Princess of Liang (10)

Meng Shizhuang knew just as much as he could about Prince Liang's mansion.

The people at Prince Liang's mansion hadn't been silent about their affairs, but most of what they'd told him was what Song Jingyan had tacitly allowed. He had no intention of exploring further, and besides, he naturally disliked hearing about these rambling, old stories; it gave him a headache.

Meng Shizhuang, who thought he was simple-minded, didn't want to hold so much hatred in his heart - especially the hatred of others.

He walked out of Sujian Mountain's twelve gates, step by step. This was something even Lao Ju couldn't explain. When he was younger, he'd dragged his heavy Sujian sword, watching Ke Congzhou's dashing figure on the training grounds. He'd imagined himself dragging the Sujian sword with him, unleashing great power, and then taking down those who had bullied him and Lao Ju on the mountain one by one, and then casually sparing them with his sword. Finally, he'd throw down the Sujian sword, laugh heartily, and walk away with Lao Ju.

The hatred and resentment of generations will end with him.

And the hatred will not remain with him. A simple and direct confrontation should eliminate his hatred.

Unfortunately, since some time ago, he was filled with resentment and blamed everyone, like a bloody blade soaked in hatred.

Even today, when he recalls the time on Sujian Mountain, he still feels a fatigue that transcends his body.

If one's own hatred is like this, what about other people's emotions?

He didn't understand what the people in Prince Liang's mansion said about the bloody battlefield and the worries about the country caused by foreign invasions.

Old Prince Liang could go wherever he pleased. He stayed in the capital when there was unrest within the country, and he worried about foreign invasions, so going to Shangyang was understandable. He wasn't plotting rebellion or being lazy, so why would the emperor bother with him? Moreover, over a decade had passed, the borders were well defended, the capital was doing just fine, so there was no need to worry. So why were the people in Prince Liang's mansion acting so terribly as if they were facing a formidable enemy?

Why does Emperor Xue look so hateful in their mouths?

In short, they couldn't get along with Meng Shizhuang, and Meng Shizhuang didn't like to listen.

He followed these people north, and along the way he gradually realized that a doctor couldn't just give him what he wanted. So after attending the morning classes that made his ears ring, practicing swordsmanship with Shao Zheng, and having some free time, he would run to Mr. Zhou's courtyard. Fortunately, Mr. Zhou didn't mind his interruption, and he didn't like to talk nonsense like others, so Meng Shizhuang loved coming here.

In the past, Lao Ju had been ill for a long time and he became a doctor, so it was not difficult for him to steal someone's skills.

After spending a long time with him, Mr. Zhou unexpectedly found that this kid was quite good.

Although his appearance was a little unpleasant to the eyes, his back was straighter than a bamboo pole, so he did not have a vulgar temperament; his face looked cynical, and there was a deep sense of hostility hidden under his brows, but I had never seen him lose his temper.

Sometimes Meng Shizhuang would be asked to help with the complicated preparation of medicinal materials, and he would always patiently help.

Mr. Zhou lay in a rocking chair basking in the sun, looking at Meng Shizhuang, whose eyebrows and eyes still looked a little gloomy, and thought to himself: Don't judge a book by its cover.

He closed the medical book spread out like a fan and prepared to test Meng Shizhuang on the medicinal herbs he had memorized yesterday. At this moment, Qiu He came in from outside: "Your Highness, the wife of the Minister of Personnel has sent an invitation to attend the banquet to appreciate the flowers. My sister said it's worth going."

Meng Shizhuang said "Oh" and casually put back the pearl flower she had just taken off.

Qiu He stepped forward and tried to straighten him up, but he waved his hand to refuse.

Meng Shizhuang said goodbye to Mr. Zhou and said she would come back in the evening.

Qiu He saw this scene and didn't say much.

Meng Shizhuang knew that he was a Westerner. He had never known what propriety meant, and he had never asked for advice on what he should and shouldn't do. But over the past few days, everyone in the Prince Liang's Mansion, except for the fact that he could not unite against the enemy over the old things, had actually accepted him very much.

Qiu He followed behind him and saluted Mr. Zhou.

After seeing them off, Mr. Zhou, who had been slumped in his rocking chair all morning, finally stood up and prepared to go check on the herbs Meng Shizhuang had been drying. But then Song Jingyan arrived.

