Chapter 51 I Want to See Her Regret
Three days later.
Eunuch Wan personally delivered the imperial edict to the Guan residence.
Guan's parents and Meng Huanyan were unaware of why the imperial edict had suddenly arrived. Only Guan Yi'an knew the reason and was overjoyed to receive the edict with his whole family.
Eunuch Wan glanced coldly at the crowd and then spoke in a shrill voice.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I believe that the key to governing the country lies in selecting and appointing virtuous and capable officials. Guan Yi'an, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, possesses both talent and virtue, is loyal and devoted, and is diligent in governing the country. He is truly a pillar of the court. I hereby appoint him as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and bestow upon him a mansion as a sign of my favor. I hope that you will live up to my expectations, remain upright and honest, and soon become a trusted minister. This decree is hereby issued."
"Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude. He will certainly do his utmost to live up to Your Majesty's favor!"
Guan Yi'an reached out to receive the imperial edict, his heart filled with excitement and joy, but his face remained calm.
He was just a minor compiler in the Hanlin Academy, yet he rose to the rank of a third-grade official in such a short time. Not to mention the current dynasty, even in the centuries before that, few people had such good fortune.
Now let's see how those civil and military officials can laugh at him.
And Meng Lingge, she'll definitely regret it when she finds out...
"His Majesty greatly admires the scholar's talent. He truly deserves the position of Vice Minister of Rites. Congratulations!"
With a sinister smile, the moment Eunuch Wan released the imperial edict, his withered old hand greedily caressed Guan Yi'an's hand. The action was so subtle that no one noticed it except Guan Yi'an, who felt a chill run down her spine from the touch.
"Thank you for your kind words, Steward Wan!" Guan Yi'an suppressed his nausea, quickly took out a silver ingot from his pocket and stuffed it into Steward Wan's hand, then smiled and welcomed him into his home to serve tea.
Guan's parents and Meng Huanyan were so surprised by the good news that they didn't know what to do, unable to stop smiling. They were already wondering where the mansion bestowed by the Emperor was and whether it was fully furnished.
Meng Huanyan was unaware that when Eunuch Wan's lowered eyes swept over her, a venomous chill gleamed within them.
Guan Yi'an knew that his official position was not obtained legitimately, so he tried to keep a low profile and avoid the limelight. However, his parents and Meng Huanyan all thought that this promotion was a great joy to wipe away their previous shame, so they made all sorts of preparations and boasted about it. In addition, his promotion of several ranks was indeed rare, and for a time, the top scholar became the most popular person in the capital.
Half a month later, the mansion bestowed by the emperor was completed, and Guan Yi'an moved in with his entire family. The mansion was spacious, and they hired more than a dozen servants to serve them.
After moving into Guan's residence, officials came one after another to offer their congratulations. Some even expressed interest in marrying Guan Yi'an, since he was not yet married.
While Guan Yi'an was feeling triumphant, he also felt a little regretful. If Meng Lingge were by his side to handle the affairs of the inner quarters and he could take in one or two beautiful concubines, it would be truly perfect.
Guan's mother is rude and uncouth, and Meng Huanyan is petty and lacks tact. Neither of the two women in the family is reliable, and he has to worry about everything, big or small, which makes him quite overwhelmed.
Even so, Guan Yi'an still decided to hold a promotion banquet. In addition to quickly building a good relationship with important officials, there was another important reason for holding the banquet: he wanted to see Meng Lingge.
To be precise, he wanted to see Meng Lingge's regretful expression.
When the invitation was delivered to Prince Anshun's Mansion, Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming were admiring the peach blossoms in the Peach Garden. It had rained lightly that morning, and now that the sun was shining, the peach blossoms after the rain were even more beautiful, fresh and alluring.
Wen Zhiming picked a few peach blossoms and tucked them into Meng Lingge's hair, making the dignified and beautiful woman even more alluring. Wen Zhiming circled around Meng Lingge like a big boy, and whenever raindrops were blown from the branches by the wind, he would promptly shield her from them.
Seeing that his hair was wet, Meng Lingge was worried that he would catch a cold and was about to ask the maid to prepare an umbrella when she saw Granny Chu rushing over.
"Your Highness, Your Highness's Wife, the Princess is looking for you and wants you to come quickly."
Meng Lingge fetched a clean towel, dried Wen Zhiming's hair, and changed him into a clean set of clothes before they went hand in hand to see Princess Anshun.
"You've come, please sit down. Your mother summoned you here because she received an invitation today."
Princess Anshun pointed to the table, and a servant handed the invitation from the table to Meng Ling.
Meng Lingge glanced at it and was somewhat surprised, "Guan Yi'an has been promoted to Vice Minister of Rites?"
She hasn't left the manor these past few days. Princess Anshun is in charge of the household, and she strictly forbids the servants from revealing anything about the Guan family to Meng Lingge. In her mind, although Meng Lingge and Guan Yi'an have broken up, it's still best to maintain a proper distance and not contact or disturb each other.
However, the invitation specifically requested that Prince Wen and his wife attend the banquet, so it would be unreasonable for her to refuse directly. That's why she sent a servant to inform Meng Lingge to come and discuss it.
Princess Anshun nodded and said, "Yes, it happened half a month ago. I heard that the Emperor originally had two candidates, but neither of them was him. I don't know why, but he changed his mind in the end. The Emperor even bestowed a mansion upon him, and most of the officials in the capital sent congratulatory gifts."
“On the day you married Mo’er, I felt that the Guan family boy was not a good person, so when he was promoted this time, I did not send anyone to attend. But now he has sent someone to send an invitation, and it is for An’er and you, so I cannot make the decision for you.”
Meng Lingge understood the unspoken meaning in Princess Anshun's words, "We will follow Mother's wishes. Mother can make the decision. My husband and I are one, if he goes, I will go, and if he doesn't go, I won't go either."
Princess Anshun smiled. "You silly child. I originally didn't want you to go. I suspected that the Guan family boy had been promoted and invited you to show off in front of you, so that you would regret marrying him. But after hearing what you said, I changed my mind. What's so great about Guan Yi'an, a mere third-rank official? As long as you and Mo'er have a good relationship, he can never compare to us, the imperial relatives."
At this point, Princess Anshun rose and paced back and forth, saying solemnly, "However, the current Emperor is by nature suspicious, and the Prince is often away leading troops in battle. As the saying goes, it's easy to get along with a gentleman, but difficult to guard against a petty person. We are not afraid of him, but there is no need to completely offend him. If he forms cliques behind our backs and speaks ill of the Prince to the Emperor, it will be a great hidden danger. I think this person should not be befriended, nor should we let him keep thinking about us."
“Since he has made a special invitation, you should go. When he sees that you two are a loving couple, he may give up on you. Your going will also give him face, and the conflict between the two families can be resolved.”
"Lingge, Mo'er, what do you think of this arrangement by your mother?"
Princess Anshun held Wen Zhiming's hand with one hand and Meng Lingge's hand with the other, her eyes filled with affection and a hint of relief.
Her exceptionally intelligent son contracted this strange illness, and heaven knows how many tears she shed because of it. Fortunately, heaven took pity on her and allowed her son to marry such a sensible and kind wife who was willing to stand by him through thick and thin, which gave her hope for the future.
She had been watching Meng Lingge spend time with Wen Zhiming these past few days.
The longer they spent together, the more satisfied she became with Meng Lingge as her daughter-in-law.
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