Chapter 9 As expected, he is capricious.
Ye Mingzhu returned to Linfeng Hall at the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM).
She arranged dinner, then casually reclined on the soft couch by the window, checking on the "spoils of war" she had just witnessed.
She retrieved most of her dowry, but three gold hairpins with a touch of oil, a gold hair ornament with lychee-shaped beads, a jade hairpin, a piece of Hetian jade, two sets of men's straight robes, a Duan inkstone, and a set of Huzhou brushes made by a famous craftsman were still missing.
Sheng Huai'an took the man's clothes and writing implements for himself, but the woman's belongings... well, he gave them away!
That's how it was in her past life. On the second day of her wedding, when she was taking stock of her dowry, she discovered that some of the items had been used ahead of time and some were missing.
When asked, Sheng Huai'an laughed and changed the subject.
Later, she saw the "missing" jewelry on Jia and Liu Rumei.
She was afraid that Sheng Huai'an would think she was being petty, and she didn't want to affect their relationship, so she endured it and pretended not to see it, and didn't argue with him.
Ruyi was very angry: "Miss, when are we going to ask for the things again? Putting everything else aside, that Hetian jade pendant alone is worth a thousand taels of silver. It was specially made for you by Madam! It is one of the most valuable items in your makeup box."
"Never mind." Ye Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes were bright, and she smiled gently. "We'll talk about this later."
"Yes." Ruyi was a little disappointed, but seeing that Ye Mingzhu had her own ideas, she wisely didn't ask any more questions.
The small kitchen prepared dinner, and Ye Mingzhu sent someone to the study to invite Sheng Yunche.
As the two were eating, Baozan and Buxi approached at the same time with anxious expressions, as if they each had something to report privately.
Sheng Yunche casually said, "Just say it."
Ye Mingzhu originally wanted to ask Baozan about the situation privately, but seeing this, she could only say, "There are no outsiders here, so just tell me."
Dislike: "..."
Bao Zan: "..."
The two exchanged a glance and, steeling themselves, reported back one by one.
After hearing their words, Ye Mingzhu and Sheng Yunche both had somewhat complicated expressions.
In the afternoon, Ye Mingzhu went to the West Mansion to ask for her dowry.
In the evening, rumors spread that Sheng Yunche had forcibly taken Ye Mingzhu because a high monk said she had a good destiny and that their birth charts were compatible.
It is also said that Jia Shi, unwilling to part with the money she had obtained, forcibly sold Ye Mingzhu's dowry, causing Ye Mingzhu to shed tears in public.
Somehow, some of the things Ye Mingzhu said to Songju and Sheng Huai'an that afternoon were also leaked out... mainly because of what she said while using Sheng Yunche's name as a shield.
After waving the servants away, Sheng Yunche gave a light sneer and was about to speak.
Suddenly, Bu Bei announced from outside the door, "Lord Duke, Commander Chen has arrived and is waiting for you in the outer study."
In addition to his noble title, Sheng Yunche also holds the position of Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission. When his subordinates come to him at this time, it is usually because they have important official business to discuss.
He stood up, slowly washing his hands as he said calmly to Ye Mingzhu, "When I get back tonight, you'll give me an explanation."
"Explain which one?" Ye Mingzhu looked up at him.
"say."
Ye Mingzhu: "...Yes."
As soon as Sheng Yunche left, Baozan was filled with remorse: "Miss, did I say something wrong? Will the Duke be very angry? Will he scold you?"
Ye Mingzhu shook her head.
Rumors circulated that Sheng Yunche was capricious and unpredictable, but after spending the past two days with him, she felt that although he spoke harshly, he was not a cruel person.
They'd only been married a day; he wouldn't go so far as to kill her.
If he really wanted to make a move, given his frail physical condition, she might not be without a chance of winning.
Perhaps this is one of the advantages of marrying a sickly husband?
"It's alright." Ye Mingzhu comforted Baozan, who was about to cry, and then said with a smile, "Since there are such rumors outside, let's add fuel to the fire. You've done this... Sheng Huai'an took so many good things from me, it's not unfair to say that they coveted my dowry."
After hearing Ye Mingzhu's instructions, Baozan's eyes lit up: "Yes, Miss!"
...
night.
When Sheng Yunche finished his official business and returned to Linfeng Hall, it was already 11:45 PM.
