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Chapter 127 Second Wangzi Seeks Treatment [2]

Old General Mu’s eyes turned sharp as he looked at Eunuch Dong. His voice held a warning. “Eunuch Dong, I’m handing my granddaughter in one piece over to you. You must return her in one piece.”

Eunuch Dong was nervous. He immediately bowed and replied, “Please rest assured, Old General. Nucai will send Mu Xiaojie back safe and sound.”

Zi you curtsied deeply to her grandfather. She calmly got on the horse carriage with a slight smile and went towards the Palace.

At De Fei’s Lianyun Palace, Zi You saw the Emperor’s former favored consort.

She was wearing a blue phoenix and cloud-embroidered palace attire. Her hair was in a Lingyun bun with an eight-tailed phoenix hairpin. She had on emerald green inlaid earrings and a dragon and phoenix bracelet.

She had a pair of long and thin phoenix eyes with dark and inscrutable pupils. The shallow crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes did not affect her beauty at all. Instead, it added a bit of mature charm to her.

As Zi You was observing De Fei, De Fei was observing her. The little guniang in front of her was eleven or twelve years old. She had smoky eyebrows, pink lotus lips, tender skin, and beautiful eyes. Her elegance had a touch of gorgeousness. She was not only beautiful, but her temperament was noble and dignified. She was elegant and calm. Her actions were fluid and graceful. She was more charming and moving than the gongzhus in the Palace.

The most beautiful were her eyes. They were deep like a clear spring and crystal clear like obsidian, flashing intelligence and confidence.

Her voice was also very pleasant, like a yellow warbler out of a valley. “Chennu pays respects to consort. Wishing consort thousands of good fortunes.”

De Fei lightly helped her up and smiled as she said, “You really are a beautiful and clever yatou. No wonder my son praises Mu Xiaojie for having a good character.”

Zi You smiled modestly. Her smile was elegant and stunning like a thousand-year-old snow lotus blooming. “Consort is over-praising. Consort is the epitome of a phoenix.”

De Fei lightly smiled. “I heard Second Wangzi said that your painting can attract butterflies and your zither-playing can attract birds. I was very curious so I always wanted to see what kind of talented and beautiful guniang has this ability. Now that I have seen you today, I believe in Second Wangzi’s words. Only someone like guniang with an immortal aura can have such ability.”

“How? It’s just some clever trick that can’t be seen in public.” Zi You’s smile was faint. She was uncomfortable facing De Fei’s cordialness. She couldn’t help but be black belly. I don’t think you want to see me because you’re curious! Please just say what you want to say. Don’t flatter me like that. So nauseating.

De Fei saw that Zi You was not meek or arrogant, with a cold and indifferent expression. She couldn’t help but be secretly surprised. At the least, she was a consort of the Emperor. If average little guniangs heard such praise from her, they would be complacent and proud. But the slightest bit of joy could not be seen on this little yatou’s face. Her pair of eyes was as dark as spring water and didn’t show joy or anger. One didn’t know what she was thinking about.

De Fei was at least the favored consort of the Emperor back then. Although she had lost favor, she was not stepped on by those snobbish attendants in the Palace or her love rivals. It could be seen that she was not a simple character.

Her heart was shocked, but her face didn’t reflect a trace of it. She amiably pulled Zi You to sit next to her. She pushed all sorts of pastries on the table towards Zi You. She smiled as she said, “Have a taste. I made these myself. This Lianyun Palace is now like a Cold Palace. I have nothing to do so I’m just passing the time. Don’t mind it.”

Although she was smiling, her words contained loneliness and desolation. Zi You was immediately reminded of her bitter and suffering life when she married into Duke Yongnan fu in her previous life.

She gently looked around and shook her head in her heart. She secretly sighed that a phoenix that lost its feathers really couldn’t compare to a chicken!

This De Fei used to control the whole harem, but now look at the decorations in her Palace. The curtains had faded and lost their color. It could be seen how difficult her days were.

If this was before, Zi You would be sympathetic seeing such a situation and such a person. But she was like water without even a ripple now.

However, in order to incite De Fei’s hatred towards the Empress and Taizi, Zi You exposed a puzzled expression. “Consort, you’re so beautiful and gave birth to Second Wangzi, who has a dragon-like character, so you should enjoy full respect. Chennu doesn’t understand why you would say such things?”

De Fei was originally testing Zi You to see if she would be sympathetic to her. If she sympathized with her, then De Fei would immediately tell her about her tragic experience of gradually falling out of favor since Second Wangzi’s injury. Then she would ask Zi You to treat Second Wangzi’s legs.

