Dressed as a concubine instead of a concubine

"This is a matter between the two of us, so I naturally have to make it clear to him. It's better to call off the marriage as soon as possible."

"You are noble and you are great. If you don't want to be a concubine, why do you block our way?"

Meng Qingge's eyes were red, and she couldn't help crying when she thought of what Jiang Chubai said to her today.

She had never suffered such injustice in her life.

"I don't understand what Second Sister is saying. How did I block Second Sister's path?"

"Did you tell Jiang Chubai that the daughter of the Meng family would never be a concubine?"

"I only talked about myself, not the other sisters."

Meng Xiyue immediately understood the reason for her anger.

"My second sister wants to be a concubine. What does that have to do with me?"

"But you, a concubine's daughter, don't want to be the number one scholar's concubine. You are so picky. Then, as a legitimate daughter, shouldn't I marry a royal relative?"

Jiang Chubai actually said that she, a daughter of a county magistrate, had offered herself to him and allowed herself to fall into depravity.

She was even worse than the girls in a brothel.

"I don't want to marry a rich man. As long as she's my legal wife, I'm willing even if she's a farmer."

Meng Xiyue lowered her eyes. She thought she had misjudged Jiang Chubai. Next time she would definitely choose a mediocre and incompetent man.

"Nonsense, you are my daughter, Meng Qingxiang, how can you marry a farmer?"

Meng Qingxiang frowned. His daughter was usually well-behaved and obedient, but today she seemed like a madman.

"Since ancient times, marriages are decided by parents and matchmakers. My wife and I will make the final decision on this matter. You just stay at home."

"That's what the master said."

Before Meng Xiyue could say anything else, Wen Shi beside her quickly pulled her away.

"Don't disobey the master and the lady."

She felt helpless about her mother who always regarded her father's words as an imperial decree.

Forget it. Once she breaks off the engagement, she will run away from home and no one will be able to control her anymore.

It was just dawn when Meng Xiyue heard a commotion outside.

"Asaka, Asaka?"

"Miss, you're awake." Asaka pushed the door open.

"What's going on outside?"

"It's the disaster victims who are making trouble at the gate of the county government office."

There was a severe drought this year, and the crops in the fields were almost completely destroyed. Many people starved to death.

"Hasn't the relief grain arrived?"

Meng Xiyue frowned. She naturally knew about the victims' affairs, but she heard a month ago that relief food had arrived and was distributed to the people.

No one has been causing trouble in the past half month, so why did it suddenly start again?

"The relief grain provided by the imperial court is only 500 dan, which is not enough to last until the beginning of next spring."

Five hundred dan? Meng Xiyue knew that the relief grain from the imperial court had arrived, but she didn't know that it was only this much.

In the entire Qingyun City, there are at least 200,000 people affected by the disaster. Five hundred stones are not enough.

No, the emperor and the ministers in the court are not fools. How could they only give such a small amount of disaster relief food?

She must have been taken away by corrupt officials. I wonder if her father was one of them.

I wish my father wasn’t so greedy.

She sighed, "Qianxiang, I still have eighty taels of silver under my box. Take it all and buy some food. Let's go to the porridge distribution office."

"Miss, we always go to the soup kitchen. Will this arouse Madam's suspicion?"

After all, Meng Xiyue only received two taels of silver a month as salary.

Meng Xiyue hesitated for a moment and said, "Then you can pawn my gold hairpin."

"That's the birthday gift the old lady gave you, this..."

"It's okay. Grandma is kind-hearted. Go and call Yun'er. We will give out porridge in her name. She will be happy."

"Yes."

The gold hairpin was of good quality and workmanship, and was finally pawned for seventy taels of silver.

But in the end, seventy taels of silver only bought ninety shi of grain. Before the drought, one tael of silver could buy four shi of grain.

Those merchants are used to making money from national disasters, but at this time, let alone lending a helping hand, they all hoarded food and raised prices.

But Meng Xiyue was helpless. She couldn't solve the problem and could only do small things like distributing porridge.

Looking at those skinny children, Meng Xiyue felt sad, wondering if they could survive this year.

"Fifth sister, pawn my gold hairpin in a few days, and we can come to give out porridge again, okay?"

The old lady gave each of the five sisters a golden hairpin, and Meng Yun'er, who grew up with the old lady, naturally got one as well.

After the severe drought, life in the mansion was not easy. Everyone tightened their belts and cut back on food, but it was not to the point where they had no food to eat.

Now when she saw these refugees, she couldn't help but feel pity for them.

"Fourth sister is really kind-hearted, just like grandma."

Meng Xiyue was naturally happy to have one more person to contribute.

"Thank you, Madam Meng. The Meng family are all good people and will be rewarded."

"Yes, Madam Meng is the reincarnation of a bodhisattva. She will surely live a hundred years."

"The two young ladies of the Meng family are also kind-hearted and beautiful."

The victims expressed their gratitude as officials had ignored them for months.

Only Miss Meng often gave them porridge.

"Is that the Meng family distributing porridge?"

Not far away, a nobleman in a black brocade robe was watching this scene.

Following behind him was a middle-aged man. Although he was wearing cloth, the dignity and bearing on his face could not hide the fact that he was an official.

If Meng Xiyue saw him, she would definitely recognize him, because this man was her eldest sister's father-in-law and the governor of Qingyun City.

But at this moment, the usually dignified governor was bending over and standing respectfully behind the young man.

Meng Xiyue also recognized this young man. He was the man she met in the back mountain yesterday.

"My lord, those are the two young ladies of the Meng family. The fifth young lady often gives out porridge. Even if there is no severe drought, she will give out porridge to beggars in the city every month."

Xie Junyi looked at the woman with her face covered by a veil, revealing only her watery eyes. He knew at a glance that she was the woman from yesterday.

He curled his lips and smiled slightly. How could this veil hide her face?

"I heard that the newly crowned number one scholar wants to marry her as his concubine?"

The governor was slightly stunned. He knew that Jiang Chubai and Meng Xiyue had already been engaged. He originally thought it was a story about a talented man and a beautiful woman.

Who would have thought that after Jiang Chubai passed the imperial examination, he would break the contract and make his wife a concubine.

This matter is not a secret in Qingyun City.

But how did you know that, sir?

He replied cautiously, "That's true. They already had an engagement..."

Before he finished speaking, Xie Junyi continued talking to himself.

"How can a mere champion be worthy of such a woman?"

"what?"

"Invite this Fifth Young Lady to the banquet tomorrow. You officials probably don't understand these refugees as well as she does."

After saying that, Xie Junyi turned and left, leaving the governor disheveled in the wind.

After a while, he looked at Meng Xiyue who was distributing porridge, and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.

This fifth young lady might be able to save their lives.