Chapter 138: It’s Really Tough
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Wasn’t it said that this fragrant bath would cost a fortune? Wasn’t it said that someone was usually very frugal? Well, then she would just spend his money as much as she pleased. If he felt distressed, naturally, he wouldn’t keep thinking about tormenting her.
As Mingzhu walked ahead, she stole a sideways glance at Yuwen Chu’s reaction, only to see him smiling faintly the whole time. It was one of the maids who had been kneeling and helping him with his clothes who hurriedly approached and said, “Wangfei…”
Hmph, she knew it. This stingy man only spared extravagance for her on the eve of their wedding. After the wedding night, he would be unwilling to spend anymore. Mingzhu made up her mind. Today, she would insist on using this pool of water and in the future, whenever he came to bother her, she would use this pool of water for bathing. Mingzhu arrogantly lifted her chin, casting a sidelong glance at the maid, “What is it?”
Her naturally imposing demeanor, coupled with her deliberate attitude, made her exude the aura of a true Wangfei. The maid had heard of her reputation earlier, and now seeing her, she was even more frightened, her voice trembling, tears in her eyes as she said, “Wangfei, I just wanted to serve you for bathing…”
She had always been born with a domineering aura, and now deliberately displaying it, the Wangfei’s demeanor was indeed impressive. The maid, who had heard of her reputation earlier, was even more frightened when she saw her like this. Her voice trembled, tears welling up in her eyes as she said, “Wangfei, I just wanted to serve you for bathing…”
Just asking her a question frightened her to the point of tears, really? Mingzhu was somewhat surprised, then snorted, “What’s your duty anyway?”
The maid, seeing that Mingzhu not only didn’t get angry but instead asked about her duty, was a bit confused at first, but quickly replied, “To answer the Wangfei, I am responsible for His Highness’s daily dressing.” After speaking, she realized her mistake and hastily added, “I’m afraid Sister Su Lan and Sister Su Mei are new here and not familiar with the surroundings, so I wanted to take the initiative.”
Just trying to show off in front of the master, acting weak and vulnerable, trying to paint her, the unruly and uncultured Wangfei, as terrifying. Overestimating her abilities!
Mingzhu chuckled, patting the maid’s cheek, “You’re quite pretty, I must say. But it’s a pity you’re too timid. Just saying a few words to me can make you cry. Do I look that scary, or do you feel serving me and His Highness is too much of a burden?”
The maid knelt down in fear, tears streaming down her face, “No, no, it’s not that. I just want to serve the Wangfei well.”
Mingzhu didn’t even look at the maid kneeling on the ground, turning to walk towards the side hall, muttering under her breath, “Crying so early in the morning, it’s really unlucky!”
Su Lan and Su Mei looked at Yuwen Chu with trepidation, but he had an indifferent expression, as if what Mingzhu had just done wasn’t a big deal at all. It was the several maids who were on duty with the maid who showed signs of discomfort. Su Lan felt it was awkward for them to stay here, so she bowed to Yuwen Chu, then hurried to catch up with Mingzhu’s steps to the side hall.
Inside the side hall, the bathtub was already filled with fragrant hot water. Mingzhu stepped into the pool, the warm and soft water enveloping her, finally relieving the soreness all over her body, making her feel so comfortable that she wanted to hum.
Mingzhu found a comfortable spot to sit and gestured for Su Lan to massage her shoulders or something. Su Lan whispered about what had just happened to her, “You couldn’t wake up… His Highness knew you had a hard time waking up and actually let you sleep in. He said it wouldn’t matter if you went to the palace a bit later. I thought it wasn’t right, so I took the liberty to pinch you. You won’t blame me, will you?”
Mingzhu glared at Su Lan, pretending to be fierce, “Daring to overstep your bounds, later go get ten lashes!” Thinking that Yuwen Chu didn’t let her continue to call for her, she was also unsure of his intentions. Did he want to indulge her so people would scold her for being disrespectful? Or did he want to please the Great Empress Dowager and her family by indulging her? Thinking of last night’s events, she felt this person was really unpredictable, even someone who had been married once (though unsuccessfully) like her couldn’t figure out his intentions.
She got lost in her thoughts, then felt that Su Lan’s handling of the situation today was quite appropriate, so she comfortably leaned her shoulder, “Here, here, yes, just like that…” Then she sighed softly, murmuring, “Really, when I was about to get married, they sent a Momo to disgust me. Now, just married, on the first morning, they come to cause trouble for me. Is he forcing me to be the bad person? Nowadays, it’s so difficult to be a virtuous and gentle person.”
After a long silence from Su Lan, she felt something was off. Turning her head, she saw Yuwen Chu kneeling by the edge of the pool, his clothes neat, his demeanor dignified, his hand still on her shoulder, smiling ambiguously, “So, the Wangfei wants to be a virtuous and gentle person.”
Mingzhu felt a sense of anger as if her privacy had been violated, but she didn’t show it. She pursed her lips, sneering, “Your Highness, don’t make fun of me. I really want to be a virtuous and gentle wife of Ying Wang. But it’s a pity that there are hidden dangers here, all of them like to use soft knives to kill. I’m afraid I’m not their match.”
Yuwen Chu lowered his eyes with a smile, “You’re not their match?”
Mingzhu heard his tone of voice as a question, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in dissatisfaction, “How unjust! What did I do?”
Yuwen Chu smiled and reached out to pull her up. “If we want to get out early, let’s not delay any longer. Come on.”
Mingzhu refused, “They conspired to put eye drops in my eyes, and you just stood by? Last night, you said you would treat me well. Did you forget as soon as you woke up?”
Yuwen Chu sighed helplessly. “I didn’t forget. So, how do you want to vent your anger?”
“Can I do whatever I want?” Mingzhu blinked, cunningly saying, “That maid shouldn’t be allowed to serve you anymore. She’s up to no good. She’s been staring at you with her eyes. It’s our first day of marriage, and she dares to cry and stir up trouble between us… It’s intolerable. When I’m at home, she probably doesn’t dare to do anything, but when I’m not there, she’ll definitely come to you, crying and pretending to be pitiful. Maybe you’ll suddenly feel sorry for her and take her in. So, she must be sent out of the mansion and not allowed to come back! Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep!”
After saying that, she stared into Yuwen Chu’s eyes, intending to retract her probing words if he reacted unfavorably.
“That’s a simple request. It’s not like killing or arson, nor is it beating or insulting…” Yuwen Chu pondered for a moment, then looked at Mingzhu. Seeing her eyes shining brightly with cunning and satisfaction, he couldn’t help but feel a little moved. He intentionally said, “But she was bestowed to me by Royal Mother in my early years, and she has served me diligently for many years. She has done a good job and deserves praise. It’s not right to drive her away over such a small matter.”
Seeing that he was unwilling to comply with her wishes, but also not angry, Mingzhu’s heart stirred slightly. She refused, “Instigating discord between you and me is just a small matter? If servants overstep their bounds, how can they serve others? Aren’t you afraid she’ll poison me quietly?”
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