Chapter 703: Tulip
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There were no markings typical of Yuwen Chu’s intelligence network on the envelope. Jing Song hesitated before tearing it open, revealing a square seal in vermilion and gold. The seal wasn’t large, only the size of a pinky finger, depicting a flying phoenix. The bright vermilion mixed with dazzling gold particles exuded extravagance.
Jing Song was surprised and cautiously brought the seal to his nose, smelling a faint scent of peony. His expression became serious, and he whispered to Mingzhu, “This seems to be the Great Empress Dowager’s personal seal.”
Items with phoenix patterns were rarely used by women, and this vermilion clay, mixed with gold particles, was a palace-made tulip. To accurately deliver it here, besides the Great Empress Dowager, it seemed that no one else in the empire could accomplish it.
However, as mentioned earlier, the Great Empress Dowager herself didn’t know Mingzhu’s true whereabouts, so it seemed a bit odd that this letter could be sent to Mingzhu through a different channel outside Yuwen Chu’s intelligence network. Jing Song felt that something was amiss but couldn’t stop Mingzhu from opening the letter.
The tone of the Empress Dowager’s letter was very calm. She mentioned that she did not know exactly where Mingzhu was at the moment, but she was aware that the Wangfei in the convoy heading east was not the real Mingzhu. She expressed her gratitude and concern for Mingzhu. Towards the end of the letter, she brought up Fu Zifei, noting that Fu Zifei was ambitious and had the audacity to try to seduce Yuwen Chu while having other aspirations. The Empress Dowager stated that no daughter of the Fu family was more suitable to remain in the palace than Fu Zifei. For the sake of the family’s reputation and the nation’s stability, she felt compelled to hasten Fu Zifei’s marriage to Yuwen Guang, hoping that Fu Zifei would realize her mistakes and repent. She reassured Mingzhu not to worry and to return safely as soon as possible.
Mingzhu read the letter three times repeatedly before handing it to Jing Song.
Jing Song read it attentively and became increasingly worried. If it weren’t for the fact that only they, Yuwen Chu, and a few others knew about Mingzhu’s pregnancy, he would have suspected that the Great Empress Dowager’s intentions were directed towards the child in Mingzhu’s belly.
The Great Empress Dowager was indeed cunning. She didn’t say a single bad word about Yuwen Chu in the letter, nor did she say anything good. She only mentioned Fu Zifei’s attempt to seduce Yuwen Chu and her forced marriage to Yuwen Guang for the sake of the country’s reputation. After that, she didn’t mention Yuwen Chu again, leaving room for endless speculation. Separated by distance, the most feared thing was suspicion.
Jing Song was afraid that Mingzhu would think too much and hurriedly said, “Don’t overthink it, Your Highness. His Highness isn’t that kind of person.”
“The letter was written three months ago. That means this incident happened around the New Year,” Mingzhu calmly said, “It indicates that the Great Empress Dowager didn’t know my whereabouts at that time, so it took three months for this letter to reach me. Therefore, our whereabouts leaked after the convoy was ambushed last month.”
Seeing her calm demeanor and that she didn’t mention Yuwen Chu and Fu Zifei’s matter, Jing Song breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Wangfei had a lot of trust in His Highness and wouldn’t easily fall for such tricks. He quickly said, “That makes sense. Since the Great Empress Dowager’s people have found us, we must move.”
Mingzhu shook her head, “No need to move. Leaving suddenly will only raise suspicions. Even if we can leave smoothly, where can we go in such a hurry? After the travel ban was imposed, all the inns in the city, large and small, were already crowded with stranded travelers. Where else can we find a suitable place? Besides, if the Great Empress Dowager wanted us dead, she wouldn’t have sent this letter to us.”
Jing Song fell silent for a moment before saying, “Let me think of a solution. We need to be cautious. While that person may not want Wangfei’s life, there’s no guarantee that someone under her wouldn’t want yours. Also, I have to find a way to report these matters to His Highness. It’s not good to stay here and be watched, and I can’t even sleep properly.”
Mingzhu didn’t insist anymore, “Be careful, Brother.”
“Don’t worry,” Jing Song asked, “Should I destroy this letter?”
Mingzhu nodded, “Destroy it immediately. Otherwise, if someone finds it, it could become a troublesome matter. When you write the letter, just inform His Highness that our whereabouts have been exposed. There’s no need to tell him about this particular incident.”
Jing Song was puzzled, “Isn’t it better to have more precautions for His Highness?”
Mingzhu smiled, “His Highness is already cautious enough. He must not want me to know about this. In that case, I’ll pretend not to know. Why bother to disturb his peace of mind? It’s just a trivial matter.”
Jing Song respectfully admired her and solemnly bowed to Mingzhu, “Few people possess the breadth of mind like you, Your Highness.”
Mingzhu replied calmly, “It’s what I should do.”
Dong Hui and Su Momo were both deeply gratified. They never expected that this journey would temper the Wangfei’s temperament to be so calm and composed. They planned to praise Mingzhu profusely after Jing Song left.
But as Jing Song left, Mingzhu rushed over, grabbed the letter she had written to Yuwen Chu yesterday, and tore it to shreds while cursing, “You attracting trouble! You attracting trouble! It infuriates me!”
Dong Hui and Su Momo were stunned by the sudden change in her demeanor. Su Momo instinctively wanted to go and persuade Mingzhu, but Dong Hui quickly held her back, whispering, “Let her vent it out. It’s better than keeping it bottled up inside.”
Su Momo had to hold back and saw Mingzhu calm down after tearing up the paper, gulping down a glass of cold water, cursing a few times out of the window, then calming down as if nothing happened, saying casually, “It’s late. Let’s wash up and sleep. We might not be able to sleep later.”
Su Momo tentatively asked, “My daughter, are you still angry?”
Mingzhu smiled wryly, “Not angry. It was just a joke earlier. How can I blame him? If a fly insists on landing on a seamless egg, what can the egg do? Isn’t that the truth, Mother?”
It sounded like she was going to settle the score later. Su Momo dared not speak and just uttered a few words before retiring to her room. Dong Hui made the bed and gently invited Mingzhu to rest, “His Highness is not that kind of person. Please don’t overthink.”
Mingzhu laid on the bed and pouted, “I can’t stand it anymore. Jing Song and the others are men, they don’t understand the thoughts and pains of us women. I have to pretend in front of him. How come when I tease and argue with you guys behind his back, you still say I’m wrong?”
Dong Hui quickly said, “I understand. I didn’t say you were wrong.”
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