Chapter 634: A Series of Schemes
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An incomplete person? Mingzhu also found it strange. Could it be a victim of Yuwen Bai’s schemes? That would be pitiful.
The palace maid whispered again, “I looked at her, and she somewhat resembles Second Miss Jiang, who used to frequently enter the palace in the early years.” Then she shook her head, timidly saying, “It can’t be. Second Miss Jiang has already left the capital, so why would she appear in the palace?”
Mingzhu asked the palace maid, “Where did you see her?”
The palace maid pointed not far away, “Over there.”
“Let’s go take a look.” Mingzhu signaled for Su Momo and the others to follow, determined to see for herself.
They quickly walked over and indeed saw a person sitting in a secluded corner of the winding corridor. Even though she was far away, Mingzhu immediately recognized her as Jiang Shanshan, despite her drastic changes. She decisively ordered, “Go kill that person. Be careful; she may have many powerful weapons and tricks up her sleeve. If things go wrong, retreat immediately.”
Xia Xue and Xia Lu immediately rushed towards Jiang Shanshan. Jiang Shanshan grinned at Mingzhu and whispered something. Mingzhu could see from her lip movements that she said something very malicious, but Mingzhu remained unperturbed, standing still and watching Xia Xue and Xia Lu take action.
Someone rushed out from the other end of the corridor, grabbed the handle of Jiang Shanshan’s wheelchair, and swiftly turned into the depths of the corridor. Xia Xue and Xia Lu followed suit. Mingzhu loudly reminded them, “Remember, if things don’t seem right, come back immediately.”
Liu Gugu arrived panting, “Wangfei, Imperial Consort Min is missing. I was only gone for a moment, and when I came back, she was gone. The prayer beads were broken on the ground, the window was open, and the palace maid at the door said she didn’t see her leave!”
It must have been Jiang Shanshan’s doing. Mingzhu ordered Su Momo, “You follow them too. Capture her no matter what, and try to capture her alive.” Then she instructed Liu Gugu, “Quickly go inform the guards, let them send people in to help.”
Liu Gugu responded and hurriedly ran out. Mingzhu and Su Momo discussed, “We can’t just keep standing here outside. Let’s go back and sit with Huayang Wangfei. With more people, we’ll have better protection.”
“Alright.” Mingzhu and Su Mei quickly left. There were still a few eunuchs who entered the palace with her, so once they gathered together, safety could be guaranteed.
The room of Huayang Wangfei was quiet. Mingzhu had already reached the door but stopped and called out, “Seventh Sister-in-law?”
Huayang Wangfei did not answer.
Mingzhu immediately stepped back, “Let’s go.”
The door was pulled open with a “whoosh,” and someone inside softly laughed, “Ying Wangfei, since you’re here, why not sit down and have a chat and a cup of tea? Why rush to leave?”
Mingzhu looked up and saw a young eunuch sitting facing the door. Ordinary eunuchs, due to their emasculated status, always bowed and cowered, even if they were in high positions and no longer needed to cower, they still hunched their shoulders. Despite appearing proud on the surface, they couldn’t hide their inherent timidity. This eunuch was different. He sat there, speaking and behaving very naturally, with a kind of dignity similar to Yuwen Chu, yet even more elegant.
“So it’s you.” Mingzhu pointed at the eunuch and asked, “Aren’t you that person named Cui Zhang? A distant relative of the Cui family. Why did you become a eunuch halfway?”
The eunuch smiled faintly, “Ying Wangfei has a good memory. I’m ashamed, but Cui Zhang is not my real name. I believe you’ve heard from Ying Wang but I am Yuwen Cong.”
Mingzhu sarcastically said, “Your father must have been half dead with anger. First, you changed your name, and now you’ve become an eunuch. It’s quite miserable. You must not have been doing well in your family, otherwise, why such a pathetic situation?”
Yuwen Cong couldn’t help but feel resentful. He used to live extremely well, thanks to Yuwen Chu, now he was living extremely poorly. On the surface, it seemed like he had won against those brothers and Zhu Wenhan, but in reality, his old man’s vigilance against him had only increased day by day. After Zhu Wenhan died, he received six letters in a row, questioning and blaming him, asking him to come back immediately and explain. If he didn’t achieve a great success this time and returned like this, it would definitely not end well for him. So even if he had to exhaust all means, he vowed to achieve his goal.
“Ying Wangfei, you’re mistaken. Gold buried in a sandy hill is still gold. What does it matter if I change my name and clothes? What does it mean?” Yuwen Cong was about to coax Mingzhu to say more when he realized that she had been stepping back all along, and she was retreating faster and faster, almost turning around to flee.
However, he had planned for so long and had been waiting until now to make his move, all to successfully take Mingzhu away. How could he let her escape easily? He quickly got up and chased after Mingzhu. Mingzhu turned around and ran backward, shouting loudly, “Help! There are rebels here! Zhongshan Wang’s people are here!”
Then a hand covered her mouth. Yuwen Cong whispered in her ear, “Shh, I’ve caught you. Don’t scream, don’t try to struggle, or I’ll break yours and your maid’s necks.”
Saving her life was undoubtedly more important, so Mingzhu immediately nodded obediently, indicating she would be very compliant. Yuwen Cong, however, didn’t loosen his grip on her mouth. He dragged her back into the room and signaled his men to drag in the unconscious Su Mei.
The door was tightly closed again. Yuwen Cong quickly tied up Mingzhu and Su Mei, throwing Su Mei into a corner and giving Mingzhu a seat. He then gagged her with a cloth. Smiling, he looked at Mingzhu as if admiring a piece of art, and said softly, “You truly live up to the name Mingzhu.”
Mingzhu felt disgusted by his gaze and disdainfully rolled her eyes at him. Yuwen Cong, who had meticulously planned and finally captured her amidst the chaos in the palace, was in an exceptionally good mood. “There’s no need for such resistance. You’ll be spending a long time with me from now on. If you hold onto anger and fail to understand the situation, it will inevitably make things unpleasant for both of us. For the sake of us all, it’s better for you to come to terms with it sooner rather than later.”
Mingzhu, if her mouth weren’t gagged, would definitely mock him for being so confident. Yuwen Chu was about to enter the palace soon. Even if Su Momo and the others couldn’t catch Jiang Shanshan, they would return in time to defend. If she went missing, the Great Empress Dowager would be informed, and even if it was for negotiating with Yuwen Chu, the Great Empress Dowager would search the palace thoroughly, not letting him have his way so easily.
Yuwen Cong smiled and said, “Do you want to know where Huayang Wangfei and Imperial Consort Min went?”
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