Chapter 187 Sincerely Moving the Empress Dowager, Poisonous Woman is Beaten Until Crippled
Shangguan LingRan had repeatedly argued and finally came to a conclusion. “Imperial grandmother, someone wants to kill you. Think about it. You’ve been ill for so long, but did anyone make trouble with those garbage imperial doctors? No, right?
“But once Mu Xiaojie makes some progress with your illness, someone immediately targets her. Have you wondered why? It’s because they don’t want you to get well! It’s because Mu Zi You isn’t from their camp and is wholehearted in treating you. That’s why they want to kill her. Once she dies, those people can continue harming you.”
The Empress Dowager had thought about his a.n.a.lysis and really thought that it was the truth. So, she had regretted that she hadn’t properly interrogated Lin Pin and had let the Emperor quickly dispose of her.
Now that the Emperor was speaking like this, of course the Empress Dowager was displeased. It’s already good that Aijia didn’t execute your favored consort’s whole family. But you still want to punish Aijia’s precious grandson? Aijia’s precious grandson sincerely treats Aijia well. Will Aijia let you punish him?
So, that was why the Empress Dowager was filled with dissatisfaction now and was feeling more pleased towards Zi You.
She couldn’t resist against Shangguan LingRan singing Zi You’s praises. “Imperial grandmother, if Mu Zi You wasn’t wholeheartedly focused on treating you, then she wouldn’t have offended them. Imperial grandmother, your grandson likes her and wants to marry her. That way, you will have another person who sincerely respects and treats you well.”
The Empress Dowager thought that it was true. If her grandson had such a capable wife, then wouldn’t she be able to relax too? At least, when someone wanted to harm him, there was one more person to protect him.
But the question was: Did Mu Zi You like her grandson? Could she sincerely like him and treat him wholeheartedly?
The Empress Dowager tried to test Zi You again the next night. “You cured Aijia. What should Aijia reward you with?”
Zi You curtsied and said modestly, “The best reward is Empress Dowager and Shizi Ye’s trust in Chennu!”
The Empress Dowager heard her mention Shangguan LingRan and immediately reluctantly shook her head. “Yatou, you’re engaged too soon. If you weren’t engaged already, Aijia really wants to engage you to Ling’er. Ling’er has never truly liked a person. Did you see how he threw the medicine bowl at Lin Pin even at the risk of being punished by his imperial uncle? Aijia has never seen him care so much about a girl.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Zi You to see if there were any contemptuous or shy expressions on her face.
In the past, those were the n.o.ble xiaojies’ expressions when the Empress Dowager had mentioned Shangguan LingRan getting married.
Zi You looked touched and spoke very sincerely. “Chennu is very grateful to Shizi Ye for speaking in the name of justice. But Chennu can only treat Shizi Ye as a good friend in this lifetime. Empress Dowager, if Shizi Ye needs help, Chennu would not hesitate to go through fire and water!”
“Don’t you want to marry him as Zhengfei?” The Empress Dowager pretended to be puzzled.
Zi You shook her head. “Empress Dowager, Chennu is already engaged to Duke Yongnan Shizi. Chennu has no affinity with Shizi Ye in this lifetime.”
“Then what if Duke Yongnan Shizi dissolves the engagement or if he breaks the agreement with you and you dissolve the engagement?” The Empress Dowager looked into Zi You’s eyes. She didn’t believe that a thirteen-year-old girl wouldn’t show some real intentions under her probing.
Zi You did indeed frown, but she soon returned to her calmness. She said sincerely, “Then Chennu cannot do anything ungrateful and ruin Shizi Ye’s reputation. How can a woman who had her engagement dissolved marry into the imperial family? Shizi Ye is the future An w.a.n.g. Chennu cannot let him be a laughingstock.
“The grace of a drop of water needs to be repaid with a spring. Not to mention, Shizi Ye stood up for Chennu at a critical moment. Chennu can never forget this debt of grat.i.tude!”
The Empress Dowager heard these words and knew that she was someone who knew how to repay debts of grat.i.tude. She told Shangguan LingRan afterwards: “Grandma asked her for you. That yatou is only grateful towards you and doesn’t like you. Grandma thinks that you should give up.”
Shangguan LingRan naturally wouldn’t believe the Empress Dowager’s words. He asked seriously, “How did you ask her?”
The Empress Dowager then recounted her and Zi You’s conversation. Shangguan LingRan immediately said in dissatisfaction, “If you ask your grandson like this, grandson will answer like that too. She is thinking for the sake of your grandson and is unwilling to marry into the w.a.n.g fu because of her ident.i.ty as a woman who had an engagement dissolved. She’s afraid that she will lower grandson’s n.o.bility.
“It’s more obvious that her character is n.o.ble and pure. She’s unlike those n.o.ble xiaojies who disdain your grandson for being an uneducated dandy, covet glory and wealth, or like grandson’s appearance.
“Imperial grandmother, grandson doesn’t want anyone else except for her or else grandson will become a monk! If You’er marries someone else or has an accident, grandson won’t be able to live!”
