Chapter 1034 – Everyone’s Schemes (Ten)
“No wonder—seeing Nie Xun always feels so familiar—”
With the mystery unraveled, Meng Heng felt much better, and the sleepiness that had been delayed gradually overtook him.
Gu Zhen hadn’t told Meng Heng about the swap of the legitimate second son, so upon realizing that Nie Xun looked like Gu Zhen and seeing the vermilion birthmark between his brows, he didn’t think much of it—rather, he marveled at the wonders of fate—he genuinely felt that Nie Xun was approachable, not just a figment of his imagination.
Meng Heng and his wife whispered a few words before comfortably drifting into slumber, while Nie Xun and his wife, on the other hand, found it hard to sleep.
Zhu Qing Ning was the daughter of Mr. Yuanjing, so she was certainly not an ordinary woman.
She had talked quite a lot with Meng Heng’s wife, seeming like casual chitchat, but in reality, she unraveled all the other woman’s secrets.
“Uncle is at least a scion of the Meng Clan; I really don’t understand what the Meng Clan was thinking to match him with such a spouse,” Zhu Qing Ning said. By lineage alone, this spouse was an embarrassment to Meng Heng. “Fortunately, my sister-in-law has quite a good temperament, and her relationship with Uncle is pretty decent, so that counts as a blessing in disguise. If my sister-in-law were a hot-tempered and crude woman, Uncle would be truly wronged.”
Nie Xun’s expression darkened.
He thought Meng Heng should be living quite well; upon understanding the real situation, he found that life was even worse than that of the side branch’s illegitimate sons.
“Hmph—Meng Clan muddles the distinction between the legitimate and illegitimate; it’s clear they’re not a reasonable family. It’s no surprise if they overstep.”
Nie Xun had no intention of recognizing this eldest brother, but seeing his blood relative bullied still upset him.
“What are your plans, Young Master?” Zhu Qing Ning asked Nie Xun, “I’ve heard that Uncle is remarkably knowledgeable—if you brothers—”
Nie Xun shook his head, “That’s impossible. The Lord is keen on talents and respects virtuous people, but have you seen any intentions towards Meng Heng?”
Zhu Qing Ning’s heart tightened.
Indeed, Huang Song sent people to settle Meng Heng and his wife, but made no further moves.
Nie Xun explained, “Meng Heng intends to ally with Liu Xi; if the Lord snatches him midway, it would be hard to explain to Liu Xi.”
In terms of proximity, Meng Heng was part of Jiang Pengji’s camp, so he had no reason to lean towards Huang Song.
Zhu Qing Ning sighed, “If Uncle were to surrender to Liu Zhou Mu, wouldn’t you and he—”
Before the Meng Clan’s downfall, the alliance between Huang Song and Jiang Pengji was still reliable.
Once the Meng Clan collapsed, wouldn’t the former allies turn against each other immediately?
If they turned against each other, wouldn’t the brothers end up fighting?
Just thinking about it felt so tragic.
Nie Xun said with a calm expression, “Madam need not worry about that; if we become enemies one day, I’ll do my best.”
What does blood relation matter?
There’s not a shred of sentiment; to Nie Xun, Meng Heng was merely someone a bit more familiar than a stranger—what was there to hold back?
At this point, Nie Xun’s lips curled into a light smile as he whispered in her ear.
“If the Madam feels pity, you might as well think about Huaizhen and Feng Jin; they’re not only biological brothers, but also have a very good relationship.”
Even those brothers had no hesitations, why would Nie Xun be soft-hearted?
Different stances could lead to conflict, don’t mention brothers—even fathers and sons could become enemies!
Zhu Qing Ning looked at her husband with a complex expression—
Was this the tempo of killing his biological father and then his brother?
Zhu Qing Ning nestled in Nie Xun’s arms and softly said, “Regardless, I and our unborn child stand firmly by your side.”
The couple exchanged sweet whispers, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Nie Xun didn’t actively acknowledge kinship, but he also took care of Meng Heng and his wife as much as possible.
