Chapter 141 The Truth
Madam Meng arrived with a group of maids and servants. Even though a servant was holding an umbrella for her, her cloak was covered in snowflakes, and her face was pale with cold.
In such windy and snowy weather, she would never have gone out if it weren't for her daughter's accident.
Madam Wang hurriedly went to greet her, her face full of guilt: "Madam Meng, I'm so sorry, I didn't take good care of Yue Niang after she came to my house, it's all my fault~"
The fact that she immediately admitted her mistake quelled half of Madam Nie's anger. She had been sitting at home brewing tea when her maid stumbled in to report that Meng Yueniang had overturned her carriage and injured her hand. How could she sit still? She immediately gathered her men and rushed to the Prince's mansion.
How could the carriage have overturned? The servant who came to report said that the horse was startled and overturned on the street two miles away from the Prince's mansion. As soon as Nie heard this, she knew that there was something fishy going on. How could Meng Yueniang be on the street in such windy and snowy weather?
Meng Yueniang has always been a pleasure-seeker who can't stand the slightest hardship. There's absolutely no way she would voluntarily go out into the street in this kind of weather. Madam Nie knows her daughter very well, so there's no doubt who made her do this. It could only be that willful and capricious Wang Liuniang.
She couldn't understand what urgent matter required her to go out in such terrible weather. And why didn't any of the Wang family elders stop her? This has led to such a disaster; what if she becomes disabled?
After sorting out the logic, Madam Nie was still furious. Even if Wang Liuniang would become Meng Yueniang's sister-in-law in the future, she couldn't be treated like this, summoned and dismissed at will. Lord Wang was a vice minister, was Meng Rong really one rank lower than him? Why should her daughter have to pay the price for Wang Liuniang's mistakes?
So her face remained tense the whole way, and she couldn't even manage a smile when she saw Madam Wang.
However, Madam Wang apologized to her right away, which made it difficult for Madam Nie to vent her anger. After all, they were both respectable ladies who would see each other all the time, and there was also the intention of forming a marriage alliance between their families, so Madam Nie couldn't afford to offend her too much.
She could only focus her attention on Meng Yueniang, and took Madam Wang's hand with a worried expression: "When I heard the servants report that Yueniang's carriage had overturned, my legs went weak and I couldn't stand up. As luck would have it, I happened to be with Mother. Mother found out and was very worried, so she immediately sent someone to bring me here. How are Yueniang and Liu Niang? Are they seriously injured?"
Madam Wang said, "The imperial physician is still inside. He has already examined them. Yue Niang's forearm is broken, but Liu Niang broke her leg..." She took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears, "This leg is much more important than the arm. If she is left with a limp, her life will be over."
Upon hearing that Wang Liuniang was so badly injured, while Yueniang had only injured her hand, Madam Nie felt that Yueniang was indeed lucky in comparison, and her dissatisfaction lessened somewhat. Seeing Madam Wang crying so sadly, she couldn't help but comfort her, "Did you invite Physician Liu from the Imperial Hospital? He is the best at treating external injuries; he has cured so many people who had broken their bones..."
Madam Wang quickly replied, "Of course I asked him. I wouldn't trust anyone else. After all, it concerns the children's future, so how could I be careless?" She wiped away her tears and said sadly, "It's all because of Sixth Sister's lack of understanding. She just does whatever comes to mind. The two sisters were chatting peacefully at home when she suddenly said she wanted to go to some Treasure Pavilion to buy jewelry. Afraid that I wouldn't agree, she secretly got on Moon Lady's carriage, and that's how this disaster happened."
Madam Nie was shocked. What? Go to the Treasure Pavilion to buy jewelry in this weather? Are they out of their minds? A family like theirs could just have the shopkeeper deliver the goods to their door. Why would they brave the heavy snow to go out?
Can this excuse be believed?
Nie hesitated, thinking that Wang Liuniang must have lied to Madam Wang.
