EBE Chapter 105 Two people confront each other
Chapter 105 Two people confront each other
Jiang Nianwei burst out laughing. Yuwen Long was quite protective of his master, but she really had no improper thoughts about the high and mighty prince. She even wanted to kill him.
"Since you have the leisure to daydream here, why don't you go out and investigate some things for me? How did the concubine named Meng Wanran meet the prince? This place is not like the capital, and I'm sure I can find out some information."
"Yes, miss. I will go out and investigate immediately!" Yuwen Long responded, his posture straight and upright, showing his competence.
Jiang Nianwei suddenly called him again in a low voice: "Wait, come back first. Money is indispensable when going out to gather information. You can keep this bag of money!"
Yuwen Long took the silver with both hands and couldn't help but said with emotion: "Miss, you are so thoughtful and considerate, but if my master finds out, he will definitely blame me."
Jiang Nianwei knew that there was something else in his words, so she glanced at him and said, "I will keep this matter a secret and will not reveal a single cent to your young master. Just keep this silver. If it is not enough, just tell me directly."
Yuwen Long didn't hesitate any more. He put the silver into his arms quickly and disappeared out the window immediately.
Meng Wanran has suddenly become the daughter of a marquis and is very likely to become the Crown Princess. It is necessary to secretly collect evidence and bring her down from her high position, or find a way to completely eliminate her.
Otherwise, if they meet again, she will definitely take revenge on him at all costs.
……
A few days ago in the capital, the vermilion lacquered gate of An Ning Marquis Mansion stood tall, glowing faintly in the morning light.
Meng Wanran walked out of the carriage slowly and looked at the luxurious gate in front of her, feeling proud.
Naturally, she was not satisfied with just being a prince's concubine. Her goal was to become the crown princess.
After the prince ascends the throne, she will be the queen of great virtue. Even Qin Ziqian cannot give her such a noble status, so she has no regrets at all for abandoning that cowardly man.
"Fei'er, my son, you are finally back!"
A middle-aged woman who still had some charm pulled her hand excitedly, tears about to burst out, and the old lady from the An Ning Marquis's Mansion even came to greet her in person, leaning on a cane.
At that time, Nan Rongfei, the eldest daughter of the An Ning Marquis' Mansion, was only four years old. She followed her mother to visit relatives in Longzhou. She met with misfortune and was abducted by a cunning thief. She has not been heard from since.
Leng Shiyun cried so hard that she almost went blind. Even though she sent people to turn Longzhou upside down, she still couldn't find any trace of her daughter.
Year after year, month after month, everyone in An Ning Marquis's Mansion never gave up the search for Nan Rong Fei.
Now when her long-lost daughter appeared, she was naturally very excited.
Meng Wanran did not feel guilty. She had already poisoned the maid who knew the truth. If there were any women coming to recognize their relatives, they would be intercepted by her men at the first time and disappear silently in the dark.
She reached out and touched the birthmark behind her ear, then walked over, a perfect smile blooming on her lips, and called softly, "Mother! Fei'er misses you."
Leng Shiyun saw the familiar birthmark behind her ear and couldn't help sobbing: "Child, mother owes you too much. From now on, everyone in An Ning Marquis's Mansion will do everything we can to make up for the past regrets and give you everything you deserve."
Meng Wanran wiped away her tears at the right time, "Mother, I am already satisfied to recognize you. I have never had any resentment in my heart."
This understanding made Leng Shiyun feel distressed, "Come in quickly, let's have a good talk."
When she was abducted, Nan Rongfei was still young, so she easily made up a lie based on what the maid said, making everyone in the An Ning Marquis' Mansion believe it.
Before she traveled through time, she studied acting, so this kind of family recognition scene was a piece of cake for her.
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, she sighed softly: "I accidentally saved His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and unexpectedly, I was favored by His Royal Highness and was brought back to the East Palace. However, due to my humble status, I could only recognize Lord Meng as my father, and that's how I became the Crown Prince's concubine."
An Ning Hou Nan Rongyi looked at his daughter who had been lost for the last time and finally found her. He felt ecstatic about the reunion, but also a sense of indescribable depression quietly developing.
"How can I, the daughter of Marquis An Ning, be subordinate to others and become their concubine?"
Meng Wanran knelt beside him with a cup of tea in her hand, and slowly knelt beside her father: "Father, my daughter and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince love each other, and it is my daughter's blessing to be able to accompany him. The status may seem insignificant in front of true love. I hope you can understand my daughter's feelings. Even if I am a concubine, I am willing to serve the future Crown Princess."
