Chapter 269 The Wedding by the Boat

Chapter 269 The Wedding by the Boat

Master Konghui stared intently at her, and suddenly a smile appeared on his face.

Meng Qing also lowered her head and smiled.

"Why did the Empress Dowager, who was still a female saint back then, summon me to the palace?" Master Konghui asked the question that had been hidden in his heart.

Meng Qing couldn't explain it clearly, so she asked in return, "What do you think?"

“You are different from ordinary people, I have noticed it, and she has also noticed the abnormality in you. She suspects that I have revealed some heavenly secrets to you, so I played along and admitted it.” This is the reason why Master Konghui was able to gain a foothold in the palace.

Meng Qing laughed again, “Master, I’m afraid you won’t be able to reach the Pure Land of Vulture Peak after you pass away, because your mortal roots are not yet severed.”

"Didn't you say that I have the merit of assisting the emperor and that I can transcend reincarnation after my death?" Master Konghui no longer put on airs of a high monk in front of her and said whatever came to mind.

Meng Qing glanced at him and said, "Perhaps you don't want to transcend reincarnation, but rather want to enter it."

Master Konghui chuckled lightly, "Now you can tell me? What did you say to the Empress Dowager back then?"

"I didn't say anything, but I never imagined that I would be able to enter the palace and stand before the Empress Dowager in my lifetime. I was so excited that I shed tears," Meng Qing confessed.

Master Konghui didn't believe it, but he didn't press the matter further. He asked one last question: "Are you certain that the Empress Dowager can become Empress?"

Meng Qing remained silent.

"I understand." Master Konghui had a plan in mind. "If you ever need my help in the future, just come to me. If you need anything, you can use my name as you wish."

Meng Qing looked at him; sixty or seventy years of cultivation ultimately couldn't withstand the temptations of power and fame. People walk in the mortal world, and no one can escape the mundane.

Master Konghui closed his eyes, twirled his prayer beads, and chanted "Amitabha."

Meng Qing stood up, clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect, and turned to leave.

Du Li was guarding outside the meditation room. When he saw Meng Qing come out, he glanced into the meditation room.

"We'll go to the Buddhist temple to offer our prayers, and then we'll go home," Meng Qing said.

"Okay," Du Liyi said.

The couple bought a bundle of incense and went to pray in various Buddhist halls before leaving the temple and descending the mountain.

"Lady Wu, please wait!" Governor Zheng called from behind. He quickly approached the carriage and said, "My carriage has broken down. Could you give me a ride?"

"Please, sir," Meng Qing said.

"Please go first, Madam."

Meng Qing stepped onto the vehicle first, using the bicycle bench as a stepping stone.

"Please, sir," Du Li said.

Governor Zheng nodded. "I heard that Young Master Du has been granted the title of Baron of the County. I would like to offer my congratulations to you."

"Thank you for your concern, sir." Du Li followed into the carriage and asked, "Where do you live, sir? We'll take you home first."

“Qingping Ward.” Governor Zheng has fallen from his position as prime minister. The prime minister’s mansion in Quanshan Ward no longer belongs to him. He is currently living in a private residence built by his son.

The three of them settled down, and the carriage drove off.

"Lord Zheng, what business did you have at my residence the day before yesterday?" Meng Qing asked. "I waited at my residence all day yesterday, but I didn't see you come again. I didn't expect to run into you at the White Horse Temple today."

Governor Zheng was surprised. "Thank you for your trouble. I wanted to visit you again yesterday, but something came up. It wasn't anything important, I just wanted to ask if Lord Du's bold words when we passed through Yangzhou should still be kept."

"Are you planning to go with him to survey the fields?" Meng Qing asked.

"It wasn't me, it was my eldest son." The Zheng family was still burdened with a hot potato thrown at them by Meng Qing. This matter, which concerned their lives, was one that Governor Zheng couldn't entrust to anyone else; he intended to handle it personally. Besides, he was already over sixty, had once risen to the position of prime minister, and enjoyed a period of great power and prestige. He had lived a remarkable life, and even if he ultimately met a tragic end, he had lived a fulfilling life. He could die, but he couldn't let his family be dragged down with him. He wanted to find a way out for his descendants. The Zheng family was disliked by the Empress Dowager, while Du Min and Meng Qing were her favorites. Following them might give the Zheng family a chance to survive or even turn their fortunes around.

Meng Qing's eyebrows twitched, and he asked, "Is the Zheng family still in prison?"

"Yes, I need to perform a meritorious service to get them out of prison. I came to Baima Temple today to discuss related matters with Master Kongzhi." Governor Zheng did not hide anything. "I wonder when Lord Du will set off? Can you wait until after the first month?"

Meng Qing nodded, "I'll go back and talk to him."

Governor Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Madam. I owe you another favor."

Meng Qing smiled slightly, "I'll remember this favor for now. If I ever need your help in the future, I hope you will be generous in assisting me."

"Of course," Governor Zheng agreed without hesitation. "However, words are not enough, and I might break my promise in the future. Why don't we become in-laws to strengthen our relationship?"

