Chapter 809: Self-Blame
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Under the dim light, the Wangfei attire on Mingzhu shimmered, but she looked even paler and more haggard. With her eyes half-closed and her lips pale, she seemed weary and joyless. Yuwen Chu was moved, grasping her hand tightly and whispering, “Don’t overthink it. I’ll be back soon.”
Mingzhu forced a smile. “This matter is urgent. Your Highness, please go quickly. Don’t worry about me.”
Indeed, Yuwen Chu was in a hurry. After giving this instruction, he immediately boarded the carriage and left. Mingzhu stood at the entrance of the Regent Mansion, looking ahead where the torches were bright, but the noise gradually faded.
Ye Xiu had initially followed Yuwen Chu but turned back to say, “Linan Wang has captured Peng Liang alive. He has already handed him over to Your Highness. Your Highness is worried about Wangfei, so he ordered me to come back.”
Mingzhu waved her hand with a smile. “Things aren’t so urgent here. It’s Your Highness who needs manpower. You should go. I have Donghui and Xia Xue. And if worse comes to worst, there’s still Zhou Changshi here.”
Ye Xiu hesitated for a moment, then turned to catch up with Yuwen Chu again.
Mingzhu asked Fu Lin, “Are you going back or waiting for news?”
Fu Lin saw her mood was not good, thinking about the people who had been lost by her side, and felt that she must be feeling very uncomfortable. He said, “I’ll stay here and wait for news.”
Mingzhu nodded, gesturing to Donghui, “Arrange a room for him.” Then she instructed the gatekeeper, “Clean up the place and close the doors. Keep an eye on the gate. If anything seems amiss, sound the gongs and drums. It’s better to make a mistake than to let anything slip.”
The bloodstains from where Yuwen You had killed someone earlier were still visible. Mingzhu stood there for a while, recalling the scene when she had killed Yang Yizun in the same spot. Reflecting on today’s events, she suddenly felt disheartened. No matter how hard she tried, she always seemed to be of little use, always appearing to hold Yuwen Chu back. Thinking of Su Lan, Su Jin, and Su Ju, the maids who had grown up with her and followed her through two lifetimes, yet had all met unfortunate ends, tears welled up in her eyes.
Not wanting others to see her crying, she turned her head towards the shadows and hurried inside. As soon as she reached the darkness, tears began streaming down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away with her sleeve, but there were so many that she couldn’t dry them all. She had to keep her head down and walked quickly along the dark path.
Dong Hui and Xia Xue exchanged glances and sighed silently. This matter wasn’t really the Wangfei’s fault. Previously, including themselves, everyone had merely thought Zheng Momo was somewhat overbearing due to her seniority. No one had suspected that Zheng Momo was actually a pawn of the Great Empress Dowager. And as for Su Lan, the most proper and steady one, after the Wangfei entrusted her with the care of her two children, she had hardly left the house, devoting herself to them. Who would have thought she had a secret affair with Fu Zhan?
To put it bluntly, even if Su Lan and Fu Zhan had an affair, it shouldn’t be a big deal. The only difference between them was their social status. They were both unmarried, and it was perfectly normal for two people to fall in love and adhere to propriety. Su Lan never leaked any secrets from the mansion to Fu Zhan, nor did she use her status to help him in any way. She never even said a kind word for Fu Zhan. So where was the fault?
The fault laid solely in the calculations of malicious individuals.
As for Zheng Momo, upon careful consideration, she wasn’t a turncoat midway through; she had been loyal to the Great Empress Dowager from the beginning. Even Fu Cong and Madam Cui were deceived. So what was strange about the Wangfei being deceived? If it weren’t for the irreconcilable conflict between the Regent and the Great Empress Dowager, Zheng Momo might never have been exposed. Even when she abandoned her only granddaughter, such single-minded loyalty was futile. No matter how good she was to her, it was useless.
As for Su Ju, she was probably just unlucky. Zheng Momo never expected to be exposed, and someone had to die among the maids around the Great Empress Dowager. Su Lan was a ready scapegoat but couldn’t be killed, and Su Mei was on duty, so it was inconvenient for her to die, leaving Su Ju as the unfortunate victim.
The other two maids who were beheaded were simply Zheng Momo’s people and deserved their fate.
As for why the Fu family was so deeply involved, it was because the Great Empress Dowager herself was a member of the Fu family. With her deep roots in the Fu family, she had loyal servants at her disposal, making it convenient to carry out her plans.
“So, internal strife is the most damaging to the foundation of a family.” Fu Lin, who had been silent all along, caught up with Mingzhu and said softly, “Auntie, you don’t need to blame yourself. The fault lies with the Great Empress Dowager, not you. She’s truly gone mad.”
Mingzhu suppressed her tears and whispered, “I can’t escape blame. Otherwise, why did the maids around others never get into trouble, while those around me did?”
Fu Lin gently said, “In that case, Grandfather, Father, and even I are all at fault. Why else would only our family be implicated in this matter, while others are not?”
Xia Xue blinked her eyes. “Yes, yes, Young Master Fu is right. When a dog bites someone, it’s the dog’s fault for attacking. Are we supposed to blame the meat for being so delicious?”
Mingzhu couldn’t help but smile at her teasing. “You, who hardly ever speak, are quite amusing when you do.” When they reached Yinghui Hall, she didn’t want Fu Lin to follow her in. “You go rest. I need to rest too.”
Fu Lin was afraid she might do something rash and wanted to persuade her again, but seeing her resolute attitude, he could only leave reluctantly.
After such a big event, the maids in Yinghui Hall had to be re-evaluated. Mingzhu kept only Donghui, Xia Xue, Xiangli, and Su Lan, while the others were all detained until they could be re-employed after further investigation. Su Lan was terrified and unable to serve, but she didn’t dare go back to her room, so Mingzhu arranged for her to stay temporarily in the Northern Garden.
With everything settled, Mingzhu went to see the children. The two children were sleeping soundly, unaware of the commotion outside, and the room remained peaceful. The nursemaids smiled naturally when they saw her, and only then did Mingzhu feel the overwhelming fatigue hit her like a tide. Her back ached, and she didn’t feel like getting up once she sat down. She drank a cup of sweet soup, dismissed the nursemaids, including Donghui, and laid down beside the children, lost in her thoughts.
She had never felt so ashamed before. She had told Yuwen Chu that she couldn’t bear to see innocent maids die, but reality had slapped her hard in the face. Yuwen Chu didn’t blame her, not even a harsh word, but she felt even worse in her heart.
Zhuangzhuang, who was sleeping, called out, “Mother,” and Mingzhu took his hand, kissed his little face, and whispered softly, “Your mother is really useless.” Zhuangzhuang didn’t respond to her words but smiled happily.
They were so carefree, even laughing in their dreams. Mingzhu couldn’t help but smile and pulled Zhuangzhuang and Millet into her arms. The soft, peaceful, and warm feeling from the children quickly transmitted to her, and she yawned, closing her eyes. Let’s deal with the big matters after I wake up from this nap.
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