Chapter 295: Pleasing
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After some thought, Yuwen Chu realized that Fu Cong and Fu Mingda would definitely stand on his side. Though Fu Mingzheng might not necessarily support him, he would never allow Mingzhu to be hurt. Therefore, they would surely handle the matter with the Great Empress Dowager well, perhaps without Yuwen Chu needing to intervene personally.
Furthermore, there was another very important matter: Mingzhu must quickly bear several children. With children in the picture, even couples who are not close would be connected. Unless one is utterly heartless, they would inevitably consider the children’s well-being.
Early in the morning, Mingzhu was awakened by a tingling sensation. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, pushed it away, kicked it irritably, then turned over and went back to sleep.
Yuwen Chu was first slapped across the face by her, causing his entire head to tilt to the side, then kicked in the thigh, narrowly missing a critical area. He was scared out of his wits, breaking out in a cold sweat, and begrudgingly laid flat, staring blankly at the canopy. After lying for a while, feeling resentful that Mingzhu could sleep so peacefully, he turned over again in frustration and bit Mingzhu’s chubby hand.
Mingzhu woke up in pain again, opening her eyes to glare at Yuwen Chu. Seeing him lying on his side, looking at her with bright eyes and a composed expression, as if waiting for her to explode, she suppressed her anger and asked cautiously, “Isn’t today the grand morning court? Your Highness, aren’t you going to attend?”
Yuwen Chu’s enthusiasm was completely dampened by her indifference, feeling a bellyful of discontent. He replied unkindly, “Of course, why wouldn’t I? I have to go.”
Although he enjoyed being with her, he was a diligent person. Usually, before she woke up, he would quietly get up, dress himself, and leave for morning court. Only when he had leisure time would he stay and lie with her until dawn. How could he be lazy today knowing there was a grand morning court? Mingzhu couldn’t help asking, “Since you have to go, why are you still lying in bed, Your Highness?”
Yuwen Chu glanced at her coldly and said, “In other families, wives usually wake up earlier than their husbands, attend to their husbands’ dressing, prepare their breakfast, send them off at the door, then return to greet their in-laws, attend to household chores, and educate their children…”
Mingzhu immediately understood his meaning. This was retaliation, plain and simple. Thinking that he had never made such requests before, she got up briskly and said, “Your Highness must have clothes here, right? Who is in charge of them? I’ll have them brought to you right away. I’ll attend to your dressing. What would you like to eat?”
Her eagerness made Yuwen Chu appear petty. After sulking for a while, he decided to enjoy her care and make her feel obligated. Perhaps by doing so, he could elevate his position in Mingzhu’s eyes compared to the Great Empress Dowager. He lazily pointed to the cabinet, “They’re in there. No one else is allowed here usually, so I’ll rely on you for everything.”
It meant that she had to manage everything herself today without any maidservants’ help. Mingzhu smiled and yawned, fetching his clothes. She considered herself diligent, but not used to serving others, so she inevitably felt flustered. With Yuwen Chu’s help, she finally managed to dress him in his intricate morning court attire. She only wore an undergarment herself, loosely draped in a jade-colored robe, her hair loosely tied in a bun, cascading behind her head, making her jade-white chin tilt slightly upward, resembling a fresh jade hairpin flower just blooming.
Yuwen Chu gazed at her fascinated for a while, then pulled her over, kissed her fiercely, and then shooed her back to bed, saying, “Go back to sleep. Someone will attend to you downstairs.”
Mingzhu hung on his neck, saying softly, “I’m not sleepy. It’s rare to serve Your Highness. There’s no dressing table or my clothes here. I can’t do my makeup. As long as you don’t mind my appearance, I’ll accompany you downstairs and have breakfast together, then see you off at the door.”
Her tone was sweet and soft, with obvious flattery, and Yuwen Chu suddenly understood, feeling even more uncomfortable. He wanted Mingzhu to pay more attention to him, have another child, so that in the future, when facing off against the Great Empress Dowager, he would have enough leverage. He didn’t want Mingzhu to be easily swayed by the Great Empress Dowager, causing all sorts of trouble, so he tried to attract her attention.
But little did he know, Mingzhu’s current affection and flattery were all for the Great Empress Dowager. She wanted him to lend a hand, help out, and prevent the Great Empress Dowager from falling into disgrace. Although from his perspective, he would never allow the Great Empress Dowager to reach such a point, Mingzhu’s obvious bias still left him feeling a bit disappointed and bitter.
Yuwen Chu felt sour inside and became even more unwilling to accept it: “No need, the weather has cooled down, and you’re not used to getting up early. You should go back and lie down. Dong Hui will send someone to inform Su Lan and the others to come and attend to you.”
Hearing that she would be left alone here, Mingzhu became even more unwilling: “It’s secluded here, it’s not good to let them come. Your Highness, don’t stop me, let me accompany you. When you leave, I’ll take a sedan chair back to Yinghui Hall. I won’t feel cold, and I won’t be tired.”
Yuwen Chu sighed and caressed her smooth cheek: “You don’t have to do this. I am on your side. You don’t need to say much; I will do my best to clear the Great Empress Dowager’s name.”
Mingzhu felt a bit embarrassed that he had seen through her thoughts, so she became even more attentive, wishing she could feed him all the food by hand, as if this was the only way to show that she genuinely wanted to treat him well, without any ulterior motives.
Seeing her insist like this, Yuwen Chu felt reassured and enjoyed this special treatment, allowing her to send him off for the first time ever. Sitting in the carriage, watching Mingzhu wrapped in her cloak, looking at him earnestly, he suddenly felt a surge of confidence, as if he had become more buoyant.
As Yuwen Chu’s carriage moved away, Mingzhu covered her mouth, yawned, and quickly ran back into the soft sedan. Tipping her head back, she urged, “Hurry back, hurry back.”
Back in Yínghui Hall, she collapsed onto the bed and slept until the day brightened. After tidying up, she picked a few fresh ingredients sent from the Wangfu’s estate, returned to her parents’ home lively.
Madam Cui already knew about the palace affairs. Seeing Mingzhu return, she also had a clue. After exchanging pleasantries, she led Mingzhu to the inner room for a private conversation. “I heard you went to the palace yesterday? Did you suffer any grievances?”
“How could I suffer grievances? With the Great Empress Dowager and Father there, who would dare to wrong me?” Mingzhu didn’t want to worry her mother too much, so she briefly mentioned the incidents involving Empress Dowager Min and her son, without mentioning Imperial Consort Min. She then smiled and let Madam Cui feel her flesh, “I’ve gained weight again.”
Although she disliked the excess fat on her body, knowing that the elders liked grandchildren to be a little chubby, because it indicated a good life and good health, she deliberately brought this up.
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