Chapter 405: There’s Such a Book
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Mingzhu was so frank that Yuwen Chu didn’t feel like probing further. But since he had already spoken, he had to ask again, “Why do both of you have the bed crossbow diagram? How do you both know about the Drip Dew Pot?”
“I find it strange too. When His Highness said she had the bed crossbow diagram, it startled me. Then she cleverly made glass products and fragrant soaps. I wanted to see if she also knew about the Drip Dew Pot. The result was that she really did!” Mingzhu looked at Yuwen Chu, her expression very serious. “Jiang Shanshan and I must have seen the same ancient book fragment, but she saw more detailed and extensive content than I did. So she knows more than I do.”
Adding a malicious remark, “His Highness must remember, this person is not upright and has big ambitions. You must be careful.”
Yuwen Chu remained silent for a long time before asking, “Do you remember what book it was?” He knew there was some water in Mingzhu’s words, but her surprise at Jiang Shanshan having the bed crossbow diagram was genuine. He vividly remembered Mingzhu’s expression when he mentioned that Jiang Shanshan offered him the diagram, she was truly shocked and angry.
Mingzhu shrugged. “I don’t remember. I thought the book was extraordinary at the time and didn’t want anyone else to know about it, so I burned it! Maybe Jiang Shanshan still has it? Or, have someone sneak into the Changxing Marquis Mansion to check it out?” She had long wanted someone to go to the Changxing Marquis Mansion to investigate, to see if Jiang Shanshan had come up with the diagram herself, or if there was someone else behind her.
“No need. She’s smarter than you, and she must have burned it all long ago.” Yuwen Chu didn’t know if there was such a book, but this seemed to be the most convincing argument. After all, Mingzhu and Jiang Shanshan had never gotten along, and they had no previous interactions. It was impossible for them to exchange knowledge. Moreover, although the bed crossbow diagram was impressive, the method of making glass products and fragrant soap was clever, and the Drip Dew Pot was a stroke of luck, it wasn’t anything particularly shocking. There might have been geniuses among the predecessors who could have come up with such things.
Yuwen Chu was the kind of person who could let go easily. Since he decided not to ask any more questions, he really wouldn’t ask.
Seeing that he no longer pursued the matter, Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief. She got up to get some water and found a thin layer of sweat in her palms. Since they had come this far in the conversation, she decided to ask Yuwen Chu seriously, “Jiang Shanshan is now in a desperate situation because of me. She won’t sit idly by. I suspect she’ll come to find you. Are you planning to reject her or accept her? She never offered the diagram to anyone else before because she still had fantasies about you. If you reject her again, and she sees no way out, she will definitely find another way to survive and offer the diagram to someone else.”
Yuwen Chu was also very clear about this matter. He had always had someone watching Jiang Shanshan. The reason he hadn’t moved her before was for three reasons.
Firstly, he knew that Jiang Shanshan still harbored illusions and delusions, thinking that one day she would enter Ying Wang’s mansion as a concubine. So she wouldn’t dare to give that drawing to anyone else casually, even if she offered the recipes for making glass and fragrant soap to the Min family, it was only for survival, and she didn’t cross the line; secondly, he didn’t believe that Jiang Shanshan, the daughter of the Marquis’s family, could come up with the bed crossbow diagram on her own. He suspected that there was someone behind her, and he wanted to find out who that person was; thirdly, it was better to have one less trouble. His and Mingzhu’s marriage was too complicated, and it was always considered inappropriate by many people. If Jiang Shanshan suddenly died, it would be hard for both him and Mingzhu to avoid a lifelong stigma.
However, even so, he did not relax his surveillance of Jiang Shanshan. However, Jiang Shanshan was very clever and did not reveal any flaws that could be exploited. But now it was obviously at a critical point, and a choice had to be made.
Yuwen Chu asked Mingzhu, “So, what does Wangfei want me to do?”
Mingzhu’s gaze was determined as she said, “I’ve already analyzed the pros and cons for Your Highness. I can’t make the decision for you. But I want to tell you my true thoughts. It’s still the same thing, with her without me, with me without her. Even if another concubine must be added to this mansion, it shouldn’t be Jiang Shanshan!”
“I understand. You don’t need to worry about this matter anymore, I will handle it.” Yuwen Chu didn’t explicitly say what choice he would make, but strangely enough, Mingzhu seemed to know his decision. She smiled at him and said, “There’s one more thing I must remind Your Highness of.”
“You may speak.”
“Today, Linan Wang went to help Jiang Shanshan. I’m sure there’s something fishy between these two. You need to be careful not to let them collude.” Mingzhu had discovered the bed crossbow diagram in Yuwen You’s study. If the first owner of the bed crossbow diagram was Jiang Shanshan, then there must be a problem between Jiang Shanshan and Yuwen You. At that time, Jiang Shanshan was still Ying Wangfei, but now she wasn’t, so she was even more unrestrained. She didn’t know how they got together back then, but now, they should be in the midst of a collusion, and it needed to be dealt with promptly.
Yuwen Chu frowned. “Are you sure?”
Mingzhu pointed at her eyes confidently. “Please trust my eyes and my intuition, even if I’m wrong, there’s no harm done.”
“Understood. Let’s have dinner.” Yuwen Chu took Mingzhu’s hand. “It’s time to eat.”
Mingzhu thought he would immediately go and handle the matter after hearing so much from her, but he calmly started eating instead. She asked in surprise, “Your Highness, aren’t you going to take action?”
“No hurry at the moment. Let’s eat!” Yuwen Chu remained calm, smiling and relaxed. “Let me see what delicious dishes you’ve prepared.”
“There’s nothing particularly delicious, just some specialty dishes made with the Drip Dew Pot that Fourth Brother likes. The others are also his favorites.” Mingzhu was broad-minded. Seeing him so calm, she guessed he must have made arrangements already, so she put her worries aside and happily ate dinner with him.
All of them were dishes that Fu Mingzheng liked? Yuwen Chu was not pleased but didn’t want to make a fuss. He pretended, “I’ve been staying up late these days and feel like eating something light.”
Fu Mingzheng had a strong taste, so the dishes were probably heavy-flavored. He deliberately wanted to eat something light to trouble Mingzhu and see how she would react.
Mingzhu didn’t notice his little scheme and smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ve made lotus seed porridge for you, and I’ve also prepared some light and nourishing soups. Eat more later. You’ve been working hard these days.” He had to worry about things outside and then come back and worry more, it was indeed hard work.
Yuwen Chu’s anger was immediately extinguished, and he smiled and said, “You’ve been working hard too, carrying our child and still managing things outside.”
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