After the replacement marriage, I was forced to fight at home

When Meng Wan entered the room, there was no outsider there. Meng Xiu was opening the make-up that Wang had given her.

Looking at the plain headdress, Meng Xiu felt that it was very thoughtful compared to those flashy ones. Even the gems and beads on it could be removed and exchanged for silver.

"Thank you, auntie. I heard that you have been feeling much better recently and I think you will get better and better. I am afraid that I will not have the chance to show my filial piety to you. Fortunately, my second sister and fourth sister are accompanying you in Beijing. I think you will live a long and healthy life."

Wang saw that it was Meng Wan who came in and there was no one else in the room, so she smiled and stopped Meng Xiu's hand from closing the box.

Meng Wan stepped forward, gently lifted up the headgear, uncovered the red velvet cloth underneath, and a stack of silver bills appeared before his eyes.

Meng Xiu looked up at Wang in surprise, then looked at Meng Wan, "Aunt, this, this..."

"I put it downstairs because I was afraid there might be other people in your room. I wanted to tell you later. Now that there are only a few of us, I might as well take it out and give it to you. Please keep it safe and don't let them know. This is the money that your aunt gave you as a safe deposit. You must remember that everything else is fake, only this silver is real. Besides, you have just arrived there and you are unfamiliar with the place. You need money to make arrangements and buy things, so you should also keep some for emergencies."

Meng Xiu looked at the silver notes with a face value ranging from ten to one hundred taels that Wang had thoughtfully exchanged for her, and she hugged the box and burst into tears.

"Aunt, thank you, thank you..." Meng Xiu's voice was choked with sobs. She handed the box to the wet nurse, turned around, knelt in front of Wang, and kowtowed properly.

Meng Wan and Meng Qi came forward and pulled her up. Wang's eyes were filled with tears. "Good girl, write back if you have any problems. If it is inconvenient to tell them, tell your aunt not to suffer alone. Remember, you still have relatives in Beijing."

Meng Xiu wiped her tears, "Yes, I remembered it. Originally, I thought that I would be free from worries after leaving, and there would be no one in the capital who would miss me. I didn't expect that my aunt would treat me like this. Thinking back to the past, the past... Fourth sister, let me tell you..."

Meng Qi held Meng Xiu's hand, turned to Wang and said, "Mom, please go back first. The three of us sisters can have a good talk."

Wang looked at the three sisters, nodded, and gave Meng Xiu a few instructions before letting Mother Guo help her go back.

The three sisters stood at the main door and watched Wang leave the courtyard and return to the east room in silence. Before Meng Wan could speak, Meng Xiu bowed deeply to Meng Qi, bending her waist to 90 degrees.

Meng Qi just stood there and looked at Meng Xiu without saying a word. The room was very quiet. Meng Wan waved to the servants. Chuan'er took Yuan Yue's hand and left the east room with Meng Xiu's nurse.

"Third sister, I forgive you."

Meng Xiu stood up, tears still on her face. "You, you know everything? You said you don't remember, are you afraid that I will be punished?"

Meng Qi first pulled Meng Wan to sit on the chair, then turned around and took Meng Xiu's hand, "Yes, I know. Although I know you had to help Meng Juan, I was really angry at that time. I usually speak harshly, like to argue and be stubborn, and sometimes I speak to you in a bad tone, which may have made you lose face and feel wronged, but I never wanted to hurt you. And every time you were angry with Second Aunt or others, I was on your side. Not to mention, my mother treated you better than Second Aunt. I really don't understand why you helped Meng Juan to hurt me."

"I, I, I'm sorry, Fourth Sister, I've always wanted to say sorry to you, it's my fault, you can scold me or beat me."

Meng Qi pushed Meng Xiu into a chair as well, and poured a cup of tea for each of her two sisters. "During the time when Luo Bing was gone, I thought a lot. I felt like I had lived in vain for the past ten years, and it was like I had lived my life all over again. I know it's been difficult for you. After all, Third Aunt found this good marriage for you, and you have to repay her."

Meng Xiu wanted to speak, but Meng Qi held out her hand to stop her, and continued, "And to be honest, I was really bad to you before. You were sandwiched between our two legitimate daughters, and you were really cautious and couldn't afford to offend either one. So, I've come to my senses and forgiven you. I didn't tell anyone about you, because whether I told anyone or not couldn't change my fate, so why should I involve you and make your life difficult? You, a concubine's daughter, already have a very difficult life."

