Chapter 254: Life or Death
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Lately, Li Quanxin was least afraid of Zhu Changsheng!
Seeing him glaring threateningly, Li Quanxin glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then respectfully bowed to Mingzhu and said with a smile, “This old servant was just about to report this matter to the Wangfei. The old servant only has the household register and financial records, while the records of personal interactions have always been held by Steward Zhu himself. He has been personally managing all matters of the household, and there is no one more capable and diligent than him in the entire mansion.
The old servant’s records and books have already been sent over, and I’ve explained everything to Steward Zhu. However, Steward Zhu said that only His Highness has the right to examine the records of personal interactions, and no one else is qualified. Otherwise, it’s a dead end. When the old servant heard this, it didn’t sound right, so I argued with him a few times. Who knew he would jump up and hit the old servant!”
Li Quanxin pretended to wipe away tears, then continued, “The old servant said that husband and wife are one body, and the Wangfei is the mistress of the mansion. It’s only natural for her to share concerns for His Highness. We servants should just stick to our duties. But he said… Well, the old servant really dares not say it.”
“Go ahead,” Mingzhu said lazily, “You’re forgiven.”
Li Quanxin said with great distress, “It was Zhu Changsheng who said it, not me. He said that there’s a distinction between the legitimate master and the temporary master, and he is the external steward appointed by His Highness. He only needs to listen to His Highness, and no one else has the right to interfere with him. What does a mere lady of the house have to do with these matters? Does she want to cause trouble in the mansion? She’s overreaching!”
“Vile servant, how dare you speak such nonsense!” Zhu Changsheng couldn’t hold back and stood up, shouting loudly. This was a blatant accusation and slander!!! Although that was indeed his intention, it was to remain loyal to His Highness! Moreover, he didn’t say it so explicitly; it was said in a more tactful and polite manner!!!
Even if he did look down on Mingzhu in his heart, he wouldn’t dare to openly display such thoughts. After yelling at Li Quanxin, he immediately knelt down, tears and snot streaming down his face, loudly proclaiming his innocence, “Wangfei, please listen. Li Quanxin has a grudge against me and is slandering me! He has sinister intentions! I never said such things! Even if I were a coward, I wouldn’t dare to disrespect the Wangfei like that.”
Mingzhu raised an eyebrow, saying calmly, “Since you respect me, then show me the records. That way, it can prove that Li Quanxin is lying.” When two roads converge, the brave one wins. If Zhu Changsheng dared to give her His Highness’s personal records, she definitely wouldn’t dare to touch them; but she gambled that Zhu Changsheng wouldn’t have the guts to do it because she was known for her audacity. What if he did give them to her? What would she do if she actually accepted and looked at them?
Seeing this, Su Lan and the others finally understood that asking for the records was just a pretext, while the real target was Zhu Changsheng. Seeing Mingzhu ask like this, they couldn’t help but feel anxious. What if Zhu Changsheng really gave her the records? What would they do then? They wouldn’t be able to punish Zhu Changsheng, and it might even displease His Highness. It would truly prove that the Wangfei’s influence had gone too far.
Zheng Momo, however, was not at all anxious. Unless Zhu Changsheng died, he would never hand over the account book to Mingzhu. Otherwise, with Yuwen Chu’s temperament, he would immediately torture him on the spot. Both Li Quanxin and Zhu Changsheng knew this situation, and Mingzhu must have weighed it repeatedly as well. So, it must be said that this time Mingzhu used the most straightforward and brutal means to dig a pit that Zhu Changsheng had no choice but to jump into.
Zhu Changsheng knew this was a pit, but he only had two choices in front of him. One was to obey Mingzhu and give her the account book. Although this could temporarily avoid disaster, it would completely anger and offend Yuwen Chu. Just think, I entrusted such an important thing to you, but you leaked it out because you were afraid of offending someone. Shouldn’t you die for that? So, this was a dead end.
The second option was to resist Mingzhu and confront her. This was a gamble for victory. In a situation where both sides couldn’t have it all, he chose to express his loyalty to Yuwen Chu, whom he couldn’t afford to offend. Offending Mingzhu, being scolded or beaten didn’t matter. It would just let Yuwen Chu know his loyalty and Mingzhu’s domineering, greedy ambitions. And Mingzhu was famously foolish and domineering, easy to deal with. She would flare up at a slight push, and it would be best to beat her up and make him stand out. However you looked at it, this was a way out.
Now the key point was, whose courage was the greatest, whose acting skills were the best, and who would reveal their flaws first due to impatience. And Zhu Changsheng’s identity destined that he wasn’t the one with the greatest courage.
Zhu Changsheng indeed didn’t dare to take risks. He knelt on the ground, crying bitterly, “Your Highness, forgive me. It’s not that I refuse to show you, but His Highness has already ordered that no one except him can see it. Otherwise, I’ll lose my life! If Your Highness insists on having someone fetch it, I have no choice but to die to apologize for my loyalty to His Highness.” In other words, it’s not my fault. You started this. If you want to cause trouble, go to His Highness. Otherwise, if you come after me, I can fight to the death, and then see how you can handle the consequences. Do you dare? Do you?
Seeing him crying and pleading, Su Lan and the others looked at Mingzhu with great concern, fearing that Mingzhu couldn’t control her emotions and would force Zhu Changsheng to produce the account book. If they clashed head-on, even if Zhu Changsheng didn’t come out well, she wouldn’t gain anything good.
Mingzhu had no idea of the rollercoaster of emotions Su Lan and the others went through in an instant. She just raised her hand to cover her eyes, saying sorrowfully, “I understand, Steward Zhu means that His Highness feels I’m not worthy of seeing the account book, that he doesn’t trust me. I’m not qualified! I don’t deserve it! I care for His Highness, want to share his worries, but it’s overstepping my boundaries, being greedy, reaching too far!”
She covered her face and pretended to cry, reaching out to Zheng Momo for comfort, choking, “Momo, His Highness doesn’t trust me. My heart hurts so much! Being insulted by a servant like this, I have no face to live! In His Highness’s eyes, I’m even less useful than a servant. I wanted to help His Highness share his worries, but he’d rather kill someone than let me help him! What’s the point of such a marriage? I don’t want to live anymore! None of you should stop me!”
Zheng Momo calmly supported Mingzhu and said softly, “Your Highness, don’t be sad. You’re overthinking. Since His Highness married you and asked you to share his worries, he certainly wouldn’t say such things behind your back. It must be that the people below don’t understand manners and are speaking disrespectfully, inciting discord between you and His Highness.”
But Mingzhu just wouldn’t relent and kept pretending to cry.
What’s going on here?
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