Chapter 623: Why Hit Me?
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The Great Empress Dowager held her head, swaying a bit. She struggled to support herself but couldn’t help falling backward. Mingzhu hurried over and caught the Great Empress Dowager, feeling her trembling violently. She reached out to touch the Great Empress Dowager’s forehead, which was icy cold.
Mu Gugu’s eyes were teary, but she managed to control her emotions. Together with Mingzhu, they helped the Great Empress Dowager lie down on the spot, instructing the palace attendants, “Quickly send word to summon all the court physicians into the palace, and prepare County Prince Sien’s chamber.”
Empress Dowager Min hypocritically said, “County Prince Sien is truly a pitiful child, unexpectedly encountering such misfortune. He was perfectly fine, how could he be startled off his horse? Ying Wang and Huayang Wang are truly irresponsible, knowing the child is young yet being so careless. Falling from a horse and being trampled on the chest by a horse’s hoof, who knows how much he’s suffering. Bones breaking is just a minor issue; the real danger lies in broken ribs piercing organs.”
Yuwen Fu’s birth mother, Consort Li, was also present. Initially at a loss, she burst into tears upon hearing Empress Dowager Min’s words, “My poor child!” She then insisted on going to find Yuwen Fu, but the palace attendants naturally tried to stop her, resulting in chaos in the hall.
The Great Empress Dowager gradually calmed down. When she saw Mingzhu, she abruptly pushed her hand away, her eyes filled with disgust.
Mingzhu silently retreated to the side and whispered, “Regardless of the situation outside, there may be misunderstandings. Please, Great Empress Dowager, calm down. We’ll discuss it when County Prince Sien returns.”
The Great Empress Dowager turned her head away, refusing to look at her, and said sharply, “Have all the physicians been summoned? Where are they? Convey my decree, anyone who dares to come late or not come at all shall be punished! Where is County Prince Sien? Send someone to inquire immediately!”
Consort Li rushed over, pleading tearfully, “Please, Great Empress Dowager, save my son’s life no matter what! He’s so pitiful!”
The Great Empress Dowager frowned and said, “Sit down and stop crying. You’re giving me a headache. I know what to do. Don’t panic.” Then she turned to find Fu Zifei, “Zifei, come and take care of Consort Li. Don’t let her cause trouble.”
But unexpectedly, Fu Zifei, who had always been at her side, was nowhere to be found.
Mu Gugu frowned, whispering, “Wasn’t she in charge of the drinks at the banquet today? Probably arranging the drinks.”
The Great Empress Dowager, furious, said, “At a time like this! Still thinking about the banquet? Summon her immediately!”
Sang Shen quietly ordered the palace attendants to find Fu Zifei, while Mingzhu discreetly retreated. Huayang Wangfei, since the incident began, had been biting her lips tightly. Seeing her approach, she whispered softly, “Do you believe it was them? I don’t.”
“I don’t believe it. There must be something we don’t know happening between them.” Mingzhu naturally didn’t believe it. Yuwen Chu had told her before that he wouldn’t easily act against Yuwen Fu, let alone harm a child for no reason. She believed him. Even if she didn’t trust Yuwen Chu to spare Yuwen Fu, she knew that Yuwen Fu didn’t have a reason to die at the moment. It would be an unnecessary risk for Yuwen Chu.
Another palace attendant hurried in from outside, exclaiming loudly, “Great Empress Dowager, County Prince Sien has passed away!”
The Great Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, then looked angrily at Mingzhu. Mingzhu’s heart sank. In the past, no matter how she and the Great Empress Dowager argued, it was just a matter of disagreement; deep down, they still cared for each other. If Yuwen Fu had really died because Yuwen Chu startled his horse and then he was trampled by Huayang Wang, then she and the Great Empress Dowager would truly become enemies.
Mingzhu wanted to explain, but found she had no way to do so. The Great Empress Dowager also didn’t want her to explain. After glaring angrily at her for a while, she turned her gaze to Huayang Wangfei, her eyes full of killing intent. Huayang Wangfei instinctively hid behind Mingzhu and repeated softly, “I don’t believe it. Our Highness is not that kind of person.”
Empress Dowager Min covered her eyes with a handkerchief and pretended to cry, “Oh, poor child, poor Fu Er… Your Majesty, I’m sorry! I didn’t follow your instructions to take care of these children properly. It’s all my fault…”
A bowl flew towards her, hitting her forehead hard. Empress Dowager Min screamed in pain, almost falling to the ground. With the help of the palace attendants, she managed to sit down, touching her forehead and finding blood on her hand. She screamed again in fright, “Ah, ah…”
The Great Empress Dowager looked at her with disgust, gritting her teeth, “Evil woman, shut up!”
Empress Dowager Min ignored her and continued, “Why did you hit me, Mother? What did I do wrong? Even if you pity your grandson, pity County Prince Sien’s early death, you shouldn’t take it out on your daughter-in-law! There’s justice for grievances; you should find the one responsible for this! What’s hitting me supposed to achieve? I’m at least the mother of a country, the Emperor’s mother. Even if you don’t respect me, you should consider the Emperor’s dignity and the dignity of our ancestors and the Yuwen family!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, almost hysterical towards the end. “County Prince Sien is your grandson, isn’t His Majesty also your grandson? Mother, you’re showing extreme favoritism! Even if you really want to hit someone, you should hit Ying Wangfei and Huayang Wangfei! Why hit me? What gives you the right to hit me?”
Funing shrank back in fear, but Empress Dowager Min grabbed her and dragged her in front of the Great Empress Dowager, saying, “Come on, Yuwen Chu’s birth mother and younger sister, as well as his wife, are all here. Mother, who can’t you scold or hit?”
Funing desperately tried to fall to the ground, looking at Mingzhu for help, “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, save me, please…”
Mingzhu stood up, facing Empress Dowager Min directly, and said loudly, “Empress Dowager, you must speak based on evidence. What do you mean by ‘there is justice for grievances’? We are all saddened by the misfortune of County Prince Sien. The truth is not yet clear, so why do you accuse our Highness without evidence? Even if someone is to be held accountable, shouldn’t we wait until the real culprit is found? What motive would our Highness have to harm County Prince Sien? What benefit would he gain from it? On the contrary, it seems you are the one who would benefit the most from County Prince Sien’s misfortune! So, what’s wrong with the Great Empress Dowager hitting you? Let go of Funing!”
Mingzhu was firm, and Imperial Consort Min gained some courage, tightly gripping her handkerchief as she walked toward the Great Empress Dowager. She whispered, ” Mother, you must believe in Ah Lang. He is not such a ruthless person.”
Qi Wangfei also stood up and advised, “Great Empress Dowager, don’t be hasty. Let’s wait until we’ve spoken with everyone. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding or someone’s negligence.”
The Great Empress Dowager ignored her, her cold gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on the face of Huayang Wangfei. “Come here,” she commanded.
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