met free Chapter 96 Meng Shu, also known as Hua Yan
Chapter 96 Meng Shu, also known as Hua Yan
In a flash, Meng Shu thought of many things.
She didn't know Madam Yun and Tang Xian's ambitions, but that didn't stop her from guessing something. There was probably only one reason why Madam Yun was so cautious—her young lady's future husband's family would definitely be the royal family...
Only in the royal family can the lady of the house not interfere, cannot always protect the second young lady, and therefore goes to great lengths to select a dowry for her...
During the past six months, Meng Shu had been listening to Mr. Lin's lectures at Muyunzhai. She also knew that the emperor was old and that the second young lady would naturally not serve the old emperor after she came of age. When the head of the family went to the capital, Meng Shu's mind exploded.
Was the patriarch's trip to present the shimmering brocade a pretext? Was his true target the Crown Prince's residence, or was he betting on other princes to participate in the struggle for the throne?
All these thoughts only lasted a moment. At this moment, Meng Shu had no other thoughts. She realized that she had already been subtly impressed by Madam Yun's scheming and planning.
Looking back at the restless desires within her, it further revealed that she wanted to become that kind of person.
Like her mother, who, despite possessing great ambitions, resigned herself to fate and lived a life of mediocrity mired in the mire, or like Lady Yun, who, though confined to the inner quarters, looked outward to the world like a man.
At that moment, Meng Shu chose the latter. Perhaps, she had no other choice.
So she took a step back, knelt down again, and said, "This servant is willing."
"The Second Miss has treated me very well, and I know the Madam's intentions. I am all alone and am willing to follow the Second Miss from now on, and give my life for her."
Madam Yun and Mama Wei exchanged a smile. Mama Wei helped Meng Shu up again, and Madam Yun said, "Don't worry, I have ordered Manager Lu to send people to guard Xuanquan Post Station. If Zhou Bai returns safely, he will be brought back to meet you."
"There are still four years until Wan'er comes of age. The whole family will move to the capital next May, and you will have plenty of time to grow up."
"Yes, ma'am."
Then, Madam Yun took out a ring-shaped Yunshang pendant from her sleeve. "This is my token, Yun Jin (Madam Yun's maiden name). It can also be used at Yongtai Money Shop. With this pendant, one can withdraw ten thousand taels of silver every year. Since you have sincerely recognized it as yours, I will give it to you. Whether it is for redeeming Huanyun or for other purposes, it is up to you."
Meng Shu pondered for a moment, then bent down to take it.
With her uncle's fate unknown, Huanyun had no reason to stay at Chunfeng Tower and suffer any longer. Besides, she had already willingly entered into the scheme, so her worries were meaningless at this moment.
It is unknown what Madam Yun and the Second Miss said, but when Meng Shu was on night duty that night...
With a complicated expression, the second young lady pulled Meng Shu to her side and said earnestly, "Mother has already told me, Meng Shu, you... if you are unwilling, you really don't have to sacrifice your freedom for me."
This was the first time Meng Shu had overstepped her bounds. She grabbed the second young lady's hand, but before she could speak, the second young lady interrupted her.
"Please hear me out. I... don't want to force anyone around me, whether it's you or Mengzhu and the others. If you don't want to come with me as part of my dowry, I will ask my mother to release you from your contracts. Don't worry about not being able to survive; I will give you a generous dowry to rely on..."
Meng Shu smiled. Her mistress was indeed as the madam had said, a kind-hearted and ethereal beauty, untouched by worldly concerns. She said emotionally, "No, this servant is doing this willingly. This servant will protect Miss and live a carefree life like a flower."
After a long silence, the second young lady sighed and said softly, "Meng Shu, I'm scared."
"I am not afraid of dying under the oppression of power, but I am afraid that in the future I will not be able to protect you all around me with my abilities."
Meng Shu lay down beside the second young lady, gazing at the bed curtains hanging from the bed frame, casting a large shadow on her face. She said, "Don't be afraid, young lady, we have plenty of time. As long as we take each step correctly, we can keep going."
