Chapter 17: Spark
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Yuwen You’s mood was very bad. He hadn’t slept well for several days since the incident, and he had expended a lot of energy rushing over here. After fighting with Fu Mingzhu, he was even more exhausted. Speaking with Yuwen Chu, testing each other’s words, was even more tiring. He quickly finished his dinner and bid Yuwen Chu farewell, rubbing his heavy eyelids, and went to rest at the back.
The sky had already turned completely dark, and Yuwen Chu stood by the window, looking down effortlessly to find where Fu Mingzhu lived. Monks lived a simple life, with early morning and evening classes, and they had to ration their lamp oil and candles. Except for the main hall where the Daoist deities were enshrined, most of the Jade Emperor Temple was pitch black. Only where Fu Mingzhu resided was there a bright light, seen through the dense trees, bamboo groves, and misty mountains and waters, resembling a small crystal palace.
Jing Song came in to serve him tea and discussed the character of Linan Wang, Yuwen You: “Ninth Prince’s temperament is a bit too straightforward. After all, he’s still young, hasn’t suffered much or been tempered by experience, and doesn’t understand the need to restrain himself. He clearly expresses his hatred towards Fu Xiang. He’s not afraid that if the marriage doesn’t go through, Fu Xiang will take his life in an instant.”
“Fu Mingzhu has a strong backbone, a rarity among young ladies.” Yuwen Chu replied without answering directly, his gaze distant. “Only those who are deeply passionate and sincere will love unconditionally and hate unconditionally.”
Jing Song had never seen him so concerned about any woman, so he couldn’t help but agree, “I’ve never seen any noblewoman with her shameless and reckless temperament, willing to fight desperately against Ninth Prince. As you just told Ninth Prince, advising him to either win back Fu Mingzhu’s heart at all costs or gain sympathy from noble relatives, I don’t think he will choose the latter.”
“What does it matter?” Yuwen Chu said, “If Fu Mingzhu is determined, he’ll have to open his heart in front of her to change her mind.”
Is that possible? Impossible. Jing Song began analyzing the impact of this matter on the court situation: “If this marriage doesn’t happen, who will Fu Xiang marry his daughter to? Both Empress Dowager and Fu Xiang have high standards and won’t settle for anyone less than the Ninth Prince. Therefore, the person must have a noble background and appearance, talent, and a reliable temperament. After calculating, there are few people in the capital who meet these criteria.”
“The most likely candidate is Old Eight.” Yuwen Chu revealed what Jing Song was about to say, “Old Eight’s maternal family, the Xiao clan of Huainan, is noble, with many scholars and officials. If the Fu and Xiao families can form an alliance, it would be a joyous occasion for everyone.”
“We can’t just sit back and watch. Fu Mingzhu can marry anyone, but she can’t marry the Eighth Prince.” Jing Song frowned, speaking solemnly, “There is another possibility: Ninth Prince may seek help from Empress Min, using the power of the Emperor and Empress Min to force Fu Cong to continue this marriage. Empress Min and Empress Dowager have a strained relationship, and they are likely to be pleased to see this happen. This way, they can make the conflict between them even more intense.”
Yuwen Chu looked at Fu Mingzhu’s residence, his eyes flickering with a faint spark. A fairy lived in the crystal palace, but the one living in front of him was an angry fairy. This fairy only had Yuwen You in her heart, and she couldn’t even recognize who he was. Yet he wanted her to remember who he was, which was why he impulsively threw her shoe and provoked her several times. He was probably losing his mind.
Mingzhu laid weakly on the bed, groaning softly. Su Lan rolled a peeled boiled egg over her swollen and bruised face, feeling both distressed and worried as she complained softly, “Miss, you shouldn’t have done that. Even if you’re very angry, you shouldn’t confront him head-on. You are a precious gem, and he is just cheap porcelain. He might lose a piece of porcelain skin at most, but you can’t bear it.”
The egg rolled over the wounds on her face, causing Mingzhu to hiss in pain. Her whole body hurt, her bones felt like they were falling apart, including her scalp. She was in pain all over, unable to even lift her fingertips. So she just unconsciously groaned, letting Su Lan chatter away.
After rolling the egg, Su Lan applied a specially made ointment to her face and asked softly, “Are you feeling any better?”
Mingzhu didn’t feel like talking, but she reluctantly hummed softly.
Turning around to pick up the lamp, Su Lan began cursing Yuwen You again, “Miss shouldn’t marry him. I’ve never seen someone so ruthless, wanting to beat and kill you as soon as he arrives, even dislocating your jaw… And this was in front of so many people. If you were already married, and no one saw it, I don’t know what he would do.”
Nothing much to do, just thoroughly humiliate her. Mingzhu felt a bit desolate, not wanting to discuss this topic further, she ended her feigned death state and hoarsely asked, “Has anyone come home yet?”
“No, originally, the servant was supposed to come back today to pass your message, but unexpectedly, there was such an incident later on.” Su Lan said, “But Master Jiang has already sent someone back to pass the message, maybe tomorrow morning when you wake up, Xiangye and Madam will rush over to uphold justice for you. They can’t just let yourself suffer this loss for nothing.”
Her father was a busy man, probably not free, most likely one of her brothers would accompany her mother over. Her mother was fiercely protective and watched her like a hawk. As long as she saw her miserable appearance, this marriage could not continue. Just as Su Lan said, before getting married, in front of so many people, Yuwen You dared to be so ruthless, then after marriage, who knows how much more ruthless he would be behind people’s backs.
Mingzhu had a feeling of satisfaction after finally achieving her goal. Yuwen You had just shown up and already lost control in anger. It was satisfying to get this result. It wasn’t in vain for her to endure these few years of suffering. But she really felt bitter inside. She had exhausted all her strength to love someone, only to be worn out by time and circumstances.
Just as she was feeling melancholic, faint cries came from outside the door, “My poor girl, who heartlessly hurt you like this, it’s a pity this old servant isn’t by your side, unable to suffer for you…”
Su Ju entered to pass on the message, whispering with grievance, “Mono says we didn’t take care of you properly…” It turned out it was Geng Momo wailing outside wanting to come in and take care of Mingzhu. Su Mei and Su Jin tried to persuade her, but she ended up acting crazy, so they had to fend her off.
“Help me up.” Mingzhu really didn’t want to move, but she had to get up to deal with things. She didn’t want to do too much, but who would have thought Geng Momo would be so tactless. If she couldn’t even handle an old stubborn servant, she wouldn’t be able to handle anything big in the future. It would be better to clean up early and wait for her execution.”
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