Chapter 121 Exhausting Benevolence and Righteousness
Hearing the Emperor's patient explanation, Eunuch Zhao benefited greatly.
"This servant has learned his lesson. This servant will instruct Li Yan'er to continue to serve Prince Wen well and to ensure that she becomes pregnant as soon as possible."
"Hmm." The Emperor smiled with satisfaction, showing that she was a promising young woman. He continued, "This former princess consort has been with Prince Wen for four months, yet she has not conceived. If Li Yan'er still cannot conceive, I will send the imperial physician to examine her and see if there is anything wrong with Prince Wen. If Li Yan'er does conceive, then it is the will of Heaven. Heaven does not allow a noble lady to conceive Prince Wen's child, but it allows a lowly maid to conceive his child so quickly."
"No matter what the outcome, the eleventh brother will not feel good after he finds out."
The Prince of Anshun was the eleventh son. Whenever the Prince of Anshun returned from a victorious battle, the Emperor would call him the eleventh son to show his closeness.
He hadn't used that title in a long time, and now that it was being used, he no longer felt worried or wary; instead, he felt a sense of triumphant joy.
Eunuch Zhao bowed his head and said softly, "Your Majesty is wise. This servant will go and do it immediately."
"Wait a minute." The Emperor turned around. "If someone asks about Li Yan'er and Prince Wen, how will you answer?"
"His Majesty was concerned that Prince Wen was left without care, so he specially selected a head palace maid to enter the residence and take care of him. As a result, Prince Wen became infatuated with the head palace maid while she was with him. The two developed feelings for each other and crossed the line between men and women, so His Majesty had no choice but to grant their wish."
Having received the Emperor's true teachings, Eunuch Zhao quickly learned a few tricks of the trade.
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, "That's right, let's say that. Wen Zhiming is mentally challenged and can't explain the truth of the matter. Even if I said that he forced himself on the palace maid I sent, he still couldn't explain it."
"However, when he was young and lucid, he did genuinely call me Imperial Uncle for a few years, so I'll give him some face."
The emperor gazed at the dragon throne behind him, a smile playing on his lips.
Having reached this position, one is destined not to be too soft-hearted. Those who can show him even a little leniency are already being extremely kind and righteous.
...
After Meng Lingge woke up, she went to Meng Xiyao's residence first.
Meng Xiyao must have been frightened last night; her eyes were dark, her face was haggard, and she looked listless.
When Meng Lingge arrived, she was still lying in bed.
"Big sister, you're here. Wait a moment, I'll get up now." She sat up groggily from the bed and went to find her outer garment.
"You look so pale, you should rest a bit more." Meng Lingge stopped her and sat down on the edge of her bed, saying, "I just came to see you, I'll just say a few words and then leave."
Upon hearing this, Meng Xiyao lay back down, nestled under the covers, with only her head peeking out.
“Eldest sister, I figured it out last night. Among us sisters, you’ve always been the most rational and decisive. Since you trust that person from last night, he must be someone you’re very close to. His late-night visit must have been for a reason. I can’t help you, so why ask questions and create unnecessary trouble for myself? Sometimes knowing too much isn’t a good thing. So, eldest sister, you don’t need to explain to me. I believe you wouldn’t do anything to dishonor the family.”
Meng Xiyao had been worried ever since she returned last night, and had even considered telling her parents. Her eldest sister was divorced and at home; for a masked man to enter her room in the middle of the night was definitely not a good thing.
But considering her past behavior, she didn't seem like the type to have a secret rendezvous with a man, and she was clearly very familiar with the masked man.
The eldest sister didn't know many men.
Meng Xiyao had a bold guess in her mind, a guess that made her feel scared just thinking about it.
After thinking it over, she decided to just pretend she didn't know anything about it.
My older sister is sensible and will definitely handle this well. She'd better not be a know-it-all, lest she reveal something and ruin my sister's plans.
Seeing the woman's resistant expression, as if pleading with her not to say anything, or she might be silenced for knowing too much, Meng Lingge secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"You really don't want to know?"
"No, no," Meng Xiyao shook her head repeatedly. "As long as you know what's going on, that's enough. I hate keeping secrets from others the most. It's most relaxing when you don't know anything."
“Alright then.” Meng Lingge hadn’t planned to tell her everything anyway, and now she didn’t even need an excuse. She lowered her voice and said softly, “There are a lot of rumors going around in the capital these days. I’m planning to go to Jiangnan to congratulate my maternal grandmother. I’ll probably set off in a day or two.”
"So soon? Does Father agree? Jiangnan is so far away, how long will it take you to get there?" Meng Xiyao was clearly surprised.
The rumors in the capital have been circulating for a long time. My eldest sister didn't care before, so why would she suddenly go to Jiangnan because of this? She must have made the decision after seeing that person last night.
"I'll discuss it with Dad later, and he'll agree. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I reckon it'll be several months."
Father knew that if she stayed in the capital, she would worry about the people of the Prince of Anshun's mansion. He wished she would leave the capital and go to another place to relax.
Wen Zhiming's plan doesn't know exactly how long it will take, and she shouldn't return until the Meng family is out of danger.
Seeing that she had already made up her mind, Meng Xiyao took her hand and said, "Elder sister, I will take good care of Father, Madam, and Qingyu at home. You don't need to worry about the family."
Meng Lingge nodded and smiled, "With you here, of course I'm at ease. If the Xiao family dares to come to our door again, you don't need to be afraid. If Xiao Songyan tries to blackmail you by saying he saved you, you should have your father report it to the authorities, saying that someone is trying to murder you for money and deliberately sabotaged the boat to make you fall into the water. You don't need to actually report it, just having that intention will make Xiao Songyan not dare to act rashly."
She had spoken rather harshly that day, so Xiao's mother would probably be too embarrassed to come again. But Xiao Songyan's eyes were somewhat sinister, so he probably wouldn't let it go easily. One has to be extra careful when dealing with such a petty person.
"These days, try not to go out. If you must go out, be sure to bring enough guards with you."
"Don't worry, big sister, I know." Meng Xiyao nodded in agreement.
After Meng Lingge told her that the sinking of her ship that day was most likely caused by Xiao Songyan's men, her last bit of gratitude towards Xiao Songyan vanished.
The lake was extremely deep, and she choked on several mouthfuls of water, looking utterly disheveled. She nearly thought she was going to drown, but it turned out to be just a charade of a hero saving a damsel in distress concocted by this hypocritical man.
If Xiao Songyan hadn't been engaged at the time, she would have almost been tricked into marrying this hypocrite.
She had already made up her mind to stay as far away from this man as possible from now on. He was already unsuitable as a partner due to his fickle nature, and his malicious intentions made him even more unacceptable.
After leaving Meng Xiyao's room, Meng Lingge went to see Meng Xingyuan and Du Shiyin.
At this moment, Meng Xingyuan had just received news that Prince Wen had taken a concubine.
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