Chapter 459: No Turning Over a New Leaf?
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
This method could only be conceived by Mingzhu.
However, Yuwen Chu really started to consider the feasibility of this matter. Yuwen Long is shameless, suspicious, and unscrupulous, seeking only personal gain. His biggest weakness is women. His marriage with Princess Kangning was carefully selected to maximize benefits. After missing Mingzhu, he spared no effort to marry the youngest daughter of Beidu Marquis. The Great Empress Dowager, in order to win him over, also approved of this marriage.
The Xu family, Beidu Marquis, has been guarding the northeast for generations. Their power was considerable in the early years, but in recent generations, it has begun to decline. Under the leadership of Xu Zhiyuan, the current Beidu Marquis, the army under their control in the northeast has dwindled to only a few tens of thousands. However, for someone like Yuwen Long, who has nothing, these few tens of thousands of troops are still a considerable temptation.
According to the information obtained by spies, Yuwen Long has made promises to Beidu Marquis in private. He promised to only allow Beidu Marquis’s youngest daughter, Xu Meier, to bear his children, and no other concubines are allowed, unless Xu Meier agrees. If Yuwen Long cannot even have sexual relations, the alliance between the Xu family and him will naturally become less firm. Who would devote themselves to assisting someone who cannot even have descendants?
Yuwen Chu smiled and said, “This is a good plan.”
Mingzhu eagerly said, “Leave this matter to me!”
“Let’s not talk about this, let’s talk about something else.” Yuwen Chu reached out his hand to her. “Give me your hand.”
Mingzhu hesitated for a moment, then quickly handed him her uninjured right hand. Without even looking, Yuwen Chu directly pulled her left hand over, quickly rolled up her sleeve, and revealed the injured wrist.
The wound had scabbed over, but the scar was still there. Mingzhu tried to deflect, “It was just an accident. I scratched it on a hairpin.”
“Which hairpin?” Yuwen Chu stared at her sternly, “Who was serving you? If she can’t even handle such a small matter, what’s her use?”
Mingzhu had prepared a long string of excuses, but now she couldn’t say anything. She could only lower her head and beg for mercy, “Isn’t it because Yang Yizun was too harsh? It had to be done to warn others and come out unscathed. Otherwise, how could we have had these peaceful days in the mansion? The other day it was Yang Dianjun, the next day it would have been Zhou Changshi, followed by Mr. Meng and his group. I just scratched myself a little, it’s just a minor injury, it’s nothing. You have to look at the result, the result!”
“Go get the ruler.” Yuwen Chu’s face was cold, refusing to listen to her further.
Mingzhu raised her eyebrows, “What do you need the ruler for?” Does he want to punish her like her father did? And he wants her to bring the ruler herself? Is he out of his mind? She had only broken the ruler or secretly disposed of it since she was a child. She had never actively handed the ruler to her parents for punishment.
Yuwen Chu chuckled as he saw her reaction, “You’re not going to get it?”
Mingzhu continued to play dumb, “Why would I get a ruler in the middle of the night?”
Yuwen Chu grabbed her hand and slapped her palm a few times. Mingzhu winced in pain, tears welling up in her eyes. Okay, it wasn’t really painful, mostly just unfair.
“Have I not told you that you don’t need to be strong? Everything depends on your safety? After we returned from Linan Wang’s mansion last time, what did you promise me? How did you talk to me before I went to the palace? You hurt yourself, risked your life, killed someone with your own hands… which of these isn’t reckless?” Yuwen Chu’s anger grew as he spoke. “Even if you had to kill Yang Yizun, couldn’t you have used Zhang Huan? Donghui?”
Mingzhu shouted back at him, “Exactly! Your Highness only knows that you gave me your private seal, gave me power, and let me command the mansion. But do you know that I also need to establish authority and dignity? I have no ability myself, just hiding behind others to give orders, knowing that it could cost them their lives, and yet I still make them do it. Why should they listen to me? Can you make them willingly die for you? Why should I? Just because I am Ying Wangfei, because you favor me? Do I owe them anything? Just because I give them snacks every night? Did those snacks shut their mouths? No!”
She used to think that the world belonged to her, that everyone loved and spoiled her, that everything was taken for granted. But the truth was not like that. Even though it was hard now, even though it was mentally and physically exhausting, she liked this feeling.
Because Mr. Meng dared not say she was just a fox spirit causing chaos in the country, with nothing but beauty and family background; Zhou Shuyi was more willing to listen to her arrangements; Yang Jing Song was more grateful and respectful towards her; Zhang Huan and Donghui liked and respected her from the bottom of their hearts. Because they all knew that she didn’t rely on anyone but her own courage and wisdom to protect them, she deserved respect, deserved Yuwen Chu’s favor.
All of this was achieved through her own efforts. It wasn’t a castle in the air, it wasn’t a dream that would disappear when she woke up, she was down-to-earth, what’s wrong with that?
Yuwen Chu thought that the matter with Mr. Meng had passed, but he didn’t expect Mingzhu to remember it in another way. She had grown too fast, and his way of pampering her couldn’t keep up with her pace. Suddenly, he felt a strong sense of crisis, afraid that one day she would look down on him.
Seeing Yuwen Chu silent, Mingzhu also felt a little uneasy. She didn’t know if he would like her being so strong. But all of this was forced on her by them, it was forced on her! If she wasn’t strong, she would be eaten alive. It’s the same for any man! She continued to ask Yuwen Chu, “Your Highness has always been teaching me, but now you’re punishing me for learning what you taught me. Is it because Your Highness is actually afraid that I will take your place in the future?”
“Nonsense!” Yuwen Chu was amused by her words. Her so-called taking his place meant that he was afraid that she would become too powerful and threaten his imperial power. He forcefully grabbed Mingzhu’s chin, stared into her eyes, and said word by word, “Remember this, Fu Mingzhu, if I dare to marry you, I’m not afraid of what you’ll do! I’ll suppress you for the rest of your life! You’ll never turn over a new leaf!”
As he said this, a certain kind of romantic thought suddenly occurred to him, this thought became uncontrollable, making him dry-mouthed and restless. He couldn’t help but rub Mingzhu’s plump chin with his thumb, feeling that it wasn’t enough. He pressed his fingertip against her lips, exerting pressure back and forth. After pressing, he felt that his palm was empty and wanted to grasp something, only then would he feel satisfied.
With these thoughts in mind, he acted on them. Mingzhu looked at him coldly, knowing exactly what he was imagining just by looking at his eyes. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Do you really want it?”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
