Ch 128: Audacious
“My mother’s surname is Xiao.” Meng Tingyue saw that he hesitated to speak, and a deep gloom gathered in her eyes.
“Right, Xiao, look at my memory, it really gets worse with age.” Meng Dongliang chuckled a few times, trying to use self-deprecation to ease the embarrassment.
“If I remember correctly, Uncle is only a few years older than me, and my maternal grandfather’s memory isn’t as bad as Uncle’s.” Meng Tingyue sneered.
Meng Dongliang’s eyes flickered, as if he wanted to escape something. “Niece, if you have no other business, I will take my leave. I still have some urgent matters to attend to.”
“Wait.” A steady and powerful voice interrupted his retreat.
Old Master Xiao’s eyes were profound, staring intently at Meng Dongliang. He tapped the ground heavily with his walking stick, making a dull sound. “You claim to be Meng Ci’s brother?”
Meng Dongliang already understood that these two were probably the relatives of his brother’s deceased wife.
At the thought of the lie his brother had concocted, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, and tiny beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
“I… am… that… I…” He stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.
“If you won’t say it, then let this old man speak.” Old Master Xiao’s gaze was like a sharp blade, fixed on Meng Dongliang.
“When my daughter brought Meng Ci back, she said repeatedly that his parents had passed away and that he had no relatives. Where did you come from, brother? And you are only a few years older than my granddaughter.”
“Having such an older brother proves that he wasn’t truly orphaned as he claimed, but that your Meng Family fabricated a lie to gain the Xiao Family’s support and deceived us.”
With that, Old Master Xiao’s walking stick struck the ground heavily.
Meng Dongliang’s heart sank. The already shaky confidence collapsed under this blow, and he involuntarily trembled.
However, he quickly suppressed his panic and straightened his back, feigning composure.
“Hmph, the Xiao Family, merely humble merchants, dare to question me, Meng? My brother now holds a Fourth-Rank Official position. Even if he had some unavoidable reasons for concealing things from you, what can you do to him?”
Meng Dongliang’s words were tinged with disdain and arrogance, trying to use the shadow of power to mask his inner fear.
“My brother is a Court Official. It is the Xiao Family’s good fortune to be related to my brother by marriage. Moreover, my niece is now the Crown Princess, and in the future, she will become the Empress, the Mother of the Nation. If the Xiao Family hadn’t latched onto my brother, even if you burned incense at your ancestral graves, you wouldn’t have received such great honor.”
Meng Dongliang’s confidence grew with each word.
These words were like a thunderbolt striking the ears of the Xiao Family, causing both of them to tremble with rage, their eyes wide, their anger burning, almost erupting.
“If we had known that Meng Ci was such a hypocritical and deceitful person, the Xiao Family would never have formed a Marriage Alliance with his family.” Old Master Xiao stood up angrily, clutching his walking stick, wishing he could beat the audacious man to death with it.
Meng Tingyue witnessed her maternal grandfather’s uncontrollable anger and felt a surge of worry, fearing he would damage his health.
“Someone, escort Uncle out and take good care of him.” Meng Tingyue’s voice carried an undeniable chill.
Seeing this, Meng Dongliang smirked triumphantly, like a victorious rooster, swaggering away, completely ignoring the two people left behind whose faces were livid with anger.
Xiao Huaifeng’s anger burned in his chest. His low voice was filled with uncontainable indignation: “This man, evil to the bone, dares to utter such treasonous words!”
“If such words reach the Emperor’s ears, it might implicate Tingyue and the Crown Prince, bringing about a great calamity.”
After speaking, he turned to his niece. Seeing her calm expression, as if she was an outsider to the event, he felt even deeper pity and worry.
Old Master Xiao was also furious. “Keeping such a person in the Mansion is like harboring a tiger. Sooner or later, he will drag the entire Mansion into the abyss.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Tingyue’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “It will be my father’s birthday in less than half a month. We just need to endure this half month.”
Having said that, she gently raised her hand, signaling the servants to carefully clean up the scattered teacup shards, her demeanor revealing firmness and composure.
Xiao Huaifeng slowly inhaled and exhaled, smoothing the anger in his chest. A cold smile appeared on his lips.
“I still hold irrefutable evidence of Meng Dongliang harassing innocent women along the way. When the time is right, I will expose everything and ensure that the Meng Family falls into an irreversible abyss.”
Meng Tingyue nodded slightly, a profound plan appearing in her eyes.
—－
The news of the Xiao Family entering Jingdu, along with the news of their becoming Imperial Merchants of Great Zhou, quickly spread throughout every street and alley of Jingdu, filled with people’s discussions and amazement.
Many merchants in Jingdu, upon hearing this good news, cast envious and respectful glances, secretly lamenting the Xiao Family’s good fortune.
The Xiao Family’s shops in Jingdu also became instantly crowded and bustling due to this sudden good news.
The news reached Prince Qing’s Mansion.
Prince Qing was in his room, looking at the green trees outside the window, the darkness in his eyes becoming even deeper.
Mu Xia and Wang Qishen stood behind him.
After Mu Xia carefully reported the news, Prince Qing gently pressed his fingertip to his lips and let out a low, slightly hoarse cough.
Wang Qishen sighed inwardly. His voice was gentle and low as he consoled, “Your Highness, things have come to this. I hope you will take care of your body. Once you recover, there will still be a chance to fight for the supreme position.”
“I know.” Prince Qing’s voice was very faint, with a hint of etherealness.
He looked at the greenery outside. “Besides this, has anything else happened in Jingdu?”
Mu Xia’s heart sank upon hearing this. Then, he respectfully recounted the results of his recent investigation. “Following Your Highness’s orders, Your Humble Servant investigated the mastermind behind the crowd gathering in front of the gate that day. After much investigation, we only learned that the news initially came from a group of beggars in the city who inadvertently leaked the rumor.”
“Unfortunately, these beggars have quietly left the city these past few days, as if they intentionally avoided tracking. However, Your Humble Servant has quickly dispatched personnel to follow their tracks and search for their whereabouts.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Qishen frowned and fell into thought. “From this, it seems that there is a deeper hand behind these beggars. This person acts so secretively, their nervousness is evident. They probably have ulterior motives.”
Prince Qing nodded in agreement, also falling into deep thought.
“Creating such a buzz for the Princess’s shop, yet carefully concealing their tracks, afraid of being noticed… Could it be that the Ningxiang Pills sold in the Princess’s shop hold some unknown secret?”
A serious look flashed in Wang Qishen’s eyes as he boldly offered his guess.
