Chapter 328 Scenery
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“Please teach me.”
Mingzhu looked at Yuwen Chu in surprise. In her heart, he was almost omnipotent, just a little inferior to her father, so this matter of tying hair wasn’t even a big problem for Yuwen Chu, as far as she was concerned.
He messed around with her hair, and she thought he was just being affectionate with her, so even though it hurt a little, she could bear it. But he said it so seriously to her, that he couldn’t do it, and asked her to teach him.
Yuwen Chu’s face turned slightly red, but he continued to look directly into Mingzhu’s eyes, saying very seriously, “I am just an ordinary person, not omnipotent. So, I want Wangfei to be my right-hand woman, to help me with the things I cannot do. Combing hair is just the beginning.”
Mingzhu pursed her lips, took the comb from his hand, smoothed her hair, and then showed it to him, saying, “Your Highness, please look. It’s just a very simple thing. The things you do are much more difficult and complicated than this.”
Yuwen Chu quietly sat aside, watching as she finished combing her hair. Then he picked up the set of snow-blue male attire and shook it out, waiting for Mingzhu to change clothes.
Even though there were no outsiders in the carriage, and Su Lan and the others would never enter without being summoned, Mingzhu still felt extremely embarrassed. She turned her back shyly, gently untied her clothes, and neatly laid them on the seat one by one. Blushing, she grabbed the clothes from Yuwen Chu’s hand.
Yuwen Chu didn’t hand them directly to her. Instead, he held the clothes and helped her put them on. He lowered his eyes, fastened the belts and buttons for her, and then helped her with the belt. His long and fair fingers were agile and serious. His thick and handsome eyebrows looked particularly attractive when viewed from above, and his nose was neither too high nor too low, perfectly straight. His lips were slightly thin but his chin was strong and well-defined. Although handsome, he didn’t appear frivolous at all. He had a quiet and trustworthy demeanor.
Mingzhu took a deep breath and looked at Yuwen Chu foolishly. Suddenly, she thought that if he always treated her like this, she would probably be willing to die for him.
Sensing her gaze, Yuwen Chu looked up, met her eyes with a gentle smile, and then lowered his head again, gesturing for her to lift her foot.
Mingzhu obediently raised her foot, allowing him to change her embroidered shoes into carefully crafted deer leather boots.
“Walk around, move a bit, and see if anything doesn’t fit,” Yuwen Chu said satisfactorily as he looked at the young man in front of him, who was exquisitely dressed and made up by his own hands. He felt proud to have dressed her up and felt he had a precious treasure of his own.
Mingzhu took two steps and laughed, “It’s just like it’s tailored for me.”
“Nonsense. Of course, it was tailored for you, you just didn’t know it,” Yuwen Chu affectionately tapped her nose and instructed the coachman, “Stop at the front Imperial Estate.”
The lotus field had been harvested, and many farmers were busy harvesting lotus roots. Children were playing and laughing nearby, making the scene lively. Mingzhu followed Yuwen Chu off the carriage and walked along the field embankment. Yuwen Chu reminded her to watch her step in the muddy water and casually asked, “Wangfei, have you ever raised silkworms?”
“Raised silkworms?” Mingzhu didn’t understand why he asked this. She blinked in confusion and said, “Your Highness, why are you asking about this? I’ve never raised silkworms.”
“Let’s raise a few silkworms to play with next spring,” Yuwen Chu said, picking up a dandelion from the embankment and handing it to her. Mingzhu reached out to take it, but he avoided her hand and handed it to her again. Mingzhu understood and lowered her eyes, puckering her lips and blowing hard.
The dandelion seeds floated into the air, and one landed on Yuwen Chu’s eyebrows, softening his expression. Mingzhu bit her lip, stood on tiptoe, and picked it off for him. She didn’t want to throw it away and secretly hid it in her hand, smiling, “Raise silkworms for fun? What’s fun about that?”
“As a Wangfei, you should at least know some basic knowledge, even if you don’t engage in farming. You can’t know nothing at all. Even the Great Empress Dowager used to raise silkworms in the palace,” Yuwen Chu said, noticing that the embankment ahead had sunk and was filled with mud and water. He gestured for her to stop and picked up two stones to stabilize it before letting her pass.
The Great Empress Dowager raised silkworms because, as the Empress, she had to present silk every year as a tribute. Mingzhu’s raising of silkworms was just to join in the fun. Besides, the silkworms raised by her aunt were not personally cared for by her. It was just for show, with others handling the rest. Mingzhu found it unreasonable, but also felt stimulated by his remark about knowing nothing at all. She said, “I know. I saw silkworms being raised by silkworm mothers when I was young. It’s just raising a few silkworms, it’s so simple.”
A peasant woman was squatting by the water ditch, washing mud off lotus roots. Seeing the two suddenly approach, especially Yuwen Chu’s distinguished appearance, she was frightened and quickly knelt down and kowtowed.
Yuwen Chu gestured for the peasant woman to rise and smiled, “Since you understand, that’s even better. Next year, I want to wear clothes woven from the silk you personally raised.”
Wearing clothes woven from silk she personally raised? Even her own parents had never worn such clothes. Mingzhu thought she had misheard, but seeing Yuwen Chu’s smile and determined expression, she knew he was serious. She thought that he indulged her in many ways, so she couldn’t oppose him on such a small matter. She could only grit her teeth and say, “What’s so difficult about that? Just wait for it.”
“Wangfei is truly virtuous,” Yuwen Chu said with a satisfied smile. He then asked the peasant woman, “Do you have any water chestnuts or lotus seeds?”
The peasant woman hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, for water chestnuts, we have a late-maturing variety planted in our estate, which is ripe for harvest at this season. As for lotus seeds, they’re already gone, but we have dried ones.”
Wei Tiande quickly took out some broken silver and handed it to the peasant woman, saying, “This is a reward from my master. Please make sure to find some water chestnuts. If there are any interesting little toys or beautiful wild flowers, bring them as well. If you please them, there will be more rewards.”
The peasant woman kowtowed gratefully, took the silver, and called a few people nearby to help her find water chestnuts. Several children were hiding nearby, peeking with bamboo windmills and bamboo dragonflies. Mingzhu then called Su Lan, “Go get some candy and give it to them.”
Su Lan hurriedly ran back to get the candy box and called the children over to share. The children smiled timidly and couldn’t resist the temptation of the candy, huddling together to eat, none of them willing to be the first to take the candy.
Suddenly, a group of people rushed over, with a middle-aged eunuch in brocade robes leading the way. He was panting and sweating profusely, and immediately knelt on the embankment and kowtowed, smearing mud all over his forehead. He said loudly, “This slave, Cao Jinran, pays respects to Your Highness! I didn’t expect Your Highness to visit, and I apologize for the lack of proper reception.”
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