But seeing how heartbroken Madam Wang was, she couldn't very well expose her or rub salt into her wounds.
The two entered Madam Wang's room one after the other. When Meng Yueniang saw Nie Shi arrive, she felt even more aggrieved: "Mother!" She hugged Nie Shi tightly with her other intact hand and cried her heart out.
Madam Nie comforted her for a while, and then asked Physician Liu about her injury. She learned that her arm would need to be in a sling for a month to recover, and Madam Nie breathed a sigh of relief: "Then please help me, Physician, to sling Yue Niang's hand up first, and then set the bone after the swelling stops."
Lady Wang said the same thing, and both ladies gave Physician Liu generous purses and had servants escort him back.
Now that Madam Nie had arrived, she naturally had to take Meng Yueniang back. She had no desire to continue the conversation with Madam Wang, so after exchanging a few polite words, she prepared to leave.
Madam Wang personally escorted them to the gate of the mansion and reminded Madam Nie, "Your coachman ran away after startling the horse, completely disregarding the master inside the carriage. You must teach him a good lesson when you get back."
Feeling humiliated, Madam Nie immediately composed herself and said, "Madam Wang, please rest assured, even if you plead for him, I will not let him off the hook."
After seeing off Madam Nie and Meng Yueniang, Madam Wang turned around and the smile on her face vanished completely: "Have Chunli come to see me!"
Wang Liuniang was carried into the bathroom by her maids and given a bath. She was then carefully placed on a couch and made to lie half-reclined with her feet elevated so that she wouldn't feel pain if she didn't move. A maid used a silver fork to feed her some cut fruit. She chewed it absentmindedly, then suddenly realized, "Why are you all here? Where's Chunli?"
Another maid in the room, her hair flowing, said, "Madam has called Chunli over."
Wang Liuniang's expression changed: "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?!"
Yingxiu was startled: "Miss, you were taking a bath at the time—"
Wang Liuniang reached out and snatched the fruit plate Yingxiu was carrying, throwing it directly at her face: "Are you getting too big for your britches? Madam called Chunli away, and you dared to act on your own without telling me?! Who gave you the guts?"
Yingxiu's face was covered in fruit juice, but she didn't dare wipe it off. Trembling, she knelt down and said, "Miss, it's my fault. I shouldn't have acted on my own—"
Wang Liuniang said, "Bring me my whip!"
Yingxiu, thinking of Chunxing who was still lying in bed unable to move after being whipped by her, trembled with fear: "Miss, spare me! Please, Miss, spare me!"
Wang Liuniang shouted, "Go and get my whip!"
Suddenly, a noise came from the doorway. Wang Liuniang, who was half-lying down and unable to get up, was extremely irritated by the noise and almost screamed, "Who's making such a racket there? Get out! All of you, get out!"
"Who do you want to get out!" Madam Wang's icy voice followed her footsteps into Wang Liuniang's room.
Upon seeing that it was Madam Wang, Wang Liuniang angrily said, "Mother! Why did you call Chunli away? Call her back right now—"
"She's not coming back!" Madam Wang's voice was colder than the wind and snow outside. "All of you, get out of here."
The maids inside the room, as if they had survived a disaster, vanished without a trace, and even closed the door behind them.
Wang Liuniang was taken aback: "Mother, why are you so angry? What did you do to Chunli?"
Madam Wang said, "Chunli serves you closely but cannot protect you. She knows you are doing something outrageous but cannot stop you. Knowing she is powerless, she still dares to cover it up for you without telling me. Any one of these things is enough to kill her several times over. I have locked her in the woodshed and will have her sold first thing tomorrow morning."
Wang Liuniang screamed, "I won't allow you to sell Chunli! I want her back! Mother, what right do you have to sell my person? I haven't even agreed yet!"
Madam Wang said sternly, "Just because I am your mother, and the mistress of the Wang family, do you think I can or can't sell her! Wang Liu Niang, you are becoming more and more shameless as you grow up, actually trying to use Meng Yue Niang's name to go to the door to meet strange men. Where did you learn all your books? Is this something a young lady from a noble family should do?"
