Meng Wan was taken aback, then winked at Huan Yan. Huan Yan understood and went to open the door: "Uncle Fu."
"Miss, the Third Prince has arrived and requests to see the Master, but the Master is not in the manor at the moment, so the Third Prince sent this old servant to invite you over."
Meng Wan frowned almost imperceptibly. Unable to find her father, he had turned his attention to her. She had originally intended to refuse outright, but she was worried that this would anger Huangfu Qian and cause him to act rashly. After thinking about it, she nodded and instructed Huan Yan to take Xiao Yun'er to play. She then went to the front hall with Uncle Fu.
Inside the front hall, Huangfu Qian was so anxious he was restless. This time, things had really gotten out of hand. The Emperor was furious with him and wouldn't give him a second glance.
Left with no other choice, he could only plead with Prime Minister Meng, since at this time, only Prime Minister Meng's words carried weight with the Emperor.
Just then, Meng Wan came in from outside, closing the door as she stepped forward and gave a proper bow: "Greetings to the Third Prince!"
Before she could even kneel down, Huangfu Qian had already grabbed her wrists with both hands and helped her to her feet, his urgent tone followed: "Miss, you have to help me this time!"
Meng Wan naturally knew what he meant, but she pretended not to know and looked at him with her watery eyes in confusion: "What happened to the Third Prince? Please don't be anxious, tell me slowly!"
Huangfu Qian then recounted the whole story in detail, which was nothing more than how his good job had been ruined by that raging fire for no reason, and how the emperor was angry with him.
Meng Wan listened quietly, and finally nodded: "So the prince came to me because he wanted me to ask my father to plead for you?"
"Yes, my father trusts Prime Minister Meng the most, and he's the only one who can save me right now. Miss, for the sake of our past relationship, you have to help me."
Past affections?
Meng Wan sneered inwardly, but put on a concerned expression: "Third Prince, don't worry, Father is not in the manor right now. I will definitely tell him when he returns."
Huangfu Qian was slightly relieved. He exchanged a few more words with Meng Wan, and seeing that Prime Minister Meng had no intention of returning, he sat for a while longer before taking his leave.
Meng Wan escorted him to the outside of the study. Only after his voice disappeared from sight did she conceal her previous concern and replace it with a cold, icy smile. She turned around, preparing to head to the backyard, but as soon as she turned, she saw Meng Junyao standing behind her, looking in the direction Huangfu Qian had left with a complicated expression.
Meng Wan was visibly taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her composure, smiled, and stepped forward to Meng Junyao: "Second sister, what brings you to the front yard?"
Previously, Prime Minister Meng had ordered Meng Junyao not to leave Yingyue Pavilion, so Meng Wan couldn't help but ask a question now. However, she probably already knew that her good second sister had probably heard that Huangfu Qian had come, so she couldn't wait to come and see him.
"How could I have seen the show if I didn't come? I never imagined that you would be so familiar with the Third Prince, and that you could chat with him for so long behind closed doors."
Suspicious Scumbag Girl (Part 2)
"How could I have seen the show if I didn't come? I never imagined that you would be so familiar with the Third Prince, and that you could chat with him for so long behind closed doors."
Meng Junyao sneered, her usual gentle demeanor gone, staring coldly at Meng Wan as if she wanted to devour her alive.
Meng Wan remained calm. Seeing Meng Junyao smile, she smiled back, her eyes sparkling: "That's all thanks to my second sister. If it weren't for you, how would I have had the chance to get acquainted with the Third Prince?"
"You..." Meng Junyao's face darkened. She wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words to refute. She could only clench her fists and stare intently at Meng Wan, remaining silent.
Meng Wan felt increasingly pleased, but her smile grew even gentler. She reached out and patted Meng Junyao's shoulder, saying, "Alright, I have something to do, so I'll be going now. Second sister, don't stand here either, lest Father gets angry again when he comes back and sees you."
