Chapter 1142: Blind Date (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"I'll have a physician from the medical field stay at your residence for a while to properly recuperate you." The king's palms were warm and soft, with a faint, elegant fragrance. In contrast, Mei Meng's hands were dry, cold, and stiff, as if constantly radiating coldness.
Not only that, Mei Jinghe also developed a fear of cold.
Despite being a scholar, she was dressed more warmly than others, seemingly out of season. The king, his eyes filled with sincere concern, cherished Mei Meng like a precious treasure: "You are my life."
Mei Meng said, "My lord, don't worry. This is just a normal situation after the backlash. You will recover your strength after resting for a while."
The king looked at Mei Meng's ten fingers with pity—the latter's nails were a pale blue, quite different from her usual healthy pinkish-white: "If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have sent you to the Northwest High Kingdom to try to perfect the way of the scholar. Even without the way of the scholar, you would still be my most capable right-hand man and my most trusted minister! My feelings for you have never changed because of these external factors."
With a heart full of pain, he said, "Why suffer so much?"
Mei Jinghe's expression softened at her words.
"Even so, this is what I have sought all my life. Let alone merely enduring the pain of a mere backlash, even if it means taking my life, I will not hesitate to go and try! I will give it a shot! How will I know this path won't work if I don't try?"
Upon hearing this, the king sat up straight with worry, grabbed Mei Meng's shoulders, and said with a wronged tone, "Jing He, are you abandoning me? Are you going to leave for a year and a half like last time? You know very well that I don't trust anyone but you."
Mei Meng gently comforted the king.
Although she had no experience in childbirth, she had accompanied the king through the births of the eldest and second princesses over the years and knew that pregnant women were more emotionally vulnerable and sensitive than usual. The imperial physicians also advised her to go along with her and keep the pregnant woman in a good mood.
However, she was determined to perfect the way of the scholar.
After the imperial physician finished his routine pulse diagnosis, Mei Meng took her leave.
"Startled Crane..."
The king stared blankly at the scenery outside the window, his mind in turmoil, before finally exhaling a breath of stale air.
Why does it have to be perfect?
"Many things in this world are inherently imperfect."
Reason told her that being wary of Mei Meng was a foolish thing to do.
Mei Meng is actually in cahoots with her.
However, Mei Meng's repeated attempts to perfect the Way of the Scholar also made her uneasy—which superior wouldn't worry about Mei Meng's pursuit of the Way of the Scholar? As far as she knew, each failure of the perfection ceremony would change the content of the assessment, making it even more difficult. Jing He had told her without reservation about the content of the last perfection ceremony, and had even set the Gao Kingdom as the target.
She had no objection to Mei Jinghe's arrangements, and was even moved—Jinghe's honesty proved her loyalty to her! Upon her return, she clearly felt that Jinghe had changed somewhat.
When she subtly inquired about the changed conditions for the perfect ritual, Mei Meng refused to tell her, citing the backlash that would damage her vital energy. However, when she tested Mei Meng's resolve to give up on the perfect ritual, Mei Meng became determined to try again, even at the cost of her life.
"well……"
The king let out a long sigh, then shook his head.
"Jinghe, I only hope you won't disappoint me."
Mei Meng was a ray of light to her, and the one who pulled her out of the mire. For a long time, Mei Meng was so important to her that she would have agreed without hesitation if Mei Meng asked her for her life. There were no secrets between them.
She felt uneasy about suddenly having a secret.
And then, out of the blue, some clueless people came up to fawn over them.
Looking at the young man before him, whose features were delicate and whose skin was covered with makeup, the king felt a mischievous urge: "Why do you look so aggrieved? Did someone upset you?"
The man was the biological father of her unborn child, and the king showed him more patience than his other male favorites. His tearful appearance was indeed pitiful. No wonder so many men enjoyed keeping beautiful concubines; she did too. One after another, men more beautiful than flowers fawned over her, vying for her favor, but her heart and eyes were only for him…
Who wouldn't want to have a few more beauties like that?
Seeing that the king was in a good mood, the young man felt comfortable showing his weak and submissive side: "Serving by Your Majesty's side, who would dare to wrong me? It's just that when we're alone, I think of the unborn third prince in Your Majesty's womb, and I feel full of guilt..."
This male favorite had served the king for quite some time, so he naturally possessed a knack for reading people's expressions and moods. Although the king's pregnancy was still in its early stages and the sex of the fetus was impossible to determine, based on his observations of the king, he believed the king preferred a male heir. Otherwise, why would the previous two male favorites, who had enjoyed his exclusive favor for a while, have fallen out of favor?
It's because the seeds they provided were of very poor quality.
