Chapter 806 - 808: Where Did This Thief Come From?_1
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but perk up her ears. From what she heard, did Meng Jinse already know something beforehand?
Meng Jinse dismissed her maids and, holding Bai Ruozhu’s arm, began to cry.
"Sister Ruozhu, do you think I’m terrible? Actually, since we were young, Xiaxia and I have been close. In our family, we were the only two sisters of similar age. If I didn’t play with her, who else was there? Should I have played with the servants? Although my mother always reminded me about our different statuses and told me not to lower myself, we are sisters—what does status matter between us?"
It seemed that she had found an outlet for her emotions, and Meng Jinse began to ramble on.
"Ever since I found out that Xiaxia had heart disease, I’ve treasured her even more. I really didn’t tell anyone about her condition, not even my personal maid. But somehow my mother found out and secretly wanted to use this against Xiaxia. If word got out, Xiaxia’s chances of marriage would be ruined. Even if her illness were curable, what if those families didn’t believe it?"
"I got the news and tried to persuade my mother, but she wouldn’t listen. She even thought I was being disloyal to her. I should have told Grandma then, but I..." Meng Jinse cried even harder. "After all, she’s my mother, and I didn’t dare speak against her. I just wanted to spend more time with Xiaxia, to watch over her and keep her safe, but I never expected..."
That her mother would succeed so quickly; Meng Jinse couldn’t even bring herself to say it.
Wang Miaoshuang was spoiled and wilful, always behaving outrageously with the title of princess granted by the former emperor. Meng Liangshen didn’t want to quarrel with her, and the elder Mrs. Meng preferred not to vie for power, enjoying her carefree life, which only made Wang Miaoshuang more jealous. Just like when Bai Ruozhu initially came to the Meng Residence to teach several doctors the Suturing Technique, had she taken the time to understand, there wouldn’t have been such a misunderstanding.
It was clear her jealousy was directed at Aunt Ding, so why not deal with Aunt Ding instead of causing trouble for someone else’s daughter?
Bai Ruozhu, mindful that Wang Miaoshuang was Meng Jinse’s biological mother, kept these thoughts to herself and didn’t voice them to Meng Jinse. She also didn’t know how to comfort Meng Jinse, thinking that even a fair official would have trouble resolving domestic issues, let alone her.
Meng Jinse wiped away her tears and felt much better after speaking her heart out.
Jinse, I know you’re good, and I understand the difficulty you’re in. This isn’t your fault. Grandma will know how to handle it," Bai Ruozhu said, patting her hand to console her.
Meng Jinse forced a pained smile and said, "Thank you, Sister Ruozhu. I feel much better now."
"Then let’s go back to the banquet. It’s not good to be away for too long." Bai Ruozhu took her arm and headed back toward the yard.
They had just taken a few steps when they saw a nanny leading an old man their way. Meng Jinse, holding Bai Ruozhu’s arm, suddenly tightened her grip. She said nervously, "What should we do? It must be Mother summoning a doctor to check on my younger sister. The maid over there won’t be able to stop Mother’s nanny."
Bai Ruozhu frowned upon hearing this. Wang Miaoshuang was still relentless. She whispered, "You go and hold them off for a while, just say you’re feeling unwell and ask the doctor to look at you first. I’ll go inform the elder Mrs. Meng."
Meng Jinse nodded, "Alright, I’ll go right now."
Bai Ruozhu turned around. She had been practicing some light martial arts, and although she wasn’t able to vanish in the blink of an eye, she was certainly able to run faster.
Just as she was about to reach the gates of the serene residence, she suddenly felt a strong gust of wind at her side. Before she could dodge, she was grabbed by someone dressed as a guard.
"Where do you think you’re going, Miss Bai? The lady suspects you of improperly treating the second miss and has sent me to arrest you for a confrontation in the second miss’s yard. Come with me quietly," the person said coldly, clearly identifiable as a guard from Wang Miaoshuang’s faction.
Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t brought many dark guards with her to the Meng Residence, partly out of respect for the City Lord’s Residence and partly because she wanted to keep a low profile within the Meng Residence. Therefore, she had only brought Jianqi with her and had instructed him to stay back, not to take action without her command.
Wang Miaoshuang had already resorted to violence, so Bai Ruozhu saw no need for courtesy anymore!
"Jianqi, capture this thief and take him to see the old lady!" Bai Ruozhu shouted loudly.
Her arm had been twisted by the man, but Jianqi appeared silently, disarming the guard’s hold on her in one move and dislocating both of his arms.
The guard howled in pain, but Bai Ruozhu said with a cold face, "How dare you, audacious thief, impersonate a guard of the Meng Residence and attempt to assassinate me! I am now the honored grand-daughter of the old lady of the Meng Residence. Why would the lady send someone to arrest me? Even if there were a matter to discuss, she would invite me to talk properly, not send a guard to drag me away as if I were a thief!"
The guard was in too much pain to speak, and Bai Ruozhu sneered before continuing, "Ha, you obviously infiltrated the residence and made up such lies to deceive me. Do you really think I’m so gullible? Jianqi, take him away to the serene residence."
"Yes, master," Jianqi obeyed and grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him as effortlessly as if he were a little chicken, and took him to the serene residence.
Nanny and the others were shocked to see Bai Ruozhu return with a continuously screaming guard from the Meng Residence and were at a loss for words.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t delay and quickly entered the Main Hall to see the old lady, whispering, "Grandmother, the lady has called for a doctor to Miss Xiaxia’s residence, and I’ve had Jinse hold them off for the time being."
The old lady’s eyes bulged, and a cold light slowly emerged from her somewhat yellowed eyes, "So Wang Miaoshuang really intends to go this far? Let’s go and have a look."
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly linked arms with the old lady and walked outside, adding, "Grandmother, I encountered a thief on the way who ambushed me, insisting he was sent by the lady to take me for a confrontation at Jinxia’s place. I argued that the lady would never do such a thing; he must be a thief who snuck in and falsely claimed to be sent by her."
Bai Ruozhu winked at the old lady as she spoke, who immediately caught on. They couldn’t afford to openly break with Wang Miaoshuang; chaos in the Meng Residence would give Prince Duan’s faction an opportunity to exploit.
"I’ve never seen this guard before; most likely he’s a fake. Drag him down and beat him with thirty heavy planks, see if he confesses or not," the old lady said coldly, her face bearing a murderous intent.
The two hurried along the way, the old lady was slightly out of breath, but fortunately her health was robust enough to keep up. As they arrived at Meng Jinxia’s courtyard, they saw Meng Jinxia’s maid preventing the doctor from entering, saying, "The second miss is resting, it’s really inconvenient for an outsider to enter."
With a cold expression, the old lady coughed to clear her throat, walked over, and stared at the doctor, "Which doctor are you, and who sent for you?"