Chapter 378: Fragrant Scent
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Yuwen Chu didn’t have as many emotions regarding the selection of the empress for the Yuwen family. He saw it more as a competition for power and interests. “Both Min Baoyun and your cousin’s daughter, Fu Zifei, will enter the palace. Preliminary estimates suggest that both will become one of the four concubines.”
This was another unexpected candidate for Mingzhu and wasn’t on the list of concubines for Yuwen Bai in her previous life. Fu Zifei’s grandfather was Mingzhu’s eldest uncle, Fu Zhen. Fu Zhen was a conservative man who once served as a junior minister of the Tai Chang Temple. He resigned from office due to differences in political views with the Fu family and the Great Empress Dowager. Subsequently, he adhered to the family tradition of passing on the family estate and stayed in his hometown in Jiangnan without ever coming out.
In Mingzhu’s impression, although the main branches of the family in Jiangnan and the capital had maintained contact, Fu Zhen was stubborn. No matter what important events occurred in the Fu family, he only arranged for family members and his eldest son to come to the capital, never showing up himself or sending any message. Even the relationship between his children and this side was very weak. His father was deeply troubled and helpless about this. Later, Fu Zhen passed away due to illness, and his eldest son, Fu Mingcheng, inherited the position of family head. Although there was increased communication between the two sides, they were far apart geographically and had estranged relations in the past. It was difficult for them to become closer.
Entering the palace meant sacrifice. In such a situation, even if the family needed a daughter from the Fu family to enter the palace, they would never choose Fu Zifei, who had never been to the capital. Therefore, there must be a story behind Fu Zifei being selected.
During her pregnancy, there were many upheavals outside. Mingzhu sighed, “Whose idea was this?”
Yuwen Chu looked at her and whispered, “It was Empress Dowager Min who specifically asked to select a woman from the Fu family to enter the palace. Initially, they chose Wenwen, the eldest daughter of your second brother, but father-in-law refused. So, the Great Empress Dowager suggested picking a good girl from the Jiangnan branch of the family. That’s when they chose Fu Zifei.”
Mingzhu couldn’t articulate her discomfort. With this decision, there would surely be a rift between the Jiangnan branch and the Xiangfu. Think about it, the daughters of the Xiangfu are treasured, but are the daughters of others not? When trouble arises, they push it onto others. Who would be willing?
What worried her even more was that the Great Empress Dowager and her father and brothers were really drifting further apart. The Great Empress Dowager might not just be unwilling to let Wenwen suffer in the palace; selecting Fu Zifei probably also meant supporting the Jiangnan branch against the Xiangfu. Once Fu Zifei entered the palace and was promoted to a consort, the next step would inevitably be promoting her father and brothers. By then, her eldest cousin would probably have no choice.
Seeing Mingzhu frown, Yuwen Chu guessed that she had realized the Great Empress Dowager’s intentions, so he covered her hand with his and comforted her, “Things haven’t been settled for some time, and it’s been chaotic. It was pointless to tell you and worry you. Now that it’s settled, I had to let you know so you could have some clarity.”
Mingzhu sighed, “Have my father and the Great Empress Dowager really reached this point?”
“Well, it’s better than outsiders after all. They are siblings, so they’re stronger together.” Su Jin brought in some grapes, and Yuwen Chu took the opportunity to feed Mingzhu some grapes, casually deflecting the topic.
Mingzhu chewed on the grapes while gazing at him intently. “Hasn’t it been tough for Your Highness lately?” Since there was discord in her family, Yuwen Chu must be even more distressed. The Great Empress Dowager was probably picking on him whenever she had the chance, with Mins’ and Zhongshan Wang ready to take advantage. He must be struggling.
Yuwen Chu instinctively chuckled twice, intending to boast about how smooth his days had been recently. However, he caught sight of Mingzhu’s rosy and moist lips, and his mood immediately softened. His voice naturally lowered, tinged with a hint of grievance. “It’s fine if we don’t talk about it.”
Mingzhu furrowed her brows, feeling the grapes in her mouth losing their taste. After thinking for a moment, realizing there was no other way to help him, she waved for Su Jin and the others to leave, then shifted her body, making space on the lounge chair for Yuwen Chu to sit.
Yuwen Chu quickly squeezed over, and Mingzhu gave him a warm hug. Ever since she became pregnant, she had abandoned all cosmetics, yet the fragrance emanating from her body was even more captivating, warm and faint, making people feel relaxed and comfortable.
Yuwen Chu buried his head in the crook of Mingzhu’s neck, embracing her. His previously restless heart immediately calmed down. He had learned since childhood not to complain to adults because it was useless. It only worried his Royal Mother and made his father think he was too delicate. Therefore, he had never been in the habit of complaining to others. However, sometimes he felt tired and frustrated and just wanted someone to lean on.
Mingzhu gently patted his back, whispering, “There are no insurmountable obstacles. Once I’m settled in my pregnancy, I can help you. Even now, you can rest assured that although there’s little I can do, I’ll manage the mansion well and won’t cause you any trouble.”
These days, she had been suffering from severe morning sickness, depleting the little flesh she had gained. Yuwen Chu, feeling her bony back, thought about how to motivate the chefs with money to make dishes that were both nutritious and to her liking. “You can do many things that others can’t. For example, at this moment, no one can make me feel as comfortable and relaxed as you do.”
Mingzhu felt warm inside, nestled in his arms, making a request, “Can we not go to Tingxue Building tonight? Let’s have a good meal together, talk, and you can rest well.” She suggested, “I’ll have the kitchen send lamb hot pot and alcohol to Zhou Changshi and Mr. Meng to shut their mouths.”
Yuwen Chu couldn’t help but smile. Only she could come up with such a childish solution. But on a snowy day like this, relaxing for one evening wasn’t a big deal. He immediately gave orders for it to be done and instructed Wei Tiande, “Have Li Quanxin pick out a few good ones from the Northern Garden and have them play some music and dance to entertain the gentlemen.”
“Yes…” Wei Tiande’s mouth hung wide open. Although His Highness used to pass on the beauties given by others to his subordinates, the ones left in the Northern Garden were all top-quality! Giving them away so easily to the subordinates? His Highness was becoming more and more generous in order to please the Wangfei.
Seeing him standing there unable to come to his senses, Yuwen Chu frowned and said, “Can’t understand?”
Wei Tiande stuttered, “Th-th-then, what about the ladies sent by the palace?”
“You just need to pass on the message. Li Quanxin knows who to pick.” Yuwen Chu waited for Wei Tiande to leave before turning to Mingzhu and said, “With food and entertainment, they won’t have time to come bother me. With the situation so chaotic lately, even if they pretend to be as harmless as lambs all day long, I still can’t rest assured. It’s better to send them away early for peace of mind.”
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