Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 362

Chapter 362: Wearing a High Hat

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Tonight, the serving maid was quite pleased because the Wangfei couldn’t eat as she pleased anymore. She could only taste oily and fiery foods once, and if she wanted to eat a second bite, the Wangye would give her a stern look. Finally, she was useful. She quickly served some light food to the Wangfei and enthusiastically explained the benefits of the food, earning the Wangye’s approval.

The rule of not being able to eat the same food three times was reinstated, and the serving maid felt like she had a purpose again. She smiled like a blooming flower. Even if the Wangfei’s lips were pursed high and her face was dark, she still maintained her smile. She felt very obedient, but in Mingzhu’s eyes, she was annoyingly obsequious.

Unable to go out and deprived of the joy of eating, what else could Mingzhu do? She put down her chopsticks and said, “I’m not eating anymore!”

Yuwen Chu smiled gently. “If you don’t want to eat, that’s fine.” He didn’t show her any displeasure or try to persuade her to eat. He just treated it as if she didn’t want to eat anymore.

Mingzhu was at a loss. She felt it was impolite to leave the table immediately, but she also felt embarrassed to pick up her chopsticks again. So, she vented her anger at the serving maid. “What are you smiling at?”

Ah, she couldn’t even smile now? That’s right, if the Wangfei wasn’t happy and she was smiling here, wouldn’t that be defying the Wangfei? The serving maid quickly suppressed her smile, bowed respectfully, and said she wouldn’t dare to smile again.

Mingzhu finally found someone to vent her anger. “Are you giving me attitude?” Take that! Forget your lesson!

The serving maid was at a loss and looked to Yuwen Chu for help. Yuwen Chu signaled for her to withdraw, dismissed the people in the room, then got up and sat next to Mingzhu. He reached out to hug her shoulders, but Mingzhu twisted away.

Yuwen Chu sighed and picked up a honey-glazed chicken wing for her. Seeing her eyes light up, he said, “You don’t want our child to be unhealthy, do you?”

As soon as he said that, Mingzhu knew she was finished. No matter how willful she was, she couldn’t use the child as a test, could she? So she could already imagine how miserable she would be in the days to come. She couldn’t go out casually, couldn’t move around recklessly, couldn’t eat or drink as she pleased, and everything she did would be closely monitored.

Having a child meant losing her freedom.

She answered with great melancholy, “Of course not.” Then, with a hint of reluctance, she added, “But not everything you think is right.” Seeing Yuwen Chu about to speak, she cut him off, “You’re a man, you’ve never given birth to a child, so you don’t understand!”

Yuwen Chu looked down on her. Was she implying that she understood because she had given birth before? But considering that a pregnant woman shouldn’t be unhappy, he still nodded obediently. “Yes, so it’s still up to Wangfei to take care of herself and our child. To be honest, I’m becoming more and more confident in Wangfei.”

With that high hat on her head, Mingzhu’s feathers were smoothed down, and there was nothing more to say. She happily ate the honey-glazed chicken wing and obediently drank a bowl of fish soup before lying down with her round belly.

Yuwen Chu quietly got up after she fell asleep and went to the Tingxue Tower to convene his staff to discuss various matters.

Zhou Shuyi and the others had been waiting for him. Seeing him arrive late again, they were used to it. Either Wangfei was sick again or she was throwing a tantrum again. It was always like this. As long as His Royal Highness didn’t neglect his duties, he was still the wise and martial Ying Wang. It was normal for a young hero to enjoy some beauty; who hadn’t been young before?

Mr. Meng offered his advice, “Now that Changxin Palace is suspicious of Your Highness, this is very detrimental in the long run. After all, she is the sister of the Prime Minister, and her relationship with the Wangfei is very good. There are also many court officials and members of the royal family who support her. If things escalate, Fu Xiang will also have to make concessions. Instead of letting Min sit back and watch, it’s better to drag someone else into this mess and have a collective struggle.”

Mr. Meng was referring to Zhongshan Wang. Forcing Zhongshan Wang to show himself wasn’t an easy task. Since he was ordered by Emperor Wen to guard Cangzhou, he had only returned twice in over twenty years. One time was to come to the capital to be appointed, and the other was when Emperor Zhengqian died and Yuwen Bai ascended the throne. Even when Emperor Wen died and Emperor Zhengqian ascended the throne, he didn’t come. The reason given was that he was heartbroken upon hearing about the death of his older brother, and his old wounds had resurfaced, leaving him with only a breath of life. It wasn’t suitable for him to travel a long distance, so he could only mourn for the late Emperor in Cangzhou for three years. He sent his heir, who was intercepted by Ji Conutry on the way. By the time he escaped, the mourning in the capital was already over.

Thinking about it now, wasn’t it because he was afraid that if he came to the capital, he would become a scapegoat for Emperor Zhengqian? Since Yuwen Bai ascended the throne, he dared to come because this was a young ruler whose throne wasn’t yet secure. Not only did he not dare to do anything to him, he also had to flatter him to win his favor. It was also a good opportunity for him to investigate the situation in the capital.

For such a cunning person, would he be easily forced to show himself? Yuwen Chu tapped his long fingers on the desk a few times and said in a deep voice, “Burn the boats! If he doesn’t want to show himself, we’ll force him to! The Great Empress Dowager’s sixtieth birthday is a big day, and we can take the opportunity to invite Wangyes from all over the country to congratulate her! The Great Empress Dowager is currently seriously ill and is eager to nominate Yuwen Fu to succeed the throne. To gain the support of most of the royal family members, face-to-face talks are the best opportunity. She will definitely agree to this proposal. By then, Zhongshan Wang will definitely make a move. Even if he doesn’t come himself, he will definitely send his heir. We’ll organize an assassination operation, and he won’t be able to tolerate it and will definitely take action.”

When the staff heard this, they all looked at each other with solemn expressions. They deliberated on this possibility repeatedly, each with their own opinions. Some thought it would startle the snake in the grass, while others thought Zhongshan Wang still wouldn’t come. Because the matter was of great importance, they argued for half the night without reaching a conclusion.

Yuwen Chu heard the sound of the night watchman’s drum outside and knew that it was impossible to come up with a plan tonight. He waved his hand to signal everyone to disperse. “It’s late, let’s think about it again and discuss it in a few days.”

Since it was already late, Yuwen Chu originally didn’t want to disturb Mingzhu, but he kept thinking about it. After hesitating for a while, he finally had someone light a lantern and quietly returned to Yinghui Hall.

It was almost winter, and the weather was particularly cold. He didn’t dare to go in immediately, so he washed outside first and sat for a while until he felt warm before quietly sneaking in. He groped his way onto the bed, carefully trying to figure out where Mingzhu was. As soon as his hand touched Mingzhu, a pair of warm and soft hands grabbed his, and then Mingzhu’s warm and soft body snuggled into his arms.

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