare to lay a hand on her in his presence.
Before his death, Yuwen You had said, “If it weren’t for me protecting you, would you still be alive? Your conscience has been eaten by dogs!”
So, why did he protect her? Empress Dowager Min and her son wanted her dead, so they wouldn’t let him protect her. What was his reliance? It must be someone else! And this person was likely Zhongshan Wang, who was elusive.
Mingzhu asked cautiously, “Does Zhongshan Wang hold a grudge against our family?”
Fu Mingzheng found it strange why she would ask such a question but still answered seriously, “I haven’t heard of any. The Great Empress Dowager and father have always respected him greatly. If there were any grudges, it wouldn’t be like this. Are you suspecting him because he’s spoken up for Yuwen You twice in a row, thinking he’s against us? It’s actually normal. He’s one of the remaining older princes and was deeply respected and trusted by the late Emperor in his early years. He has guarded the borders for many years and achieved countless merits. Both the court and the people respect him greatly. It’s not unreasonable for him to inquire about such matters. I reckon the late Emperor must have entrusted him with something, perhaps to help take care of his young son.”
Mingzhu frowned, “Did the late Emperor also instruct him to keep an eye on the Fu family? If the Fu family shows any signs of rebellion, he should kill them to uphold justice and protect the Yuwen family’s country and people?”
Fu Mingzheng couldn’t stand her mentioning “killing the Fu family” and furrowed his brows. “It’s early in the morning, and you’re talking about such bloody things without any taboo.”
It wasn’t that she had no taboos, but such things had actually happened. Mingzhu didn’t argue with Fu Mingzheng about this and continued to ask persistently, “Is there a possibility?”
Fu Mingzheng thought for a while and half-jokingly said, “Don’t say it, if it’s likely true, perhaps he also holds some important documents like the imperial decree. Otherwise, why would my aunt and father give him such great face?”
So, with such a formidable figure, while his nephews were fighting for the throne, did he have any ambitions? Could it be that he had intervened in those matters, and she just didn’t know? If the half-picture fell into Zhongshan Wang’s hands, would it trigger particularly terrifying consequences? Thinking of Yuwen Chu’s earlier warning, Mingzhu asked anxiously, “Has the matter of the bed crossbow been investigated?”
Fu Mingzheng’s expression became solemn. “It couldn’t be found out. Only father, eldest brother, you, me, Ying Wang, and Ban Jian have seen it. The real bed crossbow is still under trial construction, and each person’s role is very specific, with absolutely no overlap. I can confirm that Ban Jian hasn’t seen anyone or had the opportunity to leak anything. If there was a leak, it could only be from Ying Wang’s side.”
No, Yuwen Chu doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would let such a thing happen.
There’s only one possibility— the person who actually made this drawing has appeared. Hopefully, they won’t find a skilled artisan like Ban Jian. Mingzhu was extremely nervous.
Su Lan came in and said, “Miss, a maid from Ying Wang’s mansion is here. Madam wants you to come over immediately.”
Mingzhu snapped back to reality, feeling a bit flushed. As someone with experience, she knew exactly what this maid was here for. She was about to marry Yuwen Chu, and this maid was here to teach her about marital matters.
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