Hua Yan was born at home, and her parents were old servants who rarely continued to be honest and obedient after the deaths of Meng Guiyu's brothers and sisters, so she had the opportunity to serve Meng Guiyu closely since she was a child, and could even enter and exit the study at will.
Originally, Meng Guiyu had a good temper and was kind to his employer. This job was very easy, and he could occasionally laugh and joke with the young and handsome master. Hua Yan had also had fantasies at this age, that after Meng Guiyu got married, he could take her as his wife. Collect the house and become a concubine.
Even if Meng Guiyu later noticed her intention, he tactfully said that he didn't have to worry about it so much and just wanted to live alone with his future wife so that he could build up virtue for his two sisters and enable them to be treated well by their husband's family. Hua Yan knew that she was of low status and did not dare to have any delusions. However, she still had a shy admiration for Meng Guiyu.
However, since Meng Guihuan was carried into the Guangling Palace, Meng Guiyu could still maintain his usual humility and courtesy in front of others. But when he returned to this palace, his temper became increasingly violent. In the past, he rarely even said harsh words to his servants. Speaking of which, recently there was even a move to kill an old servant with a stick in a fit of rage.
Therefore, even though Hua Yan is considered to be a high-status servant, she can't help but feel trembling at the moment.
Fortunately, Yongning's uncle Meng Guihan was also there that day. Meng Guiyu seemed to want to discuss something with his brother, so he didn't pay attention to Hua Yan. After she finished serving tea, he waved his hand to let her go.
When Hua Yan bowed and left, she dared to steal a glance at her master.
The profile of his face was familiar and fair and handsome, but the sinister look between his eyebrows was unfamiliar, as if he was another person.
She didn't have much resentment towards Meng Guiyu like this, she just felt unspeakable distress: After the death of his parents, it was not easy for Meng Guiyu to raise three younger siblings, and how much he valued these three younger siblings, except maybe He himself, only a servant like Hua Yan who watched the four brothers and sisters grow up little by little, knew this.
"Fortunately, Princess Guangling is no longer here. If Miss Eleven gives birth to an heir in the future, maybe she can become the princess?" The innocent maid thought, "By then, maybe the Marquis will not be so unhappy, right?"
She thought that Meng Guiyu was dissatisfied with Meng Guihuan's fate because Meng Guihuan was a concubine. Even though a royal concubine was different from an ordinary concubine, she was not the main wife after all. Therefore, if Meng Guihuan is corrected, Hua Yan thinks that her master will feel better.
However, Meng Guiyu called Meng Guihan to him that day, but did not mention Meng Guihuan. Instead, he talked about the situation in Western Xinjiang: "Mi Zhen won a great victory. If the Meng family had not relied on Northern Xinjiang, The army is brave, and he has promised to marry his sister, and has won over the generals of the Western Xinjiang Army. Now I am afraid that the corpse is on the way back to Chang'an."
Meng Guihan said: "Prince Mi Zhen is already talented, and we tipped him off, so it would be strange if he doesn't gain the upper hand. However, we can't continue to mix up in this matter, in case we call uncle When they realize it, they must not tolerate it.”
Although the Shu sisters were temporarily on their side because of Rong Suihe, the one the sisters really wanted to support was Rong Suihe, not them! Therefore, the protection and favor given to them are limited.
As for Zheng Guogong and the others, they had little affection for the Meng family's four brothers. If they knew that they had secretly betrayed the Meng family to Rong Suihe, the Meng family's layout in Western Xinjiang would be aborted, and the three thousand Northern Xinjiang elite cavalry would be ruined. They were completely defeated. They would never suppress and take advantage of them like they are now. Instead, they would cut through the mess quickly and send them down to see Meng Bao and his wife!
Although Meng Guiyu and Meng Guihan have accumulated some power through their titles, they are still far from being able to confront Zheng Guogong.
They could not bear the thunderous wrath of those three uncles.