But Zi You’s eyes held no sympathy or pity and only puzzlement. Her face looked exactly the same as when De Fei first saw her.

A twelve-year-old little yatou should be ignorant and naïve. She seemed to be expressing that. However, De Fei still felt that this cold and indifferent little yatou in front of her was not so simple.

Of course, De Fei was there to ask for a favor, so she could not speak her doubts out loud. She shook her head in sorrow. “Yes, if Second Wangzi did not get injured, my life will not be like this now. But Second Wangzi is lame now. He is a mockery in the Emperor’s eyes. A lame wangzi is a shame...... Ordinary people might show more care because their child has a disability, but the vital thing in the imperial family is face. Second Wangzi makes the Emperor lose face. Even his Mufei, me, is looked down on.”

De Fei burst into tears. All the attendants in the Palace had been sent away by De Fei. Otherwise, she would never say such words.

De Fei expressed her suppressed grievances and used sincere words in order to make Zi You empathize and agree to treat Second Wangzi.

It must be known that men and women should maintain distance. To treat Duke Yongnan Shizi, Zi You got engaged to him. How would she block other people’s mouths if she treated Second Wangzi now?

Seeing De Fei crying like pear blossoms in the rain, Zi You thought of that lonely figure of Second Wangzi sitting in his wheelchair. She finally sighed and persuaded, “Don’t cry, consort. You know that walls have ears. Chennu is young and doesn’t know what will happen if the Emperor finds out about your words and tears. Moreover, consort trusts Chennu that Chennu will not repeat your words to others?”

De Fei was shocked again! She really did not understand this little yatou.

She was heartless and ignorant, but knew how to remind her that walls have ears. She was kind and caring, but De Fei had cried for so long and the little yatou had not shed any tears of compassion.

De Fei could not tell what kind of person Zi You was. She wanted to ask her to treat her son’s legs, but was afraid that she would use the excuse of “men and women should maintain distance” to refuse.

However, she wouldn’t give up unless she tried. She finally decided and wiped her tears off. She sounded out, “I think that Mu Xiaojie is a good person. To treat Duke Yongnan Shizi’s leg, you even got engaged to him. I think that you aren’t someone who will watch someone suffer and stand by doing nothing.”

Good person? Zi You lightly smiled. That was in her previous life. She would never be that kind of person in this lifetime. She had only two purposes now. One was to seek vengeance and one was to protect her loved ones from harm. Everything else had nothing to do with her.

However, she really wanted to see if this Second Wangzi was worthy of being saved by her. After all, if his legs were cured, there would be another person to keep Taizi and Third Wangzi in check. The more chaotic the imperial family was, the safer her grandfather would be.

Zi You thought of this and quietly said, “Chennu is not some good person. Treating Duke Yongnan Shizi and getting engaged to him are grandfather and mother’s intentions. Chennu is only following elders’ decision and should not be praised by consort.”

De Fei was startled. She couldn’t help but ask, “Oh? Why? If Shizi’s leg is not cured, he will be lame. Why did Old General and your mother do that? Aren’t they afraid of ruining your life?”

De Fei did not understand. Zi You’s mother was her stepmother. There was nothing strange about what she did. How many stepmothers really thought on behalf of the children of her husband and his previous wife’s? But Old General Mu’s actions were a surprise. She heard that Old General Mu was very fond of his granddaughter. Could it be that marrying his granddaughter to a cripple was really, as the rumors went, to avoid Taizi and Third Wangzi’s entanglement?

Zi You smiled a blooming and dazzling smile. This was the first time that she had smiled sincerely since she came to Lianyun Palace.

De Fei discovered that Zi You’s smile was gorgeous, as if hundreds of flowers were blooming. It could eclipse the surrounding scenery.

A vase of blooming red, pink, and other colored plum blossoms sat on her table. The flowers were originally charming, but Zi You’s smile now suppressed their charm.

De Fei was shocked by Zi You’s smile, but even more stunned by her words.

“Consort, please forgive Chennu for not agreeing with you. Grandfather loves Chennu, so he will certainly not harm Chennu. Grandfather has his own considerations. Shizi’s leg had not completely lost hope of being treated. But even if he is lame, he and his father, Duke Yongnan, have promised grandfather that Shizi will wholeheartedly treat Chennu well. He will not have tongfangs now or concubines in the future. How precious is this point? How many noble descendants can make such a vow? It is not scary for a person to be sick. The scary thing is for a person’s mind to be sick. Grandfather liked this point about Shizi and Duke Yongnan. That’s why he agreed to the engagement.”