The second young lady's eyes seemed to glisten with tears as she smiled in the darkness. So this is what it feels like to feel at ease.
Just as the clapper sounded at the end of the 7 PM hour, Meng Shu suddenly turned to the Second Miss and whispered, "Miss, please change my name from now on."
"Hmm?" The second young lady blinked, wondering what Meng Shu meant.
"Like a dream, bamboo buds, pearls, and the bright moon, today Madam mentioned that we will be moving to the capital next year. It seems abrupt and unusual for her to call me by my real name when we are out."
Meng Shu got into character. The young girl believed that she should hide her talents in front of outsiders and stay behind the Second Miss. It would be best to play dumb and take advantage of the situation in the inner quarters after the Second Miss got married. So, from now on, she should do the same as Meng Zhu and the others.
The second young lady didn't have that much on her mind; she was actually quite troubled.
After a while, she said with a hint of shyness, "I thought your eyebrows and eyes were very beautiful when I first saw you at Yun Gui Courtyard. How about... I call you Hua Yan?"
Meng Shu felt a little awkward at first, but since she had brought it up herself, she couldn't very well contradict her mistress. So she said, "Very well, from tonight onwards, I will be 'Hua Yan'."
Mengzhu, Ruizhu, Mingyue, Huayan—coincidentally, she was the youngest of the four.
Meng Shu thought to herself, "It's alright, I guess..."
The second young lady prepared a birthday gift for the old lady, a painting of a hundred longevity characters. The next day, while Mengzhu and the others were helping the second young lady with her hair and makeup, Mengshu packed the birthday gift into a custom-made red lacquered rectangular box with gold-inlaid longevity characters.
Just as Ruizhu finished styling the second young lady's hair into a flowing cloud bun and was about to put on the gold hairpin, the second young lady brought up the matter of Meng Shu changing her name.
"Hua Yan?" Rui Zhu murmured several times, pouting to indicate that it sounded nice. "Miss is biased, giving me the name Rui Zhu. The maids outside always tease me, saying that I am Rui Zhu (meaning 'pig Rui')."
(Note: 豕子, pig, is commonly written as 猪 in folk usage.)
Mingyue chuckled, which also amused Meng Shu, or rather, Hua Yan.
The second young lady said, "When Mother brought you back, you were as thin as a cat. Your surname was originally 'Zhu'. I remember that Wei Mama happened to dress you in a vermilion dress, so we originally named you Rui Zhu."
Ruizhu immediately became happy, "So many years have passed, it turns out that Miss still remembers everything."
Mingyue said, "Names are just codes to us, why take them to heart? Speaking of which, I remembered an interesting thing. When I was learning martial arts with my master, many children would come to the courtyard every now and then. Those with martial arts talent could stay and then be given names by the master according to their codes. When it was the turn of a boy named Lin, he refused to change his name no matter what. In the end, the master let him have his way."
Mengzhu chimed in, "It's good to change Meng Shu's name. That way, the four of us will sound like proper head maids."
Hua Yan helped the second young lady choose her clothes. Today was the old lady's birthday banquet, so the outfit didn't need to be too flashy. She said, "Alright, it's just a code name. Miss, it's time for breakfast."
Hua Yan was on night duty yesterday, so she doesn't need to accompany them today. Since the head of the family and the eldest young master are not in the mansion, the old lady has no intention of holding a big celebration. She even sent a message to the two young ladies in advance, telling them not to come to the mansion to celebrate. She only invited a few old ladies she was on good terms with to come to the mansion.
After the Second Miss left with Mengzhu and the other two, Hua Yan, who usually slept in the Second Miss's bed during the day and night shifts, was not sleepy. She had already informed the Second Miss that she would be leaving the manor today.
Donggua and Li Niangzi asked for a day off. The two went to Steward Cui to change into two different servants' clothes, and then put on makeup. Holding the Second Miss's nameplate, they left the mansion under the escort of the servants and headed straight for Yongtai Money Exchange.