Chapter 47: Let Me Think About It Again (2-in-1)

Zu Jun’s health was poor, and his earlier demeanor was completely a facade to stabilize the entire family. Meng Huan couldn’t help but express his admiration upon learning of this.

Even while coughing up blood, the old master did not forget to urge him to behave himself and protect the child in his womb, showing how much he valued the bloodline.

“Zhaoyin’s bloodline is thin with only one daughter. Now that you are pregnant, you must be very careful. She is still out there, and her situation is unknown. Don’t let anything else happen to distract her.”

Seeing him in this state and still saying these things, although Meng Huan felt somewhat resentful in his heart, the patient’s well-being was of utmost importance. He nodded in agreement to let Zu Jun feel slightly at ease.

Who knew that as soon as he returned to Qingzhu Yuan, he began to feel dizzy and disoriented, and even developed a fever in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, the Wen family had dedicated physicians, so he was not trapped without access to medical care. Wen Xi invited the physician over to examine him that very night, who said it was due to the fright he had suffered in the evening.

Meng Huan pleaded with the physician to prescribe medicine for him, but alas, he was in the early stages of pregnancy, and medicine could be harmful. The physician, who took orders from Wen Zhaoyin, shook his head repeatedly, saying to let him endure it without prescribing anything.

Having no choice, he asked Wen Xi to bring strong alcohol and used it to wipe himself down to disperse the heat. He struggled until dawn before his fever subsided, and he fell asleep.

A fever caused by fright was different from an ordinary fever. An ordinary fever caused by a cold infection would make one feel uncomfortable continuously, but Meng Huan only felt unwell at night and still had some energy during the day.

Wen Ju proposed to Zu Jun that she temporarily move to Qingzhu Yuan, stating that, firstly, the mansion was unstable, and secondly, she could take care of Meng Huan.

Zu Jun directly rejected her proposal and brought her to his own courtyard instead.

Fortunately, he was not so heartless. He allowed Wen Ju to visit during the day, but she had to return to his side in the evening.

Now, with only one granddaughter left, he naturally had to be extremely careful and cautious with her.

Approximately three days passed, and Wen Zhaoyin returned home.

However, unlike when she left home previously, she did not wear official attire this time, and the status-indicating accessories on her waist had disappeared.

Some knowledgeable servants in the mansion began to speculate that the family head had been dismissed from her post. Meng Huan also overheard this while by the window but found it hard to believe.

If the crime of rebellion was confirmed, he would certainly not be able to lie in bed so leisurely. Now that she had returned, it meant that the charges had not been substantiated. Without a crime, she naturally would not be dismissed from her post.

However, before long, he was summoned to Zu Jun’s courtyard to meet with Wen Zhaoyin, only to hear that she had indeed been dismissed.

“Father, do not be anxious. Her Majesty has only asked me to rest at home for a while; I have not truly been dismissed,” Wen Zhaoyin said.

Although Wen Zhaoyin said this, Zu Jun still felt a wave of dizziness and began to cough up blood, appearing to be in a very poor state.

“What difference does it make from being truly dismissed? The empress’s favor is fleeting. If Her Majesty forgets about you in a few days, where will you go and what will you do?”

“Cough, cough, cough! How could our Wen family suffer such a misfortune? Why don’t you go visit your aunts now? They can at least speak up in court. With their help in persuading, perhaps Her Majesty will be able to reinstate you after a while…”

Wen Zhaoyin smiled and shook her head. “Both thunder and rain are the empress’s grace. If I can receive it, so be it. Whether I can return to court to assist Her Majesty depends on fate.”

Before Zu Jun could become angry at her words, she spoke again, “Father, moreover, I have already divided the family from my aunts. Even if I go and beg them now, they will not help me.”

Zu Jun opened his mouth, wanting to say that it was impossible. Family members are connected by blood, even if they are divided, they can still lend a helping hand. After all, Wen Zhaoyin was previously highly favored by Her Majesty, and if she were to be reinstated, she could rise again.

However, he immediately thought of Wen Zhibai’s example and felt his heart grow cold. He did not say those words.

