Chapter 210 He felt a little mean
Duke Protector of the Country, have you broken off the engagement?
Liu Qilan suddenly remembered meeting him at the Ding'an Earl's house on the first day of the new year, and how angry he looked when he talked about the cancellation of the engagement.
He canceled the marriage before the end of the year, which shows how much this marriage bothered him.
Liu Qilan lowered her head and stroked the teacup, her brother and sister-in-law's words constantly ringing in her ears.
"Could it be the Duke of the Protectorate? The rumors were all over the capital the other day. I vaguely heard people talking about it, saying that the Duke of the Protectorate has become so successful that he doesn't recognize anyone and wants to change his wife. So, it's actually true?"
"How could that be! It was the daughter of the Zheng family who wronged him first, and took advantage of his absence to hook up with someone. After Brother Meng returned to the capital, he started trying to cancel the engagement, but he didn't want to make it public, so as to save face for the Zheng family. Who would have thought that a family of such dignified Dukes would imitate those ruffians and shamelessly pester them, causing trouble for over a month. It wasn't until yesterday that two uncles from the Zheng family came forward, apologized to Brother Meng, and canceled the engagement. Brother Meng was so happy today that he invited me to Dexing Tower for a drink, which is why it has come to this point."
Liu Zhengfeng came back from drinking and talked so many words in one breath. He felt thirsty and picked up the sobering tea brought by the maid and drank it all in one gulp.
It turns out that there is such a story behind this.
Their situations are somewhat similar.
Wang said, "How could such a thing even exist? Miss Zheng is a well-behaved lady from a prestigious family, how could she be so shameless? Since he told you this, is there something else going on?" She pursed her lips and smiled, "You men, you really can't trust your words."
This was originally a joke between him and his wife, but for some reason, Liu Qilan found it a bit harsh.
"Sister-in-law, the Duke of the Protectorate was appointed by the Emperor, and he is also my brother's long-time friend. He must be a man of integrity and a gentleman. He would never do such a thing."
After saying this, she placed the teacup on the table and said, "The managers of the various departments outside are still waiting for me to check the accounts of the annual expenses, so I will go first."
After saying this, Liu Yilan got up and left.
Wang was surprised and couldn't help but say, "This girl, why did she suddenly get angry?"
Liu Zhengfeng looked at the girl's graceful back, hidden behind the aqua-red door curtain sprinkled with gold, and held his chin in his hand without saying a word.
Liu Qilan returned to her small courtyard, and sure enough, the maids in charge of various affairs were already waiting in the courtyard.
Seeing her coming, everyone held their breath and stood solemnly with their hands hanging down.
She entered the main room and sat down, then instructed the maid to call in people one by one for questioning. If there were no questions, she would ask them a few questions and then let them go immediately; if there were some things to say, she would delay for a while.
Everyone knows that this young lady is proficient in accounting and has great ability in managing the household. Today, she just sent the head maid in her room to a new position, so she dared not to fool around and had to be extremely alert.
Liu Qilan looked through a few pages of accounts and found nothing unusual, so she told the maid to distribute chips and dismiss everyone.
After everyone had dispersed, she was about to go back to her room to fix her makeup, but she heard the maid guarding the door outside say, "The master is here."
Liu Qilan had no choice but to turn back, and sure enough, she saw Liu Zhengfeng walking in.
Liu Zhengfeng had changed into casual clothes and said, "Just now I saw that everyone here has left. It's been a busy year, and your sister-in-law is not in good health. She has been a burden to you."
Liu Qilan ordered the maid to serve tea. The brother and sister sat opposite each other and smiled slightly, "Brother, you are too polite. We are one family, why should we have different opinions?"
Liu Zhengfeng continued, "Your sister-in-law has just told me what happened at the Ding'an Marquis's residence. That fellow Zhang Huai is so despicable and abominable! Don't worry, sister. Since we have witnesses and evidence, I will go to his residence tomorrow and cancel this marriage! If he dares to cheat again, I will unite with several colleagues in the court and submit a memorial to the emperor to report his lewd behavior!"
Liu Qilan responded with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, brother."
Although she suffered a small loss at the Ding'an Marquis's Mansion that day, she had the leverage over Zhang Huai, so she no longer took this marriage, which was like a thorn in her side, to heart.
Zhang Huai is a bully who only bullies the weak and fears the strong. He appears powerful but is actually weak. The Anding Mansion has not been as strong as before in recent years, and the manor dares not cause any trouble in front of the emperor.
