“……” Meng Yanxing looked at the Li Yue in front of him, who seemed ready to go beat someone up, and suddenly felt that he didn’t need Li Yue to answer—he already knew the answer.
He said in a low voice, “It was the Old Madam of the Xuanping Marquis Residence.”
Li Yue let out a horh sound [an exclamatory “heh” or snort of disbelief/amusement]. That old woman from the marquis residence—how old was she already? And she was still tattling?
Well, this really wasn’t someone he could lay hands on.
Meng Yanxing didn’t know what Li Yue was disappointed about. He advised, “You are the Xuanping Marchioness. How can you be so carefree and indulge in play, not caring about the management of the household?”
Li Yue said righteously: “I am the Xuanping Marchioness, but I’m not the steward of the Xuanping Marquis Residence—why shouldn’t I?”
Seeing that Li Yue’s face held not even a trace of remorse, Meng Yanxing said angrily: “Is this how you serve as a Marchioness? Is this what I taught you back then?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Yue asked with curiosity, “You’ve served as the Xuanping Marchioness before?”
Meng Yanxing was stunned by the question, then his expression twisted slightly as he said, “How could I possibly have done that!”
Li Yue nodded and asked him, “Then if you haven’t done it, how could you teach me?”
In all the years after resigning from office, even though Meng Yanxing had taught a few students, no matter how dull they were, none of them had ever made him this angry before. He said, “Meng Fu, is this how you speak to your elders?”
Li Yue replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “How the elder speaks to me, I naturally speak the same way to the elder. What, are you angry already? You can’t be, right?”
The corner of Meng Yanxing’s mouth twitched twice. He was angry but couldn’t release it. For some reason, he felt that this stifled, frustrated feeling was oddly familiar. Realizing that force wouldn’t work, Meng Yanxing softened his tone slightly and said to Li Yue, “Meng Fu, is there someone in the marquis residence who has made you unhappy?”
Li Yue gave an “mm” and said bluntly: “There is, indeed. Just looking at them makes me annoyed.”
Meng Yanxing advised earnestly: “You are my daughter, Meng Yanxing’s daughter. Your every word and action also represents the face of our Meng family. Even if someone treats you unfairly, you must present the bearing of a noble lady—treating people and matters with courtesy and propriety. Look at yourself now—what do you look like?”
Li Yue looked up at Meng Yanxing and thought, Listen to this nonsense. Just because she was Meng Yanxing’s daughter, did she have to do everything according to his standards? And what could he accomplish?
She asked Meng Yanxing: “Well then, I want my father to be able to fly—can you do that?”
Meng Yanxing didn’t react in time, and Li Yue continued in a soft, eerie tone: “Can’t be that it’s only the county magistrate allowed to set fires, but the common folk can’t even light a lamp, right? [A Chinese idiom meaning those in power are allowed to act without restriction, while ordinary people are punished for minor things.] You can teach me how to behave, but I can’t teach you how to behave?”
“You can teach me what?” Meng Yanxing’s train of thought had probably been led astray by Li Yue. After saying that, he even added, “Besides, a child does not speak of the father’s faults—even if I did something wrong, it’s not your place to say it.”
Li Yue sneered and immediately retorted: “Whoever said that must’ve been a father. What’s so great about that kind of saying?”
Meng Yanxing frowned and was just about to say that it was a saying of the sages—but before he could speak, Li Yue had already gone ahead of him:
“If there’s a fault, it has to be spoken of—so what if he’s a father, even if he’s a grandfather? What of it? It’s not like he gave birth to the child by himself. If he did wrong, why shouldn’t he be criticized?”
Meng Yanxing opened his mouth but couldn’t find words to refute. He had a vague feeling that this conversation just now sounded a little familiar.
Many years ago, he seemed to have had a similar experience.
What exactly had happened back then?
Meng Yanxing pressed his forehead and remembered—back then, the one debating with him had been the current emperor. Only, at the time, the emperor had not yet ascended the throne.
He asked somewhat helplessly, “Where have all the books you used to read gone? How did you become like this now?”
Li Yue replied, “Exactly because I’ve read too many books, I’ve realized some words in them are nothing but nonsense.”
Meng Yanxing felt he really couldn’t keep arguing like this. After all, he had never once won an argument with Li Yue in the past. In the end, it was always the late emperor who had to intervene and punish him with confinement.
Confinement really was quite an effective method.
“Someone come,” Meng Yanxing raised his voice, “Take the Eldest Miss to her old courtyard and let her calm down properly.”
Li Yue actually was curious what kind of place Meng Fu used to live in, so she didn’t resist and followed Qingping out. As she left, she even glanced at Meng Yanxing, as if to say: So that’s all you’ve got?
Meng Yanxing was so agitated by that look that even his beard was about to puff up. Just wait, he thought—he’d show her what else he could do!
Fufeng Pavilion was some distance from Meng Yanxing’s study. They had to circle around more than half the Meng residence before arriving. In the courtyard was a small artificial mountain, with some flowers and plants dotted around. Li Yue gave it a glance, then stepped into the house. The furnishings inside were also very simple—only a few pieces of daily-use furniture and two bookshelves, almost nothing else in the way of decorations. The place was overly plain, not at all like a young lady’s boudoir.
