Chapter 1052: Chapter 1029: Prestige Amid Chaos 97
Mrs. Mei dismissed Su Yu, and after a while, Mei Boqing returned to the room.
Mrs. Mei started to complain as soon as she saw Mei Boqing.
"I originally thought that Yuâer was a sensible and understanding child, and I pitied her for losing her parents, being so lonely and helpless, so I took extra care of her in everything. But I fear my good intentions might come to nothing."
"What happened?"
Mei Boqing sat down and asked.
Although he wasnât patient with trivial household matters, he and Mrs. Mei had been married for many years and had a deep affection, so he was willing to listen to her.
Mrs. Mei then recounted her intentions of matching Su Yu with Xiao Song.
"I noticed that she got along well with Brother Song on the way here, so I thought she was at the age for marriage. We all understand Brother Songâs character and temperament. We also know what kind of person Anning is. Itâs great to have someone you understand well! If it werenât for you being Anningâs Master, Iâm just being blunt: Yuâer has no parents or family foundation. Do you think the Xiao Family would look up to her? This is clearly something extremely good for her, yet she actually told me she looks down on Brother Songâs background, thinks Brother Song lacks parental guidance and fears his character might not be good. She seems to imply that Brother Song isnât Anningâs biological son, and she wants to marry the biological son of Anning instead."
Upon hearing this, Mei Boqingâs face gradually darkened.
Itâs important to know that Su Yu also grew up without parents. It was Mrs. Mei who pitied her and brought her home to nurture and care for her. Mei Boqing believed he was quite conscientious in his treatment of Su Yu, treating her like his own junior without ever mistreating her.
However, today, Su Yu mentioned the lack of parental guidance to Mrs. Mei. Outwardly, she was talking about Xiao Song, but the implication was an accusation of neglect by the Mei Family, of not properly educating her.
"Indeed, we didnât educate her well."
Mei Boqingâs voice turned slightly cold: "Itâs our fault for letting her be so unaware of her limitations. We were too lenient with her before. From now on, we should be stricter. Starting tomorrow, you should properly teach her the rules and make sure she learns everything she should know."
Mrs. Mei nodded: "Youâre right. I was too indulgent with her before, neglecting other aspects. From tomorrow, I must properly shape her character."
Mei Boqing let out a cold laugh: "She sure has ambitious ideas. I think sheâs interested in Ying Geâer. But Ying Geâer is the heir of the Third Young Master. If the Third Young Master succeeds, Ying Geâer will be... Su Yuâs ambition is too big."
Mrs. Mei thought it made sense.
Even though Xiao Song was adopted, Anning and Xiao Yuan raised him for many years. If Xiao Yuan indeed succeeds and solidifies his rule in the future, Xiao Song will undoubtedly become a Prince. If Su Yu married Xiao Song peacefully, she would be the rightful Princess.
But she still wasnât content, aiming for the position of Xiao Yingâs legitimate wife. She wants to be the Empress.
And Mrs. Mei wasnât aware of Su Yuâs designs on Xiao Yuan. If she knew, who knows how furious sheâd be, and she might not have the face to see Anning again.
Anning had just settled the Mei Familyâs people when, a few days later, Xiao Ling, Xiao Ying, and Xiao Bai brought back several boatloads of people.
They docked at the newly built port on this side of the Southern Yi, and after disembarking, Xiao Yuan sent Yuan Wei to receive the Zhang familyâs farmers, dispersing them to settle in various prefectures, distributing the necessary An Familyâs silver and grain seeds, and teaching them how to farm.
Once the Zhang familyâs farmers were settled, the spies Xiao Yuan sent out returned with news.
Several noble families not far from the Zhang family directly annexed the Zhang family, not only taking over their manor but also collaborating with the local Magistrate to frame the Zhang family with many charges, causing the family heads to be imprisoned and the household servants to be taken to the human market by traffickers and sold.
Mr. Zhang hadnât even returned home when he received news that the Zhang family was gone.
Overcome with grief and rage, he immediately spat blood.
Spitting blood caused Mr. Zhang to fall ill, and he didnât last long in the inn before passing away.
