Chapter 137 Invitation

Chapter 137 Invitation

After meeting with Doctor Miao, he immediately examined Song Tingzhou's leg injury. "The bones are set well, not crooked. Once we get back to the main road, I'll apply new medicine for you, Lord."

"There's no hurry for the medicine. Let's return to Pingshi Town first."

All the attendants had gathered to search for him, leaving only Meng Wan and the children behind. Song Tingzhou had been restless ever since he learned this news.

Unbeknownst to him, his mother Chang Jinhua was also silently weeping in the carriage on the official road. She had lost her husband young and considered her life bitter. Her son had finally passed the imperial examination and become an official after marriage. If something were to happen to him, she wouldn't want to live the rest of her life—she would simply go underground to reunite the family.

Bi Yun tried to comfort her, "Old Madam, you haven't recovered yet. Don't grieve too much. The lord will certainly be safe."

Qin Jiao was young and strong; he had gotten used to seasickness after half a month. Chang Jinhua, however, was elderly and had suffered greatly along the way, constantly taking medicine. She had only just regained some clarity today when she heard the bad news about her son. Bi Yun feared she would collapse again.

Chang Jinhua knew crying was useless, but when it came to it, she couldn't hold back her tears.

Bi Yun consoled her while constantly looking back at the dense forest with towering trees nearby. The mountain woods had a special stillness at night, occasionally broken by a rustling sound, as if some unknown animal was crawling through the woods.

Several birds sleeping in the treetops were suddenly startled by something, spreading their wings and flying away. Bi Yun was greatly startled by the noise. She turned back and saw lantern light and heard voices behind them.

She clutched Chang Jinhua's arm tightly, "Old Madam, is... is it Brother Xuesheng and the others coming back?"

"Xue Sheng and the others are back? Let me go and see." Chang Jinhua was completely immersed in grief. Hearing this, she immediately wanted to get out of the carriage.

Bi Yun was taken aback, then quickly followed her out of the carriage.

The soldiers around the carriage also heard the commotion. "Old Madam, don't move yet. Let us go and check."

Chang Jinhua was extremely anxious. "Alright, alright, go quickly."

The soldiers ran along the road to the rear. Soon they returned to report, "Old Madam, it's the lord."

Chang Jinhua hurried over in a half-run. Seeing her son being carried on Qin Jiao's back, she couldn't help but cry bitterly again.

"Quickly put Da Lang into the carriage. What happened to his leg? Did he fall off a cliff?"

Song Tingzhou sat in the carriage to comfort her, "Mother, I'm fine. But first, let Xue Sheng and the others take you to the county seat. I need to go back to the town to fetch Wan'er."

Chang Jinhua didn't yet know that Pingshi Town was dangerous. "Ah? Can't we all go back together to fetch Wan'er?"

"Mother, it's getting dark. It's not convenient to go back and forth. It's only a day and a half to the county seat from here. Go to the county seat and wait. We'll follow soon." Song Tingzhou showed no urgency on his face, but inwardly he was burning with anxiety. He only regretted that his leg injury prevented him from immediately riding back.

Chang Jinhua had always listened to her son and daughter-in-law. Hearing this, she could only instruct, "Then take good care of your leg."

"Doctor Miao is taking care of me. It's fine."

Bi Yun accompanied Chang Jinhua. Song Tingzhou then asked Xue Sheng to take seven or eight soldiers to escort Chang Jinhua to the county seat, while he and the remaining people rushed back to Pingshi Town to pick up Meng Wan.

This place was a midpoint between Pingshi Town and the county seat. The journey to either side was almost a day and a half.

Hurrying continuously day and night, they finally returned to the manor outside the town on the second night.

Earlier, when the local gentry had lent them this manor, the tenants had moved out because their group was too large.

Now most of their soldiers had already set out for Xiwu Prefecture, and the tenants should have moved back. But the manor was eerily silent—not the quiet of night, but a desolate, uninhabited stillness.

"Your Highness, please investigate as quickly as possible." Song Tingzhou's sense of unease had peaked, but he was inconvenient to move due to his leg injury. Rather than wasting time needing care, it was better to have everyone search immediately.

Even if Song Tingzhou hadn't spoken, Qin Jiao had already begun to search. They first looked at the bedroom where Meng Wan and the others had stayed.

"Meng Fulang, Meng Fulang?"

Qin Jiao called a few times without response, so he simply pushed the door open.

The room was quiet and still, the bedding neatly folded, as if no one had ever lived there.

