Madam Wen’s entry into the palace with her daughter drew many watchful eyes, and the incident at the palace gates quickly reached Fengyi Hall.
The Empress reclined on her chaise lounge, her tone cool and detached. “So it seems this girl’s ambition to climb the social ladder is plain for all to see.”
First, she had been so dazzled by the sight of Prince Yi that she couldn’t move, then she had deliberately fallen when alighting from the carriage to lure him into rescuing her. The Empress had seen many such women before.
If she dared to play tricks right under her nose, she would have to see whether she would allow it.
“Bring the Fourth Miss Meng here,” she said coldly.
Meng Yunwan waited under the corridor for a full half hour before being summoned into the inner hall. As soon as she entered, she sensed an unusual tension in the air.
Lowering her gaze, she pretended not to notice the Empress’s disdainful look and performed a deep curtsy. “Your humble servant pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress!”
The Empress swept a glance over her without a change in expression. A girl of fourteen or fifteen, with skin like mutton-fat jade and a radiance like the morning glow, her features as delicate as flowers and jade—no wonder she dared to openly try to seduce Prince Yi.
“I heard the most favored in the marquis’s mansion is your younger sister. Why is it that your mother brought you into the palace this time?” The question seemed casual, but her tone carried hidden implications.
Meng Yunwan pursed her lips, her expression still respectful, but her words made the Empress frown. “Parents who love their children plan deeply for their future. Mother brought me into the palace with her own intentions.”
The Empress’s smile did not reach her eyes. “Indeed, you must have your own plans. However, I cannot appreciate such intricate scheming. In life, it’s better to be pure-hearted, don’t you think, Fourth Miss Meng?”
As the Empress’s light, indifferent words fell, Meng Yunwan couldn’t help but look up at her. “Your Majesty…”
The moment the Empress saw this beautiful face, she felt a surge of disgust.
“I dislike people with complicated minds the most. Send someone to Zhaoyang Hall immediately to report that Fourth Miss Meng has behaved improperly before the court and is unfit to remain in the palace. Have the Meng family’s Fifth Miss brought here instead!”
With these words, the hall fell so silent one could hear a pin drop. Meng Yunwan clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand.
In her past life, Meng Yu Tang had often returned to the marquis’s mansion in tears, complaining that the Empress was cruel, jealous, and resentful of her mother’s favor, suppressing her as an orphaned girl. Today, she had witnessed it firsthand.
She had only just entered the palace, and the Empress was already trying to drive her out. She truly was a formidable opponent. But how had she offended the Empress in the first place?
Seeing Meng Yunwan remain silent for so long, the Empress lost her patience. As she rose to leave, she suddenly saw the young girl kneel on the ground. “I acknowledge my fault. It was my mother and I who overstepped, daring to think of studying in Shangshufang. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and not expel me from the palace.”
The Empress paused, puzzled. “Shangshufang? Studying?”
Meng Yunwan’s ears flushed bright red, as if her unseemly little secret had been exposed. She fidgeted awkwardly and said,
“Mother often says I have a talent for studying, so she brought me into the palace this time… hoping I could find better teachers for my studies here. Earlier, when speaking with the maidservant, I had intended to beg Your Majesty for your favor, to allow me to study in Shangshufang…”
Before she could finish, she quickly knelt again, flustered and fearful. “I am but a humble person and dare not harbor such presumptuous thoughts again. I beg Your Majesty for your mercy!”
The Empress was momentarily stunned. Was that all?
She gazed down at Meng Yunwan below, and for some reason, her expression grew complicated.
If Madam Wen’s hidden intentions were truly as such, then there was nothing inappropriate about it. The hearts of parents under heaven are ever pitiable.
Who among them does not exhaust their minds and scheme in every way for their children’s education?
“Since you have entered the palace, you are no different from the other princes and princesses. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it yourself, I would have arranged for you to study at the Shangshufang. Why compare yourself to worthless grass and belittle yourself?”
As the Empress spoke these words, she kept a close watch on Meng Yunwan’s expression.
If there was even a hint of insincerity in her words, the Empress would not hesitate to act.
Yet Meng Yunwan’s eyes lit up with joy, and tears welled within them. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
She was genuinely overjoyed—how could she not be?
