Chapter 37: Punishment
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Fu Mingzheng hadn’t expected such a big revelation, nor had he intended to push Geng Momo to her death. After all, Geng Momo’s status was different—she was both the trusted confidante of the legitimate mother and the wet nurse of the legitimate sister. She married the steward, who was deeply trusted by Father. Even the elder sister-in-law, Lady Qian, had sent a message, implying that as long as Mingzhu could be managed, it would be fine. Otherwise, mistreating the wet nurse over a trivial matter would not sound good, especially since Mingzhu’s reputation was already quite tarnished.
He had initially shown mercy, but Geng Momo, this old cunning fox, not only spoke against him but her husband and son also dared to send messages to intimidate him openly and secretly. They even used connections from the Cui family to suppress and threaten him. Who was he? A lone man, without any family. If he got angry, he dared to fight anyone. He didn’t believe this nonsense. After a beating that almost killed Geng Momo’s pride, and some salt and branding, before the branding iron could be applied, Geng Momo was frightened into confessing everything.
He had long known that many of the servants at home were taking advantage of their positions to enrich themselves, but he hadn’t expected things to deteriorate to this extent. Whether it was stealing someone’s wife or colluding with the estate manager to sell off the estate’s good land, or accepting bribes and swapping prisoners from the prison for dead prisoners, every one of these was horrifying. It even implicated the legitimate Third Brother, Fu Mingqing. He couldn’t conceal it and told his elder brother everything. His elder brother told Father, and Father made time to see him, which led to the matter of questioning Mingzhu.
It turned out that these things had happened a long time ago. The other party had been holding back, waiting for the right moment to bring them out. It was indeed a long-planned scheme. As Mingzhu pondered this, she entered Fu Cong’s study. Fu Cong was sitting at the table reading letters. When he heard the movement, he looked up affectionately at Mingzhu’s face and said, “You’re much better than the day you came back. Does it still hurt?”
Mingzhu didn’t bother with that and immediately rushed up to hug his arm, coquettishly saying, “It hurts, it hurts so much. I haven’t seen Father for the past two days. Daughter misses you very much.”
Fu Cong looked at her with soft eyes and smiled, “Your Fourth Brother told me you’ve become sensible. I didn’t believe it, but it seems to be true.”
Mingzhu softly said, “Parents have raised me so well, giving me everything. For the sake of their daughter, they even risked raising a tiger as a threat. If the daughter still isn’t sensible, can she still be considered a human?”
Fu Cong chuckled, “It’s not that serious. Linan Wang is just an ignorant child. Even if he’s unhappy and has grievances, he can’t turn the world upside down. Alright, this time you really have become sensible. Your mother and I are very pleased. Tell me, who told you about your wet nurse’s family?”
Mingzhu, in a calm tone, said, “It was that day when Princess Yuhua invited us to her mansion to tour the garden and admire the peonies. I overheard Yuwen You and someone else saying that our family killed his mother, and he couldn’t rest until he married me and found an opportunity to kill me, causing Father grief. I hid alone in the rockery feeling sad, and I overheard someone talking about Third Brother, saying he’s a big fool, fooled by his servants, and causing destruction to the foundation of the family…”
Fu Cong was silent for a moment and then said lightly, “Your Third Brother has gone mad from studying! He doesn’t even know what his subordinates are doing. What’s the difference between him and an idiot? What a waste of food! Old Four, you must investigate everyone who has close dealings with the Geng family and make sure no information leaks out. Spare no means… We must dig out the people behind him. As for your Third Brother, let him prepare himself. In a few days, we’ll hold a family meeting and invite relatives over. I’ll personally punish him! Whether it’s in the family or the clan, if anyone dares to be so audacious again, I won’t tolerate it.”
It seemed like a case of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. Mingzhu and Fu Mingzheng quickly glanced at each other and then lowered their heads. Fu Mingzheng left to attend to his duties, and Mingzhu also wanted to slip away, but Fu Cong didn’t let her go. “Did you see who mentioned this matter that day?”
Mingzhu firmly shook her head, “No.”
“Then, what was his voice like? Did he have any distinctive features? Could it be someone you’re familiar with?” Fu Cong prompted her, “For example, whether it’s a man or a woman, whether the voice is clear or hoarse, what kind of accent, tone, any habitual expressions, interjections repeated two or three times?”
“It was a man, I’m sure of that!” Mingzhu made up various details to tell him, “He had a capital’s accent! His voice wasn’t hoarse but wasn’t clear either. Oh, right, he said ‘tsk tsk’ twice in a row!” After that, she looked blank and concluded, “I probably don’t know him.”
Fu Cong got lost in thought following her words. Mingzhu was afraid of being exposed and could only stand still, even her breathing unconsciously softened. After a long time, Fu Cong sighed, “Forget it, who would casually talk about such important matters outside? Most likely, it was intentionally said for you to hear. He was hiding his head and showing his tail, not wanting us to know who he is, so the voice might not even be genuine; most likely, it was deliberately altered.”
Could one random sentence lead to so many deductions? Mingzhu listened dumbfoundedly and nodded along, “So, was he trying to help us?”
Fu Cong saw her with a bruised face, but her beautiful peach blossom eyes were looking at him with a twinkle, which was both cute and amusing. The gloomy mood he had felt before suddenly lifted, and he smiled, saying, “Who knows? In my life, I’ve done both good and bad deeds. There are those who hate me to the bone and those who appreciate my kindness. Let’s not worry about what he means for now. Let’s just focus on what needs to be done.”
Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief and flattered, “Dad, you’re wise! I knew as long as you were here, even if the sky fell, your daughter wouldn’t be afraid!”
Fu Cong smiled bitterly, “There will always be a day when Father grows old, and your aunt will also have a day when she grows old. You’ve grown up and have your own ideas…”
Mingzhu quickly interrupted him, pretending to be innocent, “I know, just like the emperor will also grow up and have his own ideas!”
Fu Cong was stunned, his gaze complex as he stared at her.
Mingzhu blinked and said, “Did I say something wrong? Yuwen You said that one day, young people will grow up and will no longer be willing to be puppets. Once they rebel, they become even more ruthless.” Her relationship with Yuwen You was as thin as paper, easily torn apart. He certainly wouldn’t say such things to her. But she was determined to tarnish his reputation. How could she let him have an easy time?
Fu Cong withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “You didn’t say anything wrong. Why did he suddenly mention this to you?”
Mingzhu said, “He mentioned it when he threatened me.”
Fu Cong remained silent for a long time before asking again, “What about that drawing you made, and Ban Jian? What’s the story behind it?”
If she had made that thing, it would surely not escape Father’s notice. Mingzhu casually replied, “I came across it by chance among the ancient book fragments I collected from Third Brother. I found it interesting. As for Ban Jian, I thought it was interesting and didn’t want Yuwen You to ruin it, so I brought it back to protect it. Maybe Father could make use of him? You always appreciate talent, don’t you?”
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