Chapter 663: Meeting the Right Person at the Right Time
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“Sorry, I forgot,” Mingzhu said, standing up to wash her hands, but Yuwen Chu held her back. He had anticipated this and immediately took out a fragrant hot towel from a nearby copper basin, carefully and tenderly wiping her hands as if she were a child.
Even when she cleaned Zhuangzhuang’s hands, Mingzhu wasn’t as meticulous and gentle as Yuwen Chu was being now. She looked at him with mixed emotions, seeing his long lashes concealing his thoughts, and his slightly thin lips pressed tightly together in a serious, gentle expression.
“When I was young and idle, my third brother got me a book on physiognomy to read. To this day, I still remember one line from it: ‘Thin lips indicate a merciless heart.’ ” Mingzhu smiled softly, speaking gently. “Back then, I admired and was infatuated with Linan Wang. Of course, he never had any interest in me. But I didn’t know any better; I thought everyone in the world should like me. If they didn’t, it was just because they were angry, and once they calmed down, they would like me. Yet, I also knew that he was genuinely impatient with me. I liked him, wanted to marry him, but I was also afraid of being betrayed and deceived.”
“My father told me that a gentleman should be virtuous and kind, and a good husband should be of noble character and broad-minded. Even if he didn’t love me anymore, he would still treat me with kindness and respect. I didn’t know if Linan Wang was virtuous and broad-minded, so I always stared at his lips when I saw him. I thought, if his lips were thick, it might mean he was a kind and affectionate person.”
Yuwen Chu raised his eyes to look at Mingzhu. “And then?” This was the first time she had spoken to him about her and Yuwen You in such a tone. He was curious but didn’t understand why she brought it up now. Did it have anything to do with the explanation she owed him and the things Jiang Shanshan had said?
Mingzhu met his gaze and said softly, “What do you think, Your Highness? Linan Wang’s lips are slightly thin, like the late emperor’s.” In terms of appearance, their brothers’ lips were very similar, resembling Emperor Wen.
She didn’t spell it out, but Yuwen Chu understood her implication. He often heard people praise his lips for resembling the late emperor’s. Mingzhu was suggesting that he too might be heartless because of his thin lips. He was angered by her comparison to Yuwen You, feeling he was much better. However, he couldn’t express this too plainly, so he indirectly retorted, “Was the late emperor heartless?”
Mingzhu looked at him meaningfully. “What do you think, Your Highness?”
For Consort Zhou, Emperor Wen was undoubtedly an unparalleled affectionate partner, but for the Great Empress Dowager, he was nothing short of heartless and ungrateful. The Great Empress Dowager stood by Emperor Wen during his most difficult times, bore him his eldest son, and did much to help him ascend the throne. Yet, after his rise to power, she was relegated to the harem, witnessing his deep affection for Consort Zhou and fearing being manipulated or deposed by her and her son.
Therefore, Yuwen Chu couldn’t bring himself to say that Emperor Wen was truly affectionate. He argued, “The concept of affection or lack thereof is relative to the person in question. Someone who is affectionate towards one person is bound to be unfeeling towards others. From this perspective, it’s not entirely accurate to say that the late emperor was heartless.”
Mingzhu agreed with him, “That makes sense.”
Yuwen Chu quickly added, “I’m the same way. The late emperor met the right person at the wrong time, so no matter what he did, he would inevitably disappoint someone. But I’m fortunate to have met the right person at the right time, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Mingzhu knew she could never outwit Yuwen Chu in verbal sparring, so she gracefully conceded, “Your Highness is right. I’ve seen the ruthless side of Linan Wang, but I can’t imagine you being ruthless.”
Yuwen Chu couldn’t understand her words, but he was extremely unhappy that she kept comparing him to Yuwen You. He angrily frowned and said, “Don’t compare me to him anymore. This is your last warning.”
Last warning? Mingzhu’s stubborn streak was ignited. She smiled provocatively and said, “What will you do if I don’t? What does Your Highness plan to do?”
Yuwen Chu thought about it and realized he couldn’t really do anything to her. Even harsh threats seemed inappropriate in this delicate situation. He glared at Mingzhu and said slowly and deliberately, “I’ll make you have one child a year.”
Mingzhu was completely taken aback by this response. She was not easily moved, but her eyes welled up. She turned to look out the window at the melting snow and swaying old bamboo and said softly, “Does Your Highness really want to hear that explanation?”
Yuwen Chu had suppressed his curiosity many times, but now he couldn’t hold back. Reason told him that it might be better not to pursue this matter too clearly, but his emotions told him he needed to know the true nature of the woman he loved, the mother of his children, the person he planned to spend his life with.
She claimed to be the real Mingzhu from start to finish, and he believed her, but he didn’t buy the story about the ancient texts. That story sounded too vague and full of holes.
After careful consideration, he asked softly, “If I said I really want to know, to feel closer to you, what would you think?”
His eyes shone as brightly as when he first won her over. His expression was sincere. Mingzhu thought of the hundreds of days and nights they had spent together, of him walking with her in golden fields catching grasshoppers, lying on high piles of hay basking in the sun, of him by her side during childbirth. Whether she was being foolish or doing something serious, his gaze never seemed to change—always focused, always passionate.
How would such focused tenderness change after knowing the truth?
Mingzhu felt a sharp pain in her heart. She turned her head abruptly to look outside, taking deep breaths. “What if I don’t want to say it?”
It seemed the situation was more serious than he thought. Yuwen Chu frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, “If you don’t want to say it, then I will wait until you do.” He poured out her now cold tea and replaced it with a fresh cup. “Here, the second brew is the essence. Drink it.”
Without looking, Mingzhu grabbed the cup and downed it as if it were alcohol, predictably burning herself and bursting into tears.
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