Chapter 518 Secret Chamber (Part One)
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Su Jin returned with a message, whispering, “The Linan Wangfei said it’s fine if Wangfei doesn’t want to see her, but please pay attention to someone, Jiang Shanshan is still alive.”
Of course, Mingzhu knew Jiang Shanshan was still alive, but what did the Wusun Princess mean by informing her of this? Did the Wusun Princess meet Jiang Shanshan? After pondering for a moment, Mingzhu said, “Go and bring her in.”
The Wusun Princess walked in and greeted Mingzhu calmly, “Sixth Sister-in-law.”
Mingzhu gestured for her to sit on the stool by the bed, “I heard you have something to discuss with me, Ninth Sister-in-law.”
The Wusun Princess, speaking haltingly in Mandarin, said slowly, “Yes, I misunderstood you before. I always thought Jiang Shanshan’s death was related to you, so I misunderstood you and wasn’t very polite. It was my mistake, so I’m here to apologize to you.”
“It’s fine.” Mingzhu congratulated her with a faint smile, “I heard that Linan Wang was recently appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Longlin Guards. Congratulations, Ninth Sister-in-law.”
“What’s there to congratulate? He hasn’t even taken office yet, and he’s already too busy to be seen.” The Wusun Princess’s eyebrows showed a hint of pride, “Because of Jiang Shanshan’s incident, it strained the relationship between our two families. I thought it was inappropriate. So when I got news about her, I hurried to tell Sister-in-law.” She deliberately paused here, waiting for Mingzhu to ask.
Mingzhu smiled faintly, “Actually, her life and death have little to do with me. Whether Jiang Shanshan is alive or dead, neither His Highness nor I want her. I’m not afraid of her! Ninth Sister-in-law can handle it herself. You should know that she disappeared in your mansion. His Highness, Linan Wang, is still carrying the blame. It’s not good to be in the dark like this.”
“As his wife, you should seek justice for him.” Mingzhu teased the Wusun Princess, “The best way is to drag Jiang Shanshan out and give her a beating, let everyone know how wrong it is to hide like this. It’s better to marry properly, what’s the point of hiding and skulking around?”
“It’s not like that.” The Wusun Princess was speechless under Mingzhu’s barrage, feeling unhappy, “I thought this matter was of great importance to both of our families, so I came to tell Sister-in-law specially. I didn’t expect Sister-in-law to be so ungrateful and sarcastic.”
Mingzhu smiled, “Who said I’m ungrateful? If I weren’t grateful, why would I give you advice? Ninth Sister-in-law, what else are you dissatisfied with? If it’s not like this, then what is it?”
The Wusun Princess, helpless, could only say, “Since Sister-in-law is not interested, I’ll consider myself to be overstepping. I’ll take my leave.”
Mingzhu leaned slightly, “I won’t send you off.”
The Wusun Princess left with pursed lips, and after sitting with Qi Wang and the others for a while, she followed the others to say goodbye and leave. Mingzhu immediately sent Princess Changhua and Wenwen away to quickly deliver a message to Yuwen Chu.
Yuwen Chu only replied with the words: “Got it.”
The implication was for her not to meddle in matters and focus on resting. Mingzhu had no choice but to slump by the window, staring blankly at the new buds on the branches outside.
Yuwen Chu returned bathed in the glow of the sunset and saw her standing eagerly by the window, waving at him as if she couldn’t wait to rush over. He couldn’t help but smile, quickening his steps and walking in, “You really can’t sit still.”
“Tang Chunlai said I’m fine.” Mingzhu cautiously turned around, slowly handing a warm towel to Yuwen Chu, helping him undo his belt and handing it to Su Lan. She even wanted to help him change clothes again, but Yuwen Chu stopped her, “Alright, that’s enough.”
Mingzhu slowly walked back, sitting down cautiously.
Yuwen Chu chuckled at her pretense, “Don’t pretend. I know you’re very cautious.”
Mingzhu immediately smiled to please him, “Let me have a normal life, okay? Please?”
Yuwen Chu walked over and sat beside her, taking her wrist to check her pulse. Mingzhu found it strange, “Oh, Your Highness can check pulses.”
“Simple pulse reading is easy to understand.” Yuwen Chu let go of her hand, “I heard you bribed Tang Chunlai today?”
Mingzhu scolded Tang Chunlai, “This turncoat, after eating what I sent, he still goes to His Highness for benefits. He’s so greedy.”
Yuwen Chu teased her, making her laugh, “He’s doing it for your own good. Alright, tomorrow you can get out of bed and walk around slowly. There’s no need to lie in bed anymore.”
Mingzhu hugged his neck joyfully, kissed him on the cheek, and coquettishly said, “Your Highness is really too kind.”
Yuwen Chu pretended to be impatient, “It’s the same trick every time. Can’t you come up with something new?”
Mingzhu said aggrievedly, “I only know this trick, can Your Highness teach me?”
Yuwen Chu said sternly, “I can teach you, but don’t always find excuses like this and that. Be humble and willing to endure hardship. Are you willing?”
Mingzhu immediately said, “Not willing.”
Yuwen Chu scolded her, “See, being so proud, you deserve to be scolded!”
The couple stared at each other for a while, then laughed. Yuwen Chu put his hand on Mingzhu’s abdomen and said softly, “He’s a good boy.”
“I know. There’s no one better than him.” Mingzhu was very proud.
The couple had a relaxed dinner, and then Yuwen Chu told her about Jiang Shanshan’s situation, “Old Nine has been looking for craftsmen everywhere. First, he said he wanted someone to make a chair with wheels for him, and then he asked who could make delicate things. It seems that he has obtained the crossbow diagram. As for gunpowder and firearms, they probably haven’t been made yet because he hasn’t asked about them. The informant from Linan Mansion said that he has been going to several abandoned courtyards behind the mansion these past two days. Tonight, I’ll have Jing Song investigate the Linan Mansion again.”
During the day, Mingzhu slept too much and suffered from severe insomnia. Therefore, she requested to go to Tingxue building with Yuwen Chu to have fun. She stayed alone in the inner room to look at account books or something, while Yuwen Chu chatted with Mr. Meng and others outside. The low, deep voices from outside were not clear, but they made her feel very reassured.
Yuwen Chu made excuses to come in and check on her twice midway. Seeing her earnestly looking at the accounts, he adjusted the lamp, added some water, and sternly ordered her to rest for a while, or else he would confiscate the account books or something like that. Mingzhu’s usual response to him was a big kiss, followed by a smile as she pushed him out.
After who knows how long, Mingzhu finally felt her eyelids drooping and couldn’t hold on anymore. However, the men outside were getting into a discussion, and she was too lazy to call someone in to attend to her. So she took off her shoes and outer clothes and crawled into bed to sleep. Just as she fell asleep, she heard Jing Song speaking softly outside to Yuwen Chu, “Couldn’t find her. Linan Wang has moved the people. Tonight, we encountered the same group of people as last time.”
The Linan Mansion wasn’t big, and there were only a few places where people could hide. Since the Wusun Princess dared to say that Jiang Shanshan was still alive, then Jiang Shanshan must be hidden in one of these courtyards.
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