Chapter 197 You Are Destined to Be My Wife
Meng Shilan had a very long dream.
In her dream, she seemed to have returned to her childhood.
My childhood was tough, but my mother was very good at embroidery. She would often stay up late to do embroidery to buy food for her and my brother.
Her mother and brother would give her the best of everything.
Her mother was very gentle. She would teach her embroidery and tell her that life is short and she could do whatever she wanted.
She was still in a daze when her mother died.
Her brother took her away, and she fell ill on the way. Her brother gritted his teeth and carried her step by step.
In a daze, under her brother's protection, she found a new home.
But she doesn't remember anything.
If her brother says he doesn't remember, then he doesn't remember. The past doesn't matter. He will protect her well from now on.
Meng Shilan felt her eyes were a little sore.
She has no memory of her father, but her mother loved and cared for her wholeheartedly.
Her mother was so good, yet she had forgotten her.
She learned embroidery so quickly at the Duke of England's mansion not because she was exceptionally talented, but because her mother had already taught her.
She refused to admit defeat and dared to resist, a lesson her mother had taught her.
She only just remembered her mother's blurry face.
A tear welled up in the corner of Meng Shilan's eye as she fell into a deep coma and slowly slid down to her ear.
“Mother, it doesn’t hurt. Let me blow on it.”
Fu'er gently wiped away the tears that had fallen from her mother's eyes by pinching her sleeve.
Zhou Congxian held his daughter and said, "Your mother knows you're not eating, and she feels sorry for you. Go and eat something."
Ever since Meng Shilan moved back from Fairy Peak, Fu'er has stayed by his side without moving an inch, and hasn't even eaten.
Fu'er turned to look at her father, "But I have to protect my mother."
Zhou Congxian held his daughter's small shoulders, "Daddy will protect Mommy, don't you trust Daddy?"
Fu'er pursed her lips. "Mother said that Father is very busy and has his own things to do. It's enough for her to protect Fu'er. Now it's Fu'er's turn to protect Mother."
When Zhou Congxian heard that she had excluded him, his heart ached.
Then a smile appeared on his lips, "Mother is only half right. Father is very busy, but Father will protect you!"
"Fu'er, your father once caused your mother to misunderstand and feel sad, but your father will always love your mother, as well as you and Pangxi."
Fu'er looked at her father's slightly red eyes and said, "Then I'll go eat, and Mother won't be sad anymore."
Zhou Congxian touched her daughter's little face. "Yes, when you're full, your mother will be very happy."
He gestured for the maid at the door to take Fu'er to eat.
Meng Shilan has been back for three days, but there is still no sign of her waking up.
Her figure had only become slightly thinner.
Zhou Congxian reached out and grasped her slender wrist. "You love your child the most. Fu'er won't eat unless she's by your side."
"Little Fatty Xi also called for his mother, but unfortunately you didn't hear it."
"Why haven't you woken up yet? I used to be so arrogant, thinking that giving you a proper title and status by my side was the best thing I could rely on."
His voice was very soft and gentle.
"My father, though a duke, was narrow-minded and always put profit first."
"When I took you in, I promised him a promotion and a noble title before he agreed."
"Later I felt it wasn't enough. I also wanted you to stand beside me with dignity, so I was impatient for quick success and rashly plotted against the Song family, which also hurt you."
"It was only when you died that I realized how terribly wrong I had been."
At this point, he gave a wry smile, "Fortunately, it was fake."
"We are all people who strive to be the best, yet we have fallen apart."
"Whether you are Shi Yao or Shi Lan, I have never changed."
Zhou Congxian placed the gold hairpin that he hadn't given away two years ago beside her pillow.
“When I was in Ding County, I decided not to bother you anymore.”
"But when I saw you lying lifeless on the grass, I was truly afraid of losing you."
"I regret it now, Shi Lan, I take back what I said."
"His Majesty has given me an imperial decree, so you are destined to be my wife. I will make you willingly marry me again."
The window was half-open, and a gentle breeze blew in from outside.
It seemed as if the soft whispers drifting in the air had also been blown away.
Spring days are short and the sky darkens early.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had already lit lanterns early on.
The front yard, in particular, has practically shrunk half of the Imperial Hospital.
All sorts of rare medicines flowed in as if they were free.
Those who were caught confessed everything after being flogged.
The镖手 (bodyguard/escort) who was kicked out of the镖局 (escort agency) had some martial arts skills. Someone paid him to sneak back in and orchestrated Meng Shilan's accidental death.
His description of appearance was exactly the same as that of the man with the broken eyebrows and Qizhou accent that Yang Yutang had described.
Several hundred men with broken eyebrows and accents from other places were arrested.
But not a single one of them was.
"My lord, Lord Yang, along with several other officials, is currently blocking the capital's yamen."
Zhou Congxian quietly closed the door.
He then coldly raised his head, "Can't you just close the door and beat the dog?"
The officer hesitated for a moment, then said, "Xiaoman hit... He didn't know his own strength and knocked Lord Yang unconscious."
Young Master Yang, a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, is the father of Yang Yutang.
"Dizzy?" A cold smile crept into Zhou Congxian's eyes.
"Tell the Yang family that Yang Yutang was instigated to persecute the descendants of loyal officials. Now, the Ule region is in turmoil and the border is tense. If the morale of the Northwest army is damaged, the lives of the entire Yang family will not be enough to quell the border unrest!"
This hat isn't just a little big, it's extremely big.
But even this could not quell their indignation.
Upon hearing this account, Minister Yang of the Ministry of Rites was so enraged that he smashed his favorite long-necked porcelain vase.
