Chapter 285: Fainted
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For Empress Dowager Min, finding fault with Mingzhu was quite easy. As the empress dowager and mother of the emperor, as well as the older sister-in-law of Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu, her identity and position were stable when it came to suppressing Mingzhu. If Mingzhu had been modest and humble, it would have been acceptable, but she was arrogant and reckless. Once she was targeted, there were plenty of faults to find.
Empress Dowager Min began to criticize Mingzhu: “Among all the royal family members, none are as jealous and domineering as you! Zhou Nushi and Ping Nushi were bestowed by the late emperor and have been with Ying Wang since they were young. For so many years, even if there is no merit there is still effort. Yet, look at how you treat them! In the entire royal family, no one dares to mistreat those bestowed by the late emperor like you do. This is a great disrespect and contempt towards the late emperor.”
Such a serious accusation was frightening. Clearly, she wanted to stand up for Jiang Shanshan but couldn’t say it directly, so she found other excuses. Regarding Zhou Nushi and Ping Nushi’s matter, there were many witnesses, including Dai Wangfei and the rest; it wasn’t fair to blame it all on her.
Mingzhu stared blankly at Empress Dowager Min without saying a word.
Seeing her stubborn silence, Empress Dowager Min, thinking of how Mingzhu refused to marry Yuwen You obediently and instead got married to Yuwen Chu, causing a rift between herself and her son, thus gaining another enemy, grew even more furious. She scolded, “Who gave you the courage to stare at me so defiantly? Do you have no manners? Guards! Teach Ying Wangfei some manners!”
Empress Dowager Min wouldn’t dare to physically harm Mingzhu in front of her subordinates, but if she scolded her lightly and punished her, as long as she held the moral high ground, she would do it. Using Mingzhu’s disrespect towards her as a reason, she ordered people to drag Mingzhu aside to kneel down, closed the palace gates, and didn’t let anyone see. Suppressing Mingzhu’s prestige and making her suffer a bit would be within her capability.
Hai Momo was obedient and didn’t dare to act herself, so she signaled to the other two maids. With stern faces and determined hearts, they approached Mingzhu and said, “Apologies, Wangfei…”
Before they finished speaking, Mingzhu’s eyes rolled back, and she fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious. Everyone present was startled, but the two maids were the first to react. They hurriedly tried to distance themselves and clear their names, saying, “Your Majesty, we didn’t touch Ying Wangfei.”
Empress Dowager Min was also startled. She had only wanted to vent her anger, then scare Mingzhu a bit to make Fu back off, so she could smoothly take over Jiang Shanshan’s profitable business. She didn’t expect Mingzhu to faint before she even started.
She suspected Mingzhu might be pretending, but considering Mingzhu’s personality, she began to believe it. Mingzhu never played such tricks; she always spoke straightforwardly. Therefore, she felt a bit worried. If Mingzhu had a serious problem, she wouldn’t know how to handle it.
She couldn’t show weakness in front of her subordinates, so she forced herself to remain calm. She sat back on her throne, which she had half-risen from, with a stern face and said coldly, “Children don’t understand, they like to play around. See if she’s trying to scare people.”
Hai Momo, being the fastest, rushed forward to check Mingzhu’s breath. Feeling it weak, she remembered the rumors outside and that Ying Wangfei hadn’t fully recovered since the poisoning incident. She became a bit worried. Without warning, she pinched Mingzhu’s acupoint hard, but still, there was no reaction. She started to feel afraid. Mingzhu, who had been pampered since childhood, would cry out at the slightest discomfort, causing a commotion in the entire mansion. How could she endure such a hard pinch without reacting?
Hai Momo quickly ran back to whisper to Empress Dowager Min, “It seems not good.”
Whether true or false, they had to quickly get rid of this hot potato. Otherwise, the Great Empress Dowager would sooner or later learn of the news. Empress Dowager Min wasn’t afraid of Yuwen Chu coming to confront her, but she was a bit afraid of the Great Empress Dowager. Therefore, she made a decisive decision, “Ying Wangfei is unwell, and there are many people here. It’s not convenient for her to rest here. Send her to Imperial Consort Min’s palace.”
With her order, palace servants immediately brought over a sedan chair. Hai Momo, considering the situation, angrily scolded, “You fools! It’s so sunny and windy. Can the sedan chair accommodate a person?”
In fact, she was afraid that if there was no cover on the sedan chair, Mingzhu would be exposed all the way there, and rumors would spread everywhere. So they switched to a palanquin, stuffed Mingzhu into it, and started to move. But after just a few steps, a palace servant announced, “The Emperor is coming.”
Yuwen Bai, thin as a bean sprout, only brought He Zhengtu with him. With a gloomy face, he rushed in like a storm, almost colliding head-on with the sedan chair carrying Mingzhu. The palace servants were scared and hurriedly stopped the palanquin, kneeling down. He was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn’t bother to pay attention. He went straight inside.
Empress Dowager Min stood on the high steps, seeing him rushing over without any grace, she couldn’t help but frown and rebuke, “Your Majesty! As a ruler, you should be dignified and composed, how can you act so hastily!”
Yuwen Bai shrilled, “Fu…”
Before the words “Fu Cong” could be uttered, He Zhengtu desperately lunged forward, firmly covering his mouth, trembling as he whispered, “Your Majesty, be careful with your words.”
Yuwen Bai’s eyes bulged with anger. Empress Dowager Min, feeling guilty, afraid that Mingzhu might hear his words, hurriedly descended from the steps, covering up, “Funing is still your aunt, her marriage naturally should be decided by the Great Empress Dowager. Your Majesty, you shouldn’t interfere!”
As she spoke, she gave Yuwen Bai a meaningful look, then glanced at the palace servants standing in front of the palanquin. Without warning, the palace servants abruptly pulled back the curtains, revealing Mingzhu inside. Mingzhu was still in the same state as when she was put into the palanquin, curled up in the seat, her head tilted in the corner. There were two raised red marks on her person from where Hai Momo pinched her, and there was no sign of consciousness.
Empress Dowager Min breathed a sigh of relief, then waved her hand impatiently at the palace servants, indicating they quickly take Mingzhu away. However, Yuwen Bai suddenly found an outlet for his emotions. He first kicked He Zhengtu aside, then approached the palanquin to look at Mingzhu, sarcastically saying, “Isn’t this my dear cousin? What’s wrong with her?”
Empress Dowager Min frowned, “She’s unwell, so I had her sent to Imperial Consort Min’s palace to rest.”
Yuwen Bai glanced meaningfully at He Zhengtu, then smiled faintly, “Royal Mother is very considerate.” After a few more words, and watching the palanquin carrying Mingzhu move away, he stood up and said, “I suddenly remembered there’s an urgent matter to attend to. I’ll come back to chat with Royal Mother another time.”
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