Chapter 145 She Doesn’t Like This Marriage
After hearing the first half of the old lady's words, Meng Yan had already guessed what she wanted to say in the second half, and sure enough, it turned out to be true.
The intention was to confirm the matter thoroughly in front of the Empress Dowager, so that even if something unexpected happened in the future, the marriage would have the Empress Dowager's witness.
Meng Yan didn't try to persuade him. She just picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. Then she asked Zheng Fangchu with a smile, "A few years ago, I heard that the third young lady was not feeling well. Is she okay now?"
Zheng Fangchu suddenly saw the Imperial Concubine smiling at her, and her face flushed red. She quickly stood up and replied vaguely, "Thank you for your concern, Imperial Concubine. My symptoms don't recur until autumn. When they do, it's just a cough, nothing else. I've consulted many doctors, but they couldn't find anything. I'm just taking some pills to nourish my yin and moisten my lungs."
Meng Yan's smile deepened. It was just a short question, alright, alright. Even if it was a little inappropriate, she should have restrained herself in front of the empress dowager. But she had spoken at such length, openly flaunting her delicate and precious body to draw pity from the elders.
She does have some of the scheming and tactics of a concubine in the inner court, but unfortunately they are all petty cleverness that cannot be put on the table.
I don't know what the atmosphere is like in the inner court of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion. They actually brought up a young lady like this, using all the tricks of concubines and maids to compete for favor and flirt.
My own prince is a rough person. His mother passed away early, and his father never remarried or took a concubine. He hasn't even had a favorite maid in all these years. Naturally, he has never seen these kinds of tricks, so it's not surprising that he was conquered by Zheng Fangchu.
Meng Yan handed the tea bowl to Ruizhu and said with feigned concern, "So that's the case. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you pay your respects to the palace in the past two years. Since you had such symptoms, why didn't you send someone to the palace earlier to inform me? Even if I can't go out, my grandfather still has many disciples. I'm not bragging, but the Ning family's medical skills are much better than those of those second-rate doctors. I'll let someone know and send someone over to take a look. It would be best to eliminate the root cause as soon as possible."
After hearing these words, the mother and daughter were overjoyed. They thought that the imperial concubine really cared about her sister-in-law who had not yet married into the family, and their faces were very bright.
But Meng Yan continued, "Since you have entered the palace today, it is also a coincidence. You don't need anyone else. I will show you later. I have inherited my grandfather's true skills. Even the Empress Dowager praised my skills." Then she smiled and asked Empress Dowager Jiang, "Empress Dowager, is what I said right?"
Empress Dowager Jiang chuckled, "You mischievous girl, you've already spread the news, and you're still asking me why? Can I really betray you in public?" After laughing, she said to the old lady, "I'm not just boasting, the Imperial Concubine's medical skills are exceptional. Aside from Imperial Physician Xiahou, she's the only one in the harem who can offer medical advice. Now that she's spoken, let's find a good opportunity and have her examine the Third Young Lady. You're still young, don't let yourself develop a chronic illness."
Zheng Fangchu's face paled immediately, and the Anguo Duke's wife forced a smile. "How can this be allowed... Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is of such high status, how could she condescend to treat my daughter? If this gets out, wouldn't people laugh at our Anguo Duke's Mansion for not even understanding this little etiquette?"
Zheng Fangchu doesn't have any illness, but he does have some pretentious problems.
What's wrong with the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine today? Why are they so stubborn about this matter?
Meng Yan smiled softly and gracefully, "Old Madam, you're being too polite. We'll be in mourning for each other in the future, so why bother with all this? Besides, the only people who know about this today are me and the Empress Dowager. Who else can spread the news?"
The implication is that if today's events are discussed by outsiders, it is because the women of the Anguo Mansion spread the news themselves.
The Imperial Concubine spoke softly, but every word was a warning, which made the old lady feel quite frightened.
This isn't right. Is this person in front of her really the Concubine Meng in her impression?
The wife of the Duke of Anguo was calculating. The wife of the Meng family had died young, and Mr. Meng had long since ceased to care for the family, not to mention that he was a man. Once Zheng Fangchu married and won over Meng Changyuan, she would naturally have full control over the Yiyang Marquisate's possessions. The only concern she had about the Meng family was the imperial concubine in the palace.
But based on past experience, Concubine Meng was shallow, impatient, and extremely conceited, with temperaments almost identical to those of her father and brother. Such a person, even in a high position, as the master's wife, would be extremely easy to manipulate.
As long as they can conquer this young lady, the Yiyang Marquis Mansion will be the world of the Zheng family and her daughter.
However, when we met today, this Imperial Concubine... didn't seem so easy to deal with.
Meng Yan glanced at her with a smile. Putting Zheng Fangchu aside for now, it was obvious that the wife of the Duke of Anguo was old but young at heart. She came today to pave the way for her daughter. With a mother like her, it was obvious where Zheng Fangchu's shameless character and scheming came from.
Thinking of this, she sighed softly.
If my mother were still alive and had been interacting with them over the past few years, she would have been able to detect the clues earlier and deal with them earlier.
My mother was gone, and my father, a single man, naturally found it difficult to associate with them, an orphan and a widow, and they had been taking advantage of us until now. In my previous life, it had even caused such a disaster.
A family cannot function without women. There are some things that only women can handle.
Putting aside her thoughts, Meng Yan smiled at Zheng Fangchu again, her expression full of intimacy. "Father originally said he would marry you a few years ago, but unfortunately, the national mourning period forced us to postpone it. Since then, you've been in poor health, and you've been in mourning, so we've had to put it off until now. Now that my brother is fighting in the southwest, you'll have to be patient for a while longer."
The more she wanted to cancel the marriage, the more she had to treat Zheng Fangchu with courtesy, so that the truth would not be revealed in the future and people would accuse her Meng family of bullying a widow.
In his previous life, it was precisely because of the status of the widow of the Duke of Anguo that he had acted in such a way that he had been criticized. Although Zheng Fangchu had been rude before, people are two-faced and don't care about that when they want to frame someone.
Zheng Fangchu agreed hesitantly. He had a lot to say, but under the gaze of the imperial concubine, he couldn't utter a single word.
The imperial concubine's eyes were like a mirror, as if they could see through her whole heart.
She couldn't help but gently clench her hands hidden in her sleeves, and her resistance to this marriage became even stronger.
After sitting for some time, the other ladies also arrived and came in one after another to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Meng Yan is hosting the banquet today, so she can't avoid some negotiations.
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