Chapter 421: Do You Have Something to Tell Me?
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Yuwen Chu sat down next to Mingzhu. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem too happy.”
As soon as his hand touched Mingzhu’s, she shivered. She stood up immediately and walked to the window to look outside. “Hmm, it seems to be snowing again.”
Yuwen Chu frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”
Mingzhu turned her head to look at him, her eyes shining black and moist, as if covered with a layer of mist. “My cousin and niece have arrived in Dafeng. I’ll be going back to my parents’ house tomorrow morning, and it may be late when I come back.”
“I’ll make time to send you,” Yuwen Chu lifted her hand and kissed it lightly. “Is the child behaving well?”
“Very well. He hasn’t troubled me, hasn’t vomited all day today, and is eating well,” Mingzhu put her hand on her abdomen and smiled from the heart, “Is His Highness busy today?”
“Yes, there’s a lot of work at the yamen. The mausoleum of Emperor Taizu has been on fire for several days. The guards have been hiding it, but couldn’t keep it hidden anymore, so they finally reported it. And the tomb of an old consort has been robbed, which also needs to be investigated.” Yuwen Chu shared some interesting gossip from the royal family with Mingzhu: “The nephew of Qi Wang fell off his horse and died this morning. His two nephew’s grandson didn’t rush to report the death, but instead fought over titles and properties, like enemies, until it got to me, and I had to sort things out personally. Finally got it sorted out. Also, three days from now is the grand wedding of Old Nine, but in fact, preparations have already started from today, so I came back late.”
Mingzhu listened quietly, but she never heard him mention his meeting with Jiang Shanshan. The longer she waited, the more disappointed she felt.
Yuwen Chu noticed that Mingzhu had been sneakily glancing at him, and when he turned his head, she quickly averted her gaze, doing this three times in a row. Finally, he couldn’t bear it anymore, “Do you have something to say to me?”
Mingzhu blinked, “Do you have anything to say to me?” After saying this, she suddenly felt a bit choked up, but didn’t want him to see, so she lowered her head again.
Yuwen Chu frowned. Of course, he had something to say, but these things didn’t need to be told to her; knowing wouldn’t benefit her in any way. He smiled, “Of course, I have something to say. I missed you a lot today.”
Of course, she had thought about it. In situations like this, the person who would think about it the most would definitely be her. She couldn’t bear to part with the improved formula of gunpowder and the methods to transform firearms, couldn’t bear to part with the country and its people, couldn’t bear to give up the power to dominate the world. Then she would feel that her domineering attitude was really putting people in a difficult position. Mingzhu gritted her teeth, feeling that even if she just glanced at Yuwen Chu a little more, she couldn’t help but lose control and explode. She turned her face aside and got up to walk to the water room, saying, “I’m tired and want to sleep.”
The sound of rushing water came from the water room. Yuwen Chu remained silent for a moment, then called out for someone. Su Jin heard his voice and entered respectfully, asking, “What are your orders, Your Highness?”
“Who came today?”
Su Jin and the others were also suspecting what mischief Mr. Meng had done and were eager for him to inquire. Su Jin quickly replied, “Mr. Meng came.”
Mr. Meng? What did he come to see Mingzhu for? Yuwen Chu frowned, “Anyone else?”
Su Jin was afraid that Mingzhu would find her too talkative and hesitated to speak, but also feared Yuwen Chu, so she muttered softly, “And Steward Li and the others.”
“Leave.” Yuwen Chu guessed that Mingzhu was consulting with Li Bochun and the others about something profitable. Mingzhu wouldn’t get angry about this, so it must be Mr. Meng. Whatever Mr. Meng said to Mingzhu, it was really difficult for her with her explosive temper to hold it in.
He patiently waited for Mingzhu to finish washing up, but she still didn’t come out. Instead, someone came to inform him from outside, “There’s trouble at the northwest horse farm.”
The northwest horse farm was very important. It could be said that most of the horses needed for future uprisings would come from there. Yuwen Chu couldn’t care about anything else and hurriedly gave Su Jin a few instructions before heading to the Tingxue Building. Mr. Meng, Jing Song, Zhou Shuyi, and several other crucial people were waiting inside. Jing Song’s expression was very grim, “Someone sneaked into the horse farm in the middle of the night and set fire to the fodder yard, stole a batch of horses, and the remaining horses have no fodder.”
Yuwen Chu took a deep breath, gesturing for Wei Tiande to open the map. “Let’s start by arranging for the transportation of fodder.”
Zhou Shuyi said, “This winter is colder than the previous years, with heavy snow and ice, making it difficult to transport fodder. Even if the first batch of fodder arrives, it will take at least half a month, and by then, most of the horses will probably have died.”
After a moment of contemplation, Yuwen Chu slammed his fist on the map and said coldly, “Since the fodder can’t be transported, then let’s go and seize it!”
The northwest horse farm was not owned by them alone. Zhongshan Wang also had a private horse farm there. They had all kept it hidden from the court. If they succeeded in seizing it, then so be it. No one dared to report it to the officials.
The group quickly reached a consensus and sat down to formulate a detailed action plan.
Mingzhu had thought that if Yuwen Chu noticed her unhappiness, he would reflect on it and then be honest with her, saying a few comforting words. She would then decide how to treat him based on the situation. Either way, she was prepared, unafraid of the outcome. If Jiang Shanshan insisted on entering the picture, she would accommodate her, bringing her in only to dispose of her later. If Yuwen Chu loved the kingdom more, she would let him love it. She would love herself and her child a little more, and it wouldn’t be a big deal.
But to her dismay, when she emerged from the water room, the room was empty, and Yuwen Chu was nowhere to be found. Her complexion grew even worse.
Su Jin whispered, “Mr. Meng’s people came to invite His Highness to the Tingxue Building, saying there’s something urgent.”
Mingzhu slumped onto the bed, staring blankly at the canopy. Earlier, she had resolved countless times, thinking that if Yuwen Chu truly shared Mr. Meng’s thoughts, she would do this and that. However, with no sign of his return, all her anger and resentment turned into frustration. She longed to storm into the Tingxue Building and cause a scene.
But she knew that’s exactly what Jiang Shanshan hoped for. So, even in her anger, she wouldn’t give Jiang Shanshan the satisfaction. Frustration turned back into anger, and she fell asleep, simmering with resentment.
At four in the morning, Yuwen Chu returned to Yinghui Hall. He had learned about yesterday afternoon’s events from Mr. Meng. The letter Mr. Meng received was undoubtedly one of Jiang Shanshan’s schemes. Strategists prioritized interests over emotions, and unknowingly, Mr. Meng had become the knife wielded by Jiang Shanshan, successfully making Mingzhu wary and suspicious of him.
Jiang Shanshan’s ability to speculate on the dark side of human nature was indeed impressive, and Mr. Meng’s actions were understandable. But they both misunderstood him; they both thought he would choose the kingdom, choose weapons, and thus, back down step by step.
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