Chapter 331 Was it this difficult for her before?
"What? Because the Duke of Zhenguo killed too many enemies, his granddaughter has a murderous aura?"
The surrounding people were silent for a moment, then erupted into an even more heated discussion!
"What kind of nonsense is this! Lord Meng spent his life on the battlefield, bringing decades of peace to our borders! Without him, how could we have a peaceful life!"
"That's right! The dignified Duke of Ying's mansion actually listened to the nonsense of a wild monk of unknown origin and thus wasted the descendants of meritorious officials!"
"I think they're just deliberately causing trouble! They're still upset about the young master marrying into the family!"
"Ungrateful! Utterly ungrateful!"
The crowd was indignant.
Ordinary people may not understand the intricacies of life in wealthy and powerful families, but they all have their own sense of justice.
They know exactly who the heroes are and who is protecting their country!
To portray the meritorious service of defending the country as a harmful "evil aura" is utterly ridiculous! It's like stabbing all the soldiers who fought and bled in the heart!
Zhao's face was extremely pale.
She felt dizzy and her ears were ringing.
Things have completely spiraled out of control.
She glanced at Gao's mother pleadingly, her eyes filled with venomous resentment.
That good-for-nothing old bastard!
Why make her kneel at the gate of the mansion? There's no better place than anywhere else!
Now look what's happened! Someone has caught us red-handed and is making a big deal out of it!
If today's events become public, tomorrow the Imperial Study will likely be overflowing with memorials impeaching the Duke of England's household!
When that happens, the Duke will surely be furious, and she won't fare well either!
Madam Gao never imagined that the concubine who was timid and submissive to her just a few years ago would become so sharp-tongued and ruthless!
This isn't a lament; it's a vicious attack on the heart!
In her panic, she could only desperately try to signal to the wandering monk with her eyes.
That monk was a shrewd man; seeing that the situation was turning against him, he had already planned his escape route in his mind.
Upon receiving Gao's mother's signal, he immediately understood.
He stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed slightly to Meng Shilan.
"Amitabha."
He took the prayer beads off his wrist and presented them to Meng Shilan with both hands.
“Female benefactor, cause and effect are cyclical, and the way of Heaven is in motion.”
The Duke of Zhenguo fought for his country, his swords flashing without mercy, causing immense suffering and death; naturally, some resentment would linger within him.
“This string of prayer beads is something I always carry with me, and it is quite spiritual. Today I will give it to you, my lady, to wear. It will calm your mind and bring you peace.”
His words were perfectly flawless.
This not only refuted his previous claim of "evil aura," but also gave Meng Shilan a way out, and provided himself with a perfect excuse.
Zhao felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly continued in the same vein.
"Does the master mean that Shi Lan... can go in now?"
The monk chanted a Buddhist prayer and nodded slightly.
"That's good, that's good."
“Sincerity moves mountains. The female benefactor’s filial piety has moved heaven and earth and has already resolved everything.”
After saying this, he bowed to the crowd again, turned around, and drifted away.
Zhao held Meng Shilan's hand, her lips trembling as she looked at Meng's red eyes.
They're all ancient foxes; let's see whose skills are superior.
Meng Shilan seemed oblivious, her face still displaying that pitiful, delicate appearance, like a pear blossom in the rain.
She let Zhao half-drag and half-pull her into that heavy, imposing vermilion gate.
The noise outside the door was deafening.
Inside the door, there was a deathly silence.
A deathly silence so oppressive it was suffocating.
Under the eaves, a group of servants stood with their hands at their sides, each one as silent as a cicada in winter, even their breathing was extremely soft.
Zhou Congxian stood behind the screen wall.
He saw everything.
His eyes were deep, like a thousand-year-old cold abyss, so deep that the bottom could not be seen.
When he saw Meng Shilan come in, he didn't go forward immediately, but his deep eyes were fixed on her face.
She looked delicate, yet she was so resilient.
Was she in a similarly difficult situation before?
Therefore, she was willing to risk losing her head to fake her death and leave.
Before her son had even left, the scorching scene from earlier seemed to slap her face.
“Xian’er…”
Zhou Congxian's gaze finally shifted from Meng Shilan to his mother's flushed face.
His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Mother, how is Grandmother?"
Zhao was taken aback by his question.
All the words she had prepared were stuck in her throat, unable to come up or come down.
"Your grandmother...your grandmother..."
"Mother."
Zhou Congxian spoke up to remind her, "I have seen it with my own eyes and I know the truth of the matter."
"Now, Grandma's illness is the most important thing."
Having said that, he stopped looking at Zhao and strode past her to stand in front of Meng Shilan.
He reached out and gently placed his broad, warm palm on the back of her cold hand.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
His voice was deep and powerful, like a warm current that instantly dispelled the last trace of chill in Meng Shilan's heart.
Meng Shilan looked up at him with teary eyes and nodded.
That look of complete trust and reliance made Zhou Congxian's heart ache.
He took her hand, turned around, and walked towards the Songhe Hall where the old lady was.
"Let's go see Grandma."
Looking at the two clasped hands and at her son's gentle profile, which he had never shown her before, Zhao gritted her teeth in anger.
The Songhe Hall was filled with an intense, almost overwhelming, medicinal aroma.
The oppressive atmosphere was even worse than outside.
The maids and servants held their breath and walked on tiptoe, afraid of making the slightest sound.
Old Madam Zhou lay on the bed, her eyes closed, her face ashen, her breath so weak it seemed she might die at any moment.
As soon as Zhou Congxian entered the room, he let go of Meng Shilan's hand and quickly walked to the bedside.
"grandmother?"
He knelt on one knee by the bed, grasped the old lady's withered hand, and his voice trembled slightly without him even realizing it.
Perhaps it was because she heard the voice of her most beloved grandson, but the old lady's eyelids actually twitched.
She slowly opened her eyes.
A hint of confusion flashed in those cloudy old eyes, but then, upon seeing Zhou Congxian's face, they instantly shone with great brilliance.
"Xian'er... my Xian'er..."
Her voice was hoarse and dry, like sand.
She used all her strength to grab Zhou Congxian's hand tightly with her backhand, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
"You're back..."
"You've finally decided to come home..."
"Grandma knew you wouldn't abandon Grandma, wouldn't abandon this family..."
Two streams of hot tears flowed from her cloudy eyes.
Zhou Congxian felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"Grandmother, your grandson is unfilial and has worried you."
"My grandson is back."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
