Chapter 82: Fox Fur
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Lady Qian and the others were all astute individuals. Earlier, they had teased Shen Ruilin and Mingzhu about their childhood, but now seeing the cold and distant demeanor between them, they guessed that something unpleasant must have happened. They treated him as a guest and refrained from making any jokes.
The meal was tasteless, and Madam Cui was still not giving up. She made an excuse, “Mingzhu, Ruilin just told me that he wants to go see your second brother’s armory. Your second sister-in-law doesn’t know much about the origin and history of those things inside. Why don’t you accompany your cousin to go?”
Mingzhu initially wanted to find an excuse to have someone else go instead, but when she met Shen Ruilin’s eyes, she changed her mind and pretended to be cheerful, saying, “Sure, I was just feeling bored anyway. Cousin, please.”
Shen Ruilin glanced at her and solemnly returned her greeting, “Little sister, please.”
Seeing the two of them leave, Madam Cui sighed, “I must have owed this unlucky star some money in my past life, which is why she was born so late in my life to torment me.”
The daughters-in-law exchanged glances and smiled. “Mingzhu has become much more sensible now. Mother shouldn’t worry.”
Madam Cui sighed again, “Ah, you don’t understand.” She glanced at the wives of her second and third sons, feeling that they were not as considerate and thoughtful as the wife of her eldest son. She then said, “You can all leave. Only the wife of the eldest stays.”
After everyone left, she confided her thoughts to Lady Qian, “What do you think of Ruilin?”
Lady Qian had already noticed some clues and replied, “Ruilin is naturally a good boy, but it seems that our Mingzhu doesn’t have those feelings.”
Madam Cui said resentfully, “Look at her, she’s only enthusiastic for a short while. Yesterday, she was so happy, but today, she doesn’t even want to acknowledge others.”
Lady Qian hesitated for a moment and whispered, “Could it be that the two of them had a falling out?”
Madam Cui was taken aback. “What are you saying? I didn’t know anything about it.”
Lady Qian was already feeling regretful, but Madam Cui pressed her, so she had to give a general idea, “It’s nothing serious. It seems that last night, Mingzhu sent someone to find Ruilin in the guest room, and for some reason, Ruilin came out of the guest room and went to the Fourth Master’s place. They said Mingzhu caused a commotion all night after returning.”
Although Lady Qian’s words were vague, she knew her daughter’s temperament. Madam Cui was very worried and immediately glared, “What else do you know? Tell me now!”
Lady Qian was the most gentle and virtuous, so she knelt down to apologize, “Daughter-in-law doesn’t know the specific situation. But since they grew up together and are as close as siblings, they might just be having a quarrel.”
Seeing that she wouldn’t speak further, Madam Cui knew that her daughter-in-law was afraid of offending her and her younger sister-in-law. She said, “Alright, if you won’t tell me, then I won’t know. I won’t trouble you anymore. You may leave.”
Lady Qian wiped away a cold sweat and quietly left. Madam Cui then called Sun Momo and gave some instructions. The nanny went to investigate what had happened last night.
Mingzhu was still unaware that news had leaked out. She and Shen Ruilin had a tacit understanding. They kept a distance of three steps between them, maintaining a distance that didn’t look too estranged but also didn’t seem too close. They both remained silent.
When they reached the special armory set up by Fu Mingzhao, the guardian of the room came to greet them. Mingzhu instructed him to take good care of Shen Ruilin before smiling and saying, “Cousin, I’m feeling a bit tired. I’ll sit outside and have some tea. You can go in and have a look yourself. If you don’t understand anything, ask this old man here. He has always taken care of my second brother’s treasures and knows them very well.”
Shen Ruilin glanced at her and said, “Aunt just told you to take me inside.”
Mingzhu was very surprised and smiled as she declined, “He knows better than I do…”
“Aunt told you to take me inside.” Shen Ruilin raised his voice, his eyes showing some anger and determination.
Mingzhu didn’t want to argue with him, especially in front of the servants. She quickly raised her hand in surrender, “I’ll take you inside, I’ll take you inside.”
Fu Mingzhao was an avid collector of weapons. There were probably thousands of weapons stored in this room, mostly famous ones that had tasted blood. The room still felt cool and quiet in the heat of summer. As soon as Mingzhu entered, she sneezed and joked, “Is my second brother trying to intimidate me with these weapons?”
Shen Ruilin pursed his lips and walked in without saying a word. Mingzhu could only follow him silently. When they reached the deepest part of the room, Shen Ruilin suddenly stopped and said softly, “I came to your house when I was seven and lived here for five years. I have treated you as well as I would treat my own sister during these years, haven’t I?”
Mingzhu felt a pang in her heart and said with some sadness, “Yes, although I was mischievous and often teased you, in fact, I have always regarded you as my real brother.”
