Empress Dowager Min rubbed her forehead, looking very unhappy as she sighed, “Today’s event was following family etiquette. What’s the fault? Your Majesty?”
“Exactly.” Yuwen Chu smiled faintly, showing agreement, but secretly reached out under the table and gently pinched Mingzhu. Mingzhu looked puzzled, “What’s Your Majesty’s command?”
Yuwen Chu glanced at her, but said nothing.
Mingzhu took the hint and smiled, “Didn’t the Empress Dowager invite us to come here for a meal? What delicious dishes have been prepared? Your child is hungry.”
Empress Dowager Min, with a stern face, ordered the servants to prepare the meal, while Funing got up to pull Zhu Yingying, comforting her gently, “Come, let’s go to my place and change your clothes.”
Zhu Yingying shook her head, and a few crystal tears rolled down, “Thank you for your kindness, Princess, but it’s not necessary.”
Funing wondered, “Aren’t you feeling unwell? Don’t you need to change your clothes?”
Zhu Yingying was very embarrassed, “Yingying doesn’t understand what the Princess means.”
Funing stomped her foot, “You hurriedly left several times. Isn’t it because you’re feeling unwell? You rushed out just now, but then stopped here without moving. Isn’t it because something unexpected happened?”
Zhuyingying was so ashamed and angry that she wished she could die, yet she still persisted, “I don’t understand Your Highness’s meaning.”
Funing had a stubborn personality. Seeing that Zhu Yingying not only rejected her goodwill but also tried to slip away from the ladder she handed down, she pretended not to understand her words. This made her furious. “I was trying to help you, and you’re still pretending? Do you really think you can cover up what happened earlier by pushing the desk? Fine, if you refuse to listen to me, then so be it! Let’s see what you’ll do!”
After saying this, she really left Zhu Yingying there and walked away. Zhu Yingying was young and thin-skinned, so she immediately cried with infinite grievances. After such a shameful incident, she had no way to go back. Just thinking about it made her feel ashamed and resentful. How could she dare to face Yuwen Chu again?
Lady Jian felt sorry for her daughter and also guessed that her daughter had been set up by someone, and the person who had done it was none other than the powerful Empress in the palace. Without evidence, she didn’t dare to confront Mingzhu head-on. But she couldn’t swallow this humiliation. So she had an idea and stood up to bid farewell to Empress Dowager Min, “My daughter is unwell. Please allow me to take her home and teach her a lesson.”
Empress Dowager Min was also very dissatisfied with Mingzhu. She said sternly, “Wasn’t she fine when she entered the palace? How did she suddenly fall ill? Who doesn’t have some illness or discomfort? Since she’s ill, summon the imperial physician to examine her, so I can be assured. Liu Gugu, you follow Madam Marquis Jinghai to see if there’s anything that needs assistance.”
If she found out something, she would definitely ask Yuwen Chu to explain it to her. She was still alive. How could the Empress dare to slap her face so openly and disturb her family? Did she want to wait until she died?
Yuwen Chu pinched Mingzhu again heavily, indicating that if she needed it, he would help her. Mingzhu pinched him back heavily and looked puzzled, “What for?”
Yuwen Chu sighed and couldn’t be bothered to deal with her anymore, so he just sat aside and watched quietly.
Empress Dowager Min thought that Zhu Yingying had been taken away and wanted to give her face. She got up to leave, “Let’s go. We’ll leave first, and you can come later.”
Mingzhu smiled and followed Yuwen Chu, leading everyone out. When Lady Jian saw that there were no outsiders, she dared to go and pull Zhu Yingying. She whispered, “My dear daughter, you’ve suffered. The Empress Dowager will take care of you.”
Zhu Yingying blushed and bowed her head, crying softly, and let Lady Jian lead her back to her seat. Liu Gugu had originally planned to see a miserable scene but found that Zhu Yingying didn’t reveal anything. The ground was clean and there was no more foul smell. She also felt puzzled and asked Zhu Yingying softly, “Miss, what’s wrong with you?”
