Chapter 761: The List (I)
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“The princess’s illness needs careful treatment,” Fu Mingcheng said as he quickly left the mansion, mounted his horse at the corner, and disappeared into the twilight.
Princess Consort Cui walked back weakly, and the waiting steward worriedly said, “Master, this is trouble, not a blessing.”
Princess Consort Cui almost cried, “I know it’s trouble, but if I don’t listen to them, the trouble will come immediately. What can I do? I can’t just watch as the Cui family descendants are harmed by that wicked woman.”
The steward, fearing for his master’s safety, dared not say more and helped him inside. Princess Consort Cui, drooping and listless, suddenly heard the cries of women and children, which ignited his anger. He stormed towards the courtyard where the Princess was confined.
The Longsheng Great Eldest Princess, holding a white cat, laughed foolishly upon seeing him.
“Stop pretending! Others might not know your true nature, but I do. If you truly cared for your children, you wouldn’t have led them to their deaths. You forced your second son to his death despite his reluctance. How could someone like you be scared mad by their deaths?” Princess Consort Cui, growing angrier, rushed at her, pointing and cursing.
Longsheng Great Eldest Princess laughed foolishly, “Who are you? Where did this lunatic come from? Kitty, scratch his face!” She threw the white cat at Princess Consort Cui. The cat, startled by being thrown, let out a screech and clawed at Princess Consort Cui’s face. He cried out and tried to protect his face, but the cat managed to scratch him twice, drawing blood.
The white cat then disappeared in a flash. Princess Consort Cui, covering his face with one hand, angrily pointed at Wangfei with the other. “You vile woman, even now you show no remorse. If I don’t beat you until you remember your name, I’m not a man!”
The Great Eldest Princess’s eyes flashed with disdain as she stood up to leave. Princess Consort Cui tackled her, grabbing her hair and slapping her repeatedly. Furious, the Great Eldest Princess slashed at his face with her long nails. The two rolled on the ground, fighting fiercely.
The Great Eldest Princess fought with increasing ferocity. Princess Consort Cui, driven to his limit, started choking her. “I’ll kill you, and then the Cui family can be safe!”
After struggling for a while, the Great Eldest Princess managed to grab a nearby charcoal brazier and dumped it onto Princess Consort Cui. He screamed in pain and jumped up, frantically trying to douse the flames with water from a fish tank.
The Great Eldest Princess, clutching her throat, coldly laughed, “Your sons were killed in the street, and instead of avenging them, you want to kill me! What kind of man are you?”
Princess Consort Cui, in pain and shivering from the cold, angrily dismissed the maids and servants who had come to investigate. He then grabbed the Great Eldest Princess by her collar, his eyes bloodshot. “You wretched woman, you got those boys killed. Do you think I don’t grieve for them? I dream of them, covered in blood, calling out in pain. I told you not to get involved in court politics, not to listen to that traitor, but you didn’t listen and dragged our children into it. Now, you dare to talk about conscience?”
The Great Eldest Princess’s eyes showed a hint of guilt and pain. Hoarsely, she replied, “You think I did it for myself? As princess consort, you can’t hold high office, wasting your talents. Our children might enjoy wealth, but for how many generations? It’s too late to regret now. If you don’t listen to Fu Mingcheng, the Cui family will die. Killing me won’t change that!”
Princess Consort Cui collapsed to the ground, clutching his hair in despair. “What do we do now?”
The Great Eldest Princess coldly said, “There’s nothing to do. All of them, the Fu family, and Yuwen Chu, are our enemies. If we can’t survive, we’ll make things chaotic for them, let them destroy each other. Fu Mingcheng wants my connections? Fine, let him have them. We can’t act openly, so let him take revenge for us. The more they fight, the less they’ll focus on us.”
She slowly stood, retrieved a hidden list from beneath the carpet, and solemnly handed it to Princess Consort Cui. “I’m as good as mad. Staying sane means death. If I die, you won’t fare well either. This is our last resource. Decide if you want revenge for our sons and a chance for the Cui family to survive.” With that, she ignored him, lying on the floor and crying hysterically, acting insane.
Princess Consort Cui gripped the list tightly, cold sweat pouring from his palms. After sitting in a daze for a while, he staggered outside. His paralyzed third son was waiting, carried by servants. Seeing his father in such a state, he anxiously asked, “What happened?” and sent people to check on the Great Eldest Princess.
Princess Consort Cui replied, “She’s fine, just another bout of madness.” He looked at his third son and softly asked, “Sanlang, do you want revenge?”
Third Master Cui, silent, shook his head. “Just surviving is enough. What’s the point of revenge?”
Princess Consort Cui asked, “What if surviving a bit longer means dying more miserably later?”
Terrified, Third Master Cui asked, “What now? What’s happening?”
“Nothing, just a question. Don’t worry.” Princess Consort Cui patted his son’s shoulder sorrowfully. “Just a random question.”
It took a while for Third Master Cui to calm down. “You scared me. I thought something else had happened. If we’re going to die anyway, better to die sooner than live in fear.”
Princess Consort Cui said, “I understand.” So, he decided to give the list to Yuwen Chu. A quick death was better than being used as a tool and dying worse later.
As Princess Consort Cui left in a daze, Third Master Cui could only sigh and ask to be taken to see the Great Eldest Princess.
The room had been tidied, but the sight of the disheveled Great Eldest Princess still shocked him. Realizing his parents had fought, he could only send the servants away and sit by her, trying to console her. “Mother, why do this?”
The Great Eldest Princess smiled faintly. “Sanlang, do you hate Yuwen Chu? He ruined your life.”
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