Shen Ruilin smiled bitterly and remained silent for a long time before saying, “Since you treat me as your real brother, that’s the best. As your elder brother, I have something to tell you. Are you willing to listen?”
Mingzhu naturally couldn’t refuse to listen. “I am willing to listen.”
Shen Ruilin stared at a very magnificent Tang sword in front of him and said slowly, “You are a woman, not a man. When a man is fickle and willful, he is called romantic, but when a woman does the same, she is criticized for life. You…” It seemed difficult for him to continue, and his expression was very painful, as if he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Mingzhu already knew what he wanted to say. She lowered her eyes and said calmly, “Thank you, cousin, for being willing to speak from the heart like this. You don’t have to feel embarrassed. I understand that you’re doing this for my own good and I understand the reason behind it. What happened last night was just a misunderstanding. There was nothing between him and me to worry about.”
Shen Ruilin had considered that she might fly into a rage, refusing to be disciplined and scolding him, and he also thought that she might feel ashamed and embarrassed, covering her face and leaving. He never expected her to be so calm and composed, which made him admire her a bit more.
Summoning up his courage to look at Mingzhu, he saw her expression of tranquility, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief himself. “This is good, I was worried you might suffer.”
Mingzhu looked into his eyes and saw that he was calm and composed, completely trusting her without any doubt. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret at missing out on such a good man. “Cousin, do you really trust me this much?”
Shen Ruilin replied, “We grew up together, and I know what kind of person you are. I’m afraid you’ve been deceived by someone and led astray, but I’ve never believed that you’re a bad person.”
Mingzhu’s eyes grew slightly warm, and she smiled, saying, “I was right about you after all.”
Shen Ruilin smiled bitterly, “What are your plans for the future?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ll take it one step at a time.” She didn’t want to think about love and feelings anymore. Since she had to marry, she would choose a marriage that was most advantageous for both her family and herself.
Now that they had opened up the topic, Mingzhu decided to be straightforward and asked him, “Where did you go last night? Why did you switch rooms with him?”
Shen Ruilin explained, “I wasn’t actually drunk last night. There were many things I couldn’t say in front of Ying Wang, and Third Brother kept insisting on drinking. I had to pretend to be drunk, planning to wait until late at night to see my uncle. Unexpectedly, Ying Wang came to my room and fell asleep on my bed. I couldn’t wake him up, so I let him stay and went to see my uncle myself.”
Was it a coincidence or a calculated move? Mingzhu believed more in the latter. She thought that Yuwen Chu, that person, was incredibly cunning and terrifyingly insightful. He seemed to understand everything and could predict what everyone would do next. So when he said he wanted to marry her, it was probably more than just a joke. She had escaped this time, but what about next time? If he was determined to win, then…
Mingzhu couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.
Shen Ruilin noticed her pale face and asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong with you?” Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him, and he couldn’t help but pale, “Did he do something to you?”
Mingzhu was unwilling to admit such a shameful thing. She denied immediately, “No! I just think it’s really strange how drunk he got.”
Shen Ruilin frowned, “It is indeed very strange.”
The two remained silent for a long time, and Shen Ruilin lost interest in looking at the weapons. “Let’s go back.”
As they were about to leave, Shen Ruilin suddenly asked, “Mingzhu, did you actually come to find me last night?”
His eyes were full of anticipation.
Since there was no chance, why not be straightforward? Why make him worry and miss out on other good opportunities? Mingzhu smiled brightly, “Yes, I wanted to play a prank on you. I heard that if you put a fox’s tail hair in front of a drunk person’s nose, they’ll sneeze and wake up. I wanted to see if it was true.”
The light in Shen Ruilin’s eyes dimmed, and he smiled bitterly for a long time before saying softly, “You should be careful of him. He’s much more cunning and difficult to deal with than Yuwen You.” With that, he left without looking back.
Mingzhu finally understood. Shen Ruilin probably always thought that there was something between her and Yuwen Chu. But since she had changed her mind, there was no need to explain further.
When she returned to her room, she carefully reviewed everything from her first encounter with Yuwen Chu at the Jade Emperor Temple to last night’s events. She couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Yuwen Chu had already revealed his intentions long ago. It was her own fault for not paying attention and taking it lightly. If she had realized it earlier and been cautious, she wouldn’t have suffered such a big loss.
Suddenly, Sun Momo came in. “Madame wants to see you, Miss.”
Mingzhu asked cautiously, “Did Mother say anything?”
Sun Momo smiled, “Madame is just idly rummaging through her old jewelry collection and found some pieces she no longer wears. She wants you to pick out a few that you like.”
Mingzhu thought for a moment and followed the nanny. When she entered the main room, she saw that Su Lan and the others had been discreetly taken to another room, but she didn’t reveal anything. She smiled and greeted Madam Cui, “Mother has the most treasures. Show me what you have.”
Madam Cui glared and slammed the table, “You audacious wretch! Why haven’t you knelt down yet?”
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