Chapter 191:

Fu Family.

“Master. I am a distant relative of Lady Fu, visiting her from afar. Please announce my arrival.”

Saying this, she handed over a jade pendant.

“Just give this to the Lady, and she will know who I am.”

The young gatekeeper of the Fu household looked at the elderly woman dressed in fine clothes. Her dignified and composed demeanor exuded a certain air of nobility.

Examining the jade pendant, its quality was exceptional.

He speculated that although he had not met her before, she must indeed be a relative of their master.

Immediately, he went inside to announce her arrival.

Ordinarily, he might not have done so promptly, but today was different.

Considering this woman’s bearing and attire, she did not seem like someone seeking favors.

The young man informed the head maid at the entrance, who also wasted no time in taking the jade pendant into the house.

Inside, Lady Fu was currently in a foul mood.

Other people’s daughters-in-law were skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but her daughter-in-law was out doing business dressed in men’s clothes. It was truly improper to speak of. Yet both father and son seemed indifferent.

She felt suffocated.

“Lady.”

The maid received a glare from Lady Fu, who asked, “What is it?”

Coming at a time when her mood was already poor.

“A woman at the outer gate claims to be your distant relative and requests an audience. She sent this jade pendant, saying you would understand once you saw it.”

Lady Fu was about to fly into a rage when she looked up and saw the emerald jade pendant, causing her to freeze momentarily.

After a while, her tone somewhat faltered: “Where is she?”

“She’s still at the main gate,” the maid naturally detected the unusual tone in her mistress’s voice.

Lady Fu immediately stood up, pacing around the room twice, seeming somewhat hesitant, but still spoke: “Through the main entrance?”

The maid looked puzzled: “Yes.”

If not through the main entrance, would she come through the side gate? It was indeed strange.

“Bring her in.”

An elderly nurse nearby observed Lady Fu’s behavior and understood who the visitor was.

“Why are you so anxious, my lady? What could she possibly want? After all, she’s just a servant.”

“Old nurse, you don’t understand. For years, every time I visited the palace, her expression always gave me an ominous feeling. It’s not that I’m afraid of her. As you said, she’s just a servant, what do I have to fear? But perhaps because she has been in the palace for so long, witnessing many despicable things, there’s always something unsettling about her presence.”

Lady Fu explained.

The elderly nurse nodded: “Don’t worry, my lady. Even if she comes, what can she do? The Empress Dowager is gone. She’s just a powerless old servant now.”

Hearing this, Lady Fu finally calmed down and nodded.

“You have a point. I wonder why she has come. I heard she went to the temple we used to frequent to pray for the Empress Dowager. How come she returned so quickly?”

The elderly nurse smiled: “Three months pass quickly enough.”

Indeed, the person causing some anxiety for Lady Fu and her attendants was none other than the former nurse of the Empress Dowager, Nurse Gui.

At this moment, Nurse Gui was following the head maid, passing through pavilions and terraces, heading toward Lady Fu.

“Aunt Gui pays respects to Lady Fu.” Nurse Gui slightly bowed.

Lady Fu nodded slightly, and the maid exited.

She had no intention of letting others know that Nurse Gui had come to see her. Therefore, she did not receive her in the hall but ordered her to be brought directly to her private quarters.

“It’s been many years, and Nurse Gui is still as vigorous as ever,” Lady Fu remarked with a smile.

But there was little warmth in her eyes.

“Aunt Gui has aged a lot, but Lady Fu is no different,” Nurse Gui replied with a faint tone of mockery.

Women, regardless of age, dislike being described as “old.”

Hearing Nurse Gui’s words, Lady Fu’s expression soured.

But Nurse Gui was unfazed.

She continued, “It seems Lady Fu has even forgotten to offer this old woman a cup of tea.” She laughed as she spoke.

Lady Fu forced a smile: “Look at me, so delighted to see an old friend that I forgot. I wonder if Nurse Gui would deign to drink the inferior tea of my humble home, after having tasted the finest in the palace?”

The elderly nurse nearby hurriedly prepared tea.

Soon, she brought in the tea.

After tasting it, Nurse Gui remarked, “It’s just as good.”

Lady Fu and her attendants truly did not know why Nurse Gui had come today.

Seeing that she did not mention the purpose, they followed her lead, naturally remaining highly vigilant.

“Actually, I came today to ask Lady Fu something.”

Lady Fu’s expression changed slightly: “I wonder what Nurse Gui wishes to ask?”

Nurse Gui smiled: “Wancui. Do you still remember that name?”

Lady Fu feigned calmness: “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t recall exactly.”

Nurse Gui did not press further, looking at the two for a long time before giving a strange laugh: “Although this time I returned to Qixian to pray for the Empress Dowager, I also met several old friends from the household back then! Wancui’s father said that she died a tragic death.”

Lady Fu’s face darkened: “I don’t know this person and have no interest in those matters.”

As she spoke, she felt a sudden weakness. Before she could move, she saw her elderly nurse collapse stiffly to the ground.

She tried to reach out to support her but found herself equally powerless.