Meng Xiu's tears fell like beads from a broken string. Meng Wan grabbed the handkerchief and handed it to her. Meng Qi glanced at her second sister. She didn't show any surprise at what she had just said.

She said that she didn't have a good life in the palace, Zhou Yu didn't treat her well, and went to Liushu Hutong to have fun the day after the wedding. The two of them also quarreled in front of the servants, and the courtyard was in a mess, and the servants were making trouble.

But Meng Qi didn't believe it. Looking at Meng Wan's rosy cheeks, her gentle smile, and the confidence and contentment revealed in her calm eyes and brows, this was not the appearance of a woman who was not loved by her husband and had no say in the yard.

The last time I saw Meng Juan, she was forcing a smile, which was her true appearance in that situation.

After a while, Meng Xiu stopped crying and looked at Meng Qi, "I know that I was used by Third Aunt and Big Sister from the beginning. They used the idea of ​​finding a marriage for me to lure me. At that time, you and Second Sister were already engaged. Of the four young ladies in the Meng family, I was the only one who was still hanging around, and no one was worried about me. The reason why I was so anxious to agree to Third Aunt and Big Sister was actually because of something you don't know."

"What's the matter?" Meng Wan asked.

Meng Xiu smiled contemptuously, "My good stepmother, your second aunt, wants to marry me to her nephew whose wife has died."

"What?" Meng Qi frowned, and the image of Liu's nephew who often came to the Meng family to ask for money emerged in his mind.

They are big-shouldered and thick-waisted, with flesh on their chins that looks like they have no neck, and their bellies are so big that you can't even see their feet. They are not tall, and they stagger when they walk. Every time they come, they need someone to support them. When they see them, they lick their faces and keep calling them "sister, sister".

Meng Wan didn't know this person and had never seen him before, but when she saw Meng Qi's disgusted look, she knew he wasn't a good person.

"How did you know?" Meng Qi asked.

Meng Xiu sneered, "Once I accompanied my mother back to her parents' home, and I met my cousin in the yard. After greeting my mother, he didn't leave, but kept talking to me, looking at me. I could feel his gaze even when I lowered my head, and it was as uncomfortable as the core of a snake. But my mother started chatting with him, and even asked me to chat with him for a while, and she had to go into the house first."

"Oh, Second Aunt, this is too..."

"On the way back, my mother praised him implicitly, saying that she knew him inside out and that whoever married into his family would be blessed."

Meng Xiu took a sip of tea and continued, "Originally, I was still feeling lucky, thinking that although my mother could decide my marriage, my grandfather and grandmother still had to agree, and they might not allow me to marry into the Liu family, let alone a man like that. But I didn't expect that in the first month after Third Aunt mentioned Wu Zhengda to me, my mother and I went back after paying our respects to my grandmother, but the handkerchief was left in my grandmother's room. When I went to get it, I heard what my grandmother and mother said at the door."

"What did they say?" Meng Wan asked.

"I only heard two sentences. Grandmother said that Grandfather would definitely not agree, but it was not absolute. If there was a reason why she had to get married, she would have to get married. Let mother figure it out herself. There is only one thing: don't do anything that would bring shame to the Marquisate."

Meng Wan sighed. Is this Song crazy? How can she say such words and agree to such an idea?

"I know what's going on." Meng Qi said quietly, "I mean, I know why grandma doesn't object to you marrying into the Liu family."

"Why?" Meng Xiu stared at Meng Qi and asked.

"Second Aunt once did Grandma a big favor, hiding it from everyone. Second Aunt must have used this to threaten Grandma, or persuaded her to agree."

When Meng Wan saw that Meng Qi didn't say what the favor was, she knew in her heart that it must be something that Meng Qi knew about in her previous life.

Meng Xiu was stunned for a moment, but did not ask in detail. Instead, she continued, "When I heard the news, I was really disheartened. I thought that even my grandmother did not object. If they really let me do it, how could I resist? So, when Third Aunt proposed Wu Zhengda, I agreed. Of course, I did not agree immediately. I agreed after meeting him."