Chapter 504 Finding Fault (Part Two)
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An Xiaogu, unsure of Li Shumei’s proficiency in fishing and fearing she might reveal her incompetence, quickly said, “My niece is clumsy. In fear of offending Your Majesty, I’ll do it.”
“Get lost! Who asked for your opinion?” Yuwen Bai pointed at Li Shumei, sternly commanding, “You! Weren’t you enjoying fishing just now? Quickly untangle this hook for me and catch a fish to show me. Otherwise, I’ll execute your entire family for deceiving the emperor!”
Mingzhu’s face darkened. “What does Your Majesty mean? Did you come here just to kill and amuse yourself at my expense?”
Yuwen Bai sneered at her. “As Aunt saw.” He then turned to Li Shumei, demanding, “Hurry up!”
Li Shumei silently bowed and swiftly untangled the hook and line, seeing the bait had fallen off. She then deftly impaled a live worm onto the hook.
The worm wriggled in pain, twisting and struggling. Princess Changhua almost vomited, but Li Shumei didn’t even frown. She pinched the worm’s head, pulling off both ends, and then released it into the water, saying softly, “Your Majesty, it’s done.”
Yuwen Bai’s eyes lit up as he looked at Li Shumei eagerly. “You’re quite capable. How come you didn’t know who I was before, but now you know how to address me?”
Li Shumei replied softly, “This humble woman heard everyone else addressing Your Majesty this way, so I followed suit, to avoid any mistakes.”
Yuwen Bai handed her the fishing rod. “Immediately catch a fish for me to see. If you fail, I’ll still have to execute your entire family.”
Li Shumei took the rod, gave it a swift cast, and the hook gleamed as it flew into the pond. Suddenly, Yuwen Bai felt a chill in his throat and instinctively stepped back. He looked at Li Shumei suspiciously and exclaimed, “You’re an assassin! Trying to assassinate me!”
This statement startled everyone, including Li Shumei, who hadn’t reacted yet. Mingzhu was the first to respond, quickly shielding Li Shumei behind her and smiling as she spoke to Yuwen Bai, “Your Majesty, please don’t joke. This girl has just arrived from the countryside and knows nothing of the world or jokes…”
Princess Changhua also stepped forward to persuade him, “Your Majesty, it’s chilly here. Let’s go to the Feiyan Pavilion for tea and enjoy some music and dance. Let them fish, and when they clean them, we can grill them for a unique flavor.”
Yuwen Bai stared directly at Mingzhu, pointing at Li Shumei. “Does Cousin not want me to deal with this person?”
Mingzhu didn’t know whether to nod or not. Of course, she wanted to protect Li Shumei, but she feared that if she nodded, Yuwen Bai might harm Li Shumei just to spite her.
Yuwen Bai smiled oddly at Mingzhu, suddenly reaching out to push her. Could it be that he actually intended to push her into the lake? Was he targeting her unborn child?
Mingzhu was startled and quickly moved aside, but she inadvertently exposed Li Shumei. Without hesitation, Yuwen Bai pushed her, and with a “plop,” Li Shumei fell into the water, her red skirt spreading out like a beautiful flower.
“Quick, save her!” Mingzhu was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She directed the rescue efforts while Yuwen Bai watched gleefully. “So much fun! Really fun!”
An Xiaogu handed the fishing rod to Li Shumei. “Hold on, I’ll pull you up.”
Li Shumei remained calm in the face of danger. After struggling for a few times, she managed to steady herself and grabbed the fishing rod. An Xiaogu held onto the fishing rod and pulled back with force, while Su Lan and others also rushed to help. However, Yuwen Bai suddenly rushed over and struck An Xiaogu’s lower back with force, causing her to scream and fall in.
“How fun, so much fun,” Yuwen Bai laughed heartily, taking the fishing rod and ruthlessly poking and hitting An Xiaogu all over. There was a malicious gleam in his eyes as he said, “An Xiaogu, call An Yandong to save you, isn’t he very capable? Riding horses, archery, writing, he’s skilled in everything. He must also be extremely skilled at swimming. Hurry up and call him!”
“Your Majesty, have mercy!” Mingzhu couldn’t care about anything else and quickly rushed up to tightly grab Yuwen Bai’s hand to prevent him from abusing An Xiaogu. Ever since he entered, she had been on edge, sensing that something was about to happen, and now she realized that he was targeting An Xiaogu. Because An Xiaogu’s younger brother, An Yandong, was Yuwen Fu’s new study partner.
Yuwen Bai looked at Mingzhu’s chubby and fair hands, feeling the warmth flowing through the blood vessels. These hands had held him in the past few years, leading him to catch cicadas, dig for crickets, taught him how to fish, and how to paint. She had also spoken kindly for him in front of his father and covered for him in front of the Gret Empress Dowager.
But… he glanced at Mingzhu’s slightly bulging abdomen, where there was something very disgusting. Yuwen Bai furrowed his brows in disgust, quietly freeing up one hand, preparing to push Mingzhu into the water as well. Even if she didn’t die, she would be heartbroken, scared, and unable to bear children anymore!
“Your Majesty, please spare me,” Mingzhu saw the coldness in Yuwen Bai’s eyes and broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly let go of his hand and squatted down to stabilize herself, holding onto Yuwen Bai’s legs. She couldn’t push him into the water, nor could she let him continue to harm An Xiaogu and Li Shumei, but she also couldn’t just stand by and be persecuted by him. So, she had to choose this posture, appearing humble yet safe.
Yuwen Bai lowered his eyes and sneered softly at Mingzhu, “What if I don’t want to show mercy? How will you treat me then? If you want An Xiaogu and this countryside bumpkin to live, then jump into the water yourself to save them. Do you want a friend, or do you want your unborn child?”
Mingzhu despised Yuwen Bai with all her heart. She handed her hand to Donghui behind her, supported herself with Donghui’s hand, and coldly said, “Save them!” Talking nicely to him was giving him face, but since he didn’t want to be reasonable, she wouldn’t give him any face either.
“Who dares? I’ll kill them!” Yuwen Bai saw the maid from Ying Wang’s Mansion already in the water to rescue people. An Xiaogu, who had been abused by him all along, had drifted to the middle of the pond with Mingzhu and Li Shumei during their confrontation. His fishing rod couldn’t reach them anymore, and his eyes turned red with rage. He grabbed the fishing rod and started randomly hitting the servants of Ying Wang’s Mansion, shouting at the top of his lungs, “They’re defying my orders! Kill them! Kill them!”
Changhua rushed over, grabbing his hand urgently and persuading, “Your Majesty, calm down!”
Yuwen Bai found an outlet for his anger and swung the fishing rod towards Changhua’s face. Mingzhu secretly cursed inwardly. If Changhua’s face was injured, how could she fulfill his duty to the country? How could he marry? How could he compete with the women in the imperial harem? She pushed Donghui forward, signaling her to quickly rescue Changhua.
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