Chapter 58: Curiosity
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Hearing Yuwen Chu calling her from behind, Mingzhu thought of what just happened, feeling more embarrassed and shy. She wished she had never seen him before, and hurriedly walked forward with her head down. But Yuwen Chu, tall and long-legged, caught up with her in a few strides, regardless of her willingness, shyness, or embarrassment, and asked, “You’ve always been fearless. What did you see just now? Why did you run so fast?”
Why didn’t he know? He was so old, she didn’t believe he was ignorant of worldly matters. Obviously, he was asking on purpose to embarrass her. Mingzhu couldn’t help but look at Yuwen Chu, but he stood tall and serious, his eyes shining brightly, as if he had suddenly found a gold ingot. It seemed he was deliberately looking for trouble. Mingzhu mocked, “I ran into a ghost, of course I was scared.”
Yuwen Chu smiled faintly, “I warned you earlier not to go. But you didn’t listen.”
Mingzhu felt extremely annoyed, her face felt hot enough to fry an egg. She stopped and said, feeling resentful, “What exactly do you want?”
Yuwen Chu looked into the distance, his voice low, “Rest assured, I won’t tell anyone about this matter.”
Mingzhu was stunned for a moment, wishing she could scratch him. After a while, she muttered, “Then what do you want?” Her arrogance vanished.
Yuwen Chu turned his head, looking at the swaying lotus flowers in the distance, and said softly, “I don’t want anything. If I wanted something, I would have already done it. Do you think, in your eyes, I’m so bored as to trouble a naive girl?”
Who could say for sure?
Didn’t he deliberately trouble her before? But what happened just now really put him in a tight spot.
Mingzhu, with her eyes lowered, said softly, “Thank you for earlier.” She had been too impulsive, only thinking about venting her anger on the spot, but she didn’t expect that if Yuwen Long found out, to prevent the Great Empress Dowager from knowing his ugly deeds, he might even kill her.
Yuwen Chu smiled, “Don’t be so impulsive in the future. If you want to know who that person is, there are many ways. For example, you could quietly come out and find a hiding place, wait for them to come out, and then you’ll see who it is. Why risk your life for curiosity?”
He actually knew everything and even taught her what to do. Mingzhu widened her eyes, staring at Yuwen Chu, but saw him standing tall and proud, appearing calm and composed. His demeanor was quite impressive, and she couldn’t detect any malice towards her.
Feeling a bit embarrassed for her reaction, she whispered, “About what happened before with Funing, I…” She wanted to apologize but hesitated. She hadn’t done anything wrong; it was Funing who provoked her. With the grudge of two lifetimes coming together, she couldn’t help but retaliate.
Yuwen Chu said in a deep voice, “It’s not your fault. Funing is ignorant, and I have already reprimanded her.”
“Oh…” Mingzhu couldn’t find anything else to say. After some thought, she added, “I didn’t mean to upset the Imperial Consort. When the Great Empress Dowager asked me about it later, I didn’t say anything.”
Yuwen Chu uttered a low “Hmm,” but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Mingzhu wasn’t arrogant or willful; she knew how to save face for Imperial Consort Min and keep everyone’s spirits up.
It seemed like the atmosphere between them suddenly changed, making Mingzhu feel relieved yet uneasy. She also felt a strange sense of embarrassment and didn’t want things to continue like this. She turned to look at the artificial rockery and whispered, “I wonder when they’ll come out.”
After saying this, she wished she could bite off her tongue. She sneakily glanced at Yuwen Chu, who remained expressionless, staring into the distance as if he hadn’t heard her words. Mingzhu let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit embarrassed, and forced a dry laugh. “Someone is waiting for me over there. I have to go, or he’ll be scared if he can’t find me.”
“Is it Ning Zhi? I sent him away; otherwise, he would have called out already. Do you think you can hide it from him?” Yuwen Chu turned his head to look at Mingzhu and walked ahead.
“There’s a pavilion up ahead, hidden and unavoidable. If you want to know who that person is, you might as well wait there.”
Did he happen to be sitting in that pavilion before, watching Yuwen Long come in, then watching her come in, and then following her inside? Otherwise, how could things be so coincidental?
Mingzhu wasn’t a fool; she knew the palace was full of intrigue, and everyone had hidden motives. Although Yuwen Chu appeared upright and righteous, who knew what he was planning? His timing was too perfect!
Yuwen Chu seemed to have guessed her thoughts and said without looking back, “It wasn’t me; it was Yuwen You. I was just asked by Fu Xiang to ensure your safety.”
What does this have to do with Yuwen You?
Mingzhu calmed down and understood. It seemed that her father and aunt had discussed behind her back, intending to choose Yuwen Long as her new husband. Everyone in the family knew, everyone knew, except her.
Empress Dowager Min was not happy about this marriage, and Yuwen You was uncomfortable either. So, they conspired together, setting up this trap for Yuwen Long to fall into and to show her. With her temperament, as long as she saw through this, could this marriage still proceed?
Yuwen Chu walked steadily forward, heading towards the palace gate, surprising Mingzhu who thought he would accompany her to see what was going on in the pavilion. Seeing him just walk away like this, she couldn’t help but feel scared. She didn’t dare to go to the pavilion alone, so she chased after him and asked, “Your Highness, don’t you have any curiosity at all?”
Yuwen Chu looked at her with a detached expression, “Curiosity killed the cat, and it’s none of my business. Why bother seeking trouble?”
Seeing that he was really not interested, fearing that he would leave, she shamelessly pleaded, “It’s boring to watch a play without seeing the ending. Could you at least finish watching this play before leaving?”
Yuwen Chu remained indifferent, “I’m not someone who enjoys spectacles.” He paused for a moment and added, “Besides, this Lotus Palace is rarely visited. If you want to watch the excitement, it’s better to have someone accompany you. It’s not safe to be alone. Don’t think I’m scaring you, but if you don’t know, dogs anxious might jump over the wall, and accidents often happen unexpectedly.”
Mingzhu felt both scared and tempted by his words, feeling as if ten cat claws were scratching inside her, making her uncomfortable. Summoning up her courage, she said, “Since you’re a good person, will you accompany me on this trip?”
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