Chapter 30 Auspicious Fortune: "The young lady will marry an outstanding man..."
After receiving the imperial decree, Meng Yanqing felt a sense of relief, even though his heart had been in his throat. After ordering everyone to return to their rooms, he accompanied Old Madam Meng back to Ci'an Hall.
"Mother must have heard what the eunuch said." Under the eaves, the two walked ahead, with maids and servants following at a distance behind.
Old Madam Meng, leaning on her cane, spoke in a somewhat hoarse but extremely calm voice. Although she was deciding on a major life event for her daughters, she spoke as if it were the most ordinary matter: "I've heard you clearly, and I suppose you've already made up your mind. Since we can't avoid this marriage, we have no choice but to climb up this pole. Only by clinging to it can we have a chance to survive. If we choose the wrong person and accidentally fall, we might be shattered to pieces."
A winding path led to a secluded spot, and a cool summer breeze gently wafted in from all directions, seeping into Meng Yanqing's sleeves and hem, making him shiver with cold.
He looked ahead and tried to keep his voice steady: "Mother is right. If it were just me, it would be fine, but the clan has a hundred or so people. We cannot let them perish here. I will personally visit General Lu in a few days to propose a candidate."
Madam Meng frowned slightly: "Why not go today or tomorrow?"
Meng Yanqing explained, “If we go today or tomorrow, it will seem that our son is not thinking things through. If we go a few days later, others will know that our son has made this decision after careful consideration and that he did not intentionally favor any of the daughters.”
Madam Meng nodded repeatedly: "That's absolutely right."
***
The brilliant sunlight shone on the broad banana leaves in the Zhenhuazhai courtyard, creating a dappled golden glow.
It was midday, and the Pillow Flower Studio was completely quiet, with only a few soft snores occasionally escaping, which were quickly drowned out by the chirping of cicadas in the shade of the trees.
Zhixia, carrying a food box, leaned against the wall, her heart pounding. She tugged at the sleeve of the person in front of her, her voice high-pitched as she looked around and muttered, "Miss, Madam said that this matter is to be decided by Master, and we are not allowed to interfere. Going to the study now is like jumping into a pit."
"shut up!"
Meng Yin impatiently pulled back his sleeve, glanced ahead, and seeing no one guarding the door, quickly tiptoed and rushed out.
Seeing this, Zhixia took a deep breath and had no choice but to bite her lip and follow.
After leaving the hanging flower gate and getting quite a distance from Zhenhua Zhai, Meng Yin stopped, turned around, and gave Zhixia a hard knock on the forehead, scolding, "What do you know? Second Sister is intelligent and kind-hearted, exceptionally bright. If Father doesn't think straight and betroths her to General Lu, I won't even have time to cry then. I'm going to shut Father up now and let him choose first... sigh..."
As they were talking, Meng Yin didn't pay attention to what was in front of him and bumped into something hard, taking two steps back.
Before she could react, someone supported her shoulder, and then a gentle, concerned voice came from above her head: "Excuse me, is Fourth Miss alright?"
Meng Yin frowned, covered her forehead, and looked up. Her eyes met the face of a young, unfamiliar man. Seeing that he was still holding her shoulder, she took two steps back with disgust: "Who are you? Why are you in the back courtyard of my Meng family?"
The visitor apologized slightly: "I'm sorry to have offended you, young lady. My name is Jiang Xuanli. I came to your residence today at the invitation of Brother Meng, but the servant who led me here suddenly had urgent business and asked me to go to Brother Meng's study on my own. Unfortunately, your residence is quite large, and I got lost and went the wrong way."
Upon hearing the name, Meng Yin looked him up and down with some curiosity. She had indeed heard the name Jiang Xuanli from her father and older brother a few times, mostly praising him for his exceptional talent and proud demeanor despite his humble origins. But now that she had met him, he seemed nothing special.
Meng Yin pointed towards Meng Zhangzhou's study: "Big brother's study is over there. Go straight and turn right."
After saying that, she didn't wait for his reply, raised her head and walked away, leaving the people behind her watching from afar.
Upon entering the study, Meng Yanqing was sitting at the desk, dozing off with his hand supporting his forehead. Seeing this, Meng Yin quickly and quietly took a thin outer garment from the wooden frame and draped it over him.
