Chapter 77: Past
In the darkness, Mei Niang asked softly, "Is what mom said true? Heng'er is really not Lord Hou's biological child? Mei Niang... I, I actually did such a thing with the dead Seventh Master?"
Mother Wang said in a hoarse voice, "It's true! On the wedding night, the Lord was drunk and passed out, but the next night you had your period. The Lord was really good to you at that time. There was actually menstrual fluid on the Yuanpa, but he concealed it for you. Only the three of us knew about it. The Lord said that he would go to the battlefield soon. Without the Yuanpa, your position would be unstable. I am afraid that the people in the mansion would look down on you and treat you poorly. I took care of the dirty clothes for you and washed them secretly... It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of you... At that time, my cousin came to accompany you every day and took you to the study in the East Courtyard to read and paint. She just refused to let us follow. I never thought that there was another door in the East Courtyard. You and the Seventh Lord were like this..."
Mei Niang was a little puzzled: "So, Lord Hou is actually really good to Mei Niang, but she... why did I fall in love with Master Qi in the blink of an eye? And I even have Heng'er with him?"
Mother Wang sighed, “Grandma probably didn’t mean it. After that incident, she came back crying like that. Cui Xi and the others never dared to tell them - you even wanted to die, but I tried my best to keep you safe. Seventh Master came to the upper room to see you once, and grandma said: If you come again, I will die! Seventh Master didn’t dare to come again, but after that, the eldest wife always had people send a lot of things to her. Grandma was worried every day and didn’t dare to see anyone. She cried bitterly every night and finally fell ill. I didn’t think much about it and hurried to tell the eldest wife. The eldest wife invited a doctor to come, and he diagnosed that she was pregnant! That night, grandma was going to hang herself, and I knelt down and begged her. I begged grandma to have mercy on the Qin family, as they have few children and only the eldest is left. Grandma was married by the emperor, and the marquis was fighting at the border. If grandma died in such an unclear way while pregnant, I’m afraid it would implicate her family. Then the wife would have to... How can we live on? Master has studied hard for ten years, but he can never think of any fame in this life. The Qin family has truly fallen into decline since then, and there is no hope! Since ancient times, nine out of ten people who went to the battlefield would never come back. It is unknown whether Master Hou is dead or alive, so why don’t we keep our lives and see if there is any turn for the better… When grandma heard what I said, she cried her heart out, but I finally coaxed her into not committing suicide. Later, the cousin came often again, and the two of them went to the East Courtyard to study. Although I didn’t see them, I knew that Master Qi must be there. Grandma was despised in the mansion and couldn’t raise her head. After being accompanied by Master Qi, she gradually smiled… Grandma doesn’t know that I was scared to death, but seeing that grandma was happy, I, I wanted you to be like that! At that time, when I heard that the war was tense, I, I really thought that if Master Hou had something bad happen to him, it would be fine!”
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment, then she fumbled to hold Wang Mama's hand and found that her hand was shaking. Wang Mama's voice became cold:
"Grandma is the master, but I raised her! I have never harmed anyone, but if, if anyone gets in the way of Grandma's life, I would rather that person be eliminated first!"
Mei Niang grasped her hand tightly and said softly, "Good mother, Mei Niang understands and comprehends your heart!"
Mother Wang sniffed and continued, "Grandma's belly was getting bigger and bigger. She was going to be a mother, and she became bolder. Sometimes she dared to go to the study in the East Courtyard to meet Seventh Master by herself, without the company of her cousin... Even after Heng'er was born, Seventh Master dared to come to the upper room to visit a few times, held Heng'er, and gave Grandma a lot of clothes and jewelry. Once, Seventh Master was forcibly taken away by the first wife, and Cuixi, Cuilian and Cuisi saw it."
Mei Niang only felt her face getting hot and she touched her face: What an affair! Even the cowardly Qin Mei Niang dared to experience it!
"I don't know what Master Qi said to Grandma, but she seems to have made up her mind. Even if Master Hou comes back, she doesn't seem to be afraid at all. In Grandma's opinion, Master Hou's anger is not as worrying as Heng'er's crying!"
Mei Niang shrugged in the dark: A mother is strong! There is no way, poor Xu Junying, he worked hard to marry a beautiful bride, but he was so happy that he was eliminated just like that!
All the resentment, anger, hatred and contempt for him in my heart were swept away, and were replaced by sympathy and pity. A man who was betrayed by both his wife and brother cannot afford to be hurt!
"Seventh Master followed Grandpa to the front line, and Grandma didn't show much reluctance. She just said to Heng'er: Wait, my dear son, when Daddy returns after making contributions, it will be time for our family to reunite!"
So that's why Xu Junjie went to the battlefield. He wanted to earn military merits and then come back to compete with his brother for his sister-in-law!
Mei Niang bit her lip, not knowing what to say. This Seventh Master was really a little whimsical.
He didn't understand his brother. For a man who cared too much about reputation and face as Xu Junying did, he would probably rather kill Qin Meiniang than let her leave him and marry his younger brother Xu Junjie.
