Chapter 503 Finding Fault (Part One)
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Princess Changhua followed behind with a frustrated expression. Taking advantage of Yuwen Bai’s distracted gaze, she apologized in a low voice, “We were about to reach the palace gates when he suddenly stopped me and insisted on following. I couldn’t find any excuse to shake him off or send a message. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come.”
“It’s not your fault that he’s so persistent.” Mingzhu entrusted Princess Changhua to An Xiaogu, “Take care of yourselves, and remind me if you think of something unexpected.”
“What are you whispering about behind my back? Is Cousin not welcoming my visit to your mansion? Do you also want to treat me like Yang Yizun?” Yuwen Bai’s face darkened as he turned to look at Mingzhu and the others, sneering.
Mingzhu replied solemnly, “Your Majesty is mistaken. We were discussing what delicacies to offer Your Majesty later.”
Yuwen Bai swaggered inside, stopping at the spot where Mingzhu had executed Yang Yizun. “This is where Yang Yizun was executed, right?”
Mingzhu lowered her eyes, “Indeed.”
“What a splendid place Ying Wang’s Mansion is.” Yuwen Bai glanced at Mingzhu for a moment, took a deep breath, and smiled as he continued inside, “No wonder it’s rumored to be the most luxurious and spacious mansion in the capital. Today’s visit confirms it.”
Mingzhu rolled her eyes inwardly, lamenting, “That’s because Your Majesty hasn’t visited other mansions. Our mansion is only extravagant on the surface. Since His Highness established it on the Emperor’s orders, it hasn’t been renovated. With heavy snow this winter, several places have collapsed, leaking, and even the kitchen stove has stopped working. His Highness even said it’s better to dismantle the wooden parts and rebuild the stove.”
Yuwen Bai naturally didn’t believe her and chuckled, “Don’t cry poverty in front of me. Rumor has it that the Sixth Uncle dotes on you, with floors paved with gold and walls of white jade. You’ve hired renowned chefs from all over the world, serving exquisite delicacies every meal without repetition. If it doesn’t suit your taste, it’s immediately replaced. Your life is better than mine.”
Sure enough, he was looking for trouble. Just wanted to scrape some benefits from Ying Wang’s Mansion? Mingzhu retorted confidently, “Who dares to spread such rumors in front of Your Majesty? This is slander! He should be slapped! Floors paved with gold and walls of white jade? Who could find that in our mansion? I’d call them a liar! Unfortunately, His Highness has been frugal. We’ve been eating coarse grains and wild vegetables every few days. Even if I didn’t want to eat, I’d be scolded. It’s only since I became pregnant that he’s relaxed a bit.”
Yuwen Bai chuckled, “That’s fake?”
“Of course fake.” Mingzhu started to discredit their chef, “These days, who doesn’t like to boast? Originally, with just a bit of skill, they would claim to have ten times that. They’re just somewhat famous chefs, and what they make is barely enough to satisfy my cravings. How could they dare to call themselves world-renowned chefs? The renowned chefs are all in the imperial kitchen! If Your Majesty doesn’t believe it, let me call them out and ask who dares to claim to be a world-renowned chef?”
“Alright, I can’t argue with you.” Yuwen Bai motioned for Mingzhu to lead the way, “Where’s the dining area? You guys carry on with whatever you are doing. I’ll just tag along.”
Mingzhu reluctantly led Yuwen Bai to the Feiyan Pavilion, spouting nonsense along the way, “Your Majesty, please see, this northern garden of ours, a fine place, has been left desolate due to lack of funds. Outsiders say I can’t tolerate concubines, but in truth, I can’t afford them. His Highness has been worrying every night these past few days about disaster relief and the Great Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration, causing him to lose sleep and develop wrinkles.”
Yuwen Bai listened absentmindedly, his eyes wandering around, “Where are the others? Where have they all gone? It can’t be just you few here, can it?”
“You’re right, Your Majesty! It really is just us few. Originally, because Princess Changhua is leaving to assume her duties in Ji Kingdom, we won’t see each other for a long time, so we gathered to chat quietly.” Mingzhu glanced towards the plum forest, hoping everyone had been sent away.
But just that glance revealed the truth to Yuwen Bai, who immediately headed towards the plum forest, saying, “I smell the fragrance of plum blossoms. Let’s take a look.”
Mingzhu and the others had no choice but to follow him. Yuwen Bai stopped by the pond near the plum forest, pointing to the two fishing rods and stools on the bank, as well as a bucket, and said lightly, “Cousin, were you trying to deceive me? Who was fishing here just now?”
Since Wenwen and the others had hurriedly left, these things hadn’t been tidied up yet. Mingzhu was about to make up a story when she saw Li Shumei, wearing a blue and white fox fur coat and a red skirt, walking out of the plum forest with a maidservant.
Why hadn’t she left? Mingzhu frowned slightly, displeased, and glanced at Su Lan, who hesitated to speak, obviously hiding something.
But Li Shumei walked up and, ignoring Yuwen Bai, greeted Mingzhu, “Wangfei, it seems like it’s been years since the fish in the pond were last caught. They’re so fat and big.”
Whatever the reason, she needed to distract Yuwen Bai first. Mingzhu smiled and said, “I wouldn’t know, since I entered the mansion this year, they haven’t been caught. Originally, we planned to catch them before the New Year, but His Highness fell ill, which delayed our plans.” Then she signaled to Li Shumei, “Come and meet His Majesty.”
Li Shumei graciously bowed to Yuwen Bai, giving him a blessing instead of a formal bow since he wasn’t in formal attire. Yuwen Bai scrutinized her for a moment and asked, “Who is this?”
“My distant cousin’s cousin, who just arrived from the countryside. She doesn’t know the rules and isn’t familiar with people. I hope Your Majesty won’t mind her rudeness.” An Xiaogu improvised, and Li Shumei glanced at her but didn’t object, tacitly accepting it.
When Yuwen Bai heard that she wasn’t related to Mingzhu and was older, he lost interest immediately. While her appearance was decent, compared to the women in the palace, she wasn’t exceptional. Yuwen Bai then turned his attention to the bucket of fish.
The bucket indeed contained two fat fish, mouths opening and closing as they swam, their scales shining white with a hint of gold, looking very plump and delicious. Yuwen Bai became interested and lifted his robe to sit on the stool, picking up a fishing rod to reel in the line and signaling Hu Tong to bait it for him. He glanced at the other fishing rod and asked, “Where’s the other person?”
An Xiaogu casually replied, “It’s me.” She picked up the other fishing rod, reeled in the line, and complained, “Crafty fish, they eat the bait and then escape.”
An Xiaogu and Mingzhu had been friends since childhood, doing everything together from climbing trees to catching insects, riding horses, and fishing. It seemed reasonable for her to bring her cousin from the countryside to fish together.
Yuwen Bai raised an eyebrow, smiling enigmatically at Mingzhu before giving the fishing rod a strong flick. However, the hook got tangled in the fishing line and couldn’t be cast properly. Hu Tong hurried forward to help untangle it, but Yuwen Bai looked at Li Shumei and said, “You do it.”
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