“Help!” She panicked and cried out.

But no one came.

Something was very wrong.

Nurse Gui laughed more broadly: “What is Lady Fu shouting about?”

After laughing enough, her face turned cold: “Lady Fu, you’ve now experienced the feeling of calling for help but no one coming to rescue you, haven’t you?”

In this situation, Lady Fu understood everything. The maid at the door, Qilan, must have been bought over by Nurse Gui.

“You… what do you want?”

Seeing the two lying on the ground, unable to move, Nurse Gui was even more delighted.

“I guessed that with your nature, you wouldn’t want many people to know of my arrival. Only leaving Qilan, regretting it now, aren’t you?”

Nurse Gui casually took a handkerchief and stuffed it into their mouths.

As for tying them up, there was no need.

Now that both were paralyzed and completely powerless, what was there to worry about?

“I suppose you don’t know why you are like this, right? Haha! Was the food Qilan brought you delicious?”

Lady Fu’s eyes widened, realizing the food must have been poisoned.

Nurse Gui sat on the ground casually, completely abandoning the decorum she once maintained in the palace.

Looking at the elderly nurse’s murderous glare beside Lady Fu.

Nurse Gui pulled out a knife, sprinkling a layer of fine powder before their eyes.

Her tone was casual: “Even if a knife won’t kill you, rest assured, this is a deadly poison.”

Saying this, she turned and stabbed the elderly nurse in the thigh.

With their mouths gagged, she was in excruciating pain, her face contorted but unable to make a sound.

Nurse Gui’s face was cold: “Back then, if it weren’t for your instigation, how could Wen Wanlan have harmed the mistress?”

Wen Wanlan was Lady Fu’s maiden name.

“If it weren’t for your bribery, how could Wancui have given that poison to the mistress.”

Saying this, she struck again, this time in the chest.

The elderly nurse immediately fainted.

With no trace of compassion, Nurse Gui looked at Lady Fu, hatingly: “My mistress resented Chancellor Fu for a lifetime, only to learn in the end that if it weren’t for you, those subsequent tragedies wouldn’t have happened. You were cousins, and she treated you with affection, yet you betrayed her for your own selfish desires. How could you be so heartless?”

Saying this, she stabbed again, this time into Lady Fu’s shoulder.

At this moment, Lady Fu was terrified.

“I suppose you don’t even know why Chancellor Fu married you?” Nurse Gui laughed maliciously.

“Back then, you wanted to marry Fu Yunrui. Knowing he had feelings for my mistress, you intentionally tricked her into drinking the tea and bribed Wancui. If it weren’t for the Emperor coincidentally visiting the temple and happening to pass by, the mistress would have been violated by monks in the temple. How heartless you were, so heartless. You deliberately arranged for Fu Yunrui to catch her in the act, not expecting it to be the Emperor. Didn’t you expect that? Life’s encounters are always like this. What kind of man was the Emperor? He naturally saw through everything, but to win the mistress, he deliberately instructed Fu Yunrui. Chancellor Fu, for the stability of both families, finally made the mistress believe that he had done all this for power, deliberately delivering her to the Emperor’s bed. And to appease the Emperor’s suspicions, he married you, and to avoid the Emperor’s jealousy, had several children. How ridiculous? Did you think Fu Yunrui had any affection for you? Ridiculous, truly ridiculous.”

Lady Fu’s eyes widened. She knew the earlier parts.

Back then, she and her cousin both loved Fu Yunrui, but Fu Yunrui only had feelings for her cousin.

Later, driven by jealousy, she did those things, thinking that making him see her being violated by others would make him no longer love her.

Who could have expected the person who opened the door to be the Emperor himself.

The subsequent events she did not know, only believing that without her cousin, Fu Yunrui would eventually be with her.

Suddenly, Nurse Gui struck again, causing Lady Fu’s face to turn pale with pain, blood continuously flowing, looking at the elderly nurse’s already blackened blood beside her.

Lady Fu knew that Nurse Gui was not bluffing; the knife was indeed laced with deadly poison.

“The Emperor knew of the mistress’s feelings, and to make her hate Fu Yunrui completely, besides instructing him to marry you, he even hinted that he hoped you would have children. Never expected that, did you? If it weren’t for the mistress’s impending death, these secrets would have remained buried forever. But secrets, eventually, will see the light of day. You, Wen Wanlan, will suffer even more than the mistress.”

Filled with hatred for Lady Fu, Nurse Gui stabbed her twice more. Perhaps the wounds were not fatal, and although Lady Fu’s consciousness was fading, she did not lose consciousness entirely.

Nurse Gui removed the gag from her mouth.

Lady Fu murmured: “If it’s like this, you should hate… hate the Emperor more…”

Her voice was faint.

Nurse Gui’s expression was blank: “If you hadn’t drugged her, how could it have come to this? You were cousins, and you could come up with such a sinister plan. Did you think I would let you go? My mistress was too weary in her final days to hold a grudge, but I cannot fail to avenge her. You probably don’t know, do you? I came here with no intention of leaving alive. Now that my mistress is dead, you must not live well either.”