Give her a taste of her own medicine (Part 2)
Some people are born actors, like Meng Junyao, whose face can change expressions anytime, anywhere.
Meng Wan wasn't in a hurry to expose it again. Anyway, this time, a knot had already been planted in her father's heart. Meng Junyao would feel that Meng Wan, as her older sister, was trying to harm her at the slightest sign of trouble!
Such a thorn in Meng Wan's side will serve as a good stepping stone for her future actions.
Prime Minister Meng said a few more words, and finally warned Meng Junyao to behave herself and not to cause any more trouble before leaving. Meng Junyao followed him away. After everyone had left, Huanyan closed the door and let out a deep breath: "Thank goodness everything went smoothly, I was so scared."
That 'pathetic' look made Meng Wan chuckle. She reached out and poked Huan Yan's forehead: "You're usually so bold to talk back to me, but you're scared like this over such a small thing. You're really pathetic!"
"This is no small matter. We're putting on an act in front of the master. If we're discovered, we're doomed!" Huan Yan muttered indignantly, but then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Miss, there's something else I don't understand. How did you manage to imitate the Third Prince's handwriting? And you even managed to imitate it so well that the master couldn't tell the difference."
These words startled Meng Wan slightly.
How could she not be able to imitate it?
Because she liked him, she remembered everything about him. She even tried to copy his handwriting, spending a whole year practicing until it was exactly the same as his. But by then, he had already married Meng Junyao and brought her back to the palace.
At that time, she only felt regret that she had worked so hard to improve her handwriting, but she never had the chance to show it to him. She never imagined that it would be used in such a way one day.
Ah—fate is truly playing tricks on us!
She waved her hand without saying much, only instructing Huanyan to rest. She returned to her inner room, took out a pen, ink, paper and inkstone to rewrite a letter, tied it to the carrier pigeon and watched it flutter and fly into the sky. Her gaze was exceptionally bright in the night.
--
The next day, I woke up to a gloomy sky, which seemed to be the prelude to an impending storm.
Such weather was not suitable for going out, but Meng Wan still left the palace early.
The second letter she sent after they left last night was to Huangfu Qian. The reason for asking him to meet was simple: she was afraid that Huangfu Qian might accidentally expose her act of deception, so she needed to carefully reconcile her story with him beforehand.
The meeting place was arranged at Shili Pavilion on the outskirts of the city. To avoid being followed, Meng Wan first walked around the city and only went to Shili Pavilion after confirming that it was the right place.
Huangfu Qian was already waiting there. When he saw Meng Wan, he was very excited: "Miss, you've finally agreed to see me! You haven't replied to my letters for the past two days. I thought you hated me!"
Meng Wan disliked his touch, so she subtly avoided his hand, standing a few feet away, forcing a smile as she looked at him: "How could that be? How could I dislike someone like the Third Prince? It's just that my second sister's affair has caused unrest at home, so..."
"Is the Second Miss still restless?" Huangfu Qian frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Meng Wan nodded: "But it's much better now. I told her that you actually care about her quite a bit and even wrote some letters to inquire about her situation, so that she knows you care about her and that you didn't mean to embarrass her. I'll gently guide her, and over time, she'll come to her senses."
Give her a taste of her own medicine (Part 3)
Huangfu Qian was delighted: "I was just thinking about how to appease the Second Miss's anger. After all, I was worried that the Prime Minister would hold a grudge against me because of this. Fortunately, the Eldest Miss was thoughtful and helped me to be more tactful. In this way, the Prime Minister won't hold such a grudge against me anymore, right?"
To be honest, he was worried that Prime Minister Meng would harbor resentment towards him because of the Second Miss's matter. Now that the Eldest Miss was speaking up for him, things were much more amicable. He could deal with them more gradually in the future, and the matter would eventually pass.
Meng Wan smiled slightly: "Third Prince, don't worry. Father is not a petty person. He knows that it wasn't entirely your fault, so everything will pass."
"Yes, I only rejected the second young lady because of the eldest young lady. In fact, the eldest young lady is the one who started it all!" Huangfuqian joked with a smile.
Meng Wan frowned slightly and said reproachfully, "Third Prince, you shouldn't say such things. If Father finds out, he'll skin me alive. Besides, it was Third Prince's own idea to refuse Second Sister, so why are you blaming me now?"
