Chapter 139 Want to See
At the end of the 11 PM, Madam Liu returned with Meng Liniang and Aunt Luo. The three of them entered the house beaming with joy, their faces full of smiles, indicating that they had been very well received during their visit to Lord Min's house.
Liu came over to see Meng Guanqi with two boxes in her hands. She was very happy to see that his fever had subsided and that he had stayed in the room as she had told him not to go out. She said, "These are some articles that your Uncle Min asked me to give to you. They are some of the articles he has written over the years. If you find them good, copy them down and return the originals to him."
Meng Guanqi was taken aback, and his expression immediately became solemn. He respectfully accepted the box that Liu handed him. When he opened it, he found two collections of essays, each more than an inch thick, which must have been bound by Lord Min himself.
This is really too valuable.
Madam Liu then took out another box: "This is a box of medicinal herbs that Madam Min specially sent to you to help you recover after hearing that you had caught a cold. They all care about you and want you to take good care of yourself..."
At this point, she couldn't help but sigh. Even her future in-laws knew to make sure Meng Guanqi took good care of his health, but his grandfather, Minister Meng, actually had the heart to let him stand outside in the cold for an hour. In comparison, it made her own family members seem even more cold and heartless.
She grew increasingly disheartened: "If the ancestral home ever needs your help in the future, just decline it..."
Meng Guanqi also didn't want to get too involved with the Meng family: "Mother, don't worry. We've already done our duty as juniors, and we've separated our households. There's no need to go there and humiliate ourselves. Besides, their unwelcoming attitude is probably just for show to save face; they won't actually let us come back."
Liu was rather listless. Prominent families should be closely united, but her own direct relatives looked down on her in every way, which made it hard to feel good.
Fortunately, the old saying is true: what is lost on one front may be gained on another. Heaven took away their connection with the Meng family, but unexpectedly, they found a replacement in Lord Min. Isn't that an unexpected joy?
Thinking of this, Liu finally cheered up and said with emotion, "Li Niang's marriage is very good. Lord Min and Madam Min have treated us with great courtesy and respect. I have also met Min Yu. He is a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He is quite a good match for our Li Niang."
Not only was she satisfied, but Aunt Luo was even more satisfied. Meng Liniang blushed and dared not speak loudly, but judging from her expression, she was also very satisfied with Min Yu.
Although Li Xiaoxiao couldn't understand this kind of arranged marriage where the couple was getting married next month but only met for the first time at the end of this month, she knew that's how people were here. Marriage was a gamble, and whether it went well or not depended entirely on luck.
Fortunately, Meng Liniang's blind box opened well, and with her sensible in-laws supporting her, she will most likely be able to live a good life.
After returning from the Min family, Meng Liniang kept looking at the handkerchief that Wang Liuniang had given her. Even though she was determined to stay away from her, she still had to return the gift.
Otherwise, wouldn't others think she was impolite? Besides, the other party was the daughter of the Vice Minister of War, whom she couldn't afford to offend.
She considered it for two days, wrote a letter by hand, opened the chest, found two of her prettiest hairpins as a return gift, put them in a box, and asked Zhao Jian to have someone send them back to Wang Liu Niangzi: "Please have someone send the box to Miss Wang Liu, there's no need to wait for a reply."
Zhao Jian responded and sent a servant to deliver the box to the Wang family.
Wang Liuniang had been waiting at home for news from Meng Liniang. She was getting impatient and was about to ask Meng Yueniang to help her arrange to meet her when she heard from her personal maid that the young lady from the Meng family had sent a gift.
She was so happy she almost jumped for joy and immediately told her maid to go out and bring in the gifts.
Wang Liuniang's governess followed discreetly. After receiving the box, she first opened it and glanced inside. She saw two exquisite hairpins and a letter, but nothing else seemed amiss. Only then did she feel relieved and hand the box over to Wang Liuniang's personal maid, Chunli.
Wang Liuniang pursed her lips when she saw the hair ornament. How could she lack such a thing? She casually put it aside and immediately opened the letter that Meng Liniang had written to her.
She fully expected Meng Liniang to invite her out, but after reading the letter, her expression changed completely.
