Chapter 160 Moonlight Platform
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In the dim light, the beautiful skin clad in scarlet innerwear was fairer than snow, adorable and lovely. With ear-to-ear intimacy, Yuwen Chu’s whole body’s blood boiled crazily. Pretending to be indifferent, he sneered, “Is this all you’ve got? A little trick like this? I could break free with a slight struggle.”
Mingzhu didn’t believe it at first, but thinking of his previous display of immense strength, she quickly found a belt and wrapped it around a few more times. Just as she was focused on the task, she suddenly felt a coolness and itchiness on her chest. She looked down and saw someone innocently looking at her while eating happily. So she tightened her collar and muttered angrily, “You’re not keeping your word!”
Yuwen Chu lazily smiled, “How am I not keeping my word? Isn’t this a favor you gave me? I’m afraid if I don’t pay attention to you, you’ll blame me for neglecting you.”
In an awkward position, she leaned down to tie his hands, naturally unavoidable of some contact… Mingzhu reluctantly got up and sat down on the side, grumbling, “I didn’t let you move.”
“Alright, I won’t move.” Yuwen Chu closed his eyes and whispered, “Hurry up.”
“It’s almost done.” Mingzhu carefully checked to make sure the straps were securely fastened, then smiled as she blindfolded him, jumped off the bed, and dressed herself happily, humming a tune. Then she pulled down the canopy of the bed, “You wait here, I’ll be right back.” After saying that, she walked out and solemnly instructed the maids, “His Highness is tired and wants to rest for a while. Don’t disturb him.” You just wait here happily! Let’s see how arrogant you can be!
Xiangli led a group of people preparing to set up the dining table. Surprised at Mingzhu’s words, Xiangli looked at Mingzhu, who coldly glanced at her, “What’s wrong?”
Xiangli lowered her head, bowed, and said, “Responding to Wangfei, His Highness had ordered dinner prepared earlier, waiting for you to have it together. Are you ready to dine now?”
This was a polite inquiry. Yuwen Chu hadn’t eaten yet, and he had arranged for them to dine together. Why was he sleeping now instead of eating? Mingzhu pretended not to understand, sat down at the table casually, and pointed to a few dishes she didn’t like, saying, “Keep these warm in water, His Highness might wake up hungry later. I’ll just have a little bit.”
“Yes.” Although Xiangli had many doubts, she didn’t dare to defy Mingzhu, just followed her orders and had those dishes warmed while serving Mingzhu.
Mingzhu had a hearty appetite, especially considering the physical exertion she had today. She completely ignored the maid’s reminder not to eat more than three bites of each dish according to palace rules, and instead picked out her favorite dishes, ignoring the surprised or displeased looks from the others. She ate to her heart’s content, finishing two bowls of rice and a bowl of soup before putting down her chopsticks, satisfied. Seeing that the rain had stopped and the clouds had dispersed outside the window, with the moon and stars shining sparsely, she smiled, “I ate too much, I must take a walk to aid digestion.” After saying that, she glanced at Su Jin and Su Mei, took Su Lan and Su Mei with her, and left.
Su Jin and Su Ju, both of whom had served her since childhood, understood the situation very well and immediately took charge of the bedroom. Xiangli quietly instructed the maids to remove the food from the table, but she herself didn’t leave. Instead, she walked to the door of the inner room and stood there, listening intently to the sounds inside.
Su Mei* and Su Jin exchanged a secret glance, but they didn’t say anything, maintaining a silent standoff. After a while, there was a rustling noise from inside. Xiangli hurriedly asked, “Your Highness, are you getting up?”
* don’t know if this was a typo
After a while, Yuwen Chu walked out directly without answering. He said indifferently, “Change the bedsheet.”
Turns out he was tired and wanted to rest. Wangfei was indeed strong. Even His Highness was tired and wanted to rest, she had eaten so much food and could still go for a stroll in the garden. Several maids blushed, lowered their eyes, and busied themselves.
“Serve the meal.” Yuwen Chu placed the silk ribbon in his hand on the table and listened to Xiangli introducing the dishes that Mingzhu had specially left for him. After scanning them lightly, he asked, “Did the Wangfei enjoy her dinner?”
The Momo serving food finally found an opportunity and quickly said, “The Wangfei enjoyed it very much. She ate a little bit of everything, especially the steamed carp, and even had two bowls of rice and a bowl of soup.” Her duty was to remind noblewomen not to break the rules. The new Wangfei not only didn’t follow the rules but completely ignored her. What was the point of having her?
Su Jin and Su Ju’s faces turned dark when they heard this. Wasn’t this tattling? They were saying that their mistress was greedy and ignorant. Wasn’t it even forbidden to eat a full meal? Su Jin was quick with her mouth and was about to speak out, but Su Ju, fearing Yuwen Chu, pulled her back.
At this moment, Yuwen Chu calmly said, “Reward Chef Liu, he did a good job.”
Since the chef was being rewarded, it meant that Ying Wang was not angry because Wangfei broke the rules. On the contrary, he was satisfied because she ate well. This was a show of support for Wangfei! Su Jin and Su Ju both smiled, but then they heard Yuwen Chu say to the Momo, “I’ve always felt that no matter how precious the ingredients are, the rule of only eating three bites of each dish is too wasteful. Wangfei’s frugality is commendable.”
The Momo was stunned, muttering, “But this rule…” Ever since the poisoning incident involving Ying Wang and Consort Zhou, this rule had been strictly enforced to prevent others from knowing what Ying Wang liked to eat, in order to avoid being exploited. Ying Wang was frugal, so each dish was served in very small portions. Now, to change the rules for this capricious new Wangfei and for such a noble reason was unexpected.
“Rules are made by people.” Yuwen Chu said this and fell silent, focusing on eating his meal slowly. Fu Mingzhu was quite clever, leaving some dishes for him before slipping away. Unfortunately, the dishes she left for him were probably the ones she didn’t like.
Su Jin and Su Ju, on the other hand, were deeply moved. Ying Wang really cared for their mistress! Compared to their mistress, they realized she was too willful! So Yuwen Chu’s serious face seemed a bit more pleasing to them.
After leaving the residence, Mingzhu wandered around aimlessly. Although Ying Wang’s Mansion was considered one of the best among the major mansions in the capital, it was still uninteresting to her. Just as she was feeling bored, she suddenly remembered something. She recalled that Yuwen Chu had once built a very tall building, with a Moonlight Platform in front of it, dozens of feet high, with a smooth platform like a mirror. Three sides faced the water, and standing on the high platform during the moonlight made it seem like one was in the midst of the moon, indescribably beautiful. If one danced on it, it was even more ethereal and enchanting, like celestial music from the heavens.
At that time, many people were interested in it, trying to have Jiang Shanshan host banquets and dances there, but Jiang Shanshan refused. Although she was curious, she couldn’t bring herself to explore it and could only hear descriptions of the Moonlight Platform from Yuwen You.
I wonder if this building has been completed yet? Mingzhu pointed to a lantern-carrying maid and asked casually, “Is there anything fun in the mansion?”
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