When Meng Yao was young, Meng Deqing had been willing to act as her dog just to curry favor with the Song family.
Now, kneeling before her with both hands pressed to the ground by an unseen force, he looked like a dog once more.
Unwilling to concede, he raised his head indignantly. “The Eldest Miss has only just returned, yet you act with such insolence. Are you not afraid of angering the Master and Madam?”
Meng Yao’s eyes curved into a smile. “I am Commandery Princess Changning, personally bestowed this title by His Majesty. What should I fear?”
The ones who should be afraid are all of you.
Meng Manor was not particularly large. The outer courtyard was used for receiving guests, while living quarters lay within the second gate.
Today was the fifteenth of the ninth month, the day the female family members of Meng Manor gathered in the First Branch’s rear courtyard to pay their morning respects to the Old Madam, Jiang Shi.
Lady Wu was showing off the double-sided embroidery her daughter, Meng Rou, had just finished to her sisters-in-law from the Second and Third Branches.
Meng Deqing had already sent word earlier—Meng Yao was back.
Lady Wu had remained calm and unruffled.
She had only instructed Meng Deqing that Meng Yao was forbidden from entering the manor through the main gate. As for the rest, she did not care.
She knew Meng Deqing detested Meng Yao as well, so he naturally would not let her return smoothly. So what if she had been granted the title of a commandery princess? In the inner courtyard of Meng Manor, she was the one who called the shots!
Unconcerned, she continued chatting with her sisters-in-law, currying favor before the Old Madam.
Yet, as time ticked by, unease began to stir within her.
Meng Deqing had been gone for a full half-hour. Why hadn’t Meng Yao come to pay her respects yet?
Glancing aside, she saw the maidservant Qi’er standing in the courtyard, peering anxiously into the room.
Qi’er was Meng Deqing’s goddaughter.
Lady Wu’s eyelid twitched.
When she hurried to the front courtyard with the sisters-in-law from the Second and Third Branches, she was greeted by the sight of more than a dozen male servants kneeling uniformly before Meng Yao. One of them had an arm dangling limp, his face soaked in cold sweat as he grimaced in agony.
And Meng Deqing, who had vowed to humiliate Meng Yao, was kneeling at the very front.
The young maiden in the striking red dress had grown into her beauty over the years. Her radiant, vivid features were now in full bloom, even more breathtaking than before.
It only deepened Lady Wu’s disgust.
Her expression darkened. “Yao’er, what nonsense is this! You haven’t returned to the capital for five years, yet the moment you step foot inside, you throw the household into turmoil! You grew accustomed to running wild at the frontier all these years, but if you remain as uncouth as a soldier upon your return, won’t you bring disgrace upon all the women of Meng Manor?”
Both the Second and Third Branches had daughters who were unmarried. With a single sentence, Lady Wu sought to rally the other branches against their common enemy.
Meng Yao curled her lips into a faint smile.
She rose to her feet, bypassed the kneeling servants, and slowly walked toward Lady Wu.
Though merely fifteen years old, the overwhelming pressure she exuded forced Lady Wu to take an instinctive step back.
Meng Yao came to a halt before Lady Wu.
With a smile on her face, she asked, “And who might you be?”
Everyone was stunned.
Lady Wu froze in place. She had anticipated that Meng Yao might make excuses, throw a tantrum, or even commit an act of insubordination. But never had she imagined that Meng Yao would simply, dismissively ask who she was!
Prideful of her noble birth, she had always been domineering within the Meng family, priding herself on maintaining the aura of the matriarch of the household above all the sisters-in-law. Today, she had even dressed in her finest attire, yet Meng Yao had humiliated her in front of everyone.
Lady Wu’s face flushed the color of pig’s liver.
Behind her, Meng Rou was the first to react, blurting out in distress, “Elder Sister, how could you fail to recognize even your own mother?”
Meng Yao narrowed her eyes and appraised her. “And who are you?”
Meng Rou: “…”
How was she supposed to answer that?!
“My, oh my, look at this commotion!” Second Madam He Shi, having had her fill of holding back laughter, stepped forward leisurely to smooth things over. “It’s understandable, really. Yao’er was only ten when she left; she’s probably forgotten what we all look like!”
She pointed at Lady Wu. “This is your mother, and beside her is your younger sister, Rou’er. She was only seven when you left, so it’s no wonder you don’t recognize her. I am your Second Aunt. Your Third Aunt and I came over today to pay our respects to the Old Madam, never expecting to run into you returning to the manor… It must have been truly hard on you all these years at the frontier.”
Meng Yao glanced up at her.
Second Madam He Shi was the most slick and worldly, but there was no deep enmity between them.
Thus, she accepted the olive branch.
“Yao’er greets Second Aunt, and greets Third Aunt.” Having said that, she finally looked straight at Lady Wu. “Greetings, First Madam.”
A formal address of “First Madam”—distant and polite.
Without a doubt, it slapped Lady Wu in the face once more before everyone present.
With the other two branches watching, Lady Wu could not make a scene. She took several deep breaths to compose herself. “It’s good that you’re back. Quickly come with me to Wutong Court to pay your respects to the Old Madam.”