“Sigh.” After a long time, he let out a heavy sigh and fell into prolonged silence.

Wen Zhaoyin turned to look at Meng Huan, who had been watching from the side without saying a word. She still did not know what he was thinking.

However, when she looked at him, he still remained silent.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” she finally asked.

Meng Huan was startled by the question. In fact, he had been thinking about what to say. According to his past self in modern times, he would have definitely spoken to put her down. After all, when women went out to pursue careers, their hearts would become wild and difficult to deceive. Verbal attacks were meant to make them more obedient.

However, Wen Zhaoyin was not someone who could be suppressed now. He estimated that even if he said something, it would be in vain.

Moreover, he actually did not want to say anything to attack her. He could not bring himself to do it.

This woman woke up earlier than the rooster every day and went to bed later than the dog. She put her entire heart into her career, to the point where he was in awe of her.

“What is there to say? Actually, I think it’s good for you to rest for a while. I see that you barely get enough sleep every day. Now that you don’t have to attend court or handle official documents, you can finally get a good night’s sleep.”

Was that it? Wen Zhaoyin never expected that after holding back for a long time and going through several changes in expression, he would say such a thing. It was truly beyond her expectations.

Alright, perhaps she had overthought him. Such simplicity was quite good. “You’re right. This time, I can finally get a good sleep.”

Zu Jun, who was listening to their conversation on the side, began to cough again. He never imagined that being a salted fish could be contagious. His ambitious daughter had only been home for a day and was already thinking about eating, drinking, and sleeping.

Wang Gui walked over to pat his back. After his breathing stabilized, he said, “Although you are temporarily not serving as an official, remember not to slack off. In case Her Majesty summons you one day, you must be prepared.”

He then said some other words of encouragement. When the physician arrived, he waved his hand, allowing Wen Zhaoyin and Meng Huan to leave together.

Although Zu Jun sometimes had a strong desire for control, he was always considerate of Wen Zhaoyin. He did not complain about the family’s misfortune and actively encouraged her to be prepared for any situation.

Meng Huan observed Zu Jun’s actions and understood why Wen Zhaoyin had been successful. Zu Jun was definitely a qualified father in terms of teaching by example.

He even felt a little envious.

Walking back to Qingzhu Yuan with her at a leisurely pace, Meng Huan did not know what to do for a moment. On the other hand, Wen Zhaoyin went straight to the small study that had been thoroughly searched.

Three days ago, those soldiers had taken away all the documents and books. Although she had returned home, those items had not been sent back, and the study was still empty.

Because Meng Huan had sent people to clean up, he had also taken a brief look and knew the current situation inside. He was afraid that seeing it would make her feel upset, but after hesitating for a moment, he still did not stop her.

She would have to face it sooner or later, and she was not a weak person. With this thought, he returned to the main room to rest and did not follow her.

Contrary to his expectations, after entering the study, Wen Zhaoyin activated a hidden mechanism, opening a secret chamber and entering it.

Pei Lan, who had not followed her back, had been waiting in the secret chamber for a long time.

“Master, there is still no movement from Prince An’s side.”

“Hmm, it would be abnormal for him to make a move now. Perhaps after some more time, when he sees that I have truly been abandoned by Her Majesty, he will take action.”

The cause of this matter was quite interesting.

It started with a children’s folk rhyme. It was overheard by an imperial inspector, who then brought those children back to the capital and had them sing it in its original form in front of the empress in court.

It was a rhyme describing Prince An as the true phoenix, which immediately caused a great uproar in court.

Some provided evidence that Prince An was raising a private army with ill intentions, but when people were sent to investigate, they found nothing, so they were demoted and dealt with by the empress.

Some court officials believed that the empress’s handling method was inappropriate and had chilled the hearts of the remonstrating officials. They stated that it could not possibly be a baseless rumor and advocated for a thorough investigation of Prince An.

