Chapter 989: The Scheme Fails

f we make it too easy, people will think we're shirking responsibility. If we can ensure at least one child gets into college, the villagers will have hope, and they'll encourage their children to stu...The Crown Prince also understood the Empress's meaning. He wasn't surprised at all, after all, when he married Meng Lianyi in the first place, there were their considerations.

"Mother, General Meng only sided with me because he saw the long-term benefits. That makes me even less worried about him betraying us after the ripples 'leave'."

After all, with such a huge interest at stake, he would definitely stand by my side, whether for his family, himself, or even his grandson.

The prince smiled and said.

"My son, I understand."

The Empress nodded with satisfaction, watching her son become more and more steady. Her heart felt more at ease.

"Mother, only you, I, Lianyi, and General Meng know about this. Meng's intention is that before I take that position, we shouldn't reveal this connection."

The prince also had his own calculations, naturally the more cards he had up his sleeve, the better.

"Since your mother knows best, your father emperor is getting older now and becoming increasingly suspicious. If he found out about this for nothing, it would only cause trouble. You should also be more careful."

"The son understands."

Now that all three parties have reached an agreement, General Meng, who is stationed far away at the border, is still unaware that he has successfully chosen a side.

A month later, Grandma Cai returned to the border town. The first thing she did was to see General Meng.

After Meng Jianjun and his wife had finished listening to Cai Mamā's report, they dismissed everyone else first to rest. The two fell silent for a long time before Mrs. Meng finally spoke:

"My husband, this child has big ambitions! I'm afraid she will drag the Meng family into an abyss."

At this time, General Meng was also starting to feel a headache. The helpless actions at the time had inadvertently plunged their Meng family into such a passive position.

“It’s too late to say anything now. She has already married the Crown Prince as Meng Jia's daughter, we are in the same boat. If she doesn't treat us well, we won't treat her well either. And if we don't treat her well, she won't have a good ending.”

General Meng knew very well that as long as her identity wasn't exposed, the two sides were in a relationship of mutual restraint. Therefore, it was best not to disrupt the balance for now, otherwise, the first one who would suffer would be the Meng family.

Let's wait until our "grandchild" is born and then we'll see, let's just wait and see.

General Meng spoke directly.

"Looks like this is the only way for now, what about Xia Fuzhang's side"

"Don't say anything, his illegitimate daughter has passed away."

General Meng waved his hand dismissively.

While Xia, the other deputy general, was delighted upon hearing that the Crown Princess was pregnant. He even took two glasses of wine to celebrate! His own daughter was so capable. She'd only been married for a short time and already had a son in her belly. From now on, wouldn't he take care of his own brothers He'd finally made it out of the tough times.

But sometimes things just don't go as planned. Just two days after Xia Meng was happy, Xia Qingran, who should have been in the imperial city, returned to the Xia family.

Speaking of which, Xia Qingran's luck was pretty good. On the day her maidservant was sent to the Meng family, she successfully left the Xia family and settled in a small courtyard that Lady Lang had prepared in advance.

Xia Qingran was only sixteen years old, though not exactly wealthy, she had a comfortable life. Faced with sudden independence, she felt apprehensive. So when she trembledly opened the gate of the small courtyard, she accidentally dropped the lock on the ground.

After entering the courtyard and pulling up the bolt, Xia Qingran finally exhaled a sigh of relief. Looking at the dilapidated house, she could only sit on the earthen kang for the night, making sure that the Xia family wouldn't come looking for her. Only then did she relax, followed by the rumbling in her stomach.

Before that, because she was nervous, she didn't feel hungry. She went an afternoon and a whole evening without a single drop of water or grain of rice. Now, covering her growling stomach, she realized the burning discomfort in her stomach.

She immediately unzipped her handbag, revealing a bag of snacks she had brought. She then grabbed some cool water from the kitchen sink and wolfed down four pieces of snack with great urgency, finally suppressing the pain in her stomach.

That day at noon, an elderly woman with white hair knocked on the door. Xia Qingran was startled and didn't dare to open it. The old woman outside said,

"Cuizhu, open the door! I've been hired to cook for you for two days. I'll leave when your master returns."

Xia Qingran was hesitant, speaking through the door:

"Auntie, my mother didn't say to have someone cook for me, did she"

"There's no mistake, the money has already been paid."

The old woman outside immediately spoke up.

Xia Qingran struggled for a while, but eventually opened the door. That was because she truly couldn't cook. You could ask her to embroider a handkerchief or make a piece of clothing, that she could do. But cooking, she really had no skill in it.

As her father's daughter, how could she possibly marry a martial artist Not to mention a retinue of servants, even hiring a cook would be acceptable. So she didn't bother learning culinary skills, unlike Xia Qingjiao who was quite gifted in the kitchen. Since she and her elder sister never got along, she had even fewer chances to go into the kitchen.

With Song Da Niang's help and the prepared food in the kitchen, Xia Qing Ran finally waited for her maid Cui Zhu to successfully become a stand-in bride. The matter was settled, and neither the Xia family nor the Meng family would cause any more trouble. She was truly at ease now, and all that remained was waiting for her mother to come and reunite with her.

Xia Qingran finally waited for her mother, Lang Huan, one night after a month.

Lang Huan had used a fake death method to escape. After Xia Qingran's 'disappearance', she fell ill.

During the month she was sick, she emptied all her savings and took medicine she had prepared herself, causing boils to appear all over her face and making her stink. That night, after vomiting a mouthful of blood, she died.

Because the deceased was a concubine, Lady Xia was even more eager for this troublesome, seductive woman to leave as soon as possible. Now that she had died from illness, it couldn't be helped, so Lady Xia directly ordered her servants to prepare a mat and wrap her up, and then carried her out of the back gate of the Xia family.

Since Lü Gu's whole body reeked of stench and her face was covered in sores, her clothing was left untouched. The servants at the Xia family dared not touch Lü Gu's undergarments for fear of infection. Even after the person who returned the corpse came back, they had fumigated themselves with mugwort and washed their clothes.

Lang Huan kept the silver note tucked beneath her bodice and returned to the courtyard she had prepared in advance under the cover of night.

Xia Qingran almost didn't recognize her own mother at first glance. After all, the smell was too unpleasant, and coupled with that terrifying face, she was almost scared to scream. If it hadn't been for Langhuan's timely voice, she would have fainted.

"Ran Ran, don't be afraid, it's Mother!"

"Mother How did you get yourself into such a state"

"Let me in first, and I'll tell you slowly."

Lan Huan rushed into the room, and finally, the mother and daughter were reunited.

Xia Qingran learned that her mother had staged a fake death escape, and the thing on her face was just an allergy. After taking medicine for three days, it would be fine. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then the two planned to leave here.

Their plan was well-thought-out, but unfortunately they overlooked the danger of two women traveling alone without the ability to defend themselves.

And Song's mother, who had always cooked two meals for Xia Qingran, already had her eye on the two of them.u!"Qinxīn wúnài fú é dào.Let me break down the translation for you:* **沁心 (qìnxīn):** This means "heart filled with melancholy" or "sorrowful heart."* **無奈 (wúnài):** This means "helpless," "powerles...