Chapter 820: One Child and One Wolf
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Iron Hammer, in pain and unwilling, growled softly but didn’t move, letting Zhuangzhuang torment him. Millet watched, sucking her fingers and laughing heartily. Encouraged, Zhuangzhuang became even more rambunctious, not crying even after falling, but getting up and continuing his antics.
Mingzhu sighed and pulled him off Iron Hammer, “You can’t pull Iron Hammer’s fur like that. It hurts him.”
Zhuangzhuang, upset at his game being interrupted, angrily yanked Iron Hammer’s fur, making Iron Hammer whimper and look pitifully at Mingzhu. Mingzhu’s face darkened, “Didn’t you hear me, Yuwen Pu?”
Zhuangzhuang’s full name was Pu, and Mingzhu rarely called him that. Knowing she was serious, he still glared at her defiantly and reached for Iron Hammer’s fur again.
Without hesitation, Mingzhu grabbed his hair and gave it a sharp tug. Zhuangzhuang paused, then wailed loudly. Millet laughed even harder. Embarrassed and angry, Zhuangzhuang tried to grab Mingzhu’s hair. Mingzhu firmly knocked his hand away and tugged his hair again.
Zhuangzhuang cried louder, deeply aggrieved.
Dong Hui signaled Mingzhu that Yuwen Chu had arrived. Mingzhu glanced up to see him standing at the door, looking disapproving and clearly upset with her disciplinary method. She ignored him and refused to let anyone comfort Zhuangzhuang. Seeing no one paying him any mind, Zhuangzhuang eventually stopped crying, sniffled, and peeked at Mingzhu’s expression. Noticing Yuwen Chu at the door, he reached out, “I want Daddy, not Mommy.”
Yuwen Chu stepped forward, but Mingzhu warned him with a look. If he dared to interrupt her disciplining, he would face her wrath.
Yuwen Chu silently turned and walked out.
Zhuangzhuang, losing his support, cried again. Millet, annoyed by his crying, yawned and snuggled into Mingzhu’s arms, “Hug, hug.”
Mingzhu picked up Millet, prompting Zhuangzhuang to push his way into her arms, crying, “No, no.”
Mingzhu finally held him and patiently explained, “It hurts when I pull your hair, right? It also hurts Iron Hammer when you pull his fur. You can’t treat him like that.”
Zhuangzhuang nodded, somewhat understanding, and hugged Mingzhu’s neck to reconcile, restoring peace between mother and son.
Only then did Yuwen Chu enter, and when it was time for dinner, the nursemaids took the children to wash up. He said to Mingzhu, “You’re quite harsh. Usually, you let him ride on your back, but now you pull his hair?”
In his view, it was normal for young children to tease animals, and as his future heir, Zhuangzhuang couldn’t be too gentle.
Mingzhu retorted, “You said Zhuangzhuang, as the eldest legitimate son, has great responsibilities. Pulling wolf fur and climbing on its back is not a problem, but mistreating those who are kind to him and can’t fight back, whether people or animals, is wrong. Stopping him from pulling the wolf’s fur doesn’t mean he will become weak.”
Yuwen Chu thought about it and agreed. The situation Zhuang Zhuang would face in the future would be different from his current one; he would likely be a ruler who needs to maintain stability, where kindness and tolerance are very important. However, thinking about the way Mingzhu had glared at him earlier left a bitter taste in his mouth. She must be growing increasingly dissatisfied with him. She had never looked at him that way before, but now she did.
He wanted to argue a bit but then recalled how hard he had worked to win Mingzhu back. He couldn’t risk upsetting her again, so he awkwardly laughed a few times and said, “I meant that in small matters, boys can be raised a bit more roughly; they don’t need such delicate handling.”
Mingzhu insisted, “I disagree with you, Your Highness. Raising a child starts with the small things. It’s not something you do on a whim.”
Yuwen Chu sighed, still disagreeing with some of Mingzhu’s views. However, he decided there was no need to argue further. He would simply get more involved in the future. Men and women have different ways of raising children; it couldn’t all fall on her shoulders alone.
Li Quanxin came to report to Mingzhu, and she left to handle the matter. When she returned, she saw Yuwen Chu lightly kicking Iron Hammer and quietly cursing, “You’re quite cunning, pretending to be pitiful and knowing exactly who to go to. Seeing us father and son get scolded makes you happy, doesn’t it?”
Iron Hammer laid in front of him, thinking he was playing, and affectionately pounced on Yuwen Chu’s foot, chewing on his shoe. Yuwen Chu sighed, patted Iron Hammer’s big head, and laughed, “Alright, good job. Zhuangzhuang didn’t understand, and you didn’t retaliate. Keep it up, and you’ll get a leg of lamb tonight.”
Iron Hammer leaned against his foot, gently wagging its tail.
Seeing this softened Mingzhu’s heart, and she didn’t interrupt Yuwen Chu and Iron Hammer. She stood at the door, watching the man and the wolf.
Iron Hammer noticed her and happily came over, licking her shoes. Yuwen Chu grumbled, “You don’t act like a wolf at all. You usually eat live food, but now you’re acting like a dog. Why so sycophantic now?”
Mingzhu laughed, “Is His Highness a bit jealous?”
“Who says that? Would I be petty with a wolf?” Yuwen Chu chased Iron Hammer away, then took Mingzhu’s hand. “Let’s wash up and eat. You must be starving after a busy day.”
Walking side by side to wash up, Yuwen Chu already knew what had happened at the Grand Princess’s residence and chuckled softly, “You did a great job.”
Mingzhu admitted, “It’s not enough. Longsheng underestimated me, which is why I succeeded. We need to keep a close watch on Third Master Cui to ensure nothing happens to him.” She sighed, “Seeing them mother and son come to this point isn’t easy for me.”
Yuwen Chu squeezed her hand, “You’ve become softer since becoming a mother.”
Mingzhu asked, “Is that bad?”
“How could it be? I like it.” Yuwen Chu picked a wolf hair off her clothes. “If you don’t want to do things like this in the future, just tell me directly, and I’ll do it.”
Mingzhu shook her head, “No, I need to learn to handle everything. You weren’t born liking these tasks; many things have to be done out of necessity.”
Her words struck a chord with Yuwen Chu. He held her hand tighter, “I’m lucky to have married you. I wasn’t wrong about you.” Everyone had doubted Mingzhu’s suitability for him, but now it was clear that she was the perfect match.
Mingzhu made a request, “I want to see Su Lan.”
Yuwen Chu compromised, “You can go to the princess’s residence, but it’s not suitable for you to see Su Lan. Let Dong Hui go.”
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