Not to mention the Queen Mother Meng, who would definitely side with Duke Zheng instead of caring about their nephews and nieces.
"Mi Zhen doesn't need us to report the news now." Regarding Meng Guihan's suggestion, Meng Guiyu nodded slightly and said coldly, "Our most important thing now is to take advantage of Mi Zhen's absence in Chang'an. I have just arrived in Western Xinjiang, and it is too late to clean up the Meng family. I have no time to take care of Chang'an, so I must quickly build up military power."
Speaking of this question, he pondered for a moment and asked his brother, "Zhao Yi made suggestions two days ago and asked you to join the Forbidden Army. What do you think?"
"Because it was Empress Zhaoyi who spoke in person, no one from the Forbidden Army dared to stop her." Meng Guihan hesitated for a moment, then said truthfully, "But winning over them is not going smoothly."
Meng Guiyu was not surprised by this result: "The Forbidden Army is not stupid. Our current strength, whether it is compared to King Gaomi or Uncle Dabo, is far behind. Even Mi Zhen is much stronger than us! Now! People with a little better information also know that we have a rift with the uncle and the others, and even the Meng family's cover is not easy to use... Naturally, they are not willing to get close to us at the moment. "
Meng Guihan hesitated for a while and said: "Sixth Brother, our foundation is too shallow. If we rely solely on ourselves, it will be difficult to make any progress in a short period of time. You see, I am not married yet..."
"Don't make any decisions about your marriage, just find a virtuous girl that our family can handle!" Meng Guiyu interrupted before he finished speaking, but Meng Guiyu did this not entirely because he didn't want to take advantage of his brother. Instead of using the marriage as a bargaining chip, "We now have a grudge against the Meng family, and it is difficult to borrow the Meng family's banner to act. If you rashly marry someone who is too wealthy, you will easily be turned against the guest! After all, do you think Zhaoyi Are there few people who will be jealous of the position our brother is coming to?"
"Not to mention the close relationship between husband and wife. If someone who is restless and dependent comes in, finds out what we are doing in private, and goes back to report to my father and brother, what will you and my brothers do?"
Seeing his brother's silence, he paused and said, "You don't have to worry about this, I will find a way."
Meng Guihan only thought that he was trying to comfort himself, and he agreed, but he didn't take it seriously.
However, that night, Meng Guiyu quietly appeared in the palace of Wangchun. Empress Meng, who was about to be settled, put on her coat unhappily and saw him through the curtain: "Brother Six, although you and I are brothers and sisters, how old are we?" You're already grown up, there are differences between men and women! Why don't you come to my dormitory all the time?"
"Sister Fourteen, it's not like you don't know how closely the guards outside are watching you." Meng Guiyu didn't want to rush into his cousin's inner room, and he had no choice, "This is where you live. place, they are in awe and dare not approach without permission. You and I want to hide in contact, but where can we be if we are not here?"
Queen Meng pinched her forehead with a headache and said, "Why are you so anxious? Is there some important news from Western Xinjiang? Or is there something wrong with the war in Northern Xinjiang?"
"Northern Xinjiang is still the same, and Western Xinjiang is almost as we expected. Mi Zhen has the upper hand, and Meng Jiaqian and others are struggling to death." Meng Guiyu said unhurriedly, "If nothing unexpected happens, the Meng family will This time in Western Xinjiang, we are definitely defeated. We should be thankful that Meng Jiaqian can come back with his life."
The queen said "Hmm": "How is Kang Zhao? Is there any news about Kang Zhao?"
"Everything is well with the princess." Meng Guiyu said, "It is said that as soon as he arrived in Yizhou City, he sent his confidants out to help the victims of the heavy rain. He also often interacted with the female relatives in Yizhou City, which seemed to be a bit prosperous. .”
"Kang Zhao is not an all-rounder. I think the pressure on Mi Zhen is greater than we thought. She has to learn to be a good wife." The queen sighed, "None of the royal wives are easy to do. .”
