"No, the person you saw was not Wu Zhengda. Third Aunt lied to you." As soon as Meng Qi said this, Meng Wan looked at her in surprise. Meng Xiu blushed instantly. She stood up from the chair and said, "Fourth sister, what did you say? How did you know? Could it be that Wu Zhengda, could it be that..."

Meng Qi looked at Meng Xiu's shaking hands and pulled her to sit down. "Don't worry, except that he is not the right person, everything else is right. Wu Zhengda is very outstanding, a man of both literary and martial talents, single, upright, honest, and responsible. You will not go wrong if you marry him."

"Then, then why did Third Aunt lie to me? That day, my elder sister took me to see him. To be honest, I think he is pretty good, pretty good..."

"I know that you are frightened by Second Aunt's nephew. Don't worry, although Wu Zhengda is not as handsome as that man, the others are much better than him. And the reason why Third Aunt didn't tell you the truth is because Wu Zhengda is very dark."

"Dark?" Meng Wan was puzzled. "What's the problem? It's okay for a man to be darker. There's no need to hide it, right?"

"That's right. If he was just a little darker, there would be no need to hide it. The key is that he has a scar on his face, from here to there. It's very scary." Meng Qi gestured on his face. Meng Xiu looked at the long line drawn by Meng Qi and covered her mouth in surprise.

After a long while, Meng Xiu finally calmed down and asked, "What else? Nothing else, right?"

"No, everything else is fine, and he has always wanted to marry a lady from an official family, so he has delayed it until now. When you marry, third sister, don't show any disgust or fear, and serve him wholeheartedly. You will live a good life, and Wu Zhengda will treat you well."

Meng Qi paused here, and seeing Meng Wan looking at her intently, as if he wanted to find out the truth, she smiled slightly, "The reason I told you all this is because I want you to see the true face of your uncle and aunt."

"What do you mean?" Meng Xiu asked.

"Do you believe what I say? If you do, I will tell you."

"Yes, of course I do." Meng Xiu nodded.

Meng Qi said softly, "I didn't marry you to Wu Zhengda because I wanted you to help Meng Juan. Think about it yourself. With the scheming of the mother and daughter and my stupidity, if they wanted to plot against me, they wouldn't have to find you, right?"

Meng Xiu was stunned at first, then nodded. It was best to plan for a simple-minded person like Meng Qi. She could succeed by finding someone to encourage her. Using herself would only reduce Meng Qi's suspicion, and that was all. Could it be that there was something else hidden in her marriage?

"The reason they want to marry you to the northwest is because they want to use you to tie Wu Zhengda down and make Wu Zhengda work for Meng Hai."

"Ah? That's not right. Isn't Wu Zhengda under Uncle San's command now? Does he need to do that?" Meng Wan asked.

"I don't know much about the details, but it's true that Meng Hai can't control Wu Zhengda now, and Wu Zhengda is his most capable subordinate. To tell you the truth, do you think Meng Hai got all his military merits by himself? Haha, he stepped on the shoulders of many people and even stole their lives, including Wu Zhengda. In fact, Wu Zhengda was the first to rush to the front in the several military merits commended by the emperor."

Meng Wan understood that Meng Hai was no longer able to suppress Wu Zhengda. Or perhaps the detail that Meng Qi had not mentioned just now was that Wu Zhengda and Meng Hai had different political views. Therefore, Meng Hai urgently needed to find a good way to continue to keep Wu Zhengda by his side. At least before the person he supported succeeded, he needed a brave and combative subordinate like Wu Zhengda to accumulate military merits for him, or even more so, to follow him back to the capital at the critical moment.

"Wu Zhengda joined the army when he was a teenager. He has seen all kinds of people and things. Especially after he was appreciated by the King of Zhenbei, how could Meng Hai sit still? Third sister, do you understand now?"

Meng Xiudi raised her head and murmured, "So, Third Uncle and Third Aunt are using me as a gift. They want to use me to win Wu Zhengda's heart so that he can continue to work hard for Third Uncle, even risk his life for him. Third Uncle has married his own niece to him. What reason and excuse does he have for not listening to Third Uncle and not fully supporting him?"

Meng Wan nodded. Meng Xiu was smart. Her guess was correct. In her previous life, Meng Xiu must have won Wu Zhengda's heart. But she didn't know whether Wu Zhengda helped Meng Hai in the end or if there was any other change.

But Meng Qi's current strategy must be to win over Wu Zhengda, and then cut off Meng Hai's financial support.

