Chapter 122: Husband and Wife
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“I know all about it,” Imperial Consort Min smiled gently, “How should I put it, mothers always think their children are the best, no one can compare. So, I just wanted to tell you, Ah Lang is really good, really not bad at all. As long as you two are happy, I, as a mother, will be content.”
Her words were very sincere, without any hint of disdain. Mingzhu felt a little touched, and she keenly caught the word “Ah Lang.” She smiled, “Imperial Consort, who is Ah Lang?”
She and Yuwen Chu had a big age difference and limited opportunities to meet, so she didn’t know his nickname, and she didn’t expect it to be like this.
Imperial Consort Min smiled along with her cunning inquiry, “You still don’t know? That’s Ying Wang’s nickname. It was personally given by the late emperor.”
Seeing Imperial Consort Min’s smile, Mingzhu felt as if Imperial Consort Min had deliberately let her know Yuwen Chu’s nickname. Otherwise, why hadn’t Imperial Consort Min mentioned it before? It was all about maintaining her son’s dignity, praising him or criticizing him, but she never mentioned how “Ah Lang” was. Being recognized was a comforting thing, and Mingzhu thought of Princess Funing, who was probably still running outside the Zhaoyang Palace, feeling a little guilty. “Princess Funing, she…”
Imperial Consort Min remained calm, “I know all about it. She’s ignorant and needs to be taught a lesson. I didn’t teach her well, so she doesn’t know her place and speaks nonsense. Thanks to His Majesty’s timely reprimand, otherwise, she might have caused even bigger trouble in the future.”
She was so understanding, which made Mingzhu feel very embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she said sincerely, “Next time I see her, I’ll just stay away from her.”
“Who told you to stay away from me? You’ve gained an advantage and now you’re pretending to be obedient.” Princess Funing was carried in, crying, followed by Yuwen Chu. She looked at Imperial Consort Min with grievances and threw herself into her arms, “Mother, they ganged up on me!”
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Mingzhu didn’t want to argue with her anymore, so she just left. After taking a few steps, Yuwen Chu also followed her out, so she said, “Why aren’t you comforting your sister? What are you doing following me?”
Yuwen Chu smiled, “She probably hates me the most right now, so why would she need my comfort? How about you? How are you feeling?”
Mingzhu looked at him and said, “I’m thinking, will you regret today’s decision one day?”
The sky was high and far-reaching, a mesmerizing blue, while the golden glazed tiles shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, and the lush green leaves on the branches seemed ready to drip with oil. Mingzhu’s pale pink silk dress swayed gently in the breeze, like a trembling and delicate flower. She stood amidst this pink blossom, her black hair flowing like clouds, with long jade-like eyebrows and eyelashes, clear and innocent eyes, skin as fair as snow, exquisite as a beautiful dream.
Yuwen Chu stared at her intently, earnestly saying, “You may not know, but I’m actually someone who enjoys taking risks.” If he didn’t try, he would regret it, so even though he knew she didn’t actually like him, he wanted to take a chance.
“Taking risks…” Mingzhu savored the phrase for a moment before smiling, “That’s good, I actually like taking risks too.”
“As I’ve said before, you and I are actually quite alike,” Yuwen Chu breathed out lightly, walking up to stand beside her, and said softly, “What about you? Will you regret today’s decision one day?”
Mingzhu looked at the finial on the roof with a touch of bitterness and said, “I won’t.”
She knew what Yuwen Chu was asking – whether she would regret giving up her engagement to Yuwen Chu and marrying him instead, bearing the infamy that would come with it.
“Today’s incident with Funing, I’m very sorry about it. It won’t happen again in the future.” A warm and dry hand reached out and firmly held hers. Yuwen Chu lowered his eyes and looked at the scars on her hand, whispering, “Does it hurt? I heard he came to bother you again just now.”
Mingzhu smiled and wanted to withdraw her hand, “It doesn’t hurt much. He, he didn’t entirely come to cause trouble.” Yuwen Chu firmly held her hand, making it impossible for her to pull away. She frowned slightly, turned her head away, and said lightly, “He probably came to settle accounts with me, so he won’t owe me anything in the future.”
Yuwen Chu seemed to ignore her displeasure and carefully examined her hand in his palm for a long time before interlocking their fingers tightly. Then he said, “So he willingly let himself be used by you, risking being blamed, to help you overturn that bowl of soup?”
His attitude was too calm, as if everything was under control. Mingzhu disliked his inscrutability the most, which was too different from her straightforward nature.
Feeling a little impatient, she said, “He even gave himself a pat on the back, saying to me that after causing such a mess, I wouldn’t have to go back there anymore and could avoid some things. He also said that I owe him a big favor today. So, all the things I helped him with before, will be written off from today onwards. I don’t owe him, and he doesn’t owe me. The next time we meet, we’ll be enemies.”
