Chapter 661: Two Tong Fang
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Arriving at the palace, Mingzhu found Liu Gugu waiting anxiously at the gate with a palace maid. As soon as she saw Mingzhu, she hurried over to greet her, praising Zhuang Zhuang along the way. She whispered, “It’s not that the Imperial Consort doesn’t sympathize with Your Highness, but there’s trouble.”
Mingzhu furrowed her brow, “What trouble?”
Liu Gugu leaned close and whispered, “The Princess has taken a group of palace maids to Zhaoyang Palace while the Imperial Consort is asleep. They beat Min Baoyun’s wet nurse to death, nearly killed Min Baoyun, and even tried to set fire to Zhaoyang Palace. It’s chaotic in Zhaoyang Palace. His Highness went out to handle things temporarily, and he couldn’t be contacted. The Imperial Consort is afraid of causing more trouble for his Highness, so she sent someone to inform you. She’s still tangled up with someone over there at Zhaoyang Palace.”
“I’ll handle it.” Mingzhu wasn’t surprised. Since Funing suffered greatly from Min Baoyun and her wet nurse before, it was certain that Funing would seek revenge. But for this to happen at this moment… Imperial Consort Min, Mingzhu had nothing to say. If she couldn’t control Funing, so be it. If she set herself up, what else could Empress Dowager Min do? Yet Mingzhu had to lower herself to deal with Empress Dowager Min.
In the rear hall of Guangming Hall, Funing was leisurely lounging in Mingzhu’s chamber, toasting herself by the fire. When she saw Mingzhu entering with Zhuang Zhuang, she enthusiastically jumped up and wanted to hold Zhuang Zhuang, “Come here, let Auntie hold and kiss you.”
“Children can be held anytime. Let’s talk about business first.” Mingzhu calmly stood between Funing and Zhuang Zhuang, letting Su Lan and Donghui take Zhuang Zhuang to the main hall.
Since being confined to Shangqing Garden, Funing often only saw Mingzhu. Her daily activities were all taken care of by Mingzhu. Although she still had some resentment, she was a little afraid of Mingzhu. Seeing Mingzhu’s serious expression, she withdrew her hand shyly, “It’s just a dead servant. What’s the big deal? If my sixth brother were here, he would also stand up for me.”
Mingzhu sneered, “Are you so sure? Or are you afraid of causing trouble for your sixth brother?”
Funing argued, “Who dares to provoke my sixth brother now? He doesn’t provoke anyone, that’s good. That surname Min old hag dared to cause trouble again. I’ll really burn her Zhaoyang Palace!” Saying so, she grabbed a candle and headed out. When the palace maids tried to stop her, she punched and kicked, “Get out of my way! Who dares to stop me?”
If it was like this now, what about in the future? Mingzhu signaled for the palace maids to flip Funing over and hold her down, not letting her move until she begged for mercy. “If you don’t want to make trouble anymore, sit down and let’s talk.”
Funing’s hair and clothes were in disarray, but she didn’t care. She hastily tidied herself up and said angrily, “Does Sixth Sister-in-law think I shouldn’t cause trouble for the Min family? Do I deserve to swallow my pride?”
Mingzhu sat down across from her and started fixing her clothes. “No one is asking you to swallow your pride. I’m just asking you to cause less trouble for your Sixth Brother. You’re still a young lady, not yet betrothed to anyone, so why make such a fuss?”
Funing sneered, “So what if I beat Min Baoyun? I didn’t disfigure her face, so it’s considered good.” With tears in her eyes, she looked very aggrieved.
“Then I congratulate the Princess. You will definitely find a good match in the future. Someone will appreciate your elegance and means.” Mingzhu mocked, making Funing’s face flush red and pale alternately. Mingzhu didn’t soften her tone, “Of course, as a Princess, anyone who can marry you is already the greatest glory. Where else would they dare to care about these things?”
Funing, angry and frustrated, spat, “I’ve already done it. What do you want?”
“If you retaliate by hitting people, it’s normal, but setting fire to the palace is rare.” Mingzhu looked at her calmly, “What exactly happened? I want to hear it from you.”
Funing covered her eyes and didn’t speak. Mingzhu gestured for Liu Gugu and the others to withdraw before saying, “Okay, you can say whatever you want now.”
“I met Liao Guang. Min Baoyun deliberately provoked me.” Funing cried in frustration, “She said Liao Guang agreed to marry me because he had no other choice at first, and when the engagement was canceled, it was a relief. I willingly degraded myself and was foolish.”
Mingzhu remained silent for a moment before patting Funing’s shoulder gently, “It’s all in the past, no need to dwell on it. You’ll meet someone better in the future.” In her previous life, she didn’t know this, only that Funing and Liao Guang ended up resentful, and Funing colluded with Empress Dowager Min’s younger brother to do many despicable things. But at this moment, Funing obviously still harbored a deep affection for Liao Guang.
Funing sobbed, “I won’t meet anyone. I won’t. He didn’t know I was a Princess before, yet he was willing to be nice to me; but everyone else knows I’m a Princess, so even if they are nice to me, it’s fake. It’s different.”
Mingzhu waited until Funing finished crying before speaking in a low voice, “But he’s already married, and his wife is pregnant. He even took the maid accompanying the dowry as his tong fang*.”
* where a concubine has a relatively high position in the household, often serving as a companion to the master of the house. They have a more formal role compared to other concubines and may have certain privileges and responsibilities within the household.
Funing froze for a moment, then spat angrily after a long silence. Turning away, she huffed, “Don’t ever mention this person to me again.”
“Why is that?” Mingzhu feigned ignorance, even though she knew Liao Guang didn’t have any Tong Fang; she had made it up. But since it seemed to be effective, she would treat it as if it were true.
Funing replied gloomily, “He still looks at me with such affection.”
Mingzhu raised an eyebrow. “He looks at you affectionately? Did he say anything to you?” Was Liao Guang really that shameless and bold? Or was he just overly ambitious?
Funing said, “No, he avoided me, but his eyes conveyed that meaning. I’m sure I didn’t misinterpret it. He looked very helpless and sad.”
“Oh… so he’s enjoying his current situation but wants to have options, playing both sides,” Mingzhu said meaningfully. “He’s currently tied to the Changxin Palace, but he’s afraid he might lose his life in the future, so he wants to keep you on the hook as a backup plan. You know, he has two tong fangs, two, and they’ve only been married for a year.” She held up two fingers and waved them in front of Funing.
Funing fumed, “Disgusting creature.”
Mingzhu stood up. “Since you’ve vented your anger and understood the situation, stay put in the palace. Don’t go anywhere. Your sixth brother has it tough, don’t make it harder for him. Also, the rebels haven’t been completely eradicated; be careful not to get kidnapped again. This time, if they catch you, they might take you to the north or kill you, which is far worse than dealing with the Min family.”
Funing immediately complied, promising she wouldn’t wander around.
Having settled Funing, Mingzhu resignedly prepared to go to the Zhaoyang Palace to extinguish another metaphorical fire. As she stepped out, she saw Yuwen Chu standing with his back to her under the corridor, clearly waiting for her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hesitated, unsure whether to approach him.
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