Chapter 218: An Even Harder Struggle

As Zhang Yue had predicted, Meng Tao and Meng Fan were furious upon learning that their father had been imprisoned by the Jinyiwei. It took Meng Min’s stern reprimand to calm them down. She then patiently explained the consequences, packed their belongings, and chose four reliable family members to accompany them to Beijing, urging them to follow their uncle, Marquis Meng Ying of Baoding, in all matters.

Over the next half month, there was no news from Beijing. Yet secrets could not be kept forever, and rumors began to spread in the military headquarters. Meng Xian had once served as a commander of the guards in Changshan and was a trusted confidant of the Prince of Zhao. He had been respectful only toward the military commander Liu Zhong but often acted arrogantly toward other superiors and subordinates. Now that trouble had struck, many in the headquarters took pleasure in his misfortune, some even counting out how severe his punishment might be.

Meng Min had no energy to deal with the rumors. She spent her days by her stepmother’s bedside, leaving all household affairs to Du Wan. Tears streamed down her face constantly, yet she was helpless against her mother’s illness. Although several doctors came and went, Lady Wu’s condition was inherently difficult to treat, and now everyone was at a loss, only able to use some medications barely effectively. Preoccupied with what was happening in Beijing and worried about her mother’s illness, she lost a great deal of weight in just half a month.

That noon, a maid brought the prepared medicine. Meng Min fed it to Lady Wu spoon by spoon and carefully wiped away the spilled liquid with a handkerchief. Seeing her stepmother’s eyes deeply sunken and lifeless, she felt heartbroken but could only wear a concerned smile.

“Mother, my third and fourth brothers have already gone to Beijing. With Uncle there, Father will surely be fine.”

Lady Wu, who had ignored these words all along, struggled to move her head and somehow found the strength to speak: “Minni, your father was your grandfather’s eldest son. He was talented in martial arts and military strategy since childhood. But because he was born out of wedlock, your uncle inherited the title of Marquis of Baoding. He’s always been competitive. Though it wouldn’t go so far as to alienate him from your uncle, he never missed an opportunity. By chance, the emperor assigned him to guard the Prince of Zhao, and since then, he gained the prince’s favor.”

Although Meng Min was a girl raised in seclusion, coming from a wealthy family, she could naturally notice certain things. Hearing Lady Wu speaking with difficulty, she hurriedly tried to dissuade her: “Mother, you’re still sick. Please stop talking about these things; I understand everything.”

“You don’t understand!” Lady Wu suddenly raised her voice, only to cough violently from the cold wind. Even so, she stubbornly pushed away Meng Min’s hand and said slowly, word by word, “You are the eldest daughter of the family. Though not born to me, everyone knows you were raised under my name, just like the legitimate eldest daughter. If it weren’t for the marriage arranged by the Emperor for you to the Prince of Anyang, your father originally planned to marry you off there. After all, the Crown Prince of Zhao is not in good health—perhaps you would have become his wife, and maybe in the future…”

She didn’t continue, but instead smiled bitterly: “Although the Meng family and the Zhang family are related through marriage, it’s ultimately the direct line of the Marquis of Baoding and the Zhang family of Xiangfu who are related. Your father saw that Zhang Yue was favored by the Duke of Yingguo and, by chance, caught the Emperor’s attention, so he thought of pairing you with her. After being demoted and losing interest, he had no desire to bring up marriage anymore. Meng Min, I’m not surprised at all that your father is being so bold this time. He’s focused on bigger matters and can’t care for his family. A husband and wife are bound by affection for a hundred days—if anything happens to him, I’m willing to follow him in death!”

Meng Min had never heard her stepmother speak of her father in such a way before. Filled with ominous forebodings, she wanted to speak up to dissuade her, but her throat seemed to have lost its voice; she couldn’t utter a single word.

Lady Wu moved her emaciated right hand and firmly grasped Meng Min’s wrist: “Meng Min, I know very well your second uncle’s character. The Duke of Yingguo’s title wasn’t inherited; he earned it through his military achievements, which gives him determination and responsibility in tough situations. But your second uncle’s title was passed down by your grandfather. If the Emperor really gets angry, he might not have the same determination to protect your father. The Prince of Zhao values your father because he’s a descendant of a meritorious official and skilled in military strategy, but he might not dare to anger the Emperor either. If our family fails, take this to Beijing’s Pailou Alley…”

Realizing something had been stuffed into her hand, Meng Min looked down and saw it was a golden Buddha statue that Lady Wu usually wore around her neck. She was shocked. But what shocked her even more were Lady Wu’s words. All her hopes now rested on her second uncle, Marquis of Baoding Meng Ying, and Prince of Zhao Zhu Gao Sui. Who would have thought that her mother would say they would abandon her!