"When the tragic news of the Seventh Master's death in battle came back, the eldest wife cried to death, and grandma also fainted several times in Tsinghua Courtyard. I didn't eat or sleep during those days and stayed by your side. I didn't let Cui Xi and the others get close to you. They just said that grandma was sick again and had heart pain... The master brought the Seventh Master's coffin back to the mansion, and you ran out like crazy. It was the old slave and Cui Xi who held you back and wouldn't let you go out, so you couldn't go to the coffin to cry. Later, you really fell ill, refused to eat or drink, and wanted to die. Heng'er's crying couldn't bring your heart back..."
Mother Wang's sobbing was intermittent. Mei Niang remained silent. After a while, she sighed and asked, "I don't remember any of this at all. Why didn't mother tell me before, but is willing to tell me now?"
Mother Wang choked up and said, "When grandma died, I thought everything was over. No matter how Lord Hou treated me, I had no complaints. Unexpectedly, grandma woke up again and had no memory of the past. Lord Hou said to me privately: You should be like your grandma and not remember anything! Lord Hou thought Cui Xi and the others understood this. I told Lord Hou that only this old servant was serving grandma personally! Lord Hou understood, but he said: This old servant and grandma can only live in the Hou Mansion. If we are still the wife of the Hou, the Qin family will be safe. If we leave the Hou Mansion, not only grandma and the people around her will not survive, but the Qin family will also be left with no survivors! This is why I didn't help you remember it earlier, and now I have to let you know the reason! Grandma has changed her temperament, and she is more capable and scheming than before. She refuses to be despised anymore, but we, we are different from others. No matter what, we have to keep our heads down and endure it in every possible way. It's not for anything else, but for Heng'er, for our Qin family, and for the future of the master!"
Mei Niang gnashed her teeth and said, "Damn Xu Junying! He actually threatened Mom like that!"
Mother Wang came up and covered her mouth: "My grandma! Don't dare to scold me like that, in case someone hears it... Master Hou is actually a good person. Although he did it for the sake of face, he allowed you to live well and tolerate Brother Heng. You, you and your son occupy the position of his legitimate wife and eldest son! Grandma doesn't remember, but I remember how good he was to you when you were newly married. Grandma... Grandma's fate is like this, there is nothing you can do! He should have his own children. I thought he had feelings for you, but you don't remember the past. You... could still be a loving couple, that would be perfect. Unfortunately, the old lady wants to marry Miss Zhuang for him. Alas! This is fate. Grandma, think carefully about it. Don't be impatient in everything. Think more about our Master Qin!"
Mei Niang stretched out her right index finger and rubbed her brow, saying, "I know. Mom asked me to lie down for a while. I can't fall asleep. I need to think carefully and sort out this mess. It's too confusing!"
"Okay, okay, grandma, lie down, lie down!"
Mother Wang stood up quickly and helped Mei Niang tuck in the quilt. Mei Niang said, "Mom, go lie down too!"
Mother Wang responded, lowered the curtain, stood in front of the bed for a while, then turned around and slowly walked towards the couch.
Mei Niang lay in the quilt, blinking her eyes, her thoughts still in a mess, she didn't know where to start, so she simply closed her eyes. After all, it was not the main issue, so she decided to just forget about it. Her consciousness was blurred, and she accidentally fell asleep.
Poor Mother Wang lay on the couch with her eyes open, glancing worriedly towards the bed from time to time, fearing that Mei Niang was too sad and upset.
During the long night, there was still someone who couldn't sleep in Tsinghua Courtyard. That was Xu Junying in the study room of the East Courtyard. He had no desire to sleep, but refused to lie down in bed. He sat behind the desk and read an open book seriously. The pages had not been turned for a long time, and he could not see a single word on the book.
In his mind, the faces of several people kept changing - the old lady's kind face, Zhuang Yulan's pale and slightly shy smile, Mei Niang's delicate face, sometimes dignified and gentle, sometimes naughty and elf-like, sometimes looking at him coquettishly, and sometimes accompanying him carefully, lowering her head and not daring to breathe!
He went to the old lady's room to pay his respects. The old lady kept complaining about Mei Niang's ignorance and poor etiquette. She sighed and said to him, "When the Queen Mother summons me to the palace in the new year, I will ask for an order for you to marry Lan'er. Now that you are back in Beijing, you will have to show up at the court and have to attend social events. When you need to bring your family, other people's wives are all noble ladies, but your wife is not presentable. What should you do? After Lan'er comes, everything will be fine! Madams, Lan'er will go with you to social events outside, and Mei Niang only needs to take care of some domestic affairs in the mansion. You can let Mei Niang take charge of the household affairs first, and Lan'er will slowly get the hang of it. Heng'er is still young, so there is no need to rush to establish a prince. When Lan'er gives birth to a son, we can compare the two and decide whether to establish the eldest or the most virtuous one!"
The old lady was sitting on a low couch, and behind her was a six-panel screen with a carved peach wood base and a picture of flowers, birds and spring breeze. A slender figure swayed faintly. Xu Junying knew that it was Zhuang Yulan who was eavesdropping. To be honest, he didn't like her behavior. His future wife should behave in a dignified and upright manner. How could she behave in a sneaky manner!
He formally informed Mei Niang tonight that he was going to marry a new wife. She asked him the reason for marrying someone else and blamed him for finding a new love and leaving her alone to suffer. His heart actually ached inexplicably at those words - Qin Mei Niang, she dared to say such a thing!
I really want to say something to her: If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? But in the end, he said nothing and left indifferently.
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