Chapter 618: Unusual Behavior
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Everyone was shrewd enough to realize that there must be another reason when Mingzhu said not to send anyone to fetch her, so they all remained silent. After a short while, the palace servants opened the palace gates and let a few people in. They walked to the outside of Zhaoyang Palace, where Empress Dowager Min had not yet risen. Instead, her close maid, Lan Gugu, came out to deliver a message: “The Empress Dowager is feeling unwell and cannot get up. She asks the Wangfeis to wait in the warm pavilion for a while, and the meeting will start shortly.”
They all went to the warm pavilion and, sure enough, saw the Wusun Princess and Min Baoyun sitting inside, drinking tea and chatting. When they saw the others come in, they did not get up to greet them but just slightly lifted their bodies. the Wusun Princess gave a false smile and said, “Why did you take so long to arrive, sisters-in-law? I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while.”
Min Baoyun added, “Ninth Shenniang, you don’t know. They have to wait for the palace gates to open before they can come in.” She sighed sympathetically, “You all must have gotten up around three in the morning to get ready and left before four, right? We’ve only just gotten up recently.”
One claimed they had been waiting for a long time, and the other said they had just gotten up, both boasting about staying in the palace. Was staying in the palace so impressive? Mingzhu and the others secretly disdained them and didn’t bother to argue, smiling as they sat down in order of seniority. They had just wrapped their hands around the warm tea when the Wusun Princess asked, “Is it starting?”
Dai Wangfei noticed that Fu Zifei was still not there but didn’t mention her by name. She simply said, “Some of the managing maids and eunuchs haven’t arrived yet. Let’s wait a bit longer.” Huayang Wangfei, eager to provoke the Wusun Princess, slowly sipped her tea and said, “Ninth sister-in-law, you seem to be in a hurry. You just got up, warming your hands with tea by the fire and waiting for us. We, on the other hand, traveled a long way early in the morning and you won’t even let us have a sip of hot water.”
Before the Wusun Princess could respond, Min Baoyun interjected on her behalf, “Oh, why hasn’t Fu Zifei arrived yet? Making so many people wait for her alone is outrageous! Looks like we need to ask the Empress Dowager to send someone to carry a warm sedan to fetch her.”
Mingzhu pretended not to hear and didn’t respond at all.
Min Baoyun, seeing Mingzhu ignore her, angrily instructed the palace attendant beside her, “Go report to the Empress Dowager, say that Fu Zifei hasn’t arrived yet, and we don’t know what’s happened. Should we send someone to check on her?”
The attendant was about to leave when footsteps sounded outside, and Fu Zifei hurried in, apologizing, “Sorry, I had to attend to the Great Empress Dowager early in the morning, and then I had to prepare for County Prince Sien’s departure from the palace with the Emperor to worship the heavens. That’s why I’m late.”
She was dressed very beautifully, with her hair adorned with a chain of gold and emerald, and her earrings were also large emeralds. With every movement of her head, the emeralds sparkled like flowing water. She wore a white fox fur, a light pink brocade skirt, and under her feet were a pair of crimson embroidered gold leather boots, revealing a hint of slender ankles. She looked slim and tall, with a well-developed chest, making her very eye-catching.
Min Baoyun was jealous to the point of almost popping her eyeballs out. Unable to hold back, she sarcastically remarked, “Indeed, no one is as busy as you are, serving the Great Empress Dowager and then serving County Prince Sien. Zifei, I have something unpleasant to say, but I must say it to you. County Prince Sien is already grown up, not a child anymore. Considering your relationship as his sister-in-law, you should avoid any suspicious behavior.”
Fu Zifei retorted firmly, “Older Sister Min, I serve under the Great Empress Dowager’s eyes every day. Where’s the problem? You dare to say such malicious and offensive words to me. I remember a sage once said, ‘Those whose hearts are full of sh*t, their eyes are also full of sh*t.’ Do you know this saying?”
Min Baoyun didn’t expect her to suddenly become so arrogant and couldn’t help but get angry, “Who are you talking about?”
Fu Zifei walked to her seat and sat down, facing Min Baoyun squarely, “Of course, I’m talking about you. Even if you don’t understand, dare you provoke actively?”
This is outrageous! This is still Zhaoyang Palace, and she will have to live under the Min family’s control in the future. How dare she be so arrogant? Min Baoyun was furious and demanded, “You must apologize to me!”
Fu Zifei responded disdainfully, “Why should I?”
Min Baoyun was about to continue arguing when Mingzhu threw her teacup onto the tea table and coldly said, “Everyone shut up! Whoever keeps arguing can get out.”
Min Baoyun was extremely resentful but didn’t dare to provoke Mingzhu. She could only bite her teeth in frustration and glare fiercely at Fu Zifei, unable to understand how this little wench suddenly became so bold. It was as if someone was backing her up. It certainly couldn’t be Empress Dowager Min. Could it be the emperor?
Mingzhu also noticed the change in Fu Zifei. Her demeanor had shifted from cautious and careful to reckless, even displaying a sort of desperate madness. However, Mingzhu couldn’t discern anything concrete from her observations and signaled to Xia Lu to keep a close eye on Fu Zifei.
Fu Zifei noticed Mingzhu’s subtle gesture and inwardly sneered. In reality, her hands were trembling uncontrollably inside her sleeves. She was terrified and would have broken down crying if she were alone. But since there was no opportunity for her to cry, arguing with Min Baoyun was the only thing that made her feel somewhat better.
She recalled Yuwen Fu’s reluctant gaze before she left, and a sharp pain gripped her heart. Quickly, she suppressed the regret and compassion. It wasn’t her fault; Yuwen Bai and these people forced her into this. It wasn’t her intention to harm Yuwen Fu, but these people caused Yuwen Fu’s suffering. She just didn’t want to die with Yuwen Fu, so she wasn’t wrong.
Fu Zifei gathered her spirits and listened to Dai Wangfei as she explained the matters that needed attention. Soon, the managing maids and eunuchs arrived to receive their instructions. Fu Zifei found her two eunuchs and maids, assumed a commanding presence, and spoke authoritatively, showing the demeanor of a palace mistress.
Seeing that Fu Zifei was handling things well, Mingzhu stopped paying attention to her and focused on managing her own numerous affairs. Just as they finished assigning tasks, Consort Xiao finally arrived, followed by Princess Kangning.
Princess Kangning’s attitude towards Mingzhu was completely different from Consort Xiao’s. She approached affectionately and asked, “Why didn’t you bring Funing? I miss her so much. When she was here, I didn’t feel it, but after she left, I felt like I had no one to talk to. Is she doing better now?”
One who doesn’t hit a smiling face with a hand, Mingzhu replied, “Funing’s condition keeps fluctuating. Today’s weather is too cold, so I didn’t let her come.”
Princess Kangning said, “Then I’ll go see her.”
Mingzhu didn’t want her to disturb Funing, so she smiled faintly and turned to talk to County Princess Anle.
However, Princess Kangning was persistent and shamelessly approached, “You may not know, but this year, on the Winter Solstice, the Emperor decided that no one can ride in a carriage. Except for him in the dragon sedan chair, everyone else will ride horses.”
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