Others, who were Prince An’s supporters, claimed that it was an obvious false accusation and that someone was trying to frame Prince An. They also said that the empress should investigate thoroughly, but the investigation was not aimed at Prince An but at those who had spoken up, saying that they were the ones stirring up trouble with the intention of rebelling…

After thinking about all this, Wen Zhaoyin shook her head and said, “It’s just a pity about those few children.”

The chaotic scene in the court was entirely orchestrated by the empress herself.

Those children who sang the rhyme were arranged by the empress, and even the lyrics saying that Prince An was the true phoenix first appeared on the empress’s desk. Only after they were marked in red were the children made to memorize and sing them.

From beginning to end, this was a scheme, a scheme carefully set up by the empress for Prince An.

If Prince An truly had the intention to rebel, he would have surely fallen for it.

As for her, she was one of the links used by the empress to lure Prince An into the trap.

Seeing her expression of regret, Pei Lan couldn’t help but speak up to comfort her, “Her Majesty has already sent people to protect those children. It’s just that Prince An’s death guards were too formidable and found an opening, which led to the loss of those children’s lives…”

“Don’t say any more. If the empress truly wanted to protect them, how could they not be protected?” Wen Zhaoyin let out an imperceptible sigh and did not continue further. Saying more might be considered disloyal words.

There were some things she, as a subject, could say, but there were also some things she absolutely could not say.

Pei Lan was convinced and did not continue to persuade her. Instead, she helped organize the documents secretly sent by the empress.

Although her master had been dismissed and suspended from her post on the surface, she still had to work behind the scenes, and the workload was no less than before.

By the time for dinner, Meng Huan finally saw Wen Zhaoyin come out of the study. He secretly sighed, thinking that this woman truly had a strong heart, and his admiration for her grew even more.

—

The next day, Zu Jun, whose complexion had improved after taking medicine, began to advocate for the dismissal of the servants.

Of course, this dismissal did not mean leaving none behind. Those who should stay were still kept, but the number was to be streamlined, driving away those who did not do much work on a regular basis.

Although today was only the first day since Wen Zhaoyin’s dismissal, Zu Jun had already thought about the future. Without his daughter’s salary to support the household, relying solely on the income from the ancestral lands and manors, it would likely be insufficient.

Therefore, they had to cut staff now and immediately start saving money to live frugally in the future.

After all, when his daughter was an official, she did not have to pay taxes, and others would provide additional conveniences. But now that his daughter was no longer an official, those people would surely look down on them, and the income from the lands and manors would also greatly decrease.

Zu Jun’s austerity policy was quickly implemented in the household. Meng Huan, as a pregnant concubine, had the pickled vegetables served with his morning porridge reduced to a pitiful two pieces, and the candied fruits on the table were no longer supplied in sufficient quantities.

If the changes on his side were already so obvious, it was even more so for the other servants. Not only were their dining conditions far inferior to before, but their monthly allowances were also greatly reduced.

Of course, they were not the most miserable ones. The most miserable were those servants who were driven out of the Wen mansion.

Some of them were born into servitude and had worked for the Wen family since childhood. They had no land outside, and now that they were driven out, they had no livelihood. Apart from getting married or doing manual labor, they had no other options.

Originally, Zu Jun said he would transfer those servants to other households, even if the price was lower, it would be fine. However, with the current chaotic and unclear situation in the court, no one dared to take in people from the Wen family, so they could only be driven out with one stroke.

It was not that he was heartless; these were all necessary measures.

The servants who were left in the mansion were also on tenterhooks, fearing that if their master encountered any more issues, they would also be driven out.

Therefore, these people privately sought connections and new employers, wanting to jump out of the fiery pit that was the Wen family as soon as possible.

Meng Huan used to see a servant every few steps when wandering around the mansion, but now, even after walking for a while, he couldn’t even see a bird’s shadow.

The fallen leaves on the ground were not swept, and the messy shrubs were not trimmed. In an instant, the Wen mansion actually displayed a somewhat desolate scene.

“Why don’t you leave too? The silver I gave you before, you still have it, right? If Wen Zhaoyin can’t afford to keep me in the future, I’ll come to you,” Meng Huan said to Wen Xi in a somewhat joking tone.

