Chapter 283: Understanding
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Mingzhu was startled. “Why did His Highness end up like this?” She was about to scold Wei Tiande. “Are you all dead? Couldn’t you at least bring an umbrella or wear an oil coat?”
Yuwen Chu smiled and gently covered her mouth with his hand, whispering, “Do you feel sorry for me?”
Mingzhu blushed but admitted boldly, “You’re my husband. If I don’t feel hurt for you, who else will?”
Yuwen Chu burst into laughter, and all his weariness dissipated with her words. He lifted Mingzhu up and tossed her lightly into the air. As she squealed and fell into his arms, he rubbed his wet hair against her face, leaving her with splashes of water. Mingzhu usually didn’t wear makeup, at most some moisturizing cream, so her face remained clean despite his actions.
“You’ve soaked all my clothes. They’ve only been worn once; they’re materials given by the Great Empress Dowager, the only set in the entire capital.” Mingzhu complained, but she couldn’t help but feel a hint of sweet affection. She hugged Yuwen Chu’s neck, smelling the scent of fresh agarwood on him, feeling that this terrible weather had its own charm. At least being together, reading and chatting, made them feel especially comfortable and warm.
“The rain was too heavy, and the palace gates were flooded. The Changan Avenue outside the palace couldn’t be crossed by the ministers’ carriages. They had to ride horses, and some parts were muddy. Even the horses had difficulty passing, so they had to walk.” Yuwen Chu soaked in warm water to dispel the cold, first drinking the hot ginger soup handed to him by Mingzhu, then asking, “Is there plenty of ginger soup?”
Knowing he was concerned about Jing Song and the others who went out with him, Mingzhu replied, “I had it sent over early. Everyone has a share.”
Yuwen Chu thought of the exquisite supper she had prepared for his aides and felt exceptionally good. “You’ve never cared about worldly affairs. Why start now?”
Mingzhu didn’t know why, but she just felt like it, so she replied disdainfully, “What’s the big deal? Your Highness, just wait and see. I’ll manage the household properly. Whatever the situation, once it’s in my hands, it’ll behave.”
Yuwen Chu sensed that she had settled down with him. He smiled and asked Mingzhu to bathe him. Mingzhu wasn’t good at serving others. Either she pulled his hair painfully or her hands were too heavy, scraping him with the loofah. But he enjoyed this feeling. Her clumsiness didn’t matter; he would teach her slowly. He didn’t mind her discomfort. He married her to enjoy life. With so many maids and servants, as long as she was at peace and happily waiting for him, it was better than anything else. Having a few more children would complete everything.
Feeling happy, Yuwen Chu reached out to hug Mingzhu. “Let’s bathe together.”
Mingzhu rolled her eyes and blushed and thought to refuse. However, she ended up saying, “The tub is too small!”
Yuwen Chu laughed and kissed her cheek loudly. Mingzhu covered her face and remained silent, but she understood clearly that she was growing fonder of being with Yuwen Chu.
After a satisfying meal and tea, they sat by the window listening to the rain. Yuwen Chu’s mood was good, and he skillfully informed Mingzhu about the current situation in the capital. “After the flooding, the Ministry of Works will inevitably send people to inspect the sewers. It might not be peaceful then. Do you remember the secret passage we encountered last time we went out to eat? And the secret passage Fourth Brother-in-law traced?”
Mingzhu recalled he had told her in advance that there would be heavy rain today, so she had some speculations. “Although the sewers in the capital haven’t been cleaned for many years, they’ve never caused flooding before. So today was an accident?”
“Smart,” Yuwen Chu admired her with a glance and whispered, “Fourth Brother-in-law led people to block several sewage outlets.” Speaking of which, Fu Mingzheng was really adept at this kind of thing. No wonder people in the capital said that the fourth son of the Fu family was a thoroughly wicked fellow.
Mingzhu remained silent. Today, she had also asked Fu Mingzheng to help her with something.
Yuwen Chu smiled again, “Are you thinking about what’s happening at the Changxing Marquis’s Mansion’s village? Fourth Brother-in-law is busy with important matters, so the news probably won’t reach you until tomorrow morning. But I happen to know a little…” He reached out and pulled Mingzhu closer, letting her lean against him. The late autumn night had already cooled, and the warmth from being together was just right, making everyone feel comfortable.
Mingzhu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably when she heard about the deaths. She nervously said, “I didn’t order anyone to kill.” The steward of the Changxing Marquis’s Mansion was a bad person, and if he died, so be it. But those craftsmen, she truly hadn’t intended for them to be killed to incite trouble, to deal with Jiang Shanshan.
Yuwen Chu lowered his eyes slightly, calmly poured tea for both of them, and said lightly, “Sometimes, saying someone is dead doesn’t mean they’re really dead. It’s just an opportunity. It’s like when you want to pick a fight with someone who’s avoiding you from afar. You don’t have a reason to do it, so you find a reason. Whether the reason is true or false, justified or not, it doesn’t matter.” The woman who cried out that her husband was beaten to death was one of Fu Mingzheng’s people, and the husband wasn’t really dead; it was just a reason to stir up emotions and force the people Jiang Shanshan brought to take action.
“Now that things have escalated like this, will those craftsmen be arrested?” Mingzhu pondered with her head tilted. These were things she could avoid doing, but she needed to understand what was going on. Because the people and events she was facing weren’t simple matters that could be solved with just a hint to her father and brothers. It involved a wide range of people and events, and her opponents’ methods were diverse. She needed to understand. And Yuwen Chu, without a doubt, was the best teacher for that.
“The incidents at the Changxing Marquis Mansion couldn’t be kept secret from others, so tomorrow morning, the magistrate of Jingzhao will send someone to the Changxing Marquis Mansion’s countryside estate to handle the matter. Next, it will spread that the Changxing Marquis Mansion mistreated and killed craftsmen, leading to conflicts between the craftsmen and the mansion’s guards in self-defense. Therefore, the craftsmen are the victims, as are the relatives of the steward who died at the Changxing Marquis Mansion. This time, the longstanding reputation of the Changxing Marquis Mansion is almost ruined. I estimate that by the third day, when the Changxing Marquis Mansion is in deep trouble, you can go and demand compensation.”
Yuwen Chu sneered coldly. Jiang Shanshan actually dared to treat him like a fool. This incident with Fu Ning was clearly her stirring up trouble. Even though he found Liao Guang quite agreeable, there was a difference between someone he chose and someone manipulated into his life.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