Meng Liniang first thanked her for the handkerchief, and in return gave her two hairpins, a specialty of Biyang County. Then she apologized and told her that her brother had caught a cold, so the family had been in a bit of a commotion lately. She also discovered that there were still some important items that she hadn't finished embroidering while taking stock of her dowry. She would have to stay at home for the next few days and wouldn't have time to go out. She hoped that her sister wouldn't mind.
The letter was written in a very tactful way, but Wang Liuniang only remembered one thing: Meng Guanqi had caught a cold.
How did he catch a cold? Is it serious? Thinking back to the scene when I saw him at the Meng residence that day, apart from a cloak, he seemed to be dressed rather thinly. The north wind has been blowing hard these past two days, and snowflakes have been falling from time to time. Ordinary people don't want to go out. Could it be that he caught a cold when he went to the Meng family that day?
She was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth in the room. When the second-class maid Chunxing served her tea, she used a little too much force, causing the teacup to clatter against its base. Wang Liuniang was so annoyed that she slapped Chunxing across the face without thinking: "Who told you to make such a commotion?"
Chunxing was so frightened that she burst into tears and knelt on the ground, begging for forgiveness: "Please calm down, Miss. It was my fault."
Wang Liuniang shouted, "Get out of here! You're not allowed to come back into my room!"
Chunxing was terrified. She had worked so hard to become a second-class maid in the Sixth Miss's room. If she was sent away, she would only be able to sweep the floor or wash clothes. Not only would her monthly salary be low, but the work would also be dirty and tiring. Now it was the dead of winter, and if she was sent to wash clothes, she was afraid her fingers would freeze off.
She immediately burst into tears: "This servant knows she was wrong, please forgive this servant, Miss!"
The more she cried, the more annoyed Wang Liuniang became. She suddenly returned to her dressing table, grabbed a whip with a black handle, and lashed it out, striking Chunxing: "Didn't you hear me tell you to get out? How dare you disobey me?"
The whip was made of fine cowhide soaked in tung oil. One lash left Chunxing's body ripped open and bleeding. Chunxing was in so much pain that she almost fainted. Chunli, who was standing nearby, could no longer care about offending her. She immediately rushed over and threw herself on Wang Liuniang, kneeling down and begging for mercy: "Miss, Miss, please don't be angry, lest you hurt yourself."
Seeing Wang Liuniang's pretty face turn ashen with anger, she immediately said to the outer room, "Are all the people outside dead? Hurry up and come in and drag Chunxing out. Do you all want to be whipped if you anger the young lady again?"
Three or four maids immediately entered from the outer room, bowed to Wang Liuniang, and quickly pulled Chunxing away.
Wang Liuniang was still not satisfied. She cracked her whip in the air, making a dull whooshing sound: "Don't you have any sense at all? How come you only promote people like this into my room?"
Chunli could only keep smiling and comforting her, serving her tea and water and carefully taking the whip from her hand and putting it back in its place. It took a long time for Wang Liuniang's expression to brighten up a little.
Chunli, noticing her expression, asked, "Miss, what did that young lady from the Meng family say to you that made you so angry?"
Wang Liuniang said worriedly, "She said Young Master Meng is ill~"
As Wang Liuniang's personal maid, Chunli had noticed that her young mistress's face was often flushed these past few days. In addition, she kept mentioning the handsome young man she had seen at the Meng family that day. How could Chunli not know that her young mistress was lovesick and had fallen in love with Meng Liu's son at first sight?
Wang Liuniang suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Chunli, go and find out for me how Young Master Meng caught a cold. The weather has been bad these past few days, and most people won't be going out. I have a feeling he caught a chill at the Meng residence. Try to find out through Meng Yueniang what exactly happened that day..."
Chunli was somewhat troubled. Her young mistress, a sheltered young lady, was going to inquire about a man; what would the consequences be if word got out?
Wang Liuniang urged, "Hurry up! I don't care what method you use, you have to find out exactly what happened that day, otherwise—"
She paused, then threatened Chunli, "Do you want to end up like Chunxing?"
Chunli turned pale with fright and said fearfully, "Miss, I, I'll go right away."
Wang Liuniang was satisfied: "Take whatever amount of money you want from my trunk, don't hold back."
With such a generous reward, there would surely be brave men; she didn't believe she couldn't find out the answer.
