Write the ending
When Xia Changhuan arrived at Ganchuan Villa, Cheng Yayin was being dragged by Meng Yuqiang to play chess with him.
She had no interest in playing chess. After a game of chess was lost, she made her moves casually without any interest. Even though she was so perfunctory, Meng Yu did not seem angry and was still very interested.
When another child was eaten, a servant came over and whispered something to Meng Yu. He said calmly, "Bring her here."
Cheng Yayin unconsciously pricked up her ears. The villa hadn't had any outsiders for a while, and she wondered who was coming. Perhaps they were asking for help? She was calculating in her mind when Meng Yu said directly to her, "A friend is coming. You happen to know him, so why not meet him together?"
Cheng Yayin had originally been thinking about how she could quietly hide if Meng Yu asked her to, but after hearing what he said, she was stunned. She couldn't remember knowing any of Meng Yu's friends.
When the scene arrived, Cheng Yayin felt the blood run cold.
It turned out to be Xia Changhuan.
At this moment, many past events fell into place. Xia Changhuan's previous stay in Ganchuan was indeed due to Meng Yu. It was she who had revealed her identity as the Songling Lord to Meng Yu. While she was worried about her, she had concealed such a significant matter. If she had revealed the truth when Pei Songsheng sent people looking for her, things wouldn't have turned out this way. She wouldn't have been abducted, Pei Songsheng wouldn't have been ambushed, and everything could have been avoided.
Cheng Yayin felt a deep sense of anger and sadness, glaring at Xia Changhuan with red eyes.
Xia Changhuan, however, only glanced at her as she entered, her expression unsurprised, clearly having known she was there for a long time. Then, her gaze remained fixed on Meng Yu, filled with endless resentment and sorrow.
Cheng Yayin had never seen her with such an expression, and felt even more ironic.
Meng Yu looked at her and said coldly, "You've ruined my business in Shengjing. Do you know how much it's cost me? I didn't come to you to confront you, but instead you came to me. Do you think I won't do anything to you?"
Xia Changhuan gave a bitter laugh and said resentfully, "If I hadn't done this, Your Majesty wouldn't know how much I could have accomplished. I just wanted Your Majesty to know how important I am, instead of always focusing on other women."
Having said this, she looked at Cheng Yayin straight in the eye.
Meng Yu frowned: "You know, I don't like jealous women."
"I know that the prince will no longer be interested in me. I am not here today to save anything, but I just have something to say to my friend." Xia Changhuan looked at Cheng Yayin, who was a little surprised and looked at her in confusion.
Meng Yu fiddled with the chessboard casually and said nonchalantly, "Then let's talk about it here."
He didn't mean to avoid them. Although his eyes were fixed on the chessboard, Cheng Yayin could sense that he was paying attention to their movements. He was even amused, with a completely appreciative attitude, waiting to watch the two women vying for his favor.
Cheng Yayin felt a chill run down her spine and wanted to leave immediately. Meanwhile, Xia Changhuan asked, "When did you hook up with the prince?"
Cheng Yayin looked at her in surprise, almost laughing out of anger, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you this? You've clearly been secretly connected with him for a long time, so why didn't you mention it when I asked you last time?"
Xia Changhuan said confidently, "If I tell you, how can I stay with the prince?"
Cheng Yayin was dumbfounded: "How could you be so confused?"
"You're confused! You clearly have a husband who's truly devoted to you, but in all these years, I've only met one man who's treated me this well. Why are you trying to snatch the prince from me?"
"I'm competing with you?" Cheng Yayin was so angry that her whole body was shaking. "Do you think I came here willingly? If you feel someone has wronged you, go find them and ask for an explanation. Don't throw dirty water on me!"
Cheng Yayin was annoyed at Xia Changhuan's inability to distinguish right from wrong, and she also hated herself for misjudging her. Being friends with her was truly a disgrace. She didn't want to look at Xia Changhuan any more and stood up to leave.
She walked past Xia Changhuan without looking at him, but Xia Changhuan suddenly attacked her. When her back was turned to him, he shouted, "Don't go!" and then pounced on her and pressed her to the ground.
Cheng Yayin had never expected her sudden attack. She was turned over and pressed to the ground. Xia Changhuan grabbed her neck with both hands, veins bulging on his forehead as he said fiercely, "The prince is mine alone!"
Cheng Yayin struggled to pry her hand away. Their fingers tangled and wrestled for a moment. Meng Yu came up, pushed Xia Changhuan away, and threw her to the ground. With an angry look on his face, he pointed at her and said, "You crazy woman!"
He called out, and someone came and took Xia Changhuan out. As Xia Changhuan was forcibly dragged out by the arm, he continued to curse at Cheng Yayin.
Cheng Yayin sat up from the ground, clutching her neck and coughing. Meng Yu came over to check her neck injury, but she dodged.
Meng Yu rarely showed any remorse. She said softly, "I was inconsiderate and shouldn't have let her meet you. I didn't expect her to dare to hurt someone in front of me. She's truly audacious. Don't worry, I won't let her off easily and will seek justice for you."
Cheng Yayin took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and looked at him: "The prince's affection is really unbearable. The prince has so many women like this. If I stay with you, how many more things like this will I encounter in the future!"
