Chapter 161 Unwilling
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The new Wangfei was too powerful, and everyone was afraid of her. The maid who was called upon was so scared that her hands trembled, her face pale as she said, “To answer Wangfei, if you’re talking about fun places, I think it’s nice under the willows by the lake, where you can relax and do needlework.”
Mingzhu was extremely helpless and had to coax her, “Are there any tall buildings or anything like that?”
Seeing no signs of anger from her, the maid calmed down and shook her head, “To answer Wangfei, the tallest building in the mansion is the library, which is three stories high. Does Wangfei want to go there?”
It seems it hasn’t been completed yet. Mingzhu smiled and shook her head. After wandering around the mansion for nearly half an hour, she roughly memorized the layout of Ying Wang’s Mansion: in the center was the Yinan Palace of Ying Wang’s Mansion, she lived in the Yinghui Hall on the east side, in the west side was the garden, the concubines of Ying Wang’s Mansion lived in the north. The south side was where Yuwen Chu handled his daily affairs and managed government affairs. The staff of Ying Wang’s Mansion also lived in several courtyards in the south, and further out was where the servants lived, which meant that the south side was off-limits.
Su Lan whispered, “Your Highness, it’s getting late. You should go back and rest.” Even if she wanted to be stubborn, she couldn’t afford to cause trouble over this. It was the duty of a senior maid to remind the Wangfei.
Realizing that she had to go back regardless, Mingzhu smiled gently. “I wonder if His Highness is awake. I’ll go back to attend to His Highness’s meal.”
Seeing her understanding and gentle demeanor, Su Lan and Su Mei exchanged a glance, thinking they must have been mistaken.
As Mingzhu walked back to her chambers, she noticed the bright lights and solemn atmosphere, feeling that something was amiss. Hurrying to the door, she heard Su Jin saying from inside, “Your Highness is indeed correct, Du Dajia is the one who taught the Wangfei to dance.”
Unperturbed, Yuwen Chu calmly remarked, “I heard the Wangfei plays the pipa very well.”
Before he could finish speaking, Su Jin eagerly replied, “Yes, the pipa the Wangfei plays was bestowed by the late emperor. In order to invite Mr. Lin to teach the Wangfei, Xiangye spared no effort.”
Yuwen Chu asked casually, “Oh?”
Su Jin continued, showing off, “Xiangye went to great lengths, even spending a fortune to purchase a genuine painting by Yang Zisu from the previous dynasty and sending it to Mr. Lin, which caught his attention.”
Mingzhu’s face darkened instantly. She didn’t even stop to think about how Yuwen Chu managed to free himself from confinement; she just inwardly cursed him for being so cunning. In a moment, he had confused her maids so much that they were willing to spill everything.
“Greetings to the Wangfei,” Xiangli emerged from inside and bowed respectfully upon seeing Mingzhu.
Mingzhu nodded slightly and walked in with a casual smile. “What are you all plotting against me?”
In the lamplight, Yuwen Chu, wearing a freshly changed casual robe, sat casually on the couch with a scroll of book and a cup of tea nearby. A faint smile played on his lips as he asked casually, “Back already? Did you enjoy your stroll?”
Seeing him dressed so neatly, Mingzhu calculated the time. He must have freed himself shortly after she left, and he had probably heard everything she had said to Xiangli. Not bothering to hide it, she sat down beside him and smiled, “There’s nothing enjoyable to see without Your Highness by my side.”
Su Jin and the others had served Mingzhu since childhood and could tell whether her smile was genuine or forced. Seeing her suddenly enter, they were scared and wanted to retreat, but they didn’t dare. They stood on the side, pale-faced and motionless.
“If I had known that the Wangfei would feel bored, I wouldn’t have slept.” Yuwen Chu glanced at Su Jin and Su Mei. “You may leave.”
Relieved, Su Jin and Su Mei bowed gratefully and quickly left.
“Wait.” Mingzhu took the tea handed to her by Su Lan, lowered her head and leisurely skimmed off the tea foam, then slowly took a sip.
Before Su Jin and Su Ju could even show any joy, their faces had already turned gray with resignation, and they stayed put.
Seeing a hint of displeasure on Yuwen Chu’s face, Su Lan became anxious and quickly signaled to Mingzhu with her eyes. What was she doing? Even if she wanted to punish these two gossiping maids, she shouldn’t do it in front of the Wangye. Especially since the Wangye had already spoken to let them go, and now she was challenging him again. Wasn’t that slapping the Wangye’s face?
Mingzhu, however, ignored Su Lan’s eye signal completely and put down her tea cup, saying, “When you mentioned the pipa earlier, I suddenly felt like playing. Go fetch my pipa, and I’ll play a tune for His Highness.” She then turned to Yuwen Chu with a coy smile, “I wonder if His Highness would like to listen?”
As their eyes met, Mingzhu could clearly see a hint of surprise in Yuwen Chu’s eyes. Did he think she couldn’t resist punishing these two maids in front of him? And then he could take advantage of it to tease her about the prank he just endured? No way, she wouldn’t give him that opportunity. When she did something wrong as a child, she never went against her parents. As long as she acted a little sweet and submissive, they would forgive her. Maybe it would work the same way here.
“Since Wangfei offers, I would be delighted to listen,” Yuwen Chu stared at Mingzhu with unblinking eyes, slowly breaking into a smile. His long, slender fingers lightly tapped on the table, revealing a delicate green silk ribbon beside it.
Mingzhu suddenly felt short of breath and uneasy. Pretending not to notice, she smiled sweetly, “I must thank Your Highness for this opportunity.”
Yuwen Chu smiled and fell silent, picking up the green ribbon and examining it under the light as if it held a flower.
The atmosphere became somewhat eerie. Mingzhu’s heart pounded like a drum. She picked up her tea cup and pretended to examine it under the light.
“Is this cup pretty?” Yuwen Chu suddenly leaned in, whispering in her ear.
Mingzhu jumped in surprise, instinctively moving back, and forced a smile, “Everything in Your Highness’s mansion is exquisite.”
“This is your dowry, not something from my mansion,” Yuwen Chu reached out and held Mingzhu’s chin, furrowing his brows slightly, silently staring at her.
Was he trying to settle a score? Mingzhu shifted uncomfortably, but looked back at him defiantly, smiling even sweeter, “What is Your Highness looking at?”
“Of course, I’m looking at you,” Yuwen Chu smiled, withdrawing his hand and sitting back.
Su Lan and Su Mei, seeing the tension between the two, couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. When Su Jin and Su Ju brought the pipa, they hurriedly handed it over, saying, “Wangfei, the pipa is here.”
Mingzhu pursed her lips, took the pipa, and tested the sound in her arms. She smiled, “What does Your Highness want to hear?”
“What does Wangfei want to play?” Yuwen Chu played with the green ribbon lazily, leaning back against the headrest, his handsome face shrouded in shadow from the lamp.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
