Chapter 257: Most Trusted
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“This servant pays respects to Your Highness.” Su Jin desperately gestured to Mingzhu, indicating that she shouldn’t act rashly and shouldn’t confront Yuwen Chu. It would be best if she could quickly get up, cry a little, and show some weakness. With her eyes almost twitching, Mingzhu showed no reaction at all, just lying on the bed, looking very delicate, and said softly to Yuwen Chu, “Your Highness, I am very sad, so sad that I can’t get up, and my heart hurts a lot. Therefore, I ask for your forgiveness for not greeting you properly.”
Yuwen Chu stared at her for a while, then suddenly smiled and gestured to Su Jin, “Leave us.”
Su Jin left with worries on her forehead, walking to the door. She wanted to leave a crack to listen to the movement inside, in case the two started fighting and she needed to come in to put out the fire in time. But then she heard Yuwen Chu say, “Close the door properly and tell Zhu Changsheng to keep his voice down. He’s annoying.”
Su Jin was puzzled, but Mingzhu understood it somewhat. She immediately jumped up from the bed and enthusiastically hugged Yuwen Chu’s neck, hanging on him, looking at him with a very aggrieved expression, “Your Highness, you must make a decision for me this time! Zhu Changsheng has no respect for anyone. He looks down on me, even dared to incite discord between us, saying that you look down on me and that I’m not worthy to look at the household accounts, and that you don’t trust me. He even said that I’m a thief, and you’d rather kill the person than let me help you! Is it true?”
“Zhu Changsheng actually dared to say that? He’s got some nerve.” Yuwen Chu smiled ambiguously, picked up Mingzhu, walked to the bedside, sat down, and put her on his lap. He lowered his head to look into Mingzhu’s eyes and kissed her on the cheek. “Do you believe him?”
Mingzhu blinked, “Of course I don’t believe him. You have said before that you want to give me a chance to learn to manage things. Yesterday, you told me to help you with the affairs of the mansion. That’s why I disregarded my fatigue and illness and got up early in the morning to busy myself with household chores. Because I knew Zhu Changsheng doesn’t like me and doesn’t accept my authority, I didn’t dare to directly call him over. I only let Li Quanxin go to talk to him. I didn’t say anything about what I wanted to do or manage him. I just wanted to understand the situation in the mansion. As a result, he actually said such nonsense to me.
I’ve never managed a household before, so I didn’t know that these interpersonal accounts could be so terrifying. Zheng Momo reminded me, and I understand now. I know I shouldn’t touch them, but Zhu Changsheng, this dog slave, dared to challenge me as soon as he arrived. He even scolded Zheng Momo for not following the rules and corrupted me. I just can’t stand it! This is not about the accounts anymore; it’s about who gave him the courage to disrespect me like this. Does he think it’s wrong for His Highness to love and cherish me? I just want to know, in His Highness’s eyes, am I really an ungrateful thief?”
Seeing Yuwen Chu about to speak, she mimicked the way he usually teased her and pressed a finger to his lips, blinking at him and softly saying, “He wants to be loyal to His Highness, I understand that. But why can’t he speak properly and instead show such disrespect towards me? His disrespect towards me is disrespect towards His Highness. I can’t stand it, and I believe that if His Highness were present, he wouldn’t tolerate him continuing to be disrespectful! Right? He’s making me so angry!”
She’s really exhausted and sick. Look at her, all lively and vibrant even when she’s about to die. But he likes this kind of attitude. How she behaves in front of others is her business, but in front of him, it should be like this. Happy, lively, no stern or cold faces, no quarrels or cold wars with him. Instead, she should tell him openly, “I’m going to deal with this person. I don’t like him. He’s been bullying me too much, and I want to fight back. Do you allow me to vent my anger?”
Yuwen Chu smiled and whispered, “Yes, Wangfei is right.”
Mingzhu couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, so she continued, “Then I want to ask His Highness, am I your Wangfei, am I your wife, am I someone who needs to be guarded against like a thief? Am I not worthy of trust? Is His Highness planning to abandon me in the end?”
She just learned the term “planning to abandon in the end” from him and immediately applied it. Yuwen Chu took Mingzhu’s hand in his palm, lowered his eyes, and slowly rubbed it, saying, “Of course, you are my Wangfei, my wife. You’re certainly not someone who needs to be guarded against, and you should be someone worthy of trust.”
Pausing here, he stopped, and Mingzhu, seeing him not saying anything, grabbed his sleeve uncertainly and shook it. “Are you going to punish Zhu Changsheng? I almost had a heart attack because of him!” She was somewhat grateful to the person who poisoned her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have such a versatile excuse.
Yuwen Chu raised her hand to his lips, gently kissed her fingertips, and looked into her eyes. “Are you guarding against me? Do you think I’m trustworthy? Do you really see me as a husband you can rely on for a lifetime?”
Mingzhu was a little stunned. He was already her husband, as she had said before. He had been good to her, so she would be good to him. But relying on him for a lifetime? She hadn’t really thought about it. Wasn’t it enough to rely on herself? Oh, and the children, like her brothers, obedient and capable. In this world, blood ties are the most inseparable.
Yuwen Chu didn’t press her, but held her shoulder and whispered softly, “I know you don’t really want to see my private accounts or inquire about my secrets. But since we’ve brought up this matter today, let me tell you about it. Everyone has secrets. It’s easy for you to see my private accounts, but you have to think carefully about this issue and ensure that if you see my private accounts, you won’t leak a single word. You have an obligation to protect the interests of the Ying Wang Mansion and ensure that they are not harmed. Can you do that?”
Can she do it? Mingzhu suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed. Like their marriage, she was clear that some things weren’t just a matter of going deeper. At least for now, they hadn’t reached that point. She lowered her eyes and chose to tell the truth, “My last name is Fu.” Power-hungry relatives who manipulate politics and the royal family are probably natural enemies, right? Of course, she can promise to protect the interests of the Ying Wang Mansion in front of others, but what about when it comes to family? When interests are aligned, it’s fine, but what if conflicts arise? The answer is almost certain: she can’t watch her family die in front of her again; that’s worse than torture, no, it’s even more terrifying than torture.
“Yes, your last name is Fu.” Yuwen Chu smiled gently, kissed her cheek again, and whispered, “You are Fu Mingzhu, and I’ve always known that. If I give you a set of false accounts, we can all be happy. But I don’t want to do that, and luckily, you don’t want to either. Don’t worry, there’s still a long way to go. When you’re ready to think it over and willing to look after my private accounts for me, then you can tell me. How about that? I’ve said before that I hope one day we’ll become the most trusted people to each other. That’s the truth, not just empty words.”
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