He sensed something wrong and ordered the other soldiers, "Search quickly. See if anyone else is still here."

The soldiers' search speed increased, but there was not a single living soul in the entire manor. Even their luggage had disappeared.

"How is that possible?" One soldier looked utterly incredulous. Only two days ago, he had left the manor with Chang Jinhua and the others to rescue Song Tingzhou. At that time, the manor had been normal.

Ever since entering the manor, Song Tingzhou had sensed something wrong. Now, hearing the reports, his heart sank to the bottom.

His voice was strained to the extreme, forcing out five dry, hoarse words: "Go to the town… find people."

--

Three days earlier—

After Song Tingzhou and Xue Sheng had left, Meng Wan calmed down and roughly organized their luggage in the manor, planning to continue packing once Song Tingzhou and the others returned with the rented carts.

The long journey had made him quite irritable; the mountains and rivers were truly wearisome.

He was eagerly waiting for Song Tingzhou to return soon so they could set off for Xiwu. In the afternoon, the steward of the Chen family, a local gentry from the town, came to call.

"Our lady heard that your family has come from afar. She has specially prepared a feast at home and invites you to visit." The steward smiled warmly, inviting Meng Wan.

Meng Wan also put on a smile. His smile was like a spring breeze, so sincere that no one could detect any hypocrisy. "It should have been us who requested to visit the madam."

Then he gently furrowed his handsome brows and pointed at the messy yard. "But as you can see, Steward Chen, our luggage hasn't been organized yet. There are many matters at home that require my attention. It's really not convenient for me to go and disturb you. Please apologize to the madam for me."

The steward's smile was somewhat strained. "Since you have important business, we certainly won't insist. Please go ahead with your work."

He turned and sighed. "It's just a pity that our madam was so delighted. Now I fear she will be disappointed."

If it were an ordinary guest, hearing the host say such a thing would feel guilty and then drop everything to attend, but Meng Wan was clearly not an ordinary person.

Without even looking up, he called to Bi Yun, "Bi Yun, go and see Steward Chen off, so he can return early to inform the madam not to waste a table of fine dishes."

The steward left with a stiff face, looking disgruntled.

A night passed, and the residence was relatively peaceful. The next day, Meng Wan spent half a day organizing with Bi Yun and the others. In the afternoon, having nothing to do, he took the children to play shuttlecock kicking.

Qin Jiao, with his young master's temperament, had probably been driven mad by the journey too. He quickly joined them.

Meng Wan smoothly withdrew and went to ask Qing Xing and her grandfather about the local miasma. Qing Xing's grandfather was well-traveled and thought that the climate was too hot and humid, with dense forests, causing poisonous insects and miasma to thrive, hence the existence of miasma.

Meng Wan found it troublesome. The climate here was like this, with many mountains and forests—not just a single mountain or forest. There was no flat and vast terrain like in the north. Converting all forests to farmland was obviously very difficult.

He wondered if the terrain of Heshan County was also so steep and perilous.

In the evening, they ate using their own rice and flour. Meng Wan instructed the remaining soldiers, "You all work hard. Stand night watches in groups of four. Endure these few days. When my husband returns, we will set off."

The soldiers agreed on the surface, but secretly they were not convinced by the orders of a mere young lord. However, with Qin Jiao above them, they remained obedient. They kept the night watches as usual. Whether they were diligent or not, at least the numbers were there. With several people rotating to patrol day and night, the manor was kept tightly guarded.

On the morning of the fourth day, Meng Wan estimated that if Song Tingzhou and his party had been successful, they should return within a few days. He was looking forward to it when he suddenly saw the Chen family's carriage arriving at the manor. It turned out to be the principal wife of the local gentry herself.

Since they were living on their turf and posing as traveling merchants, Meng Wan naturally had to be courteous to the Chen family, the local landlord.

"Madam, what brings you here in person? I still haven't had a chance to thank you and Master Chen for letting us use the property." Meng Wan stepped forward with a smile and bowed courteously.

Madam Chen, about the same age as Chang Jinhua, was slight and dark-complexioned. As soon as she saw Meng Wan, she greeted him warmly.

"Oh my, as expected of someone from the capital! In all my forty-plus years in this little town, I've never seen a young man as refined as a flower!"

Meng Wan was long used to compliments and simply exchanged pleasantries with her.

"Please forgive me, Madam. My mother-in-law got seasick on the boat and hasn't recovered yet, so I must receive you in her stead."

