Ji Hui cried bitterly, but there was no one to comfort her. Only Wetnurse Xiao accompanied her in tears, “Poor miss…”
Fu Mingzheng said coldly, “You say you’re also a victim. How so? A few days ago, your servant attempted to assassinate the Regent Wangfei. She generously allowed him to proclaim his innocence, and today, I will allow you to proclaim yours!” After finishing, he pretended to apologize to Yuwen Guang insincerely, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I used to preside over cases at the Dali temple, and it’s just a habit to say such things.”
Yuwen Guang was overwhelmed with regret. He regretted coming here. With a stern face, he said, “I believe Ji Hui’s words. She is not the kind of woman who lacks virtue. Since Official Fu has the intention to interrogate, let’s clarify in public.”
Fu Mingzheng then asked Ji Hui, “You say this child belongs to the regent. Do you have any evidence?”
Ji Hui took out a purse from her personal belongings and handed it over. “This was left by His Highness at my place.”
Mingzhu’s hands trembled when she saw the purse. She took several deep breaths before suppressing the anger in her heart. The purse contained daily necessities, such as sobering medicine, cold prevention, diarrhea prevention, and wound-healing medicine, all meticulously prepared by Jiang Zhouzi under her instructions for Yuwen Chu to carry with him at all times, in case of emergency. Now, it unexpectedly ended up in Ji Hui’s hands.
Fu Mingzheng didn’t even look at the purse. He calmly said, “I have several of these purses at home. Such a purse lacks originality and doesn’t prove anything. It could have been stolen or found.” Whether it belonged to Yuwen Chu or not was inconsequential. What mattered was that this child was a mistake!
Ji Hui bitterly smiled and said, “I knew you wouldn’t acknowledge it. Regent Wangfei, you know best whether it belongs to him. Are you going to deny it with a clear conscience?”
Mingzhu calmed down and gestured for her to hand the purse to Yuwen Guang. “I won’t accept your things to avoid suspicion of destroying evidence. Since Your Majesty wants to uphold justice, let him hold it. Now, what I want to ask is, where did you get this purse?”
Ji Hui blushed and lowered her head, saying softly, “Naturally, it was obtained from the regent’s body.”
Qi Wangfei spoke up, “As Fourth Master Fu said, the process of obtaining the purse is crucial. Now that things have come to this point, if you still withhold the truth, don’t blame others for not giving you face. I’m not blaming you. After such an incident, you should have let your family negotiate with the regent. Why did you come to the capital alone?”
Although the Ji family was a large clan, they were just local nobles and held no official positions. If it weren’t for the rebellion in the Northern Territory and the special circumstances, they wouldn’t even have the qualifications to negotiate with the court. In the eyes of someone like Qi Wangfei, who had been in a high position for a long time, they were nothing more than commoners. Therefore, her words were not polite at all, leaving Ji Hui no face at all.
“I do have my difficulties.” Ji Hui’s tears flowed. At this moment, the situation in the Northern Territory was different from before. Even without the support of the Ji family and local strongmen, Yuwen Chu could still win the war. Moreover, the Ji family’s stronghold was still in the Northern Territory. She dared not clarify this matter, lest Zhongshan Wang immediately eradicate the Ji family and make them a laughingstock among the Northern Territory nobles.
Privately, Yuwen Chu would not see her, nor would he see her father. If they caused trouble, they would become a joke among the entire Ji family and the Northern Territory nobles. She was truly desperate. Trembling lips, she said softly, “A long time ago, the Great Empress Dowager advised me that the capital is treacherous, and I shouldn’t stay long. She suggested that I return to the Northern Territory. I did feel uneasy in the palace, so I thought about following the Great Empress Dowager’s advice. Due to the long journey and the turmoil along the way, I had to follow the army for safety.
The humble woman has been following along with Princess Kangning’s wedding procession and has never acted out of line. Everyone has witnessed this and can testify on behalf of the humble woman. During the New Year’s heavy snowfall, Her Highness the Princess stayed in Gui County to celebrate, and the King of Wusun went to greet her, requesting a meeting with the Regent. The Regent accepted the invitation, and the two had a pleasant conversation. On the night of the thirtieth, the Regent ordered a grand banquet to entertain the King of Wusun and his entourage, aiming for everlasting friendship between Great Xia and Wusun…”
The incident occurred after the banquet. That night, she encountered someone, her birth mother, Princess Ruidan of Wusun. She didn’t want to meet Princess Ruidan because her lineage had always been a disgrace; the reason why the Ji family refused to accept her was because of her Wusun blood. Moreover, Princess Ruidan had abandoned her since birth, so after many years of absence, could she suddenly claim her back just like that?
But if Princess Ruidan really wanted to see her, she couldn’t avoid it. Princess Kangning’s invitation alone was enough; if she didn’t want to see her, she had no choice but to see her.
Ji Hui’s face was full of tears. Due to her self-esteem, she refused to reveal that Princess Ruidan was her birth mother and that she wanted to see her. Sobbing, she said, “Princess Kangning also hosted a banquet for the ladies. I was ordered to attend. After drinking a few too many, I became intoxicated. In a daze, I heard someone saying to help me rest. Just as I laid down, someone entered, he, he…” Her face turned red. “I was weak and unable to resist, unable to call for help. I could only let him do as he pleased. In my desperation, I grabbed his purse… and I smelled the fragrance of agarwood on him.”
That scent, she would never forget after smelling it once. There was only one person in the world with that particular fragrance. So, she gave up struggling, gave up screaming. In this remote corner of the world, there was only her and him. Without those dangerous distractions, since fate brought them together, why not go with the flow? Under the heavens, the only person she could choose was him.
She accepted the process but didn’t anticipate the outcome. Just one wrong thought, and it would be irreparable. There was no antidote for regret. She could only continue forward. It wasn’t her fault, so why should she submit? Why should she back down?
Ji Hui suddenly raised her head and looked at Mingzhu. “Agarwood fragrance, does the Wangfei know who uses it? That fragrance is made from dozens of precious spices and takes a year to produce. Besides the regent, who else could use it? Who would dare to use it? I know Wangfei might say the purse could be lost, the fragrance could be stolen, but!” She exclaimed, “I was half asleep when someone woke me up and forcibly took me away from the regent’s temporary residence. If he didn’t do it, why did Mr. Meng help me?”
Trembling with tears in her eyes, she continued, “Yes, I am shameless. I got pregnant before marriage, lost my virtue to someone else, and lost all face. But should my child and I die? Dare to do but not to admit, what kind of person is that? Others can tolerate concubines and illegitimate children, so why can’t you? I am fighting for a glimmer of hope for myself and my child. What’s wrong with that? Yes, Ji Feng offended you and deserved to die, but if you could tolerate others, how could I end up like this?”
