Chapter 366: Stuck in a Dilemma
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The eunuch’s eyes flashed with a gleam, and he calmly said with his hands behind his back, “Even if he did, there’s nothing to fear. The County Prince won’t speak nonsense. His Highness is clever.”
Which was true, otherwise he wouldn’t have been noticed by the Great Empress Dowager. The wet nurse suppressed her worries and continued to ask the eunuch, “Can you tell me more? Can the Great Empress Dowager’s illness be cured?”
“Who knows? Maybe it can’t be cured. We’d better think of a way out as soon as possible.”
The wet nurse leaned heavily against the door frame, muttering softly, “What should we do? We thought we were lucky, but who knew disaster would strike so suddenly. My poor County Prince Sien, why is fate so cruel to him?”
Yuwen Fu rushed into the main hall. Seeing him, Sang Shen greeted him with a smile, “Your Highness, where are you coming from?”
Ignoring her, Yuwen Fu bypassed her and rushed into the main hall. Sang Shen became anxious and hurried to intercept him, “Your Highness, how about I announce your arrival?”
Inside the hall, the Great Empress Dowager had already heard the commotion and asked, “What’s going on?”
Yuwen Fu shouted, “Royal Grandmother!”
Mu Gugu walked over to see what was going on. Seeing Yuwen Fu’s flushed face, tears in his eyes, and a worried and scared expression, she frowned, “What’s wrong with His Highness?”
Yuwen Fu kept his head down and didn’t speak, tears hanging heavily in his eyes, almost falling down.
Mu Gugu sighed and led him inside, whispering softly, “The Great Empress Dowager is tired and exhausted. Try not to disturb her too much, but if you’ve been wronged, don’t hide it.”
The Great Empress Dowager, who was originally sitting behind the desk reviewing memorials, put down her pen and waved to him, “Come here, let Royal Grandmother see what’s wrong. Oh, who made our Fu Er unhappy? Is it because your Royal Mother isn’t in the palace, and you couldn’t find anyone?”
Yuwen Fu buried his head in her arms, tightly embracing her waist, choked up, and said, “Royal Grandmother, you’re not really sick, are you?”
The Great Empress Dowager’s smile faded in surprise. She glanced at Mu Gugu, then firmly grasped Yuwen Fu’s shoulders, making him face her and sternly said, “What did you say?”
Yuwen Fu was a bit scared but still repeated what he had just said, “They said you’re seriously ill. It’s not true, is it?”
The Great Empress Dowager noticed his fear and softened her expression, whispering, “Who told you this?”
The wet nurse and them. Yuwen Fu was about to blurt out, then stopped himself. He knew that if he mentioned the wet nurse, she wouldn’t survive. However, having already spoken, he had to reveal the source of the rumor. How should he say it? He regretted his impulsiveness.
But he was truly scared, more than ever before. He knew that after being personally raised by the Great Empress Dowager, if she were to die, he would be the next to die. No matter how mature he appeared, he was just a nine-year-old child and inevitably lost his composure in the face of death.
The Great Empress Dowager didn’t get a response from him, becoming impatient. She raised her voice, “Go call Lady Han!”
Lady Han was Yuwen Fu’s wet nurse. She hadn’t seen much of the world and was timid. He was afraid that she would spill everything once she saw the Great Empress Dowager and wouldn’t survive.
Yuwen Fu blurted out, “It’s Aunt.” Aunt Mingzhu, the Great Empress Dowager’s most beloved person, even if Aunt Mingzhu did something wrong, the Great Empress Dowager wouldn’t harm her. At most, she would be angry for a while. But this anger wouldn’t last long, Aunt Mingzhu knew how to coax the Great Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager glared fiercely at him and shouted, “What are you talking about?!”
“It’s Aunt Mingzhu! I heard her talking to Sixth Uncle!” Yuwen Fu couldn’t help but gasp for breath, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at the Great Empress Dowager, the terror enveloping him like darkness, rendering him almost paralyzed. He feared that the Great Empress Dowager wouldn’t believe him, would easily see through his lies, be disappointed in him, and then kill the wet nurse.
“Nonsense!” The Great Empress Dowager raised her hand and slapped Yuwen Fu hard, her eyes red as she looked at Mu Gugu, “Rebellion! Rebellion! None of them are behaving properly!”
Yuwen Fu was knocked to the ground by the blow, too scared to make a sound, whimpering softly.
Mu Gugu hurriedly helped the Great Empress Dowager up, softly coaxing, “Your Majesty, calm down, calm down! Children’s words cannot be taken seriously.”
Yuwen Fu found the courage from somewhere, crawled over, and tightly hugged the Great Empress Dowager’s legs, tears blurring his vision as he pleaded, “Grandmother, please don’t be angry, I was wrong, I’m scared, so scared, I don’t want you to die, please! Please, don’t get sick, don’t die.”
The Great Empress Dowager’s eyes welled up with tears, but she held them back desperately, gripping Yuwen Fu’s shoulders tightly, the veins bulging on her hand as she looked into his eyes and said, word by word, “Don’t worry, Grandmother won’t die!”
Yuwen Fu winced in pain from her grip, crying even louder. Mu Gugu gently pried the Great Empress Dowager’s hand away, gesturing to Yuwen Fu, “Your Highness, you should go back first.” Then she instructed the nervous Sang Shen, who was anxiously waiting by the door, “Take His Highness back to the rear hall and attend to him properly.”
Sang Shen hurried forward, helping Yuwen Fu up and leading him away.
The Great Empress Dowager hung her head, sitting silently in her chair.
Mu Gugu asked worriedly, “Your Majesty?”
The Great Empress Dowager looked up at her and whispered, “Ah Shang, is what he said true?”
Mu Gugu quickly replied, “In these past few days, Ying Wang and Ying Wangfei haven’t come in.” The implication was that if Yuwen Fu had heard it from Mingzhu, he wouldn’t have waited until now to burst out, but would have done so a few days ago when Mingzhu entered the palace. So there must be something suspicious in between.
The Great Empress Dowager’s lips curved into a strange smile as she whispered, “Mingzhu, she’s grown up now, no longer the little pearl in my arms. She’s pregnant and didn’t even tell me. So if she told Ying Wang about my illness, what does it matter?”
The more one cares, the easier they are hurt, and the harder they are to forgive. Mu Gugu shuddered and hurriedly persuaded, “No, the young lady has always been filial and caring for you since she was a child. She has never disobeyed your orders. Remember last time when the Empress Dowager came to deceive her in the Zhaoyang Palace? She took such a big risk to protect you.”
The Great Empress Dowager didn’t want to listen. “Who said she never disobeyed me? Didn’t she insist on marrying Old Nine back then?”
People in poor health and difficult situations are the most prone to getting stuck in their own thoughts, only believing in what they want to believe and refusing to believe anything else. Mu Gugu was sweating profusely with anxiety. If the Great Empress Dowager were to misunderstand the Ying Wangfei again, it would not be a good thing!
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