Chapter 187: First Signs
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That sounded nice, but Mingzhu’s mood didn’t improve. Rolling over to face away from him, she muttered, “I’m tired.”
Yuwen Chu saw her sweating profusely and quickly took a handkerchief to wipe it away for her, asking nervously, “Are you feeling unwell again? Shall I fetch some medicine pills for you?”
Mingzhu shook her head, but Yuwen Chu insisted on calling Su Lan in. Mingzhu, feeling irritated and restless, climbed up, grabbed his arm, and pulled him down, impatiently saying, “Don’t move around, you’re making me dizzy.”
Using considerable force, she made Yuwen Chu believe that she wasn’t feeling unwell. He guessed she was agitated because of Jiang Shanshan offering the diagram. Wanting to ask about the true origin of the diagram but fearing to annoy her with suspicions, he decided to let her be, quietly listening to her movements.
Mingzhu tossed and turned restlessly, feeling a sense of grievance she couldn’t express. If he was really involved in the downfall of the Fu family and the forced death of the Great Empress Dowager, what would she do? It would be like leaving a wolf’s den and entering a tiger’s den. Although in her past life, he had shown a completely different demeanor from Yuwen Long and others, not keen on the throne like them but leading a quiet and indifferent life, upon closer interaction, she found that he was not that simple. Leaving aside other matters, the ability to protect oneself was quite admirable and required strength.
The person who brought out the diagram was Jiang Shanshan… Jiang Shanshan… Mingzhu felt like Jiang Shanshan was a curse. In the past life, Jiang Shanshan was the exemplar, making her look like a lump of coal in the mud, the worst kind that nobody wanted. In this life, Jiang Shanshan was oppressing her so much that she could hardly breathe. The favoritism of Imperial Consort Min and Funing, the opinions of others, and the sudden appearance of this diagram, what did it all mean?
No, why did Jiang Shanshan bring this diagram to Yuwen Chu? Mingzhu suddenly realized and turned to glare at Yuwen Chu, “Why did Jiang Shanshan give you this diagram? What does she want? When did this happen?”
Yuwen Chu was startled by her question, then laughed, “After our engagement. As for what she wants to do, you’re a woman, why don’t you guess?”
“Shameless!” Mingzhu got angry instantly, exclaiming in frustration, “How could she do that? Even if she can’t bear to part with you, she shouldn’t pretend to be so noble and innocent in front of me, making me feel guilty while secretly doing such things!” Thinking back to the second day of their marriage when they went to the palace to pay respects and she saw the sheep-fat jade bracelet on Jiang Shanshan’s wrist, she got even more furious, “She must have done it on purpose! Intentionally!”
When Yuwen Chu saw her face flushed with anger, looking like she was going to go crazy, he couldn’t help but find it amusing. “What did she do? And you’re actually feeling guilty?”
“She deliberately showed me the jade bracelet she was wearing on her wrist in the Imperial Garden that day! She wanted to upset me, make me go back and argue with royal mother, and then she would go and return the bracelet, pretending to be generous and pitiful! It infuriated me, I’m so angry.” With nowhere to vent, Mingzhu could only pound the pillow forcefully. As she pounded away, she thought about how Yuwen Chu might have been involved in harming the Fu family in the previous life. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Initially finding the situation quite amusing and light-hearted, Yuwen Chu intended to tease her a little, but he realized something was wrong. While Mingzhu occasionally had her petty moments, she was generally quite magnanimous. It was normal for her to be angry about such things, but why was she crying so heartbrokenly? He hurriedly sat up to comfort her. “It’s not such a big deal. Just stay away from her since you know she’s not a good person. Why make a fuss? Don’t cry, it’s bad for your health. I won’t allow you to cry anymore.”
You want to manage me! A big part of my sadness comes from you! I can’t even say anything about it, let alone hope for any confirmation. You’re just here to make me angry. Feeling both scared and heartbroken, Mingzhu took the chance to vent her frustration by biting his shoulder and crying, “It’s you! If you hadn’t given her a chance, how could she have offered the drawing to you? If you hadn’t given her hope, why would she keep pestering you? It’s you! It’s you!”
Yuwen Chu winced at her bite, almost causing him pain. He wanted to use force but hesitated, so he resorted to threatening her instead. “If you don’t let go, I’ll call someone in! If you’re not afraid of embarrassing your parents, just keep biting! Bite me to death!”
Mingzhu wasn’t that ruthless after all. As soon as she tasted blood, she released her grip and collapsed on the bed, rolling around. “I haven’t finished with Jiang Shanshan!” If the drawing was indeed given by Jiang Shanshan and had something to do with the downfall of the Fu family, then she really hadn’t finished with Jiang Shanshan!
Yuwen Chu glanced at his shoulder, where there was a small circle of teeth marks, some still oozing blood. He was infuriated. “Fu Mingzhu, you are truly audacious! How dare you…”
With teary eyes, Mingzhu turned her head and glared at him. “I’m in a particularly bad mood right now. Don’t talk to me! You knew I would bite people, yet you still insisted on coming over. Now you think I’m not gentle enough? It’s too late!”
Fine, he thought. He had almost been bitten to death by her that day, and he had felt really good about it, almost wishing they could become enemies from then on. At the same time, if she had bitten him, he could at least be hated by her, which was better than being completely ignored and treated like a stranger. Now he had finally been bitten, should he feel good or bad about it?
Yuwen Chu sneered at himself for being so pathetic, then turned around and ignored Mingzhu.
After rolling around on the bed for a while, Mingzhu realized she would probably never find the answer to her suspicions. So she sat up aggressively, reached out to grab Yuwen Chu’s shoulder, and said, “I have a very important question to ask you, Your Highness!”
Still mad at himself, Yuwen Chu refused to turn around. “I’m not in the mood. Don’t talk to me!”
Mingzhu gritted her teeth in frustration. “No, I have to ask you.” Originally intending to threaten him, she realized she had no leverage over him. Unable to contain her emotions, she began to cry softly. “You’re bullying me, you’re bullying me.”
The scalding tears fell onto Yuwen Chu’s body, quickly soaking his inner clothes. Sensing something wasn’t right, he sighed and turned around, sitting up to hug Mingzhu like a child. “Stop crying. Crying will only make you sick and you’ll have to take medicine. Ask me, I’m listening.”
He was really patient, and Mingzhu knew that her behavior probably seemed unreasonable to others. Who knew what she had been through? But if she didn’t clarify that answer, she feared she wouldn’t be able to live with him peacefully. So she had to ask, even if this answer was based on assumptions. “Did Your Highness marry me because you liked me?”
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