Wang Liuniang's face turned pale: "Who told you that? When did I... when did I go to meet a man in secret?"
Madam Wang roared, "Still won't admit it? A few strokes of the cane and Chunli will confess everything! She says you fell head over heels for the eldest son of the Meng family's concubine and tried every means to get close to him. When she heard he was sick, she was even more anxious and insisted on calling Meng Yueniang to the house today so she could take you out to visit him! I was wondering why you would go out in such cold weather. Turns out you couldn't wait a moment longer and braved the wind and snow to go. You almost died at our doorstep, you wretched beast!"
Wang Liuniang stubbornly insisted, "I didn't! I... I just went to meet Meng Liniang because I was bored in the cold weather. It's nothing like what you're making it out to be!"
Madam Wang said coldly, "She invited you to her door? What young lady would insist on coming to someone's door when they're not welcome? And she even took out century-old ginseng, astragalus, and codonopsis from the storeroom as a gift? Are you going to see Meng Liniang? You clearly want to see Meng Guanqi! You lie without even thinking. Meng Liniang is just a concubine's daughter, not even worthy to carry your shoes. You would look up to her and want to be friends with her? You're my daughter, I know what you're up to as soon as you start wagging your tail, and you still want to hide it from me?!"
Wang Liuniang's face turned pale and then flushed. Her mother had hit the nail on the head. She wanted to see her beloved, but then she broke her leg. She was also worried about Meng Guanqi's condition. All these misfortunes finally overwhelmed her, and she burst into tears, crying, "So what if I want to see Brother Meng? I just love him—"
Madam Wang's face turned ashen: "Shut up! How dare you say such things?! Does he even know who you are? You've only met him once and you're already calling him 'Brother Meng' so affectionately, and you even like him? Don't you have any shame? The Meng family hasn't had anyone like that in a long time."
Wang Liuniang retorted, "Why doesn't the Meng family have such a person? They just separated and lived separately. It's just that his father's official position is a little lower, but he passed the provincial examination at the age of fifteen and will participate in the metropolitan examination next year. He will soon become a Jinshi. How is he inferior to anyone else?"
Madam Wang said coldly, "Don't even mention that not many people pass the imperial examinations on their first try. Even if he did pass, so what? He'd just spend his days in the Hanlin Academy, becoming a sixth or seventh-rank editor? He'd have to work his way up in the Six Ministries, and if he was lucky, he might get a posting after ten or eight years, becoming a fifth-rank official far from the capital. But there's a huge gap between the fifth and fourth ranks. Without opportunity, background, or connections, why would anyone help him rise? He's not a direct descendant of the Meng family, and without their help, he's nothing but a poor scholar with a predictable future. You still expect to marry him? Is his annual salary enough for you to buy a pair of shoes embroidered with pearls and jade?"
Wang Liuniang shrieked, "He passed the imperial examination, while Uncle Meng's two sons didn't even pass the provincial examination. Why shouldn't they help him? Besides, if I marry him, my family can pave the way for him!"
Madam Wang was furious: "How shameless! Do you really believe there is such a thing as genuine poverty alleviation in this world? The Meng family has long since lost faith in this branch of the family. Why would the direct line be willing to invest resources in him? What benefit would they gain? Their direct line son isn't some hopeless case; he still has a chance to pass the imperial examinations. And why should our family pave the way for him? What reward can he give us?"
This was the first time Wang Liuniang had heard her husband speak of such a profound and practical issue. She was completely taken aback, only feeling that her demands were not being met and that her mother would not allow her to be with Meng Guanqi. She couldn't help but cry, "Mother, but I love him, I want to marry him! Mother, you love me the most, can you please help me for my happiness..."
Seeing her daughter crying and making a fuss, her ankle swollen high, and her face, which she had just washed, streaked with tears again, how could Madam Wang not feel heartbroken? But it was impossible for her to agree to her relationship with Meng Guanqi.
