Chapter 5: A Meeting of Hearts?
Xia Qingfei also glanced at Nan Yan and then lowered her face, looking delicate and wronged.
The matriarch and Lady Meng Li’s expressions darkened upon not receiving Nan Yan’s greeting.
The elderly lady snorted coldly, “Truly becoming more unruly—no greeting for elders now!”
Nan Yan snapped back to herself, swallowed her tears, and knelt deeply. “Yan’er was disrespectful. I pay my respects to Grandmother and Mother.”
“After repeated urging, only then you offer a greeting—why come at all if so unwilling?”
Lady Meng Li smoothed things over, “Yan’er has always known proper etiquette. Rise now.”
With help from another, Nan Yan stood, eyes red, and looked toward Xia Qingfei and Meng Boji.
“Husband, what do you mean by this?”
Meng Boji avoided her gaze and said nothing. Instead, Xia Qingfei answered, her delicate, pitiful expression brimming with tears.
“Wife, please don’t blame Boji—” she said, glistening with tears, “I cannot help myself... but my feelings for Boji are sincere!”
“Sincere? Can’t help yourself?”
Nan Yan laughed bitterly, swaying slightly before being steadied.
Before she could ask more, Lady Meng Li spoke: “Yan’er, don’t be hasty. Qingfei has long been deeply in love with Boji!”
Nan Yan’s eyes widened. Long been in love? So this has been going on for more than a day or two?
“Boji is talented and capable, a dashing young gentleman favored by the ladies in the capital—nothing surprising there!”
“Qingfei fell for him at first sight on the day he passed the imperial examination!”
Lady Meng Li’s gaze was tender as she smiled at Xia Qingfei.
Xia Qingfei shyly lowered her face and replied sweetly, “The young lord’s talents are outstanding; Qingfei truly cannot help herself...”
She looked at Meng Boji, who looked back at her. Their eyes were filled with affection, as if Nan Yan, the officially wedded wife, was the intruder.
Nan Yan staggered forward, feeling as if her heart had been viciously stabbed, the pain nearly suffocating.
Lady Meng Li’s eyes were fixed solely on Xia Qingfei, completely disregarding Nan Yan’s feelings.
“I see Qingfei’s appearance as delicate and graceful, and that she is well matched with Boji. Taking her into the family would be a good thing!”
Nan Yan’s face drained of color. “Well matched?”
She stepped two paces closer to Meng Boji. “Husband, you are well matched with her? And what about me?”
“Yan’er, calm down and listen to me first...”
“Do you still remember the words you spoke three years ago, kneeling before the Duke’s mansion in a torrential downpour?”
Meng Boji’s words were cut off by Nan Yan.
Three years ago, Meng Boji knelt at the gates of the Duke’s mansion, dressed in fine clothes with his horse, kneeling straight and firm.
No matter the scorching sun or pouring rain, he remained steadfast.
“Meng Boji’s heart for Yan’er is as true as heaven and earth, unwavering through the years!”
“If I may marry Yan’er, I will never abandon her, living and dying together. She will be my only lawful wife, and I will never betray her.”
“Please, Duke, grant your blessing—”
In the heavy rain, his head knocked repeatedly against the ground, breaking the skin between his brows, blood flowing freely.
After pleading for three days, he fainted in the rain, still murmuring Nan Yan’s name through a high fever.
Finally, the Duke saw him and asked directly.
“You merely passed each other once at Baohua Temple, a fleeting glance, and you fell so deeply for her?”
Meng Boji’s gaze was resolute. “A glance is for eternity. My love for Yan’er is deep and unforgettable!”
The Duke hesitated. “Yan’er is only thirteen. She is my only granddaughter. How can I trust her whole life to you?”
“Please rest assured, Duke. If Boji may marry Yan’er, I will ensure she has no worries her whole life, sheltering her from storms and protecting her in peace!”
His words were firm and sincere. The Duke then asked Nan Yan.
“Is the man kneeling truly the one you love?”
At that time, Nan Yan did not understand love between men and women, but Meng Boji’s kneeling before the Duke moved her deeply.
She chose to trust the Duke. “If Grandfather approves, then I will marry him.”
“Please, Duke, grant your blessing!”
Meng Boji knelt until his head was bruised and bleeding, and the Duke finally relented and agreed.
The Duke’s legitimate daughter marrying the newly crowned top scholar was a celebrated event.
Only three years have passed—
The promises still echo in her ears, vivid as ever. His love was once so profound, yet today he claims to be well matched with Xia Qingfei?
“Husband, answer me—do you still remember your promise from back then?”
Nan Yan’s eyes were earnest, waiting for a single word.
Meng Boji took her hands in his. “I remember. Of course, I remember the promise I made to you, Yan’er.”
Hearing this, Nan Yan was puzzled. “Then why today...”
She looked toward Xia Qingfei, then back at Meng Boji. “Madam Su said she did not leave the mansion yesterday...”
Meng Boji was silent for a moment, heavy-hearted. “Yan’er, Qingfei truly loves me deeply. She cannot live without me!”
“Can that justify breaking your promise?”
“No—”
Meng Boji pressed her hands to his chest, still wearing that same deep, steadfast expression.
“I still love you, Yan’er. You remain my lawful wife. I will shelter you from storms and ensure your life is free of worries...”
“But this does not prevent Qingfei from joining the family! She is herself, you are yourself. Yan’er, you are still my lawful wife!”
Nan Yan felt as if struck hard in the chest and swiftly withdrew her hands, stepping back two paces.
“Husband, have you resolved to bring her into the family?”
Meng Boji sighed softly. “Qingfei’s feelings run deep. If she cannot enter the Meng household, she will not survive.”
“Yan’er, you are so kind-hearted. How could you bear to let Qingfei have no way out?”
Nan Yan could no longer bear it and pointed at Xia Qingfei, speaking loudly.
“She was with another man only yesterday. How can she claim today that she cannot live without you—”
Her words stunned everyone.
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