Chapter 562: The First Smile
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Mingzhu regretted allowing the Great Empress Dowager to develop feelings for Yuwen Fu back then. Otherwise, Yuwen Fu wouldn’t be living such a difficult life at such a young age.
“It’s not your fault; it’s beyond your control. Even if you didn’t cause that scene, considering the situation later on, the Great Empress Dowager would have eventually chosen him.” Yuwen Chu looked at Mingzhu. “If I say I actually don’t want to kill anyone, do you believe me?”
Mingzhu nodded firmly. “I do.” He wasn’t like Yuwen Bai or Yuwen You, those lunatics. Why would he kill someone for no reason? Moreover, from what she had seen with her own eyes, Yuwen Chu was indeed not a murderous person. Of course, that didn’t mean he could be bullied either.
“But,” Yuwen Chu paused for a moment and said solemnly, “it depends on him. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate. You must understand, being kind to enemies is cruel to oneself. I won’t hesitate to protect our safety even if it means being ruthless. So remember, if I kill someone, there will definitely be my reasons behind it. Don’t think I’m a bloodthirsty person with a narrow mind.”
Mingzhu hugged him. “Stop talking about it; I understand.” She didn’t want to hear it either. Yuwen Fu and the others were still children, born into the imperial family. They, along with her and Yuwen Chu, had no choice but to accept their fate.
Yuwen Chu touched her cheek and said, “Rest for a while.”
Two days later, Fu Cong personally intervened and invited Qian Muyi, the Dali Temple Official, to act as a matchmaker and formally propose marriage. The Li family was not a difficult one to deal with. Seeing the matchmaker come, they gave full respect and agreed without making things difficult for Fu Mingzheng.
However, there was a bit of a disagreement between the two families regarding the wedding date. Although Fu Mingzheng and Li Shumei were both older, and the dowry and bridal gifts were already prepared, according to normal procedures, it would be more solemn to wait for a year from the engagement to the wedding.
However, Fu Cong considered Madam Cui’s situation. He was afraid that Madam Cui might suddenly pass away one day, and then Fu Mingzheng would have to observe a three-year mourning period. Both of them were older, and they couldn’t afford to delay. Therefore, he proposed to get married as soon as possible.
Madam Li agreed because she understood the situation of the Fu family and was afraid that her daughter would be delayed too long. However, Li Dazhong firmly opposed it. His face, which was already dark, became as black as the bottom of a pot. He didn’t care whether the matchmaker was the Dali Temple Official or if the groom’s father was an important court official. He just wouldn’t agree. His reason was that his daughter had been raised in the palm of his hand, how could he rush into marriage like this and cause an inauspicious event? If he waited until the right time, who would dare to disrespect him?
The two sides couldn’t agree, so they reached an impasse.
Meanwhile, Mingzhu was eagerly awaiting the settlement of the marriage. She wanted to send the full money box back to Fu Mingzheng to spend. However, she received such news instead. She didn’t know about Madam Cui’s situation, let alone the concept of “inauspicious events.” Because when Yuwen Chu and she discussed this matter, they also concealed the concept of “inauspicious events” and only said that he had deceived Fu Mingzheng into thinking that Li Shumei wanted to marry someone in Shanxi, and that the Great Empress Dowager wanted to arrange the marriage for Fu Mingzheng, so he deceived Fu Mingzheng.
So she couldn’t figure it out: “Dad, why the rush? No wonder they didn’t agree. It’s not like the bride will run away if we’re a little late. It’s already July; at least wait until after the New Year.”
Yuwen Chu secretly panicked but pretended to be calm. “That’s right, your father is just afraid that things will change, so he hopes Fourth Brother-in-law will get married soon. Because there are rumors outside that Fourth Brother-in-law not only injured his coccyx and waist but also injured some critical parts. There are also rumors that for these years, Fourth Brother-in-law has been unwilling to get married, avoiding women like snakes and scorpions, because he likes young boys. Even his long-term affair has been spread around with evidence.”
Mingzhu was both angry and amused. “What utter nonsense! Who’s so malicious to slander my Fourth Brother like this? Your Highness, you must investigate and punish them severely to shut their filthy mouths.”
Yuwen Chu cleared his throat and said expressionlessly, “Fourth Brother-in-law has offended many people over the years. Once someone starts, many will follow suit. Even if we investigate, we won’t find anything conclusive. The best way is to get married, have a chubby son, and the rumors will naturally die down. Besides, back then, you and I didn’t wait until the New Year. We settled our engagement in the middle of the year and got married in the fall, and you didn’t say anything about it.”
Mingzhu laughed, “Our situation was different. Weren’t you in a hurry back then? And we had to guard against the Wusun people.”
“Exactly, Fourth Brother-in-law is also in a hurry. You don’t know, once a man decides to get married, he can’t wait to bring the bride home.” Yuwen Chu reassured Mingzhu and then left to talk to Li Dazhong about fulfilling Fourth Brother-in-law’s wish.
“Good.” Mingzhu saw Yuwen Chu off and then played with Zhuang Zhuang. He had chubbied up a lot, his eyes were pure and bright, and he would stare at whoever played with him, getting excited when entertained. According to the maids, he was very healthy and growing well.
Mingzhu, being talkative by nature, found herself in her element this time. She rambled on to Zhuang Zhuang, not caring whether he understood or not, and entertained him with funny faces and toys, saying things like, “This one is from Grandma, that one is from Grandpa…” until Zhuang Zhuang fell asleep. And when he woke up, she started again.
When Yuwen Chu returned, he saw this scene: the young Mother sitting beside the crib, holding a pile of toys, showing them to the child one by one, with a bright and gentle smile on her face and a soft, sweet voice. The baby in the crib stared at her intently, listening attentively as if he understood.
Yuwen Chu couldn’t help but smile as he watched the interaction between Mother and son, feeling a surge of tenderness. This was what he had been striving for. He approached and took the rattle from Mingzhu’s hand, gently shaking it for Zhuang Zhuang to see, saying softly, “I’m your daddy, I’m your daddy, you mustn’t forget.”
Zhuang Zhuang stared at him for a moment, then hooked his lips in what seemed like a smile. Though fleeting and perhaps unconscious, both parents couldn’t help but get excited. Yuwen Chu managed a smile, “He smiled at me for the first time.”
Mingzhu couldn’t help but want to share this with everyone and then felt jealous of Yuwen Chu, “This ungrateful little thing, I take care of him every day, and yet he smiles when he sees you.”
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 10 more chapters of Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