Chunli indeed took the money and sent her servant to inquire. Sure enough, with the generous reward, she found out the news the next day.
After receiving confirmation, Chunli hurriedly went to find Wang Liuniang: "Miss, I've found out. I know why Young Master Meng fell ill."
Wang Liuniang asked anxiously, "How did it happen? What exactly happened that day?"
Chunli praised Wang Liuniang highly: "Miss is truly insightful; she guessed something unusual with just a casual guess!"
Wang Liuniang was secretly pleased; she was a very clever person, wasn't she!
She urged, "Stop keeping me in suspense, tell me quickly what caused him to catch a cold?"
Chunli whispered in Wang Liuniang's ear, "It turns out that when Young Master Meng was taken out by the servants to see Minister Meng that day, Minister Meng punished him by making him stand outside for more than an hour. The gates of the Meng family's outer academy were open on both sides, letting in a draft. Young Master Meng, a scholar, was exposed to the wind for more than an hour in the dead of winter. No wonder he got sick!"
Wang Liuniang felt a pang of heartache, her face turning deathly pale: "Why did Old Master Meng treat him like this? Didn't he know that Young Master Meng was about to take the imperial examination?"
Chunli also felt that Old Master Meng was heartless, and echoed Wang Liuniang with a sympathetic look: "This servant also feels sorry for Young Master Meng. This servant also found out that Old Master Meng disliked Young Master Meng's father very much. Back then, he only caused a little trouble and was demoted to a county magistrate in another place. As a result, Old Master Meng did not hesitate to separate the family from him. I guess that's why he treats Young Master Meng like this..."
Wang Liuniang was so angry that her face turned pale. She couldn't help but complain, "He's so blind! He values his own grandson so much, yet none of them have passed the imperial examination. On the contrary, it was Young Master Meng, who has always been suppressed, who passed the examination at the age of fifteen."
Chunli exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Miss, you're right! Could it be that Minister Meng did this on purpose, wanting Young Master Meng to catch a cold and fail the exam, so that his grandson wouldn't be overshadowed..."
The more Wang Liuniang thought about it, the more sense it made. She slammed her hand on the table in anger and said, "That must be it! This is outrageous! Even if Young Master Meng has separated from the family, isn't he still a member of the Meng family? How could he harm him like this?"
The thought of that handsome young man standing in the cold wind, his face pale with cold, made her heart ache. She wished she could take his place, and she regretted that she couldn't go to his house to visit him right away, wondering how his illness was going.
Wang Liuniang paced anxiously in the room. Meng Liniang refused to come out, and she had only just met her. She couldn't just abruptly go to her door to find her. What could she do to let her see Meng Guanqi?
She was so annoyed that she was pacing around the house in anger, her hair all messed up. Just as she was about to ask Chunli to comb her hair again, she suddenly thought of someone.
Right, she shouldn't just go to Meng Guanqi's house without permission, but what if Meng Yueniang found out her cousin was sick and wanted to visit him? The Meng family couldn't very well refuse their cousin's kind offer, could they? She could just go with Meng Yueniang then, wouldn't that be fine?
Great idea! She's so clever!
She immediately instructed Chunli to send an invitation to Meng Yueniang: "Invite her to come to our house for a visit."
Meng Yueniang was also very happy to receive Wang Liuniang's invitation. Although her mother said that her marriage to Wang Er Gongzi was almost settled, there was still a chance of change before the betrothal was finalized. Wang Liuniang was the youngest daughter in the family and was deeply loved by Wang Shilang and Wang Madam. If she could put in a good word for her, the marriage would be a sure thing.
Madam Nie was also surprised that her daughter got along so well with Wang Liu Niang. Seeing that her daughter had accepted the invitation, she couldn't help but come over to help her choose suitable clothes and jewelry. While holding up exquisite and expensive hairpins and rings to her head, she said, "I heard before that Wang Liu Niang is the youngest daughter of Vice Minister Wang. She was spoiled since childhood and has learned a good whip technique. She has quite a temper. I didn't expect that she could get along with you. You did the right thing. Just go along with her wishes in everything. One word from her to her parents is better than ten or a hundred words from our matchmaker."