"That's right. So, the couple is not doing this for you, they are doing this for themselves, and they don't even care whether you live or die. They don't care whether you can adapt to life in the northwest, or whether you will be liked by Wu Zhengda. Those who go into battle have their heads on their belts, and they don't think about whether you will stay with Wu Zhengda for a long time. Even if you don't live long, they are not afraid of death, because Wu Zhengda is Meng Hai's nephew-in-law, and that is enough for them."

Meng Xiu didn't expect Meng Qi to speak so bluntly. She stared at Meng Qi for a long time, then slowly sat down. "What if I can't hold Wu Zhengda back? What if Wu Zhengda really has a conflict with Third Uncle in the future, and Wu Zhengda doesn't listen to me? What if I don't provide what they want to know, or don't meet Third Uncle's standards? What should I do?"

"You will become an abandoned child. Meng Hai and Liu Shi will never say a word for you or stay for you for a moment. They may even blame you for not being capable enough to hold on to your husband and not being able to contribute to your family."

Meng Qi and Meng Xiu looked at each other and continued, "Third sister, don't blame me for saying something harsh, because Meng Hai is the kind of person who thinks this way. I came here today to tell you this. Think about it carefully. Is such a Meng Hai worthy of your efforts for them?"

"You mean, you want me not to marry Wu Zhengda?"

"How could that be? I said before, Wu Zhengda is a very good person, not a reckless man. You will be happy for the rest of your life if you marry him."

"Then what should I do?" Meng Xiu asked puzzledly.

"You just need to follow Wu Zhengda and obey his decisions on everything. If his opinions are inconsistent with Meng Hai's, you must not let Meng Hai influence your thoughts and persuade Wu Zhengda. In other words, don't do anything or say anything for Meng Hai. Of course, if you are willing to listen to me."

Meng Xiu pondered for a moment, digesting the meaning of Meng Qi's words, and nodded after a long while, "I understand, I believe Fourth Sister, since Wu Zhengda is good except for the scar on his face, I don't care. I married him as a person, not his face, so I may not be able to adapt to it at first, but I think with time, with my sincerity, I may live a good life. Having said that, whether Wu Zhengda is good or not, Third Uncle and Third Aunt should not have deceived me in this way, and should not have used me as a bargaining chip in exchange for their credit. Don't worry, I know what I should do."

Meng Qi exhaled, "There is one more thing I need to trouble you with, Third Sister."

"You tell me, as long as I can do it." Meng Xiu now wished Meng Qi could trouble her more.

"After you go to the northwest, don't be in a hurry. You must keep Wu Zhengda here and make him the master of the backyard. After you feel you have established yourself and have won Wu Zhengda's favor, I want my third sister to help you find out more about Meng Hai. It's inconvenient for you to know about his affairs outside, but the more details you know about the inner house, the better."

Meng Xiu nodded, "I understand. They have hurt my fourth sister like this, and they have plotted against me. They will have to pay the price. Don't worry, my third uncle is alone in the northwest, and my third aunt and fourth sister-in-law are not around. I am his niece, so I should come and help as much as possible."

The fourth sister-in-law Meng Xiu mentioned was Liu's daughter-in-law, who never returned after sending Meng Juan back to Beijing to get married.

Meng Qi thought for a moment and said, "Third sister, you must think it over carefully. Don't agree because you feel guilty about my mother's concern for you and what she did to me in the past. If you can't do it, tell me now, I won't blame you, and even if you don't help me, if there is anything you need from me or second sister in the future, write back. As long as we can do it, we will not stand idly by. Don't let Meng Hai fool you with a few words and say things you shouldn't say. I just hope that if you change your mind, don't spread the news, and don't tell Meng Hai and Wu Zhengda about what happened today. This will be considered as you repaying my mother's kindness."

"What are you talking about, Fourth Sister? I've promised you and I won't change my mind. I just said that I understand Third Aunt's purpose in getting me an arranged marriage these days, but I didn't expect there was this hidden story. If that's the case, I have to live a good life and let them know what it feels like to treat others as pawns and then become someone else's pawn."

"Okay, I feel relieved with what Third Sister said. As for how to pass the news back, someone will contact you, and someone will come to your door with this purse."

Meng Qi took out a purse from her bosom. Meng Xiu took it and looked at it again and again. Suddenly she said, "Isn't this the one I embroidered when we first started embroidery that year? How did it end up in your hands?"

"Well, I was clumsy and didn't like to learn at that time. When my mother wanted to check, I stole your embroidery and gave it to my mother. But I was too embarrassed to give it back, so I just left it there."

Seeing Meng Qi's face slightly red, and obviously a little embarrassed, Meng Wan burst into laughter. Her laughter caused Meng Xiu to laugh as well. Meng Qi stood up, stretched out her hand to tickle one, turned around and tickled the other, and the three sisters laughed together.

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