Chapter 198 Hostages
Taking over the Meng family mansion is not difficult; the difficulty lies in not having a suitable reason.
Meng Xingyuan was upright and honest, and loyal to him. Apart from being a little cowardly, he had no major flaws.
If he hadn't issued that decree for Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming to divorce, he could have dealt with her as an accomplice of a traitor. But now that the decree has been issued and the Meng family and Meng Lingge have complied with it and haven't had any further contact with Wen Zhiming, it would seem somewhat contradictory for him to use that charge to arrest her.
They fabricated a charge against Meng Xingyuan, but as the head of the civil officials, Meng Xingyuan had good relationships with most of the officials in the court. As long as someone insisted on standing up for him, the charge of fabrication would not stand.
Moreover, he was actually quite satisfied with Meng Xingyuan. There weren't many officials in the court who pleased him, and Meng Xingyuan was one of them.
He was still reluctant to let Meng Xingyuan be dismissed from his post and imprisoned.
The Emperor hesitated, but Eunuch Chu shook his head and smiled, "No, the Meng family has done nothing wrong, so of course they cannot be punished. Not only should they not be punished, but they have also distanced themselves from the rebels, clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment, and obeyed the Emperor's decree. They should be rewarded."
"Not punishable but rewarded..." The Emperor murmured these four words, slowly savoring their meaning.
"Eunuch Chu, you truly understand my heart. Only now that I've recalled you, do I finally have a kindred spirit."
Since it's inconvenient to deal with Meng Xingyuan directly, let Meng Xingyuan become more deeply involved with the royal family, to the point that if he harms the royal family, he will harm the Meng family.
Eunuch Chu bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty flatters me. I am unworthy of such praise. I have already inquired about this matter beforehand. Meng Xiyao, the third daughter of the Meng family, is of marriageable age. Although she is a concubine's daughter, she is quite favored and has a good relationship with Meng Lingge. The Meng family also has a young master named Meng Qingyu, who is Meng Lingge's biological brother. This child is eight years old, the same age as the Ninth Prince."
As a servant, one must not only solve problems for one's master, but also thoroughly investigate and inquire about everything that needs to be investigated so that the master can make timely decisions.
Eunuch Chu was well-versed in this matter.
Sure enough, after he said this, the emperor looked at him with even more admiration.
“Meng Qingyu is easy to handle; just issue an imperial decree to let him enter the palace as the Ninth Prince’s study companion. However, Meng Xiyao is a concubine’s daughter, not qualified to be a prince’s principal wife or concubine. If we make her a maidservant, it wouldn’t be considered a reward. Do you have any good suggestions?”
Eunuch Chu said, “This servant believes that it is inappropriate to bestow a marriage upon any of the princes. The three daughters of the Meng family are known as the Three Beauties of the Capital. You have seen Meng Lingge, and she is indeed a rare beauty. Meng Huanyan is also the femme fatale who caused Chief Steward Wan’s death. With these two in front, the last of the three beauties of the Meng family must also be an absolute beauty.”
"The princes are young and lack composure. At the very least, they might cause chaos in the inner quarters if they acquire such a beauty. At worst, they might be blinded by lust and do something that could affect the overall situation at a crucial moment."
The Emperor intends to marry Meng Xiyao to one of his princes, hoping to use this hostage in the prince's residence to gain benefits at a crucial moment. However, if the princes are influenced by the beauty, this hostage could become a dagger turned against their own people.
The emperor thought about it and agreed that it made sense.
However, if you want to completely tie the Meng family to the royal family, it is not enough to just have them study together; marriage would be the best option.
"If you won't let the three daughters of the Meng family marry the prince, do you expect me to take them in as my own?"
He was just saying it in anger, but Eunuch Chu nodded.
"Exactly. Bringing Meng Xiyao into your harem is the safest option. There are still many vacant positions in Your Majesty's harem, so you can easily assign a suitable position to any of the three women from the Meng family. Firstly, you won't be influenced by her beauty; secondly, by placing her in the harem, you will have her every move under your control; and thirdly, this will allow you to verify whether the Meng family is truly loyal to you."
The Emperor's harem has not welcomed any new concubines for many years. Now, he has specially issued an edict to take in the daughters of officials, which is naturally a great favor from the Emperor. If the Meng family is sensible and loyal, they should happily accept the edict and express their gratitude.
If they refuse, that's even easier; they can disregard the Emperor's grace and be taken down directly.
Although the emperor is getting old, and the three daughters of the Meng family may not necessarily continue to enjoy his favor after entering the palace, that is not their purpose.
Each piece should stay where it belongs, and when needed, it can be picked up and sent to hit the enemy's position.
"What you say makes sense. Although I am old and have no desire to pick flowers, I have indeed grown tired of the harem, which has not been replenished for a long time. It is time to add some fresh faces to make my harem more vibrant and lively. In your opinion, what rank should be given to the three daughters of the Meng family who have entered the palace?"
“Since it is an honorary title, it cannot be too low. However, the three daughters of the Meng family are illegitimate daughters, and it is not appropriate for them to be given too high a title when they first entered the palace. This servant believes that the title of Noble Consort is sufficient. The three daughters of the Meng family have the character “Xi” in their given names, and “Xi” is a homophone for “cherish.” Therefore, the title of Consort Xi can be bestowed upon them. This would both remind the Meng family to cherish their current status and glory, and also demonstrate the Emperor’s love and pity for the Meng family and the three daughters of the Meng family,” said Eunuch Chu.
The Emperor raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Eunuch Chu truly understands my heart. He has even thought of a title for me. With you by my side, I am like a tiger with wings. I entrust this matter to you. The sooner the better. If you do it well, I will reward you handsomely."
With the problem solved, he felt much better.
Eunuch Chu was indeed much better than those young and timid eunuchs; every idea he came up with satisfied him.
By sending Meng Lingge's younger brother to the palace as a prince's study companion and Meng Lingge's half-sister to the palace to enrich his harem, he ostensibly bestowed gifts, but in reality, he controlled the Meng family.
Thinking of the three beauties of the Meng family that Eunuch Chu mentioned, he even had some anticipation in his heart about whether the appearance of these three Meng family girls was really as outstanding as Meng Lingge.
Since he's already accepted it, if she's truly beautiful, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pluck this flower.
He wasn't a particularly lustful person, but the flowers were so beautiful and alluring that if he didn't pick them, he would seem too insensitive.
At this time, Guan Yi'an finally arrived in the capital.
He arrived at noon, but he didn't even have lunch before going to the princess's residence.
Although he applied medicine to the wound on his face every day, it did not become severely festering. However, the journey had taken more than ten days, which was too long, and he wouldn't feel at ease until he had it repaired by Old Master Fu first.
Just as he left, the princess's residence appeared peaceful and beautiful on the outside, but in reality, it was even more debauched than any brothel.
The guards at the princess's residence recognized Guan Yi'an, but they didn't know that Guan Yi'an's face had been altered; they thought he was the male concubine number nineteen who had left the princess's residence.
Very few male concubines from the princess's residence leave. The few who do leave never want to have anything to do with the princess's residence again. This is the first time they have ever seen a male concubine return to the princess's residence after leaving.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