Meng Junyao's face darkened further, but Meng Wan ignored her, lifted her skirt, and turned to walk towards the backyard.
Behind her, Meng Junyao clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury. "Meng Wan, you can be so smug, I won't let you get away with this!"
--
That evening, when Prime Minister Meng returned to his residence, Meng Wan relayed Huangfu Qian's request for his help. Prime Minister Meng did not say much, only telling Meng Wan to go back and rest, and that was all.
Meng Wan didn't really want to help Huangfu Qian; she just felt she had to say what needed to be said. Otherwise, others would say it even if she didn't, so she might as well talk to her father about his position.
Judging from his father's reaction, he was probably powerless to deal with the trouble Huangfu Qian had caused, since it involved the emperor's most beloved seventh prince.
With this, Meng Wan was able to relax. It just so happened that the annual plum blossom appreciation festival at Lingyin Temple in the south of the city was in two days, so Meng Wan focused all her attention on that.
The Plum Blossom Appreciation Festival, as the name suggests, is for appreciating the winter plum blossoms that bloom in the dead of winter. It is not a big day in itself, but it attracts a lot of people because it is held every year. Even the daughters of officials who usually stay at home will take advantage of such a day to come out and have some fun.
The flowers are red and the willows are green, and the endless fragrance is even more dazzling than thousands of flowers.
Meng Wan wasn't particularly interested in this, but since her mother's memorial tablet was placed in Lingyin Temple, she started preparing for the worship early in the morning.
They simply brought some of Madam Meng's favorite snacks. Early in the morning, they carried the sedan chairs of the three daughters of the Prime Minister's residence out of the Prime Minister's residence together.
Putting aside the fact that I was going to travel with Meng Junyao, the scenery along the way to Lingyin Temple was beautiful.
The path winds up a hillside from the foot of the mountain, with plum trees planted on both sides. The pink and white petals dance in the wind, creating a truly delightful scene.
Meng Wan wasn't particularly interested in admiring the plum blossoms, but she was in an extremely good mood. After all, it had been a long time since she had offered incense and paid respects to her mother, and now it was time to talk to her. There were so many things from her previous life that she couldn't share with anyone, so she could only tell her mother about those emotions.
After traveling for about half an hour, bumping along the way, they finally arrived at Lingyin Temple. Meng Wan got out of the sedan chair, and Meng Junyao and Xiao Yun'er had also gotten out. They walked together to Meng Wan's side: "Sister, should we go to pay our respects to Mother first, or go to admire the flowers first?"
Xiao Yun tilted her head and said something.
Meng Wan reached out and touched her head: "What do you want to do first?"
A Poisonous Scheme (Part 1)
Meng Wan reached out and touched her head: "What do you want to do first?"
"I..." Xiao Yun'er thought for a moment, "Let's go admire the flowers first. On the way here, I saw so many beautiful flowers, I want to go and see them."
“Then have someone accompany you. I won’t go. I want to talk to my mother a little longer, so I’ll wait for you at the temple.”
"Okay." Xiao Yun'er agreed with a smile. Meng Wan had already called the servants over and instructed them to take good care of the Third Miss. After Xiao Yun'er left, she turned to Meng Junyao and said, "Second Sister, why don't you go for a stroll too? I'll go in first."
Now Meng Wan is too lazy to even pretend to be friendly with her, and tries to say as little as possible to her.
After saying this, he turned around and walked into the temple.
Meng Junyao remained standing there, watching Meng Wan's departing figure. She curled her lips into a smile, then turned and walked towards the other side of the temple. However, she did not see a figure flash past behind her, following closely behind.
Madam Meng's memorial tablet was placed in a separate courtyard of Lingyin Temple. This was because Prime Minister Meng had a close relationship with the abbot of Lingyin Temple. When Madam Meng passed away, the abbot offered to vacate a side room for her to visit the memorial tablet, as Madam Meng was a devout Buddhist.