Wu Zhenhai suddenly felt a pang of panic.
"This has nothing to do with me, that's not what I thought. Don't be angry, I'll deal with this kid first..."
He was very worried that Mingzhu would break off the engagement in a fit of anger.
Zhang Qun, that bastard!
Wu Zhenhai is now even driven to murder.
Mingzhu reached out and covered his mouth, the movement carrying a subtle yet alluring charm.
Mingzhu, still veiled, continued, "Zhang Qun, tell me what you have to say. If you're right, then... hiss—"
Old Cabbage Stalk actually bit her, interrupting her.
Now free to speak Wu Zhenhai angrily retorted, "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth! What a load of rubbish he's saying!"
Mingzhu: "Let's hear what he has to say first."
Zhang Qun gritted his teeth and cursed, "You're a vixen!"
Mingzhu: "Thank you for the compliment."
Zhang Qun blushed with anger and retorted, "She comes from a royal residence, but who knows what kind of person she really is?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Wu Zhenhai kicked Mingzhu while holding her.
Zhang Qun dodged aside and shouted, "Sir, you've toiled for so many years, finally reaching the position of general, only to marry a woman with no status!"
He can say that he has been with Wu Zhenhai from obscurity to the present.
Therefore, he felt that Wu Zhenhai should treat the marriage with the same care and attention he had shown in the past.
Marrying a wife is different from taking a concubine; one must find someone whose family can provide support.
Even if we don't find someone who can help us, at the very least we should find someone from a respectable family who is gentle and quiet.
This Mingzhu is hardly worthy of it.
Just then, someone came to pull Zhang Qun away, saying, "This kid's had too much to drink, he should go and rest."
Unexpectedly, Zhang Qun drew his sword, shouting, "Get out of my way! I haven't been drinking, I just can't stand seeing the General make a fool of himself! What right does she have to marry the General?"
He simply couldn't stand the sight of a woman controlling the General!
Mingzhu sensed Wu Zhenhai's anger, gently patted his chest, struggled to get out of his arms, and stood up.
"So you just wanted to know what it is about me that makes you so special." Mingzhu smiled faintly. "That's easy enough. There's no need to ruin our relationship."
She reached out and gently pulled off the veil, slowly raising her head to reveal a meticulously made-up face that made everything around her pale in comparison.
A slight smile, and she is breathtakingly beautiful.
The surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Mingzhu parted her red lips slightly, looked at Zhang Qun and said, "Is my face enough?"
Zhang Qun was stunned.
There is such a beautiful woman in this world!
No wonder the General-in-Chief, who promised years ago to arrange a marriage alliance to increase his leverage and soar to great heights, is now content with the status quo...
With a face like that, what man could resist?
Enraged, Wu Zhenhai finally kicked Zhang Qun away, snatched Mingzhu's veil, and put it back on her.
He's so angry!
What an idiot! He let so many people see Mingzhu!
Everything seemed to go smoothly from then on, if only everyone hadn't been whispering and talking about Mingzhu's beauty.
After the wedding ceremony, Wu Zhenhai couldn't wait to send the bride into the bridal chamber and angrily lifted the veil.
It's all Zhang Qun's fault; he completely destroyed the sense of ritual.
This grudge will be avenged sooner or later!
Mingzhu calmly said, "Don't be angry. Have someone investigate. There must be someone behind Zhang Qun."
To put it bluntly, a fool like Zhang Qun isn't even qualified to cause trouble; at best, he's just a puppet.
It's just a firecracker, destined to be launched into the sky as cannon fodder.
"I suspect," Mingzhu said, "That they're targeting my eldest brother."
"Your Majesty?" Wu Zhenhai thought it was unlikely.
Firstly, who would have the guts to do that? Secondly, what benefit could one possibly gain from such a thing?
Mingzhu said, "I have a feeling they're trying to trick me into revealing my relationship with my older brother."
On what grounds?
If she truly cared about what others thought, and in a fit of anger, in a display of stubbornness and competitiveness, revealed her relationship with the Emperor, wouldn't those people make a fuss about it?
Mingzhu felt that this was highly likely.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of the necessity for that "Why should I?" question to come out.
"You're right." Wu Zhenhai gradually calmed down after his initial anger. "Zhang Qun is a simpleton. Even if he really had objections to our marriage, he wouldn't say such things. Someone must have taught him. I'll go check—"
"Father, I know who it is." Wu Yu's weak voice came through the crack in the door.
Wu Zhenhai: "..."
That little rascal, he was eavesdropping!
He opened the door and said irritably, "Get in here."
Wu Yu stood at the door without moving, and whispered, "Father, I saw Zhang Qun having dinner with someone at the restaurant yesterday, but I don't recognize that person..."
He's very clever; don't go near him now, or you'll easily get caught in his rage and beaten up.
Sure enough, Wu Zhenhai said irritably, "How many people do you know?"
Is it abnormal not to recognize them?
Mingzhu replied, "He knows everyone in the General's mansion, including all the guards."
Wu Zhenhai was extremely surprised.
The general's mansion only had one or two hundred servants, but it had a full five hundred guards.
After all, he's a general; he has that much authority.
Wu Zhenhai himself wouldn't dare say that he knows these 500 people.
How did this kid manage to get Mingzhu to speak up for him?
Mingzhu hasn't even spoken up for me yet!
Wu Zhenhai felt a pang of jealousy.
Seeing his disbelieving expression, Mingzhu said, "Your son has the ability to judge character."
"Really?" Wu Zhenhai asked, still somewhat doubtful.
Wu Yu: "It might not be true..."
Keep a low profile.
He didn't want to attract his father's attention, which meant he couldn't quietly and stealthily develop his abilities anymore.
He likes his father's current laissez-faire approach to raising him.
Wu Zhenhai got angry just looking at him and glared at Wu Yu fiercely.
Wu Yu: "... It might be true."
Mingzhu chuckled.
Wu Zhenhai angrily scolded her, "You didn't give birth to her, so why does she look so slippery, just like you?"
Wu Yu quickly said, "Anyway, I've never seen the person who was talking to Zhang Qun before. He's probably from outside. Father, please investigate thoroughly. I'll be going now."
After saying that, he turned and ran away in a flash.
Wu Zhenhai, who wanted to ask more questions, was utterly speechless.
"Go investigate," Mingzhu said. "If I'm just overthinking it, that's one thing, but if it involves my elder brother, we can't take it lightly."
She suspected that someone was trying to humiliate Emperor Wen by focusing on his background, and might even question his lineage.
Hopefully, she's just overthinking it.
Wu Zhenhai knew this was a serious matter, but he was still very upset.
Whose wedding night was so miserable?
"You," Mingzhu glared at him, "You've had enough sleep. Hurry up and go, business is more important."
She managed to fool everyone with her beauty today, but she couldn't let go of her worries.