Chapter 763: The List (III)
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Mingzhu had a good impression of Princess Consort Cui, but she never forgot that his two sons had been killed by the Fu family and Yuwen Chu. Therefore, she remained extremely cautious, though her demeanor was warm and friendly. “No need to hurry, Uncle. Coming to us with your problems is the right thing to do. Have some tea first, then speak slowly.”
Princess Consort Cui shook his head with a sigh, “A family misfortune.” He was reluctant to say more but carefully handed over the list given to him by the Great Eldest Princess. “This item concerns my family’s survival and the stability of the capital. Please guard it carefully and deliver it to the Regent personally.”
Mingzhu listened to his serious tone and suppressed her smile, carefully taking the list. “I wonder where Uncle obtained such a thing?”
Princess Consort Cui sighed bitterly, “Wangfei, there’s no need to ask too much. His Highness the Regent will understand as soon as he sees it. Please inform the Regent that the Cui family is unfortunate and unable to contend with the imperial family. We have always lived off what little we have, even if it means swallowing bitter fruit with tears. The Great Eldest Princess has been married to the Cui family for many years, and I dare not show disrespect, nor can I afford to. Now that she has made a grave mistake, I can only hope that the Regent, considering the loyalty of the Cui family in the early years, will allow our bloodline to continue. I am deeply grateful.” With that, he bowed deeply to Mingzhu, wincing in pain from the burns on his back, almost unable to get up.
Mingzhu quickly helped him up, saying, “I’ll do as you ask, Uncle. There’s no need for such a grand gesture.”
Princess Consort Cui shook his head sorrowfully, “I must take my leave. Please deliver this item to His Highness as soon as possible. Any delay could lead to trouble.”
Mingzhu escorted him out, seeing his struggling gait and distressed expression, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She understood Princess Consort Cui’s predicament—when the royal family wanted to marry the Longsheng Great Eldest Princess to him, he couldn’t object and could only endure it. When the Great Eldest Princess abused her power, he couldn’t do anything and had to endure it. Now that the Great Eldest Princess had caused trouble, the Cui family suffered, and he still had to endure it. It was true what they said—raise a daughter to bring calamity to others. She must not let Millet become someone like Funing or Longsheng.
Zhuang Zhuang had already washed up and was sitting on the couch playing with toy cars. When Mingzhu entered, he reached out for her to hold him and patted the pillow, indicating he wanted her to keep her promise and put him to bed.
Mingzhu felt apologetic, “Mother has to go to the palace, can you sleep by yourself first? Momo will come back very soon.”
Zhuang Zhuang stubbornly shook his head, his eyes quickly filling with tears. Mingzhu had no choice but to grit her teeth and let the nursemaid dress him again, then took a blanket, saying, “I’ll take you with me, you can sleep in Momo’s arms. But one condition, no crying or fussing, okay?” Maybe indulging him once wouldn’t spoil him?
Zhuang Zhuang nodded happily and softly replied, “Okay.”
As usual, Mingzhu left Su Lan and Xia Xue at home to take care of the already sleeping Millet. She carried Zhuang Zhuang and brought Donghui and Zheng Momo along, taking a carriage to the palace.
Yuwen Chu’s usual place for handling state affairs was the Lansheng Pavilion near the Chongzheng Hall. When Mingzhu arrived, the lights were on inside, and Wei Tiande quickly came out to greet her, leading her to the Warm Pavilion on the side to rest. “His Highness is in a meeting, and in any case, he asks the Wangfei to wait a little longer.”
“You go and serve, don’t mind me.” Mingzhu understood and smiled, picking up the sleepy Zhuang Zhuang, “Are you tired? If you are, then sleep.”
Zhuang Zhuang, however, refused to lie down and insisted on hugging her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder to sleep. When Zheng Momo saw how tired Mingzhu was, she said, “Let me hold him?” As soon as she touched Zhuang Zhuang, he pouted and wanted to cry, so Mingzhu asked Zheng Momo to step back, “It’s okay, I can hold him for a while longer.”
They sat like this for almost half an hour. The Warm Pavilion was warm and silent, and even Mingzhu felt sleepy. Suddenly, there was movement outside. Mingzhu asked Donghui, “Go and see if the meeting is over?”
Donghui agreed and opened the door to walk out. She saw a young woman, delicate in figure, being led by a eunuch from the corridor. When they met, the woman stopped and nodded at Donghui, without saying much, then continued to walk forward, her head down. The night wind blew, carrying a faint scent of orchids.
Donghui was a little stunned. Wasn’t that Lady Ji Hui? Why was she appearing in Lansheng Pavilion so late at night? And if His Highness had time to see her, why not see the Wangfei? No, His Highness was not that kind of person. If he wanted her to come over, it must be for a good reason. But what reason could it be? Could it be to understand the customs and political situation of the Northern Region? Did she know about it? With such a delicate and timid appearance, she probably wasn’t someone like Jiang Shanshan, who knew everything and was particularly interested in politics and military affairs?
Donghui walked back with a heavy heart. Zhuang Zhuang had fallen asleep completely, so Mingzhu placed him on the couch and gazed at him tenderly, not even looking back as she said, “Has the meeting ended?”
Donghui vaguely replied, “Not yet, just palace maids moving around.”
Mingzhu didn’t pay much attention, taking out the list Princess Consort Cui had given her and examining it closely. As she looked through it, she was shocked to see several people who appeared to be on the side of the Fu family and Yuwen Chu. They behaved appropriately and discreetly in their daily tasks, yet held key positions. She couldn’t believe that these people were all secretly aligned with Longsheng Great Eldest Princess.
“This time it’s really over.” Zheng Momo stood at the door looking out, smiling at Mingzhu, “There aren’t many adults, just the two, Lord Chen and Lord Liu.”
Dong Hui sensed there might be some other meaning behind Zheng Momo’s words and couldn’t help but glance at her. Zheng Momo didn’t look at her, just smiled and said, “I’m sure His Highness will soon send someone to invite the Wangfei. Please get ready, Your Highness.”
Sure enough, not long after, Wei Tiande came to invite Mingzhu.
Dong Hui couldn’t resist and asked Zheng Momo in a low voice, “Why did you specifically mention there were only those two adults just now to the Wangfei?”
Zheng Momo replied calmly, “Does Miss Dong Hui know who you encountered in the corridor just now?”
Dong Hui was momentarily speechless. Although both she and Zheng Momo served Mingzhu, in everyone’s eyes, she belonged to Yuwen Chu, while Zheng Momo belonged to Mingzhu. So, when it came to matters, she leaned towards Yuwen Chu, while Zheng Momo naturally leaned towards Mingzhu. Although she was puzzled, she wouldn’t suspect Yuwen Chu, but Zheng Momo was different. She would definitely speculate about Yuwen Chu in the worst possible way.
After pondering for a moment, Dong Hui said, “Did Momo also see it just now?”
Zheng Momo said, “Miss Dong Hui may not know, but since I got older, my eyes have been a bit strange. I can’t see things clearly up close, but I can see things far away very clearly. That person just now was Miss Ji Hui, right?”
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