Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 347

Chapter 347: To Lie or Not to Lie?

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Fu Lin opened his eyes, looking a bit confused at Mingzhu. After a while, he whispered, “Auntie.” As if to get up and bow to Mingzhu, she hurriedly held him down, scolding him, “I’ve told you before, study well, but don’t learn the grumpy attitude of those sour Confucians. Even when you’re injured like this, you still want to bow? Are you tired of living?”

Although Fu Lin was older than her, he was her nephew and a boy. Since young, he was a target for being bullied and was used to her scolding. So he didn’t feel anything special and just laid back down with a smile, “Auntie, why did you come?”

“I came to see you. Your uncle-in-law also came, but seeing you asleep, he was afraid of disturbing you and went out with your grandfather.” Mingzhu spoon-fed Fu Lin some warm water. Fu Lin felt embarrassed and refused, “Let the others do it. How could I let you do it?”

Mingzhu ignored him, “I’m your aunt, what’s wrong with taking care of you? Or do you feel that you’re older than me, so you don’t listen to my instructions?”

Fu Lin had no way to deal with her and could only drink the water. Mingzhu took the opportunity to bring up Tang Chunlai’s matter to him, “Your uncle has a doctor by his side named Tang Chunlai, who is quite famous. Do you know him? He just checked on you and said that although the sedative medicine is good, it damages the brain, so he wants to reduce the dosage for you. Can you endure it?”

“I’m not afraid of pain. I’m just afraid that I’ll never get better.” Fu Lin stared at Mingzhu, his eyes full of pleading. “Auntie, they all won’t tell me the truth. You never lie to me. Please tell me, am I disabled?”

Mingzhu pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly at him, “Doctor Tang said that there’s no problem with your leg. As long as there are no accidents and you take good care of it, you won’t end up with one leg longer than the other. Riding horses and walking will be fine. Auntie won’t lie to you. If I lie, let lightning strike me!”

Fu Lin visibly relaxed and pursed his lips, teasing, “Auntie, you’re still the same, always saying whatever you want. If my parents and grandparents heard this, they would scold you again.”

Mingzhu also smiled, “They can’t hear it. If they could, I would blame you for betraying me. Be careful, I’ll go to your study to search for good things.”

Fu Lin said, “There are a lot of things in my room that you gave me. You can take them if you want.”

“You’re so generous, good nephew.” The maid brought a plate of sliced ​​apples. Mingzhu took a silver fork and fed Fu Lin a piece of apple. Fu Lin turned his head and muttered, “What about my hand? It won’t get better, right? Although they don’t say it, I know it must be bad.”

To lie or not to lie? Mingzhu hesitated. However, this moment of hesitation was noticed by clever Fu Lin. His left hand trembled as he tightly grasped the bedsheet, wanting to laugh but ended up looking worse than crying. As the eldest son and grandson, with his future just beginning, to become like this, no one could accept it, no one could endure it!

Mingzhu took a deep breath, patted his left hand lightly, and casually said, “Do you only have one hand? You’re already lucky enough! If your leg becomes uneven, it won’t look good when you walk. You can’t ride horses or travel far. That’s what’s distressing! What if your right hand is a bit shorter? Do you need to use your hand to walk? Do families like ours need you to do physical work? As long as you’re willing, there will be plenty of people willing to help you get dressed. Do you want to shoot bows and arrows, ride horses, and fight? Or do you want to do fine work to support your family? As long as you can eat and write, that’s enough. Your right hand can write, and your left hand can too! As long as you’re willing to endure hardship, there’s nothing you can’t overcome. Losing your life is when you have nothing left.”

He started his studies at five, practiced diligently for more than ten years, and suddenly became unable to write or draw. Who could endure that? Fu Lin was stimulated to argue with her, but just as he started, Mingzhu interrupted him domineeringly, “I haven’t allowed you to speak yet. Listen to me carefully! Answer me, what’s your surname?”

“Why even bother asking?” Fu Lin said, feeling aggrieved. “Of course, my surname is Fu.”

Mingzhu asked again, “Do you know you’ve been harmed?”

“Obviously!” Fu Lin puffed his cheeks, looking like a disgruntled frog, but his good manners forced him to speak up. “Yes, I know.”

“Do you want revenge? If you do, then stop complaining! After you recover, learn to write with your left hand!” Mingzhu scolded him sternly. “When did I ever say your right hand can’t get better? Were you trying to show me that you wanted to bash your head against the wall just now? Were you trying to cry and make a scene to get my attention? Cry if you want, make a fuss, and make your parents sad while you’re at it. Let the people outside laugh at you, laugh at the Fu family.”

“I wasn’t.” Although Fu Lin knew Mingzhu was his elder, he never really saw her as one. In his mind, this little aunt was unreliable, trouble-prone, and he had to look out for her in the family to prevent her from being bullied or causing irreparable trouble. Now she was unexpectedly lecturing him like this, even making him unable to respond.

He had been quite upset just now, wanting to cry and make a fuss, but now that she scolded him like this, he couldn’t cry or make a scene anymore. It seemed that if he did, he would truly be a coward.

“Encountering such a thing is indeed unfortunate, but this can also be considered a blessing in disguise.” Mingzhu saw that Fu Lin had calmed down and softened her tone. “You must have ambition, work hard, and wait. Wait until the timing is right to soar high. You must understand how this injury came about but cannot harbor resentment blindly. Those who only harbor resentment in their hearts won’t go far. That saying, ‘Heaven imposes heavy responsibilities on one with great power and ambition,’ you understand better than I what it means.”

Fu Lin’s eyes moistened, and he whispered, “I will remember Auntie’s words.”

Mingzhu laughed heartily and patted his hand vigorously. “That’s right! This is the most promising Fu Lin! With your spirit, there’s no reason why your right hand can’t get better!”

Fu Lin smiled cooperatively and whispered, “Auntie, I’m a little tired.”

“Then go to sleep.” Mingzhu knew that he was young and impulsive, not as easy to accept things as she was after experiencing life and death. She didn’t want to push him too hard and covered him with the blanket before preparing to leave.

As she turned around, she saw her elder brother, Fu Mingda, standing at the door, looking at her with a complicated expression. Mingzhu felt guilty for indirectly passing on the bad news to Fu Lin without his permission. What if Fu Lin didn’t take it as well as he seemed on the surface? What if he struggled inwardly when they left?

Seeing Fu Mingda beckoning to her, she quickly followed him out. The siblings stopped at the corner of the corridor. Mingzhu twisted her handkerchief nervously and hummed, “Elder brother, you won’t blame me for taking matters into my own hands, will you?”

Fu Mingda didn’t take it to heart. “You can’t deceive someone forever. It’s better to tell him sooner rather than later, let him experience the pain once, which is far better than suddenly hitting him again in the future and causing him pain a second time. I came here to tell him this matter on purpose.”

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