Madam Chen clapped her hands together and laughed loudly. "What's there to forgive? I felt an instant connection with you from the minute I saw you. I sent my steward to invite you a few days ago, but you said you had no time. Today is my birthday, and I've set up a few tables at home. I figured you'd be free today, so I came to personally invite you."

Meng Wan raised an eyebrow, finding this interesting. He'd never met this Madam Chen before, and even if he were vain, he wouldn't think he had that much charm. So why was she so insistent on inviting him over?

He put on a worried look. "I really shouldn't refuse your kind invitation, Madam. But my mother-in-law is ill. According to the customs in my hometown, I should stay and attend to her; otherwise, my husband won't be happy when he gets back."

Madam Chen made as if to go in and see Chang Jinhua. "Don't worry about that. I'll take my people in to visit the elder sister and ask her for one day of your time. Let's see if she gives me that face."

A flash of displeasure flickered in Meng Wan's eyes. Chang Jinhua was really sick and had just gotten off the boat to rest. How could he let outsiders disturb her peace?

"My mother-in-law is unwell and not fit to see visitors. Very well, I'll go then. Give me a moment, Madam."

Once inside, his face darkened. Chang Jinhua had taken her medicine that morning and was still lying there drowsy, not quite awake.

Meng Wan stood by the bed for a moment, tucked her blanket in, then called for Qin Jiao and Elder Miao.

"I'm going to the town with Madam Chen soon. I'm leaving you both in charge of the household. If anything goes wrong, don't worry about the belongings; my mother-in-law's safety comes first."

On someone else's turf, it wasn't smart to openly offend them. If something did go down, he was young and quick enough to run, but Chang Jinhua had to be left with trustworthy people. Qing Xing and her family owed him their lives and were kind-hearted; if he entrusted her to them, they'd definitely look after Chang Jinhua well.

There were few people left in the household now. Chang Jinhua needed someone at her side, and the only reliable young attendant was Bi Yun. Meng Wan left her behind and took Qing Xing to accompany him to the Chen residence for the banquet.

"You all stay here. If any bad people come, there's a dog hole next to the outhouse. You sneak out through it and head west, understand?" After settling Chang Jinhua, Meng Wan gave these instructions to the little ones. It might be paranoid, but better safe than sorry.

Meng Wan deliberately changed into a modest, dark blue outfit, plain and unremarkable from head to toe. But his unpainted face still drew attention, giving him a unique charm even in the coarsest clothes.

"Madam Chen, shall we go now?" Meng Wan came out with Qing Xing, carrying two gift packages.

Madam Chen's eyes swept over their young, delicate faces—both Qing Xing's and Meng Wan's. "Let's take my carriage. We can chat on the way."

Meng Wan politely declined. "Today is your birthday, Madam. The carriage is too tight; I don't want to squeeze you. I'll have my servants bring another one."

He called over seven or eight soldiers and ordered them to harness a cart to take him into town.

These soldiers were all strong and robust, serving as a deterrent. If the Chen family had only petty schemes, they could be managed. If they had more reckless ideas, Meng Wan wouldn't mind sobering them up.

Arriving at the Chen residence, the gate was bustling with people and noise—a true celebration.

As Madam Chen alighted, a relative inquired, "Today's your big birthday—why aren't you at home waiting for the children to kowtow and offer their blessings, but instead coming back from outside?"

Madam Chen enthusiastically greeted them. "The children are filial; they kowtowed to me early this morning. The feast hasn't started yet. Let's go to the back courtyard to watch the opera first."

She took Meng Wan by the arm to introduce him. "This is someone from the capital, whom I personally invited. All you aunts and uncles, join me in entertaining him."

Meng Wan politely declined. "Madam and the ladies, please go ahead. I've brought some modest gifts and should first go to the front courtyard to register them."

Madam Chen said casually, "Can't you just let your maid do it?"

She reached for Meng Wan again, but he nimbly sidestepped and bowed slightly. "Madam, please go first."

With such a blatant refusal, Madam Chen's face slightly fell, her smile fading. "Fine, go to the front courtyard then. But come find me quickly, so no rude person in the front bumps into you."

Her words seemed to imply something else. Meng Wan smiled as he watched them head to the back courtyard for the opera. Once they were gone, he didn't hurry to the front courtyard to register gifts. Instead, he stood still and looked around carefully.

Qing Xing asked curiously, "Meng Fulang, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing. For now, you'll have to act as my maid. Don't leave my side even during the meal."

Meng Wan observed the seemingly lively courtyard, feeling a vague sense of wrongness. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but his heart was on high alert.