Chapter 162 If He Can Be Peaceful and Happy, She Will Be Content
Ruizhu listened and smiled quickly, "Your Majesty has thought of everything. The weather has been hot and dry these past two days, and I've been feeling restless and irritable, not to mention the Emperor's busy affairs of state. I'll go and give the order right away, and I'm sure it won't interfere with Your Majesty's work."
As she spoke, she hurried to the threshold, called a little palace maid over, and gave her some instructions.
Meng Yan poked the Dongpo elbow with her chopsticks again, tore off a piece of fat and lean meat, and placed it in the cardamom bowl. Looking at her obediently lowering her head to eat, she couldn't help but smile slightly, her face full of kindness.
After being taught a lesson by her over the past few days, Doukou's bad habit of being picky about food has finally improved a little. Now he can eat by himself without her feeding him.
Perhaps because the weather was too hot, she had no appetite, so she put down her chopsticks and held her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
Thinking of Lu Haozhi's anxious look of scratching his ears and cheeks during the day, Meng Yan always found it a bit funny.
It had only been a short time, and he was already suffering so much. How did he endure all those years as a monk as he said in the letter?
Ruizhu finished her errand and returned. Seeing that her master had only taken a few bites of her bowl of rice before putting down her chopsticks, she asked, "Madam, are you not going to eat anymore?"
Meng Yan wiped the sweat from her forehead and covered it up, "It's so hot out here, I've lost my appetite. I can't eat. Go tell the bathing room to prepare some hot water, and I'll have a bath later." Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "How's Yuxin doing? It's been a turbulent day, and I haven't been able to pay her any attention."
Ruizhu replied, "In the evening, Noble Lady Bai sent Lingyu over. Upon learning that the Emperor was here, she did not come in. She only left a message saying that Noble Lady had taken the medicine given by the Empress and was sweating all over. The fever had subsided, and that the Empress did not need to worry."
Meng Yan nodded. "In that case, send someone over to tell her that I'll go see her after I bathe." Then she casually said, "These past two days, I've noticed that Yu Xin has been using Lingyu more often, and the red beans her mother's family brought haven't been around much."
Ruizhu said, "Your Majesty is right. From my perspective, Lingyu is more stable than Hongdou. I heard from people over there that Hongdou somehow angered Noble Lady Bai, and now she no longer serves him and has been forced to do menial work."
Meng Yan was silent for a long time after hearing this, then suddenly smiled, "She can be considered as a person with a clear mind and sharp eyes."
After dinner, it is time to light the lamps.
After taking a bath, Meng Yan handed Doukou to the care of the wet nurse, and went to Bai Yuxin's residence wearing only silk pajamas.
Bai Yuxin had already lain down, but upon hearing the announcement, she sat up again and said with a smile, "Sister is here."
As he said this, he was about to go out to the field.
Meng Yan walked in wearing embroidered slippers. "You are sick, so you don't need to get up soon. I'll come to see you and then go back to bed." As she said this, she walked to the bedside.
A palace maid had already placed a mahogany square stool, and she sat down. The palace maid named Lingyu brought her a cup of bamboo leaf tea and then left.
Meng Yan looked at Lingyu's slender back, narrowed her eyes, and smiled, "Have you thought it through? In this palace, without a capable person by your side, it would be like a lame man without a crutch."
Bai Yuxin smiled faintly, "I've forgiven her several times, but she remains unrepentant. No matter how much we cherish the bond between master and servant, there should be a limit. Besides, I'm worried that if this continues, it will ruin my sister's plans."
Meng Yan took a sip of tea and said softly, "I'm not destined to fall into the hands of a mere palace maid. But you're right. If you tolerate me endlessly, people won't remember your kindness, but will only think you're cowardly and can be bullied."
Bai Yuxin sighed, "In the past, I always thought she was still young and came from our hometown together, so I couldn't bear to send her away like this. However, today, she actually ran away secretly without my knowledge and even bribed the palace maids in front of the emperor, intending to lure the emperor to Chunzezhai. I can't tolerate her acting on her own. It's also thanks to my sister. If it was someone else, I don't know how suspicious I would be. So I thought it would be better to send her out of the palace and marry."
Meng Yan used the lid of her tea bowl to fiddle with the bamboo leaves floating in it and said, "Since you've made up your mind, that's all good." Then she smiled at her and said, "Don't take it too seriously. It's thanks to her that I have the leverage over the Liang family."
Today, by some strange coincidence, when Meng Yan sent two aunts to keep an eye on the two girls from the Liang family, Hongdou happened to come out of Chunze Zhai.
According to the rules of the harem, maids must travel in pairs. Hongdou was wandering around the garden alone and was stopped and questioned. She stammered and could not explain herself.
The two aunts were veterans in the palace and had experienced everything. They immediately arrested her and escorted her to Meng Yan.
Meng Yan was busy with the socializing at the flower viewing banquet and the underwater undercurrents, and had no time to care about these things. She roughly understood what was going on, so she ordered them to be sent back to Bai Yuxin, which led to the scene that night.
She said this just to comfort Bai Yuxin and prevent her from blaming herself too much.
Bai Yuxin listened, and a smile indeed appeared on her face. "I also heard some of the disturbances at the banquet. Nowadays, nothing can be hidden from my sister in the palace."
Meng Yan listened, smiled and said nothing.
As Bai Yuxin had said, the entire palace was filled with her spies. It was precisely because of this that she had been able to easily find evidence against Zheng Fangchu and Liang Chunrong today.
All of this was tacitly approved by Empress Dowager Jiang.
The Empress Dowager really intended to hand over this burden to her. Since she had promised the old lady, she had to take it up.
She didn't want to mention these things in front of Bai Yuxin. She just told Bai Yuxin about the lively banquet during the day, the strange stories she heard from the ladies of various families, and the good news of Meng Changyuan's great victory at the border.
Bai Yuxin actually received the news early in the morning, but at this moment, seeing Meng Yan's beaming face, she was sincerely happy for her.
She lowered her eyes slightly and smiled faintly, "The prince is brave and skilled in battle, a master of military tactics, and with the protection of heaven, he will naturally be victorious in every battle. Now, sister can finally rest assured."
Meng Yan smiled and said, "Everything else is fine. As long as my brother can return safely, I will be satisfied. Now, I just hope that my brother can marry a gentle and virtuous sister-in-law and live a happy life together."
Bai Yuxin twitched her lips slightly, revealing a faint smile, "A man as majestic as the Crown Prince, who has made such great achievements, must be worthy of a lady from a noble family."
Seeing that she looked tired and exhausted, Meng Yan thought she was just weak from illness, so she didn't disturb her to rest. She said a few words to her, urging her to rest more, and then got up and left.
After Meng Yan left, Ling Yu came over and helped her lie down, lowered the tent, and said, "My lady, please sleep well. I will be here to watch over you. If you need anything, just call me."
Bai Yuxin said nothing, but her heart was very peaceful.
Lingyu is honest and taciturn, with a calm temperament. Compared with the overly clever Hongdou, he is much more down-to-earth.
Meng Changyuan returned triumphantly, and the joy in her heart was no less than that of Meng Yan.
No one knew what she was praying for in her heart when she worshipped the moon on those countless nights.
Just now, when she heard Sister Yan say that she only hoped he could marry a gentle and virtuous wife, she was thinking the same thing in her heart.
Although it was a bit bittersweet, she would be content as long as he could be safe and happy.
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