Chapter 83083 I can't help myself

Chapter 83

As soon as the Queen Mother took the letter, her eyes stopped at the seal. The wax seal clearly showed that it had been resealed. Her face instantly darkened: "Has this letter been opened?"

Upon seeing this, Nanny Tao quickly signaled all the palace servants standing in the hall to withdraw, and then she carefully closed the hall door herself, and then quietly stood guard outside the door with two trusted palace maids.

The Empress Dowager then raised her eyes to look at Eunuch Song, who was standing bowed below her. Her voice was filled with coldness: "Has the Emperor read this letter first?"

Eunuch Song bowed and whispered, "Yes. As soon as I entered the palace, His Majesty summoned me to the Imperial Study for questioning."

"Before leaving, His Highness specifically instructed me that there was nothing in this letter that could be withheld from public view. If His Majesty inquired, I should simply present the truth without concealing anything."

"Even a simple letter announcing safety has to pass through his eyes first," the Queen Mother sneered. "Now he's banished us to the miasma-ridden Lingnan. What else is there to worry about?"

Seeing the Queen Mother's expression grow colder, Eunuch Song hurriedly and cautiously advised, "Your Majesty, please read the letter first."

The Queen Mother took a deep breath, suppressing the rage boiling within her. She opened the envelope, removed the letter, and carefully unfolded it. She first quickly scanned it, then slowed down and read it carefully, word by word, twice.

"The Imperial Grandmother Yi Jian:

My grandson and Yi'er are doing well, grandma, please don't worry.

Although Canghai County is a little hotter than the capital, it has a unique charm with its long sea breeze, abundant resources and beautiful scenery.

Recently, the market has been filled with baskets of fruits and vegetables, many of which have never been seen in Beijing. Yier especially likes them. Every time he tastes them, he jumps with joy.

Yesterday I happened to taste sour plum soup, which was clear and slightly sour, just like the drink my grandmother gave me in the palace many years ago. Suddenly I felt that the end of the world was within reach.

I am concerned that my grandmother is already old, so I hope she takes care of herself.

I am writing this letter with great care, wishing you the best.

Unfilial Sun Yan'er kowtows.

At the bottom right of the letter, there was a small ink-colored handprint, with the five fingers slightly spread out, like a plum blossom. It was obvious that it must have been left by Yier.

The Queen Mother gazed at the tender handprint, tears streaming down her face, sobbing uncontrollably: "My dearest child..."

Seeing this, Eunuch Song's eyes also turned red. He knelt down hurriedly to comfort her, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself! If the young prince knew how sad you were, I'm afraid he wouldn't even be able to eat the cakes."

Upon hearing the sound, Nanny Tao hurried into the hall, trotted forward, gently stroking the empress dowager's trembling back, and glanced at the handprint at the end of the letter.

Her throat choked, but she spoke softly, "Look, Queen Mother, the handprint is so clear, with each knuckle distinct. The young prince is so strong, he must have grown taller and stronger, and he is doing well in Lingnan."

The Queen Mother handed the letter to Nanny Tao and waved to Eunuch Song to get up. Eunuch Song got up and went to Nanny Tao to read the letter with her.

After reading it, both of them burst into tears and cried together, but they did not forget to comfort the empress dowager.

After a while, the Queen Mother finally stopped crying. She reached out to take the letter again, read it carefully again, and then carefully folded the letter, put it back into the envelope, and carefully placed it under her pillow.

Then he looked up at Eunuch Song and said, "Song Tian, ​​I don't want to hear those empty words. Tell me in detail, what exactly happened to the two princes when you met them in Canghai County?"

Eunuch Song replied "yes" respectfully, and then told the whole story of his visits to Prince Shen's residence, without hiding anything.

Hearing that they were actually living in the dilapidated and deserted old house of the former Yu Nan King, the Queen Mother's face turned pale and blue, and she slammed her palm on the table in anger: "Assholes!"

But apart from this, she couldn't say anything else. She was silent for a long while with a cold face, and then she asked coldly, "Where is that filthy and evil dog slave?"

Eunuch Song took a half step forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Ma has suddenly fallen seriously ill. Concerned that this matter concerns the dignity of the imperial family and might cause trouble, I reported it to the authorities in advance. He was taken away just as we reached the city gate."

The Queen Mother asked: "Who took him away?"

Eunuch Song: "From my perspective, he seems to be from the Third Prince's residence. I don't know where he was taken to, but I suspect he... won't survive this night."

The Queen Mother: "Has Your Majesty ever asked about this servant?"

Eunuch Song: "I have asked. I reported the truth to you, and Your Majesty simply said 'bad luck' and didn't investigate further."

The death of a mere slave was enough, and the Queen Mother paid no further attention to it. Instead, she asked, "When Your Majesty saw this letter, did you say anything?"

Eunuch Song shook his head. "Your Majesty said nothing. After examining it, he returned it to me. However, Your Majesty doesn't look happy, as if he is a little sad."

After hearing this, the Queen Mother just smiled coldly and said nothing more.