The royal offspring born to the king were all ordinary people.
The king did not correct his form of address, but only gave him a cold look.
"Guilt? Why should I feel guilty?"
The male favorite knew what the king liked about him, so he would carefully choose the best angle to reply: "I come from a humble background and my clan is dwindling. The thought of becoming a burden to the third prince and bringing shame to him makes me feel ashamed to death."
The king said, "Is that so? Is that all?"
Who in the Qi Kingdom doesn't know that the fathers of the two princesses are unknown?
He only knew his mother, but not his father!
There is also no such thing as the biological father's status burdening the child.
This male concubine in front of her was always so sensible and discreet, why was he acting so foolish today? Didn't he know that she hated it most when male concubines in her harem interfered with her power? It wasn't that she was petty, but her experiences and lessons over the years had taught her—a canary is a canary!
If you want a canary to behave itself as a canary, don't try to treat it like a person! Only treat it like a carefully kept pet. Only then will it be obedient. Once it gains power, it will become restless and unwilling to remain a mere canary. It might even turn on its owner!
Is this male concubine restless?
No, I don't think I'd be that stupid.
The male concubine, seeing the coldness in the king's eyes, felt a chill run down his spine, fearing that a slow explanation would cause a misunderstanding. This woman before him held not only his life in her hands, but also the lives of his family.
"Actually, this is what happened..."
The male concubine stammered out his true purpose.
Aren't the two sons of the Cui family's main branch supposed to be engaged?
He also had a legitimate daughter of marriageable age who fell in love at first sight with the eldest son of the Cui family and suffered from lovesickness. He only had this one niece in his generation, and he couldn't bear to see her suffer in vain. Since this matter had come to him, he could only consult the king. If his niece could marry the eldest son of the Cui family, given the Cui family's tradition, she would be the undisputed next matriarch of the Cui family.
Even though his identity as the third prince's biological father cannot be made public, he can still secretly connect the Cui family with the royal family. His niece will definitely favor the future third prince, which is beneficial to the royal family.
King: "..."
She never expected it to be like this.
He had just been thinking of leaving the second son of the Cui family to his eldest daughter.
"The Cui family... I'm afraid they won't agree..."
Her former father-in-law and mother-in-law valued family background and social standing above all else, while the family behind her male favorite… well, to call them a family was an understatement; they weren't even considered newly wealthy. They just relied on the male favorite's service to gain some prestige and secure many benefits outside the family. Truly prestigious and powerful families would never stoop to marriage alliances with such a family. His niece? Forget about Cui Zhishan; she wouldn't even pass the test of Cui Zhishan's parents.
The male concubine asked, "Because of social status?"
The king rolled his eyes inwardly.
Isn't that obvious?
If it weren't for his family background, Cui Hui wouldn't have been subjected to so much hardship for so many years.
"I've heard that the previous mistress of the Cui family was also of commoner origin, and that she arranged for her to marry someone of equal social standing just to save face. This shows that as long as people like someone, social status and background are not insurmountable. My niece is beautiful and talented! Which aristocratic family has better conditions than her? They are either too young or lack the looks and talent."
The male concubine even tried to act coquettishly.
Instead of gaining approval, he was slapped.
The slap brought him to his senses instantly. He knelt on the ground, begging for forgiveness, his forehead drenched in sweat, completely unaware of what he had done to anger the other party.
The king's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Just as his male concubine felt a chill run down his spine, thinking that this day next year would be the anniversary of his death, the king's calm voice came from above: "Let your niece come to the palace to meet me."
Upon hearing this, the male concubine was overjoyed and expressed his gratitude.
After cleaning up the mess his son had made, Cui Zhishan prepared to return to his temporary lodgings. From a distance, he saw his eldest son craning his neck to look out from the gate of the house. He said with displeasure, "Aren't you going to stay with your mother? Are you going to stand here and starve? Have you had your fill?"
"Where does the northwest wind come from at this time of year?"
"That means you weren't full. You'll have to eat some family discipline to fill your stomach!"
He didn't hit his son easily, but this time his son had really gone too far, giving the royal family a handle to use against him for no reason. Wasn't the child afraid that one day someone would use this as an excuse to kill him? Upon hearing this, the eldest son felt as if his two buttocks were about to split into four pieces from the pain.
"Father, is Mother still alive?"
It's okay if I get beaten up, but it's unacceptable to hurt my mother's feelings.
Where is your mother?
"My mother took my second brother out to play."
"Just your mother and your second brother?"
Eldest son: "There's also a maid I don't recognize. I've already ordered someone to protect her secretly; she should be back before dark."
