Chapter 72 Respecting Others' Choices
Lan Cui nodded: "It's exactly 1-3 PM. Meng Huanyan also asked me to prepare some sleeping potion for her. I was just about to ask the Princess Consort whether we should do as she says?"
"Give it to her. Have Chen Luo prepare it for you. The drug doesn't need to be too strong, but it can't be too weak either." Meng Lingge said, "You can't stay out for too long. Go and do it now. Return to the Guan residence immediately after you're done."
Lan Cui acknowledged and withdrew, and the carriage swayed as it headed towards the Prince's Mansion.
Dongqing took a soft cushion from under the shelf and placed it on Meng Lingge's back, saying with concern, "Princess Consort, aren't you afraid this is a trap? What if Guan Yi'an and Meng Huanyan conspired to frame you?"
Meng Lingge shook her head and said, "No. Guan Yi'an's appointment as Vice Minister of Rites was suspicious to begin with. According to the information Lan Cui received today, it is related to Eunuch Wan, which is indeed very likely. Secondly, Meng Huanyan specifically instructed me to take people there. If they wanted to harm me, they would definitely ask me to go to a secluded place with as few people as possible. Furthermore, I don't plan to go in person. Even if there is a trap, it won't harm me."
Meng Huanyan needed a sleeping potion, and then said she had a surprise for her.
Meng Lingge guessed that Meng Huanyan was probably going to fight Guan Yi'an to the death, but worried that she couldn't defeat Guan Yi'an, so she asked her to go at the right time and capture Guan Yi'an.
To successfully capture Guan Yi'an, the key figure is Eunuch Wan.
If it can be proven that Guan Yi'an and Wan Gong engaged in a power-for-sex transaction, neither of them will be able to escape punishment.
Although she was the Crown Prince's wife, she did not have the authority to arrest officials and eunuchs. Moreover, it was best not to involve the Prince of Anshun's residence in this matter, otherwise it would make things even more complicated.
Therefore, she cannot go herself; instead, an official with the authority to arrest Guan Yi'an and Eunuch Wan must go instead.
The Censorate was responsible for overseeing all officials.
As Eunuch Wan was a confidant of the Emperor, the officials of the Censorate, out of respect for the Emperor, might not handle the matter impartially. In fact, they might simply choose to avoid trouble altogether and not bother making the trip.
To resolve this matter, we must start with Minister Feng, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. As long as Minister Feng knows that there is an opportunity to bring down Guan Yi'an, he will definitely not let it go.
His official position was taken away by Guan Yi'an, and through such underhanded means. Feng Ziyi will spare no effort to bring this matter to light.
"Then why did you ask Lan Cui to make sure the sleeping potion wasn't too strong?" Dong Qing asked, genuinely puzzled. "What if it wasn't effective enough, wouldn't that ruin Meng Huanyan's plans?"
"The drug is just a means, not an end. Ideally, the drug should be effective and able to be used to wake Meng Huanyan up at the moment she wants him to," Meng Lingge said confidently.
Meng Huanyan was too competitive, and in her letter she said this was the last time she would fight for it.
Whom are we competing with?
Naturally, it is a matter of concern.
Guan Yi'an harmed her, so she wanted revenge. Rumor had it that Eunuch Wan was a bisexual pervert, so it wasn't hard to guess what Meng Huanyan was planning.
Meng Huanyan had been tormented these past few days, and after succeeding, she naturally wanted to see Guan Yi'an's reaction and enjoy the same collapse and despair that he felt as she did.
Therefore, the drug cannot be too effective; if it is too effective, it will not be able to wake Guan Yi'an, and Meng Huanyan's revenge will be greatly diminished.
Since this was her half-sister's last chance to compete, and it truly was a surprise for her, she naturally couldn't be too disappointed.
Dongqing didn't understand the reason behind this, nor did she insist on getting to the bottom of it. She was more concerned about another matter, "Princess Consort, will Meng Huanyan die? What she did before was indeed excessive. I was cursing her to die a horrible death in my heart, but after hearing what Lancui said today, I feel sorry for her."
Dongqing was kind-hearted. When she saw Meng Huanyan's letter, she felt a pang of pity, thinking that the young lady, who was so beautiful and youthful just two months ago, would soon become a withered corpse.
But she knew she was Meng Lingge's person and had no right to feel sorry for her master's enemy, so she could only ask tentatively.
Meng Lingge's brow twitched, and for the first time, she spoke sternly to Dong Qing.
"Pity? When she took Guan Yi'an away, she knew that if I didn't find someone to marry that day, I might be married off to an old eunuch. Did she pity me then? When she drugged my mother and me and sent a group of martial arts practitioners to abuse us, did she care whether my mother and I lived or died?"
Dongqing blushed deeply with embarrassment and stood up awkwardly, saying, "It was my fault."
Meng Lingge pulled her to sit down. "Meng Huanyan has always known what she's doing. She doesn't need me to save her. When she was my half-sister, she resented my haughty attitude towards her. Now that she's fallen to this state, if I go to save her, she'll be even more dissatisfied with me."
She could certainly go to the Guan residence as the Crown Prince's wife and bring Meng Huanyan out, but she wouldn't do that, and Meng Huanyan wouldn't want her to do it either.
Meng Huanyan has already lost the battle with her. Now, all of Meng Huanyan's attention is focused on Guan Yi'an. She only wants to get revenge on Guan Yi'an and turn the tables on this man.
If Meng Huanyan were brought out at this time, not only would she not be grateful to her, but she would also resent her for missing the opportunity and feel that she had lost her last bit of dignity because she owed her a favor.
And she never intended to save Meng Huanyan.
Even though she did hesitate when she saw the letter.
However, the feud between the sisters ran too deep. The fact that she didn't kick them while they were down was already the greatest act of kindness. It was absolutely impossible for her to give up such a good opportunity to bring down Guan Yi'an in order to save Meng Huanyan.
The carriage moved forward slowly, and Meng Lingge's voice was calm and composed.
“If I were down on my luck and Meng Huanyan were living a glamorous life, I’m sure she wouldn’t save me. Instead, she would take the opportunity to kick me while I’m down, so I’d never have a chance to rise again.”
"Princess Consort, I'm so sorry. It was Dongqing who didn't think things through. I'm your maid, yet I betrayed you..." Dongqing looked even more ashamed and lowered her head, choking back tears.
Meng Lingge gently patted her, "Alright, it's not that serious. You're not betraying your own people, you're just too kind. We can be kind, but we can't be kind without limits. Think about it, she almost killed me twice, and she still doesn't feel any remorse towards me. If I save her again, wouldn't that just give her another chance to harm me a third time? I was lucky to escape the first two times, but I might not be so lucky the third time. After I say all this, do you still want to save her?"
Dongqing shook her head vigorously, "I won't save her. If she gets a third chance to harm you, I'll regret it to death."
Meng Lingge smiled faintly, "That's right. Besides, it's Meng Huanyan's own choice. I don't approve of it, but I respect it."
Meng Lingge was speaking to Dong Qing, but also to herself.
Of course, wrongdoing should be punished. If pity could be used to absolve one of guilt, then every criminal in the world would have their reasons and their pitiable aspects. If everyone were forgiven, what justice and fairness would the country have?
She had a clear conscience regarding Meng Huanyan.
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