Zhu Yingying covered her face and kept crying, refusing to speak. Sixth Aunt couldn’t do anything, so she tried, “Miss, please go to the side hall and change your clothes there?”
Zhu Yingying, who had been suppressing her anger and grievances for a long time, finally burst out, “Change clothes? What clothes do I need to change? I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that I had a little gas and couldn’t hold it in, so I let out a little stink. Who doesn’t fart? Why are you so insistent? What exactly do you want? I didn’t poop, I didn’t poop, I didn’t poop, I didn’t poop! Do you hear me clearly? Do you all want to see me embarrassed?”
Lady Jian quickly covered her mouth, “How can you be so rude? Quickly apologize to Liu Gugu!”
Zhu Yingying cried again, “I’m sorry! I was too anxious and felt too embarrassed. I didn’t mean to target Liu Gugu…”
Liu Gugu smiled and waved her hand, “What I was worried about was that you were sick. Since you’re not sick and it’s just an accident, that’s the best.” She called a palace maid to help Zhu Yingying wash her face and touch up her makeup. “Rest for a while, and then go to the banquet later. I’ll go back to give an answer to the Empress Dowager first, so she won’t worry.”
Lady Jian held Liu Gugu and tried to give her some silver, but Liu Gugu firmly refused and left quickly. Lady Jian scolded Zhu Yingying, “Why are you so careless? I told you to eat less earlier, but you didn’t listen. Now you’ve embarrassed yourself, haven’t you?”
Zhu Yingying cried loudly, “I didn’t eat anything. My stomach has been empty all along. I was just afraid of this situation happening. I just drank a glass of water in the palace. Someone must have harmed me. Mother, you have to tell the Empress Dowager to stand up for me.”
Lady Jian sighed, “I’ve only heard of laxatives, but you didn’t have diarrhea, just a lot of gas. This, this… I’m afraid it’s not easy to explain. It’s also possible to have this after catching a cold.”
Zhu Yingying cried, “I don’t care, I don’t care. Do you want me to just admit my bad luck?”
Lady Jian said, “I’m afraid that’s all we can do.” While speaking, Zhu Yingying became anxious again, “No, I can’t hold it anymore. I want to go home. How can I dare to sit at the banquet like this? Wouldn’t that make me a laughingstock?”
Lady Jian looked around and whispered, “There’s no one here. Just relax. I’ll go and say goodbye to the Empress Dowager. Ah, what bad luck…”
Mingzhu watched the singing and dancing with her chin in her hands, and when she was happy, she even pulled Yuwen Chu to watch, “Your Highness, look at that, the performance is really good…”
The happier she was, the more annoyed Empress Dowager Min became. When Liu Gugu came in, she waved to call Liu Gugu over, “What’s going on?”
Liu Gugu whispered the situation just now, and Empress Dowager Min couldn’t help but feel very puzzled. Earlier, she had thought that Mingzhu had given Zhu Yingying laxatives, but now it seemed not. Could it be just a coincidence?
Mingzhu noticed her gaze and smiled friendly at her, “Mother, I’m hungry.”
Empress Dowager Min sighed helplessly, “Prepare the meal.” When Lady Jian came to bid farewell, she didn’t stop her either, “Go ahead.”
Mingzhu was in high spirits and ate with relish. Yuwen Chu propped his chin and stared at her, Mingzhu glanced at him, “What are you looking at?”
Yuwen Chu smiled faintly and wiped the oil stains from her lips, “You handle things very appropriately.”
Mingzhu was bewildered, “I don’t understand.”
Yuwen Chu pinched her and muttered under his breath, “Jealous vinegar jar.”
“Don’t blame me, Your Majesty. The big vinegar jar is sitting right there,” Mingzhu smiled. This time, she just let Zhu Yingying make a fool of herself by farting a few times. If there’s a next time and she still doesn’t know when to back down, it won’t be so simple.