Then he asked with a hint of suspicion, "You said Yi'er has gained some weight? And Yan'er is in good spirits too?"

Eunuch Song bowed quickly and replied, "Absolutely true. I heard that Miss Meng is a great cook. She personally prepared all the meals along the way, so the two princes were able to eat well and feel better."

The queen mother's expression darkened slightly, and she frowned and asked, "The eldest daughter of the Meng family?"

Eunuch Song replied respectfully, "That's right. I've seen it with my own eyes. The young prince is very close to and dependent on Miss Meng. And the prince has even specifically instructed..."

He was halfway through his words when he secretly raised his eyes to glance at the Empress Dowager's expression.

The Queen Mother waved her hands impatiently: "If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why are you hesitating?"

Eunuch Song then continued, "His Highness has instructed that if the Empress Dowager asks about Miss Meng, I should reply, 'Miss Meng is doing very well.'"

The Queen Mother's brows furrowed even more tightly, her tone revealing disbelief: "Very good? Yan'er actually said she was 'very good'?"

Eunuch Song nodded in agreement: "Not only do the two princes think Miss Meng is excellent, but even Guard Mu Yun and others respect her very much."

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment, a look of confusion in her eyes, and murmured, "This is really strange."

Eunuch Song and Nanny Tao looked at each other and both lowered their heads in silence.

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment, then waved her hand. "Forget it, don't think about it anymore. Yan'er said she was good, so let's just assume she really meant it."

Eunuch Song and Nanny Tao responded with a smile.

The Queen Mother continued, "Speaking of sour plum soup, I remember someone. The maid named Yunzhi who used to be by the Queen's side was a master at making sour plum soup. Where is she on duty now?"

The smile on Nanny Tao's face suddenly faded, and her voice became lower: "She was transferred to the laundry department by Concubine Zhang."

"Two days ago, when I went to the laundry, I saw her from a distance. She used to be a fair and clean girl, but now her face has been tanned and she is so thin that she is just a bag of bones. She looks really pitiful."

The Queen Mother said calmly, "Being alive is good. Go to the laundry department now and bring Yun Zhi out. Tell her that my palace is short of someone who knows how to make sour plum soup. Let her work for me from now on."

---

Capital city, Meng Mansion.

It was late at night and everything was quiet when there was a knock on the door of the main house in the main courtyard.

The housekeeper's voice came through the door, a little hurriedly: "Master, have you rested? I have something important to report."

Meng Huaifu responded, stood up, put on his clothes, walked to the table outside and sat down, and asked the maid who was on guard to open the door.

The housekeeper hurried into the room, dismissed the maidservant, and then lowered his voice and said, "Master, someone just sent a message from the Third Prince's residence saying that the five people we sent to Lingnan are all gone."

Meng Huaifu was stunned when he heard this, his face full of disbelief: "What? All five people are dead? Manager Chen is also dead?"

The housekeeper nodded gravely. "Yes, they say they were robbed by bandits on their way back to the capital. Not only were all their belongings stolen, but they were also killed. The case file from the Canghai County Magistrate will probably be delivered to the capital in the next few days."

The housekeeper came closer and whispered in the third prince's ear, "People in the Third Prince's residence also said that Young Marquis Yu was also in Canghai County during that period."

Meng Huaifu pondered for a moment, his face livid, and he suddenly waved his sleeve, sweeping the teacup on the table to the ground: "This clearly shows that you don't take my Meng Mansion seriously!"

Hearing the noise, Jiang came out of the inner room, her face darkening. "Master, the person is gone now. There's no point getting angry. I just wonder if Manager Chen saw Yu Ning earlier, and if he brought back any message."

The butler added, "People at the Third Prince's Mansion said that Steward Chen did indeed meet the young lady, but no one knows what they said. All we know is that after meeting the young lady, he immediately returned to the inn, packed his belongings, and hurried out of the city. Unexpectedly, he was soon attacked by bandits."

Huaifu slammed his palm on the table and shouted angrily, "This traitorous bastard! He gave birth to her in vain."

Jiang frowned: "Master, do we need to send more people to Lingnan?"

Meng Huaifu shouted angrily, "Why are you still going? Are you going to give up a few more lives?"

---

Canghai County.

Early in the morning, the owner of Ruihe Embroidery Workshop personally brought people to deliver the finished summer clothes.

Qiulian took Meng Jin and a few others to count and inspect the goods. After finding everything correct, they paid the balance and received the goods.

After Meng Yuning read it, she distributed it to everyone.

The guards in the palace had been looking forward to this day for a long time. They couldn't wait to change into light and comfortable new clothes. They felt the heat all over their bodies disappear and all of them were smiling.

Seeing that everyone was happy, Meng Yuning became happy too.

In the past few days, Old Man Lin's health has almost recovered, so Qi Jingyan sent two guards to accompany him to the mountain to pick up his son and daughter-in-law.

The family that survived the disaster was finally reunited. They hugged each other and cried, expressing their gratitude to everyone in Prince Shen's Mansion.

