Mingchu shyly rubbed her cheeks and whispered, “I don’t want roast chicken, I just can’t stand seeing the Eldest Miss being bullied!”
“Clearly Eldest Miss is the Crown Prince’s savior. The entire Meng family’s current status is entirely due to your kindness, so how could the position of Crown Princess Consort be given to Second Miss for nothing?”
“Then the Master and Mistress just found some scholar to pawn Eldest Miss off to – it’s truly outrageous!”
Mingchu was a simple-minded young girl who sat angrily on a nearby chair, muttering complaints.
“Don’t worry, what belongs to me, I will take back.”
“Alright now, stop puffing up with anger like a toad!”
Meng Yanzhi felt both comforted and emotional seeing her so full of vitality.
In her previous life, Mingchu had died tragically, but in this life, she would definitely protect her well, letting her remain carefree like this forever, forever remaining a gluttonous little girl!
Meng Yanzhi stood up, walked to the side, opened the cabinet to retrieve pastries and roast chicken, then placed them on the table. When she unwrapped the oiled paper, the fragrant aroma immediately wafted out.
The previously angry Mingchu hurried over upon smelling the scent, gazing eagerly at Meng Yanzhi: “Eldest Miss, why does this roast chicken smell so delicious?”
Meng Yanzhi couldn’t help but laugh, then directly tore off a large drumstick and shoved it into Mingchu’s hands: “Eat up!”
The next morning, Meng Yanzhi rose early to collect dew.
Meng Anxian was a spoiled young lady who demanded porridge made with dew collected from lotus leaves every day, and required Meng Yanzhi to serve her in washing her face and combing her hair. In her previous life, Meng Yanzhi had even gone to her room at night to wash her feet and keep watch – in short, she had done the most degrading tasks for Meng Anxian.
She had originally thought she could exchange sincerity for sincerity, but now looking back, she realized she had been a complete fool.
Soon, Meng Yanzhi finished cooking the porridge and ordered a kitchen maid to deliver it to Meng Anxian.
There was no way she would personally attend to Meng Anxian’s grooming now. This bowl of porridge was meant to remind Meng Anxian of her position in the Meng family – only by doing this could Meng Anxian act without restraint!
Thinking this, Meng Yanzhi picked up a nearby cloth and gently wiped her fingers.
“Ah!”
A scream pierced through Lingxi Courtyard.
Then, Meng Anxian stared at her reflection in the mirror in panic, dumbfounded: “What’s happening? How could this be! My face, my face! Hurry and fetch the physician!”
“Mother, where’s my mother!” Meng Anxian began to cry as she spoke.
Meng’s Mother quickly received the news and rushed over. Seeing Meng Anxian’s face covered in pustules, she froze. When she leaned closer, she noticed they even smelled foul?
“What… what happened to you?”
“Where’s the physician? Quickly summon the physician!”
Meng’s Mother instinctively covered her nose and mouth with her handkerchief.
Seeing her mother’s disgust, Meng Anxian felt even more like dying. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed: “What should I do? What should I do now, Mother? I still need to enter the palace, I still need to attend the Chrysanthemum Banquet!”
“Don’t be afraid, don’t panic yet. Let’s hear what the doctor says!” Meng’s Mother had now composed herself and spoke urgently to comfort Meng Anxian.
Soon after, the residence physician hurried over. After carefully taking her pulse, he said, “Second Young Lady, rest assured, it’s nothing serious. You’re just having an allergic reaction. Applying more ointment will help.”
As he spoke, the physician quickly prepared an ointment and handed it to Meng’s Mother.
Holding the ointment, Meng’s Mother frowned at the physician. “An allergy? To what? What did Second Young Lady eat or use?”
The attending maid promptly brought out everything Meng Anxian had used recently, including the morning’s lotus leaf porridge.
After examining each item, the physician’s gaze fixed directly on the lotus leaf porridge.
“This lotus leaf porridge contains secretions from a toad’s body, which is what caused this reaction.”
“Second Young Lady, it would be best not to consume such things in the future. These filthy creatures are inevitably present in lotus ponds.”
The physician looked at Meng Anxian with concern.
Hearing this, Meng Anxian felt even worse. Her eyebrows knitted tightly together before she gritted her teeth and said fiercely, “Mother, it’s Meng Yanzhi! It must be Meng Yanzhi deliberately harming me!”
“What does this have to do with Yanzhi?” Meng’s Mother looked at Meng Anxian with confusion.
Upon hearing this, a flicker of guilt passed through Meng Anxian’s eyes, but she still insisted, “It’s her! She’s the one who brought me this lotus leaf porridge! Mother, she previously tried to seduce the Crown Prince, and now she’s using this to harm me! Mother! You must stand up for me!”
“Summon the Eldest Young Lady!” Meng’s Mother’s expression shifted as she ordered the matron Liu beside her to fetch her.
Soon, Meng Yanzhi arrived with Lu Ping.
Entering the room and seeing Meng Anxian’s condition, she was startled. “Oh! Younger Sister, what happened to you? You look like a toad!”
“Meng Yanzhi! How dare you say that!”
“It’s all because of that wretched lotus leaf porridge you sent over that made me like this! How dare you still speak!”
Meng Anxian flew into a rage, snatching the face powder from her dressing table and hurling it violently at Meng Yanzhi’s face.
The powder instantly scattered, covering Meng Yanzhi’s face completely and filling the room with the scent of roses.
Meng Yanzhi stood frozen in place, seemingly unable to believe what had just happened.
She took a deep breath and then spoke somewhat helplessly, “I started making lotus leaf porridge for you the day after I arrived, every single day. Why would I tamper with it now?”
At these words, Lu Ping suddenly sneered, “Second Young Lady Meng certainly throws her weight around!”
She stepped forward, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the scented powder from Meng Yanzhi’s face.
“For a younger sister to treat her elder sister so disgracefully is truly rare. The Meng family’s upbringing is truly remarkable!” Lu Ping’s voice was cold as she shot a sharp glance toward Meng’s Mother.
She was no ordinary servant but a servant from the Crown Prince’s Residence, whom Meng’s Mother naturally couldn’t afford to offend.
Gritting her teeth, Meng’s Mother frowned at Meng Anxian. “Don’t you have enough servants in your courtyard that you need your elder sister to bring you lotus leaf porridge? The physician already said it was an accident. Why must you persist? It seems I’ve truly spoiled you! Apologize to your elder sister at once!”
Apologize?
Meng Anxian looked at Meng’s Mother with disbelief, her face full of reluctance. Why should she apologize to this country bumpkin!
“Mother, what I said wasn’t wrong! Meng Yanzhi did it on purpose—she’s jealous that I get to marry Crown Prince!”