Meng Wan smiled without fear: "Yes, birds can't talk, but coins can."
As she spoke, she pointed to the bowl of water and said, "The old man sells sugar cakes, so his hands are always covered in syrup and oil. Because of this, his coins are also covered in oil. Just now, everyone else's coins were fine, only yours were shiny with oil." She raised an eyebrow and said, "What? You still won't admit it?"
These words left the man speechless, and those around him continued to criticize him: "Stealing even an old man's money, how shameless!"
"Exactly! Are they even human? They have hands and feet but they don't work; they just do petty theft!"
The man, enraged by the barrage of accusations, was outnumbered and dared not confront the crowd. He could only shove the seemingly frail Meng Wan aside and run away.
"Grab him!" Meng Wan shouted instinctively. Before she could finish speaking, a cold wind swept past her. Before she could even see who it was, the middle-aged man cried out and collapsed at Meng Wan's feet: "Ouch!"
Looking up, he saw Meng Junheng pressing down on the thief's arm with his foot, coldly snorting, "To do such a despicable thing in broad daylight, utterly despicable!"
His sharp eyes revealed undisguised disgust. As he spoke, he subdued the thief with almost no effort, drawing applause and cheers from those around him.
At this moment, someone found the yamen runners patrolling the street. Meng Junheng handed the thief over to them, and the onlookers dispersed. Then he walked up to Meng Wan and asked, "Wan'er, are you alright?"
Meng Wan shook her head. The emperor then approached the brother and sister. Upon seeing this, Meng Wan hurriedly curtsied, but the emperor stopped her, waving his hand at her. He smiled slightly and offered a helping hand, his eyes full of approval: "Prime Minister Meng has indeed raised her children well. Not only does she have a son like Junheng, who is accomplished in both literature and martial arts, but even her daughter is no less capable than any man. Just now, Wan'er's display of wit and courage in fighting the thieves was truly breathtaking."
One sentence left Meng Wan slightly stunned.
In her previous life, the emperor doted on her, but unfortunately, he died young, passing away the year after she married Huangfu Qian.
Meng Wan was heartbroken at that time, but she never expected that she would see him again in her lifetime.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he forgot to reply and just stared blankly at the emperor.
“Wan’er--” Meng Junheng, seeing Meng Wan’s lack of decorum, whispered something in her ear, and Meng Wan came back to her senses: “Your Majesty flatters me. This humble woman only used a little trick, which is not worthy of being presented in a refined manner.”
Meng Wan's humble attitude made the emperor appreciate her even more. He nodded approvingly, his eyes full of affection. He looked at Meng Wan, then turned to Meng Junheng, and said, "Alright, since you've run into Wan, you should accompany her."
“But…” As the emperor’s personal bodyguard, Meng Junheng could not neglect his duties, but the emperor waved his hand: “I have the guards protecting me in secret, so it’s alright.”
The emperor's majesty was undeniable, and Meng Junheng hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor left without saying much. After he left, Meng Wan still looked in the direction he had gone and asked, "Brother, where is His Majesty going? He even came out of the palace in person."
Meng Junheng led the way, and as they walked toward Yipinju, he said, "We need to go to the Prince Heng's residence. We were discussing this matter in the palace just now, which is why we were delayed. Were you waiting long?"
Meng Wan naturally didn't mind waiting a little longer, but upon hearing the words "Prince Heng's Mansion," she instinctively raised an eyebrow. "Prince Heng's Mansion? Wasn't it burned down earlier? What is His Majesty going to do next?"
"It's precisely because it was burned that I had to come and see for myself."
Yipinju had already prepared dishes for the two of them as instructed. Now that everything was served, the two sat down. Meng Junheng served Meng Wan some dishes, then picked up the jade chopsticks in front of him, picked up some food, put it in his mouth, and slowly swallowed it before saying, "Rather than saying I came to take a look, it would be more accurate to say I came to seal it off. Because the Hengwang Mansion had caught fire before, His Majesty considered it an ominous place and wanted to avoid bringing misfortune to His Highness Hengwang, so he specially ordered it to be sealed off. And His Majesty left the palace today to find a good location to rebuild the mansion for His Highness Hengwang."
