Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 17.2
Madam Meng couldn’t help but blush when her sister, who had always been gentle, retorted.
However, before Meng Suxi came, Madam Meng was tearfully telling Madam Wen about their difficult situation.
Although the eldest son of the Meng family is already a third-rank official in the court, his foundation is a bit shallow after all, and his biggest backer is nothing more than the Emperor. Therefore, Meng Ting’s priority was very simple: he wanted Meng Suxi to participate in the draft next spring.
The word “draft” sounds glamorous.
But Emperor Chengyuan was the eldest son of the late emperor. He was nearly fifty years old and had six princes under his knees. He wants Meng Suxi to enter the palace just to earn the title of being an National uncle(National uncle refers to the brother of the empress dowager or empress in feudal dynasties, that is, the maternal uncle or wife uncle of the emperor.).
The Meng family has three daughters, Meng Suxi, Meng Lanxi and Meng Yunxi. Except for Meng Suxi, who was born to Madam Meng, the other two were all born to Meng Ting’s cousin, concubine Zhuang. Meng Ting had a deep affection for concubine Zhuang and he was afraid that the two daughters would be inferior because they were born as concubines, so he loved them dearly.
When there is favoritism, discord naturally arises.
None of the three daughters in the family wanted to enter the palace to serve the old emperor, but Meng Ting hinted at it many times on the grounds that Meng Suxi was his legitimate daughter.
The imbalance between the wives and concubines of the Meng family caused the three children to compete with each other almost everywhere from childhood to adulthood, comparing their knowledge, clothing, and looks. Even if Meng Suxi was at a disadvantage, Madam Meng will use money to make up for it. Anyway, her dowry was so large that everyone was envious of her.
The Wen family knew all about the chaos in the Meng family, including Meng Suxi’s strong and aggressive nature.
If she didn’t know clearly, how could she have instructed Meng Suxi?
Madam Wen looked at her biological sister and sighed, “Okay, let’s go. If Xixi doesn’t want to enter the palace, just think of other ways. Don’t spoil her too much.”
****
In the evening, Lu Yan was sitting in his yard drinking tea with a book in his hand.
Yun’er, the maid of Suning Hall, came over and whispered, “Master, Miss Meng said she wants to see you and is waiting outside the courtyard.”
Lu Yan lowered his head, took a sip and said, “Let her in.”
One has to say that Meng Suxi was more disciplined this time. She quietly walked up to Lu Yan and asked anxiously: “Heir Apparent, can you give me a chance to explain?”
Before Lu Yan responded, he only gave her a “you tell me” look. Meng Suxi’s heart trembled, as if she had done something terribly wrong.
She lowered her head, tears falling to the ground and choked with sobs as she admitted her mistake. Her attitude was sincere and she had no intention of hiding anything.
Usually, any man would feel a little softened upon seeing her.
But when it comes to Lu Yan, Meng Suxi heard the sound of him turning the pages of a book.
In an instant, all her brewing emotions were blown away by the wind.
Is he even listening to her?
She clenched her fists, looked at Lu Yan, and called him softly: “Heir Apparent”.
Lu Yan raised his head, looked at her with deep and cold eyes and said, “I’m listening.” His tone was much better than before.
Meng Suxi looked at his eyes and then at the scratches on his neck. She couldn’t help but wonder, did he also have such cold eyes at night when he hugged the courtesan?
Thinking back to the way he played chess with her, she suddenly felt very sad. The feeling of not getting what she asked for really made her very sad.
“Can I still play chess with Heir Apparent tomorrow?” Meng Suxi closed her eyes and asked.
Hearing this, Lu Yan closed the book in his hand and said to her: “It’s getting late, Miss Meng, should go back.”
Lu Yan’s expression was calm, his tone was calm, and he no longer seemed angry.
But she also knew what such a straightforward rejection meant.
****
After Meng Suxi left, Lu Yan walked into the inner room under the afterglow of the setting sun. Just as he felt a little tired, he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Lu Yan said.
After Yang Zong came in, he closed the doors and windows tightly and said in a low voice: “Master, Miss Shen seems to be ill. This subordinate heard from Mo Yue that her high fever has not subsided for about a day. I don’t dare to invite a doctor easily but dragging it for too long is not a good thing. So, Mo Yue asked this subordinate for instructions.”
Upon hearing the three words “Miss Shen”, Lu Yan couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of confusion.
He twisted the white jade ring on his hand and remembered the night he left.
She fell asleep in the tub and ended up taking a cold bath. It would be strange not to fall sick.
Although Lu Yan was not proficient in medical skills, a simple case of wind and cold was not difficult for him.
After thinking for a moment, he took a piece of paper and prepared to write a prescription and ask Yang Zong to grab the medicine.
But as soon as he started writing, her fragile appearance suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, along with the phrase she always liked to say – “My Lord, I feel uncomfortable.”
For a moment, his temples buzzed. He threw the brush in his hand and said: “It’s almost curfew now, so there’s no need to command the carriage. I’ll ride over.”
