Upon seeing Meng Yu Tang, a rare gentle smile appeared on Madam Wen’s cool and reserved face.
She set aside her embroidery and looked at her daughter with great warmth. “Yu Tang, you’ve come.”
She instructed her maid to prepare tea and asked the small kitchen to make osmanthus cakes, Meng Yu Tang’s favorite. Toward this daughter, she felt a deep sense of guilt.
She was not a qualified mother. While there was still a chance to make amends with Yun Guan, seeing Yu Tang was a rare opportunity.
“What have you been up to lately? Are you doing well at the marquis’s mansion? If you lack anything, send word to the palace, and I’ll have it delivered to the marquis’s mansion,” she said to her daughter.
As she sipped her tea, Meng Yu Tang glanced around the hall, her brows furrowed with unconcealed disdain.
“Mother, why is your Lin Hong Palace so plain? Even this screen is last year’s style. It’s clear the servants are deliberately neglecting you. How can you tolerate such disrespect?”
Madam Wen assumed her daughter was concerned for her and indulged her by patting her head. Casually, she asked, “What do you think should be done?”
Meng Yu Tang replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Of course, gather all the maids and eunuchs and give them a good beating. Especially the head matron and eunuch of Lin Hong Palace—they bear the greatest responsibility. They should be sent to the Punishment Bureau for hard labor to teach them a lesson!”
Her tone was so matter-of-fact that Madam Wen was taken aback.
The proper way to manage subordinates was to balance kindness with authority. Beating all the servants would only ensure that no one in Lin Hong Palace would serve wholeheartedly in the future.
Moreover, the head matron and eunuch were not to be trifled with lightly. They oversaw all affairs in the palace and had built extensive connections over the years. Yu Tang was likely too young to understand the complexities involved.
Madam Wen felt reluctant to say more. “It’s fine. Given my awkward position, why bother with every little thing?”
Meng Yu Tang was aware that Madam Wen had yet to receive an official title.
At first, she hadn’t cared, as Madam Wen’s fate was of no concern to her. But now that she needed Madam Wen’s help, she grew anxious upon hearing how insignificant her mother’s status was.
“Awkward or not, Mother, you must strive for yourself! I’ve heard you haven’t even served the Emperor yet. How can you expect His Majesty’s favor or hope for a better future if you don’t?”
Madam Wen was momentarily stunned, her earlier joy fading by a third. “Yu Tang, what are you saying?”
Meng Yu Tang grew impatient. “I’m saying you must seize the opportunity! You must find ways to win favor and please His Majesty!”
Only if her mother gained the Emperor’s affection would he extend his favor to her. It would also make it easier for her to ask for favors in the future.
Besides, since she was already in the palace, why put on airs? What good did aloofness do? A woman who had married three times—why pretend to be indifferent and detached?
Seeing her daughter’s impassioned expression, Madam Wen paused. She waved her hand, dismissing the servants, and then spoke slowly.
“Yu Tang, bringing your sister into the palace instead of you was my bias as a mother. If you resent or hate me for it, I don’t blame you. But have you forgotten what I said to both of you sisters the night before I entered the palace?”
Meng Yutang certainly hadn’t forgotten. Before her mother entered the palace, she had specifically called both her and Meng Yunwan to share some selective stories about her past with the Emperor. At the time, she too had felt indignant on her mother’s behalf. But hearing it for the second time in this lifetime, she grew somewhat impatient.
“Wasn’t it just that when His Majesty was still a prince, he brought back a pregnant woman on the day he returned victorious from leading troops into battle? Mother, forgive my bluntness, but you’re making too much of it! Who in the imperial family doesn’t have multiple wives and concubines? As the principal wife, you should have even greater tolerance. Enduring a moment of calm ensures eternal honor and glory. Just think—if you had swallowed your pride back then, wouldn’t the position of Empress be yours now?”
“Let’s set aside the past for now. Now that we finally have an Emperor who values loyalty and righteousness, and even after ascending the throne, he hasn’t forgotten to bring you into the palace to rekindle your relationship—such a devoted husband is rare in this world. Heaven has given you a second chance, and you must seize it firmly!”
Meng Yutang pleaded earnestly, completely unaware of Madam Wen’s increasingly pale expression.
“Alright, I understand. What did you come to see me for today?”
Madam Wen interrupted her, straightening her posture, which had been leaning toward Meng Yutang.
Meng Yutang paused, only then remembering she had serious business today. So she mentioned her wish for her three brothers to enter Shangshufang.
Madam Wen frowned slightly. “Aren’t they doing perfectly fine at the clan school? Why must they attend Shangshufang?”
Meng Yutang didn’t want to explain too much to Madam Wen and muttered unhappily,
“Mother just said I could tell you whatever I wanted, but now that I’ve said it, you won’t agree.”
Madam Wen was indeed in a difficult position but didn’t want to disappoint her daughter. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Let me think about it.”
Before leaving, Meng Yutang reminded her once more, “Mother, you must arrange to serve the Emperor soon—not for my sake, but for your own.”
“I know. You should head back to the residence early. Auntie Chen, please see Fifth Miss off.”
When Meng Yunwan returned from having dinner at Fengyi Hall, she keenly sensed that the atmosphere today was somewhat off. She pulled Auntie Chen aside and asked, “Auntie, what’s wrong with Mother?”
Auntie Chen glanced at Madam Wen’s weary expression and recounted Meng Yutang’s visit earlier.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yunwan frowned.
“Did Mother agree?”
“Not entirely. Madam wants to help but feels she might not be able to manage it.”
After a pause, she couldn’t help adding, “But Fifth Miss thought Madam was making excuses and even urged her to serve the Emperor soon.”
Hearing the indignation in Auntie Chen’s words, Meng Yunwan herself flushed with anger. Serve the Emperor? Does Meng Yutang have any sense at all?
Even now, recalling what her mother said before entering the palace filled her with heartache. Hearing it twice had pained her twice. As sisters, they were the ones who understood their mother’s deepest struggles best—how could Meng Yutang give such advice?
“If Meng Yutang comes to see Mother again in the future, don’t announce her. Just say Mother is resting or has gone out,” Meng Yunwan instructed.