Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 685

Chapter 685: Don’t Force Her

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All eyes turned to Mingzhu.

Mingzhu suddenly felt immense pressure. At this moment, she believed in Yuwen Chu’s intuition. Jiang Zhouzi’s request must not be easy to fulfill. With a forced smile, she asked Jiang Zhouzi, “What are your requirements, sir?”

Jiang Zhouzi’s eyes gleamed with cunning. “I only need Ying Wangfei to agree to one thing, and then I can treat the two individuals.”

That rascal, yesterday when there were fewer people around, she asked him, but he refused to say. Today, with her adversary present, he wanted to spill it out, it was deliberate. Before Mingzhu could speak, she heard Fu Mingzheng’s cold voice, “It depends on the request! Otherwise, if you ask her to commit murder or arson, or to die, what will she do?” He looked around at everyone. “Whatever he’s about to say, if anyone dares to force my younger sister, he will be my, Fu Mingzheng’s enemy! I won’t rest until I settle it!”

“Fourth brother!” Mingzhu was startled. This couldn’t be said like that. Was he really going to make enemies with everyone for her sake? She couldn’t allow it.

But Fu Cong spoke slowly, “Mr. Lu, I feel that you are here to take advantage of my daughter. By pressuring her like this, I feel that you have ill intentions. I’m quite worried, so I’d rather not have you treat the Great Empress Dowager.” Though he didn’t explicitly say it, his meaning was the same as Fu Mingzheng’s: no one should force Mingzhu to do anything against her interests.

Jiang Zhouzi smiled faintly. “I understand the intentions of Lord Fu and Fourth Master Fu, but I need to request Ying Wangfei’s help. Of course, I won’t provoke her. I have no choice in this matter, so I have to resort to this measure.”

Yuwen You urged him, “Speak quickly, what exactly is the matter?”

The people from the Fu residence and Huayang Wang were sweating for Mingzhu. Mingzhu herself felt so nervous that she could barely breathe. So, seeing Jiang Zhouzi’s evasive attitude was very annoying. “If you won’t say, then I’m leaving.”

Jiang Zhouzi proclaimed loudly, “Actually, I’ve heard that Ying Wangfei has a photographic memory. I am obsessed with medical studies, and my greatest wish in this life is to travel the world and learn. I’ve heard that there is an elderly hermit who has an extraordinary book, left for those with fate. Each person can only observe it once in their lifetime, for two hours each time. Whatever you remember counts, but if you can’t remember, you won’t have another chance. I admit I don’t have that ability, but I’m very eager to know the contents of this book. So, I would like to ask Ying Wangfei to accompany me on this journey. Can it be done?”

If it were just this request, it wouldn’t be too difficult to fulfill, just a trip away from home. The risk lay in the journey itself; there was a possibility that they might never return. Mingzhu was weighing the pros and cons when Yuwen You called out, “Mr. Lu is quite reasonable. It’s not murder or arson, nor does it violate morality. It’s just a leisurely trip, should be easy to do, right?”

Fu Mingzheng sneered, “Right, right, it all sounds good in theory. Letting her, a weak woman, travel alone, not to mention the hardships and dangers on the road, if something happens, calling on the heavens or the earth won’t help. It’s risking her life, yet you call it a leisurely trip, easy to do? Linan Wang, I heard that His Majesty needs a royal minister to go to the northern lands to issue a decree condemning the rebels of Zhongshan. It’s just a leisurely trip too, why don’t you go?”

Yuwen You sneered, “Do you think I dare not go?” He glanced at everyone. “Don’t think I’ll just hide in the capital and enjoy myself. As long as His Majesty needs it, as long as the Great Empress Dowager needs it, I will immediately mount my horse and rush to the front lines!” He feared they were guarding against him and wouldn’t give him soldiers and horses. Did they really think he was willing to stay here and play these tricks? A passionate man, who wouldn’t want to make contributions?

Seeing his response, several officials who followed him began to clamor, all wanting to force Mingzhu to agree. Fu Mingzheng angrily drove them all out, “Mr. Lu’s identity is suspicious. Maybe he’s a trap set by the rebels of Zhongshan. Since they poisoned my father, just get someone else to solve it. Whatever he says is irrelevant! Thinking about deceiving my sister into endangering her life and threatening us, how can such an easy thing be done? A bunch of brainless fools, get out!”

Fu Cong remained silent, clearly supporting Fu Mingzheng’s actions.

Yuwen You and the others stood at the door of the Fu residence with a gloomy expression, all feeling very dissatisfied. Actually, they all knew that Fu Mingzheng was right. This person called Lu Houtui might not really intend for Mingzhu to record that book for him, because this reason sounded too unreliable. However, firstly, Mingzhu was not their relative, so they didn’t have to empathize with her worries and pains. Secondly, everyone knew that Mingzhu was a crucial figure for the alliance between the Fu family and Ying Wang. If they could force Mingzhu to leave Ying Wang, it would be a great help in dealing with Ying Wang and the Fu family.

So, their eyes met and they all had their own calculations. This was a great opportunity sent by heaven; how could they easily let it go?

Huayang Wang, Yuwen Xin, had just been driven out along with the others, but he didn’t feel any resentment. He felt that Fu Mingzheng was acting cleverly, so he followed these people to see what they were up to. Now, seeing everyone’s expressions, he felt very uneasy. He signaled to his confidant to quickly find Yuwen Chu and report back, and decided to follow Yuwen You and the others to see what they were up to.

Yuwen You knew what Yuwen Xin was thinking, so he didn’t say anything in front of him. Instead, he gave everyone a signal and said, “Let’s go report this matter to His Majesty first and let His Majesty and the Regent decide.”

As long as everyone is gathered and the cause of the nation is used to publicly pressure Yuwen Chu, he will have no choice but to comply, even if he is reluctant. Otherwise, he will be branded as unfilial and unjust. How could he remain the Regent King under such accusations? How could he advance any further? Not to mention, the ones loyal to the Great Empress Dowager and currently fighting against Zhongshan Wang on the front lines would never agree. 

So, everyone scattered to find their allies, preparing to form a coalition for a grand coercion campaign, determined to force Yuwen Chu to agree to let Mingzhu make the trip. Whether this man named Lu Houtui could really cure the Empress Dowager was not their concern. Their goal was to force Fu Mingzhu away and weaken the Fu family and Ying Wang’s power to the greatest extent possible. 

Yuwen Xin was at a loss, unable to manage everything at once. He angrily glared at Yuwen You and said, “Ninth Brother, you know that this itinerant doctor is likely unreliable, yet you insist on doing this. What’s the point?”

Yuwen You curled his lips into a cold smile. “Seventh Brother, don’t blame me unjustly. I haven’t done anything. I only plan to report the truth to His Majesty. Is that wrong?”

Yuwen Xin was silent for a moment before saying, “You will regret this.”

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