Aunt Chen wiped her tears and nodded. Before entering the palace, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now she understood clearly—Fifth Miss and Fourth Miss were not the same.
Fourth Miss’s words, she should heed.
Meng Yu Tang returned to the marquis’s mansion and relayed Madam Wen’s exact words to her three elder brothers, not without adding her own embellishments and portraying herself as the aggrieved party.
Meng Fan was the first to jump up. “Aunt is clearly making excuses! If she truly wanted to help, she would have volunteered to attend the Emperor tonight. What is there to think about?”
“Nephews are like half-sons, yet she is so heartless! Does she only have eyes for Meng Yunwan as her daughter?”
Meng Yu Tang wiped her tears, sharing their indignation. “Having such a mother is truly worse than having none at all.”
Meng Ruan sighed.
The marquis’s mansion was gradually declining. Only by passing the imperial examinations and entering officialdom could the family’s prestige be restored. Yet he and his two younger brothers were all of mediocre talent. If things continued this way, when would they ever rise to prominence?
Shangshufang was different. Even a sow could take flight if it stood in the right wind—all they lacked was an opportunity.
At this moment, Meng Nan, who had remained silent all along, suddenly sneered. “Actually, this matter isn’t difficult to resolve. Since Aunt’s words carry no weight in the palace, we’ll go and plead with someone who truly has influence!”
Meng Ruan realized something and looked up at him. “Third Brother, you mean…”
“We’ll request an audience with His Majesty!”
Meng Nan declared resolutely. “His Majesty is the sovereign father of all under heaven and also Yu Tang’s stepfather. He will surely be impartial. We ask for nothing else—only fairness. If Yun Guan can enter Shangshufang, why can’t we?!”
Meng Ruan and Meng Fan exchanged glances. Request an audience with His Majesty? Would His Majesty listen to them?
But Meng Nan’s analysis also made sense. He said that Madam Wen’s entry into the palace had already stirred up turmoil in the court, and His Majesty wouldn’t want to be labeled as harsh toward the marquis’s children. After all, allowing them into the study would be a trivial matter for His Majesty—he wouldn’t refuse.
Meng Ruan took a deep breath. Desire ultimately triumphed over reason, and he nodded.
Early the next morning, as court officials dispersed in small groups after the morning assembly, they saw the three young masters of the Huainan Marquis Mansion dressed in plain robes, kneeling rigidly outside the main hall.
News spread as if on wings, swiftly reaching the depths of the palace.
In Zhaoyang Hall, Emperor An had just finished reviewing a batch of memorials and was rubbing his temples.
Upon hearing the chief eunuch’s report, he slowly raised his head, his deep eyes faintly revealing amusement.
“Are these three nephews of the Marquis of Huainan attempting to force the palace?”
Chief Eunuch Zhao Dequan also thought their actions exceedingly foolish. “This servant has inquired. It seems that yesterday, Fifth Miss Meng entered the palace to plead with Madam Wen but was politely refused. Hence, today’s spectacle. Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”
Tapping his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, Emperor An’s lips curled into a cold smile.
Foolish as they were, these ignorant young men had actually done him a great favor.
“The grace of the imperial family must be exchanged with sincerity.”
He issued orders with an air of indifference. “If I refuse, it would make me appear harsh toward Madam Wen’s former relatives, confirming the rumors of my narrow-mindedness. Since they are so eager to study, I shall grant their wish.”
“Zhao Dequan, draft an edict!”
At the Huainan Marquis Mansion, Meng Changsong trembled slightly as he knelt to receive the imperial decree.
Zhao Dequan smiled with feigned courtesy, “Marquis of Huainan, this is an immense imperial favor. Moreover, it was your nephews who sought education first. His Majesty is merely facilitating their aspirations. You must kowtow in gratitude for this imperial grace!”
Meng Changsong trembled even more violently, nearly on the verge of tears. “Your servant… your servant thanks the imperial favor…”
Watching Zhao Dequan depart with the palace attendants, Meng Changsong collapsed onto the floor of the main hall, his refined face now streaked with tears.
The Huainan Marquis Mansion, passed down through generations, had long become an empty shell. The only remaining asset was the several thousand soldiers his younger brother had gathered under his command during his earlier military campaigns.
Since his brother’s death in battle, Meng Changsong had personally raised his three nephews, and these troops had also fallen into his hands—ostensibly held in trust until the nephews came of age.
He had no sons of his own and treated these three nephews as if they were his own children.
But now, the Emperor intended to exchange his nephews’ futures for the military power in his hands.
How could he make such an exchange? With the marquis’s mansion in such decline, holding military authority meant that even if they failed the civil examinations, they could still pursue military careers. This was the mansion’s last bargaining chip.
Meng Changsong was determined not to make the exchange. Staggering to his feet, he happened to encounter Meng Ruan and the others, who had rushed back upon hearing the news. Unable to contain his fury any longer, he kicked Meng Ruan, who was at the front, sending him sprawling. Meng Fan and Meng Nan were also frightened by his rage and hurriedly knelt down. “Uncle!”
“You still have the face to call me uncle? This marquis’s mansion has no such unfilial descendants!”
Meng Changsong pointed at Meng Ruan’s nose and scolded, “For the sake of your foolish ambitions, you have sacrificed our ancestors’ final glory! The Huainan Marquis Mansion… is finished, utterly finished!”
Meng Ruan, kicked to the ground, dared not resist but gritted his teeth and said,
“Uncle, please calm your anger! One must not focus only on immediate gains. What is mere military power compared to the future? As long as we can enter the Shangshufang, we will surely win a thousandfold, a hundredfold more glory…”
“Silence!”