No sooner had she put it on than Meng Yanqing woke up, looking at her with sleepy eyes and a puzzled expression: "Yin'er, why are you here at this time?"
Seeing that he was awake, Meng Yin took out the dessert from the food box and smiled slightly, "In the summer heat, I thought that Father must be very tired from his duties in court, so I specially asked the kitchen to make a bowl of almond tofu. I heard Father cough occasionally during the meal a couple of days ago. Almonds can relieve asthma and also moisten the lungs and clear heat, so they are most suitable for Father."
Seeing that her usually mischievous daughter was now so sensible, Meng Yanqing felt greatly relieved. She picked up the bowl, took a couple of bites, and said happily, "This almond tofu has a smooth texture and tastes excellent. Yin'er is so thoughtful."
Seeing that Meng Yanqing seemed to be in a good mood, Meng Yin said weakly, "Actually, I have a few words of truth to say to Father."
She frowned, as if she had something very heavy on her mind. Meng Yanqing quickly put down his bowl and pulled her to sit down on the chair next to him: "If you have something to say, just tell your father."
Meng Yin glanced at him, mustered her courage, and said awkwardly, "Second Sister is beautiful and talented, skilled in all the arts, and is an exceptionally good girl. Prince Qin is a man of integrity and has a bright future. Second Sister has also gained the approval of the Lady of the Marquis of Chengyi's mansion, and it seems that she will soon be marrying into the Marquis's family. We must not let the official marriage ruin her future. However, I have seen Father frowning over this matter these past two days, and he has even lost his appetite. Therefore, I have dared to ask for your help to relieve Father's and the Meng family's worries."
Meng Yanqing still pretended not to understand: "Yin'er's words..."
Meng Yin hurriedly stood up, took two steps back, knelt down before Meng Yanqing, and said with a heart full of trepidation, "Please, Father, betroth Yin'er to General Lu, so as to relieve the worries of my Meng family."
After a long while, no sound came from above.
Meng Yin's heart pounded. After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn't help but look up and saw Meng Yanqing with her head down, wiping away tears with her sleeve.
She was startled and quickly got up to go forward, asking gently, "Father, did what I said frighten you? If so, I have failed in my filial duty. You can hit me or scold me as you please, I will have no complaints."
Meng Yanqing shook his head: "Yin'er is so sensible, I feel ashamed."
In fact, Lu Xiuyi already knew who to give the gift to.
Meng Shuang has already gained the approval of the Lady of the Marquis of Chengyi's mansion. As Meng Yin said, they may come to propose marriage soon. They have been looking forward to this marriage for a long time and must not let it be ruined.
Meng Yu is not only an illegitimate daughter but also mute, timid, and dull-witted. If we were to marry her off, Young Master Lu might think they were looking down on him. Besides, the Emperor only specifically mentioned the Second and Fourth Misses. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to marry Meng Yu off.
After eliminating these possibilities, only Meng Yin remains.
He was originally thinking about how to persuade her to accept the marriage, but she took the initiative to ask for the marriage. How could he not burst into tears?
Upon hearing his words, Meng Yin immediately understood that there was a strong possibility of this. Her pounding heart gradually calmed down, and she smiled and said, "Father, you mustn't say that. You and Mother raised me to adulthood and have always cherished me. Now that the family is in trouble, how could I not step forward to help you out?"
Her words were sincere and her sentences pierced the heart.
Meng Yanqing felt even more guilty: "Don't worry, Yin'er, if you get married, your father and mother will definitely not wrong you."
Meng Yin nodded, her eyes filled with tears, and buried herself in his arms.
***
The dappled sunlight filtered through the pear tree, casting a shadow.
Meng Yu propped up the window, leaned against the couch holding a book, her gaze reflecting on the book, but she couldn't concentrate on a single word.
Two days have passed since the imperial decree of marriage was issued, and Meng Yanqing cannot rest easy until she announces who she will be betrothed to Lu Xiuyi.
