Meng Yao did not enter the palace.
This was because the Old Madame, in front of the Second Branch, the Third Branch, Lady Wu, and the others, had personally apologized to her—
Five years ago, grasping at straws in her illness, she had placed foolish faith in the abbess of Lingmiao Nunnery and sent Meng Yao away to the border, wronging her for five whole years.
Today’s bout of dizziness was merely the result of chatting too much in the afternoon and missing her usual rest. There was no need to summon an imperial physician.
In fact, after seeing Meng Yao, her dizziness had significantly improved.
Now, she could even take a stroll around the courtyard without anyone supporting her.
As long as this matter was not blown up and dragged into the palace, she could prove through her own actions that Meng Yao’s fate was not cursed; Meng Yao possessed a life of great fortune!
Leaving Wutong Court, Qingluan’s eyes were rimmed with red.
She finally understood why the Young Miss had said, “The act back at the manor will be far more exhausting.”
Though the Young Miss bore the surname Meng, not a single person in the Meng family treated her as kin!
While the daughters of other families were acting spoiled at their elders’ knees, her Young Miss had to dodge hail storms of arrows, leading the soldiers of Changshan Military Camp in bloody battles to secure peace at the border—only for the honors she had earned to be pocketed by the Old Master.
And the very instigators who had so self-righteously banished the Young Miss to the border back then now brushed it aside with nothing more than having “foolishly believed another’s words.”
“Why? Do they think they can just dismiss the Young Miss with a mere excuse of ‘foolish faith’?” Qingluan wiped away her tears. “Are five years of your life worth only those two words? Who will seek justice for the Young Miss!”
“Never place your hopes of justice on others.” Meng Yao looked at Qingluan, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward. “The strong dictate justice; the weak are dictated by it. Your Young Miss intends to dictate her own justice.”
Qingluan’s tears froze in her eyes.
Her Young Miss was clearly smiling, yet Qingluan’s heart ached bitterly.
The Meng Clan of the Capital spanned three generations, three branches, and nearly a hundred souls, yet not a single one could serve as the Young Miss’s pillar of support.
Fortunately… the Young Miss still had her.
Qingluan wiped away her tears and said resolutely, “This servant will always protect the Young Miss! I will never let anyone bully you!”
Seeing her deadly serious expression, Meng Yao burst out laughing.
She blinked slyly. “Then do you want to bully them?”
“…Who, bully whom?” Though Qingluan was somewhat taken aback, she still nodded earnestly. “Wherever the Young Miss points, this servant will strike!”
“Good! First, we strike the Second Courtyard. Let’s go take back what is theirs!”
…
The first thing Meng Yao intended to seize was Meng Rou’s residence.
The inner manor of Meng Manor was divided into three courtyards.
Each courtyard consisted of a main building, left and right wing-rooms, and flanking side-rooms, all connected by winding verandas.
Meng Huaiyi and his wife lived in the main building of the First Courtyard, while their only son, Meng Helin, resided in the eastern wing-room. He was eleven years old now, studying at Qingyang Academy, and returned home for only two days each month during his break.
The Old Madame resided in the Third Courtyard.
The Second Courtyard, however, was occupied entirely by Meng Rou alone.
Two years ago, a trend of noble daughters comparing their private quarters swept through the capital. Lady Wu had promptly demolished the main building and the eastern wing-room of the Second Courtyard to erect a two-story corner pavilion for Meng Rou, named “Ruyi Residence.” Standing atop the pavilion, one could look down upon Meng Manor from three sides.
Such grand specifications were the very first of their kind among the residences of fourth-rank officials.
Aside from Ruyi Residence, the Second Courtyard was left with only a single western wing-room.
Acting on Lady Wu’s orders, Qi’er was supposed to lead Meng Yao into that western wing-room.
Yet the young woman in red stood in the middle of the courtyard, her feet firmly planted, her gaze burning as she looked at Ruyi Residence before her.
Lifting her chin slightly, she declared, “This pavilion—I want it.”
…
When Meng Huaiyi returned to the manor after finishing his duties, Meng Rou was already in Lady Wu’s arms, her eyes swollen red from crying.
“What happened?” Meng Huaiyi stroked his daughter’s hair affectionately. “Why are you crying like this?”
“Meng Yao has returned,” Lady Wu sneered.
“How is she here so quickly?” Meng Huaiyi’s brow twitched. Even traveling by fast horse, it should have taken twelve days to return to the capital from Changshan Military Camp. How had she arrived today? “Does she know about our previous plan?”
They had originally intended to use the Eldest Imperial Prince’s foolishness to let Meng Rou claim Meng Yao’s military merits, but unfortunately, the attempt had failed.
“She didn’t mention that matter,” Lady Wu pressed her lips together. “By the looks of it, she probably doesn’t know.”
Meng Huaiyi breathed a sigh of relief. “That is good, then.”
Then he asked, “Why is Rou’er crying? Did some blind fool bully you?”
“Isn’t it all because of that fine daughter you sired? The moment she stepped into the manor, she threw everything into utter chaos!”
“Yao’er?” Meng Huaiyi was slightly surprised. “What on earth happened?”
“She seized Rou’er’s residence!” Lady Wu said resentfully. “After running wild outside for five years, the moment she comes back, she snatches everything from our Rou’er! Building and furnishing Ruyi Residence cost me at least a thousand taels of silver. And what does she do? She demands to move in the second she returns! Does she even deserve it?!”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Meng Huaiyi’s eyes.
