Chapter 83: Beating
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Mingzhu suppressed her smile, slowly knelt down in front of Madam Cui, but remained silent.
Seeing her indifferent expression, Madam Cui trembled with anger. “I’m asking you, did you meet with Yuwen Chu last night?”
Mingzhu kept her eyes down and replied, “It wasn’t a meeting, just a chance encounter.”
Madam Cui was stunned at first, then furious. She grabbed a cup and threw it at Mingzhu, bursting into tears. “How did I raise such a wicked daughter? In the past, you were wayward, but now you dare to do such shameless things!”
Mingzhu knew that her mother had misunderstood deeply. Thinking about it, it was understandable. She and Yuwen Chu had been alone together in a dark room for so long; it was hard not to think otherwise. Feeling that it was difficult to explain, she casually caught the flying teacup and sighed, “I already said it was a chance encounter. How could it be something shameful?”
Madam Cui glared, “Are you still hiding it? Someone saw you sending away all the attendants and being alone with that man in the room for a long time. How can you still say it was a chance encounter?”
Should she tell her mother that she actually wanted to seduce Shen Ruilin so that he would marry her, thus promoting the Shen-Fu alliance? But she had been caught in a misunderstanding, whether accidentally or deliberately. Or maybe it was better not to, fearing that Madam Cui would be even more furious. A few days ago, Madam Cui fell seriously ill because of the incident where Yuwen You harmed himself in her room. What if she got even more agitated this time?
Mingzhu sighed again, pretending to be indifferent, “I had important matters to discuss with him.”
Madam Cui didn’t believe her: “Bah! Your head is filled with eating, drinking, and having fun, always trying to outshine others. When did you ever have serious matters to discuss with anyone? Moreover, you have parents, brothers, and nephews. What matters can’t we handle for you? Why do you insist on discussing things with an outsider in a dark room late at night? Why don’t you discuss something with me?”
Mingzhu lazily sat on her calf, saying, “As the old saying goes, after a long separation, one appreciates the other more. I’m not the same Fu Mingzhu as before. Why do all of you still see me as a mere tool? Aren’t you implying that I have an affair with him? Isn’t that what you want? After all, you’ve arranged for Yuwen Long to come and pay his respects.”
Saying this, she felt uneasy, fearing that Madam Cui might actually think highly of Yuwen Chu.
Madam Cui was so angry that she was panting heavily.
“Is that the same? That was arranged by parents and matchmakers, openly and uprightly. Whether it succeeds or not, it has nothing to do with you. How can you compare that to secretly meeting with him behind everyone’s back, tarnishing your morals and virtue?”
Mingzhu quickly retorted, “Exactly! Does Mother really think her daughter is so foolish, not even understanding this principle? Besides, you know very well that I’ve never liked him.” She glanced at Madam Cui and asked, “Mother insists that I have an affair with him. But have you ever seen any difference in my treatment of him before? Or any hint that I’m interested in him? I’m straightforward. If I like someone, can I hide it?”
“This…” Madam Cui was taken aback by her words and pressed on, “Then what were you discussing with him that required you to lock the door and turn off the lights?”
Mingzhu was about to come up with an excuse when she heard Sun Momo outside saying, “Xiangye is here.” Following that, Fu Cong came in with a stern face, glanced coldly at her, then said to Madam Cui, “I have something to ask her.”
Seeing Fu Cong, Madam Cui burst into tears and said, “Your pampered daughter, you’ve spoiled her so much that she’s become unbearable.”
Fu Cong frowned slightly, “Did I spoil her alone? Every time I tried to discipline her, you rushed over and said I had to kill you first. Who is at fault here?”
Madam Cui was speechless and tried to justify herself, “Spoiling a child without discipline is a father’s fault, isn’t it?”
Fu Cong raised his voice, “If there’s no discipline from the mother, who’s to blame for the scolding?”
Mingzhu suddenly felt anxious. Her father knew! Otherwise, why would he argue with her mother in front of her? Most likely, he was suppressing his anger. But how did her father find out? Did Shen Ruilin tell him? Or did Yuwen Chu? Suddenly, Fu Cong turned around and glared at her, sternly commanding, “Why aren’t you following me? Do you want me to come and fetch you?”
Mingzhu was frightened and quickly scrambled to her feet, using both hands and feet to hurry to the front. Fu Cong sighed and followed closely behind.
In the study, Fu Cong ordered sternly, “No one is allowed in. No visitors.” He then instructed someone to tightly close the door and went to close the windows himself.
Sensing danger, Mingzhu hurriedly tried to please him by making tea, but she heard Fu Cong shouting behind her, “Kneel down!” Trembling with fear, she knelt down, raising her head to look, only to see Fu Cong picking up a ruler from the table, which made her scream in terror, “Father, spare me! Father, spare me!”
Seeing her panic, Fu Cong felt a pang of heartache, but he forced himself to do it and fiercely struck her shoulder. Mingzhu winced in pain, biting her lip to prevent herself from crying out loud, inwardly cursing Yuwen Chu.
Fu Cong had expected her to cry and beg for mercy like she used to when she was beaten as a child, but he was surprised to see her endure silently. He stopped and looked at her expression.
Seeing her resentful look, he struck her again and asked loudly, “Do you hate me?”
Choking back tears, Mingzhu replied, “No.”
Fu Cong struck her again, “Then who do you hate?”
“Yuwen Chu, that b*stard! He harmed me!” Mingzhu shouted, unable to hold back, bursting into tears.
In both lifetimes, her father had never beaten her like this. Even when she was mischievous as a child and pulled his beard while he was asleep, he would only pretend to be angry and let her off when she cried for mercy. Later, when she was determined to marry Yuwen You and threatened her parents with a hunger strike, her father just sat beside her and asked in a deep voice, “Have you thought it through? Don’t regret it in the future.”
All because of Yuwen Chu, that despicable b*stard. He ruined her plans, causing her to be beaten and scolded. If he wanted her not to forget him, he succeeded. Mingzhu directly classified Yuwen Chu as the fourth person she hated, after Yuwen You, Empress Dowager Min, and the young emperor.
Mingzhu felt more and more aggrieved, but Fu Cong didn’t let go. He forcefully struck Mingzhu’s back again, causing her to shiver, her lips bitten until they bled. Fu Cong gritted her teeth and asked, “What did you just say?”
Mingzhu repeated, “Yuwen Chu, that b*stard, harmed me!”
Fu Cong struck her again with the ruler, saying through gritted teeth, “I’ll beat you to death, you unfilial child! How dare you do such a thing! Do you still have me and your mother in your eyes and heart? Do you still have this family?”
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