Shen Tang turned around and asked politely, “Is there something you need, Heir Meng?”
Meng Huaiyan looked at the woman before him. This was the first time he had really taken a proper look at her.
The image she had always maintained in front of him was that of a gentle, virtuous, proper, and dignified young woman.
But her acting wasn’t very good. Instead, she came across as affected and insincere, which made her unpleasant to be around.
He hadn’t expected her true nature to be exposed today: arrogant and overbearing, throwing her weight around to bully others.
A trace of impatience flickered in Meng Huaiyan’s eyes, and his tone turned even colder. “I’m only reminding Miss Shen that you’re living with the Meng family now. Everything you say and do reflects on the Meng family.”
“When you’re out, you should still be mindful of your conduct.”
Though Meng Huaiyan spoke politely, he carried the haughty air of a young man from a great family.
At his words, Shen Tang paled, looking embarrassed.
Wang Xi, standing nearby, couldn’t help frowning. She was about to step forward and explain, but Shen Tang reached out to stop her.
Ignoring the faint pang near her heart, Shen Tang replied, “Heir Meng is right to admonish me. I understand.”
Seeing that she had taken his warning to heart, Meng Huaiyan said no more. He turned and strode away.
Once Meng Huaiyan was out of earshot, Wang Xi held back her anger and said, “Why didn’t you explain? Chen Ying was the one who insulted Madam Shen first and used her power to bully her. You were only giving her a taste of her own medicine!”
Shen Tang shook her head and explained, “Whatever my reasons, the fact is that today I used the Meng family’s name to throw my weight around and bully someone.”
“It would be one thing if I were a member of the Meng family, but I’m not. There’s no point arguing about it.”
Besides, Madam Shen had been dragged into what happened today.
Madam Shen’s situation in Meng Residence had only begun to improve a little over the past few years. If this grew into a major incident and reached the Old Madam’s ears, the Old Madam was already displeased with Madam Shen. Shen Tang feared…
She didn’t want to cause Madam Shen any trouble.
Wang Xi had no idea about all the complications involved and felt deeply that Shen Tang had been treated unfairly.
But when she saw how pale Shen Tang looked, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.
Under her breath, she muttered, “Hypocrite.”
Shen Tang was standing close enough to hear her, of course.
A little surprised, she asked, “You don’t like him?”
Wang Xi made no effort to hide her dislike of Meng Huaiyan. “That’s right. If I weren’t taking your feelings into account, I’d have called him something much worse.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re hypocrites. Those young men from great families seem like gentlemen on the surface, all smiles and courtesy to everyone, but deep down they look down on everybody.”
“They act one way to your face and another behind your back. They’re nothing like the men in our army. If we like someone, we say so; if we don’t, we say that too.”
“Especially Jiang Congyu. What kind of decent person can Meng Huaiyan be, if he gets along so well with Jiang Congyu?”
Jiang Congyu was the legitimate son of the Yongning Marquis. His mother and Meng Huaiyan’s mother were cousins.
The two families were close, and the two young men had grown up together. They were very close.
Shen Tang had only met Jiang Congyu in passing and didn’t know him well.
But from the way Wang Xi spoke, as if she wanted to tear Jiang Congyu limb from limb, did the two of them know each other?
Shen Tang was surprised. “Have you had some sort of grudge with Jiang Congyu? You’ve never mentioned it.”
Wang Xi, usually so forthright, now stammered. She looked both indignant and annoyed. “Oh, never mind. Just… anyway, stay away from them.”
Seeing that Wang Xi didn’t want to explain, Shen Tang didn’t press her. She simply nodded.
*
The fourteenth day of the third month was Madam Shen’s twenty-eighth birthday.
It wasn’t a milestone birthday, so Madam Shen didn’t make a big occasion of it. She simply had a meal with the members of the second branch and Shen Tang.
It was rare for Meng Huaili to be home that day, too. He was Aunt’s son, ten years old, and studied at the Imperial Academy.
The school was extremely strict with its students. Except in special circumstances, they were usually allowed to return home to visit their families only once every month or two.
So Shen Tang hadn’t spent much time with him and wasn’t very close to him.
After the meal, Shen Tang gave her aunt the gift she had prepared.
She stayed a little longer, then rose to leave.
When she reached the courtyard gate, she unexpectedly ran into Meng Huaiyan and his party.
Shen Tang couldn’t help wondering to herself: back when she wanted to see him, she could go ten days or half a month without catching sight of him once.
