Chapter 429: Late Night Visit (One)
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Fu Mingzheng said, “Why not? People should believe in fate. I was born ominous, killed my own mother, and caused trouble for myself everywhere. If this is my fate, then it’s only right. So I thought, I’d better not get married, to avoid harming a girl. Don’t bother finding someone for me in the future.”
“You knew about it.” Mingzhu guessed that news of Yuwen Chu asking someone to find a suitable wife for him had reached Fu Mingzheng’s ears. She hastily denied his dream, “Dreams are the opposite. As the saying goes, good people don’t live long, while troublemakers live for a thousand years. You’re a troublemaker, so it’s not that easy to die. Auntie’s death was an accident, it has nothing to do with you. Don’t always blame yourself for it.”
“Let’s not talk about this.” Fu Mingzheng showed her his sleeve arrow, “With this thing, even if I’m going to die, I’ll take a few people down with me.”
“No, with me here, I’ll always protect you, always protect our family.” Mingzhu looked at Fu Mingzheng earnestly, “Alright, don’t worry about me anymore. It’s just Jiang Shanshan, right? I’ve figured it out. I won’t be angry with them anymore. Whatever they want to do, let them do it. I won’t openly confront them. I’ll deal with them behind their backs. Fourth Brother, help me out, let’s get rid of her!”
“That’s right.” Fu Mingzheng praised her, “Wipe away your tears! Even if it’s for the child, you’re not allowed to cry anymore. What’s the big deal? As the future Empress, crying and running back to your parents’ home over such trivial matters, what is that? Remember, even if you have to leave, let others leave, sit firmly in your position without giving anyone a chance. Just because of a handsome man, so what? There are plenty of them in the world. Money can buy a bunch of them. What’s so special about it?”
Listening to his words, Mingzhu envisioned Yuwen Chu, strung up like a string of chickens, eagerly waiting for her to favor him. She couldn’t help but laugh and flatter, “I remember what Fourth Brother said.”
Fu Mingzheng then said, “As for this matter, don’t worry about it. Let’s see how he handles it before drawing conclusions. If it really doesn’t work out, there’s still me, there’s still our family. Your father and brothers won’t stand idly by while you suffer.” If Yuwen Chu disappointed Mingzhu, Fu Mingzheng would treat him with a completely different attitude. He didn’t care about that much.
“I understand.” Mingzhu was exceptionally obedient.
Fu Mingzheng glanced at her disdainfully, “Silly girl!”
So annoying! Mingzhu intentionally asked about that Miss Li, “What does she look like? I heard Zifei say she’s very nice.” Usually, he pretended not to notice other girls, but this Miss Li could force him to take her seriously, which showed she was quite talented.
“I don’t know.” Fu Mingzheng replied with a blanket statement. Just then, someone came to call them, saying that Fu Cong and Fu Mingda had returned, and the welcoming banquet was about to begin, so they hurried over. He rushed Mingzhu, “Hurry up, the old man hasn’t seen you for a while. He even asked me to inquire about your condition a few days ago.”
It’s still better at home, where nobody pressures her. Everyone is afraid she might feel wronged or unhappy. Mingzhu, from initially sulking and not wanting to go back, truly didn’t want to return now. She just wanted to stay at home and spend some good days with her parents and relatives.
Yuwen Chu indeed didn’t attend Fu Mingcheng’s father-daughter reception banquet. He didn’t even send anyone to inquire. Fu Cong noticed something was amiss and glanced at Mingzhu several times during the banquet. Mingzhu pretended to be oblivious and avoided him. As soon as it got dark, she hid in Madam Cui’s room and refused to come out. Fu Cong tried several times to find her for questioning, but she successfully evaded him each time.
Fu Cong couldn’t do anything about her behavior, but he truly felt sorry for her. Even if a couple had a quarrel and the wife went back to her parents’ house, the husband should at least come and inquire, or perhaps persuade her to come back. But to completely ignore the matter, what was that supposed to be? If she loved staying at her parents’ house, then let her stay there.
Mingzhu excitedly indulged in various antics on Madam Cui’s bed, causing several young nephews and nieces to envy and clamor to sleep with their aunt and grandmother. Of course, they weren’t allowed, but Mingzhu teased them, “Grandma’s bed is full of candies, and Auntie has many fun things.”
This caused a commotion among the children, with some crying loudly. Mingzhu couldn’t stop laughing, and in the end, she gave each of them a pile of delicious and fun treats to calm them down. Madam Cui pretended to scold her, “You’re so mischievous! Are you still a child?”
Mingzhu leaned her head on Madam Cui’s lap and whispered softly, “In front of my parents, I’ll always be a child.”
Madam Cui smiled as she gently stroked her daughter’s head, “I still feel like you’re just a child in my arms, and in the blink of an eye, you’re already a mother.”
Mingzhu lazily closed her eyes. In that moment, Yuwen Chu, Mr. Meng, Jiang Shanshan, and the Great Empress Dowager all seemed distant to her, but her mother’s warm embrace made her feel infinitely relaxed.
After mother and daughter finished preparing and were about to extinguish the lamp, Sun Momo came in, “Xiangye invites Wangfei to the Guanhai Residence.”
Madam Cui frowned, “It’s time to sleep, what’s the point of going over now?”
Mingzhu hurriedly got up to dress, “Perhaps there’s something urgent, it’s hard to say.” Anyway, it was already so late, her father couldn’t possibly ask her to return home, so most likely there was something really important.
Madam Cui, worried, had a sedan chair brought to send Mingzhu over. Mingzhu entered the Guanhai Residence smoothly, and upon pushing the door open, she said, “Father, did you summon me?” As she spoke, she saw Yuwen Chu lift his head under the lamp and look at her, his eyes deep and his lips carrying a hint of a smile.
Mingzhu instinctively frowned. She had wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen him, but thinking about it, she smiled hypocritically at him and greeted, “I didn’t expect Your Highness to come so late, excuse me for not going out to meet you properly.”
“You two speak.” Fu Cong walked out with his hands behind his back, leaving the room to the two of them.
Mingzhu didn’t even have a chance to object and could only fake a smile, “Didn’t we agree that I wouldn’t go back tonight or tomorrow night? Why did Your Highness come?”
Yuwen Chu stood up and walked towards her, “I’m worried about you, so I came to see you.”
He was worried about her? Who was he trying to fool? He didn’t even see her off as promised, and he didn’t even send someone to inquire about her all day. Was this called worry? Was he waiting for her to calm down herself?
Mingzhu found a comfortable spot to sit down, fake smiling, her eyes looking elsewhere, “I’m sorry for making Your Highness worry.”
Yuwen Chu walked over to hold her hand, and she stood up to move elsewhere, pretending to look at the books on the shelf. When Yuwen Chu walked to the bookshelf, she moved to look at the flowers. After waiting for a while without Yuwen Chu following, Mingzhu stole a glance, only to see Yuwen Chu standing in front of the bookshelf with an expressionless face. She smirked inwardly; see, his good temper couldn’t last long. With such insincerity, what was the point of this late-night visit? Just as she diverted her gaze, she heard Yuwen Chu let out a thunderous cough.
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