Chapter 800: Threads of a Spider
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Seeing Mingzhu still standing there, Fu Lin asked, “Auntie, what’s wrong?”
Mingzhu whispered, “I find it strange. I never asked Fu Zhan to do anything for me, so why did he say that?”
Fu Lin frowned slightly. “Should I keep him here?”
Mingzhu shook her head, “No, send a skilled person to follow him. Make sure not to reveal any trace of our presence.” Caution is the key to safety, especially in the current complex situation. We can’t let any suspicious matter slip by, otherwise, who knows what might happen?
Fu Mingda was waiting for Mingzhu in the study. The two exchanged opinions on Fu Mingzhao’s matter and then discussed Fu Zhan’s situation. After pondering for a moment, Fu Mingda said, “Fu Zhan is still a good person, with a good reputation. He’s not someone who would cause trouble randomly. Sister, do you want to ask your subordinates if anyone really asked him to do something?”
Mingzhu suddenly felt an added layer of pressure. “Should I have kept him here just now?”
Fu Mingda shook his head. “Not appropriate. Since he deliberately requested to speak with you in front of so many people, if you keep him here again and something really happens, you’ll have an even harder time explaining. Let’s wait until dark, then I’ll invite him over.”
By the time Mingzhu returned to the Regent Mansion, it was almost evening. The two children, led by their nursemaids and Su Lan, sat in the corridor, eagerly looking towards the door. When they saw her, they laughed out loud. Zhuang Zhuang ran over to her, followed closely by Iron Hammer. He held onto her clothes and called out loudly, while Millet anxiously yelled for Su Lan to bring her over.
Mingzhu walked up to them, one hand embracing each child. She smiled and listened to Zhuang Zhuang chatter nonstop, occasionally giving them a kiss and speaking a few words to them. Iron Hammer wagged his tail behind her, and the three of them together looked very warm and harmonious.
Yuwen Chu stood at the door, watching with a warm heart. He gestured for the maids not to make any noise and quietly followed behind them with a smile, eager to see when Mingzhu would notice that he had returned.
The first to notice him was Iron Hammer. He whimpered and approached him, trying to please him. The mother and children ahead were chatting happily and didn’t turn around. Yuwen Chu felt sour in his heart. Was he really being neglected and estranged just because he didn’t come home often? He coughed deliberately. This time, Zhuang Zhuang noticed him and enthusiastically called out, “Daddy!”
Yuwen Chu quickly put on a smile and reached out to pick up Zhuang Zhuang. “Come here, let Daddy hold you.”
Zhuang Zhuang shyly shook his head and hugged Mingzhu’s neck, greatly disappointing Yuwen Chu. He then looked inquiringly at Millet, who leaned against Mingzhu’s chest and watched him vigilantly, with an expression that seemed to say, “Don’t come near me.”
Yuwen Chu felt hurt, feeling all sorts of emotions. Mingzhu saw it but didn’t show any sign of it, calmly saying, “Your Highness must be tired. Why don’t you go in and change into cooler clothes? I’ll have someone prepare dinner.”
Yuwen Chu held her back. “Let them be busy. Let’s take the children for a walk in the courtyard and come back for dinner.”
Since he had this leisure, Mingzhu naturally had to cooperate. She suggested with a smile, “The weather is nice today. Why don’t we set up dinner in the pavilion on the lake? We can take the children out for a boat ride and look at the moon and stars.”
Yuwen Chu agreed and felt a bit guilty at the same time. “I’ve been busy lately. It’s been a long time since I’ve spent time with you and the children. I’m worried that if this continues, Zhuang Zhuang and Millet won’t recognize me anymore.”
“Who said that? Aren’t you doing it for them?” Mingzhu took advantage of Millet’s distraction and handed her over to Yuwen Chu. “This girl is getting heavier. I can’t carry her anymore.”
During the year and a half she was away from home, Zhuang Zhuang was raised by Yuwen Chu, hand in hand. She wasn’t worried about any estrangement between father and son, but rather about Millet. She had been pregnant and gave birth on the road, and it had been several months since she came back. Yuwen Chu was busy, and the relationship between father and daughter was not particularly close. She really hoped they could get along well. With more children, parents always tend to favor one over the other. The one who is not favored and is lazy will always suffer. She didn’t want any of her children to suffer such grievances.
Fortunately, Yuwen Chu also wanted to make up for Millet’s affection, and he used all his tricks to coax her, finally managing to win her over with a jade pendant. The family happily rowed boats, ate, played games, and Yuwen Chu even had someone bring fishing rods to fish. Zhuang Zhuang and Millet had a great time.
As night fell and the tired children began to doze off, Mingzhu had the servants pack up and, together with Yuwen Chu, carried the children back inside. After settling the children, Yuwen Chu went to freshen up, while Mingzhu sat outside, making tea. Zheng Momo walked in with a solemn expression. “Wangfei, Young Master Lin is here. Fu Zhan died at the Fu Mansion.”
Sure enough, it was not simple. Mingzhu’s hand trembled, and the scalding hot water splashed onto her hand, causing her to hiss in pain. Zheng Momo quickly handed her a cold towel to apply. She said in a low voice, “You should go first. His Highness will come out, and I’ll inform him.”
Mingzhu had no time to think about anything else and hurried out. Fu Lin was waiting for her in the reception hall. Seeing her come out, he knelt down to ask for forgiveness. “Auntie, it’s all my fault.”
If it were just an ordinary death, Fu Lin’s reaction wouldn’t have been so extreme. Mingzhu took a deep breath and gestured for him to get up. “It’s not the time to discuss this now. What exactly happened?”
Fu Lin whispered, “Before, when Auntie felt that Fu Zhan’s behavior was somewhat suspicious and asked me to have someone follow him, I had Xie Siqi follow him. Sure enough, there was a problem. He had more than a dozen people hidden at home, all of them first-rate experts. Xie Siqi couldn’t even get close. He was afraid of revealing himself and kept watching nearby, quickly sending someone back to report. Father had someone deal with Fu Zhan’s older brother, and managed to secretly invite Fu Zhan to the mansion…”
After Fu Zhan had his blindfold removed, he glanced around at his surroundings and chuckled, “I knew it was Uncle who had me tied up. Right, all those people were taken care of by me, and I even delivered that prophecy to Aunt. I did a good job, so I wanted to ask for a reward from the Regent Wangfei. If she wasn’t willing, then so be it; I didn’t force her. Now, am I to meet my end for this?”
Fu Mingda reassured him, “I’ve never heard your Aunt mention this. Can you tell me more?”
Fu Zhan replied casually, “There’s nothing much to it. When Aunt returned, I had someone tell her that I wanted to help Uncle to achieve something. She agreed, but she wanted me to prove my determination and capability. About three months ago, Aunt’s people found me and said these old dogs always cause trouble with the Regent and the Fu family, so she wanted me to get rid of them. Luckily, I had some reliable friends in the underworld, so I agreed to Aunt’s request. I had planned to wait a while before taking action, but with the recent defeat of the Regent, and all the bad rumors circulating, I decided to move sooner.”
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