Meng Qing and Du Li exchanged a glance.

"Although my Zheng family has fallen on hard times, we are a family with a history of over a hundred years and cannot be easily destroyed. Thanks to your clever plan last year, we can protect the entire Zheng family today. We have learned from our mistakes and will strictly discipline our family members in the future. The disaster of last year will not happen again. Even if there is any disaster, it will not affect our married daughter. Please rest assured, Madam." Governor Zheng never expected that he, the Zheng family, would have to be so humble when marrying off his daughter.

"You flatter us, sir. We never expected to welcome a daughter from a prominent family into our household," Meng Qing explained. "May I ask which of my sons has caught your eye, sir?"

"I have a granddaughter, seventeen years old, unmarried, gentle and pure-hearted, a perfect match for the eldest son." Governor Zheng took a liking to Wangzhou. He saw that the Du family was grooming Wangzhou to be the next leader, and Wangzhou's career path was also aimed at stability. It could be said that if Du Min fell, Wangzhou would be the Du family's new hope. He was quite satisfied with Wangzhou's temperament and official career.

"Could we arrange for the two of them to meet? Perhaps we can see if Wang Zhou will catch the young lady's eye, considering the significant age difference between them." Meng Qing didn't want to go through the motions of an arranged marriage. Pointing to herself and Du Li, she smiled and said, "To be honest, sir, I decided on my own marriage back then. I was attracted to his looks and secretly instructed him to find a matchmaker to propose to my family. I chose my own husband, and I bear all the consequences. Whether in poverty or wealth, I have never regretted it."

Du Li was delighted to hear this.

Governor Zheng smiled. This was another point that pleased him. With Meng Qing as his mother-in-law, his granddaughter would enjoy endless blessings once she entered the family, as long as she was sensible.

“Alright.” Governor Zheng nodded. “If your son and my young lady are not destined to be together, I will not force it, nor will I be unhappy. You don’t need to worry.”

"I'd like to thank you on behalf of Wang Zhou. Thank you for your kindness." Meng Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

“I think it can work out. More than ten years ago, I intended to recruit Du Min as my Zheng family’s son-in-law, but unfortunately I didn’t have a daughter of marriageable age, so he became Lord Yin’s son-in-law. Now I have my eye on your young master, and I’m personally acting as matchmaker today. How could it not work out?” Governor Zheng’s feelings were complicated. “After all the twists and turns, there will always be a young master from your Du family who will become my Zheng family’s son-in-law.”

The carriage stopped, and Meng Qing smiled and said, "So it seems our two families are indeed destined to meet."

Governor Zheng nodded. He opened the carriage door, saw that it was getting dark, and said, "It's getting late, so I won't keep you any longer. Please go back. We can discuss other matters after the first month."

"I wish you a resounding victory, sir," Meng Qing said, leaning forward.

Governor Zheng bowed in thanks and then stepped down from the carriage.

The carriage turned around and left Qingpingfang again.

Amidst the rumbling of wheels, Meng Qing and Du Li looked at each other in silence, but for a moment, smiles appeared on their faces.

At this moment, Meng Qing had a more real sense of the rewards that her more than twenty years of hard work had brought her. Twenty-three years ago, she gave birth to Wangzhou in a mud house next to a cowshed, and today, Wangzhou could marry a noble lady from a prominent family.

"On the day Wangzhou is a month old, if Huijue said that Wangzhou could be married to the Zheng family of Xingyang when he grows up, I think everyone would think he was just making things up because he wasn't very good at his job." Meng Qing sighed with a smile, leaned back against the carriage wall, and said with satisfaction, "My life has been wonderful so far, every day has been worth living."

"A benefactor to my Du family," Du Li said, moving to sit beside Meng Qing and leaning closer to ask, "Was everything you said to Governor Zheng true? Did you never regret marrying me?"

Meng Qing patted his face, "You have to have confidence in yourself."

Du Li touched his face, thinking to himself that he needed to go to the cosmetics shop tomorrow, as his face cream was almost gone.

Before the curfew bell rang, the carriage drove into the mansion gate, and Du Min followed from outside. "I thought you were going to stay at the White Horse Temple for the night. Why are you back so late?"

"We met Governor Zheng at Baima Temple. His carriage broke down, so we took a detour to take him back first, which caused the delay." Du Li jumped down first, then helped Meng Qing out of the carriage.

"What was the matter with him when he came over the day before yesterday?" Du Min asked.

"He intends to arrange for his eldest son to go with you to inspect the fields, and would like to ask you to wait until after January before setting off," Meng Qing relayed.

Du Min followed her and sneered, "It's ridiculous. Back then, I set up a scheme to force him to take on this job, and he hated me for years. Now he's begging me to send his son to my side."

“This proves that you were right to take this job and pursue this official career,” Meng Qing coaxed.

Du Min clapped his hands excitedly, "That's absolutely right, haha!"

“Mother.” Wangzhou and Wangchuan came out from the main hall.

