Chapter 412 At the End of One’s Rope

Chapter 412: At the End of the Road

Meng Wan settled down comfortably in the Meng household, spending his days at the courier station for meals and returning at night to rest. Occasionally, he engaged in cordial yet insincere conversations with other family members. No one asked Meng Wan if he remembered anything from his childhood—only Lady Yu would occasionally mention it. Meng Wan simply said he had fallen seriously ill in Changping and had forgotten much of his early years.

Meng Lian had come back once after that day but never returned. Meng's father and Meng Sheng were also rarely at home—Meng's father served as a boat captain on a merchant vessel, with Meng Sheng as his mate. The father and son actually earned a decent income, which explained how they could afford to buy the house.

After the end of the last heat period, the weather didn't turn cool all at once, but the oppressive humidity lessened somewhat. The days were still hot enough to make people restless and irritable, though a few cool breezes would blow after the sun set.

Taking advantage of the cooler weather, Meng Wan brought his younger brother out for a stroll around the streets. The main reason was that the Meng family's cooking was simply too awful—only the morning porridge was edible.

Coming out of the restaurant, Meng Xi was still savoring the delicious meal. Meng Wan was moderately well-off—perhaps because he had known poverty before, he was willing to spend money on food and drink but rarely on anything else. Meng Xi had only been to a restaurant a few times in his entire life, let alone to Green Mountain Restaurant, one of Lin'an's most famous establishments that Meng Wan had brought him to. This single meal cost more than his family's entire yearly food budget.

Green Mountain Restaurant occupied a prime location, with a whole street of food and entertainment. Meng Wan didn't like being cooped up in a carriage, so they strolled along the street, which made for a more interesting outing.

"Young Master Meng, just coming out of Green Mountain Restaurant? Would you care to come sit in our establishment for a while?"

The madam of Moon Embrace Tower stood at the entrance soliciting customers, her face wearing a flattering yet not fawning smile. The lanterns hanging by the door glowed an ambiguous red. Seeing Meng Wan pass by, she hurried forward to greet him.

They had only met once, on the night of Qixi Festival, in the dark. This madam truly had some skill—she had actually managed to find out who he was.

It was one thing to solicit men, but this was the first time anyone had seen someone from a brothel actively approach a xiaoge (a male with a feminine gender role). Everyone about to enter Moon Embrace Tower, as well as those secretly watching from the street, all stared in curiosity.

Meng Xi hid behind Meng Wan, feeling as though the gazes from all directions were hotter than the sun itself, threatening to roast him alive. Having grown up in Lin'an, he had a vague idea of what Moon Embrace Tower was. All he wanted right now was to get as far away as possible, but Meng Wan before him stood perfectly steady, his back straight as bamboo, seemingly unaffected by the stares of others.

"Thank you for the kind invitation, madam, but I have my young brother with me today. It wouldn't be convenient. I'll come another day to pay a visit." Meng Wan smiled calmly, speaking to the madam with the same courtesy and politeness he showed everyone.

The madam dropped the teasing smile and gave a slight bow. "Of course. Young Master Meng, feel free to come whenever you wish—I'll save you a good seat in the house."

They walked a few more steps, and Meng Xi was about to speak when a louder voice from nearby drowned him out.

"No use crying and screaming. At this point, your innocence is already gone—what's wrong with enjoying a life of comfort here with your sister?" A shrill cry mixed with a soft, gentle voice coming from a small alley nearby.

Meng Wan paused mid-step and turned to look. At the first courtyard by the alley entrance, two big, burly women were pinning down a young woman, holding her still. Her blue dress was disheveled—the style wasn't local to Lin'an—her hair was scattered wildly, and there was a bruise at the corner of her mouth. She screamed and struggled but couldn't break free.

The owner of Moon Embrace Tower was a scholar, though unfortunately tainted by the smell of money and barred from becoming an official. He considered himself a man of refinement, and his establishment was all about song and dance. Nobody was forced into anything—there were performing artists and those who sold their bodies, all based on mutual consent.

Moon Embrace Tower had a great reputation in Lin'an, and other unlicensed prostitutes had flocked there too, conducting their shady business in the nearby alleys. Because it was easy to get into and cheap, they were more popular with the common folk.

