Chapter 756: Doubts and Suspicions
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The Wusun Princess frowned, “What do you mean by that?”
Fu Zifei feigned a slip of the tongue and regretfully covered her mouth, shaking her head, “Nothing, nothing. Just some men’s common faults. They always think the unattainable is the best. Just nonsense, don’t take it to heart. Let’s go inside; the Great Empress Dowager has been waiting.”
The Wusun Princess, however, felt that Fu Zifei knew something and was hiding it. Grabbing Fu Zifei’s hand, she pressed, “If you truly regard me as family, you shouldn’t hide anything. What has my lord done?”
“Nothing, nothing. Ninth Uncle is fine. My father mentioned that many officials in Yicheng sent him countless beauties, but he didn’t even glance at them.” Fu Zifei’s eyes flickered awkwardly. “How Ninth Uncle treats you, shouldn’t you know best? Don’t ask anymore, or it’ll cause big trouble if it spreads.”
The Wusun Princess’s suspicions grew deeper. When Yuwen You returned, he treated her well, but he often laid in bed in a daze, talked secretly with his aides behind closed doors, or went out on official business, disappearing for long periods. She initially thought he had a mistress or even children in Yicheng.
But when she asked Ruan Qingshang and others, they all said no. She questioned herself if she had such great charm that she could easily make him as devoted as Yuwen Chu treated Fu Mingzhu after a blind and dumb marriage, being as pure as jade. Later, upon careful consideration, she realized that Fu Mingzhu had been in the fallen Yicheng for so long, all orchestrated by Yuwen You. Furthermore, when Fu Mingzhu returned from Yicheng to the capital, he was by her side all the way. As for her, she had long heard that there was an edict announcing the visit of Huan Wang to the capital, and she had hoped that he would return soon, but he waited until Fu Mingzhu was about to return to the capital before leaving.
Do we really need to elaborate on the trickery in this?
Just now, Fu Zifei’s words indirectly confirmed her thoughts. The best things are the ones you can’t get. Even if Fu Mingzhu ignores Yuwen You, he still won’t give up! Moreover, Fu Mingzhu must not be a good person. She must be openly or secretly seducing Yuwen You, otherwise, how could she drive him to such madness?
If it were just an ordinary woman, it would be fine. Even if she had to risk her life, she could make sure that woman had no place to bury herself. But it had to be Fu Mingzhu. The Wusun Princess felt all her blood rushing to her head, and her vision turned black. Fu Zifei saw it, but pretended not to notice, continuing to persuade her softly: “Don’t overthink it. Ninth Uncle isn’t like that. Who doesn’t have a past? He and that person broke ties long ago when he stabbed himself in the abdomen with a knife.” Adding insult to injury, she continued, “Aunt, hurry up and give Ninth Uncle a child. I heard Ninth Uncle really likes Millet, and even gave her an invaluable piece of jade.”
An invaluable jade? She had heard about the jade and thought Yuwen You would give it to her. No wonder she never received it; it was for Millet. Staring at Fu Zifei’s moving lips, her ears buzzed, and she blacked out, collapsing to the ground.
“Oh no! Linan Wangfei has fainted! Someone, carry her in and summon the imperial physician. Auntie, please don’t scare me!” Fu Zifei pretended to panic, causing a commotion.
The Great Empress Dowager, hearing the noise, opened her eyes and asked, “What’s happening? I thought I heard the Empress’s voice.”
Sang Shen, who had just returned, whispered, “Linan Wangfei fainted. It seems she had a quarrel with the Regent Wangfei and the Empress tried to mediate but inadvertently made her faint.”
The Great Empress Dowager glanced at her and said, “You grew up with the Regent Wangfei, didn’t you?”
Sang Shen immediately knelt, “I’m just a humble servant, never daring to consider myself her playmate.”
The Great Empress Dowager spoke calmly, “I never said you were at fault. What are you afraid of? Don’t bother with the Empress.”
This was a clear order to drop the matter. Sang Shen responded, “Yes, I will pass on the message and tell them not to interfere.”
The Great Empress Dowager was silent for a moment before saying, “When a person harbors a demon in their heart, everything they see becomes filled with evil.”
Sang Shen was puzzled, “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
The Great Empress Dowager chuckled, “You don’t understand, you’re still a young girl. How could you know the complexities of relationships between men and women? Ah Shang would understand, but unfortunately, she can’t stand my old bones. How is she doing?”
Sang Shen replied, “Mu Gugu’s old leg ailment has flared up. The Regent Wangfei sent her some tiger bone wine this morning.”
The Great Empress Dowager remarked indifferently, “Those two really have a deep bond.”
In the side room, Physician Jiang withdrew his hand from the Wusun Princess’s wrist, pondering, “The Wangfei fainted due to an overwhelming surge of anger, causing her blood flow to momentarily stop. A few acupuncture points will revive her.”
Fu Zifei, with genuine concern, said, “I noticed the Wangfei looks unwell. Physician Jiang, could you also prescribe some tonics to strengthen her body and regulate her health?”
Physician Jiang agreed and went to prepare a prescription. Fu Zifei held the Wusun Princess’s hand and said soothingly, “Thankfully, it’s nothing serious. You gave me quite a scare, Auntie. Next time, don’t let yourself get so upset. What’s worth getting angry over? It’s not worth harming yourself and benefiting others.”
The Wusun Princess struggled to sit up, adjusted her hair, and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I missed my appointment with the Great Empress Dowager. I must hurry, or she might blame me.”
Fu Zifei tried to dissuade her a few more times but eventually let her go.
After the Wusun Princess and her maid left the room, Fu Zifei’s trusted nursemaid approached with a smirk, “Wusun people are really single-minded. Just a few casual words from you, and she fainted.”
Fu Zifei lowered her eyes, contentedly playing with her bright red nails, and smiled, “It’s not that easy. She already had preconceived notions, her suspicions and jealousy towards Fu Mingzhu made her believe in my words without a doubt.”
The priceless jade was arranged by her father. Although Yuwen You had been entrusted with significant responsibilities, both the Great Empress Dowager and her father did not trust him. Naturally, they had spies around him. When the jade was given to Millet, the news was immediately sent to the capital, causing the Wusun Princess’s misunderstanding. Fu Zifei’s revelation only fueled her jealousy. She would never reveal these machinations to anyone.
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