Chapter 122 Evil Thoughts
Meng Xingyuan sat on the nanmu phoenix chair in the front hall, his expression a mixture of relief and regret.
"When Wen Zhiming married Lingge, he made such solemn vows that even I believed him to some extent. Now, less than a month after his divorce from Lingge, he has found a new love. But this is for the best; it's good for both him and Lingge."
Du Shiyin was still somewhat skeptical. "Is there some misunderstanding? I think the young master is sincere towards Lingge. The more foolish a person is, the more stubborn they are. The young master and Lingge have a deep affection for each other. It's impossible for him to fall in love with someone else so quickly."
The key point is that her daughter clearly still cares about the prince, and she would definitely be heartbroken if she knew about this.
"You yourself said that the young master is foolish. Someone with ulterior motives deliberately approached him with malicious intent. How could he possibly escape?" Meng Xingyuan shook his head and sighed.
The emperor sent a head palace maid to serve Prince Wen, but Prince Wen ended up sleeping with her, and the news spread throughout the court and the country within half a day.
Meng Xingyuan could certainly guess where the problem lay.
After rescuing Lingge, he decided to protect himself and never get involved in anything related to the Prince of Anshun's mansion again.
So even if he could guess it, he had to pretend not to know.
Du Shiyin asked doubtfully, "Are you saying that the Crown Prince's favoritism towards the palace maid was a scheme orchestrated by someone else?"
"Whether it's a scheme or not is none of our business," Meng Xingyuan said solemnly. "We strictly forbid the servants in the mansion from spreading this matter. We'll keep it from Lingge for as long as we can."
Du Shiyin was about to ask another question when Meng Lingge came in from the doorway, looked at Meng Xingyuan and smiled, "Father, what are you hiding from me?"
Meng Xingyuan looked somewhat uneasy. He picked up his teacup, took a couple of sips, and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing. It's just that the weather is getting hot these days, so I'm telling you to stay home as much as possible. If you need anything, just tell your mother."
Meng Lingge's maids are all loyal to her. If they were to go out and find out about this, they would definitely tell Meng Lingge.
"Father won't let me go out?" Meng Lingge sat down opposite the two elders. "I came here to discuss with you both. I'm planning to leave the capital for a while. My maternal grandmother wrote to say she misses my mother and me. Her birthday is coming up soon, and I want to go to Jiangnan, firstly to celebrate her birthday, and secondly to travel around Jiangnan. But Father doesn't want me to go out..."
“Father approves.” Meng Xingyuan immediately took over the conversation. “It’s the height of summer in the capital, which is why I’m telling you to stay home as much as possible. The Jiangnan region is in full bloom right now, and the weather is pleasant. Going there will allow you to fulfill your filial duties to your mother and also refresh your mind. It couldn’t be better.”
The most important thing is to stay away from trouble for the time being.
Meng Lingge stayed in the capital. Rumors about Prince Wen were rampant, and she had heard them all. If she did something out of line, she would be in big trouble.
Now that Meng Lingge has taken the initiative to go to Jiangnan, Meng Xingyuan couldn't be happier and would never stop her.
Du Shiyin, however, hesitated to speak, and looked at Meng Lingge with great pity.
“Your father used to accompany you, but now he can’t leave, and my health isn’t what it used to be. How can I bear to see you, a young lady, going so far away alone…”
Seeing that Du Shiyin couldn't prioritize things at this crucial moment, Meng Xingyuan coughed twice and said, "Lingge wants to see her maternal grandmother. This filial piety is rare, and you should be proud of her. Besides, who told her to go alone? She took two guards and two maids with her, making a total of four or five people. They didn't take side roads or travel at night. What danger could there be?"
He didn't want Du Shiyin to say anything more and change Meng Lingge's mind, so after he finished speaking, he turned to Meng Lingge and said, "Since you've decided, set off as soon as possible. Go tomorrow. I'll pick two guards with good skills for you. As for the girls, you can choose two from your four girls to take with you."
If she leaves sooner, Lingge won't hear any news about Prince Wen.
Meng Lingge nodded in agreement, "Alright, then I'll set off tomorrow. Let Chen Luo accompany me as a guard. He's always worked for me, and I trust him. Just have him bring another reliable companion."
Meng Xingyuan immediately agreed and instructed Du Shiyin to prepare gifts for his mother-in-law. He also carefully gave some instructions to ensure that Meng Lingge could set off the next day.
After all that commotion, it wasn't until noon that Meng Lingge finally had time to return to her Jade Stream Residence.
The four maids had heard that Meng Lingge was going to Jiangnan and could only take two maids with her. They all hoped to accompany Meng Lingge, but after discussing it, they decided that Qiu Lan and Dong Qing would accompany Meng Lingge.
Dongqing has always taken care of Meng Lingge's daily life, while Qiulan is bolder and better at dealing with people. When Meng Lingge is out and about, it is much more convenient and comfortable for her to have the two of them with her.
Seeing that the four of them had reached a consensus, Meng Lingge called all four maids to her side.
“I know that the four of you sisters have always been very close and reluctant to part, but this time I will be away for a long time and will be staying at my maternal grandmother’s house for a considerable period of time. My maternal grandmother’s family is large and has many affairs, so it is not appropriate for me to bring too many people to stay for an extended period of time.”
"Chunhong and Xiazi, you can stay in the manor and take care of Mother for me. I will arrive in Jiangnan in about half a month. If there is any major event in the capital at that time, you can send me a letter. So whether you stay in the manor or go to Jiangnan with me, you have a mission. When I return, I will reward the four of you according to your merits."
The four maids could more or less guess the reason why Meng Lingge left the capital this time. Knowing their mistress's difficulties, they quickly suppressed their emotions and actively prepared the things they needed to take to Jiangnan the next day.
To reassure the Emperor, Meng Xingyuan did not hide Meng Lingge's itinerary. He even mentioned it to several senior officials during a casual conversation. Just as the news of Prince Wen's favoritism towards a palace maid came out, Meng Lingge left the capital. Everyone guessed that the former princess had truly given up on Prince Wen, which was why she was in such a hurry to leave this place of heartbreak.
Most people take a detached, spectator-like approach.
Two people among them, however, were instantly seized by wicked thoughts.
One of them was Xiao Songyan, who had recently been rejected when he went to the Meng family to propose marriage.
These past few days he's been frequenting brothels and seeing one beautiful woman after another.
I thought that after spending so much time in this gentle haven and seeing so many beautiful women, I would be able to temporarily forget about the two young ladies from the Meng family.
But the truth was quite the opposite. The more beautiful women he saw, the more he couldn't forget Meng Lingge and Meng Xiyao. The courtesans were beautiful, but their perfume was too strong, and they were far less beautiful than the Meng family girls.
Moreover, having seen so many beautiful women who fawned over him, he became even more obsessed with the Meng Lingge sisters, whom he could not have.
If Meng Lingge and Meng Xiyao were of humble origin, he would have already had them kidnapped and abused. Unfortunately, these two were both noble ladies from the capital, and their fathers held higher official positions and wielded more power than his own.
Xiao Songyan couldn't compete with his father's connections, and he was even rejected when he went to visit in person. Seeing the two beautiful girls locked up in the Prime Minister's mansion, he was extremely envious, and his body was even more eager for them.
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