11 Showdown (Part 3)
Xu Junying's face turned red, then white, and then blue. Mei Niang quickly turned her eyes away. There was a desk between them, and if she continued to look at him like that, it would seem like a provocation. She was afraid that he would lose control and jump up and hit her. Then she would be at fault, because she was sitting in an armchair with armrests on both sides and could not move fast.
"Very good!" Xu Junying said with difficulty, breathing unsteadily: "You really have a lot of skills. These... illusions, can they be used on anyone?"
Mei Niang lowered her head. She had to answer this question carefully. If she didn't answer it correctly, the Qin Mei Niang would be regarded as shameless. Xu Junying would also suspect that she had something going on with Zhang Jingyun and the others. This would affect the reputation of others. They would no longer be friends and might even become enemies.
"Please believe me, I'm not that kind of person! I have my own principles in life!"
Mei Niang chose her words carefully: "Maybe I can say it another way: I had just come back, my mind was not clear, and I really couldn't remember that kind of estrangement between you and me. I just thought Heng'er was your child, and we are a family. As a wife, it is my duty to care about my husband, and I certainly cannot allow my husband to have other women around him, even if they are cousins. But you and cousin Lan have been childhood sweethearts, and the old lady has made it clear that she wants her to be your co-wife. For Heng'er, I would naturally be anxious, so I would do that... It's nothing to scheme against my husband, right? I have no ill intentions, I just want to get what I deserve and what I want. In fact, in a big house like the Hou Mansion, every woman will play tricks, you'd better see clearly, not just me, there will be more people who will do this around you in the future, it's hard to tell right from wrong, and the winner will be determined by your preferences. Master Xu is a role model, a wife is not as good as a concubine, Bai Jingyu can actually do something, she..."
Mei Niang stopped in time and realized that she had spoken too smoothly and gone off topic.
Xu Junying calmed down and looked at her: "Isn't this just right? You like to play tricks, I'll give you a chance, just play slowly in the Hou Mansion, don't think about anything else!"
"I didn't say that!" Mei Niang was anxious: "I don't like playing this game. If you lock me up in this house, I will go crazy sooner or later! Let me go, I will be grateful to you. Any of the seven crimes will do. You have the privilege, and the emperor will grant your request!"
"I'll say this for the last time: Impossible!"
Mei Niang decided to get angry: "If you refuse to write a divorce letter, I can ask for permission to leave the palace myself!"
Xu Junying nodded slightly: "I now understand why the Queen gave you a double reward. It turns out that one of the rewards was for you to pass on to Miss Lin! That Miss Lin, when I first met you, she was right next to me! The daughter of the criminal Lin Changqing, who was exiled to Lingnan, how could she easily return to the capital? The King of Qi said that she grew up in Jiangning, and the Queen also grew up in Jiangning. This is really a coincidence. I asked the emperor to find out the relationship between you. You didn't think about it before. The Queen only left you on the Lantern Festival. You knew that the Queen was looking after you, but you still made arrangements in secret. Now that Lin Runan is back, you think the time is ripe, right? Qin Mei Niang, I want to harm you and Heng'er, why wait until now? You are on guard against me and plotting against me, I don't care, but you dare to play tricks on me, and then you want to get away with it. There is no such cheap thing! You might as well try it. If I don't nod, will the emperor let the Queen help you?"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment, and felt that her mind was not working properly. In her previous life, she used to stay up late, and the later it got, the more energetic she was. But after inheriting Qin Mei Niang's body, she just couldn't do it. She didn't know what time it was now, and she was so sleepy that she wanted to lie down on the table and take a nap.
Blinking his increasingly heavy eyelids, he said to Xu Junying, "Can you go back to sleep first and talk about it tomorrow?"
Xu Junying pursed his lips and said, "No, it's you who asked for it. You have to convince me tonight!"
Mei Niang rubbed her forehead with her hand, but the gold foil stuck to her forehead fell off. She put the thin piece of gold foil on the desk, and then reached out to pull off the phoenix hairpins and step-shakes on her bun: "I said my head is so heavy, I am so tired of wearing these useless things!"
Xu Junying looked at her in a daze: "How can you take off your makeup in front of others?"
Mei Niang's eyes felt sore, and she rolled her eyes at him: "You are not someone else."
She pulled out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, picked up the jewelry one by one in the silk handkerchief, tied it into a small bundle, and after a moment of thought, she added, "You are Xu Junying, and we are considered acquaintances!"
Xu Junying didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment. Mei Niang stood up and said, "Where's the tea? I'll get it!"
"I'll go, you wait."
After Xu Junying left, Mei Niang walked around the study room and found no inner room. She thought to herself: What are you waiting for? I want to go to the bathroom, what should I do? It would be better to go back to the upper room in his place. He has his own bathroom, which is comfortable and refreshing.
Xu Junying came in with a teapot and cups, poured two cups, and handed one to Mei Niang: "Put it in hot water to warm it up, drink it!"
Mei Niang thanked her, took a sip from the cup, put it down again, lowered her head and said, "I want to go to the inner room!"
Xu Junying was slightly stunned and said, "The inner room is in the room over there. There is a lamp on the table. Go ahead!"
"I'm not used to this place. I want to go back to the upper room!"
Xu Junying took a breath and said slowly: "You have to get used to it. How about I lead you there?"
"No no no, I'll go by myself!"
Watching Mei Niang's slender and pretty figure quickly disappear into the secret door, a smile appeared on Xu Junying's lips.
