The Empress smiled warmly as she held Meng Yunwan’s hand. “If you don’t mind Chen’er being a bit slow, you should spend more time with him from now on. You’re so clever—if Chen’er stays close to you, he might catch some of your brilliance. Perhaps next time he’ll manage to rank second from the bottom.”
Meng Yunwan felt a little embarrassed. “Your Majesty flatters me too much.”
“It’s not flattery—it’s because I see your pure and kind heart.”
As she spoke, the Empress grew somewhat emotional. Ever since Yun Guan entered the palace, Chen’er had become much more diligent in his studies, constantly hoping that the newly arrived Yun Guan would help him stay off the bottom. Although that hope had now been dashed, his sincere dedication to learning was still commendable!
“Chen’er has a playful nature, so please keep an eye on him for me in Shangshufang. Also, since you’re studying so hard now, come to Fengyi Hall for lunch and dinner from now on. The small kitchen in my palace is the best—I’m sure the food will suit your taste.”
Unable to refuse the Empress’s warm invitation, Meng Yunwan reluctantly agreed. “Then I thank Your Majesty.”
The Empress beamed. “No need for thanks.”
What she loved most were well-behaved, obedient, and academically gifted young girls. Yet, heaven had not granted her wish, instead giving her a troublesome boy who seemed to fail at everything.
Once she figured out what Yun Guan usually ate to become so clever, she would have the imperial chefs prepare a menu so Chen’er could eat the same way.
Naturally, Meng Yunwan was completely unaware of the Empress’s little schemes.
At that moment, she left Fengyi Hall with a large number of rewards. Behind her, over a dozen golden nanmu boxes made crisp, ringing sounds as they were carried. Ziyi couldn’t help but click her tongue in admiration.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. The Empress’s rewards must be gold and silver. Listen to that sound—how delightful!”
Seeing her little money-loving expression, Meng Yunwan laughed. “Look at you, so easily impressed.”
Ziyi stuck out her tongue. Having served her mistress for over a decade, she had never seen so many treasures before. Right now, she was truly happy for her lady.
Meng Yunwan was also pleased. It turned out that achieving excellent results under her own name was something to be so proud of.
It was a pity that in her past life, the honors she had worked so hard for—ten years of diligent study—had ultimately become nothing more than a bridal gown sewn for someone else.
In this life, she would never be so foolish again.
Meanwhile, at the Huainan Marquis Mansion,
Upon hearing the news that Meng Yunwan had taken first place in the imperial examination at the study hall, the Meng family members grew restless.
The boys’ and girls’ schools were separate, so they hadn’t known how Meng Yunwan had performed. It wasn’t that they had no way of finding out—they simply didn’t care and never bothered to ask.
Meng Fan’s eyes shifted as he understood the situation. He sneered, “What a disgraceful piece of work. No one would blame her for poor grades, but she had to resort to such despicable means, cheating in the imperial palace. She’s utterly shamed our Meng family.”
Meng Ruan frowned, struggling to recall how Yun Guan had performed in the clan school before. After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t remember.
Still, what his second brother said made some sense.
Yun Guan had snatched Yutang’s chance to enter the palace, proving she was someone who craved glory and vanity. For such a person to cheat in an exam to save face wasn’t entirely impossible.
“In that case, tomorrow, for Yun Guan’s Returning Pearl banquet, we should all go to the palace together. First, to congratulate her on returning to the royal family, and second, to teach her a lesson—to make her understand that one must be down-to-earth and not disgrace the family’s reputation.”
Meng Ruan spoke these words calmly, and the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Meng Nan hesitated, then said, “Elder brother, we haven’t received an invitation.”
The Returning Pearl banquet was specifically held to announce Meng Yunwan’s identity. Logically, the Huainan Marquis Mansion, which had raised her, should definitely have been invited. Yet for some reason, with the banquet scheduled for tomorrow, they still hadn’t received an invitation. Perhaps Yun Guan had simply been too busy and forgotten.
Thus, Meng Ruan didn’t take it to heart. “Our presence as her brothers is the greatest honor we can give Yunwan. What need is there for an invitation?”
Early the next morning, after washing up and dressing, Meng Yunwan arrived at the banquet hall well ahead of time.
