Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Threat

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Yuwen Bai wasn’t surprised by Mingzhu’s reaction. He smiled and said, “A king’s words are not to be taken lightly. What I say is not a joke. As long as you tell me who bullied you, I’ll take care of them for you!”

Mingzhu blinked and said bluntly, “It’s the Empress Dowager!” Didn’t he want to trick her? Didn’t she hear his earlier shout of “Fu” when he barged into the Zhaoyang Palace? Without guessing, she knew her father had angered this little rascal during the court gathering. The little rascal was afraid she heard those words and intentionally tested her. She wouldn’t fall for it. She pretended to be weak, staggering and incoherent. Lets see what he would do!

Yuwen Bai didn’t expect her to be so straightforward. He furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “What do you mean?”

Mingzhu said confidently, “Although I fainted and don’t know who hurt me, I was inexplicably scolded and fell ill in the Empress Dowager’s palace before. I think without the Empress Dowager’s instructions and approval, no dog slaves in the palace would dare to hurt me. So, it must be the Empress Dowager bullying me.”

Straightforward and domineering, without any loopholes, and leaking disdain. Even he had never referred to the palace maids in the Zhaoyang Palace as the palace’s dogs. This audacious woman said it so casually. Yuwen Bai suddenly felt very sad. As an emperor, when he had reached this point, it was really boring. The people of the Fu family obviously didn’t regard him, otherwise, how could they be so arrogant?

The old and stubborn Great Empress Dowager ruled the harem. When she got angry, she would wield her cane and scold him. She would always talk about the former emperor, and he didn’t have the courage to confront her; the old thief Fu Cong, during the previous dynasty, was pulling a group of people against him. When he said he wanted to rebuild another palace, Fu Cong said there was a drought in the north and no money, asking him to empathize with the people; when he said he wanted to go hunting in autumn, Fu Cong said there were too many state affairs recently, he was still young, he should study well, and not neglect his duties; even Fu Mingzhu, who was so close to him in his childhood, now treated him like this, first she set her sights on Yuwen You, who was useless, and then seduced his uncle, who had always been very close to him.

Yuwen Bai thought like this, a look of disgust appeared on his face, “Who are you cursing?”

Before he could explode, Mingzhu inexplicably said, “I’m cursing the palace people. His Majesty just said he wanted to support me, but now he wants to punish me just because I cursed the palace maids? I know the Empress Dowager is not an ordinary person. It’s normal for His Majesty to be in a dilemma, but I was just answering His Majesty’s question truthfully. I didn’t necessarily mean His Majesty should do anything. Your Majesty, rest assured, I was just speaking casually, not disrespectful to the Empress Dowager.”

Yuwen Bai was suffocating under her pressure. He wanted to explode, but he was trapped by his own words earlier. Not expressing himself made him feel extremely uncomfortable. So, his hatred deepened, wishing he could immediately have someone throw Mingzhu into the water to become fertilizer. However, he knew it wasn’t feasible. The Great Empress Dowager and the Fu family had many eyes and ears. He feared that at this moment, someone might already know that Mingzhu had been brought here by him, and they would come for her soon. 

Therefore, after much thought, he only managed to squeeze out a cold and damp smile. “Cousin really knows how to joke, still as straightforward and innocent as ever.” 

Being told by a child that she was straightforward and innocent, Mingzhu felt extremely strange, but she had no choice but to silently observe Yuwen Bai’s silence. 

Her eyes were clear and pure, containing no impurities. Yuwen Bai stared at her eyes for a while, then turned his face away in disgust. “Sixth Uncle treats you very well, doesn’t he? Seems like he’s so eager to dig out his heart for you?” 

Hearing his gruesome description, Mingzhu couldn’t help but associate him with the horrible things he had done. Suppressing various discomforts, she replied, “He wanted to marry me, so of course he should treat me well. Back when I married His Highness, didn’t His Majesty also give us a great gift? Thanks to His Majesty’s blessing, no one dared to gossip about us afterward.”

“That’s good.” Yuwen Bai really didn’t want to talk to her anymore. Whether she was genuinely foolish or pretending to be, he felt uncomfortable looking at her. But today, he brought her here for another reason, so he glanced at He Zhengtu and said, “You all step back. I have something to discuss with Cousin.”

He Zhengtu solemnly led the tearful Su Lan and Xiangli away, leaving Yuwen Bai and Mingzhu alone.

Not far away, the Lotus Pond shimmered like a piece of jade in the autumn sun, emitting sparkling ripples when the wind blew. Standing beside the yellowing reeds, Mingzhu looked like a blooming peony, bringing a different kind of elegance to the desolate Lotus Palace.

Yuwen Bai looked at Mingzhu’s youthful and beautiful face and didn’t want her to continue living so brightly and happily. He said maliciously, “Cousin, I heard that Sixth Uncle is always busy, the Nushis in Ying Wangs mansion are not very sensible, and the concubines are foolish. Therefore, I’m thinking of bestowing Jiang Shanshan to you as a companion.”

Jiang Shanshan everywhere.

This mother and son were indeed enchanted by her.

Mingzhu was prepared for this and said indignantly, “Your Majesty, please stop joking with me. It would have been fine if it was earlier, but now that her reputation is so bad, Your Majesty still wants to push her into our mansion. Isn’t that bullying? Our mansion is not a place for collecting trash. We don’t accept anything and everything. Is she worthy to accompany me? She’s not even worthy to carry night incense for me.”

“Is Cousin defying the decree?” Yuwen Bai narrowed his long eyes, his pale face looking particularly gloomy and distorted, very punchable.

This little rascal with a twisted mind. If she had known he was such a bad person, she should have found a way to kill him when she was younger, despite being so good to him. Mingzhu felt resentful, but because she knew it was a matter of life and death between them now, she wasn’t afraid of making him hate her even more. She angrily said, “If Your Majesty wants to issue a decree, please do so. His Highness and I have no objections, and I won’t object either.”

Yuwen Bai fell silent. Because they both understood that issuing such a decree was not easy. The Great Empress Dowager was not to be trifled with, otherwise Jiang Shanshan wouldn’t still be without a new home. But Jiang Shanshan was indeed in danger. The incident at Changxing Marquis’s residence showed that Fu’s family could no longer tolerate Jiang Shanshan.

Jiang Shanshan probably also sensed the danger, so she promptly sent the recipes for making glass and aromatic soap to the Zhaoyang Palace.

Anyone who opposed Fu’s family was his friend. He really wanted to save Jiang Shanshan because he felt she should be on his side. But as a little emperor with little power, he didn’t know how to save Jiang Shanshan temporarily. He thought for a while and continued to threaten Mingzhu, “Let’s end this matter here. Otherwise, I’m happy to add two side concubines to Sixth Uncle’s mansion. I still have this method.”

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