This alley was clearly where that kind of business went on.

The young woman's shrill cries drew a crowd of onlookers on the street. Meng Xi grabbed Meng Wan's sleeve in fear, though his eyes couldn't help drifting toward the scene. The woman looked about his age, but her face was filled with despair and desperation. Her nails were practically digging into the two women's arms, but she was no match for two women used to years of hard labor. She was dragged toward the courtyard, her skirt torn open to reveal her pale calf.

She screamed in despair, her voice hysterical, full of despair and hatred, as if her throat would rip open and bleed. "You said you were married and settled! You said you'd invited me to stay at your home! Why did you lie to me?! Why would you do this to me?!"

Before her stood a heavily made-up woman in gaudy attire, leaning lazily against the doorframe. Her features bore some resemblance to the young woman's. She had been speaking in a soft, lilting Jiangnan dialect, calmly telling her sister to accept her fate, but at this outburst, she suddenly laughed. "Foolish little sister, back then our family was so poor we were eating tree bark. What decent family would pay a lot to marry me? They didn't marry me off—they sold me. Otherwise, how do you think you and the younger ones survived, well-fed and well-dressed?"

The struggling sister fell silent for a moment, but her hatred was too deep. Soon she raised her chin again, each word soaked in blood. "If you were sold to a filthy place like this, you shouldn't have come home acting all high and mighty! You lied to me to get me to come to Lin'an, saying there was a good family that wanted to set me up! Sister, you're my own sister—why did you lie to me?! Why did you throw me into this pit of fire?!"

She cried and screamed, sobbing uncontrollably. She'd lost her innocence while drugged and confused, and it was her own sister—the one who'd promised her a better life—who had drugged her herself. How could she not hate her?

She wished she had never come to Lin'an, that she was still in the little village with her parents, even if it meant marrying that simpleton Dazhuang from the next village. Anything was better than becoming a cheap whore overnight.

"Why did I lie to you?" The sister laughed, but not gently like before—it was sharp, almost crazed with venom.

"Why shouldn't I lie to you?"

"Because that's exactly how Father and Mother lied to me back then!"

"They sold me for money—so why can't I do the same to you?"

"Why are you their good daughter, and not me?!"

Why should she be trampled in this dark alley while her sister got to live as a decent woman in the light? She didn't have much time left—her whole family should burn in hell with her!

This pair of sisters, consumed by mutual hatred, completely shattered Meng Xi's view of the world. He'd grown up in the stable Meng household—not rich, but he'd never seen such raw human evil. A sister, driven by her own twisted hatred, could push her own flesh and blood into an abyss of damnation. This was far more terrifying than street fights or market arguments.

The young woman's anguished cries and the sister's venomous laughter pierced like twin poisoned blades into Meng Xi's still-innocent heart, making him shiver all over, his breath catching in his throat.

"Third brother, I... I'm scared. I want to go home." Meng Xi's voice trembled with tears.

Meng Wan signaled to the guards protecting him from the shadows. Two men in civilian clothes slipped away silently, heading toward the alley.

"Alright, it's getting dark anyway. Let's go." Meng Wan said gently.

His tone was perfectly warm, but Meng Xi still felt something between him and his third brother—something that hadn't been obvious before, but now...

Meng Xi walked a long way before unconsciously looking back at the alley. The entrance was empty now, but the two women's voices—one furious, one hateful—seemed to still echo in his heart.

Most of the time, it was just Meng Wan and Meng Xi at home. Meng Wan wrote letters by the window, while outside under the big tree, two youths chatted in low voices. Meng Xi couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could see his playmate Luo Panpan occasionally stealing glances at Meng Wan before quickly looking away.

"He's really your third brother? Hmm... there is some resemblance." Luo Panpan said curiously. He was the xiaoge who had been lost along with Meng Xi that day. Because he was distantly related to Lady Yu and lived nearby, he had grown up playing with Meng Xi.

Meng Xi smiled. "You've asked like three times already. My third brother is amazing—he owns the Stone Courier Station in the city." His tone was full of pride. Meng Wan was beautiful and capable—who wouldn't want a brother like that? Even if Meng Xi didn't have deep feelings for Meng Wan yet, his vanity was thoroughly satisfied.