The latter hurriedly shook his head to show his loyalty, “This slave will not leave the young master’s side! This slave will always be by the young master’s side to take care of him!”

“If you need money, just tell this slave. The things you rewarded this slave with before, this slave has kept them all.”

Wen Xi had also been worried about the situation in the mansion and had thought about leaving. However, in the end, he gave up on the idea.

He thought, even if he went out and got married, what good would it do? He would still have to serve the wife’s family.

No matter where he went, he would be serving people. It was better to stay by the young master’s side, where he could live a little happier and more joyfully. It was better than blindly marrying a woman and serving her entire family.

Meng Huan looked at him in surprise, not understanding why he thought this way. “Are you stupid? Even I am thinking about whether to leave or not, so why are you willing to stay here so wholeheartedly?”

Now that Wen Jia had disbanded the guards and greatly reduced the number of servants, he felt that the difficulty of escaping had decreased significantly.

Wen Xi smiled and didn’t say anything. In fact, he really wanted to express his loyalty. Where was he wholeheartedly staying in the Wen family? He simply wanted to stay by the young master’s side.

The young master was not like a master but more like a friend. In this lifetime, to have such a master, he, as a servant, had nothing more to ask for.

However, thinking about it, if he said these words to the young master, the young master probably wouldn’t care much. It was better for him to express it through actions.

—

In the small study, the secret guard repeated word for word what he had just heard to Wen Zhaoyin and then quietly left.

Pei Lan had been listening on the side the whole time and couldn’t help but frown. “I suppose Young Master Meng is just saying it and doesn’t really want to leave.”

“That’s not necessarily the case. He has a wild heart, and wanting to leave is not something that started just a day or two ago,” Wen Zhaoyin’s tone didn’t reveal any fluctuations, but it gave people a sense of heaviness.

“This…” Pei Lan didn’t know what to say for a moment and could only hope that Meng Huan wouldn’t really leave. Otherwise, her master would surely be angry again.

Who would have thought that after a while, for whatever reason, Wen Zhaoyin arranged, “If he wants to leave, you don’t need to send people to stop him. Just secretly protect him.”

Didn’t Wen Zhibai promise that if she left the token in her study, she could take him out?

Although Meng Huan had destroyed the token, in order to complete Her Majesty’s task, Wen Zhaoyin had Pei Lan make a new one and place it in the study. So presumably, Wen Zhibai’s side would think it was placed by Meng Huan.

Wen Zhaoyin had some understanding of this cousin. Judging from the way she looked at Meng Huan, it wasn’t entirely utilitarian and was probably mixed with some other thoughts. This time, there was a real possibility that she might secretly come to take him away.

“Master, could it be that you want to…?” Give Young Master Meng freedom? Pei Lan’s words stopped halfway, thinking that this guess was highly unlikely.

Sure enough, as soon as her master heard her say the first half of the sentence, she glared at her.

“Am I the kind of person who would painstakingly plant a tree only to willingly let others enjoy the shade?” Wen Zhaoyin raised her eyebrows. She just wanted to resolve the matter clearly once and for all.

Meng Huan was hers. This was a fact that could never be changed in a lifetime. Even if he died in the end, he had to be buried in the Wen family’s forest. No one else could touch him.

She just couldn’t figure out Meng Huan’s thoughts towards Wen Zhibai and wanted to let it develop for a while. Once it showed signs, she would nip it in the bud and completely eliminate any hidden dangers.

If he truly had feelings for her little cousin and followed her out of the mansion, he would be in for a miserable time.

Judging from his appearance, he had never been able to endure hardship. She hoped he could make the right decision. Otherwise, she would not let him have a good life.

Pei Lan was embarrassed. Her master’s thoughts were simply too deep.

Just as Wen Zhaoyin had guessed, Wen Zhibai indeed wrote a letter and secretly sent someone to deliver it to Meng Huan’s hands, asking him when he wanted to leave the mansion. As long as he specified a time, she could send someone to meet him.

