Chapter 164 Slip of a hand
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Zhou Fuyan added, “Otherwise, if the Wangfei is tired from walking, it would be courteous to come in and rest for a while.”
Since Yuwen Chu wasn’t inside, what was the point of going in? Mingzhu replied calmly, “No need, I’ll walk around some more.”
Zhou Fuyan quietly bowed, “Farewell to the Wangfei,” without another word.
Gentle and quiet, knowing her boundaries well, it’s no wonder she gained Yuwen Chu’s favor under Jiang Shanshan’s command and bore his eldest son. But she just didn’t like her! Mingzhu briskly turned and went down another path. She wasn’t regretting being impulsive, but there was a fire burning inside her. Since she had embarked on this path, she had to see it through to the end. It would be best if Yuwen Chu didn’t hit her face. If he did, she wouldn’t hold back.
Zhou Fuyan stood straight, silently watching Mingzhu’s figure recede into the distance, saying nothing for a long time.
A maid puzzledly asked, “Why did the Wangfei come here alone?” Suddenly a possibility dawned on her, and she said in panic, “Oh no, could someone have incited the Wangfei? What should we do? His Highness rarely comes here. Before, we thought things would improve with a new Wangfei, but who knew she would act like this from the start? What will you do in the future?”
Thinking of that lofty, unattainable, cold and merciless man, Zhou Fuyan sighed softly with bitterness and said softly, “Liansheng, the Wangfei is proud and will not be easily swayed by others’ provocations. There must be another reason. Perhaps, it’s just a coincidence.”
“Do we still need to go to Ping Nushi’s place?” Maid Liansheng relaxed upon hearing that nothing was wrong but couldn’t help adding, “The new Wangfei has a bad temper. She dared to address His Highness directly without any restraint, even wandering around the courtyard and banging on doors. With her so dominant, I’m afraid there won’t be a place for us in the future.”
“Don’t meddle in these trivial matters. Although His Highness doesn’t like us, he’s not unreasonable or indiscriminate in killing innocent people. As long as we don’t cause trouble, we’ll be safe.” Zhou Fuyan shook her head. “It’s a troublesome time, so let’s not go to Ping Nushi’s place. You should stay indoors these days. If anyone else comes looking for me, ignore them and let them go find the Wangfei.” After speaking, she closed the courtyard door tightly.
Mingzhu hadn’t walked along the path for long when she heard someone whispering ahead. A woman whispered, “Your Highness looks in good spirits. I suppose it’s been a long-awaited desire finally fulfilled, so you must be feeling happy, right?”
So he was here. Mingzhu wanted to rush out to see what kind of woman it was, but then she felt it wasn’t worth it, so she stood there listening to how Yuwen Chu would respond.
“I’ve always been healthy, so it’s normal to look good.” Yuwen Chu’s voice sounded no different from usual, calm and composed.
“With such a beautiful scenery in the mansion, why didn’t you bring the Wangfei out for a stroll? Walking here alone, aren’t you afraid of making the Wangfei suspicious and sad? People say you look good in your new marriage, but here you are, alone, enjoying the breeze. It seems like you’re sad.” The woman laughed, sounding enchanting.
Whether to bring her or not, why did this fox spirit talk so much? Mingzhu was filled with hatred, clenching her fists, but she only heard Yuwen Chu coldly say, “This is the mansion of Ying Wang. Who dares to talk too much?”
The woman chuckled, “That’s hard to say. Your Highness, this mansion of Ying Wang is also full of surprises.” The moonlight cast their two figures together, seemingly leaning towards each other. Shameless couple! Mingzhu was furious, swinging the lantern in her hand towards them.
Whether she hit them or not, the woman screamed, “What’s going on? You scared me!” Then she shouted, “Could there be assassins? Help! Assassins!”
Is the next step to throw herself into his arms? Mingzhu walked out with a stern face, looking coldly at the two of them, sarcastically curling her lips, “Sorry, my hand slipped…”
Originally intending to catch them in the act, she couldn’t say the rest. Yuwen Chu and the woman were separated by a quiet stream, but the moonlight just happened to shine from that angle, making it look like two people leaning against each other.
The woman wore a plain light blue dress, tall but plain-looking, yet exuding a unique charm. She held the lantern that Mingzhu had just thrown, spinning it playfully and smiling at Mingzhu, “A slip of the hand from a beauty, but it doesn’t necessarily have no meaning.”
“A slip of the hand from a beauty, but it doesn’t necessarily have no meaning.” Just this sentence, Mingzhu sensed that something was off with this woman. At least she shouldn’t be a concubine in the mansion. While pondering the woman’s identity, the woman suddenly recited, “Face radiant as the morning glow, clothes adorned with emerald, in the middle of the night, moonlight shines on dewdrops. A song of picking lotus in the gentle breeze, not yet intoxicated, mandarin ducks startled into flight. Wanting to pick the tender branches but fearing the green thorns, leisurely tapping the fan, secretly stealing the golden stamens, in the middle of the night, moonlight shines on pearl-like dewdrops. So many intentions, a tear of lovesickness on the red cheeks.” Pausing, she praised, “The Wangfei is truly extraordinary. It’s no wonder His Highness is so infatuated. Even when discussing business with me, his heart isn’t in it.”
“This is irrelevant.” Yuwen Chu’s face was very ugly, his voice cold and harsh. “You may leave now.”
The woman smiled, her ordinary features suddenly lively, “Your Highness, after using me, you want to drive me away. Burning bridges after crossing the river, that’s not very righteous of you.”
Even if Mingzhu was foolish, she could see that there was definitely no such relationship between this woman and Yuwen Chu, more like some banter between friends. But how could such a woman exist in this mansion? She had never heard of her before. Mingzhu was always very curious, so she immediately put aside her unpleasantness with Yuwen Chu and gave a salute to the woman, saying, “May I ask how this young lady is called? Were you just complimenting me?”
“With a face radiant as the morning glow, clothes adorned with emerald, in the middle of the night, moonlight shines on dewdrops. Although I know that the Wangfei’s name does not contain the word ‘Mingzhu’ like this, when I saw the Wangfei’s beauty, I felt that only these two lines of poetry fit the Wangfei best. Someone was lost in thought just now and almost stepped into the water. Luckily you came, or else it would have been…” The woman laughed and tossed the lantern to Mingzhu. Mingzhu hurriedly caught it. She was skilled in dancing, so she deftly caught the lantern back in her hand.
“Not bad.” The woman ignored Yuwen Chu’s darkening face and walked towards the trees on the other side of the stream, leaving behind a sentence, “My name is Du Heng.”
Du Heng? Mingzhu frowned, the name sounded somewhat familiar, so she must have heard of it before, but she couldn’t recall the details associated with this name for a while.
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