Chapter 268 Meng Xi and Lu Zhaoruo's fate was ultimately shallow.
Meanwhile, Madam Di's expression changed several times as she watched the increasingly heated discussions and those piercing gazes around her.
She finally sighed heavily, pulled Meng Xi, who was frozen in place, and whispered, "Xi'er, this matter... we'll discuss it later. Let's go back to the manor first."
Meng Xi, however, seemed rooted to the spot, his face deathly pale, his lips moving slightly, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed door of Yunshang Pavilion, his eyes filled with struggle and pain.
Walk?
If she were to turn and leave with her grandmother at this moment, it would be tantamount to acquiescing to those foul words, and it would be tantamount to choosing to back down and give up when Zhaoruo needed support the most.
Wouldn't all his previous admiration and protection have become a joke?
Not leaving? Are they going to openly refute their maternal grandmother in front of the entire city, disregarding the Duke's family's century-old reputation and making the family an even bigger laughingstock?
Madam Di noticed his resistance.
She pulled Meng Xi closer with a stronger grip, her voice, tinged with a pleading tone, audible only to the two of them: "Xi'er! Wake up! Look around you! Don't you care about the reputation of the Duke's Mansion? Do you really want to drag your entire family down with you for your little schemes?!"
The words "the face of the Duke's mansion" struck Meng Xi's heart like a heavy hammer.
My maternal grandparents are quite old.
They love me so much, how can I not consider their feelings?
He suddenly closed his eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, the intense struggle in them had turned into a deathly silence.
He turned around very slowly, almost numbly, helped his grandmother up, and said in a hoarse voice, "Grandson understands."
Having said that, he left with Madam Di like a puppet who had lost its soul.
But those phoenix eyes, which always held a distant smile, were now filled with tears.
He didn't know.
Just as he turned to leave, each step feeling like stepping on shards of broken porcelain, he pushed away the one and only perfect opportunity that fate had offered him.
He didn't know.
If he could push open that door and walk up to her right now, regardless of everything, then for the rest of his life...
In her study, she buried herself in account books, lost in deep thought.
He leaned lazily against the window, idly flipping through a book.
The afternoon sun shone through the windowpanes, casting dappled shadows. The only sounds in the air were the turning of pages and the soft clatter of abacus beads, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
She occasionally looked up and met his unwavering gaze. They smiled at each other, needing no further words.
This most ordinary and heartwarming scene between an ordinary couple could only remain his most heart-wrenching longing and fantasy in the dead of night for the rest of his life.
This sunny afternoon, which should have been full of hope, was ended by his own hand.
Instead, what followed was endless regret and soul-crushing loneliness in countless long nights.
Inside Yunshang Pavilion.
The sandalwood incense wafted gently, yet it couldn't dispel the faint medicinal smell that permeated the air.
Lu Zhaoruo's left arm was wrapped in thick gauze, and she was leaning weakly against the chair.
Dongrou carefully brought over a bowl of freshly brewed herbal medicine and handed it to her.
Lu Zhaoruo reached out her right hand and had just taken the warm medicine bowl when Qiu Lu rushed in, her face pale, and incoherently recounted the commotion that had suddenly erupted outside the door.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound!
Lu Zhaoruo's hand suddenly trembled, and the bowl of medicine slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
The thick, dark medicinal liquid splattered everywhere, like splashed ink, meandering and flowing, creating a bitter atmosphere.
She seemed oblivious to the flying porcelain shards and the scalding heat of the medicine; her body was stiff, her right hand still holding the bowl, her fingertips trembling slightly.
The color drained from his face instantly, leaving it even paler than before. His eyes suddenly went vacant, as if all his vitality had been drained away.
That memory she had tried so hard to bury, that she considered a lifelong disgrace, was now being torn open in the most unbearable way, made public, and left for people to point fingers, chew on, and spit on.
A chilling despair and overwhelming shame, like a monstrous wave, instantly engulfed her, almost suffocating her.
Qiu Lu stood by anxiously, tears streaming down her face, and said in a sob, "Madam... look, the Duchess of Di and the others... they still care about these things after all... what are we going to do now..."
Lu Zhaoruo closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried her best to suppress the sob in her throat and the uncontrollable trembling in her body.
When I opened my eyes again, although there was still lingering shock and pain in them, I had forcibly restored a clear mind.
Her tone was unusually calm, even tinged with a bittersweet understanding: "No need to panic."
