Chapter 769: Hitting a Sensitive Spot (Part Three)
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Jiang Zhouzi’s words caused an uproar in the room.
Everyone knew the importance of Jiang Zhouzi to the Great Empress Dowager. If Yuwen You had indeed wanted to kill Jiang Zhouzi, then the hidden implications behind it were worth exploring.
Among the women present, their husbands and sons all held some weight in the court. It was impossible for them to be unaware of court affairs. Yuwen You’s past grievances with the Fu family were well-known, and his shift from aligning with the Min family to aligning with the Great Empress Dowager was also clear. Initially, they thought he was just a spineless villain, easily swayed by the wind, but who would have thought he was harboring malicious intentions all along, never forgetting to avenge the Great Empress Dowager.
So, if a husband harbored malicious intentions to kill the Great Empress Dowager, his wife could baselessly slander the Regent Wangfei. Qi Wangfei’s expression turned serious, “Mr. Jiang, are you serious about this?”
Jiang Zhouzi recalled the dark days he had endured and couldn’t help but feel desolate, “Of course I am. Everyone knows that the Great Empress Dowager ordered me to accompany her on the journey to find medical books. Along the way, we were ambushed and almost lost our lives. Thanks to the Regent’s wisdom, he set up a clever trap to have Linan Wang rescue us. Wangfei had her own people sent by His Highness to take care of her and protect her, but poor me was left alone. Linan Wang threw me into the dungeon, where I was soaked in filth, bitten by rats, starved, and frozen, with no daylight… If it weren’t for the Great Empress Dowager worrying about me and sending people to look for me everywhere, I might have died in Yicheng! How could I have found the medical books to cure the Great Empress Dowager then?”
He wept bitterly and asked Mingzhu and Donghui to testify, “If you don’t believe me, ask Wangfei and Donghui. When they saw me again, was I not in a pitiful state? Did I have any grudges with Linan Wang? I couldn’t figure it out! But just now, when I saw Linan Wangfei, I suddenly understood. This couple bears deep grudges against everyone and wants no one to be well! In fact, it’s the Great Empress Dowager they have grievances against, isn’t it?”
“You’re talking nonsense! You’re all in cahoots!” The Wusun Princess wanted to refute Jiang Zhouzi’s words, but she found herself unable to because even if she didn’t believe Jiang Zhouzi’s words, she couldn’t find any evidence to contradict him.
Jiang Zhouzi rolled his eyes, “If I’m talking nonsense, may I not rest in peace.”
The crowd whispered among themselves, and Mingzhu calmly said, “Alright, Mr. Jiang, you’ve worked hard. Please sit aside and have some tea to rest.” Then she extended a kindness to Jiang Zhouzi, “It’s rare to see Mr. Jiang. If there’s a need, why not ask him to help now?”
Jiang Zhouzi dared to be angry but not speak out, because all these matters began with him coercing Mingzhu to accompany him to the capital to search for that book. So, he didn’t dare to complain or act tired, and with a good attitude, he said, “If Wangfei commands, I dare not disobey.”
Who didn’t have some trouble in their household? Even if they weren’t sick themselves, there were always a few relatives or friends who were. Immediately, several people queued up to ask Jiang Zhouzi for help.
Mingzhu announced loudly, “Please welcome His Highness Huan Wang.”
The petite Huan Wang was invited in by Zhou Shuyi, and many people in the room stood up to greet him. Huan Wang was clever; he had already heard about the matter before coming and was eager to help Mingzhu, so he cooperated particularly well.
He didn’t say much else, just mentioned two things: “Originally, after receiving the decree to enter the capital for an audience, I was supposed to go to the capital immediately. However, with the outbreak of war and the chaos caused by the rebel Qiu Li Wang along the way, there were quite a few people who wanted my life. Yicheng couldn’t spare suitable troops, and the regent was worried that my siblings and I would encounter danger, so he asked me to stay and accompany the Wangfei on her return journey to the capital.”
Wangfei’s guard was maintained from the Regent’s private treasury, well-trained, loyal, and numerous, capable of protecting us siblings well. On the journey, we siblings would eat and drink freely in Wangfei’s carriage every day. Wangfei was kind, generous, and didn’t hold grudges against my late father for putting her in danger before. She took excellent care of us, ensuring our safe arrival in the capital. I am very grateful to her.”
Huan Wang didn’t mention Yuwen You at all but shattered the notion that Yuwen You deliberately delayed his journey to Yicheng to accompany Mingzhu. Huan Wang’s visit to the capital was Yuwen Chu’s idea and arrangement because he didn’t trust Yuwen You or anyone else and wanted Mingzhu to handle it, which she did perfectly.
The Wusun Princess felt something was amiss but still struggled, “Even if you were ordered to return to the capital, Your Highness still went to eat and drink in Lady Mingzhu’s carriage every day. What about at night? Can you testify that you were with her every night and confirm that she didn’t meet with Linan Wang?”
Huan Wang frowned, “I don’t know what Ninth Aunt is suspecting or worrying about, but from what I’ve seen, Linan Wang always led the vanguard, never staying with us. If there was any need, he only spoke briefly. Is there anything wrong with that?”
The Wusun Princess said, “Your Highness, you’re still young and have suffered a lot. It’s normal for you to seek shelter from a powerful figure in the capital. I don’t blame you.” She meant that Huan Wang was trying to please Mingzhu, naturally siding with her.
“Irrational,” Mingzhu shook her head lightly, “I have never seen a wife so eager to slander her husband, pushing him into a dead end. Do you think our highness is a dead man? Or do you think I’m so blind and foolish that I’d secretly meet with someone inferior to our highness?”
“The third witness is me.” Yuwen Chu entered from outside, glancing coldly at the Wusun Princess and greeting Qi Wangfei and others, “It’s embarrassing. Originally, I wanted my daughter to meet her elders, but I didn’t expect a mad dog to barge in and ruin everyone’s mood.”
The Wusun Princess’s face flushed red. She was about to say something, but saw Yuwen Chu turn coldly away from her and say, “Princess, are you here today to testify that I’m not a man? Or that I’m blind, deaf, dumb, stupid?”
The Wusun Princess hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant. I just want the Regent to manage his wife well, not to let her ruin my family. I’m also worried that you’ve been deceived by villains and don’t even know you’re being taken advantage of…”
Yuwen Chu calmly said, “No wonder my ninth little brother dislikes you. You’re stupid, malicious, selfish, and boring enough! A woman like you, even if he beats you ten or twenty times a day, I’d think it’s well-deserved. Yet he didn’t beat you, but let you come out and cause trouble, forcing him into a dead end. I find it really strange.”
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