Chapter 259: Soft-hearted and Magnanimous
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Seeing Yuwen Chu no longer laughing, Mingzhu said, “No matter how capable Zhu Changsheng is, no matter how many merits he has, he’s just a servant, while I am your wife, the Wangfei. Why does he dare to disrespect me? Even if I can’t see your private accounts, there are many ways to refuse. Why did he choose the most unwise method? If he’s rude to me, I’ll hit back hard; otherwise, I’ll be a coward, and no one will listen to me, even when it comes to winning people’s hearts. Isn’t that right?”
Yuwen Chu smiled brightly, “Since Wangfei thinks so thoroughly, then let it be as you say. But I have to remind you that after you hit back, you might gain a bad reputation.” Having grown up in the palace, he naturally knew all about the petty schemes of these servants. They didn’t dare to do big things, but spreading rumors behind the scenes was as effective as killing someone.
“Do you care about that? I know rumors can be deadly, but I’m not afraid. I’ve been associated with rumors since I was young, and I’m used to it.” Mingzhu didn’t care about this at all. She knew that Zhu Changsheng was a man of Imperial Consort Min, so hitting him was equivalent to slapping Imperial Consort Min’s face in public. If she couldn’t bribe him, then she would beat him hard until he was scared to death. As for Imperial Consort Min, sorry, although she certainly didn’t want to have trouble with Imperial Consort Min, she wouldn’t compromise to please her either. As long as her reasons were justified and she didn’t deliberately scheme against her, she would naturally do it.
Yuwen Chu reached out to her with a somewhat playful tone, “As long as Wangfei is willing to give me a kiss and bear me a few children, even if you’re fierce and wicked, I’m not afraid. What are rumors? With me here, even bad things can turn good!”
Mingzhu walked over and kissed his cheek, saying, “Your Highness, aren’t you afraid of being laughed at for marrying a shrew?”
“Laugh at me for having such a beautiful and lovely wife? They should be jealous instead. I’ve picked up a big treasure.” Yuwen Chu suddenly bounced off the bed, grabbed Mingzhu, and kissed her fiercely, yet accurately.
Before Mingzhu could struggle, her lips were already pried open by him, and she was left breathless and dizzy from the kiss. She finally managed to break free after pinching his waist a few times with all her strength, and she scolded, “Haven’t you seen a woman before? You’re like a starving tiger. You wanted it last night, this morning, and now again. Do you want to exhaust me to death? Even with horses and cows, people try to save their energy to avoid overworking them. If they don’t, they won’t be able to use them again. But you…”
At this point, she felt she had said too much. Her words shouldn’t have been so harsh. In a mix of embarrassment and anger, she glared at Yuwen Chu, turned her head away with a flushed face, and refused to look at him. She thought she was fierce, but in reality, she was incredibly charming and gentle.
“Such vulgarity. Who compares themselves to horses and cows? Obviously, there are no cows and horses as beautiful and tender as you.” Yuwen Chu looked at her blushing face, a mix of shyness and annoyance, and felt like there were seven or eight little hands scratching at his heart. He wanted to hold her tightly and comfort her, but he restrained himself and lazily smiled, “As for women, of course, I’ve seen quite a few, but I’ve never seen a spicy little wife like you. Alright, I won’t provoke you anymore. Let’s go deal with Zhu Changsheng first. Once that’s done, we can go to the estate and have some fun. It’s quiet there, no one will disturb us, and we can do whatever we want. Basking in the sun on the tall straw piles is very comfortable.”
It’s actually you who wants to do whatever you want! Just thinking about you in the tall straw piles makes me too embarrassed to lift my head. You’re really shameless and despicable, this scoundrel in fine clothes. Mingzhu disdainfully glanced at Yuwen Chu, adjusted her clothes and hairpin, then called someone in with a stern face, “Fetch the one in charge of punishment in the mansion and let them explain to Zhu Changsheng how to punish him for disrespecting the master, spreading rumors, and causing trouble. Then take him to…” Because she didn’t know where punishments were usually carried out in the Ying Wang Mansion, she turned to look at Yuwen Chu. Yuwen Chu whispered softly, “Zhanran Hall.”
“…take him to Zhanran Hall for punishment, and inform the stewards responsible for various matters to observe the punishment.” After Mingzhu finished speaking, she suddenly heard Zhu Changsheng’s sobbing outside stop abruptly. So, she leisurely walked out, sat down in the main seat, and smiled, “When I was at my Mother’s house, servants who were punished had to be stripped naked and beaten with a board, and all the servants in the mansion had to watch as a warning. I wonder if the same rule applies in the royal mansion?”
What? Mingzhu wanted to strip him naked and let people beat him with a board? And make people watch his buttocks? How did Mingzhu have such a skill to make people hate her so much? Zhu Changsheng couldn’t believe it. He forgot that he had just been pretending to be wronged and pitiful, and was extremely shocked as he looked at Mingzhu, forgetting even to express his disagreement.
Li Quanxin struggled to suppress his laughter, shaking his fat body. As the chief steward, reaching this point meant he was thoroughly humiliated. His dignity was completely lost. How could he manage his subordinates in the future? The move by the Wangfei was vicious; it was killing without shedding blood. Looking at Yuwen Chu, who remained silent in the inner room, Li Quanxin knew that Yuwen Chu wouldn’t intervene. He said, “In response to the Wangfei’s question, the same rule applies in the mansion.”
Only now did Zhu Changsheng react, his face turning red and white, glaring angrily at Li Quanxin, “You treacherous scum, eunuch…”
Li Quanxin sighed helplessly, “Brother Zhu, you made a mistake, but you don’t allow others to speak? Is that reasonable? This is the rule. The Wangfei asked a question, should I lie to deceive the master? If His Highness and the Wangfei want me to handle things, calling me eunuch, do you think I shouldn’t be used by them?”
Mingzhu found it amusing. Li Quanxin, this scoundrel, dug another pit for Zhu Changsheng to jump into without saying a word. If Zhu Changsheng got angry and argued with Li Quanxin in front of Yuwen Chu, Yuwen Chu might not be able to tolerate it.
Zhu Changsheng was fortunate enough not to lose his mind and realized that he couldn’t continue to argue with Li Quanxin. This matter was as simple as a word from His Highness, but His Highness was pretending to be ignorant. He refused to accept it. Even if he was to be punished, he demanded a clear explanation. He couldn’t be easily manipulated with justifications! Therefore, he banged his head on the ground, crying out loudly, “Your Highness, I’m innocent! The Wangfei is unfair, and I refuse to accept it! Your Highness…” In just a moment, his forehead was bruised, his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in snot and tears, looking utterly miserable.
“Stop crying, His Highness finds you annoying!” Seeing him in such a state, Mingzhu became quite cheerful. “Originally, I was going to have all the household staff witness your punishment, but I’m a forgiving person. Considering that you’ll still need to work for His Highness in the future, I don’t want to embarrass you too much. I’ll just have the stewards go and take a look, that’s enough.”
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