Chapter 149 No Need for Guilt
Her father had once told her that whoever benefited was most likely the mastermind behind it all.
It now seems that the only benefit Zheng Qingshan has gained today is the trust of Du Yuanhua and Dong Qing, allowing him to move into the Du residence.
Of course, before receiving Jiang Lin's reminder, her trust in Zheng Qingshan was far greater than before.
This was indeed the goal that Zheng Qingshan had wanted to achieve before.
Zheng Qingshan followed her all the way here. Last time, he even shamelessly said that he wanted to marry her. Could it be that he guessed her identity and was so greedy for her wealthy family background that he used such unscrupulous means to get close to her and win her favor?
Meng Lingge sat in front of the dressing table, lost in thought. Qiu Lan had already helped Dong Qing slowly walk into the courtyard.
The two maids' chatter grew louder as they approached.
“This is not the Meng residence. When we go out, we represent Miss’s status. No matter how worried you are about Brother Zheng, you have to think about Miss. If people say nice things, they will say that Miss is not strict with her subordinates. If they say harsh things, they will say that if the maid is so ignorant of the rules, how can Miss be any better?”
“Brother Zheng’s injuries are too severe. He needs to have his dressing changed every hour. I don’t trust those people who are clumsy. I didn’t pay attention to the time for a moment. I won’t do it again next time.”
"There will be a next time? You already have difficulty walking, and you still torture yourself like this. Don't you want to recover sooner? If we had known you were so confused, Chunhong and Xiazi would not have agreed to let you accompany Miss to Jiangnan."
"Qiu Lan, you don't understand. Brother Zheng saved me twice, so I just changed his dressing and went to see him. What's wrong with that? If you're worried that I'll tarnish Miss's reputation, I can just quit being Miss's personal maid and say I'm a handyman in the outer courtyard. Is that alright?"
"You...you're utterly unreasonable!"
The two lowered their voices further, but the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Hearing the two arguing, Meng Lingge went outside and saw that both maids had angry expressions and disliked each other.
Her four maids had always gotten along well and had never been so at odds with each other.
Meng Lingge sighed again, saying that women really do lose their rationality when it comes to matters of the heart.
When Dongqing realized that her angry words had been heard by her mistress, she panicked and lowered her head, not daring to say a word. But when Qiulan reached out to pull her, she angrily shook her off.
Meng Lingge glanced at the two of them and said softly.
"Come in and talk."
This time, Qiu Lan didn't reach out to help Dong Qing. Dong Qing bent her injured leg and hopped into the room. Qiu Lan waited until she entered the room before closing the door.
Dongqing stood leaning against the wall, looking at Meng Lingge pitifully.
“Miss, are you free now? If you are, please go see Brother Zheng. Although he didn’t say it, I can feel that he really wants to see you. That Xiao Songyan kidnapped me and Brother Zheng because he wanted to get you. Brother Zheng was injured while saving you, so it’s only right that you go see him.”
Meng Lingge sat at the table, intending to call Dong Qing over to check on her injuries, but upon hearing this, she suddenly became angry.
Kneel down!
The two words were spoken quite loudly, which startled Qiu Lan.
She moved her lips, wanting to say that Dongqing's leg injury hadn't healed, but thinking of Dongqing's earlier remarks, she didn't say anything more.
Holly pouted, looked very aggrieved, and knelt down against the wall.
Meng Lingge said solemnly, "Even if what Zheng Qingshan said is true, let alone the fact that today's matter has not yet been investigated, I have already been more than kind to him."
"Xiao Songyan didn't have to die. We could have arrested him and handed him over to the authorities. But Zheng Qingshan, despite having the upper hand, still pushed him off the building. He was involved in manslaughter. To save him from imprisonment, my cousin and I lied to the officials and even took him to the Du residence. In other words, there was a better way to resolve this matter, but because of Zheng Qingshan's momentary agitation or deliberate sabotage, my cousin and I were forced to cover up the crime."
"I have absolutely no guilt towards him, and neither do you."
“But, but…” Dongqing said anxiously, “Brother Zheng did save me. If he hadn’t saved me last time, I would have been run over by the carriage. If he hadn’t saved me this time, I might have been violated. Miss always tells us that people should repay kindness. I have nothing to repay him with, so is it wrong for me to take care of him?”
Meng Lingge softened her tone and said earnestly, "I've told you before that there are differences between men and women, and that you should follow the rules in the Du residence. Have you forgotten all of that? Zheng Qingshan is staying in the guest room, and my cousin has already arranged for someone to take care of him. You're not a doctor, so why do you insist on dragging your injured body to take care of him? It's not enough that you go yourself, you even asked me to go. Think about it yourself, is what you're doing right?"
Dongqing bit her lip and stopped talking, but tears fell down her face.
Meng Lingge looked at her legs and helped her up: "Today at the inn, I said I would handle it, but you still insisted on taking the blame for him. Do you know what it would be like to go to prison? A little girl like you, if you were in there, you wouldn't even be able to die. And just now, Qiu Lan kindly advised you, but you said you wanted to be a maid. A maid has endless chores to do all day long, how could you have time to overthink and wander around? If you really still want to go, I'll grant your wish. If you work hard for a few more days, maybe you'll understand."
Dongqing sobbed, "Miss, I was wrong. I won't go again tomorrow."
Meng Lingge wiped away her tears. "Tell me first, why didn't you tell me before sneaking out today? Did Zheng Qingshan invite you?"
Dong Qing nodded, then immediately shook her head: "No, it was Xiao Songyan who impersonated Brother Zheng to contact me. I asked Brother Zheng, and he didn't write the letter."
Meng Lingge nodded and said, "But if Zheng Qingshan doesn't say anything, how will Xiao Songyan know that you trust Zheng Qingshan, and why would he impersonate him to write you a letter? Zheng Qingshan is not as simple as he seems. I know that no matter what I say now, you won't believe me. So why don't you find an opportunity to ask Zheng Qingshan if he will marry you?"
"If Zheng Qingshan also has feelings for you and is willing to marry you, I will give you a grand and glorious marriage. But if he is unwilling, or if he is ambiguous and does not give you a clear answer, then you should stop contacting him."
This person is extremely cunning; Dongqing would be no match for him at all.
Meng Lingge was certain that Zheng Qingshan would not marry Dongqing. The sooner Dongqing faced reality, the less she would suffer.
Dongqing shook her head, "But Brother Zheng only has Miss in his heart, there's no place for me at all. And Miss and he are impossible, so, so..."
She knew that her mistress only had eyes for Prince Wen and that there was no possibility between her and Zheng Qingshan. That's why she held onto a sliver of hope.
“So you’re not without hope.” Seeing her hesitate, Meng Lingge continued, “You can tell him directly that there’s absolutely no possibility between us, and see if he’ll consider you. Whether it works out or not, you’ve tried your best, and even if you fail, you won’t have any regrets.”
"However, if he is unwilling, you don't need to contact him anymore. You have already done your best to repay his kindness, and he doesn't need it. Since he doesn't need it, going to him again will only cause him trouble."
Holly was experiencing her first stirrings of love and was unable to control herself. The more strictly one tried to control her, the more counterproductive it became.
Since we can't control her, let's give her another push. Whether it's bitter or sweet, she'll have to taste it herself to know the true flavor.
Holly's previously dejected eyes regained some of their sparkle.
"Miss, I understand. I know what to do."
Just then, a maid's voice came from the courtyard, "Miss Meng, is Miss Meng resting?"
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