“Minmin, for the common people, take it to the third gold and silver shop at the east end of Xipailou Alley. I’ve stored some money there. It’s my dowry, not much, but it should at least help you guys avoid worry about food and clothing, so you won’t have to beg others! They say everything vanishes after death, and I can let go of everything, but you’re still young, and your marriage hasn’t been arranged yet…”
As Lady Wu’s voice grew softer and softer, eventually becoming almost incoherent, her eyes gradually closing, Meng Min was instantly terrified. She quickly got up and rushed out, shouting for a doctor to be called. After a while, no doctor arrived, but Du Wan came upon hearing the news. She went inside, checked Lady Wu’s pulse, and quickly stood up to comfort her, saying, “The pulse is weak, but she should be fine for now. Your brothers and sisters are all watching over you right now. Don’t panic, absolutely don’t panic!”
“I know… I understand…”
Meng Min murmured a few words, her right hand tightly clutching the small golden Buddha, refusing to let go even though it hurt her palm. If her father’s imprisonment and her mother’s illness were double blows, then her mother’s words just now were like a thunderbolt, shattering her greatest hope. At this moment, she felt countless voices screaming inside her head; she couldn’t hear or see anything around her.
Lady Wu’s condition had been fluctuating these past few days. Du Wan had always seen Meng Min remain calm in front of others, but now, seeing her in such a state, she really didn’t understand what Lady Wu had said just now. After trying to comfort her for a while and seeing that Meng Min seemed completely unresponsive, she quickly ordered Chunying and the stunned Hongxiu to help her sit down on the kang. Then she sent someone to the prefect’s office to deliver a message to Zhang Yue.
Just as things were settled on one side, the doctor finally arrived. She had no choice but to leave Meng Min for now and instructed the maid in charge to bring the doctor in to check Lady Wu’s pulse. When she heard the usual diagnostic remarks and saw a prescription almost identical to the previous ones, even though she was usually gentle, she felt anger rising inside her, though there was nothing else she could do.
After arranging for a maid to take care of Lady Wu, Du Wan turned to go outside to order the preparation of medicine. Then she saw Lingxi lifting the curtain at the door and signaling to her. Knowing that Lingxi was always cautious and would never disturb her unless it was necessary, she hurriedly stepped outside. Seeing that Lingxi’s expression was extremely grim, she pulled her aside under the porch and asked, “What’s wrong? Has something else happened?”

“Indeed, something serious has happened!” With no one else around, Lingxi spoke bluntly, “Lord Meng had his rice stored in a rice shop long ago. Last year, the harvests in Meng’s estates were poor, so there wasn’t much money left. The two young masters of the Meng family exchanged a considerable amount of gold when they went to the capital, and more money was spent gradually due to Lady Wu’s illness. Now, there are only a hundred taels of silver and a few hundred pieces of treasure paper left in the accounts! Silver is one thing, but no one in Shandong will accept this treasure paper these days!”
Misfortune never comes alone—why exactly run out of money at this moment!
Du Wan felt her head exploding as she recalled how she had continuously hired doctors and ordered medicines in recent days, plus rushing to exchange gold for Meng Tao and Meng Fan to go to the capital. She had hardly thought about how much money was left in the accounts. Blaming herself for being careless, she quickly started to plan again. There were at least thirty to forty people in the Meng family, and their daily expenses were substantial. Without another solution, this money could barely last ten days, not to mention covering monthly expenses!
What to do? What on earth to do?
Although Du Wan sent someone to deliver a message, Zhang Yue wasn’t in the government office. It wasn’t until the third hour of the evening that he returned and learned about the message sent by Du Wan. It had rained in the afternoon, leaving mud on his clothes and shoes. But guessing that something else must have gone wrong with the Meng family, he didn’t even bother to change his clothes. He rushed to the government office with two attendants. Upon arriving, he dismounted and hurried toward the Meng family’s residence, only to see a crowd gathered at the door.
“Tsk tsk, so proud when he first took office, yet still as unlucky now!”
“He dared to meddle in the Han King’s affairs—now he’s really bringing trouble upon himself!”
“Since he’s not the deputy commander of our office, of course he can’t stay here anymore!”
“What background does this new deputy commander have? Commander Liu treated him politely—how could the Meng family refuse to move out today? That’s why you need to leave room for others. Don’t think you’re so great—now look at what happened!”
Hearing these remarks, Zhang Yue was filled with anger and shock. He had heard from Liu Zhong that Meng Xian was somewhat arrogant among his colleagues and subordinates, so it was understandable that no one helped them in times of need. But Lady Wu was critically ill at this moment—how could these people be so heartless as to force the Meng family to leave the government office?