Lu Huan had grown up in the Crown Prince’s Residence and was considered a death warrior by the Crown Prince’s side.
She had never seen anyone as incompetent as Meng Yanzhi, yet oddly enough, Meng Yanzhi was kind-hearted—always treating servants like them politely and never viewing them as livestock.
“Alright, you may go!”
Xiao Ce waved his hand, instructing her to leave first.
The shadow guard landed before Xiao Xingyuan and spoke with concern, “Your Majesty, it seems His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is treating the eldest daughter of the Meng family better and better. I fear…”
“If he can’t even avoid such a simple trick, it only proves he’s a fool.”
Xiao Xingyuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at the shadow guard.
“Return to the palace!”
“Yes!”
At night, a dark figure darted through the streets as Xiao Xingyuan made his way back to the palace. However, as he lay in bed, his mind was filled with the intense heat of that night, and gradually, his body grew restless.
Xiao Xingyuan’s face darkened, and his hand involuntarily drifted downward. He gritted his teeth slightly and muttered, “She really is a fox spirit in disguise!”
Qinghe Courtyard.
Lu Huan held Lu Ping’s hand, unwilling to let go, and whispered, “Elder Sister, I want to stay. What do you think His Highness is thinking? Why would he send the three of us back for no reason?”
“Whatever His Highness says goes.”
“Hurry and pack your things to go back. With you gone, I’ll have one less thing to worry about.”
Lu Ping was stewing tonic medicine for Meng Yanzhi and shot Lu Huan a somewhat disdainful look.
“Elder Sister, do you dislike me a little?”
“Yes.”
Lu Ping admitted it again. This young girl was good in every way except for her lack of brains—she had loyalty and affection but no sense.
Hearing this, Lu Huan grew anxious, but she didn’t say much else. Instead, she gathered the other two sisters and went to bid farewell to Meng Yanzhi.
“His Highness said that the four of us together are too conspicuous and would harm the young lady’s reputation, so only Elder Sister can stay.” Lu Huan gazed pitifully at Meng Yanzhi. “Young Lady, I know you have a gentle nature, but you can’t always endure bullying like this. If someone bullies you, you should fight back!”
This girl truly had a sincere heart.
Meng Yanzhi smiled, then opened her jewelry box and said, “In the past, I had nothing to my name and wouldn’t have known how to thank you properly. But now that I have these, pick one!”
Lu Huan truly hadn’t expected that after all she’d said, Meng Yanzhi would still cheerfully offer her a gift. The more Meng Yanzhi acted this way, the softer Lu Huan’s heart grew, and the more reluctant she became to leave.
But she had to obey orders. She could only pick a ring, holding it in her hand as she whispered, “Young Lady, relying on others is not as good as relying on yourself. You must become strong!”
“I know.” Meng Yanzhi finally gave Lu Huan a response.
With that, Lu Huan felt somewhat relieved. She stood up and walked out.
Lu Ping entered carrying the tonic medicine and looked at Meng Yanzhi. “My younger sister loves to talk nonsense. If she has offended you, Young Lady, please forgive her.”
“It’s fine. She’s an honest person and genuinely means well for me.” Meng Yanzhi was not one to mistake kindness for malice. She smiled at Lu Ping, then glanced at the tonic medicine in her hands. “What is this?”
Lu Ping handed over the tonic with a smile and said, “This is a secret recipe from the Crown Prince’s Residence. You need only drink it with peace of mind, Young Miss.”
Since it wasn’t the Meng family’s tonic, Meng Yanzhi didn’t refuse it. She directly took the medicine bowl and drank it all in one go.
“So bitter!”
Meng Yanzhi could hardly believe it—this medicine was even more bitter than coptis root?
“Good medicine tastes bitter but benefits the illness. Please bear with it, Young Miss. Your body has been severely depleted and must be properly nourished.”
As she spoke, Lu Ping also took out a jar of ointment and handed it to Mingchu, who stood nearby.
“This humble servant knows that Young Miss must have scars on her body. Using this will restore your skin to its original smoothness.”
Although Lu Ping usually didn’t speak much, she was the most attentive, always doing practical things.
“Thank you, Sister Lu!” Meng Yanzhi stood up and performed a proper bow.
Lu Ping was startled: “This humble servant is lowly and unworthy! I dare not accept this!”
“You appear a few years older than me. From now on, when no one is around, I’ll call you Sister Lu.”
“If we’re speaking of being lowly, I was nothing more than a country girl before. Who could be lower than me?”
Meng Yanzhi smiled self-deprecatingly.
In the past, Meng Yanzhi had been most afraid of mentioning her history, but now that she had actually spoken of it, she suddenly discovered it wasn’t so difficult after all.
Seeing Meng Yanzhi like this, Lu Ping sighed helplessly before turning to leave.
“Young Miss, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince treats you so well. What a pity that your health is ruined, and you can only marry Young Master Xu.” Mingchu approached and sighed with some regret. “But fortunately, Young Master Xu is also a gentle and refined gentleman. After Young Miss marries him, you’ll surely be able to live well.”
“I won’t marry Xu Shize.” Meng Yanzhi announced this matter expressionlessly.
What?
Mingchu looked at Meng Yanzhi in disbelief, her face full of shock.
“But hasn’t this matter already been settled?”
“Young Miss, you must never speak of this outside! I’m afraid the Master and Mistress won’t let you off easily!”
Mingchu was extremely anxious, truly fearing that Meng Yanzhi would be punished by her family.
Hearing this, Meng Yanzhi laughed. She took Mingchu’s hand and said, “I have my own methods. When the time comes, Xu Shize will willingly withdraw from the engagement.”
“Young Miss, if you’re truly rejected in marriage, how will you ever marry in the future? The Master and Mistress will think you’ve brought shame upon them and might send you off to a nunnery for the rest of your life! What shall we do then?” Mingchu grew even more anxious, kneeling on the ground and grasping Meng Yanzhi’s arm. “Young Miss, you mustn’t act impulsively!”
This was absolutely not an exaggeration, because Meng Yanzhi clearly understood that she was now merely a pawn in the Meng family. If she lost her value, she would undoubtedly be discarded like a worn-out rag.
But what Meng Yanzhi needed to do now was to take the opposite approach. She wanted the Meng family to see her value, because only then could she reverse her position within the family. Only then could she step by step rise above these people and send every one of them to hell!
Seeing Mingchu trembling with fear, Meng Yanzhi felt a pang of heartache. She quickly helped her up and spoke gently, “Mingchu, we’re different from how we were before. From now on, we must live with dignity and hold our heads high!”
“Young Mistress?” Mingchu looked at Meng Yanzhi in disbelief, feeling as though she was now glowing all over: “Young Mistress, are you telling the truth?”