The Empress Dowager had never thought that her grandson was so deeply in love with Zi You. She knew that Shangguan LingRan was very decisive and couldn’t help but worry. She patted her chest and said, “But she is already engaged to Duke Yongnan Shizi. What do you want grandma to do?”
Shangguan LingRan immediately asked in surprise, “You mean that as long as her engagement with that Zhao HongXiang is dissolved, then you will bestow her in marriage to your grandson?”
The Empress Dowager was startled. “Hey! You can’t be muddleheaded!”
Shangguan LingRan shook his head and whispered something to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager suddenly smiled dotingly.
She patted Shangguan LingRan’s hand and smiled. “You little imp. How can you scheme against people like that?”
Shangguan LingRan smiled proudly. “Imperial grandmother, wait for your grandson to bring You’er here as your granddaughter-in-law. Grandson promises that she will be filial towards you!”
The Empress Dowager thought about it and sighed in worry. “But grandma is afraid that Old General Mu will disdain you and your imperial uncle will even dread you even more. Ah…… Why are you born in the year of the dragon?”
“I don’t care. I don’t care.” Shangguan LingRan sprawled on the Empress Dowager’s bed and acted shamelessly. “Grandson wants Mu Zi You as my wife and don’t want other people!”
“Okay, okay.” The Empress Dowager sincerely loved her grandson. She couldn’t bear him being sad and helplessly coaxed him. “Let grandma think of a way.”
Because Shangguan LingRan was determined to marry Zi You, the Empress Dowager didn’t want to kill Zi You anymore. Her att.i.tude was a lot better than the first day.
And in the process of waiting on the Empress Dowager, Zi You was very respectful towards Shangguan LingRan without any trace of contempt towards him.
Shangguan LingRan came back and described the wedding vividly to the Empress Dowager and Zi You. “Duke Anguo fu provided 120 items of dowry. Taizi gege was very happy, but Taizifei’s smile seemed strange. It didn’t look sincere.”
A sharp light flashed across the Empress Dowager’s eyes. She asked, “Was the new bride happy?”
“She was okay.” Shangguan LingRan peeled an orange and threw a piece into his mouth. “She smiled, but that smile didn’t reach her eyes. Imperial grandmother, if it’s your grandson, seeing my husband’s Zhengfei put on an air of being the mistress of the household, grandson wouldn’t be happy either.”
The Empress Dowager sighed and didn’t speak.
At night, Shangguan LingRan didn’t come to find Zi You. Zi You told him, “I can’t always keep the Empress Dowager in a state of deep sleep. The imperial doctors are coming tomorrow. They will detect it. You can’t always come see me secretly. If someone sees us, we’ll be in trouble.”
Shangguan LingRan thought about it and agreed. After Imperial Doctor Qin’s matter, Taizi and the Empress would certainly pay more attention. He couldn’t ruin their future for a moment of happiness.
Zi You stayed in the Palace for five days. The Empress Dowager’s condition was completely stable, so she returned to the General’s Manor.
Before she left, in front of the Empress Dowager, she gave the Empress Dowager and Shangguan LingRan sachets like that one she gave to Liu Ruixue.
The Empress Dowager didn’t think that Zi You would give them sachets so openly and aboveboard in front of her. Her favorable impression of Zi You increased again.
Zi You’s blunt and aboveboard words made the Empress Dowager feel that she was a grateful and person who know how to repay debts of grat.i.tude even more.
“Shizi Ye, thank you for your care these few days. If Zi You was disrespectful to you before, please forgive Zi You. If Shizi Ye needs anything in the future, have the Empress Dowager send a message. Zi You will do her best to accomplish it.”
At that moment, the Empress Dowager really thought about marrying Zi You to Shangguan LingRan. She thought that this girl had a very good character. Perhaps she could really make her grandson happy.
Zi You returned to the fu to see w.a.n.g Yiping. w.a.n.g Yiping was locked in a small courtyard next to the ancestral hall where sacrificial supplies were piled. She looked haggard and sat in a wheelchair.
When she saw Zi You come over, a trace of menace flashed across her drooping single-lidded phoenix eyes. She immediately pretended to ask in concern, “You’re back? Life in the mountains was rough, right? You’ve lost weight.”
It was as if nothing unpleasant had happened before. And it was as if she hadn’t heard those last sentences of Zi You’s before.
w.a.n.g Yiping could endure even more now. It seemed that those military rods had wasted her legs, but her mind became tougher.
Zi You also pretended to ask in concern, “Mother, are your legs okay? If you can walk, you should try to move around. Don’t just sit in a wheelchair. Otherwise, you will become crippled.
“Just be at ease here and recite Buddhist sutras. When the Emperor isn’t angry anymore, I will ask him to let you out.”
w.a.n.g Yiping was so angry that she almost broke character. She gritted her teeth and endured for a very long time before smiling. “Don’t worry. How can I not cherish you caring about me? I’ll be fine. I still want to see you get married and have children.”
The words were very gentle, but only Zi You knew that they were full of resentment and malice. She could almost hear w.a.n.g Yiping gnashing her teeth.