Chapter 301: Broad-hearted
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Mingzhu had been pampered since childhood. Even in her previous life, her family did everything they could to pamper her, hiding things from her until they couldn’t anymore. So for the Great Empress Dowager to confide in her like this was unprecedented.
Mingzhu remained silent for a moment and whispered, “I don’t want Chief Steward Rong to die either. No one is more loyal to you than him.”
The Great Empress Dowager looked at her and said in a deep voice, “Do you believe their words?”
Mingzhu shook her head gently. “I believe in you. No matter what others say, I only believe in you. You’ve always been the closest person to me, and whatever you do, there’s a reason behind it.” She lowered her head and added softly, “Emperor Wen has already passed away, not to mention he wasn’t good to you in his early years.”
What’s the point of holding on to someone who has been dead for many years and wasn’t good to oneself? It’s not worth it. Whoever treats me well, I remember their kindness, no matter who they are. That was Mingzhu’s simplest and most straightforward thought.
Even though the Great Empress Dowager was in a bad mood, Mingzhu’s words made her smile. “Yes, unfortunately, no one else thinks like you. You’re a rare good child. Fortunately, you were born into our family, but unfortunately, you were born into our family.”
Mingzhu didn’t understand what she meant and immediately objected, “No, I think I’m very lucky. I’m really lucky. We have money, power, prosperity, harmony, and everyone loves me. I can marry whoever I want, and if I don’t like someone, I can scratch them. What’s not good about that?” Even if she had some bad luck before, she still had the chance to start over again. Her luck was really too good!
“It’s good that you can think that way.” The Great Empress Dowager had originally wanted to talk to Mingzhu about Yuwen Chu’s ambitions, but after hearing her words, she didn’t want to anymore. There were already enough unhappy people, why make her unhappy too? If she could make her happy for a while, she would do her best to make her happy.
“You wait.” Seeing that the Great Empress Dowager’s mood seemed to be improving, Mingzhu hurriedly ran over and brought half a bowl of thick, golden yellow, oily millet porridge from the dining table, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and wanted to feed it to the Great Empress Dowager. “It’s very delicious, won’t you try it?”
The Great Empress Dowager looked at her and shook her head. “I’m not hungry, I can’t eat. Have you eaten? If not, eat first.”
Mingzhu was not happy. “You must eat! Otherwise, Chief Steward Rong died in vain!”
The Great Empress Dowager suddenly covered her eyes with her hand, tears streaming down her face, but she made no sound, just lying quietly, motionless, only her breathing was slightly rapid.
Mingzhu was at a loss and didn’t know what to do. She lowered her head, scooped up spoonfuls of porridge, and fed herself. If the Great Empress Dowager didn’t eat, she would eat it herself! She was hungry too! Yuwen Chu had told her that millet porridge was very nourishing. He often made promises to coax her to eat millet porridge, and although she still didn’t like the taste, she didn’t dislike it as much as before.
No matter how difficult it was, one had to eat, right? Even if you wanted to cry and be sad, you had to eat before you had the strength to cry, before you had the strength to be sad, let alone feeling unresigned and wanting revenge. Mingzhu stubbornly finished half a bowl of millet porridge, feeling it wasn’t enough, so she scooped up another bowl and ate it. Because she thought the taste was bland, she ate most of the side dishes.
Just as she was deeply engrossed in eating, she heard the Great Empress Dowager say helplessly, “You, this child, why is your heart so broad? Is it delicious?”
Without turning her head, Mingzhu said, “Whether it’s delicious or not, I have to eat it. My parents and aunt have taught me that every grain of rice is hard-won and should not be wasted. Even if I have an iron body, I will collapse if I don’t eat. I don’t want to get sick. I want to take care of my aunt. Otherwise, my family will worry about me.”
Of course, the Great Empress Dowager could hear the meaning in her words. She remained silent for a while and said, “Serve me a bowl.”
Mingzhu heaved a long sigh of relief, deftly scooped up the rice and brought it over, picking out a few dishes that she thought were delicious and serving them separately on a small plate. She anxiously watched the Great Empress Dowager eat.
Under her attentive gaze, the Great Empress Dowager drank half a bowl of millet porridge and ate some vegetables before sighing, “I can’t eat anymore.”
“That’s good.” Mingzhu finally smiled, deftly brought over some tea to help her rinse her mouth, and then said, trying to please her, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”
The Great Empress Dowager refused her request. “I want to think about something on my own. If you’re bored, go and see Ah Fu for me. If you’re tired, go back to your original place to rest.”
Mingzhu thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go see Ah Fu, then I’ll go to sleep.”
Yuwen Fu was already asleep, and Mu Gugu was by his side. When she saw Mingzhu come in, she reported, “He didn’t eat dinner well, so I gave him some calming medicine.”
“Gugu, go and accompany the Great Empress Dowager. I’ll stay here.” Mingzhu sat down by Yuwen Fu’s bed and tucked him in.
Yuwen Fu opened his eyes and looked at Mingzhu for a moment, whispering, “Aunt, I was very scared today. I was afraid of being killed by His Majesty, never seeing the Great Empress Dowager, my birth mother, and the others again. Am I a cowardly person who fears death? The Great Empress Dowager has been so good to me, yet I fear death.”
“No, you are brave,” Mingzhu’s heart ached as she comforted him, “Nothing will happen. With the Great Empress Dowager and me here.” Then, she took the liberty to add, “And your Sixth Uncle is here too, he won’t ignore it, right?”
“Yeah, Sixth Uncle is a good person.” Yuwen Fu smiled, then turned away from Mingzhu, softly saying, “I want to sleep, Aunt. Can you stay until I fall asleep? I’m still a little scared.”
He’s still just a child after all. Mingzhu thought of his past fate and felt he was especially pitiful, yet she also admired his bravery and obedience today. She said, “I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
Not long after, Yuwen Fu’s breathing became steady, and Mingzhu got up quietly and left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Yuwen Fu opened his eyes and stared fixedly at the dim yellow light outside the tent. He knew why the Great Empress Dowager kept him by her side; he knew why Yuwen Bai resented him and wanted to kill him; among the imperial uncles, the most powerful one was the Sixth Prince, he knew that too; Mingzhu was softhearted, he knew that as well. Regardless, only by staying alive would he have a chance, so he had to find a way to survive.
Mingzhu, lying on the bed where she used to sleep before marriage, experienced insomnia for the first time in her life. Whenever she thought of Yuwen Chu, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing at that moment. Was he reviewing those official documents, convening his advisers, or discussing strategies with Fourth Brother… Would the concubines in the North Garden, knowing she wasn’t at home, also try to send him midnight snacks? Ugh! She couldn’t stand it!
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