Chapter 115 Dilemma
Meng Lingge could control her emotions with ease, and although her expression seemed to be joking with Xiao Songyan, Xiao Songyan could see that something was off. If he answered carelessly, he would fall into her trap.
Seeing her son being forced to retreat step by step, and hearing the frightening charge of murder, Madam Xiao guessed that Xiao Songyan must have made some mistake that was discovered.
She had no time to think about the marriage proposal and quickly interjected, "My Yan'er has been studying at home lately, how could he have time to go boating on the lake? Miss Meng, you've asked the wrong person."
Xiao Songyan's face turned ashen, and he could only reply in agreement with his mother, "Yes, I misremembered. I was unaware of this matter and have not been boating on the lake recently."
Madam Xiao felt she had completely lost face today. Looking at Du Shiyin, she softened her tone and said, "Madam Meng, this is all a misunderstanding. You wouldn't really drag me to the government office just because of a few foolish words I said, would you? That wouldn't be good for Miss Meng's reputation."
Du Shiyin looked at Meng Lingge and said, "I am not feeling well, so I will leave this matter to Lingge."
Meng Lingge raised her eyes and smiled faintly, "How could that be? Madam Xiao is a guest, and she said she spoke without thinking, so how can we take it seriously? It's just that Madam Xiao just said that my mother and I were no longer going to put on an act, so I made a fool of myself by putting on this show for Madam Xiao. I hope it didn't scare you and your son?"
After saying that, he turned to the guards and ordered, "Quickly release Madam Xiao and Young Master Xiao!"
"Yes!" The guard released his grip and withdrew.
After being startled, Madam Xiao and Xiao Songyan were in turmoil, and their previous strength and composure were gone.
Meng Lingge smiled amicably and said, "I've already made a fool of myself by performing the plays that Madam Xiao enjoys. The Meng family really has nothing else to entertain you two. One or two marriage proposals are enough. If it happens too often, people will think that Young Master Xiao is having trouble finding a wife and that no girl is willing to marry him. Don't you think so?"
Madam Xiao gritted her teeth and pinched Xiao Songyan's hand hard. It was all because of this good-for-nothing who insisted on marrying Miss Meng, causing her to be lectured by a junior at such an old age.
She forced a smile, but before she could say anything, Meng Lingge called to the steward, "My mother and I won't see you off. Steward, see the guests out!"
The steward escorted them to the outside of the Meng residence, and only after the gate behind them closed did Madam Xiao and Young Master Xiao realize that they had been kicked out of the Meng residence again.
This time it was even worse than last time. Last time they still had some tricks up their sleeves, but this time they had used up all their moves and were still outmaneuvered by their opponent. The two of them did not gain any advantage over Meng Lingge and were even outmaneuvered by her.
Madam Xiao blushed and advised Xiao Songyan, "Yan'er, let it go. The eldest daughter of the Meng family is no pushover. Even if you manage to marry Meng Xiyao this time, if you have any other thoughts after the marriage, or if you are a little cold towards Meng Xiyao, her stepmother and elder sister will come looking for trouble. There are so many beautiful girls in the world. I'll take a couple more in for you. Just forget about Meng Xiyao."
She always doted on this eldest son the most, and she tried her best to fulfill any request Xiao Songyan made. Although she looked down on Meng Xiyao at all, she still swallowed her pride and accompanied her son to the Meng residence to propose marriage many times because her son liked her so much.
But now she's exhausted all options, and the Meng family still refuses. She's tired. She really doesn't want to go there again to be humiliated.
Seeing his mother's expression, Xiao Songyan knew that the marriage was probably doomed.
He wanted to give up, but he just couldn't forget Meng Xiyao. He didn't know how the Meng family girls grew up, each one more beautiful than the last. Originally, he only had feelings for Meng Xiyao, but now that he had seen Meng Lingge, he felt that both sisters were stunning beauties. He would be incredibly lucky to win over either of them.
Since Meng Xiyao is unwilling no matter what, and Meng Lingge is divorced and at home, it's probably not easy for her to remarry. Perhaps we should settle for something less...
But recalling Meng Lingge's sharp edge and the obvious disgust in her eyes when she looked at him, he lost his nerve. Meng Lingge clearly disliked him more than Meng Xiyao, so he decided not to humiliate himself any further.
Now that it's impossible to openly obtain the Meng family's daughter again, no wonder he resorted to underhanded tactics.
“Mother is absolutely right, let’s drop this matter.”
Xiao Songyan lowered his head slightly, concealing the gloom in his eyes, while resentment and anger surged silently deep within his pupils.
...
Li Yan'er slept very soundly, and when she woke up it was noon the next day.
The little girl brought her lunch from the kitchen and told her that one of the young girls in the kitchen had been dismissed by the magistrate, and now an older cook had taken her place.
Li Yan'er was terrified, guessing that she and that maid must have been discovered by the defense commissioner when they sneaked into the prince's room yesterday, resulting in her being thrown back and the kitchen maid being sent away.
She ate something with a pounding heart, then ran to the kitchen to check. Sure enough, she didn't see the maid who had helped her yesterday. When she returned, she ran into the Defender walking towards her, who gave her a very intimidating look.
This made Li Yan'er even more certain of her guess, and she even suspected that the maid who helped her was not dismissed, but was silenced by the Defense Commissioner.
The only reason he spared her life was because she was sent by the Emperor. His look just now was a warning to her: he would spare her life this time, but if she dared to offend the Prince again, she shouldn't blame him for being impolite.
Even though Li Yan'er longed for wealth and glory, her life was still the most important thing, and she was so frightened that she didn't leave her room for several days.
When the people sent by the Emperor inquired about Wen Zhiming's condition, she hesitated and only said that the young master's condition had worsened and it was not easy to approach him.
The Emperor sent the newly promoted Eunuch Zhao, who snorted coldly and issued a warning.
"Li Yan'er, the Emperor sent you here not to be a mere decoration. If you can't even handle a fool, you're just a waste of food. The Emperor is giving you two months. If you still can't conceive a prince by then, then you can expect the Emperor to give you poison or a white silk noose."
The Prince of Anshun's mansion had just been sealed off. If the Emperor were to immediately bestow a maidservant upon the heir apparent, it would surely be criticized by the court officials. Therefore, he could only send a beautiful maidservant over under the pretext of taking care of her. Once the heir apparent and the maidservant were deeply in love and the maidservant even became pregnant, he could then rightfully bestow a marriage upon her.
The fact that a prince of noble birth would marry a maid would not only become the laughing stock of the capital, but would also cause the Prince of Anshun and his wife in Dongling Pavilion to suffer a devastating breakdown, which would put the emperor at ease.
Unfortunately, Li Yan'er is too disappointing. Despite her resemblance to the eldest daughter of the Meng family, she has not even managed to bump into Prince Wen after all this time. It is said that Prince Wen goes mad whenever he sees her. If this continues, the Emperor will surely replace her with another pawn.
Only then did Li Yan'er realize that being chosen by the Emperor to be sent to Prince Wen's side was not a good thing.
If she takes the initiative, she will face numerous dangers; if she continues to run away, she will be doomed.
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