"His Majesty hasn't said anything yet, is Zhou Congxian fawning over the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion hoping to become a live-in son-in-law?!"
Young Master Yang had his forehead bandaged, looking quite "weak".
"Dad, this trick isn't working."
The only son is now imprisoned in the capital's government office, and no one can see him.
Madam Yang and Young Madam Yang have fainted from crying multiple times.
Back at Fairy Peak, Zhou Congxian almost killed him, and now he's in prison, suffering all sorts of inhuman torture!
Lord Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Let's make this injury even bigger, then I'll go to the palace to find His Majesty!"
"Nonsense!" Lord Yang glared at his son.
"Bloodstained face to the Emperor, do you want the lives of your whole family?!"
Young Master Yang grew anxious, "This won't do, that won't do!"
"Mother has fainted several times and won't take her medicine. Now the wounds on her face are festering! Disfigurement is a minor issue; if this continues, her life will be in danger!"
Lord Yang gritted his teeth, "I'm going to the Princess's residence now."
"I don't believe that the Princess was completely unaware of the two times the Princess and Meng Shilan had a conflict."
"Whatever the grudges between the Princess and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, why should my grandson suffer unjustly!"
Young Master Yang also stood up, "I'll go too!"
"Where are you going? Take care of your mother!"
Lord Yang immediately went to the Princess's residence.
The capital is in an uproar, but the eldest princess is acting as if nothing has happened.
The musician played his zither, while two beautiful maids massaged his legs and shoulders.
Xiao Xinru glanced at him.
"Lord Yang is in such dire straits, yet he still has time to come to my residence to listen to music."
When Lord Yang heard her words, he almost bit off his own tongue.
“Your Highness, my little grandson is just a child who doesn’t understand anything! He was instigated by someone who infiltrated the guards of the princess’s residence. Are the guards of the princess’s residence just anyone who can enter?”
Xiao Xinru glanced at it, and the beautiful maid beside her immediately peeled a bright yellow loquat.
Lord Yang noticed that the Princess seemed not to have heard him at all.
He clenched his teeth and could only patiently continue, "My grandson's life is hanging in the balance. I beg Your Highness to save his life."
Xiao Xinru spat out the loquat pit, then looked at Lord Yang again and said something unrelated.
"I remember that Lord Yang was a rare talent in his youth. He was already a scholar at the age of ten, and he continued to advance rapidly. Because of his young age, he was even placed in the Hanlin Academy by the late emperor for several more years."
Lord Yang frowned slightly; he had a bad feeling.
The princess's next words almost made him lose face.
“Young Master Yang is now ten years old (by Chinese reckoning), and he is a member of the Yang family. How can he be considered an ignorant child?”
Xiao Xinru leaned forward slightly and sat up.
"Besides, this is just a princess's residence, not an impregnable fortress. Lord Yang has already walked in, hasn't he?"
Lord Yang's lips twitched slightly, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, I only have one grandson, Yutang."
Xiao Xinru gave a light "heh," and said, "What exactly is Lord Yang's purpose in coming here? Does he think I'm stupid?"
"If I were to exchange you for your grandson, I fear Lord Yang would suffer a shortened lifespan."
Lord Yang, there's nothing you don't understand now, it's all inextricably linked to Xiao Xinru.
The dialect spoken in that state is the same as the one where the Southern Border Army was stationed.
General Cheng and the Eldest Princess are entangled in a conflict, but now it's his grandson who is suffering.
He stood up, flicking his sleeves.
"Since the Princess is unwilling to intervene, I have no choice but to enter the palace and beg Your Majesty for justice!"
Xiao Xinru smiled and leaned back on the soft pillow. "How can you be so clueless? Lord Yang is going to the palace, why aren't you preparing the carriage?"
Lord Yang was so angry that his cheeks twitched, then he flicked his sleeve and left immediately.
Xiao Xinru glanced at Lord Yang's departing figure, then lazily raised her hand and tapped the loquat again.
"The loquats are great today, whoever prepared them, here's a reward!"
When Lord Yang entered the palace, His Majesty was summoning Lord Xiang Qin for an audience.
Eunuch Tian bowed and said, "Lord Yang, His Majesty is currently unavailable. Judging from the current situation, he probably won't be out for at least two hours."
Lord Yang was extremely anxious. "Eunuch Tian, please convey my message. I wouldn't have troubled you if it weren't for an extremely urgent matter."
Eunuch Tian's eyes changed slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Lord Yang, I'm afraid you've got the priorities backward. If the country is not at peace, how can there be a home?"
"His Majesty is personally involved in all matters of state, and although it is well past noon, he has not eaten a single bite."
Lord Yang reluctantly shut his mouth.
After Lord Li passed away, Lord Chen was demoted. He had been in the Ministry of Rites for many years and thought that the position of Grand Secretary was rightfully his.
Unexpectedly, Qin Daolin was pulled out of the lowly and returned to the capital to serve as a reader in the Hanlin Academy. He had never taken Qin Daolin seriously, as he was someone the late emperor had demoted.
As a result, in just one year, Qin Daolin was promoted one after another from Hanlin Academy Reader to Minister of Personnel, and last year he became Grand Secretary of Dongying Hall and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
He watched helplessly as Qin Daolin walked step by step over his head.
If you block him, that's fine.
Now, his grandson's life is in danger, and he's still trying to protect his grandson!
Lord Yang looked at the tightly closed doors of the Hall of Diligent Governance, and could only swallow the hatred in his eyes.
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