If she dared to play tricks on him, he would definitely exhaust her! Tonight, he had only wanted to ask her questions properly, but in the end, she talked about everything. He didn't care what kind of result she wanted at all. The final outcome was in his hands. Whatever he said was the final outcome, without any suspense.
He knew she was sleepy, but he refused to let her go back. He saw her eyes gradually narrowing and she was completely out of energy. She sat there a little dazed, but very interesting. Compared with her smart and alert appearance during the day, she had a different kind of charm.
It was already three o'clock in the morning, but he was not tired at all. The two of them were in the same room, sitting opposite each other, and they felt very good. They could talk about anything, and it didn't matter if they were angry or calm. What if they stayed up all night? At most, they could let her sleep for a day tomorrow, so that she would no longer have the heart to think about cyclamen and irrelevant people.
Mei Niang washed her face with cold water and felt much more refreshed. She smiled at Xu Junying and said, "You should also wash your face. You will feel more energetic!"
Xu Junying shook his head: "I'm not sleepy. You, use cold water? You didn't say you wanted to wash your face, you can ask someone to bring hot water."
"That's fine. I always wash my face with cold water."
Mei Niang walked to a row of bookshelves, pulled out a book at random, and looked at it for a long time. She couldn't recognize a few words on the cover. She could already read a lot of traditional Chinese characters, so what kind of font was this? She couldn't understand it, so she put it back. There was no reason to ask Xu Junying, who is Qin Mei Niang? Born in a scholarly family, the sister of the talented Qin Boqing, asking a soldier who went to the battlefield at the age of fourteen and only knew how to fight how to pronounce this word, forget it.
Mei Niang returned to her seat and sat down: "It's very boring here. There is nothing here. There is nothing to eat or use!"
"Are you hungry?"
"No, I mean a light snack."
"Leave some snacks in the reading area. If you have the time, read one more book!"
Mei Niang nodded: "You are right, if you work so hard, you don't need to study for ten years to get the top prize!"
Xu Junying's eyes flashed: "Your brother is now going all out to prepare for the exam."
Mei Niang smiled expectantly and said, "My brother will be admitted to high school. I have a feeling it!"
Xu Junying said calmly: "That's not certain, what if he can't even enter the examination room?"
Mei Niang's eyes widened: "Don't say bad things about my brother. He is in good health now and has no worries. How could he not be able to enter the examination room?"
Xu Junying picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea: "For example, if you, his sister, were to cause trouble, would he still be able to take part in the imperial examination?"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment. This was actually what Xu Junying meant.
"Master Xu... Hou, tell me, what does his sister's divorce have to do with him?"
"It doesn't matter, but his sister is not married to an ordinary family. If he angers them, he won't be able to enter the examination hall and achieve fame!"
Mei Niang looked at him with disdain: "In this case, you are just bullying others by taking advantage of your power. What's the difference between you and Zhang Si?"
Xu Junying put down his teacup: "I am different from him, how can we be the same?"
Mei Niang said: "My brother is a talented man. He has worked hard for three years and finally got the chance to take the imperial examination. He is determined to win the first place and bring honor to the Qin family. If you dare to touch him, I will file a complaint with the emperor. I mean what I say!"
Xu Junying raised his eyebrows: "You can talk about it, but you can never do it, because from tomorrow on, don't even think about leaving the mansion again!"
Mei Niang looked into his eyes and asked, "Are you kidding?"
"No!" Xu Junying said with a straight face: "The rules of the Xu Mansion are not a joke. If the elders know about your misbehavior, you will suffer even more!"
"Don't scare me, I'm just doing business outside, I haven't done anything bad - Bai Jingyu often runs out to look after the shop!"
"She is not like you, having sex with a man other than her husband in public, drinking and laughing, buying real estate privately, and keeping singing girls and dancing girls... If you think about it, you really can't afford to offend her!"
Discussing sins? That’s perfect! I couldn’t ask for more!
"For what sin? Divorce?"
"No. He may be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for reflection for three to five months, and he will have to sweep the courtyard every morning and evening. If the elders in the clan are more severe, he may be confined to a quiet courtyard for three to five years!"
Mei Niang felt a little itchy on her face, so she reached out and scratched it gently. She remained silent for a long time. She really couldn't bear such punishment.
After much thought, she finally decided to tell Xu Junying the truth and tell him what was going on between Cen Meimei and Qin Meiniang. Since he had already seen through it and had complete control over everything she did outside the Hou Mansion, she had to tell the truth. She was tired of living under the name of Qin Meiniang, and hoped to convince Xu Junying to understand and let Cen Meimei go free.
After getting ready, Mei Niang looked at Xu Junying and asked, "If I say I'm not Qin Mei Niang, do you believe it?"
Xu Junying was stunned for a moment: "You are wearing a mask?"
Mei Niang smiled bitterly: "The one wearing the mask is Cen Meimei... No! My real name is Cen Meimei... I am now Qin Mei Niang!"
Xu Junying frowned: "What are you talking about? Speak carefully, say it again!"
Mei Niang said seriously, word by word: "The real Qin Mei Niang has long been dead. The one who came back to life through her body is me, Cen Mei Mei! Do you understand?"
It must be said that Xu Junying's psychological quality is really good. His expression did not change. He just stared at Mei Niang in disbelief for a long time, then returned to normal: "I believe it!"
Mei Niang was stunned: "You, do you really believe it?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)