Chapter 513: Secret Medicine (Part Three)
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Fu Zifei always thought that Ying Wang was a gentle and silent man, but tonight she saw his strong and domineering side. In his presence, someone like Yuwen Bai was nothing, and if she had to sacrifice for someone, if she had to die for someone, then that person must be Yuwen Chu. Thinking of this, her face blushed.
Yuwen Fu whispered, “Royal Grandmother, I don’t want a companion anymore.”
The Great Empress Dowager frowned. “Why?”
Yuwen Fu’s eyes reddened. “My eldest cousin came to accompany me before, but he broke his hand and leg. Now, An Yandong has only been with me for less than a month, and his sister almost drowned. Instead of causing harm like this, I’d rather not have a companion.”
“Nonsense! Not only will I choose a companion for you, but I’ll also select a few more.” The Great Empress Dowager coughed uncontrollably with anger. “Go away. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
Yuwen Fu had no choice but to leave with Fu Zifei.
That night, three people in Changxin Palace had a sleepless night. The Great Empress Dowager worried about her own health and Yuwen Fu’s future, Yuwen Fu worried about his life, and Fu Zifei worried about her marital prospects.
When Mingzhu woke up from her sleep, the first thing she saw was a bowl of dark soup medicine. Before she could even yell, Yuwen Chu pinched her nose. She had no choice but to drink the soup obediently, but she refused the sweets Yuwen Chu offered and instead pointed to them teasingly, then pointed to his lips.
“You’re troublesome.” Yuwen Chu frowned, visibly annoyed, but still picked up a sweet, holding it in his mouth, and bent down to feed Mingzhu.
Mingzhu took the opportunity to hug his neck tightly, her tongue skillfully slipping into his mouth, licking between his lips and teeth once. With a triumphant air, she declared, “Now you get to taste the bitterness of this medicine too!” Before her words had even finished, Yuwen Chu’s gaze deepened, gripping her shoulders tightly, forcefully and domineeringly returning the kiss, only regretting that he couldn’t go further.
After a while, Mingzhu turned her head, blushing, and took a deep breath. She whispered softly, “Oh, I almost couldn’t catch my breath.”
Yuwen Chu chuckled softly and said, “Let Su Lan and the others help you tidy up a bit. Your Mother-in-law and the others will come to see you later.”
Mingzhu complained, “What’s there to see? I’m fine.”
“Just treat it as them coming to visit relatives, spend a day playing around in the mansion, and relax a bit,” Yuwen Chu said happily as he straightened his clothes. “I’m going to Tingxue Building for a meeting. Behave yourself and don’t worry me anymore.”
Finally, she was feeling happy.
Mingzhu agreed and happily directed Su Lan and the others to bring her new clothes and dresses to change into. To make herself look better, she even dabbed on a bit of rouge. Su Lan and the others followed Yuwen Chu’s orders and didn’t dare to tell her what had happened last night.
Madam Cui led a group of daughters-in-law and granddaughters in. When she saw Mingzhu, she burst into tears. “You’re my nemesis! You’ve been a constant worry for me since you were born. I thought everything would be fine once you got married, but you keep causing trouble every few days. I’ve been telling you to be more restrained, but you wouldn’t listen. Now, look what trouble you’ve caused?”
Mingzhu felt extremely helpless. “How is it my fault? I didn’t do anything. I’m so unjustly accused.”
After some persuasion from Lady Qian and others, Madam Cui finally stopped crying. She took Mingzhu’s hand and said, “Thank goodness nothing happened. Otherwise, what would we do?”
Wenwen sat silently beside Mingzhu, pulling at the tassels on the canopy. Lady Su patted her hand and said, “You were so worried at home and couldn’t sleep well. Now that you’ve seen your aunt, you don’t have anything to say.”
Wenwen’s eyes immediately turned red, but she didn’t cry. She spoke to Mingzhu like a little adult, “All the people I brought back yesterday have been safely sent home. When they heard about what happened at Aunt’s house, they all came to thank her and asked me to express their gratitude to Aunt.”
“That’s good.” Mingzhu remembered Li Shumei and asked Madam Cui, “What about Fourth Brother?”
Madam Cui said, “He went out early in the morning. It seems your father arranged for him to do something.”
“Tell Fourth Brother to come see me when he returns.” Mingzhu was afraid that Fu Mingzheng had heard something and didn’t come, so she emphasized, “Make sure he comes. I have urgent matters to ask him.”
Madam Cui said helplessly, “Alright.”
Because Mingzhu couldn’t get out of bed, Madam Cui and the others didn’t stay long. After lunch, they bid farewell and left. Wenwen wanted to stay and accompany Mingzhu, but Lady Su said, “You dare to stay? If your aunt wasn’t protecting you, you wouldn’t have been so unlucky.”
Wenwen’s eyes turned red again, but she didn’t cry. Mingzhu hurriedly said, “It’s none of her business. She has nothing to do with it at all. Second Sister-in-law, please don’t worry her for no reason.”
Wenwen stubbornly said, “I want to stay and accompany Aunt. That person won’t dare to come again, right?”
Mingzhu also said, “Since she wants to stay, let her stay. Princess Changhua is here, so it’s good for the two of them to keep each other company. Second Sister-in-law, go back.”
Lady Su had no choice but to leave. Wenwen firmly stayed by Mingzhu’s side, refusing to leave. Mingzhu felt deeply comforted and had someone bring Princess Changhua over. She played a game of Go with them, and time passed quickly for her.
When it was time to light the lamps, Fu Mingzheng sent a message saying he couldn’t come temporarily and asked Mingzhu to rest assured and wait for him to come back to vent her anger.
Mingzhu couldn’t help but smile. Yuwen Chu had already vented her anger for her, so there was no need to trouble Fourth Brother. Yuwen Chu asked, “Why are you looking for Fourth Brother-in-law again? He hasn’t been able to come back these days. Zhongshan Wang Shizi is about to arrive in the capital, so he has to go and see.”
Mingzhu told him about Li Shumei’s matter from yesterday. “I suspect there’s something between them. Maybe even Li Shumei breaking off the engagement is related to him. Since Li Shumei wouldn’t say, I have to ask him.”
“He won’t tell you,” Yuwen Chu said decisively. “If he really had intentions, why would he let Li’s girl chase after him everywhere, even risking using her brother’s name? If you want to know something, wait for me to help you ask.”
Mingzhu couldn’t ask for more. “Your Highness is really too kind.” She then asked him, “Did the palace say anything about that matter?”
“No, the Great Empress Dowager also thinks I handled it well. Hu Tong has offended too many people these days.” Yuwen Chu hesitated for a moment and decided not to tell Mingzhu about the Great Empress Dowager taking the secret medicine.
This kind of medicine, he had asked Tang Chunlai about it. It should be able to relieve the Great Empress Dowager’s headaches and help calm her mind but this medicine was addictive. The Great Empress Dowager couldn’t possibly not know the disadvantages of this medicine. Since she liked to take it, let her take it.
The early spring breeze was tight, and the earliest pear blossoms in the Linan Mansion had already begun to bloom faintly. Yuwen You sat cross-legged on the cushion under the pear tree, looking expressionlessly at Jiang Shanshan opposite him.
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