Chapter 313: Stranger
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Yuwen Chu’s nonchalant attitude made Longsheng Great Eldest Princess’s husband and her eldest son feel a bit embarrassed. They repeatedly said, “We didn’t consider it carefully.” Indeed, they quickly arranged for a sedan chair to be brought over.
Mingzhu pushed back again, “It’s really not necessary.”
Yuwen Chu frowned, “I told you not to come, but you insisted on coming to support your aunt. I told you to sit, but you insisted on saying it’s impolite to sit. If you have a relapse later, who will be to blame? Don’t ruin everyone’s mood.”
Alright, originally the Eldest Princess’s son-in-law, who was a bit disdainful of their behavior, quickly came up to persuade Mingzhu to sit in the sedan chair later, otherwise, if she really had a relapse, it would cause a lot of trouble.
Suddenly, a servant came to report, “Linan Wangye has arrived.”
Immediately after, Yuwen You’s carriage entered the princess mansion. He was alone and acted swiftly, quickly getting off the carriage. Both sides felt a little uncomfortable facing each other. Mingzhu just glanced at him lightly and turned her face away, but Yuwen You stared at her openly, then turned to Yuwen Chu and said, “Sixth Brother, since Sixth Sister-in-law is so ill, shouldn’t you have kept her at home to rest well? Why let her come and suffer?”
Yuwen Chu said earnestly, “Ninth Brother, you’re really joking. Coming to congratulate the elders, how is that suffering? No one forced anyone to come. If you didn’t want to come, Uncle and Aunt are generous and wouldn’t say anything to you.”
Yuwen You originally wanted to mock him a bit, but unexpectedly, he distorted his words so openly, still maintaining a serious expression. He couldn’t help but feel very annoyed, “What do you mean, Sixth Brother? When did I say I didn’t want to come?”
Yuwen Chu said very seriously, “That’s good if you didn’t. I know you haven’t been in a good mood these past few days. Don’t drink too much and talk nonsense at the banquet later, or else you’ll lose face, and as your older brother, I won’t spare you.” The implication was a warning not to mention Mingzhu again.
Yuwen You hated his serious demeanor, wishing he could tear off his hypocritical face alive. However, he couldn’t, but he couldn’t swallow this anger either, so he openly looked at Mingzhu again, “Sixth Sister-in-law doesn’t look good. I’ve been wanting to visit her, but men and women are different, so I can’t go.”
Crossing the line like this under normal circumstances wouldn’t be a big deal, but the relationship between the two was delicate, and it suddenly seemed very unusual. Everyone looked at them with ambiguous eyes, waiting to see the show.
Mingzhu didn’t hesitate to roll her eyes at him, took a big step to the side, fanned her nose with a handkerchief, and said calmly, “Such a strong smell, could it be that the mansion is digging latrines today?”
Someone couldn’t help but laugh, “Haha,” and Yuwen You’s face couldn’t hold, feeling extremely aggrieved, he glared at the person who laughed, and said coldly, “What are you laughing at?”
Mingzhu also felt curious. Everyone knew that this matter between her and Yuwen You was delicate, and everyone tried to keep their distance. Yet this person dared to act like this, making her uncomfortable. So she looked over, only to see the young man standing beside Longsheng Great Eldest Princess’s husband.
He was wearing a duck-egg blue Confucian robe, without a crown, only a transparent jade hairpin in his hair bun. Tall and thin, his features seemed ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were very gentle and amiable. Especially when he smiled, it seemed meaningful, with a hint of elegance and charm.
Mingzhu had seen him when she entered the door, but she thought he was just a young man from the family who had come to help. Therefore, she didn’t pay much attention to him. Now it seemed that this person was either too bold or too ignorant of the situation. However, since he was willing to mock Yuwen You, that was good, so Mingzhu gave him a good look.
The man didn’t care about Yuwen You’s darkening face but bowed slightly to Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu, then turned and left, not even leaving a chance for provocation to Yuwen You.
The sedan chair was quickly brought over, and Mingzhu was persuaded by a group of people to get on it. Yuwen Chu and Yuwen You also went to the front yard with stern faces. The people of the princess mansion finally breathed a sigh of relief, temporarily sending away these Buddhas.
The Eldest Princess was marrying off her youngest son, and the daughter-in-law was also from a noble family. In order to display wealth and power and to show her affection for her youngest son and daughter-in-law, the Eldest Princess specifically opened up two courtyards to entertain the female guests.
By now, most of the expected guests had arrived, and they were all sitting and chatting happily. When Mingzhu’s sedan chair entered, everyone thought it was some elderly princess or dowager who had arrived. Even many of the royal family’s noblewomen stood up, but they were all surprised to see that it was the sick Ying Wangfei entering. So everyone was a bit surprised.
Everyone knew that Ying Wangfei had suffered a relapse due to being forced by Empress Dowager Min, but no one expected her to come to the princess’s mansion for the banquet. However, since she had come, she had to be welcomed. Hua Yang Wangfei was the first to hold Mingzhu’s hand, and the concubine of Fu Wang hesitated for a moment before rushing up to support Mingzhu, whispering, “Why did you come when you’re sick?”
Mingzhu smiled breathlessly, and Zheng Momo, full of energy, replied for her, “The Eldest Princess is our Highness’s own aunt, her status is extraordinary. Our Wangfei must come to toast to her happiness and personally congratulate her.”
Everyone heard this, knowing that Longsheng Great Eldest Princess hated the Great Empress Dowager, and by extension, those close to her. Originally, they were just watching from the sidelines, but upon hearing Zheng Momo’s words, they couldn’t help but smile and welcome her. They showed a fake concern for Mingzhu, quickly asked someone to arrange a seat for Mingzhu, and said, “Feel free to ask for anything, don’t be polite with me.”
Mingzhu glanced at Madam Cui and the others from a distance, then sat down steadily before saying, “Of course, I won’t be polite to my aunt. Actually, I haven’t fully recovered yet and I’m still taking medicine, so I have dietary restrictions.”
Longsheng Great Eldest Princess’s lips curled with a hint of mocking smile, waiting to hear what kind of dietary restrictions she had in mind. But Mingzhu refused to say more, only after the maids in the princess’s mansion served tea did Zheng Momo politely decline, “Thank you for your kindness, but our Wangfei doesn’t need it.”
A group of maids performed a magic trick, taking out many exquisite and elaborate utensils from a food box. One of them even carried a kettle of hot water to a nearby stove to heat it up, then came back to brew a pot of tea for Mingzhu. Zheng Momo also presented some exquisite pastries and fruits, then bowed again, “Please enjoy, Your Highness.”
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