However, Nie Xun’s couple didn’t visit in person; instead, they sent many nourishing goods through their servants.
Not seeing them meant Meng Heng naturally had no chance to tell Nie Xun that he looked like his mother.
Hmm—
Even if they met, he probably wouldn’t be able to say it.
Saying that Nie Xun looked like his mother would be super awkward.
Just as Nie Xun mentioned, Huang Song coveted Meng Heng but didn’t try to woo him; instead, he treated them well with plenty of food and drink, merely upholding etiquette.
Days passed, and the external war grew increasingly severe.
Hede County was located in the northern part of Haozhou.
It bordered Cangzhou, where there was a perilous pass known as Han Chang Pass.
Han Chang Pass was one of Cangzhou’s three great natural defenses, and an essential gateway for outsiders to enter Cangzhou—easy to defend but hard to attack.
“Madam, the snow outside is heavy—watch your step!”
Meng Heng stayed home, getting bored, so he changed into his battle gear, went hunting in the mountains, and returned with plenty of game.
He spent a night outside and didn’t come back until noon the next day.
As soon as he returned home, he saw his wife bundled up tightly, standing under the eaves watching the snow.
Hearing his voice, his wife’s face lit up with joy as she hurried over, her skirt lifted, saying, “Young Master, I have good news for you—just now, someone from Huangzhou Mu sent word that the Liu Zhou army is less than three days away from Hede County!”
Meng Heng supported his wife, his smile brightening as well.
“Xi cousin is coming—what truly great news!” Meng Heng exclaimed, “Let’s prepare wine today and have a couple of drinks to celebrate.”
The “Xi cousin” Meng Heng mentioned was currently riding on horseback, taking a bite of snow.
“The snow is really heavy—”
Jiang Pengji raised a hand to brush off the snow accumulating on her shoulder; the snowflakes were huge, resembling white fluffy fur.
No matter how much she brushed, the snowflakes coming at her still plastered her face.
The army slowly advanced through the snow, appearing like a long, black worm crawling across a white sheet of paper.
The audience chatted in small groups, witnessing Jiang Pengji’s predicament, playfully teasing her.
【World as Smoke】: Anchor, it’s snowing so heavily outside; why not hide in the carriage for a while?
【Warm Blanket】: Hahaha, you probably don’t know what silly thing the anchor did—she’d rather be blown by the north wind and buried in snow than run to the carriage! Otherwise, why do you think she’s out here getting frozen?
【Seal of the Blanket】: What silliness did the anchor do? The recent streams have all been about marching, so boring; that’s why I stopped following.
【Fairy Queen’s Rosy Red】: #Nose Picking, the anchor is great in every way, just not very wise in matters of the heart. If she were to act foolishly, it must be related to lovely Beauty Ci. The anchor got a bad stomach, crying it hurts, and everyone assumed she was on her period. Beauty Ci thought so too—what happened? Taking the opportunity, she snuggled up to Beauty Ci’s thighs and slept like a log overnight—
The audience was astonished; just being on her period—that could be considered a silly thing?
【Fairy Queen’s Rosy Red】: Don’t say the anchor simply had a bad stomach; even if it were her period, how many women have one every month? You didn’t read it wrong; the anchor used this lame excuse to take advantage of Beauty Ci for a whole month, and in the end, still blundered in revealing her trick—did the anchor truly live life as a woman in her past life? A period comes twelve times a year, not once a year, each month!
Jiang Pengji glanced at the barrage of comments and secretly rolled her eyes.
In her era, women didn’t have any of this nonsense!
She only knew that primitive women had this thing, but she didn’t know the specifics.
This Liu Xi body had enhanced genes, so there was simply no period; Jiang Pengji was even less clear about the details.
Having her stomach ache misunderstood as period pain, she originally wanted to explain, but didn’t expect Wei Ci to be so compliant with her.
Jiang Pengji simply went with the flow, taking the chance to enjoy a little perk.
Later, when she exposed herself, Wei Ci’s expression—
Tsk tsk, words couldn’t capture it all.