She knew very well that this interpretation was enough to penetrate the softest part of people's hearts, but the compromise between the lines revealed bitterness and difficulty.
Leng Shiyun looked at her lovingly and gently helped her up. Tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to Nan Rongyi and choked up, "My Lord, seeing Fei'er looking so wronged, my heart is broken as if by a knife."
Nan Rongyi heard this with a solemn expression: "Fei'er, don't worry. Now that you have returned, your father will do his best to help you take the position of Crown Princess. As the daughter of the Nan Rong family, you must be upright and honorable as the legal wife. You will never allow yourself to be wronged and become a concubine!"
"Thank you father for making it happen."
Meng Wanran slowly knelt on the ground and touched the ground with her forehead, but when no one saw it, she revealed a hidden smile.
The old lady stared at the scene with a complicated look in her eyes.
The girl was beautiful and the location of her birthmark was exactly right, but when he saw her for the first time, he didn't feel happy to have found her again, but rather doubt.
She did not believe it as her son and daughter-in-law did. She just smiled and greeted her, helped her up, and said in a falsely loving manner: "Good child, you are finally back. It's good to be back. Everything is fine is the greatest blessing."
But he secretly sent people to Longzhou to investigate her identity.
Bailihe loves Meng Wanran very much, but love alone is useless. She wants to be the most dazzling existence around Bailihe and make him inseparable from her. After all, he will be the noblest man in the Dasheng Dynasty in the future.
That day, she accidentally saw the list that the Queen gave to Bailihe, which was full of the names of the daughters of powerful officials in the court. One of them would become the Crown Princess in the future.
Meng Wanran was unwilling to be under someone else's control, so she began to secretly investigate those ministers, and finally found an opportunity.
Marquis An Ning was looking for her lost eldest daughter, and coincidentally she met the prince in Longzhou. It must be God who was helping her.
She bribed the former servants of An Ning Mansion and found out everything, and then planned this family reunion.
Any girl who really came to recognize her relatives, if she had any information that matched the secrets of the mansion, would be assassinated by her. I'm afraid the real daughter has already returned to the underworld.
Seeing the couple obeying her orders, Meng Wanran felt relieved that everything was going as she expected.
She also secretly sent people to spread the news throughout the capital that she was about to become the Crown Princess, secretly putting pressure on Bailihe.
But Bailihe remained unmoved and did not give in.
"Your Highness, are you still worried about the affairs of Youzhou?"
Baili He sighed, with worry in his eyes: "If Baili Zhao returns with a great victory this time, his wings will be more full, and his power in the court will be at its peak. How can I break the deadlock in the contest between him and me? Those old ministers are all arrogant and have already complained about me. The road ahead will be full of thorns."
As the crown prince, he might be slightly inferior to his sixth brother in terms of talent; and when it comes to military affairs, he is even less able to match Baili Zhao's bravery and fighting skills. How could this not increase the pressure on him?
He unfolded the roster on the table, his eyes swept over the unfamiliar names, and secretly planned to marry a woman from a military family as the Crown Princess, so that he could expand his prestige in the army.
Seeing his expression, Meng Wanran sighed in her heart, but a gentle smile rose on her face, and she said slowly: "Your Highness, I had the honor of visiting my father recently. Even though the An Ning Marquis's Mansion is no longer as prosperous as it used to be, the power and prestige it has accumulated cannot be underestimated. My father mentioned that he feels that he is still strong and in good health, and he revealed in his words that he wants to go to Youzhou and go to the front line in person."
Baili He sighed and waved his hands repeatedly, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "Marquis An Ning? He should be staying in his mansion right now, enjoying his old age and a peaceful life."
Meng Wanran couldn't help but feel anxious, "But Your Highness, isn't this exactly what you need now?"
"how do I say this?"
"Although Baili Zhao is brave, war is not a one-man show. It is a contest among thousands of troops. Food and grass are the lifeblood of the army. If there is no stable logistics and the food supply is not smooth, how can the soldiers be well fed? How can morale be high? In this campaign, if there is no sufficient supply, even with Baili Zhao's bravery, it may be difficult to continue. The situation of the war may change unpredictably."
Baili He frowned, "What you can think of, my close ministers have naturally thought of too. Imagine the war with Mu State. If we lose, what will happen to the reputation of Dasheng? Not only will we lose face, but we will also lose our territory. Such a price is really not worth it."
Meng Wanran's words rang out slowly, "Because of this, my father's going to war is even more imperative! Imagine if he could fight side by side with the wise and brave General Xie, the two would complement each other, and the threat to the Mu Kingdom would be solved. It would no longer matter whether Baili Zhao was there or not. We can then find a way to secretly cut off the Chihuo Army's food supplies... Only in this way can we be absolutely safe."