That night, Mu Yun sought out Lin Wang and his son for a detailed discussion.

Late at night the next day, he accompanied Lin Wang and his son and Aunt Lin and quietly returned home, took the blacksmithing tools, and went up Lianfu Mountain overnight.

From then on, Lin Wang and his son were responsible for forging weapons in the mountains, while Aunt Lin helped with meals, sewing and other matters.

Lin Wang's wife and Ping An stayed at the mansion. Meng Yuning gently told her to stay and that she would arrange a job for her in the future and give her another job to supplement the family income. Lin Wang's wife thanked him repeatedly and settled down with peace of mind.

---

That morning, Meng Yuning had just sent Yi'er to Qingke Hall for class when she saw Mu Ying, Meng Jin and their group coming back.

But it was not just them who came back. Except for one person, the other women who were supposed to go home all followed behind with red eyes and haggard looks.

Meng Yuning understood what was happening and didn't ask any more questions. She just told Meng Yin to take them to wash up and have a meal first.

After they left, he asked, "What happened?"

Mu Ying stepped forward and clasped her fists, saying, "To answer your question, young lady, there is only one person named Lin Sanmei. When her parents saw their kidnapped daughter return, they hugged her and burst into tears. They thanked us profusely and let her stay."

"As for the remaining few, their families disliked their having stayed at Zui Xiang Lou before, saying that keeping them would tarnish the family's reputation. They refused to let them in, so I had no choice but to bring them back."

Mu Ying spoke calmly, omitting those obscene words that were too shameful to hear, so as not to pollute her girl's ears.

Meng Yuning had actually anticipated this outcome. She sighed softly, "Humanity is inherently complex, and you can't force it. Even if I force myself to stay, I'm afraid the days ahead will be difficult."

Mu Ying murmured in agreement, "Young lady, you are right. Meng Jin and I have tried to persuade them along the way, but they are just too sad to let go."

Meng Yuning nodded: "This is inevitable. Let's give them some time. Some things need to be figured out and let go on their own. Otherwise, no amount of persuasion will be of any use."

Mu Ying asked again: "Miss, how do we place them?"

Meng Yuning pondered for a moment and said, "That little girl named Ah Chan seems smart and sensible to me. There's another girl of similar age. Go ask them what they think. If they're willing to stay in the mansion, have Mu Yun sign the contract with them, and they'll follow me from now on."

"As for the others," she paused, then said, "You can go find Mrs. Bai tomorrow and send them to the Charity Hall for resettlement."

Those guys were already adults with established personalities, and she was afraid that she would find it difficult to control them, so she decided not to keep them.

Mu Ying took the order and went to make the arrangements without further ado.

---

Ever since that night when Meng Yuning quietly complained that no one was fanning her and Yi'er, Qi Jingyan had kept these words in mind.

From then on, no matter how busy he was, he would always rush back to Yanfu Residence at dusk to have dinner with the two of them, one big and one small.

After dinner, he accompanied them to walk in circles in the yard to help them digest the food. Then, after they took a bath and went to bed, he leaned on the edge of the bed and fanned them.

After the two fell asleep, he would get up again, turn his wheelchair and go out to continue his work, often working until late at night before returning to his room to rest.

However, Meng Yuning, who was soundly sleeping, was unaware of all this.

When she fell asleep at night, Qi Jingyan was in bed. When she woke up in the morning, Qi Jingyan took Yi'er to practice martial arts again.

She also didn't know that in the dead of night, figures would sometimes quietly climb over the wall in a secluded corner of the mansion's backyard, and new faces would often come in and out of the Qingke Hall in the night.

No matter how busy Qi Jingyan was, he would always teach Yier every morning.

The business matters have not been settled yet. Yi'er has gone to class, and Meng Yuning doesn't have much to do.

When he was free, he would take Mu Ying, Mu Li and a group of people out of the house, walk far away, and find some beautiful wild plants and flowers to transplant back to the house.

We will be living here for a few years, so it would be nice to tidy it up and feel better.

Sometimes when she was in a good mood, she would cook a few side dishes herself to reward Yi'er who worked hard at studying and Qi Jingyan who worked hard all day.

The days passed in such a plain and peaceful manner, and in the blink of an eye it was July.

That night, Doctor Tang once again examined Qi Jingyan's pulse and legs.

After a careful inspection, Divine Doctor Tang finally nodded slightly under everyone's expectant gaze, stroking his beard and saying, "Your Highness's leg bone has healed. Starting tomorrow, you should stand up and walk for a while every now and then. Remember to proceed step by step and don't rush things."

As soon as the words fell, the whole room was filled with cheers.

Meng Yuning was so overjoyed that she picked up Yi'er and spun him around several times, her eyes curved and her face as bright as a flower: "Yier, did you hear that? Brother's leg is healed, and he'll be able to stand up tomorrow!"

Meng Yuning thought that Yi'er would clap his hands and laugh with her as usual, but unexpectedly the little baby pouted his lips and cried out "wow".