Chapter 129 Test and Entanglement
However, Zi You’s words today were like a wake-up call, clearing up his mind dousing the fire of his resentment and un-reconcilement.
She was right. All of this was because when he and his Mufei were favored by the Emperor, they not only weren’t low-key, but instead were too ostentatious. He thought that he should get those things because he was too handsome and excellent. At that time, he even dared to verbally offend Taizi. His Mufei also relied on the Emperor’s favor and repeatedly provoked the Empress. So, the root of this evil was planted by himself. When disaster struck, he and his Mufei were both dragged down. He was fl.u.s.tered and lost his rationality. Someone schemed against him step by step by and he became what he was like today.
Second w.a.n.gzi thought about the ups and downs that he had experienced and Zi You’s words again. He was deep in thought in his wheelchair.
He was eighteen years old this year and still lived in the Palace. He still had not established his own palace yet.
The reason was simple. He had not yet married. No one was willing to marry him in his current situation.
And he himself did not want to look at the disdainful eyes of those n.o.ble xiaojies.
Therefore, when the Emperor asked him twice and wanted to bestow an engagement on him, Second w.a.n.gzi coldly refused. “Erchen is like this now. If Erchen marries someone, Erchen will be harming her. Does Fuw.a.n.g not think that Erchen had been spurned enough?”
As a result, the Emperor was angry and never asked about his matters again. Not only marriage, but the Emperor no longer cared about his other matters either. It was as if he didn’t have this son.
Actually, Great Yan’s w.a.n.gzis should move out of the Palace as soon as they were adults even if they weren’t married.
It wasn’t for anything else, except to not be in contact with the Emperor’s harem of consorts.
There were three thousand beauties in the harem. If a loose and lonely woman hooked up with a w.a.n.gzi and cuckolded the Emperor, wouldn’t this be the biggest scandal? This sort of thing absolutely could not happen.
But because Second w.a.n.gzi could not copulate and was like a eunuch, the Emperor must be extremely relieved. He allowed him to live in the Palace and not have to establish his own palace. Let’s not talk about how he saved a large sum of money. But it also made it seem as if he cared a lot about this son. That’s why he kept him by his side.
Since the Emperor made no arrangements, others were naturally willing to see a joke.
Since he and his Mufei fell out of favor, the Empress had already moved them out of the luxuriously-decorated Weiyang Palace that was the closest to the Emperor’s Chengguang Palace Hall to the most remote Lianyun Palace.
The reason was dignified: “Meimei’s [De Fei] name is Lu Xiaoyun and the most favored by the Emperor. It’s the most suitable for meimei to live in this Lianyun Palace. The Emperor heard Bengong’s words and agreed. Meimei, you have to be grateful for the Emperor’s love for you.”
It would be okay if these words weren’t spoken, but once spoken, they were like a steel knife slicing into Mufei’s heart.
A consort of the previous Emperor, who was guilty of a crime, used to live at Lianyun Palace. This consort was hung to death in Lianyun Palace. This place was almost deserted, like the Cold Palace. When they moved here, the place was overgrown with weeds and desolate and eerie. Because his Mufei was angry and sorrowful and was exposed to the frigid air, she ran a high fever that night. If Gao mama [elderly nurse or servant] didn’t normally take care of the rewards that the Emperor bestowed and took the gold and silver jewelry to invite an imperial doctor, he was afraid that his Mufei would have died.
Mufei was only thirty-three years old, but already had white hair and wrinkles. This was his and that dog couple Emperor and Empress’ fault. Once Second w.a.n.gzi thought of how the Emperor ignored him and his Mufei all these years, he was angry enough to want to kill. His handsome face turned grim. He gritted his teeth as he secretly vowed that he would double the humiliation and suffering that he and his Mufei suffered to those people who harmed them and let them down.
Second w.a.n.gzi beckoned to his confidant eunuch and imperial guard Chu Shang and whispered some words to them.
Chu Shang was originally De Fei’s bodyguard from her maiden family. In order to enter the Palace to protect De Fei, he became a eunuch. This man, who was only two years older than De Fei, had always been secretly in love with his Xiaojie. But he was a servant and Lu Xiaoyun was his master. She could not marry him no matter what.
Sure enough, when Xiaojie was only fourteen years old, because her appearance was superior and she was talented, she was selected by the Emperor to enter the Palace.
Although Xiaojie’s father was an imperial censor and offended a lot of people, she won the Emperor’s favor with her appearance and temperament. She soon gave birth to a w.a.n.gzi and was soon conferred as a consort.
She had been favored and living in glory for more than ten years. If Second w.a.n.gzi had not fallen off the horse, became paralyzed, and greatly changed his temperament; how could Xiaojie be sad and neglected the Emperor and lost his favor and ended up in her current miserable situation?
In the end, no one was to blame except the heartless and fickle Emperor. There were countless of young beauties in the harem. How could the Emperor remember the aged and listless Xiaojie?
