Chapter 394: Tragedy at the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess Mansion
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Yuwen Long struggled to force a smile, “Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty.”
Yuwen Bai provocatively smiled at the Great Empress Dowager, “Eighth Uncle did it willingly.”
The Great Empress Dowager lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Mingzhu saw her trembling hands clasped tightly on her abdomen, not knowing if it was out of anger or illness. Yuwen Fu sitting behind her stretched his neck worryingly, but when the Great Empress Dowager suddenly raised her eyes and loudly proclaimed, “Your Majesty, disrespecting elders and insulting officials is the way to ruin the country!”
Everyone gasped in shock. The veins on Yuwen Bai’s forehead bulged instantly as he stood up abruptly, glaring at the Great Empress Dowager. He wanted to say that allowing a female to interfere in state affairs and the rise of the eunuchs was the way to ruin the country, but he dared not say it under the Great Empress Dowager’s cold, hard gaze. His power was not yet enough to confront the Great Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager Min hurriedly sat up and went to pull Yuwen Bai, scolding, “Your Majesty, it’s a festival.”
Yuwen Bai snorted and kicked over the table before turning around and striding away. Empress Dowager Min hurriedly picked up his shoes and chased after him, saying, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you haven’t put on your shoes yet…”
The Great Empress Dowager sat stiffly in her seat, her face stern as she scanned the faces of Yuwen Chu, Yuwen Long, Yuwen You, and others, finally landing on Yuwen Fu, smiling gently, “Come to Your Royal Grandma.” Then she nodded politely to the older relatives standing on her side and said, “I’m not feeling well and need to retire. Please, everyone.”
The family banquet ended in a disheartening manner. Everyone felt the looming sense of oppression and fear, causing them to leave without exchanging pleasantries, rushing as if competing to leave.
Yuwen You watched the backs of Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu, feeling a heavy sense of loneliness and powerlessness overwhelming him. He understood that if he could turn back time, he would never make the same mistake again.
The carriage wheels rolled over the long and desolate streets, Mingzhu leaned in Yuwen Chu’s arms, her mind filled with the events of the family banquet just now. “Why did Yuwen You hit Yuwen Long?”
Yuwen Chu gently massaged her temples, “Who knows? Dogs bite dogs.”
Seeing he didn’t want to say, Mingzhu gave up, softly saying, “Things are getting more chaotic. People’s hearts are wavering, showing signs of disrespect for each other. I remember back when the late emperor was still alive, no one dared to act recklessly in the palace. Even the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess, as overbearing as she was, didn’t dare to be so overbearing.”
Yuwen Chu added, “You weren’t as bold back then as you are now. So you’re also one of those who don’t follow the rules.”
Mingzhu snorted, “If you’re not bold, you’ll die. It’s not like I want to be bold; they force me to.” She then went on to recount in great detail how Longsheng Great Eldest Princess bullied her today, how she was driven out of the palace by the Great Empress Dowager, and the story of the bird’s nest soup. She also talked about how Yuwen Xue found her, telling Yuwen Chu everything.
After talking for a long time without hearing Yuwen Chu’s opinion, only occasional “Mmm,” “Oh,” “I see,” “And then?” responses from him, she stopped and looked at him. She saw Yuwen Chu looking ahead at the headlights with a distant look in his eyes, so she grabbed him and shook him, “Who are you thinking about?”
Yuwen Chu looked down at her and smiled, “Nothing, just suddenly remembered that the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess’s youngest son enjoys men. Although he was forced into marriage, it seems he can’t change.”
Mingzhu became interested, “What’s wrong with him loving men?”
Yuwen Chu replied lightly, “He has some connection with a favorite of the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess.” After saying this, he pressed Mingzhu’s head down, “These are all dirty matters, don’t ask, pay attention to prenatal education!” In any case, he had to let out this bad breath. It’s true that the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess had a good brother, but it also depends on whether he buys into her story.
Mingzhu obediently stopped asking. She was tired today and needed rest. She fell asleep in Yuwen Chu’s arms. Yuwen Chu lovingly covered her with a cloak, adjusted her posture, and tried to make her sleep more comfortably.
Three days later, there was a tragedy at the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess Mansion. The close attendant whom the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess often brought with her was dead, and her youngest son, Cui Third Master, was crippled by someone. It was said that he would be semi-paralyzed and unable to live a normal life anymore. The newly arrived wife cried and returned to her maiden family, and Princess Consort Cui, had a big fight with the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess and left home to live in a Taoist temple.
Although the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess Mansion tried hard to cover up the incident, a rumor spread in the capital, vividly and convincingly.
It turned out to be a tragedy caused by family conflicts. The favorite attendant favored by the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess was having an affair with Third Master Cui and were caught together by the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess. Third Master Cui was very afraid of his Mother and covered his face with a piece of clothing, not daring to speak. But Longsheng Great Eldest Princess was determined to kill the lover, ordering people to beat him to death, hitting his vital parts. Third Master Cui couldn’t bear the pain and begged for mercy, but the tragedy had already happened, and it was too late to regret it.
Longsheng Great Eldest Princess tried to hold on and sent someone to invite her daughter-in-law back, but her in-laws were determined to protect their daughter. Third Master Cui’s wife said she would hang herself in front of the mansion if they forced her to come back. Longsheng Great Eldest Princess then tried to invite Princess Consort Cui back, but the news she received was that Princess Consort Cui had gone deep into the mountains with two servants.
Longsheng Great Eldest Princess Mansion became a laughingstock in the capital, and Cui Tong, the two brothers, felt embarrassed to go out. If they had to go out, they would ask the servants to check if there were many people on the street and quickly hide in the carriage, fearing that people would see them and ridicule them.
The two daughters-in-law of the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess completely disappeared from the social circle in the capital, not daring to go out or show their faces.
While this incident was still hot, Hua Yang Wang Yuwen Xin and his wife came to Ying Wang Mansion to express their gratitude to Mingzhu. Hua Yang Wang bowed to Yuwen Chu, very grateful, “…I went back shortly after the Winter Solstice banquet and found out I was pregnant. Thanks to Sixth Sister-in-law’s care, otherwise, I’m afraid someone would have lost their life.”
Regarding the issue of the bird’s nest soup, the two brothers didn’t discuss it in detail, and Yuwen Chu didn’t have any intention of taking credit. He just said, “Your Sixth Sister-in-law is such a person, straightforward and genuinely kind to whoever she’s good to. She said she got along well with Seventh Sister-in-law, so naturally she couldn’t bear to see Seventh Sister-in-law suffer.”
“Then I’ll let her come over often to talk to Sixth Sister-in-law.” Hua Yang Wang continued with what Yuwen Chu said. He didn’t have any thoughts of dominating or doing big things. He just wanted to live a stable life and continue to enjoy wealth. In the past, he could pretend to be ignorant and not rely on either side, but obviously the current situation didn’t allow him to continue like this. Then he had to choose a reliable backing for himself, and obviously the honest Sixth Brother and his wife were more reliable.
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