Chapter 141: Grand Ceremony
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The inner hall was permeated with a faint smell of blood, accompanied by the muffled sound of boards striking bodies. Yuwen Bai, dressed in ordinary clothes, sat high on the dragon throne, his expression arrogant and indifferent. On the ground lay a palace maid, face down, her pants pulled down. Two strong palace attendants, expressionless, held up the gilded court cane high and then brought it down heavily on the maid’s already bruised buttocks. The maid’s mouth was gagged, making no sound, and it was unclear whether she was alive or dead.
Mingzhu remembered the palace maid who was tortured to death by Emperor Yuwen Bai in front of her. Her stomach churned, almost causing her to vomit the lotus cake and tea she had just consumed. Yuwen Chu silently grasped her wrist, firmly pinching her pulse point, which helped alleviate her nausea. Mingzhu managed to endure it, but her complexion remained unsightly.
He Zhengtu stepped forward and whispered to the young emperor, “Your Majesty, Ying Wang and Ying Wangfei are here to pay their respects.”
Only then did the young emperor slowly raise his head to look in their direction. Yuwen Chu and Mingzhu knelt down, paying their respects with three kowtows and nine prostrations. The young emperor descended from the throne and stood in front of Mingzhu, smiling, “Sixth Uncle, Auntie, congratulations.”
Yuwen Chu responded, “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”
“Why thank me? You should thank the Great Empress Dowager and the Grand Tutor.” The young emperor reached out to help Mingzhu up. “We’re all family and also elders, no need to be so formal.”
Even though they were separated by layers of clothing, Mingzhu still felt a chill where the young emperor touched her, making her very uncomfortable. Yuwen Chu timely pulled her away, smiling, “Your Majesty is kind, but etiquette cannot be neglected.”
The young emperor withdrew his hand and looked back and forth between them, then chuckled, revealing a childish innocence. He pointed to the palace maid who was still being punished nearby and said, “This is the wedding gift I’m giving you.”
She married and then he brutally killed someone in front of her as a congratulatory gift? Despite her good manners, Mingzhu couldn’t help but frown. She lacked manners to begin with. She smiled and addressed the young emperor directly, “Such a gift is indeed special. Your Majesty, I am ignorant and do not understand its significance. Please enlighten me.”
The young emperor laughed, “Yes, this wench was blabbering early in the morning, talking nonsense about Auntie and Ninth Uncle, and saying this and that about Sixth Uncle and Ninth Uncle. I’ve always cherished the elders very much, so how could I tolerate such nonsense? Of course, I had her tongue cut off, then slowly beaten to death, to scare those who dare to gossip in the future.”
So it wasn’t just about gagging her mouth, but they found the tongue being cut off led to too quick of a bleeding. If the person died too fast, they won’t fully experience the torment. How could someone be so cruel? Even if it happened ten thousand times, it would still be too much. Mingzhu was about to say something when the young emperor crisply said, “How about it, Sixth Uncle, Auntie, do you like the wedding gift I gave you?”
“We are indeed pleased. I am humbled and grateful.” Yuwen Chu took the lead, gracefully bowing deeply, showing great respect but not a hint of servility—it was just the right response.
Mingzhu sighed inwardly and forced a smile. “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.”
“You two are indeed a united couple.” The young emperor frowned, suddenly showing a hint of impatience and irritability in his tone. “Boring! I asked you to teach a servant a lesson, but you didn’t show any creativity. You there, hang that servant in front of the palace gate, tie them up with fishing nets, and then slowly cut them to pieces!”
What a wedding gift! So bloody and cruel. This brat was too much! Mingzhu couldn’t contain her anger. She couldn’t help but think back to that year when she and Yuwen You paid their respects to the palace the day after their wedding. Although Emperor Yuwen Bai had kept them waiting for nearly two hours, he wasn’t as bloody and disrespectful as this. On the contrary, he had spoken to Yuwen You more, especially soothing and tolerant in his words. What did he say again?
“Auntie has been spoiled by the Great Empress Dowager since she was young. If there are any inappropriate or immature places, please asking Ninth Uncle to forgive her more for my sake. Don’t argue with her.”
He had said something like that, hadn’t he? It even made Yuwen You sigh with emotion, almost showing his true feelings of grievance in front of her. This was probably one of the reasons why Yuwen You would later choose to join forces with Empress Dowager Min and her son. Unfortunately, she was full of joy at the time, too naive to understand people’s intentions, too ignorant to read people’s minds, only knowing that her wishes were fulfilled.
Yuwen Bai could be tolerant and comforting to Yuwen You because even at such a young age, he had already seen the fate of her and Yuwen You, enemies becoming husband and wife, what kind of future could they have? Today, Yuwen Bai was so angry, probably because things didn’t develop as he imagined and went out of his control, right?
A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Mingzhu’s lips. She bowed to Emperor Yuwen Bai, smiling brightly and gracefully, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. With you supporting us, my husband and I are not afraid of these rumors in the future.”
Yuwen Bai’s brows twisted uncontrollably upon hearing this, hatred gleaming in his eyes. He looked menacingly at Yuwen Chu and grinned menacingly, “Auntie has been spoiled by the Great Empress Dowager since she was young. If there are any inappropriate or immature places, please asking Sixth Uncle to forgive her more for my sake. Don’t argue with her.”
History always had astonishing similarities. Not a word was changed in this phrase. Mingzhu smiled knowingly, taking Yuwen Chu’s hand before he could respond, expressing deep affection but also a hint of embarrassment. “I know my shortcomings and will do my best to improve. Please forgive my youth and ignorance, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful.”
Why should she let Yuwen Bai ruin her marriage like he did back then? She wouldn’t allow it.
“Don’t worry. Since I’ve married you, I’ll treat you well.” Yuwen Chu smiled tenderly at her, holding her hand tightly in front of the young emperor, speaking affectionately, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. My foolish wife is nearly eight years younger than me, but I still have some tolerance for her shortcomings.”
The young emperor scrutinized them both, then suddenly sneered. Just as he was about to speak, a palace maid cowered at the door, trembling with fear. “Your Majesty, the two Empress Dowagers are waiting to see the newlyweds, and there are relatives waiting to meet the new bride. The Great Empress Dowager asks if they are coming yet.”
The young emperor’s face twisted in anger, and he squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: “Go.”
Before Mingzhu could react, Yuwen Chu had already grabbed her and quickly bowed to bid farewell to the young emperor, then they left. Just as they stepped out of the palace gate, they heard a loud noise behind them, followed by someone screaming in agony. The young emperor’s sharp voice screamed hoarsely, “Guards, drag this insolent maid who lacks respect and manners down and beat her to death with a stick! Poke out her eyes! What’s the use of having eyes if you don’t know how to see people and paths?!”
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