Chapter 166: Just you wait
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
All his words were so well thought out, even the smallest details were considered so seriously and meticulously. It didn’t seem like a sudden whim, but rather a well-prepared plan. Mingzhu couldn’t help but ask, “When did Your Highness think of building this tall building?”
Yuwen Chu smiled and said, “Just now.”
Mingzhu didn’t believe him. Was he really going to build the Moonlight Platform just because of her words? Then, in his previous life, who or what prompted him to build it? She found it hard to believe, but maintained a smile as she said, “Just a moment ago, and you’ve already planned how to build it without any flaws. It shows Your Highness’s talent. I am honored to be associated with you.”
Yuwen Chu looked at her and asked, “Just honored?”
What else did he expect? Did he want her flattery to be louder? Mingzhu smiled, pretending to be humble, and said, “Congratulations to Your Highness, such extraordinary talent and strategy are rare in this world. I truly admire you.” Despite her words, there was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
Yuwen Chu clearly noticed it but didn’t mind. He reached out to help her up and said with a smile, “That sounds even better than before. Let’s go, it’s late, time to rest.”
It seemed he wasn’t going to reveal the truth to her, and Mingzhu didn’t mind. She quietly followed him back to their residence.
The courtyard fell silent, with Xiangli still kneeling on the ground, followed by a few trembling maids. Su Jin and the others looked worried. When they saw Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu coming in, they first looked happy, then angrily glanced at Xiangli and the others kneeling on the ground. They deeply resented Xiangli’s witchcraft, deliberately kneeling here to tarnish Mingzhu’s reputation.
However, Yuwen Chu didn’t care. He walked past Xiangli and the others as if he hadn’t seen them, and Mingzhu didn’t care either. If the courtyard door was kicked, what did it matter? She calmly said, “Wasn’t it your fault just now. Get up and go get some medicinal wine to rub on yourself.”
“Yes.” Xiangli silently bowed again and led the others away.
Once inside the room, Mingzhu felt nervous, afraid that Yuwen Chu would bring up old grievances. Luckily, Yuwen Chu was not talkative and went to wash up directly. She breathed a sigh of relief and had someone serve her to wash up as well. After washing up, Su Ju brought fragrant ointment to help her wipe her face and hands, gently reminding her, “Wangfei, you should be careful of Xiangli. Consort never said she wanted to punish her, yet she still kneeled there motionless. Who is she trying to show her grievances to?”
Mingzhu shrugged, “It’s better to be feared than not taken seriously. If she’s willing to kneel, let her. My knees aren’t on her body, and it’s not me feeling the pain.”
Su Ju didn’t understand, and Su Mei was busy trying to mitigate the blame. She said, “She ran into Wangfei and should kneel down to apologize. She should only get up when Wangfei allows it. It’s her duty and rule as a servant. Even if His Highness asks, she has no reason. Wangfei rewarded her with medicinal wine without pursuing it further. She should be grateful. If she acts nonchalantly, defying Wangfei without realizing her mistake, that would be unacceptable.” Then, she ingratiatingly smiled at Mingzhu, “Wangfei, am I right?”
Mingzhu lazily replied, “Pardon a life and you’ll be asked for an inch.”
Su Mei shivered, her face turning pale. She said awkwardly, “I didn’t mean it. At that time, I didn’t think too much. Because I happened to see His Highness going there, and Zhu Changsheng said so…”
“Let’s not bring up this matter.” Mingzhu turned to Su Jin and Su Ju, “Both of you, you were supposed to guard the door, but you forgot who you are in just a short while. If he asks a few more questions, will you tell him everything about what I ate, where I went, who I saw, what I thought and did?”
Su Jin and Su Ju immediately knelt down and trembled, saying in trembling voices, “When His Highness asked, we thought it was harmless, so we told him.” Ying Wang was too intimidating. In just a few words, they unwittingly revealed everything.
Mingzhu looked at herself in the mirror and said without looking back, “Remember, this is the first and last time.”
Su Jin and Su Ju dared not say more and bowed their heads in agreement.
Mingzhu then asked, “After I left, did anyone enter the bedroom? How long did His Highness stay in bed before getting up?”
Su Jin and Su Mei replied in unison, “No one entered the bedroom, and His Highness got up after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. In between, Xiangli heard movement inside and asked if His Highness needed assistance, but His Highness didn’t respond.”
Then who helped Yuwen Chu escape? If he didn’t possess extraordinary skills to untie the rope himself, then there must have been some so-called dead soldiers or hidden guards in the shadows. Mingzhu frowned, unable to help but look up and down the room, but then she thought, if those people were really hidden there, wouldn’t Yuwen Chu have lost face? Wasn’t that why he was particularly angry?
“Wangfei, His Highness has retired for the night,” a maid reminded her as Mingzhu had to get up and enter the bedroom. Half of the curtains on the bed were down, half were rolled up, and Yuwen Chu was leaning against the head of the bed, reading by the light of the horned palace lamp. When he saw her coming over, he put down the book and smiled gently at her, completely abandoning old grudges and extending an olive branch.
Mingzhu pretended to casually glance at the two bedposts where she had tied him up before. They were as smooth and undamaged as new, showing no signs of being broken or burned. So the inference that he used violence to break the bedposts and escape was not valid. Then there was only the possibility of hidden guards helping him. But would a man who cared so much about his image let his subordinates see him in such a situation? If they did exist, where could they be hiding?
“Wangfei, are you looking for this?” Yuwen Chu smiled and reached under the pillow, pulling out the silk cord and shaking it in front of her.
Mingzhu’s heart skipped a beat, nervously saying, “We agreed not to bring this up again. Whoever mentions it again will be treated as a lapdog.”
“Of course, it’s over. What do you think I want to do?” Yuwen Chu looked at her strangely, gesturing towards the silk cord, “I noticed Wangfei seemed a bit restless, worried that you couldn’t sleep, so I deliberately told you the silk cord is here. If you’re not at ease, you can burn it.”
Mingzhu took the silk cord and glanced at it as if flying away, feeling a bit puzzled—The silk cord was intact, showing no signs of being cut or burned. How did he escape? This man was too unpredictable. She really wanted to ask what happened, but she didn’t dare to bring it up again, so she tactfully said, “I heard that there are many powerful hidden guards in our mansion, who come and go without a trace. Is that true?”
Yuwen Chu smiled knowingly and said slowly, “Yes, but no one dares to enter this room without permission.”
Seeing his expression that seemed to say “if you want to know how I escaped, just ask me,” Mingzhu deliberately refrained from asking and blew out the lamp. Just you wait, I’ll keep you in suspense.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
