Fu Zifei knelt in front of the corridor, in a very good mood, admiring the new rouge she had applied to her fingertips. She had been trying hard to get close to Ji Hui, waiting for this day to come. If Ji Hui went into the Regent’s Mansion and something happened, Mingzhu couldn’t explain it no matter what. That child, whether it was Yuwen Chu’s or not, as long as it died halfway, would forever be the biggest obstacle between Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu.
Mingzhu would remember this betrayal deeply, feeling sad when she thought about it, like a fish bone stuck in her throat. Yuwen Chu would remember that Mingzhu had once mercilessly killed “his child”, cruel and brutal, far from what he thought. With such a bad impression, how could they still love each other? Oh, it was so pleasant to think about.
It had been a long time since Ling Er had seen her so happy, so she smiled and asked, “What good news has made the mistress so happy?”
Fu Zifei smiled, “Nothing much, just thinking about some interesting things.”
Suddenly, someone said lightly, “Consort Jin has just experienced a great disaster. I almost thought you would never show a smile again, but I didn’t expect you to come out of sadness so quickly and be so happy.” Yuwen Guang walked over with a cold face and stood not far from Fu Zifei. “What interesting things are you talking about? Tell me, let me be happy too?”
Fu Zifei sensed that something was wrong with his tone, and her eyelids couldn’t help but twitch. She forced a smile and said, “Your Majesty, it’s just that my younger brother has talked about a marriage.”
Yuwen Guang said, “Your natal family has encountered such a thing, yet there are still people willing to marry your brother. It’s really not easy.”
“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s protection.” Fu Zifei gave him a big bow. “Your Majesty’s great kindness, I will never forget it.”
Yuwen Guang said indifferently, “Hand it over, and I’ll spare your life.”
Fu Zifei’s heart jumped wildly. “I don’t understand what Your Majesty is saying.”
Yuwen Guang said coldly, “Hand over the Dance Phoenix Seal of the Great Empress Dowager!”
Fu Zifei shivered, “So Your Majesty wanted this. I will give it to you immediately. Everything I have belongs to Your Majesty. As long as you want it, you can take it anytime.” She retrieved the seal from her bosom, lifting it high with both hands, offering it to Yuwen Guang.
Yuwen Guang took it and placed it in his embrace, expressionless. “You’ve disappointed me greatly. I once thought you were also a pitiful person, forced into many things unwillingly, sharing the same woes as me. I even thought that with all the hardships you’ve faced, you should have changed for the better. If you truly repent for your past actions, even if I don’t particularly like you, I won’t mistreat you. As long as I am here, I will protect you fully. However, you have truly disappointed me.”
Fu Zifei tried to resist: “Your Majesty, I don’t understand what you’re saying. What happened?”
Yuwen Guang looked at her and whispered, “Ji Hui had a miscarriage. The supervisor from the other courtyard confessed that you instructed them.”
How wonderful. Fu Zifei suddenly dropped her shoulders, which she had been holding up, and then covered her face and cried, “It’s a huge injustice! Why would I harm Ji Hui? I have no grudge against her. It must be the Regent’s Mansion. They framed me. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you have to intervene for me!”
Yuwen Guang frowned, “Fu Mingzheng is your uncle. Haven’t you heard? Any case he handles is ironclad. No one has ever been able to overturn it. This time is no different. There’s ample evidence, so stop making a scene.”
Fu Zifei kept bowing desperately, “It wasn’t me. I’m innocent, I’m innocent…”
Yuwen Guang waved off the others and whispered, “There are some things I don’t want to reveal, but I must today. You say you had no motive, but you did. I’ve always known that you’ve admired Sixth Uncle for a long time. Back when the Regent Wangfei was out looking for medical books, you visited the Sixth Uncle alone late at night multiple times. One time, he scolded you so severely that you cried bitterly and fell ill afterward. Do you remember?”
Fu Zifei bowed her head to the ground, motionless and silent.
“In fact, I lied to you. Ji Hui is fine. The Fu family has sent someone to take care of her food, clothing, and daily life. They are determined to let her safely deliver the child. It’s quite a coincidence, but that’s probably what they call fate.”
“Hehe… Haha… Hahaha…” Fu Zifei suddenly burst into laughter, “Before the Great Empress Dowager died, she told me that the destiny of Emperor Zhengqian’s line has come to an end, so there have been frequent accidents, always heading toward death. I didn’t believe it then, but now I have to. It shouldn’t be like this according to common sense. Why would the Fu family let Ji Hui give birth to this child? Shouldn’t they have struck first, while the child was still in the womb, to kill it early? Why would they let Ji Hui give birth to this disaster? Why?”
Fu Zifei hysterically screamed, her expression grim, “The Fu family is not virtuous, and Mingzhu is not a good person either, Your Majesty, do you believe me? I am helping you! Helping you! Acting on the orders of the Great Empress Dowager! Do you know? Their marriage discord benefits you. Now you want to punish me? For whom are you punishing me? For Ji Hui? What is she to you? She has betrayed you long ago, only using you. Do you know?”
Yuwen Guang looked at her expressionlessly, “I know. But you need to understand one thing. If the Great Empress Dowager were still alive, their marriage discord would benefit me. The Great Empress Dowager is no longer here. No matter how big the discord between them, they will still unite for their common interests and deal with me, and anyone else who stands in their way. So you are not helping me, you are venting your anger. As long as you are happy, you don’t care about the lives or deaths of others.”
Fu Zifei cried, “I’m innocent. It’s all their conspiracy and tricks.”
Yuwen Guang said, “This is the last time I’m seeing you. From now on, take care of yourself.”
He walked out without looking back. Jiang Youyuan came in, expressionless, “Consort Jin behaved improperly in front of Her Majesty, demoted to a commoner, and immediately moved to the Yihe Palace. Surname Fu, please.”
The Yihe Palace was the cold palace where Empress Dowager Min had confined various concubines and princes in the early years. It was unexpected that she would also move in there. Fu Zifei stood up coldly and signaled the stunned Ling Er, “Why haven’t you started packing yet?”
Jiang Youyuan stopped Ling Er, “Just take a few pieces of clothing, everything else has rules. Otherwise, it’s against the palace rules and you’ll be punished.” Fu Zifei’s previous belongings were used by her as a consort. Now that she had become the lowest-ranking commoner, she couldn’t use them anymore.
Ling Er begged repeatedly, “Steward Jiang, please be kind? We have nothing. We’ll be ground down sooner or later when we go in.”
Jiang Youyuan sighed, “His Majesty is very angry. Why did you have to step into this muddy water?”
Fu Zifei walked out coldly. She didn’t regret it. She only hated that the people involved were all weaklings who feared death.
