Chapter 499: Second Brother-in-law Has Good Taste
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Fu Mingzhao solemnly bowed to Yuwen Chu and in the usual manner, said many words of apology for his sister’s shortcomings, asking His Highness to forgive her.
Yuwen Chu also solemnly returned the courtesy, asking if Second Brother-in-law had recovered from the journey, then expressing satisfaction with how his in-laws had raised his little wife.
The two men sized each other up, then expressed satisfaction with each other.
Mingzhu watched with satisfaction on the side, urging them to hurry up and get on the carriage back to the mansion. When Yuwen Chu wasn’t paying attention, she quietly asked Fu Mingzhao, “How is he?”
Fu Mingzhao smiled at her and whispered, “Better than the other one.” He was referring to Yuwen You.
Mingzhu proudly praised herself, “I have an eye for people.”
I wonder who refused to marry anyone else back then? Fu Mingzhao, with his good temper, didn’t expose her, “Get on the carriage quickly, the family is waiting anxiously.”
Mingzhu got on the carriage and sat down happily beside Yuwen Chu, “My second brother is not bad, right?”
Yuwen Chu said, “Not bad.”
Mingzhu went to tease him, “In the future, you have to protect him, don’t let him be bullied by anyone.”
Yuwen Chu was puzzled why she always thought her brothers would be bullied by others, but still agreed, “Okay, the whole family is going to be protected for you.”
Mingzhu pursed her lips and smiled, “My second brother said I have a good eye. The best thing I’ve done so far is marrying His Highness.”
“Flatterer, who knows if that’s what you said or if Second Brother-in-law said it.” Yuwen Chu expressed disbelief, but he had a great fondness for this second brother-in-law whom he met for the first time, he was indeed a discerning and intelligent person!
The mansion was also very lively. After Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu paid their respects to the elders in the family, Yuwen Chu went outside to drink and discuss matters with the Fu family father and son, while Mingzhu stayed in the backyard, joking around, and occasionally giving suggestions when she listened to Lady Qian and others discussing Fu Lin’s marriage.
At lunchtime, Madam Cui called Mingzhu into the inner room and scolded her severely, “I thought yesterday’s situation looked dangerous. Aren’t you afraid that Consort Xiao will really cause trouble for you? As a woman, why bother yourself with these men?”
Mingzhu played with her handkerchief, refusing to admit fault, “I don’t know what mother is talking about. At most, I shouldn’t have argued with Longsheng Great Eldest Princess, but Funing is His Highness’s full-blooded sister, I can’t just ignore her. Anyway, I didn’t suffer any losses, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Seeing her evasiveness, Madam Cui knew she wouldn’t tell the truth, so she sighed, “Child, you’ve grown up and become headstrong. Since you won’t listen, I can’t do anything about it. But you should think about your child. The most important thing for you now is to safely give birth to him. Other things can be put aside.”
Mingzhu’s thoughts differed from Madam Cui’s. She wanted to ensure her child’s safety and handle matters properly. Just sitting in the inner quarters, being coquettish and doting, Yuwen Chu might still find it novel after a few years, but eventually, he would tire of it. Just giving birth to a child, anyone could do that. There would be plenty of women waiting to give birth to Yuwen Chu’s child, and she needed to be confident in things they couldn’t do, like being coquettish or arguing.
But her mother was old, and her inherent ideas wouldn’t change just because she said a few words. Trying to persuade her wouldn’t work and might make both of them unhappy. So she let her mother speak and quietly listened. Mingzhu listened obediently to Madam Cui’s nagging, without a hint of impatience, appearing very obedient and docile.
Madam Cui saw that Mingzhu was just smiling and listening without saying anything, feeling helpless. “Alright, last time you brought back a letter to inquire about the daughter of Li Dazhong’s family, I asked your sister-in-law to make an excuse and go to see that girl. She’s a nice girl, quiet and steady, not someone who acts recklessly. But there’s one thing not so good about her, this girl was previously engaged, but the engagement was broken off by the man.”
Mingzhu objected when she heard this, “So what? I’ve also had an engagement broken off. Why doesn’t His Highness despise me? His Highness said I’m a good girl, and those who don’t appreciate me are just blind. As long as the girl is good, what’s there to fear?”
Madam Cui explained, “It’s not like that, let me explain it to you in detail. The reason is that your fourth brother is not my biological son. If he were, I would scold and force him to get married long ago. Since he’s not my biological son, even if I’m not afraid of his resentment, I still have to fear what others might say outside. If I give him a girl whose engagement was broken off, what would people say about me? Moreover, the Li family is not a prestigious family…”
Ultimately, it was about saving face. Mingzhu asked Madam Cui, “I’ve seen many prestigious families in my early years. Who has he set his eyes on? Every time there’s a problem at the last minute, it makes you and dad so angry, which normal family in the capital would be willing to marry their daughter to him? Listen to me, Mom, ask why the engagement was broken off, as long as it’s not the girl’s fault and she has no character issues, it’s fine. Being married is better than being single, isn’t it? Otherwise, things will only get worse and more difficult to explain later. If we can’t explain clearly, it might even involve splitting family property or something. Fourth brother is not young anymore, and people his age already have sons who are starting school.”
Madam Cui was rendered speechless by her words and could only say, “Then I’ll have someone inquire again.”
Mingzhu pondered for a moment and said, “Seeing is believing. Although I’ve met her once, I don’t know her deeply enough. How about this, find an excuse to invite them to our house to play, observing them up close is the only way to see clearly.”
Madam Cui asked in surprise, “When did you see her?”
Mingzhu didn’t dare to mention that she disguised as a man and went to the Ying Mansion under her brother’s name to interrogate her. She pretended, “I met her by chance a few days ago in someone else’s house and just exchanged a few words. I’m going to entertain guests in a few days, so I want to invite Xiao Gu and Sister Changhua to play at our house. Let Wenwen and the others come too. I’ll think about it and find a way to invite this Li girl along with them?”
Madam Cui said, “It would be great if Zifei were here.”
Speaking of Fu Zifei, Mingzhu frowned, “Did she say anything to mother in the palace yesterday?”
Madam Cui said, “I could see that she wanted to talk to me, but she was called away several times. Why? Did she come to you?”
Mingzhu sighed and recounted the few words Fu Zifei said to her, “She’s not happy, I can understand that, but coming at me like that, it’s a bit inexplicable. Remember to tell sisters-in-law and Wenwen to keep their distance from her in the future. You never know when she might turn around and bite. Especially Wenwen, she must be careful. After she suffers enough and learns her lesson, it won’t be too late to help her.”
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