Meng Zhengde snorted heavily, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child? What kind of villain would be so blind as to choose such a young woman to impersonate instead of selecting one of appropriate age?"
Shen Yanxiu, who had been hiding behind Meng Nanzhi, suddenly clenched his fists, stepped forward, and looked up at Marquis Zhenbei, saying, "Father, this really is Mother. After Mother drowned, she contracted Water Evil Blocking Orifices Syndrome and lost her memories, which is why she couldn't return. And it’s precisely because of Water Evil Blocking Orifices Syndrome that she has been able to maintain her youthful appearance."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something and turned sharply, calling out to Imperial Physician Hong, who was just about to slip out the door with his medicine chest, "Imperial Physician Hong, isn’t that right?"
Imperial Physician Hong, the tool: ?
Oh dear, what kind of karma was this? He had only wanted to stay and listen to more gossip, and because he had lingered for a moment too long, he was once again dragged into this mess.
This was it, this was it. He shouldn’t have stayed at the Imperial Hospital today. Even if he had gone to the palace and been scolded by some concubine, it would have been better than being stuck here as a witness.
Seeing him hesitate, Marquis Zhenbei Shen Qingzhi frowned slightly and said coldly, "Imperial Physician Hong, is what the shizi just said true?"
Imperial Physician Hong’s hand trembled. He had no choice but to turn around with his medicine chest, walk up to Marquis Zhenbei, bow, and say, "Your humble servant greets Houye, Hou…"
The words "Hou’s wife" stuck in his throat—he couldn’t say them, nor could he not say them.
When he saw Grand Tutor Meng cough lightly and calmly take a seat in the armchair, he quickly began to calculate in his mind.
Marquis Zhenbei was just Marquis Zhenbei. With Shen Qingzhi’s abilities, he would never rise to the rank of Guogong in his lifetime.
But Grand Tutor Meng was different. Grand Tutor Meng was the emperor’s study companion and the tutor to the princes. No matter which prince succeeded the throne, he would be respected.
No matter how he calculated, Grand Tutor Meng had the upper hand. And if that wasn’t enough, there was also the shizi acknowledging his mother.
Thinking this, Imperial Physician Hong swallowed hard, avoided Marquis Zhenbei’s sharp gaze, and said, "On the day Hou’s wife fell into the water, the cold invaded her bones. After choking on water, she contracted Water Evil Blocking Orifices Syndrome."
Shen Qingzhi looked at Meng Nanzhi, his gaze deep and heavy, "If that’s the case, what does it have to do with her unchanged appearance?"
Sweat beaded on Imperial Physician Hong’s temples. He had no choice but to repeat Meng Nanzhi’s explanation, though his voice grew quieter, "This… your humble servant’s medical skills are shallow, and I have not studied this. Perhaps Water Evil Blocking Orifices Syndrome is too severe—it not only sealed her memories but also preserved her appearance."
To avoid future embarrassment, Imperial Physician Hong added, "Once she fully recalls the past, the pathways affecting her appearance will naturally open… and she will return to normal."
As soon as he finished speaking, Imperial Physician Hong felt his cheeks burn. Such a far-fetched explanation sounded absurd even to him.
He could only hope that the concubines in the palace wouldn’t believe these words in the future. Otherwise, if they all started jumping into lakes hoping to contract Water Evil Blocking Orifices Syndrome in a vain attempt to preserve their youth, he would be finished.
Naturally, no one knew what he was thinking, nor did they know that his fears would one day come true.
Seeing Marquis Zhenbei’s expression soften slightly, Lin Wanrou tightened her grip on her sleeve and said, "Who would have thought there could be such a miraculous syndrome in this world? It’s truly unheard of."
Regardless of whether others were satisfied or not, Meng Nanzhi was quite pleased with Imperial Physician Hong.
Not only had he explained her unchanged appearance over the past ten years, but he had also provided a reason for her appearance to change in the future.
Her eldest son was quite adept at finding the right people to get things done.
Thinking this, Meng Nanzhi raised her eyes and glanced at Marquis Zhenbei and Lin Wanrou.
From the moment they entered until now, one her husband, the other her sister, neither had bothered to ask for her opinion, directly convicting her instead.
Perhaps it wasn't that they didn't believe her.
Rather, they simply had no intention of acknowledging her, nor any plan to let Meng Nanzhi return.
