The Meng family was crooked to the core. These servants were the Meng family’s trusted underlings who had frequently helped the Meng father and son commit various acts of framing and sabotage. They had gained considerable benefits from these deeds; the Meng family was wealthy and powerful, and both father and son were generous, giving them many rewards. The three servants’ wealth exceeded that of ordinary commoners.
Now that Meng Chengwei was dead and the Meng family had fallen. Meng Xianzong’s intellect couldn’t compare to his son Meng Chengwei’s, and he had no other sons. Even if he had another child now, it would take more than a decade for that child to come of age.
Seeing that the Meng family couldn’t rise again, these three wealthy and capable servants wanted to leave with their wives and children, regaining their freedom.
Unfortunately, Meng Xianzong refused to let them go, insisting they help the Meng family with one more task.
Now the opportunity had arrived. The task Meng Xianzong assigned them wasn’t difficult; it was something they were accustomed to doing, a task they could handle with ease. Thinking that they could regain their freedom in just a few days, establish their households, start small businesses, and perhaps someday be addressed as “master” themselves, the three men became energized.
“Rest assured, master, we will certainly accomplish this task.”
“Yes, I understand Qian Yongshou and his servant’s temperament thoroughly. I guarantee I can lure him over there.”
Watching the three servants leave with renewed vigor, as if they had been injected with chicken blood, Meng Xianzong began to laugh “hehehe,” a cold and sinister sound.
He didn’t dare to harm Ye Yaming’s life, as the Meng family could no longer withstand Lu Guanyi’s wrath. He only planned to discover when Ye Yaming would leave and her route, then arrange for Qian family’s lecherous young master to encounter her.
Because of Duke Ying’s retaliation, Meng Xianzong had become fearful and no longer dared to provoke powerful families. Instead, he targeted the Qian family for their lack of power and influence, and Qian Yongshou was a fool controlled by his lust.
Hearing that Ye Yaming was very beautiful, she would certainly attract Qian Yongshou’s attention. At that time, he would have someone whisper in Qian Yongshou’s ear that she was a merchant from Lin’an, without power or influence, and Qian Yongshou would inevitably be unable to resist approaching her with some flirtatious remarks.
With Ye family guards present, Qian Yongshou naturally wouldn’t gain any advantage, merely speaking a few flirtatious words. Since Ye Yaming was in the capital waiting to be married, she would certainly not make a scene to protect her reputation. This incident wouldn’t cause much of a stir.
Meng Xianzong planned to wait until after Ye Yaming’s marriage, then have someone publicly prompt Qian Yongshou to mention his previous harassment of Ye Yaming, and then find a way to spread this gossip in noble circles.
Ye Yaming already faced disdain for her merchant background. With this additional incident, she would certainly be viewed and mocked with strange looks when attending banquets. It was possible that she would be neglected by Lu Guanyi soon after marriage. After all, no man could tolerate wearing a green hat (being cuckolded), especially one known to all.
In such a situation, even if Ye Yaming had ten mouths, she couldn’t clear herself.
This was precisely the effect Meng Xianzong wanted.
She had harmed his son and his family, yet Ye Yaming still thought she could live happily with Lu Guanyi, gloriously becoming the wife of the heir. She could keep dreaming. He wanted to plant a thorn between Ye Yaming and Lu Guanyi, a thorn that would stand between them for a lifetime.
If he handled this matter discreetly, it wouldn’t implicate the Meng family at all. As for how Lu Guanyi and Ye Yaming might retaliate against the Qian family, that was none of Meng Xianzong’s concern.
…
The Meng family was Ye family’s number one enemy, and Ye Yaming had never relaxed her vigilance, always having people monitor them.
Previously, with Duke Ying’s family targeting them, the Meng family was constantly harassed and busy coping, having no energy to retaliate against the Ye family.
Now the Meng family had been reduced to their last bit of property with few servants remaining, and Duke Ying’s family had finally relented. This was a sign of not driving them to complete ruin.
After all, the Meng family still had Consort Min and the Third Princess behind them. Forcing things too far would inevitably lead to future troubles. Duke Ying’s family was also in decline, and if the Third Princess moved against them, they would face difficulties as well.
Therefore, the Meng family was now living quietly with their remaining assets.
People shouldn’t be idle; idleness leads to trouble, especially for people like the Meng family who knew no reflection, and now that she had arrived in the capital. Without needing to inquire, she could guess that the Meng family wouldn’t resign themselves and would likely try something against her.
Thus, on the second day, she summoned Yun’er to inquire about the Meng family’s situation.
Yun’er was responsible for gathering intelligence in the capital, serving as Zan’er’s subordinate.
Before Yun’er was dispatched to the capital, Meng Chengwei had already been imprisoned. Yun’er hadn’t yet reported the specific situation of the Meng family to Ye Yaming. Having focused on monitoring the Meng family during this period, he planned to provide a detailed report.
“…Meng Chengwei’s father, Meng Xianzong, caused his elder brother’s death and seized the position of family head. Therefore, his two younger brothers were not close to him. In recent years, with Duke Ying’s family frequently causing them trouble, his two younger brothers were even more unwilling to associate with him, to the point of refusing to let him enter their doors.”
“Meng Chengwei was Meng Xianzong’s eldest legitimate son. His mother, Madam Kong, injured herself during the birth of a daughter in her second pregnancy and could no longer bear children. Originally, Meng Chengwei had two half-brothers, one two years younger and one five years younger, both born to one of Meng Xianzong’s favored concubines.”
“However, when Meng Chengwei was fourteen, his twelve-year-old half-brother fell into a pond and drowned. Within a year, his nine-year-old half-brother also died of illness. That concubine claimed Meng Chengwei was responsible for their deaths and cried, asking Meng Xianzong to seek justice. Shortly after Meng Xianzong left home, Meng Chengwei had the concubine poisoned, rendering her mute, and sold her to a brothel.”
“Over the years, whenever concubines became pregnant, they would miscarry for various reasons. If they managed to give birth, daughters were spared, but sons would die for various reasons. Initially, suspicion fell on that favored concubine, and Meng Xianzong, for the sake of his two secondary sons, merely punished her and grew distant from her. But this time the suspicion pointed directly to Meng Chengwei, and Meng Xianzong suspected that all previous incidents were Meng Chengwei’s doing. He prepared to return home to severely punish Meng Chengwei.”
“Unexpectedly, Consort Min sent people to warn Meng Xianzong, revealing that it was that concubine who had caused Madam Kong’s difficult delivery years ago, nearly resulting in two deaths. The concubine had received her just punishment. She told Meng Xianzong not to punish Meng Chengwei and rebuked him for favoring concubines over his wife.”
“From this, Meng Xianzong realized how terrifying his son was—at such a young age, he could harbor this resentment for so many years, diligently curry favor with Consort Min, and bide his time for revenge. Meng Chengwei was the eldest legitimate son, nearly an adult, and Meng Xianzong had no other sons. Moreover, Meng Chengwei was cunning and ruthless, making him an excellent heir. With Consort Min watching from above, Meng Xianzong abandoned his previous thoughts and took no more concubines.”
“Now that Meng Chengwei was dead and he had no son, he wanted to take concubines to beget sons. Unfortunately, his other concubines had been sent away by Madam Kong when the family fortune declined. Madam Kong was resentful but had no choice except to purchase a beautiful woman to enter the household, planning to keep the son and discard the mother after she gave birth.”