Chapter 24 Humiliation
Meng Guanqi immediately lifted the curtain and got out of the car. He stumbled a bit when he got out, and Asheng quickly helped him up.
Butler Zhao peered into the car through the lifted curtain; it was empty.
Steward Zhao dismounted in alarm: "Young master, where is the doctor?"
A trace of sorrow flashed in Meng Guanqi's eyes, and tears welled up in them. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Ah Sheng said indignantly, "The doctors in the city are too much! My young master and I have begged almost every doctor in every clinic, but not one of them is willing to come with us, even if we offer them a lot of money!"
Steward Zhao's heart sank into despair. Having always been by Lord Meng's side, he had seen more of the world and could immediately tell that someone was deliberately making things difficult for him.
It's quite obvious who this person is.
Recalling the events of the past two days, Ah Sheng was almost in tears: "In the end, the young master knelt in front of Prefect Song's residence, begging to see him. He knelt for four whole hours, but the man didn't even show up. It must be him who ordered that the doctors from the prefectural city not come to save our master..."
Meng Guanqi knelt until he fainted, but no one came out of Prefect Song's mansion. Ah Sheng and the coachman Yu Dayong had no choice but to help the young master back to the inn.
After waking up, Meng Guanqi knew that there was no hope of getting help, and fearing that the magistrate Meng might be in danger if he stayed out too long, he set off overnight to return.
When Meng Guanqi saw Steward Zhao and Lord Meng's personal attendant come out together, he forgot about the doctor and asked, "Steward Zhao, where are you going? How is my father now?"
Steward Zhao clutched the memorial to his chest, fighting back tears. "Master wrote a memorial and asked me to personally deliver it back to the capital. Young master, you should hurry back and take good care of the master..."
Meng Guanqi's expression changed drastically. He cupped his hands in farewell to Steward Zhao, saying, "Steward, please take care on your journey. I'll be back soon."
Yu Dayong immediately spurred his horse and the carriage sped off towards the county town.
Butler Zhao wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "A-Jian, let's go."
Zhao Jian responded softly, mounted his horse, and galloped away.
The eldest young master is back! Liu Zhi rushed back to the main courtyard to report, "Madam, the eldest young master is back!"
Liu and Granny Qi were overjoyed and rushed out to greet her. Before they even left the courtyard, they saw Meng Guanqi, who looked travel-worn, running towards them. Seeing Liu's haggard appearance, Meng Guanqi felt a pang of sorrow, tears welling up in her eyes. She lifted her robe and knelt down, saying, "Mother..."
Seeing that Meng Guanqi was alone and had dark circles under his eyes, Liu understood what had happened. She suppressed her heartache, helped Meng Guanqi up, and looked at him with concern: "You must be exhausted from the journey. Go wash up first, then come see your father."
Meng Guanqi felt a little relieved. Since his mother still wanted him to go downstairs to wash up, it meant that his father's condition hadn't reached the worst point yet, which was good news. He responded softly and returned to his bedroom.
Because Lord Meng has been ill recently, he has moved back to the inner courtyard to make it easier to take care of him.
Ah Sheng went to the kitchen to fetch water.
The water on the kitchen stove had to be kept running. When Mama Mao saw Ah Sheng return, she was overjoyed: "Ah Sheng! You're back. Did you get the doctor?"
Ah Sheng shook his head dejectedly: "Madam Mao, the young master just got back and needs to wash up. I've come to fetch some water."
Mother Mao was startled: "What? How come we can't find a doctor?"
Ah Sheng had no choice but to recount Meng Guanqi's ordeal again, wiping away tears as he spoke: "Young Master suffered a great injustice, and fearing he would be delayed, he dared not linger in the prefectural city and rushed back..."
Madam Mao clenched her fists angrily: "They look down on us! They won't even let us invite a doctor..." But then she was filled with worry. Without a good doctor in the prefecture, what would happen to the master's illness?
It took Li Xiaoxiao a while to understand. So it was Prefect Song who was interfering, preventing the city's doctors from treating Lord Meng? Even in the apocalypse, the strong wouldn't stop the weak from seeking medical help, as long as the patient could afford it…
Li Xiaoxiao then realized that some of the superiors in this primitive society really didn't care about human life. The county magistrate wanted to hire a good doctor in the prefectural city but was stopped by his superior. If it were a commoner who offended the people in power, what would happen?
She instantly realized that this era wasn't all good; the word "power" could actually supersede life, and human life was as worthless as grass in the face of those in power.
Does Prefect Song have a blood feud with Magistrate Meng? Why would he prevent the doctors from the prefectural city from treating Magistrate Meng? It's absolutely outrageous!
What she didn't know was that Prefect Song had already written a memorial to the capital after learning that Magistrate Meng had taken in refugees and opened granaries without authorization, severely criticizing Magistrate Meng.
He was originally the prefect of Lin'an City, the direct superior of Magistrate Meng. Magistrate Meng did this without his consent, and if problems arose and he was held accountable, he, as the superior, would also bear responsibility. Therefore, he first impeached Magistrate Meng, firstly to shirk responsibility, and secondly to show that he was impartial and selfless so that the punishment would not fall on his head. As for this troublesome magistrate, he wished he would die immediately so that the matter could be wiped clean. How could he allow the doctor of the prefecture city to cure Magistrate Meng?