He held on to her so tightly that he didn't even hesitate to lower his status and become a rapist. Wasn't it just because he wanted to cling to her Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion?
Liu Zhengfeng looked at his sister with her eyes fixed on her chest, a faint smile on her lips, and a calm and composed look, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Many times, he couldn't see what the girl was thinking.
In her early years, she stayed alone in the old house in Suzhou to accompany her grandmother. Although she was ostensibly the one enjoying her grandmother's care, according to the old family members who came to Beijing, it was actually the second daughter who cared for the old lady. Especially since the old lady later became somewhat confused, if it weren't for the second daughter's vigilance, who knows how many of the antiques, calligraphy, paintings, jewelry and utensils in the mansion would have been stolen.
My father had wanted to bring them to Beijing, but my grandmother was old and reluctant to leave her hometown. Instead, my younger sister wrote to Beijing, telling them not to worry and that she would take care of everything. Only after my grandmother passed away did she come to Beijing.
On the way to Beijing, that incident happened again.
Fortunately, nothing happened. After she entered the mansion, no matter how my wife and I tried to hint or get straight to the point, she just refused to tell us who the person was that night.
He and his sister had been apart for so long that now that they were together, they always felt a lack of closeness...
Today, when Meng Changyuan invited him for a drink, he suddenly mentioned that two years ago he had been ordered to go to Jiming Mountain to suppress bandits. On the first day of the new year, he met Zheng Fangchu at the Ding'an Earl's Mansion. Could it be that...
Liu Zhengfeng's eyes lit up slightly, and he whispered, "Sister, please tell me the truth. Who was it that saved you at Jiming Mountain?"
Liu Milan was slightly startled, then said softly, "Brother, I've already said that since I'm safe and sound, why should I bother asking about the person from that night? That person is Milan's benefactor. Milan...can't let this be a reason to harass him."
"You, don't you think about yourself?"
Looking at his sister's calm and beautiful face, Liu Zhengfeng felt a little discouraged. He knew that his sister had a flexible personality, soft on the outside but strong on the inside. If she refused to speak, there would be no way to pry her mouth open.
Liu Zhengfeng hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then I have only one question for you: are the people on Jiming Mountain and the people in Ding'an Marquis' Mansion the same person?"
Liu Qilan was silent for a moment before she said, "Brother, don't ask any more questions. I don't want to talk about it." Then she glanced at the sky outside and said, "It's late. Please go back, brother."
Liu Zhengfeng had no choice but to leave.
Liu Qilan opened the window and stared at the jade-like disk in the sky, lost in thought.
Even if she called off the engagement with Zhang Huai, she couldn't rely on this kind of thing to blame him...
Meng Changyuan said goodbye to Liu Zhengfeng at Dexing Tower and rode his horse back home.
Today, he was in a very good mood. Yesterday, two elders of the Zheng clan came to his house with the marriage cancellation document and the betrothal gifts sent that day. They bowed and kowtowed, apologized for most of the day, and canceled the marriage.
Meng Changyuan felt as if he had thrown off a heavy burden, and his whole body felt relaxed.
He is now a free man...
When he thought of this, he felt happy, but he couldn't say what he was happy about.
When I returned to the mansion, the only light was still on the wall, and the place was cold and deserted.
Come to think of it, at his age, if he were a young man from Beppu, he would have had a house full of wives and concubines, or even children around him. How could he be like this, still single until now?
Today, he specially invited Liu Zhengfeng to drink and celebrate. At this moment, she...she should know that he has broken off the engagement, right?
Thinking of this, Meng Changyuan suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.
What is he expecting!
The girl from the Liu family is only eighteen years old this year, and he... he is almost eight years older than her!
The Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion is also a prominent family. Since the previous dynasty, it has been a family of scholars and nobility.
With her looks and personality, and at the prime of her youth, even if she broke off the engagement, she would still be surrounded by suitors. Why would she marry a man so much older than her? It's not like she's remarrying someone else!
Even the Liu family would not agree to it.
Today, he mentioned those two things to Liu Zhengfeng intentionally or unintentionally. Was he trying to repay the favor?
Meng Changyuan suddenly felt that he was a little despicable.
He breathed a long sigh, used one hand as a pillow, and lay down on the bed, his thoughts flying back to Jiming Mountain two years ago.