Xiao Yuan saw Zhou Lansheng and provided him and the village chiefs, along with the Zhang familyâs steward they brought, with detoxification medicine. Once the toxins in their bodies were purged, Anning arranged for Zhou Lansheng and Yinya to meet.
This pair of unfortunate people embraced each other and wept when they met.
Later, Yinya, holding Zhou Lanshengâs hand, knelt before Anning, pleading for permission for her and Zhou Lansheng to leave. She wanted to settle in a quiet village and live a life where the man farms and the woman weaves.
Anning, naturally, didnât make things difficult for these unfortunate yet sensible and shrewd people.
She didnât arrange for the pair to be settled in Nanyi Prefecture.
Anning was concerned that Xiao Jin might have other ideas, and if the couple were placed in Nanyi Prefecture, Xiao Jin might cause trouble upon finding out.
She instructed her subordinates to settle Yinya and Zhou Lansheng in a relatively affluent village under the jurisdiction of Xifeng Prefecture.
Over the years, Zhou Lansheng had quietly saved some silver while working for the Zhang family, which he brought along when coming to the Southern Yi. Yinya also had some valuable jewelry, and with the An Familyâs silver that Anning provided, the two would have enough to build a house, buy land, and support their future life.
Additionally, Zhou Lansheng was hardworking, and Yinya wasnât delicate. With peace reigning under the counties of Southern Yi, if they were willing to work hard, they should be able to lead a decent life.
After sending them off, it was time for the yearly festivities. Anning mentioned wanting to properly prepare for the New Year, which led to another incident.
The cause was Dong Da finding Ms. Chen.
Earlier, Xiao Yuan had someone reveal Ms. Chenâs whereabouts to Dong Da, so he asked Xiao Yuan for leave to find Ms. Chen and the children.
He spent quite some time searching and finally found the Chen Family, naturally meeting Ms. Chen.
Dong Da originally thought the Chen family had detained Ms. Chen and the children. He was determined to bring Ms. Chen back. Unexpectedly, upon meeting Ms. Chen, he was deeply saddened.
Ms. Chen treated Dong Da coldly, like a stranger.
Even the children pointed at Dong Da, calling him a traitor, saying they didnât have such a father, and told him to leave them and stay away.
Particularly Dong Daâs daughter, whose gaze was full of contempt, made Dong Da feel like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him in the bitter winter, chilling him from head to toe, nearly taking half his life.
Despite Dong Daâs repeated pleas, Ms. Chen refused to leave with him and insisted on divorcing Dong Da.
The Chen family also pressured Dong Da to write a letter severing ties with the children, demanding he break off father-child relations and regard them as strangers from then on.
Dong Da was heartbroken. He still wanted to salvage his relationship with his wife and children, so he neither wrote any letter nor consented to divorce Ms. Chen at the time.
He stayed not far from the Chen family, hoping to have a good talk with Ms. Chen after some days.
But after just a few days, his subordinates, who were gathering information everywhere, finally uncovered the reason for Ms. Chenâs aversion to Dong Da.
It turned out Ms. Chen previously had a sweetheart with whom she almost married. However, during one of her trips, she faced trouble, and if Dong Da hadnât saved her, she wouldnât have survived.
She married Dong Da just to survive and live a slightly better life.
Nevertheless, she never had Dong Da in her heart.
Even the children, being raised by Ms. Chen while Dong Da was too busy to care, grew up with Ms. Chen instilling contempt for Dong Da in them. She never allowed the children to get close to Dong Da. Itâs fair to say the children were utterly brainwashed by her to have no affection for Dong Da.
Dong Daâs subordinates relayed this and mentioned that Ms. Chenâs former sweetheartâs wife had died during childbirth, leaving behind a sickly little girl. Ms. Chen and that man rekindled their relationship on her return, with her heart set on marrying him, leaving no regard for who Dong Da was.
Only after hearing this did Dong Da lose all hope.
He divorced Ms. Chen, wrote the letter to sever ties with the children, and on his way back, he was ambushed by the Chen family and Ms. Chenâs man, barely escaping death.
Returning to Southern Yi, Dong Da fell gravely ill.