Chapter 484 Contest (Three)
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To prove that this wolf cub was the offspring of the dead mother wolf, the guards put it next to the mother wolf. The wolf cub crawled over laboriously, desperately trying to suckle from the mother wolf’s breasts and lick her face, crying out miserably.
It was indeed because of this wolf cub that the mother wolf retaliated by taking away Wang Ah Niu. Wang Ah Niu’s father was astonished, covering his mouth. “How could this be? We didn’t hear a single sound.”
His mother cried and cursed, “What grudge do we have with that one surnamed Lin? Why do they harm us like this? My poor Ah Niu, kindness is not rewarded!”
Yuwen Chu glanced at it once and then didn’t look again. He instructed quietly, “Give it some food, keep it.”
“No wonder he was eager to leave, afraid of being held accountable after the incident! I treated him as an honored guest, but he slapped me in the face like this.” Mingzhu gritted her teeth in anger, feeling extremely discouraged.
Yuwen Chu snatched her chopsticks and threw them on the table, saying lightly, “What’s there to be upset about? This road was originally full of thorns and very difficult to walk. Deception and treachery, life and death struggles, are all normal.”
Mingzhu was angry for a while, then pounced over and hugged his arm, shaking it. “What does he really want? Provocation? Warning? Or is there some other powerful move? He can’t just be playing with us, can he?”
Yuwen Chu shook his head. “He intentionally came to stir up trouble, to lure the snake out of its hole. He told us he has the ability to make the court search every corner of these mountains. If we get nervous and make a move, it will play right into his hands. If we don’t move, he’ll come at us forcefully, and we’ll see who comes out on top. This person is truly arrogant.”
To deal with this situation, the safest method is to have people like Ban Jian, who are hiding deep in the mountains, scatter out of the mountains, and then dismantle or destroy the already built bed crossbows and other items. But any action will inevitably give the enemy an opportunity.
“At this moment, countless pairs of eyes are watching our village. All the birds flying out and all the people scattered are under the scrutiny of others.” Yuwen Chu tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers and said softly, “Since we’re going to stage a big show, let’s put on a big show. If I can’t even defend the Great Temple, what am I aiming for? It’s better to settle down and live peacefully as soon as possible.”
“Tomorrow, I’m going out to stir up the water here in the Great Temple, stirring up the fish and shrimp inside and catching them in the net. Whatever you hear, don’t worry, just stay calm.” Yuwen Chu looked at Mingzhu apologetically. “I promised you before to spend this New Year quietly and relaxed here, but it seems that it’s not possible anymore. I’m sorry for you. Other women, once they get pregnant, don’t worry about anything, just focus on nurturing the fetus. But you’ve suffered enough. Not only do you have to worry, but you also have to take matters into your own hands.”
“I wanted to marry Your Highness myself.” Mingzhu didn’t feel aggrieved at all. Mr. Meng once said something right. If Yuwen Chu hadn’t insisted on marrying her, he would still be living quietly and low-key like he did in his previous life, accumulating strength, and waiting for the right moment to strike. But he insisted on marrying her, pushing himself and the Ying Mansion to the forefront, all these hardships were because they became a family.
When she agreed to marry Yuwen Chu in the first place, it was because she wanted to use his power to protect her family, to contend with the Min family and the Zhongshan Wang family. Now he was going down that path, how could she blame him for not giving her a peaceful life? Mingzhu took Yuwen Chu’s hand and smiled lightly. “Actually, I’m afraid you’ll regret marrying me. Mr. Meng and the others must be talking behind our backs, saying, ‘Look, it’s that troublemaker who made us unable to live in peace. Look, it’s her, seducing His Highness and making him forget everything, what a disaster!'”
She imitated Mr. Meng, beating her chest and stomping her feet as if in agony. Yuwen Chu teased her, making her laugh. “Alright, don’t badmouth Mr. Meng behind his back. He never speaks ill of you in front of me now. He only praises you.”
Mingzhu pouted. “That’s because he’s scared now, afraid Your Highness will throw him into the lake again.”
Yuwen Chu shook his head. “No, it’s because you publicly killed Yang Yizun last time, went to the palace to deliver medicine, and united with the Royal family overnight to speak up for me, earning his respect.”
Mingzhu smiled, her eyes shining like stars. “But I still got slapped by Your Highness a few times. And, I know that being able to unite with the Royal family is not my own credit, but the result of Your Highness’s previous efforts and preparations.” Imagine if it were Yuwen You facing such a situation, who in the Royal family would pay attention to her? No one would care about her even if she ran her legs thin.
Yuwen Chu glanced at her. “I’ll keep slapping you in the future.”
While chatting and laughing, the next day arrived. Yuwen Chu got up early and said he was going to visit a hermit living in the countryside. Everything was going smoothly, but on the way back, they encountered assassins. The incident happened suddenly, the horses were startled, and the accompanying guards were injured and killed. They barely escaped back to the mansion, but the shock caused Yuwen Chu’s illness to relapse.
Mingzhu was relentless and sent someone to call the magistrate of the Great Temple and scolded him severely. This led to a large-scale search in the Great Temple. In three days, the people arrested by the Great Temple County were all ordinary folks, not real assassins. Yuwen Chu harshly reprimanded the magistrate of the Great Temple, released the people, and also gave them a silver or two as a compensation, submitted a self-criticism report to the court, and sent his men to search for fugitives everywhere. At the same time, they also drove away several wolf packs near the village, completely eliminating the possibility of wolf trouble next spring.
As a result, the disturbed people settled down again, focusing all their resentment on the magistrate of the Great Temple. The flattery and obedience were given to His Highness Ying Wang. They cursed the assassin to die a horrible death. Whenever someone felt a stranger coming around their home, regardless of the circumstances, they immediately ran to report to the Ying Wang Mansion, and most likely received a festive pastry in return.
No one knew how many people the Ying Wang Mansion had arrested in this operation. Only Mingzhu was shocked by the staggering expenses while organizing the accounts for those few days. Thinking that half of the money belonged to her and the other half to her son, she felt extremely distressed. When Yuwen Chu saw her expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. “These are necessary expenses. Think about it, with just this little money, we’ve bought the hearts of all the people in the Great Temple. What a profitable business.”
Mingzhu weakly protested, “I know, but it still hurts.”
Yuwen Chu pushed her. “Stop worrying about the pain and let someone pack up. We’ve caused such a big disturbance, don’t expect to have a peaceful time in the Great Temple this New Year.”
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