Mr. Zhou assumed it was just the same old routine. While checking the herbs, he said, "The kid came to me to learn the ways of Qi Huang. I didn't do anything else, and I didn't ask too many questions." His words seemed a bit terse compared to the long speeches he'd given when Bian Hongqiu was around. He straightened up and thought, "It'll take some time for his hand to heal, but the internal injuries are almost gone."

He shook his head as he recalled how he had previously reported every detail of Bian Hongqiu to Song Jingyan, even wanting to know what kind of tea Bian Hongqiu had drunk, how many sips he had taken, and whether he would have trouble sleeping at night. He then realized that Song Jingyan had been silent since she entered the courtyard.

Mr. Zhou looked sideways and saw Song Jingyan standing there, with Hengbo holding an umbrella for her.

Hengbo also thought that Song Jingyan came to ask Meng Shizhuang what she was doing here.

The capital was bustling with activity—after His Majesty generously bestowed the princess with a reward, silence reigned within the palace. For over half a month, Song Jingyan busied herself with contacting old friends, navigating various factions, and gathering information that couldn't reach her superiors. She often left the palace in disguise at night, returning at noon in a carriage pulled out by Shao Zheng early that morning.

So Meng Shizhuang was not seen in the study or the martial arts field. Upon asking, it was found that he always went to Mr. Zhou's place.

Hengbo also thought that this flower-viewing post was probably meant to get Meng Shizhuang away.

Unexpectedly, Song Jingyan stood for a while, then said calmly, "I've been busy lately and haven't had much rest these past two days. I haven't been able to sleep well at night. Please, Mr. Zhou, prescribe two doses of medicine for me."

Mr. Zhou and Hengbo both stood there in a daze.

Mr. Zhou was the fastest to react and said, "Okay, Miss Song, wait a minute."

Hengbo, however, held up his umbrella and seemed to be hesitant to speak, until he took the medicine prescribed by Mr. Zhou, without saying a word.

Song Jingyan returned to her room and took some medicine, but she slept through the afternoon with nightmares. When she woke up, she was sweating profusely. She couldn't recall anything about her dream. She pinched her brows and chanted a few mantras to clear her mind, but she still felt a suffocation in her chest. After sitting quietly for a long time, she changed her clothes and went to the study.

In the study, Liu Mengdie was studying ancient scrolls.

The old man didn't care whether his students attended classes or not when he was in his study; he seemed to live there forever, his hands never leaving his books. Seeing Song Jingyan coming over, he reminded her, "That kid left after his morning class."

He didn't know that Meng Shizhuang had already taken a carriage to become a butterfly at the flower viewing banquet, so he added, "Probably at Xiao Zhou's pharmacy."

Song Jingyan's face was still expressionless: "I came to see the notes left by the old prince. Meng Shizhuang has left the house."

Mr. Liu was of seniority and experience, so he was able to chat casually with Song Jingyan. "Yes, you rarely send people to inquire about the study's situation now. Is it because he's not His Highness, and you don't care about him? This person of unknown origin has replaced His Highness's identity. I thought you would treat him more like a prisoner."

There was something ambiguous in his words.

No one in the mansion dared to say these words to Song Jingyan. Now that Liu Mengdie had exposed them, Song Jingyan did not evade him. She sat down opposite him and said, "I'm not as worried about him as I am about His Highness. Everyone in the mansion treats him well."

Liu Mengdie was in charge of the study, so how could he know if Meng Shizhuang was starving or freezing somewhere else? He knew that wasn't what Song Jingyan wanted to say, so he snorted and laughed, "Lord Song has strict rules. Who in the mansion would dare to disobey them?"

Song Jingyan took a sip of tea and said, "If that were the case, His Highness wouldn't have lost it."

This is something they are all trying to whitewash.

No matter how fierce the pirates were, with a team of elite soldiers from Shangyang, and Song Jingyan dispatching a large number of men to guard Bian Hongqiu, how could they be captured so easily? They would have died at the border of Shangyang long ago, and how could they have had the energy to stir up trouble in Beijing?

But firstly, these people were the only ones left in the Liang Wang Mansion's old staff, and secondly, they really couldn't let go of the years of friendship, so they just kept it a secret for the time being.