Meng Yueniang naturally knew how to fight for it. Her own sister had married into the family of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and her parents were very proud. They would often consult her on family matters, praising Meng Qinniang for being virtuous and reasonable. She was determined not to lose to her sister.
After helping her get dressed, Madam Nie stuffed many purses into her hands: "Reward her as she should, don't hold back, and don't let people think that our young lady is stingy. Although Wang Liu Niangzi will get married in the future, not all the people in her household can go with her. These are all people you will be dealing with in the future, so you must leave a good impression on them."
Meng Yueniang nodded repeatedly. Nie Shi arranged a carriage and maids and servants for her, and the group went to the Prince's Mansion in a grand procession.
I wonder if I'll have a chance to see Young Master Wang again today? They've only met once, and she's almost forgotten what he looks like...
However, what he looks like is not the most important thing; what is important is that he is the son of the Vice Minister of War.
Meng Yueniang raised her proud head, trying her best to keep her hair perfectly neat.
The cold wind outside grew even more biting, and the carriage slowed down a bit as it was blown by the wind.
The head maid, Jinse, gently lifted the curtain and glanced outside, whispering, "Miss, judging from the weather, it looks like it's going to snow heavily."
Meng Yueniang was also a little annoyed. It was so cold and snowing heavily. Not only was it cold to walk outside, but it was also very inconvenient, especially since she was dressed up. If she were to be blown away by the wind, it would be a disaster.
As soon as they arrived at the Prince's Mansion, heavy snow began to fall outside, the howling wind grew louder, and the sky was gloomy. It was unclear how long this heavy snow would last.
Meng Yueniang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she arrived before the snow started; otherwise, it would have been a real mess if she had encountered heavy snow on the way.
She tidied herself up and, according to etiquette, went to pay her respects to Madam Wang first.
When Madam Wang received the maid's report, she was very surprised and quickly had Meng Yueniang welcomed into the house: "It's so cold, and it's snowing heavily. Why did you come out at this time?"
Upon learning that it was Wang Liuniang who had sent her the invitation, Madam Wang was both pleased and a little distressed: "You child, why did you believe her nonsense? How can you go out in this weather? What if you catch a cold? Someone, bring Meng Jiuniang a bowl of ginger soup to warm her up."
The maidservant in the room responded and went to serve ginger soup in no time. Wang Liuniang also heard that Meng Yueniang had arrived at Madam Wang's place, so she hurried over to see her.
Madam Wang criticized Wang Liuniang: "Even if you sisters are very close, you can't let Jiuniang go out regardless of the weather. The wind and snow are so heavy. What if something happens to her on the road? You must not do this again."
Wang Liuniang didn't take it to heart at all, and said with a smile, "Didn't she arrive safely? She's not even married yet, and you're already showing such favoritism? Mother, I can't stand this!"
Meng Yueniang's face immediately turned bright red with embarrassment, and her heart pounded wildly. Just from Wang Liuniang's words, she felt that going out in the wind and snow was no big deal.
Madam Wang had never been able to handle this young girl. She tapped her forehead and said, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll teach you a lesson... Now that Ninth Miss is here, you should treat her well. After the snow stops, send someone to properly escort her back, understand?"
Wang Liuniang pulled Meng Yueniang away, saying, "I understand, I understand. I will definitely send someone to take her back safely."
Wang Liuniang pulled Meng Yueniang back to her courtyard. After chatting for a few minutes, she directly brought up the topic of Meng Yueniang: "I gave Sister Liniang a handkerchief, and she gave me two hairpins in return. What do you think? Which one do you like? I'll give it to you."
When Meng Yueniang saw that there were two flowers, she really thought that Wang Liuniang had called her here to give her a hair ornament. She looked at them carefully and picked the one that was not so outstanding: "Then I'll take this one."
What Wang Liuniang cared about wasn't this at all. She wouldn't have cared even if she had taken both flowers. She casually said, "When I saw Sister Li Niang off that day, she promised to invite us over. But when she wrote back to me today, she said her brother was sick with a cold and her family was in a mess, so she was worried that we wouldn't be able to entertain her properly... Actually, as cousins, how could you care about the etiquette between your cousins, right?"
Meng Yueniang stared blankly at her, unsure of what she was up to.
