By now, second brother must have left far away, right? Mingzhu straightforwardly replied, “I was afraid of putting you in a difficult position, so I didn’t ask.”
Yuwen Chu fell silent for a moment, then straightforwardly steered the conversation back on track, “I already know.”
With such a direct approach, all the words Mingzhu had prepared beforehand became useless. What had to happen would happen eventually, and she had never thought she could keep it from him forever. Therefore, she felt somewhat relieved, “Yes, I sent fourth brother to send second brother away. He is innocent. Even if everyone in the world says he deserves to die, he is still my second brother. Even if he dies, it would be unjust. I didn’t want him to die by your hands, and he shouldn’t die by your hands. Now that I’ve done what I needed to do, you can punish me.”
“Helping a troubled brother escape from danger is only human nature,” Yuwen Chu expressed understanding, but then asked, “So, has fourth brother-in-law already sent second brother-in-law away?”
“He should have,” Mingzhu was originally very certain, but now she lacked confidence because she hadn’t received a single word from Fu Mingzheng, nor had Shen Ruilin sent her any news. If he had really left, Yuwen Chu would most likely pretend not to know but still wanted to talk to her.
Seeing Mingzhu’s expression, Yuwen Chu knew she must have guessed it. He said softly, “To wait until the day when the truth is revealed and clear second brother-in-law’s name in Ji Country was just your wishful thinking. Have you considered second brother-in-law’s thoughts?”
Mingzhu’s heart sank to the bottom of the valley. She vaguely guessed the truth but refused to accept it. She looked directly at Yuwen Chu, “So?”
Yuwen Chu looked at her quietly, “Second brother-in-law didn’t go to Ji Country, nor did he come back with fourth brother-in-law.” He wasn’t sure if he should tell Mingzhu about Du Heng taking Fu Mingzhao away, so his words stopped abruptly.
Mingzhu felt her heart squeezed tightly, and tears began to fall from her eyes. Her nose turned red, “And then?”
Yuwen Chu didn’t look at her but at the sparkling water surface, “A long time ago, when I sent Fourth Brother-in-law to investigate the truth and search for people, I also informed Du Heng and instructed him to find out the whereabouts of Second Brother-in-law at all costs. Because I knew, your relationship with your several brothers is profound, and we couldn’t let him disappear from Tongzhou without reason.”
Since it was Du Heng who was sent out, this matter naturally couldn’t be hidden from Yuwen Chu. Mingzhu took a deep breath and asked softly, “So, is my second brother with Du Heng now?”
Yuwen Chu nodded, “Yes. Second Brother-in-law didn’t want to go to Ji Country or die in the market square. He wanted to die on the battlefield, wash away the shame on his body with blood, uphold the honor of the Fu family, and uphold the dignity of his older brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces. He wants Wenwen to marry happily and you to face it without guilt.”
Mingzhu turned her back to Yuwen Chu, staring at the crimson pillar without blinking, until her eyes became sore and tears fell heavily.
“You said to me before, let me be the first to tell you about anything. So, although it’s difficult, I decided to tell you.” Yuwen Chu handed a handkerchief to Mingzhu. He hoped she could understand him, but he also knew she couldn’t understand him. At least not at this moment – not many people could remain calm and gentle in the face of the imminent death of their loved ones. At least he couldn’t. So he didn’t expect Mingzhu to do it either.
As expected, Mingzhu didn’t take his handkerchief. She turned her back to him, with a heavy nasal tone, slowly asking, “If I decide that my second brother must be sent to Ji Country, can Du Heng do it?”
Yuwen Chu couldn’t answer Mingzhu’s question because this was where their disagreement lay. Their positions were different, and so was their perspective on things. He understood Mingzhu’s reasons for doing this, could tacitly agree, but couldn’t approve of her. Neglecting one’s duty was neglecting one’s duty. Military law was not child’s play, and he had to account for that massacre. He had no reason to stop Fu Mingzhao from ending this matter in a more elegant way.
He could have said, “This is Second Brother-in-law’s own decision,” or “I’m also in pain.” But he said nothing. He chose silence.
Mingzhu left the pavilion in silence. If Yuwen Chu truly believed that her second brother should live, he could have done it. Since he hadn’t done it and had led second brother onto another path, it meant he didn’t agree with her approach in his heart. It wasn’t easy for him, second brother deserved punishment, and she understood that. But she couldn’t accept it.
Mingzhu returned to Yinghui Hall and fell asleep immediately. In a half-dreamy state, she vaguely heard Yuwen Chu come in and ask about Su Mei and the others, but she didn’t catch the specifics. In fact, she didn’t want to hear them clearly, nor did she want to see him.
How could she not feel sorrow? Having witnessed the tragedy of losing loved ones, the impending tragedy seemed even more terrifying and painful. She had previously promised Wenwen in private that Second Brother would definitely come back, and she would find a way to clear his name. But now, she didn’t know how to face Wenwen and Second Sister-in-law.
Mingzhu slept from noon the previous day until early the next morning. Zhuangzhuang and Millet thought she was sick, so they gathered around her bed, eager to feed her their favorite snacks. Mingzhu covered her eyes with her hand, quietly wiped away her tears, sat up, and showed a warm smile to the two children, “I’m just too tired, so I wanted to rest.”
Outside the door came the greetings of the maids. Mingzhu saw Yuwen Chu standing at the door from the corner of her eye. She could even feel his gaze as if it were tangible, landing on her. But she still didn’t want to talk to him now, so she pretended not to see him. Yuwen Chu stood at the door for a while, then quietly left.
Mingzhu got up slowly, washed herself, had breakfast, and wanted to take the children home, but she didn’t want to face the people at home. So she took the children to An Xiaogu’s house.
An Xiaogu was about to give birth and basically didn’t go out anymore. Seeing her bringing the children over, she was very happy and busy serving them all the delicious and fun things, enthusiastically saying, “Look how well I’ve maintained my figure? The old ladies in our family were scared by Huayang Wangfei and won’t let me eat more. I feel hungry every day, but I dare not eat.”
Mingzhu gently touched her belly and smiled, “Well, well, he’s a good child, he won’t cause trouble for his mother.”
Growing up together, how could An Xiaogu not notice her lack of enthusiasm? An Xiaogu dismissed the servants and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Isn’t your fourth brother on his way back? And I haven’t heard of any orders from the Regent about what to do.”
Mingzhu smiled bitterly, “It’s probably the bitter summer.”