Meng Huan’s reaction after receiving the letter was also within Wen Zhaoyin’s expectations. He did not reply immediately but kept the paper, seemingly wanting to ponder for a few days.

Seeing his heavy-hearted and unable-to-conceal appearance, she wanted to tease him, not knowing what kind of hobby it was.

It was during lunchtime.

Wen Zhaoyin put down her chopsticks and cup, wiped her mouth clean, and suddenly asked, “Do you want to go home?”

“Huh?” Meng Huan was eating deliciously when he was abruptly asked this question, directly stunned on the spot, not knowing how to answer.

She just smiled and continued, “Now that I am no longer an official, I don’t know when the empress will remember me. Father is right. The empress may never remember me in this lifetime, and the Wen family will likely decline quickly.”

“Before, I thought I could afford to keep you no matter what. Now, I’m afraid I can’t. So, I’m asking if you want to go home. If you want to go back, I can have Pei Lan send you back at any time.”

She wanted to know, between being secretly taken out by Wen Zhibai and being openly sent home by her, which of the two would Meng Huan choose?

If he chose the former, then he must have feelings for her little cousin.

And if he chose the latter, she would truly have Pei Lan send Meng Huan back to reunite with his biological father. Then, after this matter was resolved, she would bring him back. It would be like letting him stay at his father’s home for a while.

“You always said you wanted to leave before. I know your heart is not with me. Now that I am not what I used to be, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

Wen Zhaoyin finished speaking and showed a kind smile, not seeming to be fake at all.

Meng Huan looked at her with suspicion and surprise. “Are you serious?”

“Your wife never lies.” As if, she silently added in her heart. However, her tone of voice was still very certain and believable.

Meng Huan blinked his eyes. For some reason, the desire to immediately agree to leave was suppressed.

He pondered for a while before saying, “I need to think about it. Give me some time.”

After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and continued to eat. After taking two bites, he turned his head and asked her, “You’re not joking with me? You’re suddenly willing to let me go?”

Wen Zhaoyin nodded repeatedly. Seeing him carefully observing her expression, she found it very interesting, and the smile on her face became more genuine.

“If I say I want to leave tomorrow, you won’t go back on your word, right?”

“I won’t.”

Meng Huan continued to eat with his head down, half-believing and half-doubting. However, his mind was not on the food at all. In his head, a battle between heaven and man had already begun.

Before today, he had clearly wanted to leave, especially when he received Wen Zhibai’s letter.

It was just that because Wen Xi had indeed destroyed that token and it was not him who placed it in the small study, he felt guilty and thought there might be a problem with it, so he did not easily agree to Wen Zhibai’s request.

If he had really done it, when the other party said they would pick him up, he would have definitely agreed immediately.

But he didn’t do it. Being taken out required taking risks. If he was exposed, the consequences would certainly be very unpleasant.

Now, Wen Zhaoyin had placed a risk-free path in front of him, telling him that he could leave immediately if he wanted to. He was really tempted.

But for some reason, when he thought about leaving this place, he actually felt a bit reluctant.

He didn’t know what he was reluctant about, but he just felt empty inside and thought it was not good to leave like this.

“I think…” He said in a low voice, almost inaudible to the person beside him.

Wen Zhaoyin leisurely leaned closer to him, wanting to hear clearly what he was saying.

However, she saw him shake his head and say, “I haven’t decided yet. Let me think about it more.”

“You think about it.” She had thought he had already made a decision. She didn’t expect him to hesitate for a long time and still want to think more in the end.

She had never seen him so conflicted before. Could it be that he really liked Wen Zhibai and was willing to give up going home to follow her instead?

It shouldn’t be the case. Her cousin was weak and sickly, unable to carry or lift anything, and had to take medicine all year round. She didn’t seem to have anything that could compare to her. Meng Huan couldn’t possibly like a sickly person, right?

Actually, thinking about it, it might not be certain. When they were first together, he seemed quite dominant and proactive. Could it be that he preferred that type and liked weak women?

My god, were there really men in this world who liked weak and delicate pretty boys?