My name is Meng Zhi. I have healthy parents and an older brother. As the only girl in the family, I am very much loved by my family, especially my father, who treats me as the apple of his eye.
The Meng family is very prosperous, with the branch headed by Marquis Huainan being the most prominent. It can be said that the entire Meng family depends on the Marquis Huainan's mansion for their livelihood.
But the clan leader's branch is my original family, and I call the clan leader's wife my great-aunt.
My father often said that the Huainan Marquisate had gone downhill, that it was increasingly unable to integrate into the capital's aristocratic circles and had been marginalized. But these things seemed so far away to me. I only felt that my family was great.
Although my father was not a scholar, he was very knowledgeable. The neighbors always felt sorry for him when they talked about him. If it weren't for that problem, even if he didn't pass the imperial examination, it would have been easy for him to pass the imperial examination.
However, his father was very open-minded about the fact that he would break out in cold sweat, tremble, and even faint every time he entered the examination room. After he took the exam five times in a row, he gave up completely.
Our family had a modest fortune; the two shops, though small, provided enough for the family's daily needs, with a surplus. My father was quite accomplished, earning a stipend from his private schooling. My mother was incredibly hardworking and capable, keeping the small, double-entrance courtyard of our home clean and cozy.
The eldest brother worked in the shop. Although he was not well-educated, he was very good at math and had a sharp mind. Sometimes, when the patriarch's shop was doing the accounts, he would ask the eldest brother to help. But the family was most pleased with the youngest brother. He really took after his father, loving to read and studying well. At such a young age, he had a good memory and good handwriting. The private school teacher said that he would become a great man.
Every day I stayed with my mother, learning how to manage the household, cook, and embroider. Whenever my mother took me to visit relatives and friends, her face was always beaming because I was very beautiful. In their words, I was the most beautiful girl in the Meng family.
When my mother combed my hair and told my father about this, he would always stroke his beard and say proudly, "Not only the Meng family, but even if you put her in the imperial charts in Beijing, my daughter Zhi'er's appearance and character are also top-notch."
But I never care about these things and never feel proud of them.
I was ten years old that year, and the clan leader's wife was celebrating her birthday. I met a woman who was well-dressed and looked kind. She took my hand and looked me up and down with great satisfaction, nodding frequently to my mother.
I don’t know what happened, I only know that my mother was happy when she came back and told my father about it, and my father stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction.
Later I learned that the woman was the niece of another great-aunt in the clan. She took a liking to me and wanted to marry me as her daughter-in-law.
When I heard my younger brother say that her son was also studying in a private school, and was very motivated, had good character and was handsome, I said that it was up to the parents to decide, but I began to look forward to it in my heart.
Originally, my father and mother were not in a hurry about this matter. After all, I was only ten years old, and they should wait until I was fourteen or fifteen to discuss it. But I never expected that at the birthday party that day, not only did this family take a fancy to me, but another family also had their eyes on me.
That family is the family of the clan leader's wife. They have a nephew who is doted on by the whole family. The matchmaker came to their house and praised him to the skies, saying that if the family gave a nod, the younger brother could go directly to the private school opened by the Huainan Marquis Mansion to attend classes.
The mother was very tempted, but the father did not agree. He knew that family before, but he knew less about the clan leader's wife's family. Looking at the clan leader's wife's domineering attitude, he was afraid that her family was not much better.
The news turned out to be true. Although the family was wealthy, they had no ambition to improve themselves. Especially this little grandson, who was born in old age, had been spoiled since childhood and had all the bad habits of a dandy. He was fat and big-eared, and at only fifteen years old, he already knew how to visit brothels and drink wine.
My parents were anxious, and the day to return to his family was approaching. That family had already sent someone to visit them, and that's how I got engaged to my younger brother's classmate.
Because of this, I had a feud with the clan leader's wife. But I didn't care at all. I just visited the clan leader less often and focused on learning how to manage the family affairs at home.
I originally thought that I would get married peacefully in another five years, but I didn’t expect that something big would happen the following year that changed my destiny.
The eldest son of the clan leader, my great uncle, somehow offended a powerful official in the capital and was framed and thrown into prison. The Huainan Marquisate agreed to help and also asked them to do a favor.
Let them find a little girl around ten years old. Don’t worry about anything else, just one thing: she must be pretty.
Beautiful, is there anyone in the entire Meng family more beautiful than me? That night, the clan leader's wife came into my house with a fake smile, saying that I had fallen into a lucky nest, that I was a real dragon and phoenix grandson.
At first, my mother didn't understand. A royal palace like this couldn't even pick a maid from a commoner's house. After my eldest brother spent the money to go to the Huainan Marquis's mansion to get information, his hands were shaking as he replied. My father was so angry that he slammed the table and cursed the clan leader's wife with the most vicious words he had ever used.
I sat there in a daze. So, the Huainan Marquisate was looking for a beautiful young girl to bring to the Cheng Prince's residence as a concubine. A concubine? Me? I was only eleven years old. How could I possibly be someone else's concubine? Besides, I was already engaged.
The next day, my father and mother went to the clan leader's house and flatly refused. However, the clan leader, and especially his wife, were adamant about sending me to Prince Cheng's residence. They also said that the people from the Huainan Marquis' residence had already seen me and were very satisfied. They had also leaked the news to Prince Cheng's residence, saying that I had to go whether I wanted to or not.
My father ignored them and took my mother back home. As a result, the family I was engaged to marry came to our house just as we arrived. The matchmaker apologized and said that a high monk had looked at the man's fortune and said it was not suitable to get engaged so early and that it would affect the woman's fortune.
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