Long after Meng Yutang had left, her furious voice still seemed to echo in the main hall.
No one spoke.
Meng Ruan and the others were slumped in their chairs, utterly exhausted, yet they all knew none of them were asleep.
Meng Yutang’s words had struck their ears like nails, filling them with shame and irritation.
After a long silence, Meng Nan finally spoke slowly, “I think… Yutang has a point.”
“I think we can’t go on muddling through like this anymore. We must achieve something, we really must…”
He didn’t finish the sentence,
because they all simultaneously remembered what they had said to Meng Yunwan on the day she entered the palace with her mother.
They had vowed they would surely pass the imperial examinations, rise to prominence, and bring glory to the Huainan Marquis Mansion.
But where was that scholarly honor? Where was that glory? If things continued like this, even passing the xiucai examination would be a problem.
Meng Fan also became serious. “Third Brother, you’ve always been clever. Do you have any ideas?”
The solution Meng Nan came up with was to rest earlier after finishing their supplementary lessons, at least avoiding the hour-long bumpy carriage ride back to the mansion. This way, they could save some time and energy.
“So, you want to live in my Yunyue Hall?”
That evening, Meng Yunwan blocked the hall’s entrance, asking with an incredulous expression.
She seemed to have heard some outrageous joke, but seeing how solemn Meng Ruan and the others looked, she knew they were serious.
They truly wanted to move into Yunyue Hall!
She refused without a second thought.
So the four Meng siblings settled for the next best thing, saying they just wanted to look inside. Unexpectedly, upon entering Yunyue Hall, they were stunned.
Carved beams and painted rafters, white jade tiles—its splendor and magnificence rivaled that of a prince’s residence. How could such a grand, beautiful hall be given to Meng Yunwan to live in alone?
The only one who remained somewhat calm was Meng Yutang.
In her previous life, she had spent several years in the palace and had witnessed luxury, but she had never been granted a palace residence of her own; she had lived with her mother, Madam Wen.
Thinking of this, she felt somewhat unbalanced. Why?
Why was Meng Yunwan different from her in every way? Weren’t they both just adopted daughters brought in to silence outsiders’ gossip?
Look at this majestic palace—it was almost on par with the treatment given to the emperor’s own daughters!
Once Meng Yutang entered Yunyue Hall, she refused to leave. Especially after walking into the bedchamber and seeing the luxurious, exquisite furnishings, she could no longer contain her envy. Clutching her head, she collapsed onto Meng Yunwan’s bed.
“Ah, I feel so dizzy!”
“I need to rest, I’m so dizzy, oh dear, oh dear.”
Meng Ruan and the others hurriedly attended to Meng Yutang, pinching her philtrum and covering her with blankets. Meng Fan even stated bluntly,
“Yun Guan, Yutang isn’t well. Moving her around would be too troublesome. As your second brother, I declare that from today, you will give the main chamber to Yutang!”
His tone was so matter-of-fact that Meng Yunwan frowned slightly.
Her gaze swept over Meng Ruan and Meng Nan. “Eldest Brother, Third Brother, do you think so too?”
What she really wanted to ask was: Couldn’t they see through Meng Yutang’s clumsy act? And if they could, why did they keep indulging her again and again?
Meng Ruan and Meng Nan were well aware that Meng Yutang was being deliberate—after all, they weren’t as brainless as Meng Fan, who took everything at face value.
But so what?
They were already accustomed to loving Yutang, being good to her, and habitually offering her everything she desired.
“Yun Guan, you’ve been saying for a while that you wanted to buy jewelry from Shufang Zhai. During that time, Yutang was ill, so we couldn’t take you. Once Yutang recovers, we’ll have more time to accompany you. Isn’t that right?”
Meng Nan said with a smile, while Meng Ruan nodded in agreement beside him.
Meng Yunwan lowered her gaze and slowly smiled.
Look how grand and righteous those words sounded.
Not a hint of the underlying meaning: if she gave up the main hall to Meng Yutang, they would agree to take her to Shufang Zhai to buy jewelry.
A sudden bitterness welled up in Meng Yunwan’s heart.
She was just a girl not yet of age, who also loved gold and jade jewelry and enjoyed dressing up. Yet no one had ever cared about her preferences.
In her past life, she had long grown accustomed to pretending, under her scoundrel brothers’ coercion and persuasion, to be a bookish old scholar with no interest in adornment.
As for wearing makeup and adorning herself with gold and silver—those were privileges only Meng Yutang deserved to enjoy.
The standoff persisted among them.
At that moment, Ling Qianche arrived, carelessly setting down his book box and asking, “Yun Guan, when are we starting our tutoring session today?”
Without waiting for Meng Yunwan’s reply, he turned his gaze to the four Meng siblings, sweeping a sidelong glance at them with an air of unruly arrogance. “Why are you still here? This Crown Prince has lessons to attend. Get out!”
Meng Ruan hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, you may not be aware—”
“Enough of your nonsense. This Crown Prince doesn’t care what I’m aware of or not. This Yunyue Hall was bestowed by my mother for Yun Guan to live in alone. What audacity and capability do you possess to dare defy my mother’s decree?”
Ling Qianche’s tone was extremely impatient, carrying the unique arrogance of youth. “Hmph, I’ll report to my mother tomorrow and have all of you executed.”
On his way over, Ling Qianche had heard the whole story from Qian Bi.
He had rushed here precisely to stand up for his sister!
Seeing the Crown Prince so fiercely protective of Meng Yunwan, Meng Ruan reluctantly took a step back. “I merely thought such a fine palace would be wasted on Yun Guan alone. We grew up together, and if we moved in to live with her, she wouldn’t feel too lonely.”
Meng Fan felt his elder brother’s words were quite reasonable and quickly added, “That’s right, Your Highness. Yun Guan used to often stay in the woodshed at home, with rats and lizards crawling everywhere. She’s used to living in rundown places. Giving her such a splendid bedchamber now might make her uncomfortable!”
Ling Qianche engaged in a war of words with them, so infuriated that he ordered Meng Fan to be taken away for a beating.
Meanwhile, Ling Shuo had heard about the incident at Yunyue Hall.
He had also heard that Meng Yunwan had once lived in a woodshed infested with cockroaches and rats in the marquis’s mansion.
His handsome features suddenly turned sharp and severe.