Since both her family and Yuwen Chu had received secret letters about her Second Brother, it was only natural for the Great Empress Dowager to receive one too. Mingzhu believed that since the Great Empress Dowager could set up such a scheme in the distant north, her influence and control must be greater than ordinary people thought.
The Great Empress Dowager had once said that as long as she was willing to sting Yuwen Chu, the Changxin Palace would stand up to wash away the mud from Fu Mingzhao’s body. So, now that Fu Mingzhao had taken a different path, he wouldn’t die at the market gate. What would the Great Empress Dowager do? Would she stop there? Unlikely. When one path was blocked, she would only become more desperate to open another.
The capital was heavily guarded, and the outskirts were the best place to assassinate Yuwen Chu. Among the hundreds of soldiers, there were always a few who were loyal to the Great Empress Dowager. In the open martial arts field, any arrow could possibly miss the target and hit Yuwen Chu instead.
After confirming that the Great Empress Dowager was in the sleeping hall of the Changxin Palace, Mingzhu hurried towards the Changxin Palace. She didn’t know if she would be able to stop the Great Empress Dowager’s actions in time, but delaying them as much as possible would be good enough.
She was stopped outside the main hall of the Changxin Palace.
With her head lowered, Sang Shen, in a humble yet firm tone, informed her, “Her Highness is weak and resting. No one is allowed to disturb her.”
As expected, Mingzhu didn’t rush in but had a table and chairs brought over. She sat in the shade outside the main hall, sipping tea. She didn’t believe that if she surrounded the Great Empress Dowager’s residence so tightly that no message could get in or out, anything could be done about it. Of course, if the plan was already in motion, then she would have done her best and left the rest to fate.
Naturally, Changxin Palace wouldn’t provide tables, chairs, or tea, and she couldn’t have brought these items herself, nor could she grandly go to Imperial Consort Min’s place to fetch them. So, she signaled to Xia Xue and the others, “Go borrow them from Miss Ji.”
Not unaware that this would make Ji Hui uncomfortable, but Mingzhu believed it was time for Ji Hui to take a clear stand. Being a moderate wasn’t that easy.
Wet Nurse Xiao’s face turned pale when she heard Xia Xue’s intention. Wasn’t this putting her in a difficult position? They were about to leave soon, and all they wanted now was to live safely until they left. If they didn’t borrow tables and chairs and tea, they would offend the Regent Wangfei. Perhaps she would complain to the regent, and he might refuse to take them away. If they did borrow, they would definitely offend the Great Empress Dowager, and if the Great Empress Dowager secretly caused trouble for them, it wouldn’t be pleasant either.
Wet Nurse Xiao wasn’t a smart person; she couldn’t think of a solution, so all she could do was stall. With a forced smile, she said to Xia Xue, “I can’t make decisions. Our mistress isn’t feeling well lying down. Let me go ask her what she thinks.”
How could Xia Xue not hear the evasion? But the people around the Regent Wangfei were very polite, so she planned to be diplomatic first. “Then I will trouble the old Momo to ask, but remember to do it quickly. It’s hot, and our Wangfei has been tired for days. She might not be able to withstand the delay.”
Wet Nurse Xiao sensed the threat in her words. With a mournful face, she ran to find Ji Hui. “Miss, you should hide. You must not get involved in this matter. Later, I’ll send someone to plead with His Majesty. Just prove that you were teaching His Majesty in the Chongzheng Hall. His Majesty will definitely take care of you. Let me handle everything else. Whether it’s life or death, it’s all on this insignificant little person.”
Ji Hui was writing a letter. She put down her brush and looked quietly at Wet Nurse Xiao. “Wet Nurse is worried about me and afraid I’ll suffer. How can I abandon wet nurse? The Regent Wangfei grew up in the palace. Would she not know whether or not I went to the Chongzheng Hall? Asking for help but not wanting to pay any price, who would help me? My luck hasn’t gotten that good yet. Who’s here? Let me go see her myself.”
Wet Nurse Xiao couldn’t stop Ji Hui, so she could only follow her out with a bitter face. Ji Hui exchanged pleasantries with Xia Xue, then had someone bring over a table and chairs. Carrying a tea canister and teacup, she went to see Mingzhu.
Outside the main hall, Mingzhu was not alone. Fu Zifei hurried over and stood guard outside the Great Empress Dowager’s hall. According to custom, Mingzhu had to bow to her. Fu Zifei accepted Mingzhu’s greeting with a smile and chatted with her casually, “I deliberately came to see Auntie. I heard that Fourth Uncle has already returned, but there’s still no news of Second Uncle… Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Auntie, please accept my condolences.”
Mingzhu glanced at her and said seriously, “Yes, fortunes can change overnight. Just like back then, when the Empress lived in seclusion in the south, she probably never thought she would one day enter the palace and become one of the candidates for the Consort of the Late Emperor. The Late Emperor was assassinated by rebels, and Niang Niang thought she would end up like Princess Anle, sent out of the palace and left to her own devices, depending on her luck and whether anyone dared to marry her to end her miserable life. Who would have thought that she would wake up one day and become the Empress of the current dynasty, enjoying all the honor and glory? That’s what they call the fickleness of fortune.”
Fu Zifei’s most hated period was when she was one of the reserve consorts of Yuwen Bai. Normally, she wouldn’t allow anyone to mention anything about those years. Now, Mingzhu ruthlessly exposed her wounds, and she felt like fighting Mingzhu to the death. But she didn’t dare. She could only glare fiercely at Mingzhu. “Auntie summarizes it very well, but for the sake of the family, someone has to suffer a little. Not everyone has good fortune like Auntie.”
Mingzhu smiled. Was Fu Zifei qualified to say such things about suffering for the family? Even she didn’t dare. The real person who suffered for the family was her Second Brother, Fu Lin, and her father. She smiled and said, “Pei!”
Fu Zifei’s face turned pale and then red, her veins popping, but she didn’t dare to confront Mingzhu. Mingzhu ignored her because Ji Hui had arrived with tables, chairs, and tea canisters.
Seeing Fu Zifei there and the obvious tension between them, Ji Hui felt a bit nervous, but there was no way out. She lived in Changxin Palace; where could she retreat to?
There was only one set of tables and chairs brought over, and both of them needed to sit. Neither could sit first, and she was the one who felt awkward. Ji Hui made a quick decision, asking the palace servant carrying the chairs to stumble and pretend the chair was broken. They had to go back and get new ones. This way, they left the table with tea leaves and utensils, and the palace servants successfully brought back two chairs. Mingzhu and Fu Zifei both sat down after pretending to decline each other’s offer.
Ji Hui lowered her head to brew tea for the two of them. Mingzhu indeed only wanted to borrow a chair and ask for some tea; she had no other significant interest. But Fu Zifei wasn’t satisfied. Staring at them, she smiled and said, “I heard that Miss Ji Hui and the Regent Wangfei are very close. I didn’t believe it before, but now it seems true.”
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