Fifteen years ago (Part 2)
Fu Yunjin has been married to Cui Sugong for ten years. During these ten years, she has always been dutiful and well-behaved, all in order to improve the image of the Fu family in Cui Sugong's mind.
She was always kind and lenient to the concubines and servants in the harem. As long as it was not a particularly serious mistake, she would find a way to make amends outside the palace rules. No matter what difficulties they encountered, as long as they came to her, or if she overheard them by chance, she would do her best to help.
She always treated Shen Meiwu, her former servant and now rival in love, with courtesy and never used her status as Empress to make things difficult for her. She never said a bad word about her, either openly or in private.
Needless to say, this applies even more to Cui Sugong.
When Cui Sugong said he wanted to live in Chengqian Palace and live with Shen Meiwu like husband and wife, she helped cover it up; when Cui Sugong felt that she was not taking good enough care of Shen Meiwu, she raised Shen Meiwu's treatment to be higher than that of the Empress, just as Cui Sugong requested; when Cui Sugong wanted to take away the Phoenix Seal, she sent the Phoenix Seal to Chengqian Palace without saying a word.
She had already made so many concessions, but in the end, because of a palace maid's baseless accusation, Cui Sugong convicted her without even investigating, disregarding the fact that she was carrying their child, and concluding that she and the Fu family were both despicable beings.
Fu Yunjin touched the redness and swelling on her face, feeling that the slap had not only hit her face, but also her heart.
She looked up at Cui Sugong, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Your Majesty, even if I have done something wrong, I am still carrying your child. You say that my family and I are lowly and insignificant, then what are my child and I?!"
"What is it?" Cui Sugong's anger intensified as he recalled his earlier guess: "It's an illegitimate child that shouldn't have existed! If I had known this child would cause such a commotion before it was even born, I should have forced a bowl of abortifacient medicine down your throat when I found out you were pregnant!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunjin felt a chill run through her heart.
Her child, the child she eagerly anticipated and loved with all her heart, was described by the child's father as an 'illegitimate child' that should never have existed.
Because of her, her child was resented by the father even before he was born.
Fu Yunjin's emotions fluctuated wildly, and soon large water stains appeared on the hem of her skirt.
—She's about to give birth!
*****
Cui Sugong's words were harsh, but they were mostly spoken in anger. After all, the child in Fu Yunjin's belly was his child, and his only hope at the moment.
So when he saw that Fu Yunjin was about to give birth because of his words, he immediately summoned the midwife and the imperial physician.
Upon hearing the news, Shen Meiwu rushed over despite still being in postpartum confinement.
Upon arriving at Kunning Palace, Shen Meiwu first inquired about the current situation, then quietly instructed Yanzhi to keep a close eye on the people in Kunning Palace before approaching Cui Sugong.
Upon seeing Shen Meiwu's arrival, Cui Sugong's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He hurriedly had someone bring a thick cloak and carefully draped it over her before speaking with concern, "Meiwu, you're still in your postpartum period and shouldn't be exposed to the wind. What are you doing here?"
"Cui Lang, Her Majesty the Empress is about to give birth before her due date is even full. I am really worried. I feel anxious no matter how I stay in the palace, so I came to see if there is anything I can help with."
“By the way,” Shen Meiwu looked at Cui Sugong with a worried expression, “Cui Lang, I heard that you had a dispute with the Empress. What happened?”
Cui Sugong pursed his lips and said, "She did something wrong, but she refused to admit it. I was so angry that I scolded her and said some harsh words. Who knew that she would go into premature labor like this?"
Judging from Cui Sugong's words, even though Fu Yunjin went into premature labor, Cui Sugong still believes that she was the one who administered the sterilization drug? That's good.
Shen Meiwu breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion, and threw herself into Cui Sugong's arms, gently stroking his chest to help him catch his breath: "Cui Lang, although the Empress did something wrong, she is carrying your child. How could you speak so harshly to her? Everything should wait until the child is born before we talk about it."
"I could tolerate it if it were anything else, but you know what, she actually... she actually..."
Looking into Shen Meiwu's loving eyes, Cui Shenzhi couldn't bring himself to speak. How could he tell the woman he loved that he had lost his fertility? What would Shen Meiwu think of him after she found out? Would she think he wasn't a real man and no longer love him?
Shen Meiwu frowned slightly upon seeing this.
She had a backup plan in mind. If Cui Sugong didn't tell her, how could she, who was 'unaware' of the situation, make it seem plausible?
So she nestled into Cui Sugong's arms like a dodder vine and said softly, "Cui Lang, we've been together for ten years. Although we're not husband and wife, it's understandable that you don't believe me, but..."
“Meiwu,” Cui Sugong grabbed Shen Meiwu’s hand and pressed it to his chest, “What are you saying? What do you mean we’re not husband and wife? In my heart, you are my only wife, how could I not believe you? I just don’t know how to tell you.”
"Cui Lang, since you say I am the only wife in your heart, and there is nothing you cannot trust, then what is there that you cannot tell me?"
Cui Sugong looked at Shen Meiwu's worried eyes for a long time, but in the end he couldn't hold back and was defeated.
