Chapter 525: Marriage (Part Two)
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Yuwen Chu said with some schadenfreude, “Fourth Brother-in-law is a bit wrong. He ruined someone else’s marriage but refuses to marry her himself, and even avoids her. He started the trouble but then abandoned it, which is not the behavior of a responsible man.”
Mingzhu was not happy, “My Fourth Brother is not that kind of person! His Highness just said that Li Shumei loves men’s clothing, maybe my Fourth Brother didn’t even know she was a woman at the time.”
Yuwen Chu insisted on arguing with her, “Do you think Fourth Brother-in-law is so stupid? I might believe it if you said you couldn’t recognize gender, but I don’t believe he couldn’t tell if someone was male or female. Stop defending him, anyway, Fourth Brother-in-law is not righteous in this matter.”
“It’s not true.” Mingzhu remembered the bloody dream Fu Mingzheng told her, and naturally believed that the reason her Fourth Brother was avoiding Li Shumei was to avoid harming her. But that dream was as unbelievable as her rebirth, and couldn’t be used as a reason. She said solemnly, “If my Fourth Brother were really such a bad person, why has he never proposed or married? Neither of us is involved, so don’t guess randomly!”
“Anyway, your Fourth Brother is a good person.” Yuwen Chu saw her getting anxious and felt a bit sour in his heart, “I wonder if you would defend me like this if someone said bad things about me.”
“I certainly would. Whoever dares to say you’re not good, I’ll slap them!” Mingzhu said firmly.
Yuwen Chu said meaningfully, “Remember your words, don’t go back on them.”
Mingzhu felt like she had been led into a trap by Yuwen Chu again. Just as she was about to say something to fill the gap, she heard someone outside the carriage say, “Is that His Highness Ying Wang and Ying Wangfei?”
It was Fu Mingzheng’s voice. Mingzhu quickly pulled open the curtain of the carriage, her eyes shining with joy, “Fourth Brother, why are you here? Didn’t you say you still had a few days?”
Fu Mingzheng rode his horse, dressed in a cloak, dusty and following their carriage. He smiled and replied, “Originally, there were still a few days left, but I had to rush back to bid farewell to my elder brother and second brother, so I negotiated with County Prince Jiangbei and traveled day and night without delay. Fortunately, I arrived in the capital today. I just finished handing over my tasks, so I rushed back.” Then he nodded at Yuwen Chu, “Your Highness, I am not ashamed of your trust.”
Yuwen Chu and his glance, they both knew exactly what was going on, and everything was handled very cleanly and efficiently.
“Fourth Brother-in-law, you’ve had a hard journey. Come on, get on the carriage and rest for a while,” Yuwen Chu ordered the carriage to stop and invited Fu Mingzheng to get on.
Fu Mingzheng handed the reins and whip to the accompanying servant, took off his dusty cloak, and got on the carriage. Mingzhu patted the seat beside her, “Fourth Brother, sit here.” She hospitably poured water and offered pastries, “You must be starving, have something to eat first. We’ll have delicious food when we get home.”
Yuwen Chu looked coldly and smiled slightly, “Fourth Brother-in-law, just now I was talking to Zhu Zhu about your past in Pengcheng.”
Fu Mingzheng choked on a pastry, unable to swallow or spit it out. Mingzhu quickly handed him tea and helped him pat his back a few times. She looked at Yuwen Chu unhappily, “Why bring this up now?”
Yuwen Chu calmly said, “It’s something that needs to be said sooner or later. Haven’t you always wanted to ask Fourth Brother-in-law about the truth of the matter? Now you can ask him if he really abandoned the Li family girl after causing trouble. Ruining someone else’s marriage and not caring, what do you call that?”
Fu Mingzheng swallowed the pastry and his face turned cold, “Did Li Shumei say I abandoned her?”
Yuwen Chu calmly said, “No, she didn’t. Miss Li has a heroic spirit and is deeply in love with you. How could she bear to tarnish your reputation like that?”
“Then did His Highness hear it from me?” Fu Mingzheng pressed, “Or did someone else tell His Highness? Or did you just guess it yourself?”
Yuwen Chu smiled, “It’s based on rumors and the course of events. Seeing Fourth Brother-in-law so angry, isn’t it true?”
Fu Mingzheng almost wanted to curse out loud, but he endured and forced a smile, “Of course not. When did His Highness start enjoying gossip and rumors like those vulgar women in the streets? Is spreading rumors something a wise and heroic person like you should do?”
“Stop, stop, stop! Let’s talk it out.” Mingzhu watched as these two were about to start quarreling again, feeling exhausted on their behalf. They often had to work together, but whenever they met, they couldn’t exchange three pleasant words before starting to argue. She figured one must have been a cat and the other a dog in their past lives, otherwise she couldn’t explain what was going on.
However, Fu Mingzheng was prepared to quarrel with Yuwen Chu. He said, “Don’t stop me. He provoked me just now. We’ve only just met and he’s already provoking. Can we still get along as good in-laws?”
But Yuwen Chu didn’t quarrel back. Instead, he turned to Mingzhu with a smile and said, “Just now you said if someone dared to say I’m not good, you’d slap them. Now he’s saying bad things about me and calling me a vulgar woman spreading rumors. What are you going to do?”
Mingzhu was dumbfounded. It turned out that he wasn’t planning to quarrel with Fu Mingzheng at all; he was waiting for her here. She had suspected that something was wrong just now. Indeed, it was all directed at her. She deeply suspected that Yuwen Chu knew long ago that Fu Mingzheng was coming today but deliberately didn’t tell her.
Yuwen Chu, seeing Mingzhu silent, continued teasing her with a smile, “In life, you have to be honest, especially between husband and wife. You have to do what you say, otherwise how can I believe you next time?”
Fu Mingzheng understood what was going on, he had become the scapegoat for the flirting between the couple. Yuwen Chu was teasing him for fun, deliberately making him feel how important he was in front of Mingzhu. So, he felt extremely aggrieved, slapped the carriage wall hard, and said loudly, “Stop the carriage, let me get off, I can’t stand it anymore! If you don’t stop, I’m going to vomit.”
The coachman obediently stopped the carriage. Fu Mingzheng jumped off the carriage without looking back, not bothering to wait for the two of them, and swiftly mounted his horse, disappearing into the distance.
Yuwen Chu followed Mingzhu and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you understand the term ‘eating one’s words’? He was badmouthing me just now. Why didn’t you slap him?”
Mingzhu glanced around and said, “Fourth Brother was just joking with His Highness. He didn’t mean it seriously.” Then she touched her chin and forced a smile, “It seems I have gained a lot of weight, even have a double chin. Hehehe…”
Yuwen Chu glanced at her, “I’ve been saying you’re biased. You didn’t believe it, but now your true colors are showing.”
Mingzhu knew he wasn’t really upset, so she sweet-talked, “That’s because His Highness is magnanimous and loves me. He’s the closest person to me. Even if I make a mistake, you won’t mind. Fourth Brother has always been unmarried and has a temper, not easy to offend. Besides, hasn’t he been doing things for you all along? For that alone, I have to please His Highness on his behalf.”
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