He thought Ye Mingzhu had already fallen asleep, but to his surprise, she was sitting on the bed in a snow-white undergarment, still awake.
It seems they are indeed waiting for him.
They're fairly well-behaved.
She was holding a book in one hand, resting her chin on the other, her head nodding slightly, looking extremely sleepy and not very bright.
He cleared his throat, and Ye Mingzhu immediately looked up.
"The Duke is back?" She covered her mouth and yawned, then got up and knelt on the bed, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears as she looked at him.
"Hmm." Sheng Yunche gave her a deep look and responded indifferently.
Then, nothing happened.
Seeing that he seemed to be waiting for something, Ye Mingzhu pondered for a moment, got out of bed, walked to him, and helped him undress.
Sheng Yunche cooperated with her movements and took off his outer garment, but when she placed her hand on his inner garment, he gently pushed her hand away and said indifferently, "Be a little more restrained."
Ye Mingzhu: "...What?"
"Only one day of the January deadline has passed, there's no rush."
Ye Mingzhu: "...!"
Watching Sheng Yunche stride towards the bathhouse, she stood there, feeling both ashamed and angry, speechless for a long time.
Is she in a hurry?
Was he doing it on purpose? She's not in a hurry!
After Sheng Yunche finished bathing and came out covered in steam from the hot water, Ye Mingzhu sat on the soft couch by the window and called to him, "Lord Duke, let me take your pulse."
She had kept her promise to him during the day, otherwise she wouldn't have waited for him until so late.
“Alright!” Sheng Yunche sat down on the soft couch.
Ye Mingzhu placed her slender white fingers on his wrist and carefully took his pulse.
Seeing him frowning as he looked at her hand, she assumed that he, who was not interested in women, did not like her touch, and said to comfort him, "Please bear with it for a little while, it will be over soon."
Sheng Yunche glanced at her and gave a soft snort, as if in agreement.
Ye Mingzhu calmed down and took his pulse, but the deeper she went, the more surprised and uncertain she became.
"What?" Sheng Yunche asked.
"Lord Duke..." Ye Mingzhu asked him, "Besides the weakness and headaches you had since birth, have you often felt weak and your health deteriorated day by day, with your energy becoming increasingly lacking, in the past year or so?"
"What?" Sheng Yunche asked again.
Ye Mingzhu took a deep breath, steadied herself, and said, "I suspect you've been poisoned."
She had seen this poison in her past life!
It was when she was a wandering ghost that she saw the poison that Sheng Huai'an had put on Ye Baozhu!
"Tomorrow is my third-day homecoming day. When you accompany me, would it be alright if my parents took your pulse again?" Ye Mingzhu said. "My mother..."
Before she could finish speaking, Bu Xi suddenly called out urgently from outside the door, "Your Excellency, Commander Chen is here again. He says he has something important to discuss with you. It concerns the Western Suburbs Camp! It's extremely urgent!"
Sheng Yunche suddenly stood up, grabbed the outer robe hanging on the rack, put it on quickly, and said to Ye Mingzhu, "I'll go take care of official business first."
Before Ye Mingzhu could reply, he turned and left.
Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back and walked back to her, his dark, deep phoenix eyes scrutinizing her as he asked, "Why were you crying during the day?"
Ye Mingzhu was stunned for a moment: "What?"
Sheng Yunche's handsome face was very sour: "Outside the West Gate, you cried your eyes out in front of that canopy bed. Were you afraid that my reputation wasn't bad enough, and wanted to add another stain to my infamous reputation of 'forcibly taking my cousin's marriage'?"
Ye Mingzhu: "..."
"Think it over carefully, and your answer had better satisfy me, otherwise... hmph!"
With a cold snort, Sheng Yunche turned and left with a frosty expression.
Ye Mingzhu: "...?"
He is indeed capricious.
But he wants her to explain this?
She thought he was going to ask her why she had slandered him in front of Sheng Huai'an and whether she was genuinely making a deal with him.
...How was she supposed to answer? Was she supposed to say she was crying tears of joy? Or that he and Wei Ji, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were known as the Black and White Duo, and that they didn't have a good reputation to begin with?
Will this answer pass the test?
Shouldn't his primary concern right now be his suspected poisoning?
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