Chapter 700: The Most Heartless and Affectionate
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The side hall was brightly lit, and Yuwen Chu was busy correcting memorials. There were many messy things happening, big and small, all converging together. The construction of Yuwen Bai’s tomb was also a major event that required him to straighten out every detail.
Fu Zifei stood at the door and peeked in. She saw him frowning slightly, his eyes deep, his thin lips pursed, his jaw strong, but his lines were very elegant. In short, he was extremely good-looking, pleasing to the eye no matter how you looked at him. She felt a surge of emotions in her heart, wishing she could kneel in front of Yuwen Chu and beg him to accept her immediately, so she could get close to him.
However, it was just a dream. Yuwen Chu had never given her any such hints. He had always been very polite and maintained his distance from her. He was not a frivolous person. Naturally, she couldn’t approach him with ordinary means.
Fu Zifei cleared her throat and signaled for the palace maid to enter and pass on the message. Yuwen Chu raised his head and glanced at her indifferently, not inviting her in, but simply said, “Thank you for the Great Empress Dowager’s concern. I’ve already eaten.”
Fu Zifei stood quietly and gracefully at the door, whispering, “The Great Empress Dowager has a few more words to pass on to the Regent.”
Only then did Yuwen Chu say calmly, “In that case, come in.”
Fu Zifei lowered her head and walked in slowly, trying to make herself look more dignified and solemn. When she reached Yuwen Chu, she knelt and bowed, taking the food box from the palace maid’s hand, intending to take out the food one by one. However, she was stopped by Wei Tiande.
Wei Tiande smiled ambiguously and said, “Miss, these are all memorials placed here. If the food spills and stains the memorials, how can that be good?”
Fu Zifei’s face suddenly turned red with embarrassment. She awkwardly put the food back into the box, unable to find a suitable place to put it. She whispered to Wei Tiande, “Could you please find a table for me?”
Wei Tiande smiled happily but didn’t move, “I’m sorry, Miss. It’s not good to move things around here. I don’t know where there’s a table.”
Fu Zifei felt humiliated and didn’t know where to put her face. She looked at Yuwen Chu with great difficulty, but he still didn’t look at her. She didn’t dare to be presumptuous, so she endured it silently, put the food box down quietly, didn’t dare to approach Yuwen Chu again, and stood obediently to the side, waiting quietly.
Yuwen Chu didn’t even look up. “It’s late. Pass on the Great Empress Dowager’s words to me and leave quickly. This is not a place for you to stay.”
Fu Zifei was so sad that she almost burst into tears on the spot. This was not a place for her to stay. Why could Fu Mingzhu barge in with her child? It was just favoritism. But she couldn’t say it, and she couldn’t show it on her face. She said softly, “It’s a matter of secrecy. Please dismiss the idle people, Your Highness.”
Then she saw Yuwen Chu raise his eyes and look at her with a hint of sarcasm, “What secret matters would the Great Empress Dowager let you convey to me?”
Of course, the Great Empress Dowager would not let her convey any secret matters, but she wanted to tell him what she knew. Didn’t she tell him about the Great Empress Dowager taking secret medicine before? Fu Zifei panicked and couldn’t help but take two steps forward, lowering her voice, “Uncle, have you forgotten about the past?”
When Wei Tiande heard this, he pricked up his ears. What’s going on? What do you mean by forgetting about the past? This little girl looks shifty-eyed. You can tell she’s up to no good! Could it be that His Highness had some connection with her in the past, and now that the Wangfei is not here, she wants to take advantage of the situation? That would be terrible! Why did the Wangfei go for a trip in the first place? If there’s really something going on, won’t she be furious?
Wei Tiande noticed it, and Yuwen Chu couldn’t possibly not notice it. He glanced at Wei Tiande quickly and said coldly, “Just because I didn’t hold you accountable for what happened to your aunt before doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten. It’s late at night, and although I am older and have a proper demeanor, I still need to guard against gossip. You are a woman, so you should be even more careful. If there’s nothing else, please leave quickly.”
Fu Zifei felt like she had been doused with cold water from head to toe. When had he ever talked to her without mentioning Fu Mingzhu? If she wasn’t surnamed Fu, if she wasn’t Fu Mingzhu’s niece, would he even bother to look at her?
She wanted to rush forward and tell Yuwen Chu how much she admired him and how she was willing to give up everything, even her life, for him. But seeing Yuwen Chu’s cold expression, she retreated. The most heartless and affectionate, he had given all his joy and affection to Fu Mingzhu, so he was reluctant to give even a little bit to others. Perhaps it’s better this way, she thought, lest she reveal her feelings and lose even the small amount of admiration she had left.
Fu Zifei smiled and took a few steps back, trying hard to appear calm: “In that case, niece will convey the Great Empress Dowager’s words to Uncle.” She spoke slowly and deliberately: “Her Majesty reprimanded Minister Peng and others, saying that in times of national crisis, anyone who dares to play these tricks is against her and against His Majesty. She urges the Regent to focus on his duties, assuring him of her continuous support.”
Without looking at Yuwen Chu again, she lowered her head, turned, and walked out of the side hall. As she reached the darkness, tears burst forth uncontrollably. Everyone said she was fortunate to be born with a good fortune. If that’s the case, why couldn’t things be a little better?
Someone called out behind her—it was Wei Tiande’s voice. She hastily wiped her tears and turned around, forcing her smile to look elegant and beautiful. Wei Tiande hurried over, handing her the food box she had left in the side hall and said, “Miss, you forgot your food box.”
Fu Zifei had an idea and signaled for the palace maid to give Wei Tiande a purse: “It’s the New Year, making Wei Gonggong run errands in the wind and snow. Please, take this for buying some wine.”
Wei Tiande calmly pinched a few round pearls, which were worth more than ordinary gold and silver items. She was quite generous with his actions.
Fu Zifei saw him holding the purse and hesitating, thinking he was tempted, so she couldn’t help but smile, “Wei Gonggong…”
But Wei Tiande immediately handed the purse back, “No merit, no reward. Our Wangfei promised to reward me with a house in the capital city to retire in. It’s useless for me to have this. Miss, you should keep it as your dowry.”
Was she supposed to use these few pearls as her dowry? Fu Zifei trembled with anger. This b*stard, who looked down on her, dared to bully her like this just because he thought she was worthless. Fine, since there’s no hope, she must become the Empress! Once she became the Empress, even Fu Mingzhu would have to bow and greet her, let alone Wei Tiande, this b*stard.
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