It is said that the Emperor loves everything about the Prince Heng, and it is true that he dotes on him. However, according to Meng Wan's previous memories, this prince should not have stayed in the capital at all before leaving. I'm afraid that the Emperor's painstaking efforts will ultimately be in vain.
The brother and sister chatted for a while while eating. Because they were worried about the emperor's safety, they could not stay long and urged Meng Junheng to go with him as soon as possible. Meng Wan then returned home alone.
--
It was midday, and the mansion was quiet. Meng Wan returned to her room silently, leaned against the soft couch, but couldn't fall asleep.
So I picked up the Thirty-Six Strategies from the bedside table and started flipping through it casually.
Because it had snowed for several days in a row, the light in the room was not very good. The characters were written in clerical script, and my eyes felt tired after reading for a while, so I closed the book and took a short nap.
Half-asleep, I seemed to hear voices outside, a rambling, incessant chatter. This woke me up a bit, and I put down my book, still feeling drowsy.
He looked outside and asked, "Who's outside?"
With a whoosh, the door was pushed open, and a pretty figure trotted in from outside. Looking up, she saw Wu'er kneeling down in front of Meng Wan: "Miss, it's your servant."
Meng Wan was clearly taken aback.
Since Meng Junyao left, Wu'er has been assigned to help out at the laundry department, and we haven't seen her in a while. It's no wonder Meng Wan was surprised when she suddenly came to Meng Wan's place.
"Is there something you need?"
Meng Wan put the book aside, then got up, wrapped in the brocade quilt. Her long, dark blue hair was spread out, adding to her languid air.
"This servant has come to ask for your help, young lady."
V3 A Beautiful Girl Has Grown Up (Part 3)
"This servant has come to ask for your help, Miss." Wu'er looked up for a moment, then lowered her head again, almost touching the ground. "I heard that after Second Miss left, Second Madam fell ill, and now she is very ill. Miss knows that I used to be Second Madam's person, but was taken away by Second Miss. However, Second Madam has been kind to me. Now I hear that her health is deteriorating, and I am very worried. I dare not disturb Third Madam for fear of angering Master, so I can only come to beg you, Miss, to let me go back to serve Second Madam."
Wu'er's mother served the Second Madam. After her mother passed away, the Second Madam kept Wu'er by her side. It was because she trusted her that she later arranged for Wu'er to take care of Meng Junyao.
It's a pity that Meng Junyao has encountered such a trouble, and the Second Madam has fallen ill as a result, so it's understandable that Wu'er is worried.
"Is Second Aunt's illness serious?"
Although Meng Wan harbored resentment towards Meng Junyao, it ultimately had nothing to do with the Second Madam. Her health had always been poor, and this latest setback had clearly dealt her another blow. Meng Wan was not a heartless person, so she couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
“I secretly went to take a look. He is very ill, and he doesn’t have anyone to take care of him. Even though the doctor prescribed medicine, he is not getting better.”
As she said this, tears began to fall.
Meng Wan frowned slightly. After Meng Junyao left, she always felt unsure how to face the Second Madam, so even though she heard that she was ill, she never went to visit her. She did send some tonics instead. If it weren't for Wu'er telling her now, she really wouldn't have known that she was so ill.
"In that case, you should pack your things and move to the Second Madam's place."
"Really?" Wu'er was clearly delighted; her tear-streaked face broke into a rare smile. Meng Wan nodded, but Wu'er hesitated, "But what about Master and Third Madam..."
"Don't worry, I'll talk to them."
Wu'er kowtowed several times with immense gratitude. Unlike her mournful face when she arrived, she was now clearly overjoyed. She practically skipped and jumped as she ran out. Meng Wan watched her, somewhat lost in thought.