Chapter 372 Family Matters
After the Empress Dowager moved into the palace, Meng Lingge planned to get up early every day to pay her respects. Previously, when she was at the Prince of Anshun's residence, her mother had exempted her from paying her respects, but now that she was in the palace, with too many eyes watching, Meng Lingge decided to follow the rules.
But after only one day, the Empress Dowager complained, saying that she had trouble sleeping at night and had just fallen asleep in the morning, but when she came to pay her respects, she could not fall asleep again.
Meng Lingge knew that her mother didn't want her to be overworked and was afraid that she would be labeled as unfilial, so she took all the responsibility upon herself.
She accepted the Empress Dowager's kindness and was exempted from paying her respects morning and evening, so she spent more time with the Empress Dowager during the day whenever she had free time.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law played chess and admired flowers every day, getting along very well. The palace servants all praised the Empress Dowager's benevolence and the Empress's filial piety.
And so the day came to the Lower Yuan Festival.
On this day, the palace needed to worship the ancestors. Meng Lingge completed the worship ceremony with Wen Zhiming according to the rules, and then hurriedly rushed to Fengyi Palace.
Chunhong had previously informed her that her third sister, Meng Xiyao, had entered the palace and needed to see her urgently.
Meng Xiyao knew that her past as a former imperial concubine was not a respectable status, so she rarely came to the palace. This was the first time she had come to the palace without being summoned.
Something serious must have happened.
If there were any disturbances in the Meng family, she would surely have received the slightest word.
Meng Lingge guessed that Meng Xiyao's visit this time was probably not about the Meng family, but most likely about her marriage.
Meng Lingge was always aware that Meng Xiyao and Gu Yan had feelings for each other.
However, Gu Yan's grandmother, Old Lady Gu, strongly opposed the two dating. When Meng Xingyuan found out, he felt that she disliked his daughter too much, so he gave up the idea of bringing the two young people together.
Meng Lingge wanted to help the two get together, but the old lady was determined, and Wen Zhiming had already said that he was unwilling to grant them a marriage.
Although she was the empress, she couldn't force the old lady to agree.
He only thought that with time, Gu Yan might be able to persuade his grandmother.
Meng Xiyao's hasty visit during the Lower Yuan Festival suggests that something new has happened on Gu Yan's side.
Meng Lingge entered Fengyi Palace with suspicion all the way. As soon as she entered, she saw Meng Xiyao with red and swollen eyes pacing anxiously back and forth in the room. She immediately knelt down when she saw Meng Lingge.
"Your Majesty, please help me..."
She hadn't forgotten the rules and etiquette.
Meng Lingge pulled her up, "There's no one else here, we're sisters, let's get straight to business."
Hearing this, Meng Xiyao said anxiously, "Sister, please save General Gu! He's been captured by his grandmother. I heard from his guards that his grandmother beat him to death, demanding that he promise never to see me again. When he refused, she kept beating him. By the time I entered the palace, she had already broken two sticks..."
It turns out that for nearly a month, although the old lady firmly disagreed with Gu Yan's relationship with Meng Xiyao, the young man and woman could not suppress their feelings and still secretly met a few times.
The two did not cross any lines, but one secretly harbored feelings for the other, and the other vowed to marry no one but her.
Gu Yan promised that he would persuade his grandmother to marry Meng Xiyao in a grand and glorious manner.
Relying on his martial arts skills, he assumed that his grandmother was unaware of his secret meeting with Meng Xiyao. Today is the Lantern Festival, a day when people traditionally release lanterns. He had arranged with Meng Xiyao in advance the time and place for releasing the lanterns.
As soon as the young man and woman met, before they could even exchange a few words, the old lady arrived with a large group of servants and kidnapped Gu Yan without saying a word.
Before leaving, he told Meng Xiyao that their Gu family had been loyal and virtuous for generations, and their rules were strict. Girls who were not virtuous and clean would never be allowed to enter the family.
Meng Xiyao felt deeply humiliated. She had been forced into the palace and had to endure many hardships to preserve her chastity. While it was inappropriate for her to meet Gu Yan in private, it was still within the bounds of propriety.
Why would someone point fingers at you and accuse you of being immoral?
If the old lady hadn't been so stubborn, she wouldn't have had to resort to such sneaky methods.
The old lady left with her entourage, leaving Meng Xiyao feeling both ashamed and angry. She didn't want to pay any more attention to Gu Yan, but on her way back to the manor, Gu Yan's guards caught up with her and told her about the beating Gu Yan had received.
Having caused such a shameful incident, Meng Xiyao knew that if she told Meng Xingyuan, she would definitely get another scolding, and Meng Xingyuan would never agree to save Gu Yan.
Having no other choice, she asked Du Shiyin for the token to enter the palace and then pleaded with Meng Lingge.
"Don't be too anxious. Gu Yan is the only grandson of the old lady. No matter how angry she is, she would never really beat him to death."
After understanding the situation, Meng Lingge pulled Meng Xiyao to sit down.
"It's a family matter for the old lady to discipline her grandson, and I shouldn't interfere. Besides, we're not in the right in this matter. You two aren't married yet, and it's really inappropriate for you to be seeing each other privately. Even if I use my power to get the old lady to give her approval, she will still be dissatisfied. When you two get married, she will still hold this against you."
The old lady already disliked Meng Xiyao for being a former imperial concubine, and now that she has caught Meng Xiyao having a secret rendezvous with Gu Yan, her impression of Meng Xiyao will definitely worsen.
If she interferes in this matter again, the old lady will assume that the Meng family is abusing their power and trying to pin the marriage on her grandson.
The old lady might agree to the marriage because of Meng Lingge's status, but what kind of good attitude would she give Meng Xiyao after the marriage?
The old lady is Gu Yan's only relative. With her interfering, it's hard to say whether Meng Xiyao and Gu Yan will become a loving couple or a resentful pair.
Meng Xiyao's heart was already in turmoil. Upon hearing that Meng Lingge had made a move unintentionally, she immediately stood up from the embroidered stool and knelt down again.
"Sister, I beg you, I promise I won't see him again, please save him this once. His grandmother is furious, and he's so stubborn. Even if you don't kill him, if you injure or cripple him, it will ruin his life..."
The few times the two met in the past month were filled with anxiety, like thieves. She didn't want to be so unruly, but whenever she received an invitation from Gu Yan, she couldn't help but want to go.
Her mind seemed to be poisoned; it was filled with thoughts of Gu Yan.
Even if it's just a quick glance and a few words, she feels incredibly satisfied and happy.
Meng Xiyao was as calm and clear-headed as she usually was, but now she was completely lost.
Seeing her like this, Meng Lingge knew that she was deeply in love with Gu Yan, and that her words about never seeing Gu Yan again were not to be taken seriously.
"Alright, get up first. Let me think of something."
Meng Lingge couldn't do anything about her.
Gu Yan has now been promoted to a third-rank general and is a renowned military officer in the court.
It's not appropriate to interfere when a grandmother is disciplining her grandson.
However, beating up court officials should still be restrained.
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