Chapter 163: Kicking the Door
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Mingzhu was startled. Was he going to argue with her and not give up?
However, Yuwen Chu had already turned and walked out, his tall figure straight and resolute, with a hint of unwillingness to compromise, and a touch of stubbornness.
Mingzhu knew she should stop him, otherwise, how would this drama continue? She decisively took action, rushing forward to grab Yuwen Chu’s sleeve and exclaimed, “I was wrong. Please don’t go!”
Yuwen Chu stood with his back to her for a moment before slowly turning back, looking at her with a faint smile, “You admitted your mistake quite readily.”
Mingzhu quickly nodded, “Admitting mistakes and changing is always my greatest virtue.” Seeing Yuwen Chu’s expression soften, she also breathed a sigh of relief.
“I…” Yuwen Chu began to speak with a hint of sarcasm, but someone outside spoke softly, “Your Highness, the servant has urgent news to report.”
“I have matters to attend to. I’ll talk to you later.” Yuwen Chu frowned slightly, gently pulling his sleeve out of Mingzhu’s hand, and quickly walked out.
Since he smiled, he wasn’t angry anymore. If he has something to do, he has something to do. Anyway, he will come back. Mingzhu poured herself a cup of tea, leaned back in her chair, and shook it. But she saw Su Lan rushing in anxiously, her face full of worry, “Your Highness, what’s going on? It’s so late, where else does His Highness want to go? When I asked Wei Tiande who was on duty, he said he didn’t know if His Highness would return.”
It was very likely that he wouldn’t return.
“How would I know where he went? I’m not his Mother, able to keep track of his whereabouts!” Mingzhu was furious when she heard this. Wasn’t she supposed to wait for him? How dare he lie to her! She even pulled his sleeve for nothing just now! How embarrassing.
Su Lan, seeing her furious appearance, said helplessly, “Please be careful what you say, Your Highness. We can’t afford to be laughed at.” This wasn’t Fu’s mansion. Here, anything goes. This was Ying Wang Mansion. There might even be people among the maids outside who belonged to Imperial Consort Min. If such disrespectful words spread, what would people think?
Mingzhu gritted her teeth in anger, “Am I supposed to chase after him? What would I become then?”
Su Lan stomped her foot in frustration. “Can’t you come up with a nice excuse? Perhaps His Highness is waiting for you to accompany him back. Men are all about saving face. It’s chilly at night, and His Highness’s attire is thin. You could bring him a cloak, showing your thoughtfulness and consideration.”
“I’m not going!” Mingzhu turned away from Su Lan. She refused to believe that Yuwen Chu wouldn’t return just because she didn’t go.
“Miss, His Highness went north! I came from outside and met Zhu Changsheng. He asked me to advise you not to ruin the harmony with His Highness over a trivial matter.” Su Mei rushed in, looking flustered and panicked, even getting the titles wrong. But it wasn’t entirely her fault. Up north lived those two court ladies and a bunch of concubines. Regardless of who Yuwen Chu went to see, the reputation of their group would be tarnished.
Mingzhu was instantly furious. What a Yuwen Chu! She just made a harmless joke with him, and he dared to slap her face so blatantly. If he really went to the north to find other women, then their days together were numbered. Thinking that she had become a malicious woman who stole someone else’s husband because of him, and that she would have to endure such insults again on the second day of her marriage, she couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t sit still anymore and rushed out like a gust of wind.
“Anyone can come back and say whatever they want! If something happens today, I’ll make sure you don’t get away with it!” Su Lan glared at Su Mei anxiously, hastily picked up one of Yuwen Chu’s cloaks, and followed her out.
Mingzhu rushed out like a gust of wind, and when she reached the corridor, she happened to run into Xiangli, who was leading a few maids. Unable to avoid them, she bumped into them, stumbling. Xiangli originally frowned, ready to scold, but when she saw it was Mingzhu, she paled and kneeled down to apologize, “Your Highness, I’m sorry for the collision.”
Mingzhu didn’t care about anything else, she just rushed out holding her breath. There was no trace of Yuwen Chu outside the door, only Li Quanxin standing on the side of the road with a lantern in hand, as if he was waiting specifically for her. She rushed over and asked, “Did he go north?”
Seeing her heaving with anger, Li Quanxin hesitated for a moment and said, “Who said that to the Wangfei?”
Mingzhu couldn’t wait any longer and raised her voice, “Did he or did he not?”
“He did, but…” Li Quanxin only managed to say the beginning before Mingzhu snatched the lantern from his hand. He had to shout, “Your Highness, be careful of the slippery road in the dark!”
Mingzhu didn’t have the patience to listen, she just carried the lantern and, relying on her good memory, hurried alone towards the north courtyard. Along the way, the red lanterns of the newlyweds hung on the trees, but there were almost no servants around, only the shadows of the trees on both sides, and the moon in the sky was cold and clear. Still no sign of Yuwen Chu.
The more Mingzhu walked, the more angry she felt. She thought he had probably entered one of the courtyards. Whether it was Zhou Nushi or Ping Nushi, or any other concubine, it would be like a slap in the face to her. She couldn’t tolerate it. She had to vent her anger today.
Mingzhu stopped in front of a courtyard. It wasn’t large, with the words “Zhenxia” written on it. This was Zhou Nushi’s residence. The courtyard gate was tightly closed, with some light seeping out from inside, silent and still.
Was Yuwen Chu inside? Mingzhu looked at the tightly closed gate and thought of their special identities. She lifted her foot to kick it. She thought she would need to kick it a few more times, but the gate “creaked” open with just one kick. A person stuck their head out, looking very surprised. “Who are you?”
Mingzhu arrogantly tilted her chin and glanced at the person. Seeing that it was a maid with double buns, she asked, “Is Yuwen Chu inside?”
Before the maid could reply, another person came out softly, “Surname Zhou, Fuyan greets the Wangfei.” Then a woman in a lake-blue dress kneeled down gracefully, her slender waist swaying.
“Get up.” Seeing that Yuwen Chu was probably not here, otherwise, the mistress and servant wouldn’t have come out so quickly. Mingzhu squinted at Zhou Fuyan, who stood up straight, her head half bowed, her delicate face looking innocent and harmless, and her attitude very respectful. “His Highness is not here. This Qie* doesn’t know the Wangfei is coming. Please forgive me.”
* Qie = I for concubines
So it was her, the biological Mother of Yuwen Chu’s eldest son in her previous life. Mingzhu recognized Zhou Fuyan’s appearance and remembered her from her previous life, silently following behind Jiang Shanshan, seemingly unable to speak much. For some reason, she felt a bit choked up and embarrassed, and said lightly, “I didn’t intend to come here. I just ate too much for dinner and couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk to aid digestion. I didn’t expect to get lost. So I wanted to ask for directions.”
Zhou Fuyan stood up straight, quietly bowing, “If the Wangfei doesn’t mind, let me accompany you back.”
Mingzhu didn’t want her to accompany her and said, “No need.”
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