Chapter 14 Collapse

The man forcefully flung Meng Huanyan to the ground. Her veil fell off, revealing a shocked, pale face.

When Guan Yi'an mentioned status, dowry, and face, Meng Huanyan felt a little guilty, as she could not compare with her elder sister in these aspects.

When she heard Guan Yi'an say that she had an affair without a matchmaker and lost her virginity before marriage, she could hardly believe her ears. She could ignore what others said about her, but not Guan Yi'an!

Because Guan Yi'an was her lover with whom she had an affair, and before today, she was an innocent girl who had never had intimate contact with any man.

How could this man get the benefit and then turn around and humiliate her?

Meng Huanyan's voice trembled, and large tears fell. "You know better than anyone whether I am a virgin or not. I know. You look down on my status, so no matter if I have an older sister or not, you will not marry me as your legal wife. But don't forget, you and I are both now disgraced. No noble lady will be willing to marry you anymore. You might as well marry me; at least people will praise your devotion."

"Impossible!" Guan Yi'an's face showed disdain, his eyes filled with disgust. "If you can have an affair with me without a matchmaker, you can certainly have one with someone else. A woman as promiscuous as you, marrying you would tarnish the reputation of my Guan family. Bringing you back and allowing you to be my concubine is already my biggest concession. If you continue to cause trouble, I will send you back. Let's see who will want you then?"

Meng Huanyan cried and lay on the ground, a deep sense of powerlessness rising in her heart.

She didn't know if Guan Yi'an was just trying to scare her, but she absolutely couldn't be sent back. Judging from the fact that her father hadn't spoken to her when she left and hadn't asked what status Guan Yi'an had given her, he was clearly still angry and wouldn't stand up for her.

In the past, she lived a decent life in the mansion because she always behaved obediently and compliantly. Now, the Prime Minister's mansion knows that she stole her elder sister's man, and being sent back means she will only be disliked and suppressed.

She chose this path herself, and even if it's a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, she can only continue on it.

This is the man she took a liking to at first sight and remains satisfied with. Given her looks and abilities, it's only a matter of time before she wins Guan Yi'an's heart.

After crying for a while, Meng Huanyan calmed herself down and prepared to soften her stance with Guan Yi'an. After all, Guan Yi'an didn't have any other women now, so whether she was a wife or a concubine was entirely up to her.

Looking up, she realized that Guan Yi'an had already left. She paused for a moment, then put her veil back on and sat down properly in the chair.

She waited quietly for a while, but no one came in. She was hungry and thirsty, and called out a few times, but no maidservant came in to serve her.

Guan Yi'an, facing his relatives and friends, gave them a long explanation, saying that he was not good enough for the prime minister's daughter and that the engagement had been broken off.

At first, his relatives and friends comforted him, but later, when his subordinates and the workers who carried the bridal sedan chair got drunk, they accidentally revealed the truth, and the way his relatives and friends looked at him changed visibly.

The disappointed, shocked, regretful, and heartbroken looks made Guan Yi'an feel even worse. The colleagues he had invited earlier, whether out of fear of embarrassing him or out of disgust, had not shown up. Guan Yi'an forced a smile and drank pot after pot of wine. By the time he saw off his relatives and friends, he was already drunk and staggering.

Helped into the bridal chamber by his parents, he saw Meng Huanyan sitting obediently on the bed wearing a veil. In his daze, he mistook her for Meng Lingge. He floated over unsteadily, first exhaling a breath of alcohol, then touching the veil with his hand.

"Lingge, you've forgiven me, haven't you? I knew you would forgive me, Lingge... Tonight is our wedding night, let your husband cherish you..."

The veil was gently pulled off, and the candlelight flickered.

Meng Huanyan's face was pale, and her eyes were cold.

Guan Yi'an felt his stomach churn as the face stared intently at him, the smell of alcohol rising in his throat, and he couldn't help but vomit.

Meng Huanyan, who was standing in front of him, was unable to dodge in time. From her hair to her face and then to her chest, nothing was spared.

She waited all day without eating or drinking, thinking she would finally have an unforgettable wedding night. But while it was unforgettable, the ecstasy turned into heartbreak.

That night, screams and heartbreaking sobs echoed throughout the Guan family's new house for most of the night.

...

After making the bed sheets at the Prince of Anshun's residence, Granny Chu ordered a maid to bring two servings of pastries and then led her people away, leaving only Meng Lingge and her four dowry maids behind.

Besides her personal maid Dongqing, the other three maids were named Chunhong, Xiazi, and Qiulan, all girls around fifteen or sixteen years old.

With the change of the young lady's marriage, they also entered the Prince's Mansion. Thinking that the Prince's Mansion was also the royal family, the rules must be much stricter than those of the Prime Minister's Mansion, so the four maids were very careful, afraid of causing trouble for their young lady.

Now that there were no outsiders around, they relaxed a little and gathered around Meng Lingge.

Chunhong washed her hands first, then brought the snacks to Meng Lingge. Knowing that it was inconvenient for the young lady to wear a veil, she gently lifted a corner of the veil and watched the young lady slowly eat the snacks.

"Miss, the rooms the Prince's Mansion arranged for the four of us are very close to here. They are spacious, and the furnishings and decorations are the best among all the servants. They even prepared clothes for us for autumn and winter."

Meng Lingge paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Mother is so thoughtful. Even with such a rushed wedding, she is still so considerate."

Life is truly unpredictable. Last night she was still feeling uneasy about marrying Guan Yi'an, and today she has married into the Anshun Prince's Mansion.

It was truly unexpected that the Princess Consort of Anshun would become her mother and treat her so kindly.

Xia Zi fetched tea from the table and handed it to Meng Ling. She then took out a set of keys from her bosom.

"Miss, your dowry has been moved to the storeroom. Here is the key to the storeroom. The storeroom manager said that there are two keys to the other storerooms, but there is only one key to the storeroom containing your dowry. Please keep it safe."

After finishing her tea, Meng Lingge took the key and saw that it was a complex three-keyhole design. This kind of key was extremely difficult to duplicate, and the lock was made of black iron, which could not be broken.

This way, as long as the key is in her possession, no one else can open the storeroom.

"Keep it. You're always cautious." Returning the key to Xia Zi, Meng Lingge looked at Qiu Lan, who seemed preoccupied. "What's wrong? Didn't you get any information?"

Her four maids each had their own strengths.

Chunhua is skillful; she excels at embroidery and hairstyling.

Xia Zi is meticulous and skilled in cooking.

Qiu Lan is eloquent and adept at interpersonal relationships.

Dongqing is the youngest and has always been the closest to Meng Lingge. She is the one who best suits Meng Lingge's tastes in terms of food, daily life, and clothing.

Qiu Lan had been chatting happily with the maids from the Prince of Anshun's mansion outside the room, but she became sullen once inside. Meng Lingge assumed that she was unhappy because she hadn't heard any news.

"No." Qiu Lan hesitated, her face showing difficulty. "I've found out. The young master is usually quiet, rarely smiles, and doesn't pay much attention to people. But he... he has several episodes every month, and a few times he's stripped the maids of their clothes and thrown them outside..."