Liu Mengdie put the scroll aside and said, "I know that this is not your intention. The princess is pretending to be crazy and stupid, and refuses to treat Your Highness well. Life in Shangyang is too hard, and there are frequent invasions from barbarians outside the Great Wall. You are too busy to handle everything. When you occasionally return to see Your Highness, you can't bear to criticize him. Jingyan, you treat him like a child. Have you ever considered that he is also the next master of the Liang Palace?"

Of course Song Jingyan had thought about it.

But thinking about it is one thing, but doing it is really difficult.

Liu Mengdie's slightly old eyes stared at him, and the sharp light in them almost saw through Song Jingyan.

"It's not that you don't care about Meng Shizhuang. You want to let him go so that you can let His Highness go too, right?"

"The situation in Ming Hunzhou is dangerous. I have never taught Your Highness how to survive. I..."

Song Jingyan's expression became depressed for a moment.

She told everyone that Bian Hongqiu would definitely come back, but in her heart she didn't want to think about how likely it was. She hadn't taught Bian Hongqiu how to walk, but now she hoped that Bian Hongqiu would run back to her?

Liu Mengdie shook her head at her again: "I told you, you always forget that he is the next master of the Liang Palace."

"As subordinates, we can't say we haven't done our utmost. Your Majesty gave the Eighteen Continents of Zuodan to the King of Jingxi because of a male favorite. How many court officials fled the capital? The Liang Palace collapsed after the death of the old King Liang. Those who stayed did so out of conscience. With our status, how could we be qualified to teach His Highness?"

"Everyone has a different destiny. From the moment His Highness was born in Shangyang, he was destined to bear responsibilities that ordinary people cannot bear. He must have a heart and eyes that are a hundred times clearer than ordinary people."

He casually pulled out the large, crooked handwriting of Meng Shizhuang: "Although Meng Shizhuang may be a bit crude, and in simple terms, he is by no means as noble as Your Highness, but he was able to stay alone with Liu Lang and survive on the Xiliu Sea. He can shoulder his fate and his responsibilities. But even so, you saw that he was covered in wounds and that he was a skeleton."

"His Highness owns the Prince of Liang's mansion. He's read all the necessary books and is as good as anyone in the six arts. Do you think we're going to blame him for being too protective of us and making him a weakling?"

There was disappointment in Liu Mengdie's eyes: "Jingyan, if you think this way, you still don't regard him as the master of Prince Liang's Mansion, and the same goes for His Highness."

The study was silent, with only the sound of books turning in the wind.

Song Jingyan stared at her reflection in the tea for a long time, "... Wait until His Highness returns..."

She couldn't continue speaking, not knowing whether she was worried about whether Bian Hongqiu would come back, or about the path she should take in the future.

Liu Mengdie continued: "Now, it all depends on Your Highness."

He paused, "And Meng Shizhuang, I can see that Prince Liang's Mansion is not his home. He has something on his mind. Once the news of Hunzhou's accessibility gets out, you won't be able to keep him there no matter what. You should make plans as soon as possible."

Song Jingyan broke free from her thoughts and looked at Liu Mengdie in surprise.

Liu Mengdie said this naturally, as if she was considering everything for the Liang Palace, but in fact she was secretly testing her, asking her not to force Meng Shizhuang to stay.

Song Jingyan refilled her tea. "You said before that Meng Shizhuang was stubborn and unyielding, like a stick, who wouldn't understand no matter what you said, good or bad. Teaching him was like playing the lute to a cow, and you were so angry that you pulled out your beard every day. But now you really treat him as a student?"

Liu Mengdie looked uncomfortable after hearing what she said, "That's why I asked you to kick him out of the house as soon as possible."

Song Jingyan felt much better after chatting with someone. She smiled slightly and said, "Shao Zheng is the same. Whenever he mentioned him, his words were full of praise. He used to be very kind to Your Highness..."

I have never been polite to Your Highness.

The smile on Song Jingyan's face could no longer be maintained.

Liu Mengdie said, "Your Highness is at least much calmer than him. If this child hadn't been locked up in the mansion, he would definitely be a troublemaker."

Song Jingyan didn't nod. In fact, Meng Shizhuang had already taken Qin He and Qiu He to several banquets on her own, without any mistakes or bullying. After all, they were working for the Liang Palace. She still explained, "It's not something that would cause trouble."

Before she finished her words, the messenger who made her feel "ashamed" rushed into the study.

Hengbo hurriedly pushed open the door: "My sister is in trouble. His Highness Meng... beat up the prince of the Zhenguo Duke!"