Now that she didn’t want to see him, they had crossed paths several times in just a few days. It was almost as if she’d run into a ghost.
Shen Tang gave him a proper curtsy and left without saying anything more.
Inside Pear Blossom Courtyard, Meng Yunzhou was playing a game of chess with Meng Huaili when a servant came to announce that Heir Meng had arrived. Delighted, he hurriedly told them to show him in.
Meng Huaiyan entered and paid his respects to Meng Yunzhou and Second Madam.
Meng Yunzhou helped him up. “Why are you still so formal with us?” Then he ordered a maid to serve tea.
“Rules must be observed.”
Meng Huaili, who was beside them, also bowed properly to Meng Huaiyan and called out excitedly, “Big Brother!”
Meng Huaili admired his elder brother greatly. The teachers at the academy praised Big Brother constantly, always holding him up as an example to the other students.
Whenever Big Brother was mentioned, Meng Huaili felt proud of him, as if the praise reflected on him too.
Meng Huaiyan patted Meng Huaili on the shoulder, then turned and asked Qingyang to give Second Madam the gift he had prepared. “Second Aunt, this is a modest gift from your nephew. I wish you a happy birthday.”
Second Madam was touched. The boy had always been so considerate and remembered her birthday every year. Even when he wasn’t in the capital, he would have someone deliver a gift to her.
He came from a good family, was well-educated, and was handsome, too. It was a pity he didn’t care for her Tang’er. Second Madam sighed softly to herself.
She told Qinghe to accept the gift, then exchanged a few pleasantries with him. Seeing that Meng Huaiyan seemed to have something to discuss with her husband, she tactfully led the reluctant Meng Huaili away.
Meng Yunzhou pointed to the chessboard. “Care for a game?”
Meng Huaiyan readily agreed.
The two quietly played chess. For a time, the only sound in the room was the crisp click of pieces landing on the board.
When they were halfway through the game, Meng Yunzhou loosened his shoulders and neck and asked, “I hear you’ve been investigating the illicit salt case lately. Have you made any progress?”
Meng Huaiyan frowned slightly. “The people behind it are very cautious. As soon as I found a lead, the man was silenced.”
Still, they weren’t entirely without clues. Prince An was likely involved.
In recent years, the Crown Prince’s reputation had grown too great, and with the support of the Meng family and Marquis Yongning’s Residence, his influence had only grown stronger.
The Emperor had long since become wary of him. For the past two years, he had been supporting men from humble backgrounds and suppressing the great clans.
He had promoted Noble Consort Zhao and her son, Prince An, in many ways. As a result, the power and standing of Noble Consort Zhao’s maternal family had risen as well.
Prince An’s faction now wielded considerable influence at court, and the two sides were already evenly matched.
The Crown Prince’s faction could only avoid their sharp edge for now, keeping a low profile as they waited for the right moment.
Recently, illicit salt had flooded the capital. As Meng Huaiyan followed the threads, he discovered a tenuous connection to Wang Qian, the Right Vice Minister of War.
Wang Qian came from a humble family, with little support to help his clan advance in officialdom.
Yet he had risen to the rank of a third-rank official in his thirties. That was naturally thanks to the patronage of Zhao Yunhong, Left Vice Director of the Secretariat.
For years, Wang Qian had followed Zhao Yunhong’s lead, committing all sorts of shady, unmentionable deeds. And Zhao Yunhong was Prince An’s maternal uncle.
But now the trail had gone cold. Without hard evidence, there was no way to bring Wang Qian to the imperial prison for questioning.
Thinking of this, Meng Huaiyan’s mood grew heavy.
Meng Yunzhou was alarmed to hear it. This was the capital, right under the Son of Heaven’s nose, and these people still dared to kill.
The person behind it all was truly unscrupulous and ruthless.
Unable to help worrying, he cautioned, “You must be extra careful in your dealings. Don’t rush in recklessly, eager to claim credit.”
“Selling illicit salt is a serious crime. The people behind it will be extremely cautious. If you uncover any evidence, they may well try to kill you.”
Since Meng Huaiyan had taken up his post at the Censorate, many people had tried to curry favor with him, and just as many had wanted him dead. He had been through dozens of assassination attempts, large and small.
Meng Huaiyan was long accustomed to it. Seeing Meng Yunzhou’s concern, he reassured him, “Don’t worry, Uncle. I know what I’m doing.”
As long as Meng Huaiyan knew what he was doing, Meng Yunzhou was satisfied. He said no more and turned his attention back to the game.