Chapter 695: A Special Farewell
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This kind of thing seemed like something Jiang Zhouzi would do. Mingzhu already had opinions about Jiang Zhouzi, and now she felt even more disgusted: “He’s really disgusting.”
“He forces you to follow him on this journey, showing that he’s very cunning,” Yuwen Chu gently persuaded, “You’re no match for his cunning. On this journey, if there’s no need, remember to speak less to him, have less contact with him, don’t give him the opportunity to deceive you, just protect yourself. I’ll have Jing Song accompany you, and if you encounter any problems, try to discuss them with him more.”
Mingzhu disagreed, “The capital is also unstable. Let Jing Song accompany you. Anyway, I’ll be traveling incognito, and I have Donghui and the others with me. There shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Yuwen Chu said, “You don’t need to worry; I’ll arrange everything. Just listen to me.” Lowering his voice, he added, “Fourth Brother-in-law said he would accompany you.”
Mingzhu shook her head without hesitation, “Fourth Sister-in-law and him just got married, and she’s pregnant now. Besides, the situation at home isn’t good. Eldest Brother won’t be back until spring at the earliest, Second Brother doesn’t handle things, and Fu Lin is too young; we can’t do without him. Besides, there are some things here that outsiders can’t do, and we have to rely on him to do them, so let him stay at home.”
Actually, there was another more important reason: she always worried that Fu Mingzheng would get into trouble again and didn’t want him to take risks with her again.
On the issue of whether Fu Mingzheng would go or not, Yuwen Chu didn’t insist, “Then it’s settled. Jing Song will accompany you.”
Fearing that if she wouldn’t listen to arrangements, he would let Fu Mingzheng accompany her, she hurriedly said, “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Yuwen Chu smiled faintly, with a hint of loneliness in his expression. If she left, there would only be him and Zhuang Zhuang left in the capital. Zhuang Zhuang was still young, no matter how clever and cute he was, he couldn’t keep him company. Unlike Mingzhu, as long as she was there, he felt reassured and satisfied, not lonely.
Mingzhu reached out to smooth the furrows between Yǔwén Chū’s brows. “Your Highness, if you really can’t bear it, let Zhou Nushi and Ping Nushi come out to read to you, sing a song, dance, pour some wine, brew some tea, or whatever you like.”
Yuwen Chu glanced at her, “Clearly, you’re a jealous tiger mother, why pretend to be generous? Just want to hear me say a few nice words, huh?”
Mingzhu chuckled, “Your Highness is truly clever, truly formidable. You saw through me at a glance, saw through me completely.” Saying that, she hung onto his neck, looked up at him, and whispered, “Speak, I just want to hear Your Highness say something nice, whatever sounds good.”
Yuwen Chu looked at her, his voice soft, “I only love you, from a long time ago, I only love you. Before, because I loved you, I wanted to take the next step, to let you see me; now, it’s also because I love you, I want to take the next step, to make you believe in me, to make you have a better life than before.”
Mingzhu stared at him intently, took the initiative to kiss him, murmuring softly, “I’m leaving tomorrow, Your Highness, aren’t you going to use all your tricks to please me?”
Yuwen Chu also hoarsely replied, “Since you know you’re leaving tomorrow, don’t you know what to do? Do you need me to teach you?”
Mingzhu gently undid his belt, “No need, Your Highness, you underestimate me.”
Yuwen Chu took a deep breath, then pushed aside the tea table that was in the way.
At this moment, the sun was shining outside the window, the sky was clear, and the entire Ying Wang Mansion was bathed in warmth. The servants stood solemnly outside the door, all pretending to be deaf unless the Wangye and Wangfei were quarreling; they wouldn’t interfere.
As the lanterns were lit, Mingzhu lazily rolled over, closed her eyes, and snuggled up to Yuwen Chu, coquettishly saying, “I’m hungry.”
Yuwen Chu rarely had free time and wasn’t interested in dealing with outside matters, so he focused on accompanying his wife wholeheartedly, “What do you want to eat?”
Mingzhu thought about how she would have to endure hardships for a long time and how it would be difficult to eat delicious food, so she opened her appetite all at once, “I want to eat everything.”
“Got it.” Yuwen Chu got up and walked to the door, murmuring a few instructions, then came back and laid down, twirling Mingzhu’s hair around his fingers, “I think you’ve gained a little weight recently?”
Mingzhu snuggled into his arms, “You’ve lost weight clearly, but you think I’ve gained weight.”
Yuwen Chu pinched her waist and confirmed, “Indeed, you’ve gained a bit, but that’s good, a little bit of flesh will help you get through it.”
What does ‘a little bit of flesh’ mean? It sounded so harsh. Mingzhu didn’t hesitate to climb on top of him, “I’ll give you a chance, say something nicer.”
Yuwen Chu smiled, “Alright, having some extra padding is good for enduring.”
Mingzhu suddenly felt melancholic, rolled off and stretched out, “Let’s bring Zhuang Zhuang over, tonight, the three of us will sleep together.” Then she asked Yuwen Chu, “Your Highness, do you have any official duties tonight?”
Yuwen Chu said, “Unless the palace is on fire, I’ll stay with you.”
Not long after, Zhuang Zhuang was brought in, the couple sitting on the bed playing with him. Suddenly, Zhuang Zhuang called out, “Mother…”
Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu were momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter together. “Call out one more time?”
Zhuangzhuang glanced at them and then turned to grab a nearby wooden ball to play with. No matter how they teased, he refused to make a sound.
Mingzhu and Yuwen Chu could only give up. When dinner was set, Mingzhu casually packed up and carried Zhuangzhuang over. But upon seeing the spread, she was stunned. Several tables were put together, and all her favorite dishes and pastries were laid out. There was so much food that even if she just took a bite of each, she’d burst.
Yuwen Chu remained calm. “Eat, have whatever you like. There are more dishes to come.”
Mingzhu pursed her lips and quietly sat down beside him, insisting on tasting each dish. As they progressed, Yuwen Chu couldn’t bear watching anymore and forced her to stop. “Are you trying to burst your stomach? Or do you want to get sick on the way?”
Mingzhu muttered, “I’m just thinking I won’t be able to eat delicious food in the future, so I’m eating more now to make up for it.”
But Yuwen Chu knew she was just cherishing his gesture. With a stern face, he had all the food taken away and ordered hawthorn soup, then took Mingzhu for a walk to aid digestion. Despite this, Mingzhu still felt uncomfortably full and had to lie down for him to massage her stomach.
Yuwen Chu was both amused and exasperated. “What a special farewell night. I’m massaging your stomach the whole time.”
Mingzhu huffed, “I did it on purpose so you won’t easily forget me.”
Zhuangzhuang, who had slept a lot during the day and refused to sleep at night, curiously stared at the two for a while. Suddenly, he understood and shouted clearly, “Mommy~”
This time, both husband and wife understood. “Call out one more time?”
Zhuangzhuang smiled, calmly turned his face away, and tightly shut his mouth, adamantly refusing to make a sound. So the couple sighed again. Who does this child resemble after all?
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