What is Meng Guanqi's background? How could he be worthy of her pampered and spoiled young girl?
Who would have thought that Wang Liuniang, having lived her entire life, had never failed to obtain anything, and even if she couldn't get it temporarily, she would find a way to get it.
Moreover, she had never had such a strong desire to marry Meng Guanqi before. When she saw that Madam Wang disagreed, she began to go on a hunger strike.
She also has a do-or-die personality; if she says she won't eat, she won't eat or even drink water. If you force-feed her, she'll vomit it up immediately, and she becomes terribly haggard in less than two days.
Madam Wang was furious with her, fearing she would really starve to death. She tried everything to threaten and entice her, but Wang Liu Niang remained unmoved, looking as if she really intended to starve to death.
The matter has escalated so much that it's impossible to keep it from Minister Wang any longer.
He went to Wang Liuniang's room in person, looked at his daughter who was dying on the bed, and said with an unreadable expression: "If I don't let you marry Meng Guanqi, do you want to starve to death?"
Wang Liuniang turned her head to the side, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
A flicker of annoyance crossed Vice Minister Wang's eyes. His daughter, whom he had pampered since childhood, was actually trying to kill herself over a man she had only met once? Utterly foolish.
He said slowly and deliberately, "Your mother can't make the decision, so I promise you that as long as Meng Guanqi passes the imperial examination this year, I will not object to you marrying her."
Upon hearing this, Wang Liuniang looked at Minister Wang in disbelief, her eyes slowly welling up with wild joy. She opened her dry, cracked lips and hissed, "Is what Father said true?"
Wang, the Vice Minister, said expressionlessly, "Of course it's true."
Madam Wang looked at him in surprise, but Wang Liu Niang burst into tears immediately.
Wang Shilang said coldly, "Everything at home has been done to your liking, but if you don't change your behavior, even if you get married, you won't necessarily have a good life. There are still more than two months until the imperial examination, so you should take good care of your leg. Otherwise, if Meng Guanqi really passes the imperial examination and sends someone to propose marriage, saying that you are lame, and they don't want you, then your father will be helpless."
Wang Liuniang nodded vigorously and immediately said, "I'll treat it. I need to take good care of my leg. Mother, I want to eat something..."
She would listen to anything as long as Vice Minister Wang agreed to let her marry Meng Guanqi.
Lady Wang hurriedly instructed her maid to feed her bird's nest porridge, and then sent someone to invite Physician Liu to come and set her bones. After finishing her business, it was already evening, and she only had time to talk to Minister Wang when she was about to rest.
She looked at Minister Wang with great confusion: "Do you really agree to Sixth Sister marrying Meng Guanqi?"
He said he agreed, but his expression was cold and indifferent, not at all like he meant it.
Wang, the Vice Minister, retorted, "If she disagrees, do you believe she could starve herself to death, given her personality?"
Madam Wang was also worried and couldn't help but regret that she shouldn't have spoiled her so much when she was a child. Now it seemed that this temperament would eventually harm her.
Vice Minister Wang said, "Now that we've stabilized her situation, let her rest at home. Once her leg has healed, it will be about time..."
Madam Wang was taken aback. What time is it?
Wang Shilang did not explain to her, but simply lay down and went to sleep.
Some people can't stay locked up for too long and urgently need an opportunity to break the deadlock. That party will definitely stick to their guns and refuse to budge. What reason could be more justified than "getting married"?
As for this foolish daughter, how dare she dream of deciding her own marriage? Who gave her that confidence? And she's set her sights on someone who has absolutely no connection to their family.
He originally intended to choose a daughter from his own family to send up, but then he realized that Wang Liuniang had become like this, and considering that no other daughter in his family could have her noble status, he decided to choose her instead.
If she still tries to kill herself by then, then just pretend she was never born. Anyway, he won't miss having another child.
