Chapter 555 Good News
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Yuwen Chu sighed, “The Great Empress Dowager refuses to reconcile. She believes I framed him just to get rid of the people she relies on.”
This is also one of the reasons why he waited until now to deal with Liang Youyi. It’s not that he hopes the Great Empress Dowager will change her mind, but from a broader perspective, it’s better to minimize conflicts as much as possible. It’s also fortunate that the Great Empress Dowager is clear-headed in political matters and never allows Liang Youyi to participate in or be aware of important secrets. Otherwise, he would have made sure to get rid of Liang Youyi early on.
Originally, he wanted to tell Mingzhu about the matter of the Great Empress Dowager taking secret medicine, but Mingzhu’s reaction just now scared him, so he didn’t dare to say it. Oh well, everyone has their own fate.
The Great Empress Dowager is being stubborn. Mingzhu actually understands this matter very well but doesn’t want to discuss it further. She responded with dissatisfaction, “Let her be.”
Yuwen Chu reached out to embrace her. “I’ll stay here with you tonight.” Because he was afraid Mingzhu wouldn’t agree, he emphasized, “I won’t do anything.”
Mingzhu chuckled at his exasperation. “What do you even want to do? What can you do?” As she said this, she touched her belly, which had become loose and misshapen due to pregnancy, feeling annoyed. She didn’t want him to see her in this state! Without hesitation, she promptly chased the person away, “I’ve never heard of any lords accompanying their wives during confinement. Your Highness, go back to the main room.”
Yuwen Chu didn’t want to move. “I already slept during the day. It won’t make a difference if I stay here a few more hours at night. Don’t disturb me, I’m tired.” With a yawn, he closed his eyes and directed Mingzhu, “Extinguish the lamp.”
Mingzhu pushed him. “Your Highness hasn’t washed yet.”
“I don’t want to. I already bathed earlier and brushed my teeth.” Yuwen Chu opened his mouth to show Mingzhu his teeth. “Look, they’re clean.” He then coaxed her to smell his scent, “Smell, it’s not foul, it’s fragrant.” Afterward, he looked at Mingzhu with a pleasing smile. “I missed you. With so many recent affairs, I couldn’t sleep elsewhere. It’s comfortable to sleep here. Tang Chunlai said I’ve been overthinking things, which isn’t good.”
At this point, what else could Mingzhu say? If she chased him away again, she would be foolish. Mingzhu placated Yuwen Chu, “Since the weather is so hot, Your Highness, change into lighter clothes and soak your feet in a basin of hot water. Then loosen your hair a bit. It’ll help you sleep better.”
Yuwen Chu refused to let her move. “You lie down. Let Su Lan and the others do it!” Because Mingzhu agreed to let him stay, he was quite pleased. While soaking his feet, he showed a repentant expression, “Didn’t I promise to give you good news tonight?”
Feeling down, Mingzhu lazily responded, “Yes.”
Yuwen Chu continued, “The news should be coming soon.”
Seeing his enthusiasm and repeated attempts at conversation, Mingzhu understood that he simply hoped she wouldn’t dwell on the matter with the Great Empress Dowager. To not dampen his spirits, she complied, “Then I’ll wait with you, Your Highness.”
As she sat up, she asked Su Lan to bring the horn comb and started undoing Yuwen Chu’s hair bun, gently combing his hair. “Your Highness, you’ve been working hard for a long time, and your hair is falling out and turning white early. It’s good for your health to comb your hair morning and night.”
After combing a few times, he took away the horn comb from her. “Didn’t they say you need to rest during the confinement period? Be careful not to hurt your hands in the future. Su Lan, come and comb it. You, lie down.”
“Comb His Highness’s scalp thirty times from left to right.” Mingzhu laid on the pillow and watched as Su Lan combed Yuwen Chu’s hair, quietly telling him about her conversation with Madam Li today: “Since I can’t go out, when you have time, please talk to my father about this matter. Just marry the person directly.”
Yuwen Chu shook his head. “Forcing someone into marriage won’t end well. It’s better to let Fourth Brother-in-law make his own decision. Otherwise, with his stubborn temper, he might refuse, and it could even turn into a grudge. Forget about this matter, leave it to me to handle. Within ten days, I’ll make him willingly agree to the proposal to marry with the Li family.”
Mingzhu was puzzled. “You’re talking as if you have a solution to control Fourth Brother’s fate. What exactly do you plan to do?”
Yuwen Chu smirked mysteriously. “It won’t work if I tell you. Anyway, just wait and see.”
After Yuwen Chu finished tidying up, Mingzhu instructed Su Lan to put out the light and set three rules with him: “You’re not allowed to touch my belly, and certainly no peeking. Sleep well and don’t think about political matters anymore. Our Zhuang Zhuang is still young. If you don’t take care of yourself, we’ll be meat for others.”
Yuwen Chu smiled and reached out, pulling Mingzhu into his arms. Maliciously, he pressed a few times on her belly, saying, “It’s quite soft, very comfortable to touch.”
Mingzhu felt a mix of embarrassment and indignation. “You’re going too far! If you keep doing this, I won’t let you touch me anymore.” She resolved to restore herself to her original state as soon as possible, determined not to give him any more chances to laugh at her.
Yuwen Chu whispered softly, “You’re the only one I have. If you won’t let me touch you, who else can I touch?” His voice grew lower and lower, and by the time he said the word “else,” he was already completely asleep.
Mingzhu, afraid of waking him, laid quietly in his arms, not daring to move. After thinking about various matters for a while, and then thinking about the Great Empress Dowager and the people at home, she finally began to feel sleepy. Just as she was about to yawn, she heard a “rustling” sound from the window, startling her awake. Glancing over, she saw a figure cast upon the window motionless. She immediately wanted to wake up Yuwen Chu and shout for someone to catch the assassin. But the person outside spoke up immediately, “Your Highness, Lin Junyi has been captured! Alive!” It was Wei Tiande coming to deliver the news.
Lin Junyi was Teacher Lin’s real name, and Mingzhu suddenly realized the significance of this news. It was probably the best news since the assassination attempt on Madam Cui and Fu Mingzheng. She was about to call Yuwen Chu, but seeing him sleeping soundly, she knew he was truly exhausted, so she didn’t call out. Instead, she lowered her voice and asked Wei Tiande outside the window, “His Highness is too tired. Can this matter not be dealt with tonight?”
Wei Tiande smiled, “No need. It’s already arranged. It’s just that His Highness had previously instructed that the news must be reported to Wangfei to make you happy, so that’s why the message was delivered.”
Mingzhu instructed him, “Tell the kitchen to prepare extra food for tonight’s staff on duty, no drinking allowed. Keep an eye on everyone and be vigilant against any potential attacks.”
Wei Tiande left to carry out his orders, leaving Mingzhu to sleep peacefully next to Yuwen Chu. Yuwen Chu had one advantage: he was always warm in winter and cool in summer. Snuggling up to him was indeed comfortable, especially for Mingzhu, who was going through her postpartum recovery during this hot weather. She couldn’t expose herself to drafts or cold things, so his embrace was particularly useful. As for the Great Empress Dowager and the sandalwood cup, thinking about them was pointless; it was better to let things be.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