"Yes, yes, I misspoke." Seeing that Meng Wan was somewhat displeased, Huangfu Qian hurriedly apologized: "It's because I have a special affection for the eldest young lady, and no other woman can catch my eye, which is why I rejected the second young lady."
Meng Wan sneered inwardly, but on the surface she pretended to be shy, lowering her eyes and saying after a long while, "It's fine to say such things in front of me, but you can't say them casually. Otherwise, not only will our reputations be ruined, but people will also say that I stole my sister's good marriage. I can't bear such a crime."
"How could I not be able to bear it?" Seeing her troubled expression, Huangfu Qian hurriedly stated his position: "My relationship with the Second Miss has always been completely innocent. She has misunderstood. Does the Eldest Miss intend to shut me out because of her?"
"No, that's not what I meant." Meng Wan shook her head: "But it hasn't been long since then, so we still need to be careful. Otherwise, given Second Sister's personality, she'll definitely make a scene again. If you refuse Second Sister and Father doesn't hold a grudge against you, but it leads to a rift between us sisters, he will definitely hold you accountable. Then, he will never speak up for you in front of the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Qian indeed hesitated.
The young lady is right. The emperor trusts Prime Minister Meng the most. He discusses all matters, big and small, inside and outside the court with him. In other words, Prime Minister Meng can play a significant role in promoting important matters such as the selection of an heir. That is why he tries to curry favor with Prime Minister Meng's daughter.
Although he has developed some affection for Miss Meng, it would be a loss if it led to a rift between the sisters and caused Prime Minister Meng to harbor resentment towards him.
Thinking of this, he narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "What the eldest young lady says is very true. In that case, it would be better if we didn't see each other for a while. You should stay with the second young lady. As for me, Father Emperor has given me an important task to do, so I will take advantage of these two days to focus on it."
Meng Wan nodded. Huangfu Qian took his leave first, but after taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Prime Minister Meng dotes on the eldest young lady the most, so if possible, I would like to trouble the eldest young lady to put in a good word for me with the Prime Minister."
Meng Wan listened quietly, watching his departing figure. His voice still echoed in her ears, and a barely perceptible sneer appeared on her lips.
That's kind of you! Yes, I definitely will!
Encountering a Jerk Again (Part 1)
When Meng Wan returned to the Prime Minister's residence, she saw Prime Minister Meng approaching. It was almost noon, and he was still wearing his court robes. Meng Wan went up to him and said, "Father, did you just finish court? Why are you so late today?"
Prime Minister Meng removed his official hat and handed it to a servant. He then entered the residence with his daughter and said, "His Majesty kept me here to discuss some matters, which delayed me for a while. What about you? Did you just go out?"
"Yes, this jade hairpin with phoenix design is quite worn. I just took it to someone to have it repaired. I also bought my aunt's favorite rose cakes on the way."
Prime Minister Meng nodded in satisfaction. His daughter was a filial child, one in a hundred.
The father and daughter entered the study together. The third madam had already heard the news of the master's return to the mansion and had prepared tea and was waiting. The three of them sat together and chatted.
The third wife put a piece of rose cake in her mouth, looked at Meng Wan, and said, "I heard from your father that your second sister caused a scene again last night, and this time it even involved you. You must be feeling terrible."
It was a rare sight to see the three of them sitting together and chatting, especially with such concern from her aunt. Meng Wan smiled slightly and shook her head: "No, I can understand the blow my second sister suffered, so I don't blame her."
The Third Madam nodded, and Prime Minister Meng, watching from the side, smiled with satisfaction: "My Wan'er is the most sensible person, how could she hold a grudge against her sister?"
"It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to be reckless like Junyao, and what about you? You actually joined in the recklessness, going to Wan'er's boudoir in the middle of the night. Tell me, as a father, aren't you being a bit too irresponsible?" The Third Madam, having heard the whole story, glared at the Prime Minister and said sarcastically.
Meng Chengxiang was speechless, his face turning as red as Guan Yu's. After a long while, he timidly said, "I was also troubled by Junyao. Besides, suddenly showing me that letter would cause any misunderstanding. I didn't know the contents of Wan'er's previous correspondence with the Third Prince, so I..."