Meng Guiyu didn't want to accompany her to lament these things, and said directly: "During this period, even though I took advantage of Mi Zhen's absence and had Zhaoyi's permission, neither I nor the seventh brother went smoothly in wooing the Imperial Army."
"..." Queen Meng frowned immediately and thought for a while before asking, "Then you come to me now, do you have an idea?"
Meng Guiyu nodded and said calmly: "We need Er Shu's help!"
Queen Meng was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then said: "Many people in the Mu Dynasty hope that they can speak for themselves, but you should understand that Er Shu has no good impression of us, and is even full of hostility towards me, because They think I took away the post that should belong to them! The most important thing is that Er Shu has now regarded Mi Zhen as his heir-to-be. They are willing to help you and Seventh Brother. In the final analysis, it is for Mi Zhen consider!"
"Even if there is no secret, you and Seventh Brother are not of the clan's blood after all, so how can you get into their eyes?"
The queen reminded, "For people like Er Shu, unless they treat them as someone to rely on for the rest of their lives like Mi Zhen, who can take advantage of them without giving any benefits over the years? And you and me, even a few Even the Imperial Guards can’t be impressed, but what good is there to impress them?”
"Without Er Shu's direct help, we will have no hope." Meng Guiyu nodded, saying that he understood what the queen said, but "when it comes to financial resources, manpower, time, and qualifications... Those who are ambitious nowadays Send someone, who can we compete with? It’s rare for Mi Zhen to leave Chang’an. If we miss this opportunity, how can you and I talk about winning the chess game and being the master of our own affairs?!”
Seeing Queen Meng's frown, he added, "Besides, there is no need for us to break up with Mi Zhen now. At least in front of Er Shu, we can dress ourselves up as Mi Zhen's assistants. In fact, Zhaoyi is willing to return the favor for me." The seventh brother is talking, isn't it because he expects us to cause trouble for the Meng family, firstly to vent their anger, and secondly to buy time for Mi Zhen?"
The queen sighed: "Since you have thought about it, I won't stop you. After all, I, the queen, live in seclusion in the palace all day long and can't do anything. If even you are tied up, then our future is really hopeless. . Just think about it before doing anything. Seventh Brother and Eleventh Sister are counting on you. I will still be of use to the Meng family for a while anyway. No matter how big a mistake you make now, they will have to do it. Be patient."
Meng Guiyu said: "I understand."
Then he said, "I want to see Er Shu alone. Only you can do this."
"You know they hate me very much." Queen Meng said, "So I can only do my best... You'd better think of a way and don't let them take the opportunity to involve me in charges of filthy palace."
The two discussed this issue for a while, and the queen finally decided to take a risk.
At this time, Meng Guiyu, probably out of the idea of reciprocating a favor, mentioned Meng Boheng to the queen: "At the age of eighth brother, even though he is injured, it is time to do something."
"What can he do?" Obviously the queen didn't have a good feeling about her only brother. She looked bored when she heard this and said, "It's a good thing for me that he can't run around now, otherwise Who knows how many sins may be committed?”
"After all, he is your only half-brother." Meng Guiyu didn't know if it was because he had a particularly good relationship with his half-brothers and sisters. Hearing this, he advised her, "He has a future. Don't tell me how good your face is. Even in the future, the Meng family won’t need you anymore. If I don’t succeed here, there is always some hope if you have a brother you can talk to.”
Empress Meng's mood was waning and she said: "He and I have never been on good terms. If he gets to a position where he can speak, he may not be willing to speak for me."
However, Meng Guiyu repeatedly persuaded her that the queen was not close to the other brothers, and later agreed to mention Meng Boheng to Mrs. Xiang when she entered the palace.
After saying this, it was already late. The queen sent Meng Guiyu away and concentrated on planning how to introduce Meng Guiyu to Ershu. As for Meng Boheng, she knew this brother too well, so she couldn't rely on it at all. The person turned around and walked away.