Chapter 33: Dreaming

"Even my grandfather was deceived by him, believing he was sincere, which is why he nodded and agreed to let me marry into the Meng family..."

Madam Meng could not bear to hear such things said about her precious grandson. She trembled with rage. "You are twisting the facts and turning black into white—"

"It was my grandson, Boji, who came with a heart of pure sincerity to seek your hand! It was your Duke's Mansion that relied on its noble status to humiliate us in every possible way!"

"All this talk of ulterior motives and secret schemes is merely your one-sided account, pure slander!"

Nan Yan laughed aloud. "Slander? And what of Xia Qingfei from the Swallow Pavilion? Am I to believe she is a person I invented out of thin air?"

"Madam Meng, you have a particular fondness for her singing and often summoned her to your estate to perform. Was that perhaps because you were already fellow villagers?"

"Meng Boji and she were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, and what's more—the two had long ago pledged their lives to one another!"

"Even when the girl's father tried to tear them apart and sold her into the Swallow Pavilion, fate had it that they would be reunited here in the capital."

"Later, during the Dragon Boat Festival, Meng Boji met me. After a brief period of melancholy, the girl was once again full of joy..."

Nan Yan stepped closer to Madam Meng, narrowing her eyes. "Does Madam Meng know why?"

The old woman could not speak, her eyes bulging with impotent fury.

Nan Yan’s eyes turned red at the corners as she smiled. "She thought her lover had changed his heart, favoring a woman of high birth. Little did she know, her lover told her that he only approached that high-born woman to exploit her family's status, hoping it would help him ascend the ladder of success—"

"That high-born woman was me. And that girl’s lover... Madam Meng knows full well, it was your precious grandson, Meng Boji, who topped the Imperial Examinations—"

The crowd erupted in an uproar, accusations raining down like a storm, all directed at Madam Meng.

"You..."

Madam Meng had never imagined that Nan Yan would know such details. To have these sordid affairs exposed in public turned her face an ashen blue.

During the three years Nan Yan had spent as a wife in the Meng household, she had been meek and easily bullied. How did she have such spirit today to confront her publicly, without a shred of fear or yielding an inch?

"Madam Meng, is this what you call your grandson's pure, sincere intentions? Is this not a case of long-concealed malice and calculated betrayal?"

"..."

As Madam Meng retreated, Nan Yan pressed forward, refusing to let her hide in silence, questioning her sharply.

"Speak! Have I wronged you, your grandson, or your Meng family by even half a word?!"

The old woman trembled, her speech faltering, yet she remained stubborn. "You... this is... this is nonsense—"

"Very well!" Nan Yan laughed. "The girl is a performer at the Swallow Pavilion; her records are on file. Shall I send someone to summon the Pavilion Mistress and the two dance and music masters to testify whether there is a single word of falsehood in what I have said?!"

Madam Meng stumbled back two steps, her voice completely stifled. The household registry of the Swallow Pavilion could not be faked. How could she have the confidence to face a confrontation with people from there? Just the thought of it forced her to lower her head under Nan Yan’s piercing gaze.

She had miscalculated. Coming here today was a grave mistake!

But it was too late. Since Nan Yan had come for her, she would not let her leave after splashing mud on her reputation so easily.

"It was your grandson, Meng Boji, who was greedy for more. He had Xia Qingfei, yet he still coveted the status and power of my family!"

"He went to great lengths to marry me, and even after I became his wife, he continued to keep Xia Qingfei as a secret mistress—"

"What is even more shameless is that your entire Meng family facilitated this!"

Nan Yan's eyes were bloodshot with hatred. "In our three years of marriage, he kept this mistress for two—"

"You complained that I bore no children for three years, but that was because you only wanted Xia Qingfei to bear the heirs of the Meng family, wasn't it?!"

"The moment Xia Qingfei became pregnant, you planned to bring her home and elevate her to the status of a co-wife, placing me, the legitimate wife, in what position?!"

"It was Meng Boji who swore on his life that I would be his only wife. When I refused to accept this, you turned around and branded me with the sin of barrenness to cast me out, and even attempted to seize my dowry!"

"When my father and brother were framed and condemned, you even set your sights on the assets of my Duke's Mansion—"

"You stopped at nothing to achieve this. Last night, when I retrieved my dowry, you immediately sent men to waylay and rob me, and even had Meng Boji come to play the hypocrite, hoping to deceive me once more..."

"Dream on—"

As all the sordid secrets of the Meng family were ruthlessly exposed by Nan Yan, the murmurs of the onlookers grew into a roar.

"He wrote poems and letters to pursue the daughter of the Duke the moment he met her. Even if he couldn't pass the exams, he could still latch onto a powerful family!"

"And if he did pass, he could use that status to rise to the top. Look, didn't he climb to the position of Hanlin Scholar in just three years?"

"Now that the two generals of the Duke's Mansion have been convicted, the Meng family probably wants to cut ties and bring in their mistress, so they cast off the wife!"

"Casting off a wife to marry another is shameless enough, but to try and swallow her dowry and her family's assets—it’s absolutely atrocious!"

"These events, one after another, all calculated step by step—what a truly wicked heart!"

...

Listening to these insults, Madam Meng could not endure it and roared at the crowd.

"That is not how it happened! She was born a seductress. She seduced my grandson, and after they married, she was shameless and flirted with others. When she was exposed, she turned around and slandered our Meng family for plotting against her—"

"It was clearly her and her lover who plotted against us, having her lover pretend to befriend my grandson just to move into our home, where they would rendezvous and commit adultery right under our noses!"

"Oh, what a misfortune for our house! How did our Meng family ever end up marrying such a lewd woman—"

The crowd, fickle as grass in the wind, shifted their stance once more.

"Is this Lady Nan truly having an affair, flirting with men everywhere?"

"A few days ago, a young Master Jiang did indeed move into the Meng estate. I saw him with my own eyes—he was quite handsome!"

"Oh! If that's true, such a woman cannot be kept!"

"No wonder she was cast off. To cheat on her husband and even bring the man home—who could tolerate that!"

...

Having regained the upper hand, Madam Meng wore a triumphant smile. Mud was the easiest thing to throw; it takes only a breath to spread a rumor, but a lifetime to clear one's name.

Nan Yan took a deep breath, clutching her palms until they ached.

Mother Su and Bie Zhi could no longer stand by.

"That is complete nonsense! That Master Jiang was brought home by your own grandson; what does that have to do with our Lady?!"

"It was your grandson who brought his mistress home in broad daylight to engage in depravity, and our Lady caught them in the act!"

Recalling the sounds heard outside the study that night, Bie Zhi felt a wave of nausea and spat on the ground in disgust.

"To have married our Lady, the daughter of a Duke, and then to engage in an illicit affair with a performer from a music house—your grandson is the truly disgusting one!"

"We have been with our Lady in the Meng house for three years. She has always fulfilled her duties, managing the household with order and grace. Where is the flirting with other men? Madam Meng, aren't you afraid of retribution for telling such bald-faced lies with your eyes wide open?!"