Chapter 288: Worries
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Mingzhu believed Yuwen Bai’s words, if he went crazy, it would be terrible. After contemplating for a while, she decided to play dumb. Although the key figures had guessed what was going on with dealing with Jiang Shanshan, admitting and not admitting were two different things. As long as they didn’t have evidence, she would never admit it, which would be more beneficial for both sides.
So she said unhappily, “Although I don’t know what Your Majesty is referring to, Your Majesty’s face should always be given.”
Yuwen Bai nodded slightly and said lightly, “Please convey a message to Sixth Uncle for me. I’ve always known his loyalty. He’s a good son of the Yuwen family. As long as he’s loyal, he will have his benefits.”
Was he afraid that Yuwen Chu married her and then turned to Fu’s family? She didn’t know the exact relationship between her father, brothers and Yuwen Chu, but she would never let Yuwen Chu help others deal with Fu’s family. Otherwise, why did she marry him? But this kind of major issue couldn’t be taken lightly. Mingzhu said very seriously, “Loyalty to the monarch and patriotism is the duty of a courtier. Since childhood, my father has always taught us siblings, and His Highness often says that he wants to be loyal to the country and to Your Majesty. Therefore, Your Majesty can rest assured that even if you don’t grant any benefits, we will all be loyal to the monarch and love the country.”
She rarely spoke so seriously, which made Yuwen Bai somewhat uncomfortable. He didn’t believe that Fu’s family and Yuwen Chu were really loyal to the monarch and love the country; they were clearly a group of rebels who disregarded the emperor. However, he couldn’t find anything to refute, nor could he dare to speak out excessively, so he maintained his cold and ruthless demeanor and said, “In any case, don’t disappoint me.”
Yuwen Bai shook his sleeves and left. He Zhengtu gave Mingzhu a distant salute, nodded respectfully, and caught up with Yuwen Bai, coaxing him as they talked.
When they were far away, Mingzhu walked back and signaled to the palace servants carrying the palanquin, “Let’s go. Let’s go wherever we need to go.”
Su Lan and Xiangli were both relieved, and with red eyes, they were particularly attentive. When the palanquin arrived outside the Guangming Hall, Imperial Consort Min had been anxiously waiting outside for a long time. Seeing Mingzhu coming out of the palanquin in good shape, the anxious look in her eyes faded, but her face still remained very dignified. “I heard that Wangfei was not feeling well and wanted to rest, so I have been waiting. Why did you only arrive now?”
Mingzhu didn’t want to tell Imperial Consort Min too much in front of the people from Zhaoyang Palace, and besides, she didn’t trust Imperial Consort Min very much either. So she said wearily, “I woke up suddenly halfway and felt the palanquin was bumping severely, making me feel like vomiting. So I asked them to stop and rest for a while.”
Imperial Consort Min was very suspicious, but she didn’t want to inquire further. Instead, she kindly asked Xia Yan Gugu to reward the palace servants from Zhaoyang Palace, and then personally took Mingzhu’s hand and led her inside to rest. Once inside the hall, Imperial Consort Min dismissed the idle people, leaving only a few trusted aides to serve her. She took some medicine and applied it to Mingzhu’s bruised face. “Who did this?”
“Hai Momo.” Mingzhu glanced at Xia Yan Gugu, who was serving quietly on the side. Thinking of the vague connection between her and Zhou Fuyan, she took the medicine from Imperial Consort Min’s hand and gestured to Xia Yan Gugu. “My two maids also suffered. Their faces are swollen beyond recognition. Please deliver this medicine to them, so they won’t look too ugly when leaving the palace.”
Xia Yan Gugu wanted to stay and listen, but since Mingzhu had mentioned her name, she couldn’t refuse. She had to take the medicine and go find Xiangli and Su Lan.
Mingzhu then recounted to Imperial Consort Min the incident, saying, “…the Empress Dowager wanted to deal with me, and I felt it would be difficult to escape. Feeling panicked and afraid, I fainted. Hai Momo thought I was pretending, so she vigorously pinched me… Later, on the way, I encountered His Majesty again. It was at his command that Xiangli and Su Lan were ordered to beat me.”
As for what Yuwen Bai said to her, she firmly refused to tell Imperial Consort Min, for one reason: she felt that Imperial Consort Min favored Jiang Shanshan over her. Since Jiang Shanshan had recently been living miserably and had even sought refuge in the Zhaoyang Palace, it was unreasonable not to seek refuge with Imperial Consort Min. Imperial Consort Min might have wanted to seize the opportunity to discuss this matter with her, but she refused to give Imperial Consort Min that chance. Otherwise, she feared she might lose her temper and directly quarrel with Imperial Consort Min.
Imperial Consort Min said softly, “You’ve been frightened. I’ve already sent for the imperial physician. They should arrive soon. Just lie down and rest for a while.” She also felt puzzled: why was the Great Empress Dowager’s reaction so slow today? Even if the Great Empress Dowager was busy with state affairs, she shouldn’t neglect Mingzhu.
Mingzhu didn’t know what Imperial Consort Min was thinking. As long as Imperial Consort Min didn’t mention Jiang Shanshan, she felt fine. After all the commotion, she did want to lie down and rest for a while, especially wanting Yuwen Chu to personally come and take her home. So she followed Imperial Consort Min’s advice and laid down in the back.
Imperial Consort Min sat there lost in thought for a while. Xia Yan Gugu hurried back, seeing that the conversation had ended, and couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “Is Ying Wangfei alright?”
Imperial Consort Min’s mood hadn’t been very good lately. Even in front of Mingzhu, she had to hold herself together. But facing Xia Yan Gugu, she couldn’t help but reveal her weariness. “She’s been startled. I’ve asked someone to send for the imperial physician. Once they arrive, they can come in directly, no need to announce them first.”
Xia Yan Gugu responded, hesitating for a while before whispering, “Regarding that matter, has Your Highness mentioned it to Wangfei?”
Imperial Consort Min replied gloomily, “No. I know her temperament. If I directly mention it to her, she might just argue with me on the spot. If we start quarreling, it would be making a spectacle for others.”
“Your Highness has always been gentle and considerate, thinking of His Highness and Wangfei in every way.” Xia Yan Gugu, benefiting from Jiang Shanshan’s favor, couldn’t help but feel anxious. “This matter involving Second Miss Jiang, I’m worried it will affect the reputation of His Highness and Wangfei.”
The affair between Funing and Liao Guang, Yuwen Chu had briefly mentioned it to Imperial Consort Min before. Imperial Consort Min had asked Funing about it, but what Funing said was quite different from what came out of Funing’s mouth. She couldn’t fully trust Yuwen Chu, nor could she fully trust Jiang Shanshan. Because these two, one wanted to get rid of the other, while the other only wanted to stick to the other. Therefore, neither of them could be trusted.
But after all, Funing was her daughter. Being criticized like this by others, she had to beg in front of the Great Empress Dowager for a marriage decree, which was embarrassing. Imperial Consort Min had been cautious all her life, but in the end, she was hit hard twice in a row on her children’s marriage matters, so her mood was really not good. Even if Jiang Shanshan had sent her the prescriptions for glass and soap, she couldn’t be happy. So when she heard Xia Yan Gugu’s words, she became a little impatient. “What does this have to do with His Highness and Wangfei?”
Xia Yan Gugu was startled and dared not speak again.
But Imperial Consort Min was still worried. Leaving aside whether Jiang Shanshan dared to plot against Funing, just having a daughter-in-law who was ruthless and powerful, and a son who was infatuated with her, didn’t look promising no matter how you looked at it.
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