“An unfamiliar maid?” Cui Zhishan remembered the maid that Cui Hui had taken in yesterday. He had a feeling that this maid’s background was not simple, and he had already ordered someone to investigate. The results should be in the study by now. He turned to his son and instructed, “You will be exempt from the family punishment this time. Go find your mother quickly and don’t let anyone offend her.”
The eldest son, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, said, "Thank you, Father."
He couldn't wait to grab his warhorse and ride off.
Cui Zhishan shook his head: "How can someone with this personality get engaged?"
He had no intention of letting his eldest son decide on his marriage now. His agreement to the elders to arrange a marriage for his son was merely a delaying tactic, and also an opportunity to carefully assess the situation—the Qi Kingdom had been expanding and growing stronger in recent years, and the forces that the ruler and Mei Jinghe had secretly cultivated were not to be underestimated. The Cui family was currently still allies with them, but their history of exploiting acquaintances was long-standing.
Today's allies may be tomorrow's enemies.
Back in his study, he used a special incantation to remove his disguise.
Three lacquered secret letters suddenly appeared on the previously empty table. He casually picked up one of them. The contents were very brief, revealing the true background of Shen Tang under this guise, including his origin, age, place of origin, and general life experience.
"A local from the Southwest..."
Based on intelligence, their activities are confined to one county.
Where did she learn to speak with a northern accent?
The accent was even heavier than Ke Wu's, indicating that the other person had likely lived in the North for a longer period. Either the intelligence was flawed, or the person themselves had serious problems. Cui Zhishan couldn't allow such a threat to remain near Cui Hui: "Were they switched?"
Or was your identity stolen?
Choi Ji-sun continued reading.
Those secretly investigating collected saliva from the chopsticks Shen Tang used today and compared it with traces and scents left in the original area where this body lived, basically concluding that it was the same person. Cui Zhishan put down the news: "The body is the same, but the internal workings are hard to say."
He picked up another secret report and quickly skimmed through it.
This confidential report was sent by the Southwest Branch.
The above details the connections and resources that Mei Jinghe utilized.
"The Ceremony for the Completion of the Scholar's Way?"
"Can we deduce the conditions of the ritual based on the clues?"
"...What a pity."
In Cui Zhishan's view, Mei Jinghe was not yet an enemy; simply having someone keep an eye on him was sufficient, and there was no need to pay him much attention. He picked up the last document, which was related to the Northwest Branch. To be precise, it detailed the whereabouts of the Northwest Branch's headquarters.
The words "Qi Yuanliang" are written throughout the text.
Seeing that Qi Yuanliang had been thoroughly humiliated by He Shu in Shangnan County and had even lost an arm, Cui Zhishan was in high spirits.
For the first time, I found He Buzuo agreeable.
Choi Ji-sun personally destroyed the three intelligence reports.
Where is Madam right now?
This place was dangerous, so Cui Zhishan had placed trusted spies around Cui Hui to closely monitor his movements and prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation. Unexpectedly, the confidant immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Master, please forgive me!"
Cui Zhishan's face darkened: "Where is he?"
The confidant said, "We lost them."
This answer was like a bolt from the blue.
The person involved said – Good riddance!
The culprit who helped remove the eyeliner was trembling with fear.
"Mother, we should go back now..."
He pleaded with his own mother in an almost begging tone.
His own mother remained unmoved, so he turned to Shen Tang.
"Sister Shen, please help me and persuade Mother, okay?" The little boy opened his big, watery eyes, which were filled with light and longing, and carefully tugged at Shen Tang's sleeve.
Shen Tang said, "Didn't we just come out?"
The young boy, with drooping eyelids, said, "My sister doesn't understand Father. He seems upright and honest, but he's actually very jealous."
Cui Hui appeared to be carefully selecting cosmetics, but in reality, she was secretly watching her own son, Shen Tang, who was cautiously touching her. Her heart was like a typhoon, with thousands of warhorses galloping through it—she and Shen Jun had come out to look for clues about Miao Ne, and her youngest son insisted on coming along.
Come on then, I don't know what got into your head.
Along the way, she grew closer and closer to Shen Jun.
He also subtly inquired about Shen Jun's age and ancestral home.
She couldn't help but rub her forehead and whispered to her son.
[Didn't you say this morning that you liked the girl who would ride on auspicious clouds, overcome all obstacles, and steal you away from the Cui family?]
His preferences changed in the blink of an eye?
The son whispered, "Mother, I saw it."
What did you see?
She rode on auspicious clouds, overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating six generals!
|ω`)
Cui Xiao: Let me see what my grandson is doing—
Cui Xiao: 6.
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