Since when had she, Meng Nanzhi, ever been someone to be bullied so easily?
Thus, she said coldly, "Does Marquis Zhenbei still have any doubts?!"
"So it really is Nanzhi."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingzhi looked at Meng Nanzhi's face again, and his mood became complicated.
Her appearance remained youthful, without a trace of age, and even her temperament retained the blend of both a young girl and a married woman.
Thinking this, Shen Qingzhi stepped forward, intending to take Meng Nanzhi's hand, but Lin Wanrou beat him to it. "Nanzhi, I truly never imagined you were actually alive. Houye has been waiting for you all this time."
Meng Nanzhi silently took a step back.
Onlooker · Imperial Physician Hong · Tool: Haven't I seen this scene before?
Lin Wanrou fell to the ground.
Onlooker · Imperial Physician Hong · Tool: But it seems a little different this time.
Shen Qingzhi bent down worriedly to help Lin Wanrou up, speaking softly, "Wanrou, are you hurt?"
Lin Wanrou shook her head, her watery eyes brimming with tears. "Houye, I'm fine. It's only right for Nanzhi to blame me. If you hadn't saved me first back then, she wouldn't have drowned or suffered from amnesia, preventing her from returning all these years. It's only natural for her to hate and resent me."
Ha!
Meng Nanzhi looked up at the wooden beam in speechless frustration. She must have committed some sin in her past life to have been so blind in this one, regarding such a person as a sister.
As she spoke, Lin Wanrou gently pushed Shen Qingzhi toward Meng Nanzhi. "Houye, hurry and tell Nanzhi how, over the years, you drained Da Yan Lake and searched every surrounding river to find her. Even though you never found her all this time, you firmly believed she was still alive, kept the position of principal wife for her. Bring Nanzhi back to the mansion."
These words, which he had originally wanted to say to Meng Nanzhi himself, suddenly seemed to lose their meaning when conveyed by someone else.
Marquis Zhenbei Shen Qingzhi's longing for Meng Nanzhi suddenly felt less fervent.
He simply stared at her and said, "You've suffered all these years. Now that you're back, come with me to the Marquis's Mansion. Xiu'er and the other two miss you dearly."
Meng Nanzhi snorted inwardly, but her expression remained calm. "Since Marquis Zhenbei doubted me just now, I also have a few questions for you."
Shen Qingzhi nodded. "Ask."
Meng Nanzhi said, "Back when Lin Wanrou and I fell into the water at the same time, why did Marquis Zhenbei save Lin Wanrou first instead of me, your lawful wife?"
This question had been asked many times before by Grand Tutor Meng and his eldest son, Shen Yanxiu.
Shen Qingzhi naturally had a ready answer. "When I jumped into the lake, I intended to save you. But I saw you desperately pushing Wanrou upward. Wanrou was closest to me, and you were a good swimmer. I thought I would send Wanrou to shore first and then come back for you. I never expected that when I dove back into the lake to save you, I couldn't find you anywhere."
Wanrou, Wanrou—how affectionately he called her.
Meng Nanzhi inwardly spat in disgust and asked another question. "Shen Qingzhi, when you came to the Meng family to propose to me, you promised me a lifetime of devotion, even if I died. Why, after my death, did you take a ping wife?"
Marquis Zhenbei lowered his gaze, his fingers repeatedly stroking the jade pendant at his waist.
This pendant was carved by Lin Wanrou herself last winter, its edges worn smooth and translucent from his daily caresses.
He looked up at Meng Nanzhi, his voice low: "This was not my idea. It is the Empress Dowager's decree."
Meng Nanzhi's gaze shifted between the two of them. "So, you mean you have no feelings for her?"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Marquis Zhenbei remained silent for a long moment before nodding, then shaking his head. "Feelings are naturally there, but after all, it is the Empress Dowager's decree. I was merely following orders."
As if she hadn't heard him, Meng Nanzhi continued, "If that's what you say, then the feelings are not deep. Since you have been longing for me and waiting for me all these years, now that I have returned, divorce her."
She wanted to see whether Marquis Zhenbei, who had spent the past decade claiming to love her and refusing to remarry, would actually divorce Lin Wanrou, his ping wife who appeared so "affectionate" with him on the Giant Screen, now that she had returned.