Chapter 61

Chapter 61

I stared at him in silence.

“As I thought.”

I pried his fingers off me one by one. “I asked you before what kind of person Yun Sheng was. You said he was disgusting, so I was predisposed to judge him as a bad person too.”

“But if he were truly evil, would he have shaved his head to become a monk? Would he have forced Yuan Heng to copy the Earth Store Sutra? Would his inner wrists be covered in so many scars from suicide attempts?”

My tears fell uncontrollably. “Do you know what he whispered in my ear? He said he killed Yuan Heng for me! Meng Huaiqing, what on earth did you say to him!”

Meng Huaiqing turned away. “I should go.”

I grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn back and meet my eyes.

“Don’t even think about running. What did you say to him!”

Meng Huaiqing shoved me away abruptly. He bent over, covering his face with one hand, remaining silent.

His shoulders trembled as if he were crying. “I told him everything. I told him the Marquis intended to flay the skin off your face to give to him, so that he could become the Marquis’s wife openly and legitimately.”

“Yun Sheng was such an ignorant fool! He didn’t understand at all that in Chang’an, those in power hold the heavens in their hands! After Song Yulan was murdered by the Marquis years ago, he actually believed it was all because of him. He tried to kill himself and take poison time and again. If it weren’t for me, he would have died long ago!”

“He thought that by becoming a monk, he could deliver all souls? Impossible. The Marquis’s bloodlust all began because of him. Even if he copied the Earth Store Sutra ten thousand times, he could never make up for his sins.”

“I told him that once my right hand recovered, I would have to transplant your face onto his. There was no way out of this dead end unless…”

Meng Huaiqing straightened up, his eyes bloodshot. “I didn’t expect him to be so clever. He truly understood. He achieved enlightenment and became a Buddha on the spot for your sake.”

I thought of that thin, grey figure and felt only a sense of desolation. I let out a long sigh. “Meng Huaiqing, you really are disgusting.”

Meng Huaiqing gave a self-mocking laugh. “Is that so? I feel the same way.”

He wiped the remaining tears from his face, and when he faced me again, he had regained his usual gentle demeanor. He asked with a smile, “And what about you? If you had run away with me earlier, Yun Sheng wouldn’t have died. You cling to this place, committing murder, poisoning people, and meeting other men in private. Isn’t it because you can’t bear to let go of this overwhelming wealth and glory? How are we any different, hmm? My Lady of the Court.”

With that, he considerately tucked in my blanket. “Qing Qiu, you’re actually quite disgusting yourself.”

…

During the time I was confined to bed for recovery, my father came to visit me once.

He had gone to the temple to pray to the Bodhisattva for a safety talisman for me, and he brought a letter from my grandmother.

In the letter, Grandmother wrote with words of blood and tears, crying to me about how unfilial and disrespectful my legal mother had been over the years. She praised me for having been a filial child since I was young, saying her love for me hadn’t been in vain, and expressed her hope to see me as soon as possible.

At the end, she mentioned my Second Aunt, saying that since my Second Uncle passed away, she was now a widow with an orphaned child, living a pitiful life.

That Second Aunt of mine was a sharp-tongued, mean-spirited woman who was no less difficult than my legal mother. If she were to become neighbors with my legal mother in the future…

Heh, it will be interesting to see.

After my legal mother learned of my miscarriage, she tried to see me several times. According to her, I needed to recover my health and certainly wouldn’t be able to share a bed with the Marquis for a while.

She wanted me to send her daughter to Wutai Mountain as soon as possible.

Her reasoning was that with my own younger sister helping me, I would be able to establish a firmer foothold in the Marquis Manor. If my sister had a child, regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, the child would be recorded under my name.

I ignored her.

My legal mother wanted to visit me at the Marquis Manor, but I refused to see her on the grounds of being unwell. Having been rebuffed, she took her anger out on my father every day.

Interestingly, after she was turned away at my door a few days ago, she happened to run into Cheng Wei on her way home.

Cheng Wei gave her a lift part of the way, and the two of them had a pleasant conversation.

Cheng Wei knew the Ye Family was currently renovating their new residence and told her that if she needed any help, she should not hesitate to ask.

When they arrived at the house, Cheng Wei caught a glimpse of my younger sister stepping down from the carriage. He seemed to be momentarily entranced and praised Third Miss Ye for her celestial beauty, calling her a rare find in the world, and suggested she should attend more elegant gatherings and banquets.

My legal mother felt that Cheng Wei was interested in her daughter, so the very next day, she sent an invitation for Cheng Wei to have dinner at the Ye household.

Cheng Wei actually went once.

How interesting.

…

Before I knew it, a month had passed.

After being cooped up for so long, I decided to go to Ci’en Temple to pray to the Bodhisattva and confide my recent troubles and experiences. Along the way, I would pay a visit to my parents’ home.

As luck would have it, when I arrived home, the family had just finished dinner. Cheng Wei was admiring the snow and discussing poetry with my little sister.

My legal mother was extremely resentful toward me, but she had to maintain a facade of affection. She pulled me aside and asked me many questions about Cheng Wei.

She said Lord Cheng’s reputation was at its peak, and if my sister married him, it would be a double blessing for our connection with the Marquis Manor.

My father was not satisfied and remarked briefly that Lord Cheng was a standout talent, and our family was punching above our weight.

The daggers in my legal mother’s eyes immediately flew toward my father. She gave a cold, cynical laugh and scolded him: “What kind of talk is that? Our family produced one Lady of the Court, so why can’t we produce another? You useless coward, I told you to take Qingmeng to the Marquis Manor, but you didn’t dare…”

I didn’t care to watch them bicker, so I used the excuse of checking on the renovations of the new house next door and left with Cuinong.