Huaiyin brought in the prepared iced meatballs and saw that Mengyu looked restless even though she was reading a book. She guessed that it must be because of the imperial marriage. So she ladled out a bowl of iced meatballs and handed it to her, comforting her: "Don't worry, Miss. I saw the other day that Fourth Miss is quite infatuated with General Lu. Even if you want to marry him, she doesn't agree."
Meng Yu put down her book, took the bowl, and looked at Huai Yin, hesitant to speak. After a pause, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to mention that Lu Xiuyi had come.
Even if she spoke up, what could she do? Lu Xiuyi held a high position and was known for his vindictive nature. They were just ordinary people, and there was nothing they could do to him. Speaking out now would only cause her aunt and Huaiyin to worry.
Meng Yu thought about it and then decided against it.
"What are you thinking about, young lady? Why are you staring at me like that without saying anything?" Huaiyin asked, her eyes full of confusion.
Meng Yu ate a chilled meatball; it was refreshing and cool, and swallowing it made the heat in her chest dissipate somewhat.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yu placed the bowl on the small table beside her and raised her hand, saying, "Huaiyin, let's go to Lin'an Temple to offer incense tomorrow!"
"Why did you suddenly decide to go burn incense, young lady?"
Meng Yu smiled and casually made up an excuse: "Grandmother suffered from headaches a few days ago. I can't do much to help, but it would be good to pray for her and show my filial piety."
She did indeed want to pray for blessings, not only for Old Madam Meng, but also for herself. In her previous life, she was a materialist who did not believe in gods or Buddhas, but now she only wanted to pray to all the gods and Buddhas in the sky, whether they existed or not, to grant her good fortune and protect her from Lu Xiuyi's harassment.
Huaiyin gently fanned her with a fan and said with a smile, "It's good that you have such a kind heart, Miss. In that case, I will go and tell Master and Madam about this later."
Upon hearing that Meng Yu wanted to go to Lin'an Temple to offer incense and pray for Madam Meng, Meng Yanqing thought it was excellent that she had such filial piety. However, Madam Yuan was worried about Meng Shuang and Meng Yin because of the marriage bestowed by the Emperor, so she naturally had no mind to care about Meng Yu. After hearing this, she simply ordered someone to arrange a carriage to pick her up and drop her off.
The next day, after paying their respects at Ci'an Hall and Zhenhua Zhai, Meng Yu and Aunt Shen boarded a carriage and headed to Lin'an Temple.
Lin'an Temple is located in the suburbs and is a very popular temple, the largest in the capital, attracting a large number of visitors. The road leading to Lin'an Temple is also very well-maintained, and the carriage travels very smoothly without any bumps.
Seeing that Meng Yu was preoccupied, Aunt Shen knew that she was still troubled by the arranged marriage, so she took her hand and smiled gently, trying to distract her: "When we offer incense later, what would you like to ask for, Yu'er?"
Meng Yu raised her hand: "Didn't we say we were praying for Grandmother's well-being?"
Aunt Shen smiled and said, "Since you're here, you might as well ask for something for yourself!"
Meng Yu understood the meaning behind her words, grasped her hand in return, paused, and then withdrew her hand: "Daughter only wishes that Aunt and Huaiyin will live a peaceful and prosperous life, and that daughter will also have her wish fulfilled."
Aunt Shen nodded with a smile.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Lin'an Temple, the distant sound of bells from the Mahavira Hall drifted over, the heavenly Buddhist chants echoing through the rustling forest, seemingly penetrating countless barriers and seeping into the depths of their hearts, even calming Meng Yu's unease somewhat.
There were many people at Lin'an Temple. When Aunt Shen and Meng Yu saw that all the prayer cushions in the main hall were occupied, they wandered around the area before returning to the main hall to offer incense.
After offering incense, the three of them came out and saw a small stall for fortune telling and divination set up outside the main hall. In the corner of the stall was a sign that read: "Seek divination to resolve doubts, read bones for fortune telling."
Huaiyin was immediately intrigued and quickly pulled Mengyu to sit down.
Meng Yu couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she sat down and drew a fortune stick.
The master took the fortune stick, glanced at it, and smiled broadly, congratulating her: "Congratulations, young lady! This fortune stick is related to your marriage, and the person you will marry in the future will be outstanding and extraordinary."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com