Chapter 359: Calm Down, Your Highness
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Yuwen Chu glanced coldly at Mingzhu. Oh, when they had just gotten married, she would address him as “you” (formal) when she was happy and “you” (informal) when she wasn’t. Since they reached an understanding, he hadn’t heard her say “Your Highness” again. Now, this word popped up again, indicating that she was really feeling guilty.
Rarely did Fu Mingzhu feel guilty. He had to seize this opportunity to get more benefits. Yuwen Chu made up his mind and wouldn’t be soft-hearted, allowing Fu Mingzhu to slip away from his hands. So he stood at the door with his arms crossed, chin up, looking down at Mingzhu from above, without saying a word.
Mingzhu trotted over to him, hugged his arm, and shook it vigorously. “Why are you looking at me like that? Did you see me and become unhappy? Are you hungry? I made osmanthus honey lotus roots for you.” Seeing that Yuwen Chu still didn’t speak, she pulled him inside and took him to sit down, then automatically started massaging his shoulders. “Are you tired? Let me massage you.”
Yuwen Chu grabbed her wrist. Mingzhu forced a laugh and coquettishly said, “What’s wrong?”
“Stand properly.” Yuwen Chu pulled her forward forcefully, but she resisted with all her strength, refusing to stand facing him. When he pulled harder, she whimpered, “Ouch, it hurts! My hand is going to break!”
Yuwen Chu didn’t dare to really exert force to pull her, so he simply lifted her horizontally, put her on his lap, and started scolding her while hitting her. While hitting her, he said, “You disappeared in no time as soon as I wasn’t around! Who told you to come home and behave yourself, cook for me? But in the blink of an eye, you went to Taotie Tower, eating what Eight Treasures Feast. With so many famous chefs at home, you still can’t satisfy your gluttony? Don’t you know how many people are waiting outside to settle scores with you?”
He was furious, and it really hurt when he hit her. Mingzhu was embarrassed and angry, and she didn’t beg for mercy anymore, just pouting and letting him hit her.
Zheng Momo peeked at the scene from the door and couldn’t stand it anymore. “Oh!” she exclaimed and ran in, kneeling in front of Yuwen Chu without caring about whether she was offending him or not. “Your Highness, please calm down, you can’t do this to Wangfei.”
Mingzhu was truly ashamed to face anyone. With such a disheveled appearance, seen by Zheng Momo, Yuwen Chu also felt extremely embarrassed. He might discipline his son in front of others, but he wouldn’t do the same with his wife. After all, it all boils down to marital bliss. But now, being scolded like this by Zheng Momo, he couldn’t assert his authority. He could only reluctantly let Mingzhu go and then sternly reprimanded Zheng Momo, “And you, Zheng Momo, I entrusted the Wangfei to your care, but you’ve been so lenient with her? You’ll face punishment as well!”
Zheng Momo was a cunning old woman and didn’t take his threat to heart. She knew that this punishment was just thunder without rain. However, she had to act very scared and apologetic, admitting her mistake while explaining, “Your Highness, Wangfei is different now from usual. She’s delicate and can’t stand being upset. She must be taken care of properly.”
Before anything was confirmed, if that old man was just talking nonsense, it would truly be embarrassing. Mingzhu quickly signaled to Zheng Momo, threatening her with gestures and glares, warning her not to speak.
Zheng Momo understood, and upon reflection, she realized that discussing heirs was a serious matter. Without concrete evidence, it wasn’t appropriate to speak hastily. Besides, they would know the truth in a few days, so why rush? If it turned out to be a false alarm, it wouldn’t just be the Wangfei’s reputation at stake, but the entire Fu family’s. So, she changed her tune, saying, “Going to the Taotie Tower was my idea. Your Highness, if you want to blame someone, blame me.”
Worried that Yuwen Chu might actually blame Zheng Momo, Mingzhu quickly interjected, “Actually, that’s not true. I heard they have a specialty dish there, so I wanted to try it and learn how to make it for Your Highness.”
Yuwen Chu had already noticed the peculiar behavior of the two women. He knew they were hiding something from him, but they refused to speak up. No, it was Mingzhu who forbade Zheng Momo from telling him. The thought that he had rushed back upon hearing news, only to be met with lies, truly angered him. He sneered, “You two are quite good at covering for each other. It makes me seem like the meddlesome one.”
Upon hearing this, Mingzhu hastily dismissed Zheng Momo and closed the door tightly. Then, she approached Yuwen Chu and handed him a cup of tea, asking, “Are you really angry?”
Ignoring her, Yuwen Chu stood up and lay down on the rattan recliner by the window, closing his eyes to rest.
If you won’t drink, I’ll drink it myself! Mingzhu, in a huff, was about to drink the tea herself. But then she remembered she needed to keep her spirits up, not only for herself but also for the little bundle of joy in her belly (assuming it was really there). Prenatal education, prenatal education. She took a deep breath, smiling as she brought the tea back to Yuwen Chu’s side, setting it down without a word. Then she fetched a small stool, sat down, propped her chin on her hand, and watched Yuwen Chu with a smile.
Yuwen Chu pretended to be resting with his eyes closed, but he was actually peeking at her through his eyelashes, wondering what she was up to. Seeing her so temperless, he also felt quite puzzled. But he wasn’t going to just let it slide like this. It was one thing to run out and play, but hiding things from him? No way!
Mingzhu sat waiting for him to change his mind, but she waited in vain. Feeling tired and sleepy without having taken a nap, she couldn’t bear it any longer and called out, “Your Highness?”
“Hmph.” Yuwen Chu closed his eyes and turned his face to the other side.
Fine, if someone couldn’t figure it out themselves, let them figure it out. Mingzhu yawned behind her hand and went to lie down in the inner room. In almost no time at all, she fell into a deep sleep.
Yuwen Chu was still waiting for her to come and coax him. Was she just going to bring him tea and water like that? Didn’t she need to say some sweet words and promise not to do it again in the future? Unfortunately, he waited for what seemed like a long time. When he realized that the room was too quiet, he turned his head to check, only to find that Mingzhu, who had been sitting on the small stool smiling at him, was nowhere to be seen.
He quickly stood up and walked to the inner room, only to see Mingzhu lying on the bed, her hands neatly folded on her abdomen, a sweet smile on her lips, clearly dreaming.
Feeling both angry and amused, he was angry that she was so heartless and had just dismissed him like this. He was still angry, but she had fallen asleep peacefully. How broad-minded she must be. If it were him, he definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep. What did this mean? It meant that she didn’t care about him as much as he cared about her!
Thinking of this, Yuwen Chu couldn’t help but feel resentful. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pinched Mingzhu’s nose. Naturally, Mingzhu woke up and saw Yuwen Chu glaring at her. She knew she was in trouble this time. If she couldn’t coax him, it would be really bad. Suddenly, she felt emboldened and said, “Your Highness doesn’t want to talk to me, right? Then I’ll voluntarily stay away.”
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