The Emperor and Empress had not yet arrived; only the Empress Dowager was present, chatting with a group of noblewomen and guests.
Seeing her enter, the Empress Dowager’s stern face broke into a faint smile. “Yunwan, come sit beside me.”
The Empress Dowager’s warmth eased Meng Yunwan’s nerves somewhat. As soon as she sat down, a jade bracelet of exceptional clarity was pressed into her hand. The Empress Dowager smiled and said, “This is our first meeting, and I wasn’t sure what you might like. This jade bracelet has a fine luster and is most suitable for young people like you.”
Light streamed in, making the bracelet appear crystalline and translucent. Having experienced some of the world’s luxuries in her previous life after marrying into the Eastern Palace, she recognized it as a rare piece of Bi Lake jadeite.
She was both flattered and surprised. “Thank you, Empress Dowager!”
Her heart swelled with joy, yet she was also puzzled.
She distinctly remembered that in her past life, things had been different.
Meng Yu Tang had always called the Empress Dowager an old hag. Moreover, the day after the Returning Pearl banquet, Meng Yu Tang had run back to the marquis’s mansion in tears, claiming that neither the Emperor nor the Empress had attended the banquet. The only one present, the Empress Dowager, had given her a hard time, and now the entire palace was laughing at her. She had been utterly humiliated and felt she could never show her face in the palace again.
According to Meng Yu Tang’s account, today’s Returning Pearl banquet should have been a den of dragons and tigers.
Yet now, looking at the Empress Dowager, she found her exceptionally kind and gentle—not at all like someone who intended to make things difficult for her.
Perhaps sensing the confusion in Meng Yunwan’s eyes, the Empress Dowager smiled affectionately and took her hand.
“My dear child, you are truly remarkable. So young and yet so clever. Even the Empress often praises you in front of others. I know you are a good girl.”
“This jade bracelet is for you, a small meeting gift from your grandmother. I hope you won’t think it too humble.”
Only then did Meng Yunwan understand the source of the Empress Dowager’s goodwill.
The jade bracelet felt cool and smooth against her wrist, and a gentle joy welled up in her heart.
“I have only done what I should, Your Majesty. You flatter me too much.”
She thought to herself that the Empress Dowager was not a bad person.
In her past life, the Empress Dowager had clearly disliked Meng Yu Tang, yet she still attended her Returning Pearl banquet. This showed that the Empress Dowager had not intended to embarrass Meng Yu Tang but had acted out of kindness, not wanting the young girl to face humiliation alone.
Such a wonderful grandmother? Was Meng Yu Tang blind and foolish?
But it didn’t matter. Meng Yu Tang might have scorned the Returning Pearl banquet as perfunctory, but she did not.
Meng Yu Tang might not have liked her imperial grandmother, but she did!
Seeing her sincere tone, her gentle smile from the moment she entered, and not a trace of displeasure at the absence of the Emperor and Empress, the Empress Dowager’s satisfaction with her grew even more.
With great solemnity, she introduced Meng Yunwan to the guests and noblewomen. “This is Yunwan, my little granddaughter.”
The guests exchanged knowing glances.
Originally, this Miss Yun Guan’s status had been awkward. Whether she would hold any standing in the palace in the future depended entirely on the scale of this Returning Pearl banquet and whether she had any backing.
Today, although the Emperor and Empress were absent, the Empress Dowager had come and showed great fondness for Miss Yun Guan.
Thus, they had a sense of the situation.
Amid the cheerful conversation and laughter at the banquet, noble ladies were already inquiring about Meng Yunwan’s age when a maid reported that the young masters and misses of the marquis’s mansion had come to pay their respects.
The Empress Dowager had no particular impression. “Which marquis’s mansion?”
Suddenly, she noticed Meng Yunwan’s brow twitch slightly, and then she remembered that the Huainan Marquis Mansion was her former home.
A thought stirred in the Empress Dowager’s heart—she also wanted to see what Yun Guan’s former family was like. Such a beloved child must have been dearly cherished by her family. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled all the way to the palace just to congratulate their younger sister.
Thinking this, a faint smile appeared on the Empress Dowager’s face. “Since they’ve come to pay their respects, let them in.”