Chapter 65: Capricious
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Mingzhu saw their actions but ignored them, walking straight ahead. When she reached the North Palace, she brazenly barged in. The steward eunuch of the Yihe Palace happened to be cooling off at the gate and immediately stepped forward to intercept.
Mingzhu just resorted to her previous arrogant and unreasonable behavior, glaring at him, puffing out her chest, and pointing at him, “You blind dog, how dare you block my path?”
The steward, Chang Jiu, was Empress Dowager Min’s confidant. He smiled without smiling and said, “This place is specially designated for the consorts to pray for the late emperor. Miss, please go elsewhere to play to avoid disturbing the consorts. It wouldn’t be good if you delayed their affairs.”
In other words, if you insist on barging in, it would be disrespectful to the consorts’ prayers for the late emperor. Even if it was reported to the Great Empress Dowager, there would be consequences.
Seeing this, Sang Shen quickly grabbed Mingzhu and whispered, “If you want to see the princes and princesses, report to the Great Empress Dowager and have them summoned to the Changxin Palace.”
Mingzhu, hearing this, stopped insisting and nodded, “You’re right. If I insist on barging in, it would show that I’m ignorant and arrogant, deserving punishment and criticism, and causing my aunt and father to be criticized.”
Sang Shen breathed a sigh of relief, “Miss is sensible.”
But Mingzhu couldn’t stand Chang Jiu’s sycophantic behavior. She looked around and pointed to a willow tree by the side of the road, smiling, “This tree grows so well. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a handsome willow tree.”
The people looked at each other in confusion. What was this new trick?
Mingzhu had already walked over and hugged the willow tree, saying with a smile, “Brother Tree, you look particularly familiar to me. Can I sit under you for a while?” Then she sat down under the tree with a smile and asked the palace attendant, “What time is it?”
Sang Shen hurriedly replied, “It’s almost noon.”
Mingzhu then asked, “At this time, shouldn’t the palace kitchen be sending pastries?”
Sang Shen’s eyes lit up, “Exactly! Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted to eat lotus leaf cakes made in the palace? The Great Empress Dowager ordered it early in the morning. I’m sure they’re already prepared. Let me accompany you back.”
Mingzhu waved her hand, “No rush. I want to look at this tree first.”
At this time, the princes who had gone out to study should have returned. According to reason, they shouldn’t return until noon, as they should study diligently. However, Empress Dowager Min knew her son was lacking and feared others would surpass them. She wished all the princes would become idiots. Under the intervention of the Great Empress Dowager, they were allowed to study, but they were not encouraged to excel. Therefore, they were allowed to return only at noon.
Everyone knew what this was about, but the Great Empress Dowager turned a blind eye, and no one dared to say much. Mingzhu had once thought it was excessive and had even spoken up for these princes. She had persuaded the Great Empress Dowager to intervene, but the Great Empress Dowager had just laughed off her concerns.
“The emperor is only one, and she is his birth mother after all. As I’ve gotten older, there are too many important matters for me to handle. I can’t hold onto everything; some things I can’t manage. I pushed her this time, but what about next time? She already has grievances in her heart and is ruthless by nature. If she acts, she will take lives. Wouldn’t that harm those children? They are all my grandchildren, and I hope they grow up safely and leave the palace peacefully. Mediocrity may not be a bad thing; it’s good as long as they grow up peacefully.”
That’s what the Great Empress Dowager said at the time, and Mingzhu understood, but didn’t fully appreciate it. Now she finally understood. If you want to be good to someone, you also have to consider the approach; otherwise, you will harm them. So, the person she wanted to see, there were other ways to intercept him, but she was afraid that if the word got out, Empress DowagerMin would find out and harm him. It was better for her to come here and make a scene, so everyone could see and no one would pay too much attention to that person.
The sun was getting higher, and the temperature was rising. Mingzhu sat under the tree without feeling hot, but the palace attendants outside were sweating. They were about to persuade Mingzhu to go back when they saw a group of palace attendants escorting three boys walking towards them.
The oldest boy was eight years old, and the youngest was only five. They were supposed to be playful and mischievous at such a young age, but all three of these boys looked solemn and reserved, making the palace attendants following them look even more spirited.
“Hey!” Mingzhu saw the boys and stood up, waving to them enthusiastically, “Come over here.”
When the boys saw Mingzhu, their eyes lit up. The youngest Fourth Prince didn’t even think about it and walked towards her, but he was stopped by the Second Prince Yuwen Fu. It wasn’t clear what he whispered to the Fourth Prince, but the light in the Fourth Prince’s eyes dimmed, and he followed his brothers slowly, walking towards Mingzhu with a disheartened expression.
Yuwen Fu made a bow to Mingzhu and said in a soft voice, “Long time no see, Aunt. How have you been?”
“Thankfully, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you all, and I’ve missed you. Are you all doing well?”
The smile on Mingzhu’s face faded slightly. She remembered that these children used to play with her and didn’t care about status or age differences when her cousin, the emperor, was still alive. However, she forgot that the situation had changed since then. While the Empress Dowager didn’t want to interfere too much, she certainly had her reasons. But these children might not understand; they might think it’s all because of the conflict between the Fu Family and Min Family, and thus, they might be wary of her.
Even though Yuwen Fu was only eight years old, he already seemed to have taken on the responsibility of an elder brother. He answered her politely, “We’re all fine. Auntie, did you come from the Great Empress Dowager’s place? Is she doing well?”
Seeing his formal demeanor, Mingzhu felt bored but had to respond, “The Great Empress Dowager is well. It’s just been a while since I’ve seen you all, and she was mentioning you yesterday.” She then arrogantly lectured them, “I haven’t been in the palace for a long time, and there are many things I don’t know. I’ve only just realized that you all are so self-indulgent. You didn’t even go to pay respects to the Great Empress Dowager. Isn’t that unfilial? Didn’t your teachers teach you?”
The Third and Fourth Princes showed expressions of anger and grievance, and the palace attendants had various reactions. However, Yuwen Fus eyes brightened. He glanced at Mingzhu discreetly, then lowered his head and whispered, “Indeed, we have been unfilial. We’ve been busy studying and reciting scriptures for the late emperor’s blessings and forgot to pay respects to the Great Empress Dowager.”
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