Chapter 439 I didn’t touch her
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Mingzhu pushed away Yuwen Chu’s hand and turned her head slightly inward. However, this movement caused her face to press against his abdomen, appearing as if she wanted to get closer to him. Feeling indignant, she flipped over, facing away from him.
Yuwen Chu was at a loss. He couldn’t continue scolding her after she complained of discomfort, so he remained silent.
Both remained silent, each convinced of their own righteousness. But the one acting as a pillow was surprisingly tolerant, not pushing away the one lying on his lap, while the one lying down remained stubborn, refusing to move aside.
The standoff continued until the carriage stopped. Tang Chunlai’s voice came from outside, “Your Highness, Wangfei, I’m here.”
Only then did Yuwen Chu say, “Come in,” before turning away to cough into his handkerchief several times.
Tang Chunlai entered with his head bowed, stealing a glance before quickly averting his eyes. Was this a silent protest? They seemed to be entangled and intimate. One didn’t want to let go while the other was being obstinate. Clearly, neither wanted to escalate the situation but rather, each tried to assert dominance over the other.
Experienced in such matters, everyone in the Ying Mansion knew how to protect their interests and safety during the Wangye and Wangfei’s battles. Tang Chunlai cleared his throat, deeply concerned. “Your Highness, did you take your medicine on time? Your cough seems to have worsened!”
“It’s fine, much better now. Attend to the Wangfei first,” Yuwen Chu said approvingly, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Tang Chunlai.
Mingzhu rolled her eyes at the pathetic pair. Worsened cough? When she saw Yuwen Chu two nights ago at her parents’ home, his cough was much worse than it is now. Just a few coughs tonight hardly counted as ‘worsened’! But from the sound of it, Yuwen Chu was genuinely sick.
Tang Chunlai respectfully took Mingzhu’s hand to check her pulse. As soon as he felt it, he knew she was in excellent health, with a strong and steady pulse. Did she really need him to rush here on horseback? But looking at the melodramatic couple, he decided it was best not to speak the whole truth. Otherwise, one would feel he was unfit for duty for failing to control her, while the other would feel embarrassed for being exposed.
After some consideration, he said, “The Wangfei is fatigued and overworked. No need for medicine, just rest in bed.”
Yuwen Chu and Mingzhu both had their own calculations. The vague instruction of ‘rest in bed’ left room for interpretation. One intended to force Mingzhu to rest for a week or two to deflate her arrogance and see if she dared to run around again, while the other thought a good night’s sleep would suffice. They both had their own plans!
Then both turned to Tang Chunlai with a pleased expression.
Tang Chunlai, satisfied with his task, reminded Yuwen Chu once more, “Your Highness, take care of yourself. Remember to take your medicine on time.”
Yuwen Chu nodded and waved him away.
The carriage fell into an eerie silence again. Mingzhu felt uncomfortable lying in this position and decided to change. But as soon as she sat up, the carriage jolted slightly. It wasn’t a major accident, but Yuwen Chu took the opportunity to grab her, scolding her, “Didn’t I tell you to rest in bed? Why are you moving around? What kind of mother are you? Do you even care about the child?”
Feeling stifled, Mingzhu couldn’t hold back. “Where do you think you’re putting your hand? You’re suffocating me! It’s your fault I’m uncomfortable! If something happens to the child, it’s your fault! What kind of father are you? Do you even care about the child? You know I can’t handle stress, yet you still provoke me! Do you want to strangle me?”
Yuwen Chu glared at her, but she glared back. Unable to maintain his composure, he chuckled and said, “I didn’t touch her.”
Mingzhu rolled her eyes. “It’s none of my business. I even had someone make tonics for you. Do you think I care about such trivial matters? Stay away from me and don’t infect me with your illness!” With a push, she moved Yuwen Chu aside. In truth, she already believed he hadn’t touched Jiang Shanshan. Otherwise, her fourth brother would have caused a scene. She was just venting her frustration.
Yuwen Chu, reminded by her, indeed kept his distance. Seeing her pouting angrily with her head tilted back, he couldn’t help but softly ask, “Aren’t you curious about what happened?”
Mingzhu bluntly replied, “I’m not.”
Just then, the carriage arrived at the Ying Mansion. Mingzhu swiftly got off and was about to walk inside when Yuwen Chu said, “Wait, take the sedan chair back.” Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her and shoved her into the sedan chair before squeezing in himself. Once inside, he covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief.
Feeling annoyed by his strange behavior, Mingzhu asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m afraid of infecting you,” Yuwen Chu’s voice buzzed, his expression unusually serious.
Unable to contain herself, Mingzhu pounded him a few times. “So annoying! Go and conspire with Zhou Nushi if you can’t make yourself clear.”
Wasn’t she fearless? Yuwen Chu sighed, “I told you earlier, see what I’ll do. Originally, if things had gone smoothly, we could have caught her and interrogated her thoroughly tonight. Who knew your fourth brother would suddenly intervene and kill someone without a second thought.”
“Nice job!” Mingzhu praised, “That’s what decisive action looks like. I’m naturally kind-hearted, always afraid of causing harm to others, so I never lie to you. But that’s just me being kind to others and cruel to myself!” As she spoke, she glanced at Yuwen Chu, as if to say, “If you don’t praise me, I’ll be angry with you.”
Yuwen Chu remained silent for a moment before saying lightly, “You are indeed cruel to yourself, perhaps the cruelest of all.”
Mingzhu chuckled at herself, “You’re trying to capture someone, and the other is trying to kill someone, but somehow she still managed to escape?”
Yuwen Chu briefly recounted the events and said, “I was well-prepared. If it weren’t for your fourth brother suddenly barging in, making us all think someone was killed and letting our guard down while we were busy chatting, Jiang Shanshan wouldn’t have been able to escape so easily.” He emphasized, “I think she’s probably with Yuwen You.”
Because in the end, both Jing Song and they saw the lights suddenly lit up in the pavilion across the lotus pond, and then the guards of the Linan Wang Palace began to patrol and chase people away. Jiang Shanshan was most likely to have gone there. At that time, Yuwen You was very likely to be in that pavilion.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