Although she was angry, the implication behind her words made Meng Yu happy. She quickly said, "This won't happen again. As long as you stay with me, I promise that no one will dare to hurt you again."
He softened his brows and looked at her gently: "I apologize to you for what happened today. Please don't be angry anymore, okay?"
Cheng Yayin didn't comment, holding the loose collar of her clothes and said, "I want to change my clothes."
Cheng Yayin was in a bad mood and refused to allow anyone to accompany her while she changed her clothes. After she had put her head together and opened the door, she found Meng Yu standing outside waiting. Seeing her come out, he smiled and asked, "Are you still angry?"
"What's there to be angry about?" Cheng Yayin looked straight at him, her eyes cold. "I've already endured the abuse. I can't let this accusation be pinned on me for nothing. I might as well make it true, so that no one will come to provoke me in the future."
Hearing this, Meng Yu's smile grew even brighter. Something in his mind made his eyebrows twitch imperceptibly, and he half-smiled as he asked casually, "How come you suddenly figured it out after meeting Xia Changhuan?"
Cheng Yayin said calmly, "You won't let me go anyway. If I keep standing here, I'll eventually use up all my energy and perseverance, and it's only a matter of time before I succumb to you. So, I might as well save my energy."
"But I have a condition." Cheng Yayin raised her eyebrows and stared at Meng Yu seriously. "After all, I am a lady from a respectable family, not one of those women you casually recruited. You can't treat me like them, just throwing me to the apricot garden and leaving me alone. It all depends on your mood."
Meng Yu nodded. "Of course. I've already said that you're different from them."
Cheng Yayin raised the corner of her mouth slightly: "You haven't understood what I mean yet. What I mean is - I want to be your upright wife."
Meng Yu's expression froze. Seeing his hesitation, Cheng Yayin sneered, "So it's just talk. You still look down on me in your heart. You don't even want to give me a name, and you expect me to commit myself to you?"
She turned to go back to her room, but Meng Yu grabbed her wrist and said, "I promise you."
Cheng Yayin looked at him in astonishment: "You really agree?" She broke free from his hand, frowned and looked to her side, her tone doubtful, "You are just trying to trick me. Let's not talk about whether my family background can make me the prince's wife. I am still a married woman. How could His Majesty allow you to marry a woman like me as your wife?"
Meng Yu twisted her shoulders, forcing her to look straight at him, and said frankly, "Although I'm a playboy, I wouldn't make such a promise lightly. Since I've promised you a high position, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles you encounter, I will bear them all. Just rest assured."
Cheng Yayin's expression relaxed. She stared at him blankly and murmured to herself, "Are you really willing to..."
Meng Yu said, "Since I have passed your test, will you also do something for me?"
Cheng Yayin asked, "What's the matter?"
"You are still Pei Songsheng's wife. Even if I were to ask the emperor for your hand in marriage, it would be a shameful act of usurping my wife. The emperor would never agree." Meng Yu narrowed her eyes, a glint in her eyes. "But if you marry again after your husband dies, I can fight for you."
Cheng Yayin's body trembled violently, and she slowly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
Meng Yu leaned over to her, his voice softer, whispering in her ear as if to coax her: "I promise you, I will argue with my father and ask for your hand in marriage, but you must also plan for our future. Only by completely severing our past ties can we be together naturally."
Cheng Yayin's breathing rose and fell. She managed to calm herself down and said, "You want me to kill him with my own hands?"
Meng Yu didn't answer directly, but instead brought up another matter: "You decided to stop writing because of Lord Songling's identity being exposed. 'The Story of the Red Tassel' ended at the point where General Duan was convicted for his father, and Rong Yu was caught in a dilemma between righteousness for her country and her marital love. It is a great regret of my life that I can no longer see you write. I often wonder, as a heroic female general, would Rong Yu defend the Duan family's only son for the sake of marital love when two countries were at war, or would she kill him as a sacrifice to boost military morale? The answer must have already been in your mind."
Cheng Yayin lowered her eyelashes and pondered silently, with her hands clasped tightly at her sides.
Meng Yu looked at her and took out the dagger that had been tied to his waist. He pried open her clenched fingers one by one and placed the cold dagger in her palm. "Yinyin, write the ending for me."
Cheng Yayin looked at the dagger in her hand, her fingers trembled, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, she closed her fingers and held them tightly.
Meng Yu looked at her movements and smiled with satisfaction.
Cheng Yayin didn't look at him, but at the gloomy sky. She spoke slowly, "Duan Changjue was tried in his father's place, and Rongyu volunteered to be the judge. But as husband and wife, she couldn't bear to see Duan Changjue's crimes exposed to the public and condemned by the world. So, she privately tried him on the scaffold before the execution and personally ended his life. This is the story I originally wanted to write."
"Pei Songsheng and I were once married, and I cannot bear to see his life end in such a sloppy way. Since he is destined to die, let him die as a character in the book, atonement for his sins. At least in his afterlife, he will have no regrets."
Meng Yu nodded: "Of course."
Cheng Yayin looked out in the distance, her eyes landing on the observation deck protruding from the eastern mountain. She pointed there and said, "Then let's choose that as the final stage for this play."
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