Chapter 368: The Little Ungrateful One
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Mingzhu didn’t sleep well that night. She had finally gotten this child, and she should have been very happy, but because of the Great Empress Dowager, the joy was somewhat diminished.
In the middle of the night, Yuwen Chu got up to tuck her in and quietly took a lamp to examine her. Seeing her curled up into a small ball, hands tightly protecting her belly, with a slight frown on her forehead, she looked very pitiful, which made him worry even more.
Honestly, he wasn’t afraid of the Great Empress Dowager. He had gained the support of Fu Cong, and Mingzhu had clearly indicated that she was on his side now. Moreover, they now had a child as a strong bond. He wasn’t afraid of whatever the Great Empress Dowager could do. If she understood and supported him, that would be best. If she didn’t want to, he wouldn’t force her. No one could stop his footsteps anyway, and having one more Great Empress Dowager in the palace wasn’t a big deal.
But he didn’t want Mingzhu to be unhappy. He had asked Tang Chunlai, and excessive maternal worries were not good for the Mother or the baby. If he wanted Mingzhu and the child to be safe and sound and smoothly give birth to this child, he was willing to step back for now. As long as the Great Empress Dowager didn’t pressure Mingzhu and let her be happy.
Yuwen Chu made up his mind and gently kissed Mingzhu on the forehead. Mingzhu woke up from her dream, shrank inward, and muttered a few words. He listened closely and heard her say, “Who says I can’t give birth? What’s inside my belly!”
Yuwen Chu was momentarily stunned, unable to control his laughter. Seeing her turn over, her hands still firmly protecting her belly, he recalled how she had been looking forward to having a child with him since their honeymoon. His heart warmed up, turning into a pool of spring water. He blew out the lamp, laid down on the bed, facing the outer edge, carefully holding Mingzhu in his arms. Whoever dared to touch them, he would fight back with all his might.
Early the next morning, Mingzhu woke up and hurriedly finished her breakfast before dragging Yuwen Chu out. Yuwen Chu laid down three rules for her: “When we get to the palace, no matter what happens, you must not get angry or cry, nor lose your temper. Leave everything to me. I’ll tell you what to do. Don’t wander around, don’t eat randomly. I’ll handle the arrangements, and I’ll bring you back. If the Great Empress Dowager is willing to listen to our explanation, that’s great. If she doesn’t believe us, don’t worry too much. People tend to be stubborn when they’re old, but she’ll come around eventually. If we can handle it, we’ll leave immediately. If not, we won’t go.”
“I understand. I’ll be extra careful,” Mingzhu replied, thinking it was just a matter of time. If the Great Empress Dowager really didn’t believe her, what could she do? She had to endure it, and she couldn’t neglect the child in her belly because of this. As for not wandering around and not eating randomly, she remembered without him having to tell her.
Yuwen Chu only let her go after she agreed.
The cold rain had lasted all night, and it was very cold outside. Yuwen Chu was afraid of his two treasures catching a cold. He originally wanted someone to set up a brazier in the carriage and get a hand warmer for Mingzhu, but Tang Chunlai, Zheng Momo, and the old maidservants who followed to take care of Mingzhu all opposed it.
They felt it wasn’t necessary to be so exaggerated. Pregnant women should be taken care of properly, but going overboard wasn’t good either. Tang Chunlai was a man and had been following Yuwen Chu for a long time, so he couldn’t say certain things, but Fu Cong’s old maidservants didn’t have such reservations. They disapproved of Yuwen Chu not even giving Mingzhu a separate room, implying various things, making Yuwen Chu very uncomfortable.
Only Zheng Momo was clever. Seeing him remain silent with a stern face, she knew it was time to stop. She quickly found an excuse to send the old maidservants back and personally took charge of the carriage.
After the carriage door closed, Yuwen Chu was still a bit angry. “These old maidservants of yours are usually treated coldly by you. Now that they finally have a chance to show their worth, they can’t wait to come out and show off, right?”
Mingzhu suppressed a smile. “Why bother arguing with them? They also want to show their diligence to His Highness. Otherwise, when will His Highness say they’re not diligent again?”
Yuwen Chu pretended to be unhappy and teased, “Oh, you’re happy to see me being teased by them, aren’t you? I’ve never seen such an ungrateful person like you!” Then, he affectionately added, “You ungrateful little thing!”
This time, Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh sweetly. She squeezed towards him and placed her hand in his, saying, “It’s cold. Your Highness, help me warm my hands.”
“No! Take it away! You didn’t help me when I was teased just now!” Yuwen Chu pretended to refuse, but Mingzhu insisted on putting her hand in his arms. They played back and forth for a while, enjoying themselves, and after exchanging smiles, they both felt much better.
Approaching the palace gate, Yuwen Chu warned Mingzhu, “The Great Empress Dowager will probably give me a hard time later. Don’t pay attention to her, or it might get uglier.”
“Mmm,” Mingzhu replied, unavoidably feeling heavy-hearted.
“It’s not that scary. As long as you’re happy, giving her a step is nothing to me.” Yuwen Chu helped Mingzhu down from the carriage without hesitation, boldly holding her hand and walking inside.
At the palace gate, Yuwen You and Liao Guang happened to be walking towards them, one after the other. When they met, both of them seemed somewhat stunned.
Since yesterday evening, the news of Mingzhu’s pregnancy had spread to all the major mansions in the capital, and Yuwen You knew about it too. He glanced complicatedly at Mingzhu’s belly, then reluctantly saluted them, “Sixth Brother, Sixth Sister-in-law.”
Mingzhu didn’t look at him, but Yuwen Chu nodded graciously at him, “Your wedding is approaching. Is everything ready?”
The recent affairs of the Court of the Imperial Clan were handled by Yuwen Chu, and he wouldn’t nitpick on such trivial matters. Therefore, everything needed for Yuwen You’s wedding had been smoothly arranged without any obstacles. Even the things that were lacking when they got engaged before had been supplemented. Although Yuwen You was still dissatisfied with Yuwen Chu, he couldn’t say that he didn’t do well in this matter. He reluctantly replied, “Everything is almost ready. I’m here to show gratitude.”
“You go ahead.” Yuwen Chu naturally had a guard against him and didn’t want to be too entangled with him. He also didn’t want to enter the palace with him. He covered his face and took the opportunity to chase him away.
Yuwen You hesitated for a moment, glanced again at Mingzhu’s belly, and then hurried inside with a furrowed brow. Fu Mingzhu was pregnant. Although he had expected this day to come, when it really arrived, it was still indescribably sad. If he had married her earlier this year, they would probably have a child by now, right? Things in the world were truly unpredictable.
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