Li Yue still wanted to check the other rooms. But as soon as he stepped outside, a servant came in holding a stack of books and said to her: “Eldest Miss, the Master instructs that you are to copy Nü Jie (《女诫》 “Nu Jie”), Nei Xun (《内训》“Internal Instructions”), Nü Lunyu (《女论语》“Women’s Analects”), and Nü Fanjie Lu (《女范捷录》”Women’s Model Quick Record”) each ten times—to temper your temperament.”
Li Yue lowered her eyes to glance at them. What was Meng Yanxing thinking? How could he possibly think she’d copy this kind of thing?
And clearly, it was Meng Yanxing who needed to temper his temperament more!
Perhaps having heard about Li Yue’s recent conduct from the old madam of the marquis residence, Meng Yanxing actually had the door locked from the outside.
Li Yue: “……”
The servant said, “Master said, whenever you’ve finished copying, then you’ll be allowed out.”
Li Yue hadn’t expected that even someone with thick brows and big eyes like Meng Yanxing [a sarcastic phrase implying someone who looks upright shouldn’t be so sneaky] would resort to these kinds of tactics.
He walked out into the courtyard, looked around. The walls here were a bit high—climbing out with her current ability would take some effort. But Qingping definitely couldn’t get out. Leaving her alone here, Li Yue wouldn’t feel at ease. He had to think of another method.
The servant behind her was still urging: “Eldest Miss, please start writing—if you finish sooner, you can leave sooner too.”
Write my ass!
Seeing that Li Yue wasn’t cooperating, a servant in the courtyard opened the top copy of Nü Jie and began reading aloud right next to her ear. Li Yue immediately went forward, subdued the servant, tied her up, and stuffed her mouth.
But just as he’d dealt with the servant inside the courtyard, outside came the sound of more servants loudly reading Nü Jie.
Li Yue: “……”
Meng Yanxing—you’re truly vicious!
At this moment, Meng Yanxing was leisurely sitting in his study, listening to the servants report on the situation at Fufeng Pavilion. He countered move with move, wondering how long it would take before Meng Fu would admit fault.
Half an hour passed. Things at Fufeng Pavilion seemed to have quieted down. A servant came in and reported: “Master, someone has arrived from the palace.”
“Someone from the palace?” Meng Yanxing immediately stood up from his chair. “Who came?”
The servant said, “It’s Chen Gugu from the Empress Dowager’s side.”
“Quickly, go invite her in.”
Soon after, Chen Gugu entered. She didn’t bother exchanging pleasantries with Madam Meng or Meng Yanxing and went straight to the point: “Is Eldest Miss Meng here?”
Madam Meng replied, “She’s here. Does Gugu need something with her?”
Chen Gugu nodded and said, “The Empress Dowager said that lately things have been dull in the palace. She wants Eldest Miss Meng to come into the palace and keep her company with some conversation.”
Meng Yanxing pressed his lips together and did not speak. Madam Meng glanced at him, then quickly smiled and said to the servant, “Go call the Eldest Miss.”
In Fufeng Pavilion, Li Yue had been listening to Nü Jie until his ears were about to burst into flames. Holding a stick, he had been swinging it around the courtyard for quite a while. Finally, he aimed it at the big door, seemingly wanting to knock the whole door down with one strike. Qingping, scared stiff, stood in the corner hugging a teapot, not daring to move.
Fortunately, Chen Gugu had arrived just in time to rescue His Majesty, who had been tormented by Nü Jie. When he left the Meng residence, his face was still dark and overcast, and even upon arriving at the palace, not a hint of a smile could be seen.
Chen Gugu brought her to the Imperial Garden and then turned and said to him, “Miss Meng, please wait here a moment. His Majesty will be here shortly.”
The sounds of Nü Jie were still echoing in Li Yue’s ears. He suppressed the irritation in his heart and asked Chen Gugu, “Wasn’t it the Empress Dowager who wanted to see me?”
Chen Gugu smiled and said, “It’s not the Empress Dowager. It was His Majesty who sent this servant to fetch you.”
That irritation was suddenly swept away a little. He tilted his head slightly and asked, “The Emperor?”
“Yes.”
“How did the Emperor tell you to come find me?” Li Yue asked.
Chen Gugu replied, “This servant doesn’t know that. When the Emperor arrives, you can ask him yourself.”
After Chen Gugu finished speaking, she left. All around, only Li Yue was left. The rhythmic and emotive recitation of Nü Jie by the household servants replayed once again in his ears.
Li Yue clenched both fists tightly.
In Zichen Palace, after finishing his audience with the officials, Meng Fu hurried over to the Imperial Garden. As she arrived, she saw that His Majesty was walking in circles around an old tree.
She had noticed it before—whenever this Emperor got angry, he liked to pace in circles around something.
Immediately afterward, His Majesty seemed to think of something. His steps paused, and he quickly turned and walked into the nearby pavilion. Inside the pavilion were brush, ink, and paper left behind earlier by the little prince when he was playing. The palace staff hadn’t had time to clean it up yet.
Meng Fu walked over and saw His Majesty holding a writing brush, expression solemn, brows slightly furrowed, as though he was about to draft a grand strategy for the nation. She stood beside him to grind the ink and asked in passing, “Your Majesty, what are you going to write?”
Li Yue pulled at the corner of his mouth and sneered coldly:
“Zhen is going to write a book titled ‘Virtue for Men’ right now. Once it’s printed, I’ll send it to Meng Yanxing and have him copy it a hundred times at home!”