Chapter 23: Intentions
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Mingzhu, impatient, grabbed Ban Jian’s hand and pressed a bright red fingerprint on the contract. Satisfied, she blew on the contract before Ban Jian could snatch it, then handed it to Fu Mingzheng. “Fourth Brother, please take this to the government office for registration.” Once it was registered with the authorities, Ban Jian would be firmly bound as a servant of the Xiangfu, and no one could take him away. In eight years, whether she succeeded or failed, she would return Ban Jian’s freedom.
Ban Jian wanted to snatch the contract from Fu Mingzheng’s hand, but Fu Mingzheng gave him a cold look, which scared him back. He glared at Mingzhu resentfully, lowered his hands, and went into the house. The Temple Master said with a complicated expression, “Children don’t understand. Let me talk to him.” With that, he followed Ban Jian into the house and closed the door behind him.
Mingzhu smiled at Fu Mingzheng, trying to please him. “Fourth Brother, are you tired? Don’t you want to rest?”
Fu Mingzheng carefully kept the contract Ban Jian had signed and glanced at Zhu Changsheng, who had been standing by silently with a smile. “This person claims to have urgent matters to discuss with you. Do you know him?”
Zhu Changsheng quickly stepped forward to bow and said with great joy, “I am Zhu Changsheng, the steward of the Ying Wang Mansion. I have met the young lady before.”
Mingzhu had already seen Zhu Changsheng, but she had been ignoring him because she was angry. Now she couldn’t avoid him, so she lazily asked, “What are you here for?”
Zhu Changsheng took out a gold and purple sandalwood box and respectfully handed it over. “Our Highness asked me to bring this to the young lady for her inspection.”
A debt collector! Mingzhu didn’t want to take it, so she signaled for Su Lan not to take it either, and said with an air of superiority, “No work, no pay. What is this?”
Zhu Changsheng smiled and said, “It’s something the young lady agreed to with His Highness the day before yesterday.”
The day before yesterday? It was clearly yesterday morning! It sounded like she and Yuwen Chu had some ambiguous relationship. Mingzhu’s eye twitched uncontrollably. She looked at Fu Mingzheng and saw him looking at her with a gloomy expression. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and say, “It’s just a debt note. You, as a high-ranking official, can’t even explain things clearly. Fortunately, His Highness has put up with you for so long.”
Chin up, Su Lan took the box and handed Mingzhu a neatly stacked pile of golden letters. There were various items listed, such as wooden barrels for extinguishing fires, water fees, tea fees, meal expenses, compensation for damaged clothing, shoes, and socks, as well as wood and tung oil for repairing the winding walkway, and labor costs. Everything was listed, and the amount was doubled. This was acceptable, but what caught Mingzhu’s eye was another sheet of paper underneath, which read, “A pair of exquisitely crafted silver lotus flower silk shoes inset with pearls, a pot of sweet dew, awaiting the arrival of the honored guest.” Her heart suddenly surged with anger as she squinted at Zhu Changsheng.
Zhu Changsheng smiled brightly, his tone, actions, and expressions all extremely humble. “Although the young lady agreed with His Highness beforehand, she is still young and doesn’t understand these matters. Since Madam and Fourth Master are both here, if the young lady has any doubts, she can discuss them with her family first to verify them before letting someone bring the items over.” With that, he bowed and took his leave.
Mingzhu suppressed her anger as she flipped through the document. She noticed that the total price was noted at the end of the first page, but there was no indication on the second page of how much money she needed to redeem the shoe. She called out to Zhu Changsheng, “Why isn’t the price mentioned on the second page?”
Zhu Changsheng chuckled, “Our Highness said it’s a priceless treasure, so we won’t ask for money from the young lady. It will be directly given to Madam Fu as a token of our Highness’s goodwill.”
It was a blatant threat! Mingzhu’s face turned a shade of dark gray, and she was about to retort that she wasn’t afraid at all, especially after the recent thief incident. However, Zhu Changsheng had already walked away, disappearing around the corner. Just before disappearing, he turned his head back with a meaningful smile directed at Mingzhu.
Fu Mingzheng stretched out his hand, asking Mingzhu for the document with a cold tone, “It seems like you’ve been enjoying yourself on the mountain these past few days, getting to know many people and causing quite a stir.”
Accidentally burning down the corridor in the middle of the night wasn’t a big deal in itself. Even if it had caused some commotion, at most, she would be scolded and confined for a period of time. But Mingzhu didn’t want her family to know about it, as it would inevitably lead to the discovery of the blueprints for the bed crossbow, and she couldn’t explain that to her family. So she crumpled the document hastily and stuffed it into her bosom, widening her eyes to feign innocence, “It happened by chance. Fourth Brother, thanks to Ying Wang’s rescue yesterday, should we go and thank him?”
Fu Mingzheng pondered for a moment before saying slowly, “Compared to Yuwen You, Yuwen Chu is indeed more reliable. However, I remember he’s already engaged. He’s set to marry the eldest daughter of Changxing Marquis, a marriage personally granted by the Empress Dowager.”
Mingzhu sensed the implication behind his words. He believed that her sudden abandonment of Yuwen You was due to fickleness, and she had suddenly set her sights on Yuwen Chu instead. If even her own brother thought so, she could imagine what others might think. No wonder Ban Jian had been mistaken for her “adulterer.” This realization left Mingzhu feeling helpless. She forced a bitter smile and said, “I understand what you mean, but can’t I stop liking Yuwen You without having feelings for someone else?”
Fu Mingzheng gave her a look that seemed to say, “You’re just pretending,” and said, “Of course you can, but you’ve been treating Yuwen You as a treasure for years, shamelessly and desperately loving him. Suddenly changing your mind, not many people would believe you just stopped liking him.”
He really didn’t mince words. Mingzhu suddenly felt overwhelmed. Irritated, she exposed her face to Fu Mingzheng, saying, “Think whatever you want, I won’t be with Yuwen You anymore.”
Fu Mingzheng said slowly, “You are the jewel of our family, always favored. This marriage was never approved by the elders anyway, so if you want to call it off, it’s no big deal. But I must remind you, the current situation in the court is not favorable. It’s possible that, in the worst-case scenario, even father can’t make the decision.”
“What do you mean?” Mingzhu was suddenly dumbfounded. Wasn’t her father a powerful and cunning figure? Were there times when he couldn’t make decisions and had to yield? Then why go through all this trouble? It would be easier to quietly marry Yuwen You and find a suitable opportunity to quietly get rid of him. Being a widow would be more comfortable.
Seeing her at a loss, Fu Mingzheng sighed lightly, “You must understand, in this world, everything has its ups and downs, there’s no absolute right or wrong. Our family might seem prosperous now, but every step we take is precarious. We have countless enemies lurking in the shadows, always watching us. If they find even a slight weakness, they’ll stir up trouble. To maintain balance, compromises and sacrifices are inevitable. What you did yesterday was good, making Yuwen You appear at fault so you could stand your ground. But from now on, causing any untimely trouble would be unwise. Do you understand?”
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