Chapter 270 Hurry up
The news of Meng Xingyuan's tragic death could not be kept secret and spread throughout the capital within half a day.
The officials were shocked by the bandits' cruelty, the people were relieved that the bandits did not kill civilians, and everyone in the Meng family felt insecure.
Meng Xingyuan is the backbone of the entire Meng family. With him around, the Meng family members can stand firm in the capital.
Now that Meng Xingyuan has died tragically in a foreign land, leaving behind orphans and widows, how can they protect the wealth of the Meng family and ensure the safety of everyone in the Meng household?
A recession is inevitable.
No one expected it to happen so quickly. Not long after news of Meng Xingyuan's death reached the Meng family, Du Shiyin summoned all the servants in the mansion.
She calmly dismissed all the servants in the Meng household, keeping only a few loyal old servants.
The reason was that Meng Xingyuan had left, and the Meng family's income would decrease sharply, making it impossible to support so many people. She was so frank that the servants didn't say much, and after receiving their monthly salary, they packed their bags and left.
The remaining two concubines, one had lost her daughter and the other had her daughter enter the palace. They were left with no one to rely on and were unwilling to leave. Du Shiyin allowed them to live in the former courtyard, but only one person was left to serve them.
The once grand mansion, which normally housed over a hundred people, was now deserted, with fewer than ten people remaining after just a few hours. It was desolate and bleak.
Officials who were on good terms with Meng Xingyuan came to offer their condolences, and they were all moved to tears.
The following day, after the Emperor ordered Lieutenant Chen to lead 10,000 elite troops to Guandu Prefecture to suppress bandits, Consort Xi, Meng Xiyao, was granted permission to return home to visit her family.
Meng Qingyu was granted permission to return home to serve her family and was no longer required to return to the palace to accompany her studies.
The siblings arrived at the Meng residence one after the other. Upon seeing the desolate scene inside, they were overcome with grief and, remembering the tragic death of Meng Xingyuan, burst into tears.
Du Shiyin, who was in a wheelchair, rushed over upon hearing the news. The three of them, mother and sons, cried together.
After being persuaded and comforted by the old servant, the three of them slowly returned to their room and poured out their hearts to each other.
Meng Qingyu wiped away her tears and said, "Mother, I don't need to go to the palace to be the Ninth Prince's companion anymore. I'm going to Guandu Prefecture to find Father's body and let him rest in peace."
Now that his father is gone, he is the only man in the Meng family. He is too young to avenge his father, but he should do everything he can to find his father's body.
Du Shiyin seems to have aged several years in the past few days, with gray hairs appearing among her black hair.
Hearing this, she pulled Meng Qingyu in front of her, touched his face and said, "Qingyu, you can't go. Guandu Prefecture is far from the capital. If anything happens to you, your mother really won't be able to live. Now that the emperor has sent another general to suppress the bandits, he will definitely bring your father's body back. We will wait here at the manor."
Meng Xiyao nodded and said, "Mother is right. You are too young, and the journey is too dangerous. Many officials in the court are very sympathetic and saddened by Father's passing. They will petition the military to bring back Father's body."
She also wanted to say that now that the King of the Northern Frontier was about to attack the capital, even if these generals were useless, she would inform the King of the Northern Frontier, and he would certainly not allow his father-in-law to be left to rot in the wilderness.
However, the old woman who had come out of the palace with her was in the outer room, and she was afraid that the walls would be overheard, so she dared not say it aloud.
The Emperor's suspicions about the Meng family have eased somewhat, so we cannot afford to make any more mistakes.
Persuaded by the two, Meng Qingyu, fearing that her family would worry, had no choice but to agree on the surface.
But in his heart he thought that if he, as a son, could abandon his father’s corpse, how would he be any different from a beast?
His father always disliked his willful and arrogant nature, but now that his father is dead, he can no longer lecture him.
He was stubbornly determined to find his father's body so that he could feel better.
Seeing that Meng Qingyu was no longer insisting, Du Shiyin turned her gaze to Meng Xiyao.
She took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and placed them in Meng Xiyao's hand.
“Good child, now that your father has lost his official position, you will definitely have a hard time moving around in the palace. Fortunately, the money your father left us can last for some time. If you have any difficulties in the palace, remember to send someone to let us know. If you need money, your mother can think of a way.”
Seeing that Meng Xingyuan was no longer there, Meng Xiyao was even more moved that Du Shiyin was still so considerate of her.
She quickly declined, saying, "Mother, I haven't finished using the money you gave me last time. I don't have many expenses in the palace, so you can keep it for yourself."
Du Shiyin still forced it on Meng Xiyao.
The imperial harem is a place where people fawn over the powerful and trample on the weak. Now that Meng Xiyao has no official father to back her up, and if she also has no money to rely on, who knows how much grievance she will suffer.
Lingge was suffering somewhere, and she couldn't even give her money. Meng Xiyao was close to Lingge, so she treated Meng Xiyao the same way she treated Lingge and felt more pity for her.
After a simple home-cooked lunch, Meng Xiyao had to return to the palace.
There are many rules in the palace, and this half-day leave was a favor granted by the emperor because Meng Xingyuan's body was still warm and in order to appease those serious civil officials.
As Meng Xiyao boarded the carriage to return to the palace, Wen Zhiming, after six days of travel, finally caught up with the Tiger Soaring Army.
At this moment, the army camp was at a standstill for rest. The guards who were impersonating him were resting in the main tent. Wen Zhiming rode his horse straight ahead and soon saw Meng Lingge busy among the soldiers.
She was inspecting the supplies in the military camp and counting the remaining supplies with the two young girls.
This wasn't the strategist's business, but Meng Lingge was also the younger sister of Du Yuanhua, a merchant who sponsored military supplies, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to do these things.
She got even tanned.
After being apart for more than ten days, she seemed to have lost two points.
She is nearly four months pregnant, but her belly is still flat, perhaps because her clothes are too loose.
Wen Zhiming's eyes were incredibly gentle.
He had to act quickly, much faster.
We can't wait until Meng Lingge's belly is big, and still have her face covered, subjecting her to suspicion.
He needed to get Meng Lingge and her child standing openly beside him as soon as possible.
The soldiers on both sides had already seen Wen Zhiming and greeted him one after another.
"The prince has arrived."
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Hearing the sound, Meng Lingge turned her head slightly and saw Wen Zhiming riding a horse a few steps away, smiling at her.
This smile, in Meng Lingge's eyes, was no less beautiful than the melting of winter snow and the blooming of a hundred flowers.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with surprise. She handed the ledger to Qiu Lan and then ran towards Wen Zhiming.
After running a couple of steps, he remembered the fake argument between the two of them before Wen Zhiming left the camp, so he stopped, snorted coldly, and turned around.
The sound of horses' hooves slowly approached. Wen Zhiming reached out and lifted her onto the horse's back. Then, his large hand gently stroked her waist, and he whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"My wife."
Meng Lingge felt weak all over.
She had been worried and afraid for more than ten days, but now, lying in Wen Zhiming's arms and hearing that long-lost "wife," her heart finally settled down.
The guards around them had never seen the two so intimate in public before. They wanted to look but dared not, and all lowered their heads to chuckle.
Ever since the general and his strategist had their argument, the general has been wearing a mask all day and hasn't spoken a word, making the atmosphere in the military camp much more somber.
They are both happy to see the two reconcile now.
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