How did she, a weak and lonely woman who had just escaped from the hands of thieves, manage to protect herself in that wild cave all night?
Meng Changyuan hated himself a little. Why did he stay unconscious for the whole night?
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the New Year is over and the weather is getting warmer day by day.
The fact that Meng Changyuan broke off the engagement was not made public at first, but there is no wall that is impenetrable in this world.
The Anguo Duke's mansion had canceled the marriage itself. Furthermore, despite the strict orders issued by the Earl of Ding'an, some of the servants within the mansion were lax, and rumors spread that the eldest daughter of the Zheng family disdained the Huguo Duke and was seeking a higher position, hence the cancellation of the engagement. Other rumors circulated that the Anguo Duke's mansion, relying on their daughter's beauty, was attempting to elevate her status, thus disdaining even the Huguo Duke's status. There were also gossips, sporadic reports of Zheng Fangchu's past misdeeds.
In an instant, Zheng Fangchu went from being the daughter of the Duke of Anguo to a renowned and sultry woman, with the streets and alleys filled with stories of her. The common people, with nothing better to do than to gossip about the secrets of these wealthy families, especially the scandal of a young lady from the Duke's mansion having an affair.
Zheng Fangchu's reputation was completely ruined. Not to mention that the Anguo Mansion was already in decline, even if it was at its peak, such a thing would have been quite troublesome. Everyone has a mouth, how many of them can you shut?
She cried her heart out in her boudoir, and her illness had just improved a little, but then it got worse again. This time she almost died, and she was bedridden for more than half a year until the autumn wind began to blow, and she began to get better.
She was notorious and no one cared about her. She didn't marry a fifth-rank military officer until she was nearly 30 years old.
The man came from humble origins, having earned his position through sheer force. His language was crude, and he knew no tenderness. His family wasn't particularly wealthy. When Zheng Fangchu began to care for herself, she was scolded as a "spendthrift." "Did I marry you just to see you as a painting?" she cried constantly, but only behind his back. Those few tears that once evoked pity now earned only a barrage of scolding. Sometimes, recalling the moment she and Meng Changyuan were engaged, it felt like a dream. Of course, that was all later.
In comparison, Liu Qilan's marriage was withdrawn quietly.
Just as she had expected, Zhang Huai became a frightened rat after that incident. He stayed in his house all day long and dared not go out. He was always suspicious that someone was trying to harm him.
The Duke of Anding knew that he was being rude, and when Liu Zhengfeng came to explain his intentions, he immediately agreed to cancel the engagement without daring to say a word.
As February approached, the weather became warmer and the willow branches in the imperial garden began to sprout green buds.
Meng Yan leaned against a soft pillow and sorted out the needlework for the children on the kang.
The spring breeze blew in from the window, feeling warm on my face and bringing with it a hint of nameless floral fragrance.
She sniffed gently, laughing and sighing, "It's spring now, and I've been stuck here for so long! I'm so tired of it!"
Ruizhu was inserting a bunch of willow branches into a vase and said with a smile, "The emperor picked these branches himself in the imperial garden and asked Eunuch Rong to deliver them. He said the queen couldn't go out, and there are no willow trees in Tishun Hall, so we'll just have to wait and see the spring."
Meng Yan snorted lightly, "Looking at what's in the bottle is nothing. If I want to see it, I can go to the Imperial Garden myself."
Ruizhu carried the bottle to the kang table and said, "My queen, please be patient. This place is quiet and peaceful, perfect for taking care of your pregnancy."
While saying this, she actually knew in her heart that the Empress was happy, but was just taking advantage of the situation.
Meng Yan touched her belly and realized that it would be three months in a few days.
She did not consult any imperial physicians and took care of the pregnancy on her own. This time, she felt very well. Apart from the initial heartburn and fatigue, she no longer had the discomforts she had in her previous life.
This is a good thing.
Yunxiang hurried in from outside and whispered to Meng Yan, "Your Majesty, the pregnancy-preserving medicine sent by the Imperial Hospital today killed two mice."
Meng Yan raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across her face. "She finally took action. I thought the abortion pills were enough, but it turned out to be poison. She's trying to wipe out the root of the problem." Then she asked, "Did you remember this?"
Yunxiang replied, "According to the Queen's wishes, the medicinal soup and the dead rat are all kept. When will the person be arrested?"
Meng Yan said calmly, "Don't alert the enemy yet, go and invite the emperor."
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