Chapter 502 Li Shumei
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As the music ended, there was applause from outside. Wenwen, accompanied by several girls, entered with a smile, praising, “I’ve heard that Auntie has many beauties here, and the music and dance are wonderful. Finally, I’ve had the pleasure to experience it.”
The girls in front were all familiar to Mingzhu, except for the one walking at the back, wearing a sapphire blue fox fur jacket and a pomegranate-patterned skirt. At a glance, she bore some resemblance to Li Haixing, who had come to inquire about her case that day.
Mingzhu signaled to Wenwen, who proudly winked at her and brought the girl over to introduce her to Mingzhu, “Auntie hasn’t met this Miss Li before, right? She arrived in the capital before the New Year and is Su Wei’s cousin.”
Miss Li stepped forward to greet Mingzhu, still wearing her serene smile, “Li Shumei, thank you for the hospitality, Your Highness.”
Mingzhu deliberately teased her, “Miss Li looks a bit familiar.”
Li Shumei lifted her head to look at Mingzhu, her gaze unusually calm, “Forgive me, Your Highness, this humble woman doesn’t recall ever meeting Your Highness.”
Interesting indeed! She’s actually someone who can lie with a straight face! Mingzhu became interested at once and continued, “No, my memory is excellent. I don’t forget faces or things. I’m sure I’ve seen you before. At that time, you weren’t called by this name, but Li Hai… What was it?”
Li Shumei calmly replied, “Although I dare not offend Your Highness, Your Highness is indeed mistaken. You probably saw my elder brother. Everyone says we siblings look alike.” As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly, letting her pure face bask in the light, appearing exceptionally dignified, as if any further questioning from Mingzhu would be questioning her integrity.
“It seems I did remember wrong.” Mingzhu had nothing else to say. She couldn’t argue with Li Shumei about the true identity of Li Haixing. If they really argued, she would win for sure, but what if Li Shumei became her fourth sister-in-law in the future? After two meetings, this Miss Li was clearly not the same person as the busybody mentioned by her fourth brother. But she knew about that person too; there wasn’t a single good word about him.
Wenwen ran up and affectionately pulled Li Shumei over, “There’s a plum forest over there, and near the plum forest is a small pond. Let’s go winter fishing. After catching the fish, we can have the kitchen grill them for us. The fish grilled by the chef here, along with lamb legs, deer meat, etc., are exquisite delicacies.”
Li Shumei bowed to Mingzhu and then followed Wenwen and the others out. Mingzhu leaned against the window to watch her. She seemed to get along well with her cousin Su Wei and occasionally looked out for her. She also got along well with Wenwen and the others.
“Who’s she?” An Xiaogu curiously leaned over, “She looks unfamiliar. Judging from her accent, she’s not from the capital. Whose favor are you currying?”
Before anything was confirmed, Mingzhu couldn’t tarnish the girl’s reputation. She vaguely replied, “Whose favor could I be currying? She looks quite mature, so she must be married already. I just felt she resembled someone I saw some days ago, so I said something.”
An Xiaogu believed her, “Why hasn’t Princess Changhua arrived yet?”
“Su Lan, go and find Li Quanxin immediately to see what’s going on.” Mingzhu found it strange too. She had arranged for Changhua to come as a guest in advance. There were only two reasons for Changhua’s late arrival: someone deliberately made things difficult for her and wouldn’t let her leave, or something unexpected happened.
Changhua usually kept a low profile and was gentle and modest. She never intervened easily, had no enemies in the palace, and the only thing that might bother her was her friendship with Mingzhu. If she had to think of something troublesome, the Great Empress Dowager usually wouldn’t easily trouble the children of concubines. She was usually very lenient, especially since she had recently formed an alliance with Yuwen Chu. Therefore, it wouldn’t be Changxin Palace. It could only be Consort Xiao and her daughter or Empress Dowager Min and her son…
While Mingzhu was analyzing what might have caused Changhua’s delay, she suddenly saw Li Quanxin rushing in, his hat askew, not caring, panting heavily as he entered, “Your Highness, His Majesty is here in person. Hurry to the front to greet him!”
What? Yuwen Bai is here in person? Mingzhu stood up abruptly. What was this short-lived person trying to do? Who invited him? Thinking that Yuwen Chu happened to be out, she felt a headache coming on. She hurriedly walked out, “Quickly, have someone bring the warm sedan chair. Immediately invite Fu Wang and Huayang Wang to accompany the procession. No one is allowed to mess up, or I’ll chop them up!”
An Xiaogu caught up, “Zhu Zhu, I’m with you!”
Mingzhu gratefully held An Xiaogu’s hand. Suddenly, she remembered another person and coldly commanded Su Lan, “Immediately go to the plum forest and find Wenwen. Immediately send her out through the back door and send the other girls away too.” Yuwen Bai was so malicious, and he resented her and the Fus’. She was afraid that Yuwen Bai might suddenly go crazy and do something to Wenwen. These girls had come to play at her place, so she had to take care of them and make sure they were safely returned to their parents.
Su Lan went off to carry out the orders, and Mingzhu led An Xiaogu into the warm sedan chair, commanding the sedan bearers, “Hurry up and don’t delay matters.”
An Xiaogu’s palms were full of cold sweat, anxiously saying, “Zhu Zhu, I have a bad feeling. Is he here to cause trouble on purpose? What about His Highness, Ying Wang?”
Mingzhu reassured her, “His Highness is out, but once he gets the news, he’ll rush back. Don’t be afraid; he wouldn’t dare to actually do anything to me. At most, he’ll just make a scene. Later, no matter how he troubles me, you don’t say a word, just keep an eye on other things for me.”
“Okay.” An Xiaogu agreed, constantly adjusting her breathing. Once outside, she miraculously calmed down, even advising Mingzhu, “Try to restrain your temper and don’t give him an excuse.”
“Got it.” Mingzhu smiled at An Xiaogu, leading the way out of the sedan chair. Just as she stood outside the main gate, Princess Changhua and Yuwen Bai arrived.
Yuwen Bai was dressed in casual attire and had only brought a team of Longlin Guards, Hu Tong, and two little eunuchs. He also rode in Changhua’s carriage, which was considered light and simple. He dismounted, stood in front of the gate of Ying Wang’s Mansion, and looked up at the plaque with a smile, saying to Mingzhu, “Cousin, I’ve always wondered where Sixth Uncle and you live. I thought, seeing is believing, so I came during the New Year for some excitement. You won’t blame me for being presumptuous, will you?”
“Of course not, Your Majesty’s gracious visit is an honor that many can only dream of.” Mingzhu, accompanied by Zhou Nushi and others, respectfully greeted Yuwen Bai, but he waved his hand, “Stop, stop. I was supposed to be in disguise when leaving the palace. You’re making a scene everywhere.”
Mingzhu couldn’t afford to be careless, so she followed the protocol meticulously before inviting Yuwen Bai inside.
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