“Oh, I see.” Yuwen Chu raised an eyebrow, a brilliantly satisfied smile gracing his lips, evidently pleased with her response.
Mingzhu suddenly had a feeling that the man in front of her probably knew everything, and asking her was just a way to test her intentions. She felt uncomfortable for a moment but then understood. She smiled ambiguously and said, “Is Your Highness satisfied then?”
Yuwen Chu looked at her, his gaze gentle, and he lifted her hand to his lips, lightly kissing it, and whispered, “Very satisfied. You and he are mortal enemies, but you and I are about to become husband and wife. Do you understand what it means to be husband and wife? It means advancing and retreating together, facing life and death together.”
Like you and Jiang Shanshan before?
The thought popped into Mingzhu’s mind suddenly, but she quickly pushed it down. That was in the past, or rather, something that hadn’t happened yet. Many things had changed, just like how she and Yuwen You were no longer husband and wife, and he and Jiang Shanshan were no longer husband and wife either. Perhaps he truly could advance and retreat together with her, facing life and death.
She smiled coyly, letting his kiss land on the back of her hand. “But Your Highness, you should know that I’ve never had a good temper. I’m quite retaliatory, with a petty mind. I’m afraid I might offend you unintentionally and make you unhappy.”
“It’s okay. I’ve always been tolerant of my own people,” Yuwen Chu said with a smile.
My own people. Mingzhu repeated these words to herself, feeling that they sounded strange and unreal.
Yuwen Chu had already released her hand and bid her farewell politely. “I have some matters to attend to, so I must take my leave. Will you stay here and accompany the Great Empress Dowager, or will you come with me?”
Mingzhu felt he was being hypocritical. She was involved, so where could she go? She wanted to mock him a little, but when she saw his eyes, which seemed to hope she would go with him, she inexplicably changed her mind. “Although I would love to go with Your Highness, I’m afraid I can’t leave temporarily.”
Yuwen Chu smiled happily and praised, “You can speak so amiably. That’s very good. Remember, you should not only be like this with me, but also with others.” He paused and lowered his voice, “If you want to be likable, if you want to be invincible, you must first learn to speak and act.”
Mingzhu glanced at him. “Compared to Second Miss Jiang, I really don’t know how to behave.”
“Are you jealous? But I only like you this way, what should I do?” Yuwen Chu quickly leaned close to her ear and gently blew a breath, satisfied to see Mingzhu’s ears turning red in an instant.
Mingzhu glared at him, “You talk as if it’s true.”
Before, he only said he felt responsible for her because he had offended her while drunk and was afraid the Great Empress Dowager would trouble him, so he had to take responsibility for her. He refused to admit that he liked her, even when she shamelessly brought it up, he only said to her, “If you think I like you, then let’s just say I do.” But now, he said it so easily, which made it seem unreal—lies often roll off the tongue effortlessly because there’s no sincerity, so they are said with ease.
Yuwen Chu smiled at her, “Do you hope it’s true?”
“Of course, I hope so.” Mingzhu naturally hoped it was true. If he truly liked her, it would be different for her, for the entire Fu family. She might be a bit greedy; not liking him, yet hoping he could like her.
“Then it must be true.” Yuwen Chu smiled and reminded her, “Remember to remind your father and brothers to be cautious about the bed crossbow incident, be careful, there may be a spy.”
Mingzhu was suddenly shocked, “Why do you say that?” Had the person who made that drawing finally appeared? Did they meet Yuwen Chu? Feeling guilty for a moment, but also secretly relieved, fortunately, she had never claimed it was her own idea, only that she saw it in ancient books.
“Just tell your father and brothers, they will know what to do.” Yuwen Chu didn’t say much to her and left on his own.
Mingzhu watched his graceful departure and felt somewhat lost. She thought he might ask her if she liked him, then she could reciprocate, half in jest. But he didn’t give her that chance, leaving her feeling uncomfortable, as if he didn’t care at all whether she liked him, only interested in those benefits.
In the room came Princess Funing’s crying, “Sixth Brother is too much. Not only did he not plead for me, even when the Emperor said he’d spare me, he said I hadn’t been punished enough and forced me to continue running. I couldn’t run anymore, so he had someone drag me along… It hurts so much, I’m too ashamed to show my face. All because of Fu Mingzhu, he forgets about me and you as soon as he sees his wife…”
Knowing how to teach this unruly princess a lesson, without giving excuses for Princess Funing, he apologized directly and promised it wouldn’t happen again, well done. Mingzhu turned satisfied and walked towards the main hall where the Great Empress Dowager resided. Well good, he didn’t care, so she felt even more relaxed.
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