In her past life, she had attended an ordinary clan school, expending untold effort for her studies. In the month before the imperial examinations, she had exhausted the marquis’s mansion’s wealth and connections just to secure an opportunity to audit classes at the prince’s residence.
But now, she had effortlessly gained entry to the imperial Shangshufang.
The glory and achievements that had been stripped from her in her past life—she would reclaim them one by one, holding them tightly in her palm, using the power of the study hall to soar to the heavens once more!
If she had brought it up directly today, the Empress might have deemed her troublesome and likely would not have agreed. But by raising it after the Empress mistakenly thought she was aiming to climb the social ladder, it now appeared as a sincere desire to learn.
Seeing her genuine, unfeigned joy, the Empress’s earlier worries dissipated considerably.
Initially, she had feared that this girl had entered the palace to attract trouble and corrupt her son.
But how cunning could a child who loved studying truly be?
This girl could stay for now, to be observed for her future conduct.
“Enough with the ‘Your Majesty’ now. From now on, I am your legal mother, and you should address me accordingly,” the Empress said with a neutral tone.
This indicated she had no intention of making things difficult for Meng Yunwan.
Just as Meng Yunwan breathed a sigh of relief, the Empress added with a smile, “There’s nothing else I need to caution you about, except one thing: I have a troublesome son who spends his days idling and misbehaving. I fear he might offend you young ladies, so in the future, simply ignore him.”
These words were clearly laden with hidden meaning.
Meng Yunwan quickly replied, “His Highness the Crown Prince is a man of great ambition, naturally occupied with court and palace affairs. How could someone like me presume to intrude?”
Her tone, neither submissive nor arrogant, satisfied the Empress, who nodded in approval. After a few more casual remarks, the Empress casually removed a gold bracelet from her wrist and bestowed it upon Meng Yunwan before dismissing her.
Stepping out of Fengyi Hall, Meng Yunwan was greeted by the sunlight outside. The carved beams and painted rafters exuded an air of understated luxury and opulence.
Her tense heart gradually relaxed. Thankfully, she had gambled correctly.
What the Empress truly cared about and focused on was not so-called favor, but the Crown Prince, Ling Qianche.
The Empress had only one son after many years, and all her hopes rested on him. Yet the Crown Prince spent his days chasing after pleasures and showed no interest in studying, which greatly troubled the Empress. She guarded every maid and servant around the Crown Prince as if they were thieves, fearing they would lead him astray.
In her past life, Meng Yu Tang had gone to great lengths to please the Empress, even attempting to win the Crown Prince’s favor as a roundabout way to gain the Empress’s approval. It was likely this very approach that had ultimately earned the Empress’s complete disdain.
As Meng Yunwan prepared to leave, faint voices drifted from within the hall:
“Your Majesty, this Miss Meng seems quite proper, not like those seductive and scheming women.”
“Whether she is or isn’t, only time will tell. Hah, didn’t she claim to have a talent for learning and that she entered the palace solely to focus on her studies? Then let’s see how her results turn out. That will reveal whether what she said today is true or false!”
“If I discover then that she deliberately deceived me today, her punishment will be all the more severe!”
Listening to the conversation inside, Qianbi said indignantly, “The Empress is just too…”
Too much of a bully!
Even if the young lady truly has talent, she only attended an ordinary clan school before. How could she possibly stand out the moment she enters the palace?
She worriedly looked at the young lady, only to see her expression relaxed, with a confident smile on her face, as if she didn’t take the Empress’s provocation to heart at all.
Seeing the young lady like this, Qianbi inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
Somehow, the young lady now made her feel more and more at ease, no longer the timid and submissive young miss who used to obey the young masters’ every command.
Just as the master and servant were about to leave, a frivolous male voice came from behind,
“I’ve only heard of petty people who enjoy eavesdropping, but I never expected such a lovely young lady would also enjoy doing such a thing?”
Looking at the Crown Prince who had walked out of Fengyi Hall, Meng Yunwan calmly took a step back, putting some distance between them.
Ling Qianche smiled at her, “I feel an instant connection with you, young lady. It’s still early—would you care to accompany me to Tianxiang Tower for a drink?”
The women’s voices chatting inside the hall suddenly fell silent.