Chapter 130 Teaching and Guidance
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With the Fu family’s power at its peak, the Yin Momo sent by Ying Wang’s mansion was very modest and humble. She didn’t dare to demand too much from Mingzhu and just smiled apologetically, “Miss, you’ve been in and out of the palace since you were young, so you know the rules and etiquette. I don’t need to say much; you will do very well on your own…”
Mingzhu listened absentmindedly, but then Madam Cui said, “She knows the rules and etiquette, but getting married is more than just knowing the rules and etiquette. Momo, please tell her about His Highness’s likes and dislikes.”
Yin Momo said, “His Highness doesn’t like extravagance in daily life, nor does he care for elaborate clothing or exquisite food. He drinks moderately, rises early every day, and enjoys reading. He also prefers peace and quiet and dislikes noise…”
The so-called “know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles” made Mingzhu listen attentively without missing a single word. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself. This person’s life is really boring, completely different from hers. Living for two lifetimes, she always pursued the latest and most beautiful clothes, the freshest and most exquisite food, and had absolutely no grudges against fine wine.
Sleeping was only when necessary; otherwise, she had to sleep until late morning.
Quiet? Ha, she didn’t know what was good about being quiet. In the past, she loved to roam around, stir up trouble, and have gatherings every now and then. She invited people, and people invited her. Even if she knew some people didn’t like her, she enjoyed seeing them pretend to like her even though they hated her guts. It was only later, after encountering certain things and harboring major secrets, that she shut herself in and avoided causing trouble unnecessarily after her rebirth.
Even so, she didn’t like that kind of quietness from the bottom of her heart; she naturally preferred liveliness. Does it mean that in the future, she’ll have to continue being quiet according to Yuwen Chu’s preferences? Well, it doesn’t matter to go along with him a bit, after all, she wants to use him, right?
Mingzhu felt like she had already seen the boring life after marriage, but she still made a serious listening appearance. Seeing her attentiveness, Yin Momo smiled even more and revealed all of Yuwen Chu’s preferences to her: “His Highness doesn’t like sweets, nor does he enjoy spicy or greasy food. He mostly prefers light dishes, and eats coarse grains every three days…”
What a boring life. But Yuwen Chu seemed like he should be like this, that’s how he could live for so long. Mingzhu timely handed over a cup of tea, “Momo, moisten your throat before speaking…”
Yin Momo, seeing the supposedly willful young lady being so considerate and polite, was so moved she nearly choked on the tea. Luckily, she managed to maintain her composure, smiling warmly as she praised Mingzhu, then glanced at Madam Cui beside her, who understood and left, leaving the Momo and Mingzhu alone to talk.
Mingzhu knew the main course was coming up and intended to ask Yin Momo not to say anything more since she already knew, but the maid didn’t speak up, so she couldn’t interrupt. She could only listen quietly with her eyes downcast.
Yin Momo explained briefly, “Following proper etiquette is natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Even if you didn’t understand, His Highness knows, and it’ll become clear after the wedding…”
Mingzhu found this interesting. What did she mean by “His Highness knows”? She glanced at the Momo, who had her eyes half-lowered, wearing a polite and dignified smile. Unable to find anything amiss, Mingzhu pondered for a moment before smiling, “You didn’t explain clearly, or perhaps I didn’t understand.”
The maid replied, “It’s nothing. In the palace, after the princes come of age, they are taught by female attendants about matters regarding people. When His Highness turned sixteen, the late Emperor granted two female attendants to the mansion, so…” She looked at Mingzhu and didn’t speak.
This was a long-standing tradition. Yuwen You had it back then too, but she hadn’t seen those two female attendants. She heard one died of illness, and the other made a mistake before the wedding and was dismissed from the mansion.
She didn’t care about this; as long as they didn’t appear in front of her and Yuwen You didn’t go looking for them, it was fine. But later, one of her accusations of being cruel and jealous was about supposedly killing these two female attendants, which spread with vivid details. It was said that out of jealousy, she slashed their faces, cut off their limbs, and drowned them alive in vinegar jars.
She was jealous, but not so boringly cruel. Thinking of past events, Mingzhu couldn’t help but snort, and Yin Momo heard it. She couldn’t help but feel pleased—people said that the Fu family’s daughter was unrivaled, unwilling to share her husband with anyone, and it turned out to be true. Although Ying Wang was not fond of beauty, those two female attendants weren’t favored either, and he rarely saw them. But who knew about it? This girl was about to lose her patience; she must provoke some trouble, otherwise, wouldn’t it be disappointing if the two of them were harmonious? So, she humbly said, “These are just conventions and they are not comparable to the Wang Consort.”
Mingzhu glanced at Yin Momo and said lightly, “I know.” Everyone knew she couldn’t stand any opposition, so there was no need for the Momo to bring it up to her, clearly intending to provoke her. It seemed that there were impurities in Yuwen Chu’s mansion, but so what? A mere Momo was nothing more than a bug in her eyes, not worth getting angry over.
Yin Momo’s lengthy explanation left her feeling disappointed, as it didn’t stir up the expected controversy. She feared that saying too much might give away something, so she quickly changed the subject and started talking about other things with Mingzhu.
By evening, Madam Cui ordered Lady Qian to take Yin Momo downstairs for dinner, leaving Mingzhu alone to talk. Madam Cui already knew everything that Yin Momo and Mingzhu had discussed, fearing that Mingzhu might be upset, she couldn’t help but offer some advice, “You must understand, the royal family is different from ordinary families. The princes are supposed to have one primary consort and two secondary consorts, and no one can deviate from that. Some may not care much about beauty, so there will be fewer secondary consorts, while others who enjoy beauty may have countless secondary consorts. Even the most noble empresses have countless beauties in the palace…”
Mingzhu smiled, “I know all about it. It’s nothing new.” She had seen it all before. Not just among the princes and dukes of the royal family, even commoners with a little money would want to buy a concubine. When she first married Yuwen You, she didn’t allow him to take secondary consorts, and no one dared to challenge her. The name “Jealousy” rang loud and clear. Later on, after they had completely fallen out, Yuwen You always came to her and harassed her. She regretted it and hoped he would find other women and never come to her again, but he became addicted to tormenting her and never let her go… The thought of such things made Mingzhu feel inexplicably annoyed and scared, but no matter what, no one could threaten her and interfere with her plans.
Seeing her furrow her brow, Madam Cui wanted to say a few more words of advice, but fearing it might backfire, she quickly ended the conversation, “As long as you understand. Once you’re married, it’s different from being at home. Ying Wang is not like Linan Wang. You need to know what matters.”
Yuwen Chu was not as easy to bully as Yuwen You, and Mingzhu knew what Madam Cui meant.
She couldn’t help but smile, “Look at what you’re saying, I’m not marrying him to bully him, and besides, he’s not someone easy to bully.” Marrying Yuwen Chu was the result of weighing the pros and cons, so she would definitely be a competent consort of Ying Wang, but she also wanted to live comfortably, just as the Empress Dowager had said, it’s important to be happy.
Regardless of how people in the capital viewed this marriage, the day had finally come. The day passed by so quickly that Mingzhu still felt the admonitions of her parents and siblings in her ears, and before she knew it, the hustle and bustle outside had dissipated, and the wedding had reached its final stage.
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