Therefore, he would not meet with the Meng family. Even if Meng Guanqi knelt to death at his gate, he could easily absolve himself of responsibility by claiming that the servants were ignorant and failed to inform him. Besides, he had secretly instructed the doctors at the clinic not to treat Magistrate Meng, and the Meng family had no evidence. If they dared to speak out, he wouldn't hesitate to severely punish them for "slandering an official of the court." After Magistrate Meng's death, the Meng family only had this one son left, and he even held a degree of official rank. Would they dare to fight against such a powerful force?
Therefore, it was only a matter of a flick of the finger for Prefect Song to make things difficult for Magistrate Meng. He was not afraid of the Meng family's retaliation at all. After sending out the memorial, he treated it as getting rid of a hot potato and stopped kicking it. He would never help him again.
Seeing that Ah Sheng, a child of about ten years old, was struggling to carry the bucket back, Li Xiaoxiao reached out and took it from him, saying, "Let me do it."
Ah Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, looking enviously at Li Xiaoxiao carrying a bucket in each hand and walking briskly. When would he be able to have such strength?
Upon entering the west wing, Li Xiaoxiao placed the water in the washroom and secretly glanced at the motionless boy sitting at the table, who exuded a gloomy aura.
A thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy is at the age when he is growing taller. This young master looked much thinner than when she first met him, and the clothes he was wearing were too loose.
Meng Guanqi was resting with his eyes closed.
After three days of arduous travel and constant worry, he finally arrived in Lin'an Prefecture, only to be met with setbacks and humiliations at every turn. Humiliation was bad enough, but what was most disheartening was that even after kneeling until his knees were raw, he still couldn't find a good doctor for his father.
His hands, which were placed at his sides, clenched together unconsciously, his knuckles turning bluish-white.
In the past six months, his family has been hit by a series of unexpected events, leaving him with almost no time to react.
Because his father was a son born out of wedlock, he was gentle and unassuming, with only one wife, one concubine, and two children in the inner courtyard. The power struggles and intrigues within the mansion were largely irrelevant to him. As a result, Meng Guanqi grew up in a peaceful and harmonious environment. All his uncles and cousins were successful, and he followed his father's advice and never competed in his studies. He was only average among his cousins, so his grandparents, who were in charge of the household, didn't pay much attention to their branch of the family. However, because his father held a minor official position in the court, they didn't make things difficult for him, but simply ignored him. As a grandson, he only paid his respects to his elders on the first and fifteenth of each month and during festivals. On ordinary days, he simply lived his quiet life.
He started school at the age of six and passed the imperial examination at the age of thirteen. He never lacked food or clothing, nor did he engage in any open or covert struggles. This fostered Meng Guanqi's relatively simple personality. He never expected that his father would be convicted and that his grandfather and all his uncles would expel their branch of the family with lightning speed. Even when he was on his father's carriage heading to his new post, he still hadn't recovered from the shock.
If even he, as a grandson, suffered like this, one can only imagine the immense blow his parents, who were the first to bear the brunt, endured. Upon arriving at this impoverished and remote county government office, the hardships and bitter rains continued unabated. His father fell seriously ill, and they were reduced to the point where they couldn't even find a doctor in the prefectural city.
This is outrageous!
If he were still in the Meng family mansion in the capital—
He abruptly dismissed the idea, because it was pointless.
So heartlessly expelling them from the family at this time, the Meng family in the capital has severed all ties with his family. Here, he can only rely on his father and himself.
But he had to admit that a higher-ranking official could have a crushing effect. Without the powerful Meng family as a backer, even a mere word from a minor prefect could have killed his father.
He had never for a moment felt that fame and power were so important.
His family is now in dire straits, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Those with whom he has a grudge are sitting comfortably in the court, while his father has been demoted from a powerful position in the Ministry of Personnel to this poor and remote county, which foreshadows the end of his career. Without outstanding political achievements, he has almost no chance of making a comeback.
The only solution Meng Guanqi could think of was to pass the imperial examination and become an official in the court.
Only if he also gains entry into the imperial court can this crumbling family be restored to its former glory.
It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Only when you are truly strong can you have a voice and prevent these arrogant "superiors" from trampling on your dignity at will!
He opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them, and clenched his fists at his sides once more.
As he was deep in thought, he suddenly saw a maid carrying a bucket coming out of the bedroom. He was taken aback: "You, what are you doing here?"
Since arriving in Biyang County, he has sent away all the maids in his room, leaving only the servant boy.
Li Xiaoxiao lifted the bucket in her hand: "The water is ready, you can take a bath now."
Meng Guanqi recognized her as Li Xiaoxiao and frowned, saying, "Why are you fetching water? Where's Asheng?"
Li smiled and said, "Asheng can't carry such heavy water, so I brought it for him." It's a wooden bucket, and it's still wet. It weighs nearly ten pounds even without water, and it would weigh thirty or forty pounds with water. Asheng is only eleven years old, how could he possibly carry it?
A note from the author:
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