Those who cannot contribute to the family are useless pieces; there's nothing to regret about losing them.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Madam Nie brought Meng Yueniang home. Even Old Madam Meng personally went to her room to look at her hands. Aunts, cousins, and other relatives from various households came one after another until Meng Yueniang got fed up and showed her annoyance. The maids then stopped some people, and the courtyard finally became quiet.
When Meng Yueniang came out after bathing, Nie Shi was sitting on the couch in the main room waiting for her.
Meng Yueniang's wrist was also swollen and hung in a sling around her chest. As soon as Nie saw her, she said, "Tell me honestly, what exactly happened today? I know that although Wang Liuniangzi is willful, she is not so willful as to insist on buying a piece of jewelry in a strong wind and heavy snow. What exactly were you doing?"
Meng Yueniang returned home, and the anger she had been holding in could finally be released. She sneered, "Wang Liuniang didn't go to buy any jewelry at all. She sent me an invitation to go out, but she just wanted to use me as an excuse to visit her sick cousin."
Nie was taken aback: "What sick cousin? Who?"
Meng Yueniang then recounted how Wang Liuniang had found out Meng Guanqi was ill: "My cousin Li Niang had already written to refuse her visit, but she wouldn't give up and insisted on coming in person. However, we weren't familiar with each other, so she wanted to use my connections. I didn't say I wouldn't agree, but who knew she was so impatient, she couldn't wait a moment longer—"
Looking at her hand, which was fine before she left but was now broken because of the fall, a flash of hatred crossed her eyes: "Mother, you have no idea how bad-tempered Wang Liuniang is. Everyone has to go along with her and can't resist in the slightest, otherwise her whip will lash out. If she hadn't whipped the horse so hard that it went berserk, we wouldn't have overturned! Luckily, she only broke a leg, which is much more serious than my hand injury. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have let her off the hook!"
Madam Nie ignored her daughter's resentment and instead seized on the key point in her words: "Wang Liuniang has taken a fancy to Meng Guanqi?"
Meng Yueniang nodded: "She's completely obsessed. I think she's almost gone mad with desire and is about to forget even her own name."
Madam Nie said thoughtfully, "With your cousin looking like that, it's perfectly normal for the young lady to be infatuated."
Meng Yueniang frowned and said, "Mother, Wang Liuniang has developed this kind of temperament. I always feel that the Wang Mansion is not as good as it seems from the outside..."
Madam Nie interrupted her: "In wealthy families, every family has its share of things that are best left unsaid. Don't let her influence you. She's a daughter who will get married sooner or later. If you don't like her, then just have less contact with her in the future. But your marriage is something that both our families approve of."
The ambition and shyness that used to be on Meng Yueniang's face were gone. Wang Liuniang's arrogance and domineering attitude, coupled with Madam Wang's avoidance of the main issues in front of her mother, made Meng Yueniang feel uncomfortable. She felt that the Wang family was not as wonderful as she had imagined.
However, Madam Nie no longer paid attention to her daughter; her mind was focused on the fact that Wang Liuniang had taken a liking to Meng Guanqi.
It seems I need to discuss this with my husband and see if they have any plans. The marriage between Meng Yueniang and Wang Erlang is almost finalized. If Meng Guanqi were to marry Wang Liuniang as well, the relationship between our family and the Wang family would be even more secure.
Meng Guanqi, who has been frequently mentioned, is completely unaware of the changes that have occurred in these two companies in recent days.
His body had fully recovered, and he resumed his outdoor exercises on the parallel bars and horizontal bars. To his surprise, after doing push-ups and planks indoors for seven or eight consecutive days, he seemed to have gained a lot of strength. He could even do several more pull-ups, the most difficult one, and he wasn't as tired as before.
Moreover, after discovering that he could do more, he seemed to really become obsessed with sports. When he got tired of reading, he would always want to go out and stretch his muscles and bones, and his overall mental state was excellent.
At this time, Li Xiaoxiao was no longer by his side to supervise him. Instead, she took Rui Rui back to the Meng family's small courtyard in the east of the city, where the decoration of the new house was already in full swing.
