Chapter 162: Song of the Pipa Player
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He was a clever man. Even if she denied it a hundred times, refusing to admit she was deliberately teasing him, just joking with him in a harmless way, he might not believe it. But it didn’t matter if he believed it or not. She would never admit that she had done it on purpose. After being bullied for so long, was she not allowed to fight back a little? Mingzhu smiled and said, “If Your Highness doesn’t mind, I’ll play ‘Yangchun.'”
This kind of tune was the safest and most likable, perfect for their newlywed scene.
Yuwen Chu casually said, “Ambush from Ten Sides.”
Such a murderous tune… Mingzhu looked up at Yuwen Chu in disbelief. Yuwen Chu raised his lips, his dark eyes burning like wildfire, “Can’t you play it?”
Of course, she could. He had asked her what she wanted to play, and then at the last minute made a different request. Mingzhu felt annoyed, but still smiled charmingly, “For such a well-known masterpiece, of course I can play it. I thought in this situation, Your Highness might prefer ‘Yangchun.'”
Yuwen Chu remained silent, only tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
Mingzhu took a deep breath, focused, and began to play. It had been some time since she had touched the pipa, so she was a bit rusty, but it didn’t stop her from pouring out all her dissatisfaction. As she played, she became more comfortable, and by the end, she felt exhilarated.
As the tune finished, Mingzhu stopped and looked up at Yuwen Chu, asking, “Does it please Your Highness’s ears?”
Yuwen Chu calmly replied, “It’s passable. Your hands aren’t naturally suited for playing the pipa. To achieve this level is already commendable.”
Was that a compliment or an insult? Mingzhu didn’t care and handed the pipa to Su Lan, asking her to clean it and put it away.
But Yuwen Chu added slowly, “But the tune was too murderous.”
Mingzhu shrugged indifferently, “Isn’t that why it’s called ‘Ambush from Ten Sides’?”
“I meant your heart was too murderous,” Yuwen Chu signaled for Su Lan and the others to leave, then walked up to Mingzhu, looking down at her from above, “Birds of a feather flock together; you’re not content.”
Mingzhu met Yuwen Chu’s dark, mysterious eyes, filled with countless emotions she couldn’t decipher. He was a clever, perceptive, powerful man, and quite handsome too. She smiled, “I was originally going to play ‘Yangchun white snow,’ but Your Highness forbade it and insisted on ‘Ambush from Ten Sides.’ Are you not content either?”
“I’m not content,” Yuwen Chu placed his hand on her shoulder, his voice low and deliberate, “You’ve gone too far with your joke.”
“My temper has never been very good, and I’m not very sensible. I don’t differentiate between what’s important and what’s not. Your Highness already knows this. And it was Your Highness who said it, so you can’t blame me.” Mingzhu felt the weight of Yuwen Chu’s hands on her shoulder, the warmth seeping through her clothes and into her skin, making her inexplicably restless. She tilted her head back, “I admit my joke went too far, and I apologize to Your Highness.”
“I believe in an eye for an eye,” Yuwen Chu placed the green ribbon in front of her, speaking in a very low voice, “Guess how I’ll deal with you?”
Mingzhu stared at the silk ribbon with difficulty, took a sip of water after a long while, bit her lip to suppress the trembling, and pretended to be indifferent as she said, “How long did I tie you up for?”
Yuwen Chu glanced at her, fiddled with the silk ribbon in his hand, but didn’t answer.
“If Your Highness doesn’t want me to make amends, then how about this? If I tied you up for a certain period, then you can tie me up for the same duration. How about that?” Mingzhu began to regret her foolish joke. This man was so petty, why did she provoke him for no reason? Wasn’t this just asking for trouble? She really didn’t want to be intimate with him. Pretending to be sick was also an option.
“Have you forgotten that I want to collect interest?” Yuwen Chu’s slightly cold hand held Mingzhu’s chin, forcing her to look up at him. With this, Mingzhu’s expression and eyes were all exposed to the light. She looked bitter and frightened, her lips turning white, but she tried to remain calm.
Yuwen Chu saw it clearly and couldn’t help but furrow his brows. Why was she so afraid of him? Or perhaps, she was afraid of what he would do to her? It didn’t seem like the reaction of a young woman who was new to such matters and ignorant of what happened between a husband and wife. It looked more like the reaction of someone who had been frightened. But who dared to frighten her? With her background, her favor, her arrogance, who would dare treat her like this? So, there was only one explanation left: she was afraid of him, afraid of doing those things with him as husband and wife. She didn’t want to, she didn’t like him. That’s why she had been avoiding him and playing those pranks before.
Was he so terrifying, so disgusting to her? Or did she still have Yuwen You in her heart? Playing “Ambush from Ten Sides” with such murderous intent, although she had agreed to this marriage, she must be very unwilling in her heart, right? Yuwen Chu’s pupils contracted slightly, he tightened his grip on Mingzhu’s chin, slowly leaned closer to her face, and stared into her eyes, not relaxing for a moment.
The overwhelming scent of agarwood, the haunting gaze, made Mingzhu feel like she had nowhere to escape, no way to hide. Even breathing became extremely difficult. She dared not move, fearing that she would provoke Yuwen Chu and he would demand the interest right there and then. So she just sat there motionless, trying her best to make her expression and eyes look innocent, and softly pleaded, “Can we not make this a precedent?”
Yuwen Chu seemed not to hear, not even changing his posture.
Could it be that he really intended to retaliate against her like this? She didn’t want this! Mingzhu’s eyes couldn’t help but reveal a hint of fear. Was this what they called bringing trouble upon oneself? Last night, he had treated her so gently, she had forgotten that he was also surnamed Yuwen, that men from the Yuwen family were all no good.
The wind outside grew stronger, causing a slight “creak” from a window somewhere, startling the two lost in thought. Yuwen Chu finally released Mingzhu’s chin, stood up, and walked to the shadow of the lamp on the side, staring silently at the silver filigree bird-and-flower incense ball hanging from the ceiling without saying a word.
Yuwen Chu, silent like this, seemed distant from her, very unfamiliar compared to the gentle and considerate person from last night. Mingzhu felt uneasy and determined to regain the initiative. She steadied her mind and suggested, “It’s late. Let me accompany Your Highness to rest.”
Yuwen Chu turned back with a hint of sarcasm, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat you? Or are you afraid I’ll leave in a fit of anger, not returning all night, embarrassing you?”
His gaze was clear, carrying the understanding of a clever person. Mingzhu felt a bit embarrassed to be seen through and lowered her head, speaking softly, “I have already apologized to you.”
“Who said that you apologizing to me means I have to accept it?” Knowing that she didn’t love him, didn’t want to be with him, he still held onto the illusion. Who would have expected this slap to be so harsh? He wasn’t as reconciled as he thought he would be.
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