Chapter 383: Who to Confide in
The old Taoist priest suppressed his emotions, waved his hand, and said with a slightly weak look: "It's good that it works. I am doing this for you, the elder."
"This thousand-year-old ghost is truly powerful. It only helps the young lady regain her clarity of mind for a moment. I, the Taoist priest, am extremely exhausted and need to rest immediately to recharge my batteries. Could you find a secluded room for me to meditate?"
Seeing that the old Taoist priest looked pale and very tired, the housekeeper stepped forward to support him.
"Of course. I'll take you to rest now. Once you're settled, I'll report your contribution to the Lord."
The housekeeper helped the old Taoist priest walk out of the secret room. When they reached the door, a hoarse voice came from behind them.
"I'm hungry. Give me something to eat." Wen Wan said weakly.
The butler was startled, looked back, his face lit up with joy, but he didn't respond.
*
In the study, Meng Jin had just come back from court when he heard the housekeeper tell him about the old Taoist's exorcism.
He put his official hat on the table, looked up and asked, "Did she really say that, that she was hungry?"
The housekeeper nodded repeatedly, "Really? Miss Wen hasn't eaten a grain of rice in thirty days. No matter how we persuade her, or even pry open her mouth and force food in, she won't eat or drink. Didn't you say yesterday that maybe she wanted to die?"
Meng Jin frowned and didn't speak for a long time.
He did not disbelieve in the theories of ghosts and gods, but he did not believe them completely either.
But no matter whether it is a disease or an evil, as long as she can wake up and stop seeking death, it will be fine.
"Ask the kitchen to prepare some porridge for you. I'll go check the secret room."
"yes."
Meng Jin stood up, walked to the door, turned around and walked towards the master bedroom.
The butler followed him and asked in confusion, "Didn't the lord say he was going to the secret room?"
Meng Jin sneered, "Yes, we are going to the secret room, but we can't go there wearing this court dress."
The housekeeper suddenly realized and remembered the times when the master went into the secret room. Every time the master did not stop until blood appeared, it would be very unlucky if dirty blood stained the court robes.
*
Meng Jin hadn't been to the secret room for a few days. When he entered here again, the disgusting smell in the air made him frown.
He stood in front of Wen Wan condescendingly and asked, "I heard you're sober?"
Wen Wan folded her arms across her chest and huddled in the corner. Upon hearing his words, she raised her head and met his gaze.
Although she didn't say anything, Meng Jin could see her expression at a glance.
He laughed out loud and said, "I didn't expect that the old Taoist priest was really capable. Xiaowan, you really woke up."
Wen Wan has had enough of this man's hypocrisy. He is clearly doing the most vicious things, but he still pretends to be kind and righteous.
Meng Jin squatted down in front of her, raised his hand and grabbed her neck, his voice was a little cold.
“Xiao Wan, don’t look at me like that. Do you think… if I hadn’t kept you for a long time, I would have gone to such great lengths to keep you alive?”
At that time, Wen Wan was injured by the imperial guards and was only breathing her last breath. He used many top-grade medicinal herbs to save her life.
Wen Wan sneered and gritted her teeth and said, "Why, you still want to use me to threaten Shen Yu? Do you think that after he was fooled once, he will be fooled a second time?"
Meng Jin laughed when he heard it, "Chen Yu? He's just a stray dog. Who does he think he is? By the way, you've been locked up here for the past few months, so you don't know what the situation is like outside."
"How about I kindly tell you the story. Chen Yu and his few remaining defeated soldiers are now hiding here and there like rats crossing the street."
Meng Jin released Wen Wan's neck and said proudly, "Back then, Chen Yu was an arrogant general who didn't take me seriously at all. But now... I'm a powerful official, and he's just a bandit."
"So, do I have to use you to threaten him?"
Bandits? Remnants of defeated troops?
Wen Wan could endure any hardship she had to endure, but when she heard Chen Yu being described with these two words, the string in her heart almost broke.
He was a hero who once risked his life on horseback to defend his country and his people. Now, has he ended up like this?
Where is justice? Where is morality?
Wen Wan gritted her teeth in hatred and struggled to pounce on Meng Jin and tear him apart.
Meng Jin sneered and kicked her in the stomach. She curled up on the ground in pain and wanted to get up but couldn't.
She raised her head and growled angrily, "Meng Jin, you will get your comeuppance!"
"Retribution?" Meng Jin stepped on her face as if he had heard a joke and said coldly, "To you, I am indeed a villain, but... is this world yours?"
He laughed and shook his head, "Just go out and see. In the Duan Dynasty, apart from those wealthy families, are there any ordinary people who don't praise me?"
"I, Meng Jin, came from a grassroots background. Standing in my current position is a kind of hope for ordinary people."
"What's more, when the Duan Dynasty's treasury was so empty, I still built roads and bridges to benefit the people, and helped poor students gain a foothold in the court. Aren't these...my way of accumulating virtue and doing good deeds?"
"Those who do great things don't pay attention to small details. On the road to success, some people are always sacrificed. You are just unlucky and are blocking my way."
Meng Jin had suppressed these words in his heart for too long. On weekdays, he needed to play the role of a gentle court official, and also a good official who spoke up for the people.
Only by returning to this secret room, in front of Wen Wan alone, could he reveal his true nature without any scruples.
As he spoke, he increased the force of his foot, and Wenwan's face was immediately distorted.
"Xiao Wan, you are the only person in this world that I am willing to confide in. If only you hadn't been entangled with Shen Yu and had always been my Xiao Wan, how wonderful it would be."
"In this way, we will definitely be able to accomplish great things. One day in the future, it might even be possible to change the Duan Dynasty's surname..."
Hearing this, Wen Wan widened her eyes in surprise. She had never realized that Meng Jin had such ambition.
Meng Jin chuckled. "Why, is it so hard to imagine? Even a woman like He Qingqing, who has long hair and little knowledge, is qualified to rule the world. Why can't I even think about it?"
When Wen Wan heard this, a gleam of light flashed in her eyes and she suddenly laughed.
She gritted her teeth and said, "You actually said that He Qingqing is short-sighted? He Qingqing is knowledgeable and talented, extremely cunning, and ruthless. She defeated the Wei family, overthrew the Shen family, and even did not let the He family go. And..."
"When she asked Madam Lin to open a girls' school to provide women across the country with an opportunity to learn, even I was almost fooled by her. I thought she was doing this for the benefit of women. Who could have known... that she was actually trying to give Princess Jiarou a motive to assassinate the late emperor?"
"The previous emperor was assassinated, and Princess Jiarou became the scapegoat. However, she, along with the crown prince, became the ultimate winner."
Seeing her face full of admiration for He Qingqing, Meng Jin's pupils shrank and a surge of anger rose.
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