Actually, Xiaojie was no less ugly than those women. If she wasn’t worried about Second w.a.n.gzi all day and was too lazy to dress and put make up on, even all the women in the harem together could not add up to Xiaojie’s beauty.
Chu Shang’s heart held hatred, so he naturally followed Second w.a.n.gzi’s words. After De Fei lost favor, he was one of the few loyal attendants who stayed with De Fei and Second w.a.n.gzi. Now, there were many eyes sent by the Empress around De Fei and Second w.a.n.gzi. Only the two maidservants whom De Fei brought into the Palace with her, Xichun and Yindong and her wet nurse Gao mama were loyal. The other attendants had other intentions, so De Fei and Second w.a.n.gzi had never trusted them.
That Mu Xiaojie was young, but knew that Lianyun Palace had many eyes and ears. She actually came up with the idea to secretly treat Second w.a.n.gzi’s injury.
Regardless of her medical skills, how could it be easy to secretly treat his injury? Second w.a.n.gzi could not walk and was in a wheelchair. Mu Xiaojie was a blue-blooded n.o.ble xiaojie and the Emperor’s conferred commander of the female medical team. Even without her status, she was already eye-catching enough, so how could she leave the fu easily?
He didn’t know why she didn’t directly name a place and location where and when she would treat Second w.a.n.gzi, but instead made Second w.a.n.gzi rack his brain to make arrangements? Chu Shang did not understand and went sullenly to perform the tasks that Second w.a.n.gzi a.s.signed him.
Second w.a.n.gzi more or less guessed Zi You’s thoughts. This was for his own treatment. If he didn’t actively arrange matters, could it be that she should do it for him?
Zi You was sitting in a palace sedan chair and had a faint smile on her face. She deliberately gave a difficult problem to Second w.a.n.gzi. If he couldn’t even overcome such a small difficulty, then why should she treat his paralysis? He would be a waste even if he was cured.
Rather than a physical disability, it was more terrifying to have a useless brain. She was unrelated to him in any way, so she wasn’t obligated to do a good deed for him. Zi You arrived at the Palace door, got off the sedan chair, and saw Taizi.
When Taizi saw her, he asked in huge surprise, “You’er! When did you enter the Palace? Who summoned you? Are you leaving now?”
He asked several questions in a row. His tone and expression were intimate, as if he saw a lover whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Zi You shivered! She thought black-belly, ‘Keep pretending. You must have received news that De Fei summoned me and came to meet me here. Also, do we know each other well? Who are you showing this deeply emotional and pleasantly surprised expression for? Do you want to prove to everyone that you and I are in love?’
She soon saw through Taizi’s plot. She faintly curtsied. “Chennu pays respects to Taizi. Wishing Taizi thousands of good fortune!”
Taizi stepped forwards to personally help her up.
Shiyun quickly blocked in front of him.
Zi You’s body shifted and dodged to the side. She said properly, “Men and women should maintain distance. Please conduct yourself with dignity, Taizi!”
Taizi feigned a hurt expression on his face and sighed. “You’er, are you blaming me for not going to see you every day after you got injured? I went, but Old General wouldn’t let me see you.”
Shameless! Zi You secretly and angrily scolded. This person deliberately tried to create romantic news in front of a bustling place. His words and actions were to tell people that he really had some sort of entanglement with Zi You. He wanted her to break off the engagement with Zhao HongXiang and obediently run into his arms.
If the ignorant her in her previous life saw him like this, she would certainly be fooled by him. But she would not be so stupid in this lifetime.
Zi You immediately pretended to look naïve and innocent. She looked at Taizi and increased her volume. “Yes, I’m very angry! Why didn’t brother-in-law Taizi come with Xue jiejie [Liu Ruixue] to see me? Xue jiejie tells me about brother-in-law Taizi gege. She told me to ignore you and pretend that I didn’t see you when we meet. So, I can’t talk to you. I’m leaving now. Don’t stop me.”
She smiled and started to leave.
There were originally many officials and bystanders looking at them in front of the bustling Palace door. When they heard her words, the suspicions they had about Zi You and Taizi’s relationship were shaken.
It seemed that the situation wasn’t like what the rumors said about Mu Xiaojie interacting with Taizi and Third w.a.n.gzi.
It seemed that the naïve and innocent Mu Xiaojie treated Taizi as her brother-in-law. She didn’t think in the direction of male-female relations.
Taizi’s expression did make people suspicious. It seemed that Taizi liked Mu Xiaojie’s appearance, talent, and family background. But Mu Xiaojie was young and insensible. She regarded Taizi as her brother-in-law and was not reserved, making Taizi misunderstand.
Or perhaps Taizi did not misunderstand. He wanted to take the opportunity to marry both sisters and move them to Taizi fu.
After all, in terms of appearance, talent, or family background, Mu Xiaojie was no worse than Liu Xiaojie.