After speaking, she glanced at Meng Deqing and the other servants. “You all may rise as well. It is not our manor’s custom to torment the servants.”
Her words were, of course, another veiled jab at Meng Yao.
Yet Meng Yao paid it no mind. She merely tapped the silver whip in her hand with a smile, not uttering a single word.
Not a single servant in the courtyard dared to stand.
Even Meng Deqing remained motionless.
Seeing this, Lady Wu shot a fierce glare at the young maiden, her fingernails nearly digging into her palms.
Meng Yao, however, feigned innocence, wearing a half-smile. “Isn’t First Madam taking me to see the Old Madam? Lead the way, please.”
Old Madam Jiang Shi resided in Wutong Court, situated in the third courtyard.
When Meng Yao entered the room, the shrewd old woman, Jiang Shi, was wearing a forehead band and reclining weakly on the couch, her complexion sallow.
The Second and Third Madams exchanged glances.
Just a short while ago when they left, the Old Madam had been full of vigor, scolding a young maid!
Barely the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed—how had she become this frail?
Only Lady Wu understood. Wearing a face full of concern, she asked, “Mother, what happened? Why has your complexion turned so poor all of a sudden?”
The Old Madam supported her forehead with her hand. “I don’t know either. The moment you all left, I became so dizzy that I couldn’t even stand.”
Having spoken, she seemed to finally notice the additional person in the room.
Her wrinkled face squeezed out a trace of joy. “Is this… Yao’er?”
Meng Yao stepped forward. “Yao’er pays respects to Grandmother!”
“It truly is you who has returned? Quickly, come let Grandmother look at you! These past five years, Grandmother has missed you every single day!” The Old Madam spoke with deep, heartfelt affection.
Meng Yao remained indifferent inside. Wasn’t it just acting?
She knew how to act, too.
Wearing a look of pure devotion, she said, “Grandmother, Yao’er has missed you as well.”
The Old Madam reached out her hand, intending to hold Meng Yao’s.
However, Nanny Jiang beside her stepped forward to stop her.
“Old Madam, be careful,” Nanny Jiang said with a stern face. “You are unwell; it would be best to keep your distance from the Eldest Miss.”
Hearing this, Meng Yao paused in her tracks.
She stood in place, waiting for the next act about to unfold.
“What is the meaning of this?” The Old Madam looked at Nanny Jiang with “confusion.”
“Has the Old Madam forgotten that years ago, the Abbess of Lingmiao Nunnery divined the fate of the Eldest Miss? …The Eldest Young Lady has a harsh fate and heavy sha qi, easily offending the elderly and the weak. Her malevolent aura cannot be dispelled until she turns seventeen, and that time has not yet arrived.” With that, Nanny Jiang curtsied to Meng Yao. “Please do not blame me, Eldest Miss. This old servant is merely concerned for the Old Madam’s health. The Old Madam was in high spirits today, yet the moment the Eldest Miss returned to the manor, she suddenly grew dizzy. This old servant has no choice but to be cautious.”
The corners of Meng Yao’s mouth curved upward.
So, they were claiming her heavy malevolent aura had clashed with the Old Madam.
Five years ago, hadn’t they used the Lingmiao Nunnery Abbess’s divination as an excuse to forcefully send her off to the frontier?
Now that she had returned to the capital before turning seventeen, the Old Madam immediately put on a show of dizziness. Wasn’t this just to continue cementing the claim of her harsh fate?
Sure enough, as soon as Nanny Jiang finished speaking, everyone’s eyes converged on her.
Lady Wu put on an act of having her best interests at heart. “Nanny Jiang speaks the truth. Back then, the Abbess of Lingmiao Nunnery emphasized repeatedly that you could only be brought back to the capital once you turned seventeen. Who would have thought…”
“Who would have thought that I would perform great military service at the frontier, and that His Majesty would order me to return to the capital to receive my rewards and offer thanks?” Meng Yao finished with a cold sneer.
Then, she let out a sigh. “Speaking of which, this is all His Majesty’s fault. If he hadn’t commanded me to return early, how could I have offended Grandmother? I shall enter the palace at once, explain the situation to His Majesty, and return to the frontier.”
“You cannot go!” The Old Madam panicked.
Since Meng Yao had returned to the capital on the Emperor’s orders, bringing up the excuse of a harsh fate now—wouldn’t that imply the Meng family was dissatisfied with His Majesty?
“Yao’er is thoughtful, but those were merely a few words from the Abbess; they cannot be taken seriously.” A doting expression was forced onto the Old Madam’s face.
“How can they not be taken seriously?! The moment Yao’er returned, Grandmother fell so gravely ill. It is all Yao’er’s fault. I will enter the palace immediately to beg His Majesty, trading all my rewards to have the Imperial Physician come and diagnose Grandmother’s illness.”
Having spoken, Meng Yao closed the distance to the Old Madam’s bed, leaning down with eyes clear and piercing.
You old thing had better truly be sick, or else it will be the crime of deceiving the Emperor, and the entire family will suffer!
Wutong leaves brushed against the window paper, and silence filled the room.
Meng Yao could hear the sound of the Old Madam’s fingernails scratching against the brocade.