She gently wiped away the bloodstains, her voice low and slow: "The Duke of Di's family... has been noble and distinguished for generations. When it comes to choosing a wife, it is a matter of family honor, and naturally they value chastity and virtue. My past is indeed a stain on their reputation. It is only natural for the old lady to have some hesitation, and it is understandable."
With a sob in her voice, Qiu Lu pressed on, unwilling to give up: "Then... what about Young Master Meng? He's the most impatient with worldly affairs! But... but Old Madam Di pulled him aside and whispered, 'Do you still care about the reputation of the Duke's Mansion?' He... he froze there, and in the end, he just followed her! My lady, how could he..."
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her tone filled with indignation for her wife: "Didn't he keep saying he wanted to marry her? Didn't he say he had his wife in his heart? How come when it came down to it, a few words of gossip from others and he... he just left with her?"
"If he truly had any sincerity, he should have rushed in right now, disregarding everything, and stood in front of my wife to shield her from these vile words! Why is he... why is he the first to back down?"
Dongrou noticed that Qiulu was also very straightforward. Although she meant well, her words seemed to be stabbing her wife in the heart.
She quickly interrupted, instructing, "Alright, alright, stop talking now, go and clean up the broken porcelain on the ground."
Lu Zhaoruo trembled slightly upon hearing Qiu Lu's words.
Just an hour ago.
Dongrou ran over excitedly, her face beaming with joy: "My lady! The Duchess of Di State is coming to visit in person later to arrange a marriage for Young Master Meng! The rumors outside are actually true!"
She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling: "This servant thinks that although Young Master Meng is a bit lazy, he has the best heart! A few days ago when we were in danger, even such a frail man like him dared to stand in front of you! And Old Madam Di is so kind and loving; she truly likes you! What do you think of this marriage, my lady?"
When Lu Zhaoruo heard this, she was indeed stunned for a long time.
She recalled her past with Meng Xi.
From his initial barbed words, mocking her for "climbing the social ladder," to his seemingly unintentional yet timely acts of help, and then to the scene three days ago in the suburbs where he, despite being physically weak, instinctively shielded her behind him...
Chang Hong said, "He would often secretly send money and clothes to those helpless orphans in the South City Orphanage... He, he is not a cold-blooded person at heart! He is just... just too bitter in his heart, so he always looks indifferent to everything."
really.
He is certainly not a cold-blooded person.
If one were to choose someone to entrust one's life to, setting aside his superficial laziness and sharp tongue, Meng Xi's inherent kindness and sense of responsibility in crucial moments might indeed be a choice worth considering.
Moreover, he has the Duke of Di's mansion behind him, and the old lady treats her sincerely. If she marries into the family, it will greatly benefit the future of Yunshang Pavilion, and she will not have to get caught up in the infighting of the inner quarters of high-ranking families.
On the other side, Xiao Yeming's silent yet burning gaze, his repeated acts of protection, the promises he could never utter, and his resolute refusal to marry... all intertwined, causing an indescribable bitterness to well up in her heart.
Compared to the other two, although she felt no intense love, she also had some realistic considerations and a longing for a stable future. So she nodded slightly to Dongrou and replied in a calm tone, "If he... is truly sincere in his proposal and the Duke of Di's mansion is also sincere in its treatment of you, then accepting this marriage... is not impossible."
Who could have predicted that just an hour later, that nascent glimmer of light would be crushed by reality?
Lu Zhaoruo slowly came back to her senses.
His gaze fell on the bluestone slabs on the ground, which Qiu Lu had wiped clean, leaving only a faint ring of watermarks, as if the thrilling incident had never happened.
A faint smile touched her lips, a smile devoid of resentment or bitterness, only a worldly wisdom and a touch of weariness: "No need to blame him."
"The Duke and Duchess of Di only had one daughter, Meng Xi's mother. Their beloved daughter died young, and the Meng family had already fallen into decline. The two old people are getting old, and although Meng Xi is their grandson, he is their only blood relative and the hope for the future of the Di family line. The future of the Duke's mansion also needs him to support it."
She raised her eyes and looked out the window toward the Duke of Di's mansion, her gaze distant: "The old lady's personal visit today has already shown her immense respect. Now, rumors are like knives, aimed directly at the family's reputation. If he were to disobey his own family on the spot for my sake, bringing shame upon the family, that would be unfilial and a betrayal of his roots."
"His choice to leave with the old lady today is to fulfill his duty as a son and grandson."
She withdrew her gaze, her tone gentle yet tinged with a barely perceptible sigh: "I understand."
"But... it seems that my fate with him was ultimately shallow, and we were destined to meet but not to be together."
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