Chapter 47: Advice
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Yuwen Chu replied calmly, “There are various claims. Some say you were unhappy about the cancellation of the marriage and hired someone to impersonate a palace servant, intending to coerce Fu Mingzhu into submission with a weapon but ended up injuring yourself. Others say you employed a strategy of feigning injury to ruin Fu Mingzhu and retaliate against the Empress Dowager and the Fu family. There are also those who claim you were injured by Fu’s father and son. However, what others say doesn’t matter; only your account is valid.”
Yuwen You couldn’t decipher Yuwen Chu’s thoughts or intentions. After pondering for a moment, he whispered, “What does Fu Mingzhu say?”
Yuwen Chu raised his eyes, giving him a smirk that seemed to hold a deeper meaning. “Fu Mingzhu subscribes to the first narrative. She claims that you initially pleaded with her not to cancel the marriage. When she refused, you brandished a dagger, intending to take her life. She was frightened but still refused to yield and jump into the fire pit. Then you…” He stopped abruptly, lowering his gaze. “In any case, remember that I am your sixth brother. I would never harm you.”
“She thinks marrying me is akin to jumping into a fire pit?!” Yuwen You was incensed, raising his eyebrows and shouting, “When did I plead with her? What do I want? What does she think I want?”
Yuwen Chu turned his head slightly, looking somewhat reluctant as he replied, “She claims you intended to force raw rice into cooked rice….”
“Pah! Who does she think she is? Did I force her?” Yuwen You felt that his shortcomings were all exposed, which greatly hurt his pride. He spoke out of anger, “What is she? I feel disgusted just seeing her. If she didn’t shamelessly stick around, I wouldn’t even spare her a glance! Did I force her? She wishes…” He suddenly realized that Yuwen Chu was unusually quiet, so he awkwardly stopped speaking and said with a stern face, “It was her who stabbed me!”
Yuwen Chu remained unmoved. “Why? The Great Empress Dowager has already drafted a decree to annul the marriage. Her goal has been achieved. Why stir up more trouble? Doesn’t she understand the consequences of harming you? If she doesn’t understand, why did she pretend to be so pitifully injured by you?”
Why indeed? Because he didn’t want the marriage to be called off. Because he wanted to live! His facade of endurance couldn’t hold up under Yuwen Chu’s scrutiny. Yuwen You bitterly laughed, his face devoid of warmth. “Why? Sixth Brother, don’t you understand? Why ask questions when you already know the answers?”
“I know everything now. Rest.” Yuwen Chu smiled faintly, standing up to leave. “There’s something you probably don’t know. The palace servant who helped you has fallen into Fu Cong’s hands, and many others who aided you are probably awaiting their fates in fear.”
Not cooperating wasn’t a difficult thing, as long as he had the heart to do it. When the blood flowed like rivers, the truth would eventually come out. Yuwen You understood the implication in Yuwen Chu’s words. Those who still supported him were the people left behind by his father and the empress dowagers. There weren’t many of them, and they treated him sincerely. How could he bear to let them die because of him? Yuwen You closed his eyes, then struggled to say in a low voice, “Sixth Brother, wait! You promised to help me.”
“Do you trust me?” Yuwen Chu didn’t look back, his gaze fixed on a pot of azaleas outside.
Yuwen You clenched and unclenched his fists hidden in his sleeves, feeling extremely pained. “If I don’t trust Sixth Brother, then I have no one left to trust.”
“Then listen carefully. You wanted to live, and now you have a way out. The situation has escalated, even attracting the attention of Zhongshan Wang, causing a commotion among the royal family. Both the Great Empress Dowagers and Fu Cong won’t easily move against you again. They’ll even guard against others harming you, for fear of implicating themselves. So, investigating the truth now, what benefit does it bring to you? Remember, a cornered dog will jump over a wall. Fu Cong isn’t a dog; he’s a wolf, a cunning and ruthless one. You have no one to protect you. When both sides are unable to afford the consequences, they’ll shake hands and make peace, and you’ll be a pawn, not knowing how you’ll die. Furthermore, there are others lurking, waiting to reap the benefits. They’d love for you to cause more trouble.”
Yuwen You listened, his nose sweating coldly, almost impulsively standing up to grab him and ask who was lurking nearby. However, he resisted the urge, speaking in a low voice, “So Sixth Brother’s intention is for me to suffer this loss in vain?”
Yuwen Chu glanced back at him, his gaze deep and inscrutable, yet carrying a hint of sharp understanding.
Defeated, Yuwen You sighed bitterly, “So be it. I sought mercy, and now I’ve received it. I won’t say anything more.”
Yuwen Chu nodded. “I’ll report to the Empress Dowagers and the Emperor, stating that you felt guilty for injuring Fu Mingzhu and secretly went to visit her. However, a quarrel ensued, and you intended to return her dagger but accidentally injured yourself. It was an accident. Is that acceptable to you?”
There was no other choice. Yuwen You felt extremely unhappy. Seeing him remain silent, Yuwen Chu took it as consent. “Rest assured. I’ll take my leave now. If you need anything, just send someone to inform me.”
“Sixth Brother.” Yuwen You called out to him, his tone cold. “You just said that someone is eagerly waiting to reap the benefits. Who is it?” Is it you? Is it?
Yuwen Chu looked at the glazed tiles on the wall without expression and uttered nonsensically, “When you have time, you should prepare a decent gift to send to the Fu family to calm Fu Mingzhu’s nerves. I heard that Madame Fu has fallen ill from anger. Even the concubines in the palace have been alarmed. Even someone like Concubine Xiao, who usually doesn’t care about worldly affairs, had a hundred-year-old snow lotus sent to Madame Fu for medicine.”
Yuwen You watched Yuwen Chu walk away, then gritted his teeth and called Ruan Qingshang over, asking, “What does Concubine Xiao mean, as His Highness mentioned?”
Ruan Qingshang smiled bitterly and replied, “Concubine Xiao is probably unable to bear it anymore. The Xiao family has been suppressed for years. If the Eighth Prince can achieve something with Fu Mingzhu, the Xiao family’s fortunes will turn around.”
“You must investigate this matter thoroughly, no matter what!” Yuwen You thought of the chubby face of his eighth brother, Yuwen Long, and how he always smiled cheerfully whenever he saw him, calling him “little brother” with apparent concern. It made him sick. But he had to admit that, in terms of overall conditions, Yuwen Long was much better than him, who had neither father nor mother. He felt a sourness in his heart, gritting his teeth in resentment. Why should Yuwen Long benefit?
While he was filled with indignation and resentment, the person gathering information outside had arrived. “It’s true. The Eighth Prince himself went to deliver the snow lotus. I heard he even plans to ask Fu Cong to teach him painting.”
“Hah! What a shameless dog!” Yuwen You was furious, feeling a dull ache in his abdomen that only fueled his anger. He called Ruan Qingshang over and said, “We can’t let him succeed. We must ruin this!”
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