He leaned close to Shen Meiwu's ear and whispered, "Fu Yunjin gave me a sterilization drug so that her son would be the undisputed heir to the throne. Now I can't get anyone pregnant."
After letting out a small gasp, Shen Meiwu glanced around and then pulled Cui Sugong to a relatively secluded corner. She also had Yanzhi stand at a distance to block any prying eyes before speaking anxiously.
"Cui Lang, could there be a mistake? Although everyone is saying that the Empress is carrying a prince, and the Fu family has been quite restless, the Empress is still your wife. How could she be so heartless as to do such a thing to you for the sake of her family, the child in her womb, and her own interests?"
“Meiwu, you’re still too naive. So what if she’s my wife? The emperor’s legal wife and the emperor’s birth mother have completely different status and power. Of course she’d do anything for that.”
"I never imagined that Her Majesty the Empress would be so audacious as to do such a thing to you!" Shen Meiwu's eyes were filled with heartache: "You are her husband! How could she drug you like this for the sake of power? It's simply too much!"
After saying that, Shen Meiwu threw herself into Cui Sugong's arms, but after a while she sighed: "Cui Lang, even though Her Majesty the Empress has done such a daring thing, if you ask me, it would be better if you didn't pursue it."
"Why?!"
"Leaving aside what those restless royal relatives would do if they found out, you now... the prince born to the Empress is your only heir. If you punish the Empress under these circumstances, wouldn't that alienate the future Crown Prince and his father?"
“So that’s what you were worried about,” Cui Sugong’s expression relaxed a little. “I’ve already thought it through. My brothers still have quite a few concubines. When one of them gets pregnant, you can fake a pregnancy. Once the child is born, I’ll steal it and pass it off as our son.”
Shen Meiwu's expression softened slightly.
She didn't drag Choi Suk-gong into this so that his brothers could reap the benefits.
"Cui Lang, this idea is good, but have you thought about it? Those concubines might not give birth to sons. What will you do then? Are you asking me to fake a miscarriage? Once or twice is fine, but if I keep 'pregnant' and it happens with those concubines, won't it arouse suspicion?"
"Besides, your brothers are not exactly respectable people. Their concubines come from all walks of life. Who knows if their children will be mentally challenged or have any defects? You can't tell the difference in a short time. It will be too late if you find out later."
"Besides, secrets can't be kept forever. What if one day the child we adopted finds out the truth, but we've been kept in the dark and have treated him like our own? What will we do when he's settled in and his true colors are revealed?"
Cui Sugong frowned at what Shen Meiwu said.
"Then what else can we do? Bring back a child who is not related to us by blood and pass it off as our child? Regardless of the child's qualities, since they are not related to us by blood, wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"
Shen Meiwu frowned, pretending to be deep in thought. After a while, she exclaimed with delight, "Cui Lang, I have an idea!"
"Tell me about it."
Shen Meiwu hesitated.
"Cui Lang, although I have an idea, it is ultimately against the natural order, and I'm afraid you'll think I'm heartless if you hear it..."
“Meiwu, we’ve been together for so many years, do you think I don’t know your character? You only have me in your heart, and everything you think and do is for me. No matter what ideas you come up with, they are all for me. How could I think you are heartless? Just tell me.”
Shen Meiwu nodded shyly before speaking, "You said you were worried about the child's aptitude, so why don't we find a couple where both parents are scholars, have good personalities, and preferably look a bit like you, and bring their child over? With such good parents, the child is bound to be good too."
"As for those who are not related to us by blood, that's even easier to handle. You bring that child here and pretend he is the Empress's child. Then we'll pair him up with our Ling Xian. When he reaches the right age, we'll make up a story to deceive them and have him marry Ling Xian. Isn't that all?"
"At that time, although he will not be our son, he will be our son-in-law, and his child will be our grandson. If he wants to harm us, we can drug him or lock him up and pass the throne directly to our grandson. Then the next emperor will be related to us by blood."
What do you think?
After listening, Cui Sugong fell into deep thought. After a long while, he raised his head and said decisively, "That's how it will be done!"
After saying this, Cui Sugong ordered his secret guards to search among the scholars in and around the capital. The guards obeyed and left.
Shen Meiwu breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Fu Yunjin's delivery room, and reminded her, "Cui Lang, but this means you'll have to talk to the Empress about it."
“Since the adopted child is to be presented as the Empress’s child, he must be raised under the Empress’s care. The Empress doesn’t like me much, so how can we force ‘her son’ to stay with our Lingxian family, and how can we let them develop a relationship?”
Seeing Shen Meiwu's worried expression, Cui Sugong smiled and pulled her into his arms, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
Raising him under Fu Yunjin's wing? Are you suggesting Fu Yunjin raise the heir to the throne he found into the Fu family? Who knows, will the child be closer to his adoptive father and father-in-law, or to the Fu family?
Therefore, Fu Yunjin must die.
He didn't need to tell Shen Meiwu this, for fear of frightening her.
Little did she know that Shen Meiwu had already guessed what he would do.
Shen Meiwu knew Cui Sugong all too well. Because of the sterilization drug, he already hated Fu Yunjin to the extreme and would never allow his chosen successor to have any further connection with Fu Yunjin. Fu Yunjin was doomed.
Yes, Fu Yunjin is doomed.
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