Chapter 481: Enemy
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The Great Temple was close to the capital. If there was a wolf problem, the people would inevitably complain to the government. With Yuwen Xue and Princess Changhua’s weddings approaching, along with the Great Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration and the imminent arrival of various vassal princes from around the country, the court would certainly take it very seriously and send troops to hunt down the wolf pack. Then, their secret hidden in the deep mountains would be exposed.
Thinking of this possibility, Mingzhu couldn’t help but feel nervous, “Is this a natural disaster or a man-made calamity?”
She remembered when she and Yuwen Chu went to the mountains to see the bed crossbow, they were followed and attacked. Later, Yuwen Chu and Fourth Brother strengthened their defenses, and there hadn’t been any similar incidents since then. Perhaps the other party had run out of options and resorted to new methods. After all, no matter how powerful Yuwen Chu’s people were, they couldn’t directly confront the imperial army. They were not yet prepared, and the timing was not right. Confronting them would be like hitting a rock with an egg, and bearing the label of rebellion would result in a gruesome death.
Yuwen Chu praised her by tapping her nose, “Very good. Keep going.”
This had a bit of a test in it, so Mingzhu thought carefully for a moment before speaking cautiously, “The situation is delicate. Teacher Lin’s appearance is too coincidental, and the child’s injuries are too timely. If too many coincidences occur in succession, we must pay attention to them and carefully consider and respond to them in order to effectively prevent accidents.”
“Go on.”
“Now, should we send people to investigate the incidents of wolf attacks in other areas? Regardless of whether they have occurred or not, we should make arrangements. What do you think?”
“That’s right.” Yuwen Chu instructed someone to summon Zhu Shinan and arrange for him to lead a team to investigate the matter. How to deploy manpower, how to inquire and arrange, and how to deal with the local officials and village heads were all matters of expertise. Mingzhu listened quietly on the side, learning quite a bit.
As the people sent to inquire about the news scattered, Teacher Lin, who was accommodated in the guest room, could not be left unattended. Mingzhu saw that Yuwen Chu had no intention of showing up, so she didn’t ask him. Instead, she said, “It’s about time. I have to go out and entertain Teacher Lin for a meal. He was very attentive in teaching me in the past. Until proven otherwise, he is still my teacher, and we shouldn’t neglect him.”
“Go ahead.” Yuwen Chu was earnestly reviewing the account books sent from various places. These books recorded significant expenditures, and someone had already checked and outlined the problem areas. He needed to understand and verify these issues and make timely arrangements and adjustments. Although it wasn’t difficult, it was mentally exhausting. Thus, his brows furrowed slightly, forming a shallow “川” character, which looked very attractive.
Mingzhu was somewhat moved. Even when he was recuperating, he was never idle, always busy day and night. She felt exhausted just thinking about it, so she approached him and whispered softly, “Your Highness, even when eating alone, you should eat properly. Don’t eat coarse grains for now. Get well first, and then eat them later. Food supplements are better than medicinal supplements.”
“Hmm.” Yuwen Chu was looking earnestly, not paying much attention to her.
Mingzhu was unwilling to give up. She lunged forward, grabbed his wrist, and began rolling up his sleeve, searching for the mole on his wrist. She compared it with her own and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, it’s in the same spot!”
Yuwen Chu didn’t expect her to remember this. He was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, “Are you still a child? Remembering such a boring thing.” Although he said so, he didn’t put down his sleeve or retract his arm.
Mingzhu was adept at reading people’s expressions. She had already studied him thoroughly. With a careful glance at his expression, she knew he was pretending again. Wanting to play with him, she covered his sleeve and released his arm, sitting up straight and proper, saying, “Oh, if you won’t show me, then I won’t look.”
Yuwen Chu was originally focused on his work, but being interrupted by her, his mind became active. He was still waiting for her to pester and nag him, but she unexpectedly gave up. He felt very unhappy about this but didn’t want to mention it again, so he put on a stern face and pretended to be like, “That’s how it is. Consider yourself smart,” then continued to look at his account books.
Mingzhu leaned sideways for a while, then stood up pretending to leave. “I’ll go see Teacher Lin.”
“Isn’t it too early for dinner? You have so much free time?” Triggering him and then wanting to leave? Yuwen Chu threw a ledger in front of her. “Look at how busy I am. You don’t come to help, just thinking about running out to play. Is this how virtuous you are?”
Such unfounded accusations! She had previously offered to help him with the account books, but he said he was afraid she would overwork herself and suggested she take this opportunity to rest. Now he was accusing her of being playful. Feeling a bit annoyed, Mingzhu reluctantly suppressed her smile, took the ledger, and flipped through a few pages. Seeing Yuwen Chu sitting across from her with a stern face and not saying a word, she leaned over with a smile and asked, “Your Highness, why are you angry?”
Yuwen Chu immediately raised his lips slightly. “I’m not.”
Faking it! Mingzhu said leisurely, “I remember reading a book that recorded all sorts of nonsense, such as what constitutes a husband and wife resemblance, the meaning of moles in different places, and so on… Have you read it, Your Highness?”
Yuwen Chu replied coldly, “I haven’t.”
Mingzhu sighed, “Oh, what a pity. I thought you knew. Speaking of which, I’m really worried.”
“What are you worried about?” Yuwen Chu closed the ledger and casually glanced at Mingzhu.
Mingzhu immediately hugged his arm and said mysteriously, “I heard that having the same mole means we’re enemies! It sounds unpleasant, making one worried, like enemies and such…”
“Nonsense!” Yuwen Chu couldn’t stand it anymore. “Where did you hear that? What kind of rubbish books are you reading? Clearly, it’s a sign of fate!”
Finally, he said it. Mingzhu glanced at him askew and asked, “Since you know, why didn’t you tell me?”
Yuwen Chu glanced at her disdainfully. “Why should I tell you? I’m here every day, but you can’t see. What’s the point of telling you?”
Hmm, such a strong sour taste! But if she hadn’t noticed it for so long, it was indeed her fault. Mingzhu awkwardly touched her nose, then took Yuwen Chu’s hand, kissed his wrist, and looked at him affectionately.
Yuwen Chu raised his chin slightly and looked at her from under his lashes, as if to say, “I won’t forgive you,” but Mingzhu knew he thought she wasn’t performing well enough. So she stood up, hugged him, and buried his face in her chest.
“Pu…” Mingzhu’s teasing made Yuwen Chu laugh, and he pulled her away, pressing her back into a seat, and said sternly, “Stop using this trick. Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because of this. I won’t fall for it!”
“Mm~” Mingzhu twisted his arm in various ways, and Yuwen Chu couldn’t stand it anymore. He said in a generous manner, “Forget it, I won’t argue with you! I can’t stand it. I’m getting goosebumps all over.”
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