Chapter 60: Deceived
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The palace maid drew back the curtain, and Mingzhu entered the hall, acting coquettish, “Will Auntie agree? If you don’t mind me, I’ll come and accompany you.”
The Great Empress Dowager and Lady Cui were taken aback, then chuckled, “What’s this all about? Earlier, when I asked you to come and stay in the palace, you refused, saying it was too stifling here. Now, you’re willing to come on your own?”
Mingzhu couldn’t say that she actually wanted to stay to handle a few things, so she shamelessly rolled into the Great Empress Dowager’s arms, acting silly, “I suddenly felt guilty and wanted to accompany you. Is that not okay?”
The Empress Dowager had no daughters, only Emperor Zhengqian, a son who died young, and her grandson had his own mother. Due to vested interests, she wasn’t close to them. Instead, she treated Mingzhu, her niece, as precious as her own eyes. When she saw her acting spoiled, she laughed so much her eyes narrowed and said repeatedly, “Good, good, good, as long as your mother is willing, would I ever be short of food and grain for you here?”
Lady Cui was very helpless but still said gently, “Being able to accompany the Great Empress Dowager is her blessing. How could I refuse?” She then warned Mingzhu, “You’re not allowed to mess around. Your aunt is old and not as energetic as she used to be. She can’t keep up with your antics.”
Mingzhu smiled, “Mother always treats me like an ignorant child. I’ve already turned sixteen now, I understand everything. Staying in the palace is to show filial piety to my aunt. Why would I cause trouble for her?”
Lady Cui stared at Mingzhu for a while, seeing her serious demeanor, she believed her somewhat, and after some more reminders, she left with her daughters-in-law as the sky darkened. There was already a room prepared for Mingzhu in the Great Empress Dowager’s palace, with various items and clothes available. Upon hearing that Mingzhu wanted to stay, the palace servants immediately went to arrange everything. Mingzhu then went to the Great Empress Dowager and pestered her, “Auntie, what are we having for dinner tonight?”
The Great Empress Dowager teased her, “You’re hungry so soon? Didn’t you eat your fill at Imperial Consort Min’s birthday banquet?”
Mingzhu said, “Imperial Consort Min is excellent, and the banquet was well done. I just couldn’t stand being watched like a monkey by those people, so I went to see Sister Changhua after sitting for a while.”
The Great Empress Dowager then asked, “Is she feeling better?”
Mingzhu said, “She still has a bit of a cough, but I think it’s mostly a heartache.” As she spoke, she observed the Great Empress Dowager’s expression. Seeing that her face was somewhat cold, she knew that Changhua’s marriage was almost settled and unlikely to change. It didn’t matter to her; Mingzhu felt that she couldn’t change everyone’s fate, especially for someone like Changhua, whose outcome was already good. She couldn’t meddle in blindly. All she could do was to try to gain some benefits for Changhua. She glanced around at the people and coquettishly said, “I have something to tell Auntie.”
The Great Empress Dowager thought she was going to plead for Changhua, so she lazily said, “Speak, I’m listening,” and didn’t let Wan Ru and the others leave.
Mingzhu didn’t agree and said, “This is Sister Changhua’s private matter. She trusts me enough to tell me, and I trust Auntie enough to tell you. It’s not good to let more people know.”
The Great Empress Dowager had no choice but to let Wan Ru and the others go down, but Mingzhu was still not at ease. She ran outside to carefully check for eavesdroppers before running back to the Great Empress Dowager and kneeling beside her, whispering, “I went to see Sister Changhua. The palace attendant who led the way told me there was a nest of wild ducks in the reeds by the Qingbo Lake in the Lotus Palace. I wanted to catch two to give to Sister Changhua, but something happened.”
Seeing her serious expression, the Great Empress Dowager sensed something was wrong and held her hand, saying, “Take your time.”
“Is it like this?” After Mingzhu finished speaking, the Empress Dowager’s face darkened, and she let out a cold laugh.
Mingzhu waited quietly for a moment, but still didn’t see any response from her, so she became a bit anxious. “Aunt?”
Only then did the Great Empress Dowager say, “Are you saying that a palace attendant from Imperial Consort Min’s palace just happened to tell you that there was a nest of wild ducks there, and then you happened to hear someone crying in the artificial mountain while waiting on the shore? And there wasn’t even a lookout outside, so you just went to look like that? You couldn’t help but want to jump out, and then Ying Wang came to cover your mouth and help you?”
Mingzhu nodded, “That’s right.”
The Great Empress Dowager’s expression became even more unpleasant. “Ying Wang told you it wasn’t him, but Yuwen You did it?”
“Yes,” Mingzhu felt a bit wronged, “Does Auntie not believe me? I have never lied to you.”
The Great Empress Dowager remained noncommittal and continued to ask, “When you were waiting in the pavilion, did you see that it was Wan Ru who walked out later?” At this point, there was a stern look in her eyes.
Not understanding what she meant, Mingzhu thought she didn’t believe her and said anxiously, “If Auntie doesn’t believe me, you can ask Ying Wang. And the servant from Imperial Consort Min’s palace also saw it.”
The Great Empress Dowager waved her hand, “No need. Forget about this matter for now. Don’t mention it to anyone and don’t reveal any clues. Your father and I will handle it.”
Mingzhu grabbed her hand and shook it hard, “I don’t want Yuwen Long. I feel disgusted just thinking about him. If you insist on me marrying him, I’ll castrate him! I’ll make him incapable of being a man!”
“Outrageous! Who taught you such nonsense?” The Great Empress Dowager angrily scolded, looking at her coldly, “Then who do you want? You cried and insisted on marrying Linan Wang before, but then you suddenly changed your mind when it was about to happen. Now you’re picking faults with Anyang Wang. What kind of person do you want to marry?”
Mingzhu lowered her head and whispered, “I just won’t marry either of them.”
The Great Empress Dowager said, “Don’t worry about this matter. It would be best if you caused less trouble for me and your father.”
Feeling very aggrieved, Mingzhu’s eyes turned red, but the Great Empress Dowager ignored her. After a moment of contemplation, she said slowly, “You mentioned Changhua earlier. What’s her concern of the heart?”
Mingzhu didn’t dare to upset the great Empress Dowager because of her own issues and make Changhua suffer, so she quickly perked up and said, “It’s nothing, she just heard some rumors, saying that… ” she pointed in the direction of Empress Dowager Min’s residence and whispered, “saying that she might be married off to the incompetent son of the Duke Zhengguo, and she fell ill because of it.”
Duke Zhengguo held military power but only had an incompetent son who spent his days in debauchery, and his reputation was very bad.
Empress Dowager Min had been acting frequently recently, buying hearts everywhere, wanting to marry off the dependent Changhua to the heir of Duke Zhengguo to please and buy his favor.
The Great Empress Dowager disdainfully said, “No matter what, I wouldn’t let a proper princess be matched with such a useless person. Although Empress Dowager Min is the Emperor’s birth mother, Changhua is my daughter, and as the birth mother, I have the final say.”
Mingzhu evaded the topic and smiled, “I also comforted her like this. Older Sister Changhua also said that over the years, she has been taken care of by Auntie. As long as Auntie speaks, she will go wherever she is told to go. It’s just that person, she doesn’t feel reconciled.”
The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows, “Nonsense, what person? That’s the Emperor’s birth mother, the Empress Dowager! Her sister-in-law!”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
