Chapter 303: Venting
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The Great Empress Dowager’s voice was loud, heard both inside and outside the room. It wasn’t just an instruction to Sang Shen; it was a direct slap to Empress Dowager Min’s face and a way of silencing her.
Empress Dowager Min’s crying suddenly stopped, replaced by an eerie silence.
The Great Empress Dowager sneered, then turned to Mingzhu and said, “See that? This is what they call asking for forgiveness. If she doesn’t listen, she won’t stop making a scene. This time, I’ll listen to her, I’ll follow her wishes, and now she’s silent. All talk and no action, sooner or later, even the heavens will get tired of it.”
When angered, even the most noble person, like the mistress of the palace, would speak in an uncouth manner. Mingzhu knew the Great Empress Dowager didn’t want her to speak, so she just listened. But she couldn’t help but vent her anger, pretending to be authoritative, “Isn’t that right? I heard that being unfilial invites divine punishment. Amitabha, I’m the most filial.”
Empress Dowager Min remained silent for a while, then her voice rang out again, earth-shattering, “Royal Mother, I’m stupid, you know that! When Emperor Wen chose me as the Imperial Consort, you said it didn’t matter if I was stupid, as long as I was willing to learn and work hard, I could be a good imperial consort. Since I entered the door, I’ve been serving the late emperor diligently, hoping he would live a long life and the kingdom would be stable… I didn’t expect him to be gone so soon… From now on, only you can rely on me… The child is ignorant, please, forgive him. Only when the two late emperors are watching from above can we rest assured. Otherwise, if this child makes a mistake and suffers divine punishment, who will sit on the throne of the Yuwen family, who will govern?”
This speech was sly, especially the last sentence, which almost directly accused the Great Empress Dowager of power-grabbing and wanting to hand over the throne of Emperor Yuwen Bai to someone else.
This wasn’t a genuine attempt to reconcile. It was clear that there was a reliance, but it was just a temporary concession due to the situation. Since Emperor Yuwen Bai personally led people to punish Eunuch Rong, the faces of both sides had been torn apart. However, Emperor Yuwen Bai still knew how to pretend to be crazy and keep a back door open, while Empress Dowager Min cried out with arrogance. This was because of the powerful backing behind her. So, was she not afraid, or did she think the Great Empress Dowager couldn’t turn the tide?
Mingzhu’s face turned pale with anger. She turned to the Great Empress Dowager and whispered, “Aunt, did you hear clearly? She’s so arrogant, so disdainful. With such arrogance and disdain for others, can she still harbor any illusions of luck?”
The Great Empress Dowager looked at the dishes in front of her in silence for a moment before saying, “Of course not, but it’s not time yet.”
Mingzhu was afraid that she didn’t realize she needed to guard against Zhongshan Wang, so she said, “Why does she dare to be so bold and disrespectful? What is she relying on? Isn’t it that person who pretends to be lofty but actually meddles in the affairs of the court and the imperial family?” The Fu family was at a disadvantage here, with no military power in hand.
The Great Empress Dowager suddenly laughed, “Our little Zhuzhu has really grown up and can think now, who taught you all this?”
Mingzhu thought she didn’t like Yuwen Chu, so she was thinking about whether to take this opportunity to tell her about Yuwen Chu’s virtues. But the Great Empress Dowager had already stood up, walked out angrily, and whispered as she walked, “Hurry up and follow me, I’ll let you vent.”
Mingzhu hurriedly followed. She saw the Great Empress Dowager stride to the door, stand tall on the steps, arrogantly raise her chin, and glance at the kneeling Empress Dowager Min and Yuwen Bai below. She sneered, “Daughter-in-law, you worry too much. Who will sit on the throne of the Yuwen family, who will govern, I don’t decide, you don’t decide! Our ancestral rules govern, and they must be recognized by all under heaven!”
This was a clever response, leaving Empress Dowager Min speechless for a moment. But the Great Empress Dowager didn’t give her a chance to think it over slowly and refute it calmly. Instead, she ordered someone to help up Yuwen Bai, sneered, and said, “His Majesty is the supreme ruler, only kneeling to heaven and earth and our ancestors. I can’t afford His Majesty’s kneel. It will harm fortune and life.”
Yuwen Bai gritted his teeth and said, “Grandmother, grandson is your direct grandson, and you have made great contributions to the country and the family. It’s only right for grandson to kneel. If grandson has made mistakes, please teach and guide grandson. In the future, grandson will definitely change, respect elders, love siblings, and will not blindly believe in slander and behave recklessly.”
After all, one is the Great Empress Dowager, and the other is the Emperor. Things cannot be easily decided. The Great Empress Dowager sighed with a heavy heart and said sadly, “Why isn’t it so? It’s truly heartbreaking to think about it. In the past, we, grandmother and grandson, were so good. But enough of the past, no need to mention it again. Anyway, it’s all the fault of these wicked and evil people. Now, although Your Majesty and I have set aside our past grievances, we cannot let go of those bad elements.” Without waiting for Yuwen Bai’s reply, she directly pointed to the nearby Hai Momo and He Zhengtu, and sternly ordered, “Take down these two vile troublemakers who always incite the master to misbehave and beat them to death!”
Eunuch Rong couldn’t die in vain. Since this mother and son duo had taken the top position in the Great Empress Dowager’s palace, then they could only use the most important person around them to fill in this gap. Only by sacrificing these two people alongside Eunuch Rong could they temporarily appease the Great Empress Dowager’s anger, achieving temporary peace and balance.
Mingzhu understood this reasoning, and Empress Dowager Min and her son understood it too.
Hai Momo had been hiding timidly in the crowd, but she couldn’t escape. Dragged out from the crowd like a dead dog, she couldn’t help but wet her pants, screaming desperately, ” Empress Dowager, save me! Spare me, Empress Dowager! This servant…” Before she could utter the word “injustice,” her mouth was covered.
Empress Dowager Min’s eyelids twitched as she looked at the Great Empress Dowager towering above and Mingzhu beside her, feeling extremely angry and aggrieved. But she took a deep breath, enduring it, “Since the Great Empress Dowager wants Hai Momo’s life, daughter-in-law will offer it. There’s no need for the people from Changxin Palace to act. I’ll have her sent to the judicial office myself…”
“No need, it’s still early. I’ll take it as entertainment. Let’s have the execution here!” A chair was brought over, and the Great Empress Dowager sat down calmly, took the hot tea handed by Mingzhu, blew on the tea leaves, and sipped the tea casually, saying, “Both daughter-in-law and grandson, stand up. We’re family, no need to be so formal.”
Empress Dowager Min and Yuwen Bai were finally helped up, but their faces looked ugly. Yuwen Bai looked at the begging He Zhengtu, strode over, and slapped He Zhengtu hard several times, gritting his teeth, “Stop embarrassing yourself here. Since Grandmother wants your life, you take it yourself!” What he hated wasn’t the imminent death of his trusted eunuch, but that such a death greatly tarnished his reputation.
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