"Second Uncle, Aunt." Wangshan jumped down from the steps.

"Slow down, don't jump around at night," Xi Mei reminded her. "Auntie, Second Uncle, are you hungry? Dinner is ready, shall I have the servants serve it?"

"Serve the food. Where's your mother?" Meng Qing asked.

“She’s at my maternal grandfather’s house. She didn’t come back today. She asked me to come back and tell my aunt that she’s going to stay with my maternal grandmother for a few days,” Ximei replied.

Meng Qing responded with an "Oh".

"Second sister-in-law, did you see Master Konghui today? Was there anything you needed?" Du Min asked.

“Like you, he chose to leave Luoyang to serve the Empress Dowager in the provinces,” Meng Qing revealed. “He also instructed me to lie low for a few years and preferably leave Luoyang as well. I chose to listen to him. When I returned from Huaizhou, I went to the palace to see the Empress Dowager and asked to be ordered to inspect the libraries in various prefectures and counties.”

"Ah?" Wangzhou cried out in anguish, "Mother, you're leaving again!"

"Auntie, my mother and I will go with you, as well as Wangshan. I want to travel." Ximei didn't want to be left at her maternal grandparents' house anymore.

Wang Shan nodded excitedly, then looked at his two older brothers, "Eldest brother and second brother, shall we go?"

“I’ll go!” Wang Chuan replied thoughtfully. “I won’t study at the Imperial Academy anymore. After I’ve traveled around, I’ll go to Suzhou to take the prefectural examination.”

Wang Zhou gritted his teeth, "You're all so heartless! You're going to leave me all alone in Luoyang?"

"Oh, we'll come back to see you." Wang Chuan grinned and climbed onto Wang Zhou's shoulder.

"No, you can't leave." Wang Zhou grabbed his arm. "You stay at the Imperial Academy and study diligently for the imperial examinations."

“Wangzhou, you’re over twenty-three. Aren’t you thinking about getting married? How about I find you a wife to keep you company?” Meng Qing brought up the topic.

"Whose daughter is she?" Du Min was even more excited than Wang Zhou.

Meng Qing glanced at Zhou and said, "The eldest granddaughter of Governor Zheng, seventeen years old."

"The same age as me? This sister-in-law is a bit young." Wang Chuan tugged at Wang Zhou and teased, "Brother, don't hesitate. Lord Zheng has been observing you for years. Get ready to be his grandson-in-law."

“It seems my Du family is destined to produce a son-in-law of the Zheng family.” Du Min was quite pleased with himself. “The men of our Du family are truly in Zheng Yu’s heart, yet that old geezer still nitpicks at me while saying one thing and meaning another.”

"What? Why does this sound like there's a story behind it?" Xi Mei sensed something was wrong.

Du Min waved his hand, "That's all in the past."

Seeing that everyone's attention was not on him, Wang Zhou's embarrassment faded, and he asked, "Mother, I'm quite a bit older than Miss Zheng, is this appropriate?"

“The girls of the Zheng family in Xingyang have no trouble getting married. Many of them are betrothed from a young age. If they are a little later, matchmakers will come knocking on their door when they are thirteen or fourteen. Girls around your age, even if they are not married, are betrothed,” Meng Qing explained. “If I’m not mistaken, this young lady’s unmarried status might be because Governor Zheng spoke to his son four years ago. After all, he asked you if you were betrothed when you were in Dujiawan, but you blocked him by saying you were in mourning. He only brought it up again today, probably waiting for us to finish our mourning period.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhou said with shame, "What merit do I have to receive Lord Zheng's favor? Mother, please accept it for me."

"I've arranged with Lord Zheng that you two can meet after January so you can get to know each other. Wangzhou, although Lady Zheng is of high status, you are not bad either, and our family background is also quite good. If you don't marry Lady Zheng, you can marry a girl from another family. You must not force yourself in this marriage; you must follow your own heart. Marriage concerns your entire life." Meng Qing reminded him, also as a safety net. "You must understand that if you regret it now, it won't affect anyone, nor will it delay Lady Zheng from choosing another. But if you regret it later, your emotions and attitude will hurt your wife and children, and it will also disappoint me. We treat you like a precious jewel, raising you to be carefree and loving. If you cannot continue our love for you, your father and I will be disappointed in you."

“I’ve got it.” Wang Zhou nodded solemnly, promising, “I will take responsibility for every decision I make.”

Du Min was unusually embarrassed, and for a moment, the intense envy in his heart was suppressed, and he dared not utter a sound.

"Wangchuan, Ximei, and Wangshan, remember what I say today. When you reach the day of marriage, I will repeat it again." Meng Qing glanced at the sky, her eyes stinging with tears as she thought of the suffering she had endured in her past life. She swallowed the overwhelming emotions, sighed, and emphasized firmly, "You must not force yourselves in matters of marriage. Marry if you want to, marry if you want to, and don't marry if you don't want to. Whether you get married at twenty, forty, sixty, or even eighty and still unmarried, it's all fine."

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Author's note: See you tomorrow night.