Since Meng Liniang was getting married, she would definitely be leaving from the Meng family home. Therefore, Liu Shi, Meng Liniang, and Aunt Luo took some people back to stay for a few days, fearing that the noise from the other house would affect Meng Guanqi's studies. He stayed alone at the Li residence, and most of the people in the courtyard went to help.
Today is November 29th, and there are still three days left. The yard has been decorated, with all sorts of red ornaments on display, creating a festive atmosphere.
Rui Rui has been so happy these days. Li Xiaoxiao carries him around to put up paper-cut window decorations, tie red ribbons, paste couplets and lanterns. He's not tall enough, so she lifts him up and hangs them up. He wants to stick to her and never come down.
Liu sent invitations to all her relatives, and they all came to help Meng Liniang with her dowry. However, Nie did not see Meng Guanqi and asked him where he had gone.
Mrs. Liu said, "It's too noisy at home, and he's been away these past two days..."
Madam Nie smiled, said a few auspicious words, and then mentioned that she couldn't come to Meng Liniang's wedding: "My nephew from my maternal family is also getting married. The second day of the month is truly an auspicious day."
Of the four sisters-in-law, the eldest sister-in-law is getting married to her nephew, the second sister-in-law is getting married to her niece, the third sister-in-law is going back to her parents' home, and the fifth sister-in-law went to the hot springs with her fifth uncle and hasn't come back yet. It's quite a coincidence that none of them can come.
However, several daughters-in-law of the eldest and third masters of the Meng family came, and Liu really didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, they had come a few days in advance to help Meng Liniang with her makeup, so she couldn't say anything.
After seeing off Madam Nie, Madam Liu saw Madam Qi coming over. It turned out that Li Xiaoxiao had invited her and Pang Shi to attend Meng Liniang's wedding, and she had come to help with the wedding attire.
Liu looked embarrassed: "Madam Pang, you're too kind. You only need to come over for a meal on the day itself. How could we ask you to spend money on Liniang's dowry?"
Madam Qi said, "Our master and Xiaoxiao are on the same side, so of course we should add some dowry to Liniang's dowry. However, our master has to go to work tomorrow and can't go for lunch, so he can only have dinner."
Liu smiled and said, "Anytime is fine, just coming shows your thoughtfulness."
Suddenly, Li Xiaoxiao said, "By the way, Madam Pang, when you get home, ask Pang Shi to pass on a message to Aze: Liniang is getting married on the second day of the month. Ask him if he wants to attend the wedding."
Lady Qi stared in disbelief: "Please, please invite the Crown Prince to the wedding?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "That's right. Doesn't he finish school at noon? If we hurry, he can still catch lunch, and then have dinner. After that, we can have Pang Shi send him back to the palace. That would be perfect."
Qi was completely stunned. How could she so casually invite the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace to the wedding? Her tone was as casual as if she were inviting the neighbor over for a meal.
Doesn't she know how troublesome it is for the prince to leave the palace, how many people he needs to inform, and how many people he needs to protect?
But she spoke of it so casually and casually, as if it were something that wasn't worth mentioning at all in her eyes.
Qi said blankly, "I'll go back and tell my master."
When Pang Shi returned home that evening, Qi Shi immediately told him about it. Pang Shi was stunned and scratched his head: "Let me ask His Highness and see if he will allow the Crown Prince to leave the palace."
The next day, Pang Shi mentioned it to the Crown Prince, who thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask him if he's going or not."
He's been back for a while now, but he hasn't been to the Li residence yet.
When asked if he wanted to attend Meng Liniang's wedding, Aze showed him the answer with his actions. He cheered and jumped onto the Crown Prince, shouting, "Father, I want to go! I want to go! I want to go!"
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were completely stunned. This was no longer the Prince who had gained increasing prestige in the Imperial Study and had won over a group of imperial grandsons with his wrestling skills.
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