Chapter 540 Covet
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Fu Zifei trembled and said, “Grandmother, you…”
“Get out!” The Great Empress Dowager couldn’t contain her anger. The muscles on her face trembled uncontrollably, and her hands placed on the desk also kept shaking.
Fu Zifei quickly retreated and walked to the entrance of the main hall. She lifted her eyes and quietly glanced at the Great Empress Dowager. She saw the gleam of tears in the Great Empress Dowager’s eyes, a trace left after extreme sadness. She barely smiled and turned away.
Why should you all be so proud of your close relationship as niece and aunt? Why should the good things belong to you all and the bad things to me?
She remembered that snowy night, wearing the attire of a prince, the proud and cold gazing man standing in this gloomy hall, calmly and coldly saying those words to the Great Empress Dowager on her high throne. She couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably.
They said he was cold and heartless, calm and quiet, but there was also an indescribable tenderness hidden in the corners of his eyes and brows. Although this tenderness was given to others, it didn’t matter. What came first didn’t matter; the capable ones took precedence.
What? Seniority? Is it shameful for a niece and aunt to serve the same person? Ah no, for the royal family, for those sitting in the Chongzheng Hall, such existence is reasonable. What Mingzhu can do, she can do too.
Fu Zifei walked calmly and gracefully down the long corridor of Changxin Palace, entered the small kitchen, washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared food for the Great Empress Dowager and Yuwen Fu.
In the main hall, the Great Empress Dowager laid alone on the desk, silently crying. No matter how much she disliked that child, she hadn’t done anything to him. How could Mingzhu be so heartless?
Mu Gugu stood outside the hall, her delicate eyebrows knitted with worry. This palace was probably the most twisted place in the world.
In the Fu Mansion, after Yuwen Chu and Fu Cong briefly discussed and came up with countermeasures for the attack incident, they quickly took their leave. Yuwen Chu was worried about Mingzhu. If Fu Zifei leaked any information, Mingzhu would be in a difficult situation.
The room was quiet, not as hot as yesterday, and the air was much fresher. Yuwen Chu noticed the changes as soon as he entered. He keenly looked up and saw that the window at the top was open, letting in the cool breeze, dispersing the indoor smell.
Mingzhu laid sideways on the bed with her back to him, pretending to be asleep. But he knew she wasn’t asleep. With her temperament, how could she sleep after such a big incident? He was worried about this.
He sat down by the bed and leaned over to look at Mingzhu. She kept her eyes closed, pretending not to notice him. He reached out and gently kissed her cheek, whispering, “Didn’t they say you shouldn’t be exposed to cold wind during confinement? Why is the window open?”
Mingzhu felt a surge of anger, along with an indescribable sense of grievance, sadness, and worry. After Fu Zifei left, she wanted to go see for herself, but her condition didn’t allow it, and Zheng Momo and the others wouldn’t let her go out. She couldn’t ask anything and could only endure until now.
She knew she couldn’t vent her anger on Yuwen Chu, but she was still very sad. She was afraid that if she spoke, there would be no good words. So she didn’t answer him, just held his hand tightly against her face, not letting him go.
Yuwen Chu felt a pang of heartache when he saw tears welling up in her eyes. He kicked off his shoes, carefully laid down beside Mingzhu, and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t know how much Mingzhu already knew, fearing that his attempts to console her might inadvertently burden her with worries she didn’t yet have, potentially harming her health in the long run. So he wisely chose to remain silent, gently and quietly accompanying Mingzhu.
After some time, Mingzhu asked softly, “How are they?”
Yuwen Chu pretended to be relaxed and said, “Nothing serious. Mother-in-law is fine, just startled by the horse and fell. She needs to rest in bed for a while. Fourth Brother-in-law is even better, just some minor injuries. With Tang Chunlai taking care of him, these are small problems. They didn’t tell you to prevent you from worrying. If you’re still worried, I’ll arrange for you to go see them tomorrow to ease your mind.”
Half-truths were mixed in his words, making them sound more believable.
After weighing her options, Mingzhu first confirmed that they were alive. If they weren’t, the secret couldn’t be kept. Then she said, “Tell me what happened.”
Yuwen Chu proceeded to recount the events to her: “After the death of Zhongshan Shizi, our carriages from both mansions underwent special modifications, as you know. Our guards were also equipped with recently manufactured lightweight crossbows, significantly enhancing our combat capabilities. Both Fourth Brother-in-law and us carried sleeve arrows with us, as you’re aware.”
Mingzhu nodded, indicating she was aware of these precautions, especially given her knowledge of the danger faced by Fu Mingzheng, prompting her to frequently remind him to prioritize safety.
“When Fourth Brother-in-law sensed something was amiss, he quickly took action, eliminating the threat and capturing some of the attackers alive, as well as seizing a large quantity of crossbow bolts,” Yuwen Chu’s tone was measured, neither light nor heavy, without any attempt to appear relaxed or overly solemn, “Your mother was unharmed initially; it was the startled horse that caused the fall. Xie Siqi swiftly dealt with the spooked horse, and our people arrived in time, preventing further losses.”
Yuwen Chu’s explanation sounded reasonable, and Mingzhu found herself believing most of it, feeling as if she were experiencing the events firsthand: “Did my mother have anything to say to me?”
Yuwen Chu chuckled, “Your mother, afraid that you might blame yourself and feel upset, worried about you falling ill due to self-reproach. She forbids anyone from discussing it; she gets angry with anyone who does.”
This was typical of her mother’s character, further convincing Mingzhu. She feigned, “Since Your Highness has agreed, then I will visit them tomorrow.”
Her plan was to test Yuwen Chu’s sincerity; if he was lying, he wouldn’t truly allow her to go, even if he agreed now, he would find excuses to prevent her from going later. If it was genuine, then there was no need to fear her going.
Yuwen Chu calmly replied, “Alright, given your temperament, not seeing them in person might disturb your sleep at night. However, you’re still in your postpartum period, so you must avoid cold and windy conditions. Since the weather is hot, it won’t be pleasant on the road. Go in the evening when it’s cooler and less likely to attract attention. I’ll have someone prepare a carriage for you.”
Mingzhu couldn’t discern any hint from his face, but she agreed nonetheless. She couldn’t fully trust this man until the very end, as he was exceptionally good at deception.
True to his word, Yuwen Chu promptly arranged for a carriage and gave instructions to his subordinates. Each person carried out their tasks meticulously, without revealing any hint of abnormality.
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