Ch 104: Leaving The Dungeon

Meng Ci knew Jiang Qingrou was jealous and spiteful, so he used her jealousy to kill his mother.

Though he didn’t do it himself, he was the mastermind behind it all.

Meng Tingyue gently turned the pages of her mother’s diary, revealing her mother’s earlier doubts and anxieties.

Her mother had long suspected that he was having affairs outside, but she never doubted Meng Ci’s sincerity, nor did she ever imagine that Meng Ci would try to murder her.

She had sent people to investigate, but to no avail.

She suspected that Meng Ci had discovered this, so she wrote a letter home seeking help from her parents and brother, but she didn’t receive a reply, so she decided to return to Jiangnan.

But she didn’t expect this trip back to Jiangnan to be her death knell.

Meng Ci may have suspected that her mother discovered something, so he acted early.

Meng Tingyue turned to the last page of the diary.

Her mother’s record ended the day before she returned to Jiangnan.

In Meng Ci’s last few letters, he reassured the Meng Family, saying that he hadn’t established himself in Jingdu yet and would bring them to Jingdu once he had.

Meng Ci deceived his mother for nine years and the Meng Family for nineteen years.

It took Meng Tingyue an hour to read the letters and her mother’s diary and sort everything out.

Then, she took half an hour to suppress her anger and calm down.

The letters didn’t contain direct evidence that Meng Ci murdered his mother, only that he deceived her and used the Xiao Family’s silver to climb the social ladder.

She could only use these letters to expose Meng Ci’s lies about money, destroying the image he created of himself as a self-made man who didn’t rely on the Xiao Family’s money.

But she couldn’t do this herself; her uncle had to.

According to her plan, the Xiao Family’s trip to Jingdu to see the Emperor would likely be in July, leaving her over a month to plan.

During this time, she wanted to get the Meng Elders, her “resurrected” grandfather and grandmother, to Jingdu to confront Meng Ci.

She needed to find out where the Meng Elders were.

Meng Tingyue lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

She softly called, “Yan Hong, Qinglan.”

The two women rushed into the room.

“Crown Princess, what are your orders?”

Meng Tingyue beckoned them gently, and the distance between them instantly shortened.

She whispered in their ears, “You two…”

Yan Hong and Qinglan exchanged a knowing glance and nodded together, “We understand.”

Then, Meng Tingyue stood up, her clothes fluttering, her voice clear, “Qingdian, let’s go to the dungeon and bring my ‘uncle’ out.”

“Yan Hong, arrange a courtyard for my ‘uncle’ to rest.”

Yan Hong replied, “Yes.”

In the dark and damp dungeon.

Meng Dongliang huddled in the corner, his arms tightly around his trembling knees, his eyes fixed on the rat that was shamelessly devouring the leftover food in the bowl across from him.

Fear filled his eyes, afraid that the rat would turn and bite him after it finished the residue.

“Hurry up and open the gate, let my uncle out!” Meng Tingyue’s slightly dissatisfied and anxious voice came from outside.

A rustling sound came, and Meng Dongliang, like a thirsty man in a drought, eagerly looked up.

When his eyes fell on the elegant figure outside the prison cell, a surge of uncontrollable joy flashed in his eyes.

He quickly got up and stumbled towards the gate, his voice filled with excitement and urgency, “Niece, you finally came.”

Seeing him rush out, Meng Tingyue calmly moved, a gentle smile with apology on her face, “I’m sorry to have made you suffer, Uncle. It’s my fault. I’ve already instructed the maidservant to prepare hot water for your bath to wash away the bad luck.”

Hearing this, Meng Dongliang straightened up involuntarily, and his words revealed a senior’s reproach to a junior.

“This child, really, I told you I am your uncle, yet you were still doubtful. If you had come a few days later, this old bone of mine would have been eaten by that rat.”

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue couldn’t help but secretly think to herself: That rat is picky, it doesn’t eat the flesh of evildoers, lest it develop a tumor.

“It was my negligence. Lately, many people with unknown identities have come claiming to be my relatives. If I hadn’t verified them one by one, the Crown Prince’s Mansion would have been overrun by ‘relatives’.”

“What?!” Meng Dongliang was startled.

She nodded slightly: “They are just impostors pretending to be my distant relatives. As for uncles, no one dares to impersonate them, because my father announced to the world that both my parents had passed away, and there are no other relatives.”

“That’s why I didn’t believe you at first.”

“But since my uncle is alive, are my grandfather and grandmother still healthy?”

Meng Dongliang said without hesitation, “Of course.”

“Since my uncle and grandfather are still alive, why did my father say that you had passed away? What if things came true…”

At this point, Meng Tingyue covered her mouth with her handkerchief.

Meng Dongliang’s expression was unpleasant, “It was a matter of circumstances…”

“Oh? What happened?” Meng Tingyue’s eyes held curiosity.

Meng Dongliang’s eyes flickered, and he unconsciously avoided her gaze, vaguely saying, “I don’t know, you have to ask your father.”

“Crown Princess, no need to send me off, just let a maid take me to the courtyard.”

Meng Dongliang wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He always felt that his niece had a similar aura to the Crown Prince, so frightening.

“Then I shall leave first, Uncle. If you need anything, you can send a maid to find me.”

With that, Meng Tingyue left.

After Meng Tingyue left, the maid took Meng Dongliang to the West Garden.

Entering the West Garden, Meng Dongliang looked around. The furnishings were luxurious yet elegant. He examined every piece of furniture, confirming that each one was priceless before a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

“Worthy of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, so grand.”

He sat comfortably on the black carved wooden chair, his fingertips caressing the smooth handle, his eyes filled with delight.

His gaze swept across the courtyard, falling on the maidservants who were busy working, a gleam in his eyes.

He gently raised his hand, pointing at a maid who was sweeping outside the gate, his voice teasing, “You, you, come here.”

The maid, holding the broom, walked into the room with a questioning look, softly asking, “Sir, what are your orders?”

Meng Dongliang’s lips curved into a smile, his fingers slowly stroking his chin, his eyes full of amusement, “Come closer, let me see you more clearly.”

The maid obediently took two more steps forward, looking a little restrained.

At this moment, before she could steady herself, Meng Dongliang suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her gently into his arms. The movement was smooth and natural, as if he had done it countless times.

The maid was shocked, “Sir!”