Chapter 22 Taking Action
His woman was the same kind of person as him, yet Guan Yi'an felt a sense of unease, as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
Because he understands himself, he is even more aware of how ruthless and heartless such a person can be when those close to him become useless or even threaten him.
Meng Huanyan's plan is feasible.
This woman needs to be treated with even more caution.
Guan Yi'an's expression turned colder, but his lips curled up slightly. He stood up, put his arm around Meng Huanyan, and walked out, saying, "It's not safe here. Let's talk about it back in your courtyard."
...
Meng Lingge took Wen Zhiming to her mother's room first.
This was the first time Du Shiyin had seen Wen Zhiming as an adult. She found her son-in-law to be exceptionally handsome, and aside from being a little slow to react, he wasn't as foolish as the outside world had said. After asking him a few questions, she grew to like him a bit.
Having asked all the questions she wanted to know, she gave her son, Meng Qingyu, a wink, signaling him to take Wen Zhiming out to play while leaving her daughter behind to continue talking.
Meng Qingyu was only eight years old. When his married elder sister returned, he originally wanted to spend more time with her. However, he was always sensible and obedient, and he was also somewhat curious about his brother-in-law. After receiving his mother's hint, he happily pulled Wen Zhiming along and invited him to see his pet fox.
Seeing the two children disappear through the doorway, Du Shiyin's smile faded slightly. She took Meng Lingge's hand with pity and said, "My poor child, such a free-spirited and lively person, yet paired with a wooden puppet. She only moves when pushed. If it weren't for Guan Yi'an causing this trouble, things wouldn't have come to this."
Meng Lingge was both amused and exasperated. She had told Wen Zhiming to keep quiet and answer only his mother's questions, fearing he might say something wrong and worry her. But now, her mother was criticizing him for being too dull and inflexible.
She knew that her mother loved her dearly. In her mother's heart, her daughter was always the best, and no man was good enough for her.
Just now, her mother's eyes clearly showed satisfaction with Wen Zhiming. Her current words are merely expressions of pity for her and worry about her future.
“Mother, the young master usually talks to me a lot, and I get along very well with him. My mother treats me very well too. In short, I am doing well now and I will continue to do so in the future, so you don’t need to worry.”
When Du Shiyin saw the blush creeping onto her face as she spoke of the young master, and the way she walked when she entered the room was a little off, a thought suddenly struck her. "Lingge, have you and Young Master Wen... already consummated your marriage?"
Meng Lingge was surprised by Du Shiyin's direct question, and her face flushed red as she nodded slightly.
"This..." Du Shiyin was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, "This kid is amazing! This is exactly what I was worried about. I didn't expect him to be so clever in this regard. That's good, very good, very good..."
She said "excellent" several times in a row, and then smiled and lowered her head, saying, "The young master Wen became like this because of a childhood fright, and it won't be passed on to your child. As long as you give birth to the child, your position as the young master's wife will be secure. What kind of scholar's wife is she? She will still be inferior to the young master's wife."
Meng Lingge knew she was talking about Meng Huanyan. "Mother, Guan Yi'an didn't marry Meng Huanyan. I saw them in the front hall just now. Guan Yi'an said that Meng Huanyan is just a concubine."
"She deserves it." Du Shiyin spat. "If she had been well-behaved, she could have married into a humble family and become a mistress, and even received help from the Prime Minister's mansion. How bad could her life have been? Now she has slept with Guan Yi'an without a matchmaker. Even if Guan Yi'an treats her like a maid, let alone a concubine, it's her own fault."
"Madam, it's time for your meal." The maidservant serving Du Shiyin came in with a tray, placed several dishes on the small table by Du Shiyin's bedside, and turned to Meng Lingge, "Miss, the maid from the front hall just came to urge you and your husband to have your meal as soon as possible."
Since becoming paralyzed, Du Shiyin no longer eats with others; her meals are always delivered to her room.
Meng Lingge came back and wanted to spend more time with her mother, so she moved a soft stool and sat down by the bed.
"Mother, I'll stay and eat with you today."
Anyway, she doesn't eat much, and the amount delivered is enough for her and her mother.
"How can that be? It's your first time returning home. How can you let Prince Wen face everyone else in the manor alone? You child, if you don't want your mother to leave, you can come over after you've finished eating. But you can't be so unruly."
Du Shiyin was happy that her daughter wanted to spend more time with her, but now that Prince Wen was a distinguished guest in the mansion, taking good care of her son-in-law and ensuring that her daughter and son-in-law lived a good life was the most important thing.
Seeing Meng Lingge's reluctance, Du Shiyin's heart softened, and she compromised, saying, "But I have a chicken soup with matsutake mushrooms here today, which happens to be your favorite. You can have a bowl with me here first, and then go to the front hall to keep Prince Wen company."
"I'll listen to my mother."
Meng Lingge felt that her mother made sense. Wen Zhiming's situation was special, and he was very dependent on her. If she didn't go, Wen Zhiming would inevitably feel lost.
The chicken soup with Agaricus blazei in front of me is rich and flavorful, with distinct colors of chicken meat and an irresistible aroma that whets the appetite.
Meng Lingge gently raised her slender hand and used a small spoon to scoop out two bowls of chicken soup from the large bowl. Just as the mother and daughter were about to enjoy it, they saw Meng Qingyu and Wen Zhiming rushing over in a panic. The little fox in Meng Qingyu's arms had blood flowing from the corner of its mouth and its limbs were twitching incessantly.
"This food is poisoned, Mother, please don't eat it!"
Meng Qingyu rushed to the bedside, knocking the meal Du Shiyin was about to eat to the ground. Looking at the chopsticks in Du Shiyin's hand, she said anxiously, "Mother, you haven't eaten yet..."
"No." Du Shiyin shook her head, glanced at the little fox, and asked in surprise, "Poisonous? Did the Ganoderma lucidum get poisoned from eating this?"
The little fox was bought by Meng Qingyu from the market. At the time, its hind leg was almost caught in a trap, but it had a lingzhi mushroom in its mouth. When Meng Qingyu fed it after buying it, it spat out the lingzhi mushroom, hence the name Lingzhi.
Lingzhi was extremely intelligent and perceptive. Although she had been raised in the mansion for two years, she was still only close to Meng Qingyu and Meng Lingge.
Lingzhi has a dedicated person to serve her food, so why would she eat her food?
Du Shiyin was often ill, so her meals were prepared separately, handed over to a designated cook, and then personally served by her personal nanny, ensuring they never reached a third party.
Upon hearing this, Meng Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief and explained.
“Just now, my brother-in-law and I were playing with Lingzhi when Granny Zhang passed by us with a meal. Lingzhi chased after Granny Zhang, and when Granny Zhang dodged, some food spilled from her bowl. Not long after Lingzhi ate it, she vomited blood and convulsed…”
Lingzhi hadn't eaten anything else today, so he immediately guessed that someone had tampered with his mother's food.
It was truly a close call. If Lingzhi hadn't been poisoned first by snatching the food, and if my elder sister hadn't been delayed talking to my mother, the poisoned food would probably already be in my mother's and elder sister's stomachs.
Now that Mother and Eldest Sister are safe and sound, poor Lingzhi is most likely not going to survive.
Meng Qingyu's eyes welled up with tears: "Mother, Lingzhi is always docile. Even when it's hungry, I've never seen it snatch food like this. I'm afraid it smelled something wrong with the food, that's why it's acting this way. Mother, please save Lingzhi, help Lingzhi get revenge..."
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