He knew that what Lady Wu and Meng Rou were fighting for was not merely a two-story pavilion, but the status of the Meng family’s legitimate daughter of the first wife.
Although Meng Yao was the elder, her birth mother, Lady Song, had died early. Now that Lady Wu managed the inner household, no one inside or outside the manor ever brought up the title of the Eldest Legitimate Daughter.
This was not how it was supposed to be.
Yet Rou’er was, after all, the jewel he had held in the palm of his hand as she grew up, and behind her stood the immensely powerful Prince Duan’s Manor.
Naturally, his heart leaned toward Meng Rou.
However, now that Meng Yao had returned to the capital with military merits, her status was no longer ordinary. It would not be wise to sour their relationship over a mere residence.
Meng Huaiyi was wavering.
Meng Rou poked her head out from Lady Wu’s embrace. Seeing her father’s expression, she sneered inwardly.
Dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief, she said, “Elder Sister is three years older than me; it is only right that she should live in Ruyi Residence. It’s just that… this daughter had already invited Grand Secretary Chen’s granddaughter and County Mistress Suyang to our home in a few days to view the chrysanthemums. If I can only entertain them in the western wing-room, wouldn’t that be a slight to our guests? A few days ago, this daughter even heard County Mistress Suyang mention that although Elder Sister had achieved great merits, there is rampant controversy in the imperial court. If she were to learn of what happened today, I fear it would only harm Elder Sister’s reputation further.”
Meng Huaiyi’s brow furrowed tightly—
Meng Yao, as a woman, had crushed the Wei Army, which had dealt a heavy blow to the pride of many men. In recent days, he had faced no small amount of ostracization from military officers during morning court. Nowadays, military generals held great power in the State of Chu; if they whispered a few words before His Majesty, they might very well hold Meng Yao accountable for the crime of impersonating a Commander-in-Chief in the future.
Whereas Rou’er had long enjoyed a reputation for talent in the capital and was on excellent terms with noble ladies…
Grand Secretary Chen oversaw the Ministry of War, and County Mistress Suyang was the daughter of Princess Royal Lingyang. These connections were of immense benefit to his own promotion.
At this thought, his mind was made up. “You treat her with the respect due to an elder sister, yet she bullies you. Rest assured, your father will seek justice for you!”
…
The instant Meng Huaiyi laid eyes on Meng Yao, it was as if he were seeing Lady Song from all those years ago.
Seventeen years ago, Lady Song had gone to a temple to fulfill a vow and encountered bandits along the way.
Meng Huaiyi happened to be passing by and saved her.
The moment Lady Song’s veiled hat fell to the ground, he had fallen utterly for that peerless beauty.
The Song family was the wealthiest household in Nanping City, while he was merely the son of a sixth-rank defending commander, possessing no official rank or merit to his name.
Had it not been for the Song family wishing to repay his life-saving grace, he would never have had the qualifications to marry Lady Song.
Half a year later, he married Lady Song as he had wished.
Yet soon after, the Meng family fell into a crisis; his father, Meng Liangping, was no match for a band of roving bandits and fled Nanping City in defeat.
It was the Song family that mobilized the strength of their entire clan to raise provisions and summon soldiers, helping Meng Liangping wipe out the bandits and, in one vigorous sweep, eradicate the roving outlaws across half of Jiangnan.
Meng Liangping achieved fame in that single battle, and his previous retreat was rebranded as luring the enemy in deep.
The Emperor was overjoyed and promoted Meng Liangping by leaps and bounds to the rank of Zhechong Zhonglangjiang of the fourth rank to guard the border!
The Meng family was thus able to relocate to the capital, and Meng Huaiyi was promoted to Imperial Guard Carriage Cavalry Captain, becoming a dignified capital official!
Without the Song family, without Lady Song, there would be no Meng family today.
He, too, had thought of treating Lady Song well, vowing never to take a concubine and to stay devoted to her alone for the rest of his life.
However, after entering the capital, he met Wu Lian.
Lady Wu was the younger sister of the Princess Consort of Prince Duan. Though she was born of a concubine, her status was still exalted.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of refusing, but Lady Wu took a fancy to his handsome looks, willing to be with him even without proper status… She had even climbed into his bed to attend to him in person after he returned drunk from a banquet.
At that time, Lady Song had just given birth to Meng Yao and poured all her heart into their daughter. Deprived of intimacy for so long, he had yielded to Lady Wu with only token resistance.
Lady Wu was willing to demean herself and act submissive, displaying endless novel tricks between the bedsheets.
A single night of overturned red waves, tangled in muddy indulgence.
And so, he lost himself.
Even after Lady Song found out, he no longer hid it, openly associating with Lady Wu.
Which of his colleagues did not have three wives and four concubines? He had never brought Lady Wu before her face, which was already giving her more than enough face.
Why must she remain so relentless and unforgiving?
One couple for a lifetime? Life was no storybook; who could conquer desire?
Lady Song died of suppressed grief.
That face which had once taken his breath away gradually faded from his mind.
Until today, when he saw Meng Yao.
Meng Yao’s face resembled Lady Song’s to an uncanny degree, yet it was far more radiant and vivacious than Lady Song’s had ever been.
Dead memories began to assault him.
“Yao’er?” His eyes grew slightly red.
Meng Yao turned her head to look at him. “And who might you be?”
To infuriate someone to death, a single blow was all it took.