Wang Liuniang couldn't help but push her, scolding, "Your cousin is sick, shouldn't you, as his cousin, go and care about him? What if he's seriously ill? In the end, he caught a cold at your house..."
"You caught a cold at their residence?" Meng Yueniang exclaimed in surprise, "What, what do you mean by that?"
Wang Liu Niang then told Meng Yue Niang about how Minister Meng made Meng Guanqi stand in the courtyard for an hour, letting him be exposed to the draft for that hour, and how he fell ill afterward: "We, as the younger generation, shouldn't comment on the behavior of our elders, but your cousin really did fall ill because of this. Isn't it right for you to visit him when he's sick?"
Minister Meng actually made Meng Guanqi stand outside in the cold wind for an hour, and Meng Guanqi even fell ill!
This matter might have already spread throughout the manor, but it wasn't something Meng Yueniang was concerned about. She just didn't expect that it would be Wang Liuniang who told her about it. How did she know? Did she find out on purpose?
Her grandfather actually made a grandson who had been away for four years leave him in the cold wind in the courtyard for an hour, and he even got sick from the cold. If this got out, even if they were in the right, they would be in the wrong. What would others think of their family? She could ignore other people, but now that Wang Liu Niang knew about this, did Lord Wang and Madam Wang know as well? Wouldn't they have a bad impression of her family and affect her marriage?
Meng Yueniang panicked. How much did Wang Liuniangzi know? Was her sixth cousin really that ill? What should she do?
She stood up somewhat flustered: "I... I'll go back and ask my mother, and have her send someone to visit my cousin in his hospital room—"
Wang Liuniang quickly stopped her, saying that this wasn't meant for her to go back and tell her elders: "How can you go back and ask your mother? This was caused by your grandfather. If your mother goes to care about Brother Meng, wouldn't that be clearly going against your grandfather? How can you put her in a difficult position?"
Meng Yueniang thought it made sense and asked worriedly, "Then what should we do?"
It's not this, it's not that; she's just a cousin, what else can she do?
Wang Liuniang's eyes lit up: "How about we go visit him? We have a lot of medicinal herbs and tonics in our mansion. I'll have someone bring a hundred-year-old ginseng and some astragalus and angelica over there."
"She wants to come along?" Meng Yueniang looked at Wang Liuniang's flushed face in surprise, finally coming to her senses.
I see!
It turns out that the reason she tried so hard to get her out was to see her cousin, Meng Guanqi!
She covered her mouth in surprise, then burst out laughing.
Wang Liuniang's pretty face flushed red. She nudged her and said somewhat angrily, "What are you laughing at?"
Meng Yueniang teased, "You insisted on calling me out in this heavy snow. I thought something was wrong. Turns out, someone knows my cousin is sick and wants to visit him but is too afraid to go, so they insisted on dragging me along."
Seeing that her secret had been exposed, Wang Liuniang kept stamping her feet: "So, are you going to help me or not? Your cousin, Brother Meng—"
His orchid-like figure appeared before her eyes, and she said in a daze, "When I see him, I feel my heart aches terribly. I want to see him smile and I don't want to see him frown. I have never felt this way about anyone before."
Seeing her shy yet open and frank expression of her feelings, Meng Yueniang couldn't help but sigh, "But to be honest, my cousin's looks are so good that, not to brag, but I'm afraid you can't find another person in the entire capital who looks like him."
Wang Liuniang was even happier to see Meng Yueniang praising him than praising herself: "Right, right? I've thought so for a long time. All the young masters in the capital combined can't compare to one of his fingers!"
However, she was still somewhat dissatisfied: "But why do you always act like you don't know him? Didn't he only leave your household a few years ago? You're cousins, how can you be so unfamiliar with each other?"
Of course, Meng Yueniang wouldn't admit to her that her household looked down on the concubines' wives. She only vaguely said, "Men and women are different. My grandfather was the Minister of Rites, and he was extremely respectful of etiquette. The rules in our household are very strict. Even when we worship our ancestors or gather together for a meal during the New Year, we are always separated by a screen..."
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Author's Note: There's a reason I wrote about Wang Liuniang. She's an important character in the development of the story, and she's not just someone who's infatuated with the male lead... Don't forget, the Sixth Prince is still imprisoned.
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