Chapter Ninety-Two: She Has a Knot in Her Heart
After leaving Rongfu Hall, Meng Jinyao took a deep breath and left without lingering for a moment. She walked through the moon gate and was met by a young man who was in a hurry. When the young man saw her, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Big sister, did they give you any trouble?"
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "I'm fine, they can't do anything to me."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Meng Chengzhang and pondered for a moment, then said, "Second brother, go back to your courtyard and pack your things quickly, then come back to the Changxing Marquis's residence with me."
Meng Chengzhang was confused and looked at her blankly.
Meng Jinyao looked around and, seeing that no one was around, explained in a low voice, "Meng Chengxing failed to enter Lingshan Academy. They put on a play today to bring me back, just in case. You should come back to the Changxing Marquis's residence with me first."
If it weren't for today's incident, she wouldn't be worried. But after what just happened, she couldn't help but be cautious. Sun's own son couldn't go to Lingshan Academy, but her second brother passed the academy's assessment. Who knew if Sun would pull some tricks behind the scenes to prevent her second brother from going as well? A lot can be done in two days, so she had to be on guard.
Meng Chengzhang understood what she meant. He nodded, then shook his head and hesitated, "But if I go to the Marquis of Changxing's residence rashly, won't I cause trouble for my elder sister?"
Meng Jinyao said gently, "You're going to study at Lingshan Academy soon, and we won't see each other until the academy is on holiday and you return to the capital. What trouble is there in coming to my residence for two days? Besides, don't you get along well with Xiuwen? You can play with him too. He'll definitely welcome you."
After hearing this, Meng Chengzhang did not refuse and nodded, saying, "I will listen to you, elder sister. Actually, I have already packed my bags and am ready to leave. I can go get my bags now. Elder sister, please wait a moment."
Meng Jinyao nodded gently: "Okay, I'll wait for you at the screen wall."
Meng Chengzhang returned to his courtyard, had his servant carry the things he had already packed, and then led the servant to meet him at the screen wall.
The pageboy was a little beggar that he and his older sister picked up on the street. He wasn't someone arranged by Madam Sun, so he could trust him; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to bring him along.
Fortunately, Madam Sun initially thought that a little beggar who didn't know manners was a perfect match for a son like him who was born out of wedlock, so she agreed to his request and let the little beggar serve him as his page. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have a confidant.
The siblings were on their way back to the Marquis of Changxing's residence when they encountered the steward.
The steward was stunned when he saw the second young master and the page carrying the bundle. If he remembered correctly, the second young master hadn't set off today. He stepped forward and asked, "Young lady, second young master, what's going on?"
Meng Jinyao explained calmly, "My second brother is going to Lingshan Academy soon, so I wanted him to come to the Marquis of Changxing's residence to keep me company for two days."
The steward listened without suspicion. The eldest daughter did have several brothers and sisters, but she was closest to the second young master. After the second young master went to the academy, the siblings would have to wait until the academy was on holiday to see each other. It was normal for her to stay at the Marquis of Changxing's mansion for two days. Moreover, the fact that the second young master could stay at the Marquis of Changxing's mansion also proved that the eldest daughter was favored by the Marquis of Changxing.
Therefore, the steward respectfully said, "Then I will escort the eldest young lady and the second young master."
The steward saw the siblings off at the gate, watched them get into the carriage, and then went back inside.
The pageboy and the coachman sat in the front seat of the carriage, while Qingqiu, being a young girl, sat inside the carriage with the siblings.
On the carriage.
Seeing his elder sister looking distracted, Meng Chengzhang knew that she must have been mistreated at Rongfutang.
He asked softly, "Big sister, what happened at Rongfutang?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head: "It's nothing, I just remembered some things." Seeing that he wanted to continue asking, she changed the subject, "Second brother, it's still early, is there anything you need? We can go buy it now."
Meng Chengzhang thought for a moment and said, "Big sister, I don't need anything."
Meng Jinyao nodded with a smile: "Yes, if you need anything, you can buy it then, or if you remember what you need, we can go shopping tomorrow."
Meng Chengzhang agreed, looked at her, hesitated several times before finally giving up when he saw Qingqiu gently shake her head at him.
Not long after, Madam Meng and the others also learned that Meng Jinyao had taken Meng Chengzhang away. However, upon hearing the steward's explanation, Madam Meng and Meng Dongyuan did not think much of it. This illegitimate child was the only one in the Meng family who could speak with Meng Jinyao. The siblings had a good relationship, and they could try to get some benefits through Chengzhang in the future.
Sun, however, pursed her lips, her eyes filled with malice. If she wasn't mistaken, that little slut was trying to protect herself from her.
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The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
When Gu Xiuwen saw the siblings return and learned that Meng Chengzhang was coming to stay for two days, before Meng Jinyao could even arrange guest rooms, he directly invited Meng Chengzhang to stay in the same courtyard with him, saying there was no need to prepare guest rooms.
Seeing that Meng Jinyao looked unwell and seemed tired, he said, "Third Aunt, you seem a little tired. I'll take Second Uncle to my courtyard to put away his luggage first, and then I'll take him to pay his respects to Grandmother. You can go back and rest for a while."
Meng Jinyao didn't stand on ceremony with him and replied with a smile, "Okay, then I'll trouble Xiuwen. Third Aunt must be a little tired today."
Meng Chengzhang was still worried. He could sense that his elder sister had something on her mind. He wondered what had happened at Rongfu Hall that had disturbed her peace of mind. He said gently, "Elder sister, I'll take you back first, and then I'll go with Silang later."
Meng Jinyao replied, "I'm fine. You go with Xiuwen to put away your luggage first, and then go to pay your respects to the old lady later."
Seeing her insistence, Meng Chengzhang had no choice but to leave with Gu Xiuwen.
After they left, Qingqiu discreetly observed her mistress's condition. With the second young master present, she couldn't ask any questions, but now that it was just the two of them, she saw her mistress's blank expression and asked with concern, "Madam, are you alright?"
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. Let's go back first."
Qingqiu opened her mouth, but seeing that she didn't want to say anything more, she ultimately didn't press the matter further.
Upon returning to Wei Rui Xuan, Meng Jinyao dismissed the maidservant, claiming she wanted to rest.
Ningdong didn't go to the Yongchang Marquis's residence, but she had grown up with her mistress and naturally noticed that something was wrong with her. So she asked Qingqiu privately, "Qingqiu, what's wrong with Madam?"
Qingqiu replied, "When we were at the Yongchang Marquis's residence, the old lady mentioned the eldest son and even cursed the lady as a jinx."
Ningdong understood immediately; this was the lady's worry. She glanced into the room; from this vantage point, they couldn't actually see anyone inside. This only made her more concerned. She asked, "What should we do now? Should we go in and comfort the lady?"
Qingqiu shook her head: "Madam seems to not want to be disturbed, so let her have some peace and quiet first."
Ningdong sighed softly. So many years have passed, but the lady still hasn't truly moved on.
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