Baili He was enlightened when he heard her words, "But Marquis An Ning is still old... I am afraid."
"Your Highness, don't worry. You forgot that I am still here..."
Baili He's deep gaze fell on her breathtakingly beautiful eyes, and he immediately understood, "Are you trying to isolate you as the Crown Princess?"
As the eldest daughter of the An Ning Marquisate, I carry the weight of the family on my shoulders. My father dotes on me and treats me like a treasure. I will do my best to help Your Highness. I have already had a deep conversation with my father, and the forces behind the Marquisate will swear allegiance to Your Highness and work together for the great cause."
Baili He took another look at the names on the list. Instead of marrying a woman whose beauty and character he didn't know as the Crown Princess, he might as well give this position to Meng Wanran. After all, the two of them had a sincere relationship, and now that she said such words, how could he not be moved?
"I will discuss this with my mother, and I hope that Marquis An Ning will live up to my trust."
Meng Wanran finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was determined to get the position of Crown Princess.
With her mother's family as a solid backing, Meng Wanran had power and wealth, so she prepared to start doing business secretly in the capital and accumulate more wealth.
But just when she was about to make her move, she discovered that a famous restaurant had appeared in the capital at some point. It quickly attracted the attention of the city's dignitaries and literati, and its influence was astonishing.
She originally wanted to open a restaurant and run it based on a few dishes in her mind.
Meng Wanran personally went to Baihualou and tasted the dishes there. They were delicious and there were even delicacies such as milk tea, fruit smoothies and cakes that can only be found in modern times.
She couldn't help wondering if there were other travelers in this world, so she sent someone to find out everything about Baihua Tower.
Later, she had other ideas. Whenever she was ready to implement them, she found that someone else had always taken action before her and their ideas were better than hers. How could she not be annoyed?
Her eyes were stern. "No, there can't be anyone in this world who is more powerful than me. I must find a way to pull her out of the shadows and completely eliminate this potential threat. The darling of destiny can only be me, the one and only."
At the same time, she also thought of Jiang Nianwei who had bullied her before, but she was far away in Yazhou, and it would take a lot of time to get rid of her, and she had to find a suitable opportunity.
Meng Wanran sneered in her heart. That bitch would never have thought that she would soon become the Crown Princess, while she was the daughter of an exiled criminal! How ironic.
As for Qin Ziqian, she had long since lost interest in him.
When she and Qin Ziqian had physical contact, they were no longer perfect.
As the prince was, he naturally could not tolerate any flaws. So when she was making love with him, she took great pains to act innocent and secretly concealed some excitement. Fortunately, the prince did not suspect anything.
……
Yuwen Long tried to gather information everywhere, but found that people related to Meng Wanran were either dead or missing, so he could not get any useful information.
Jiang Nianwei also knew that Meng Wanran was a scheming person to begin with, and now that he was in power, he would eradicate all potential threats by the roots, leaving no room for them.
But they were also afraid that Meng Wanran was cruel and ruthless, and if he found out about the cloth workshop, he would threaten the lives of these women.
So he planned to send Chen Wang out to find a prestigious escort agency in the city and hire highly skilled escorts at a high price to protect the safety of the entire cloth workshop.
When Yuwen Long heard the news, he hurriedly stopped her: "Miss Jiang, there is no need to waste money like this. I have many colleagues in Longzhou. With just one order from me, they will be able to secretly ensure the safety of the cloth shop and will not let you worry at all!"
Ah Zhao's influence actually extended to Longzhou? Jiang Nianwei had not expected this.
But with the help of officers and soldiers, the matter would be more appropriate, so they agreed to his suggestion.
"In that case, I'll trouble you to arrange it."
Jiang Nianwei thought about it and asked, "By the way, do you have any colleagues who can teach these women martial arts? I want them to have some ability to protect themselves."
Yuwen Long had his own ideas in mind and said confidently, "Of course there is. I will arrange it right away!"
In order to protect Jiang Nianwei's safety, the prince has given him the greatest dispatch authority besides Zheng Changkong, and he can also mobilize the guards of Longzhou City to come to help.
Yuwen Long began to admire Prince Yu's foresight again, "You are worthy of being a prince. Even though you have lost your memory, you are still so far-sighted."
Before Jiang Nianwei left Longzhou, she told Jing Yao: "I always feel that this woman named Yuetong has bad intentions. When I'm not around, try not to let her be alone with Lianxue."