Luo Panpan looked genuinely surprised. "Huh? How could a ge like him possibly own a courier station? Those places are full of big, burly men doing the work. Your third brother isn't..." His unfinished words, accompanied by his darting eyes, were enough for Meng Xi to understand exactly what he meant.

The youth's face flushed red. He shoved Luo Panpan hard, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and snapped in embarrassment, "Don't talk nonsense! My third brother isn't that kind of person! He earned his money through his own ability!"

Street youths from the common neighborhoods—some of them had no filter on their mouths and would say all sorts of filthy things. They were both sixteen now, and they understood more than a little.

Luo Panpan stumbled from the shove, nearly falling. Anger flickered in his eyes, turning them somewhat dark, but his words came out wounded and pitiful. "I... I was just making a casual comment. Why are you so angry? In the end, he's just a brother you've known for three days, more important than your friend of over ten years. Fine, I just won't come around anymore."

He made to leave, and Meng Xi immediately regretted pushing him. His elder brother and second sister had never been close to him—Luo Panpan had been his only companion since childhood. Even if his words were unkind, Meng Xi shouldn't have resorted to violence.

Meng Xi grabbed Luo Panpan's sleeve. "Panpan, don't go. I shouldn't have pushed you, but what you said wasn't right either. If third brother heard that, it would be bad." The xiaoge guard by his side was taller and stronger than anyone he'd ever seen—one punch could send Panpan flying.

Luo Panpan sat back down, his eyes slightly red. He rubbed them with a handkerchief, making them even redder. "I just think... a ge, managing such a big courier station in the city, commanding all those men—it's so impressive I can hardly believe it. Xi Geer, your third brother came back so suddenly. You should be careful and not tell him everything. He looks very shrewd."

His soft, persuasive words actually made Meng Xi listen. He took Luo Panpan's hand. "Panpan, I know you mean well for me. But third brother is just a ge who married out. Once his husband's family comes to fetch him, he'll be gone. He won't interfere with anything of mine."

"You're just naive. A few years ago, lots of children went missing around the city—either xiaoge or young women... I'm just afraid... ah, never mind. Just be careful. Others aren't me—they won't be so wholeheartedly good to you." Luo Panpan's words carried hidden meaning, his warning subtle, presenting himself entirely as a concerned friend looking out for Meng Xi.

Meng Xi felt a knot of unease in his stomach. He wouldn't go so far as to think Meng Wan would harm him without reason, but Luo Panpan's words involuntarily brought to mind the scene he'd witnessed in the alley outside Moon Embrace Tower yesterday. He shuddered, a shadow of gloom settling over his heart.

Inside the room, Meng Wan set down his brush, sealed the letter, and handed it to Chi Yu, asking casually, "Those two sisters in the alley yesterday—did Brother Lu and the others find out anything?"

Chi Yu took the letter. The handwriting on it was familiar—"To Zhou Lang, personally opened."

He didn't recognize many characters, but recently the ones he'd seen most were Meng Wan's letters to Song Tingzhou.

"Brother Lu said they looked into it. It matches what we heard yesterday. The two sisters aren't from Yangzhou. Where exactly they're from will take more time to find out. If we want a thorough investigation, we'd need to use the prefectural government's authority."

Lu Xiang was one of Ge Quan's men, leading a squad protecting Fang Jinrong and Meng Wan. All of them were second-rate martial artists—the kind of experts you couldn't find anywhere else, all gathered in the imperial palace.

Fang Jinrong was a true friend. Knowing Meng Wan was about to do something earth-shattering again, he sacrificed his precious leisure time to hole up quietly in Qingxiao Residence, keeping only four guards with him while the remaining six lurked in the shadows watching over Meng Wan.

"Unless absolutely necessary, don't alert Xu Yun. He acts deferential toward me, practically begging for our lord to come to Lin'an for land reform, but who knows if it's genuine or false? Don't pin your hopes on kindness that's deliberately put on display." Meng Wan leisurely rinsed his used brush in the brush washer, hung it casually on the rack, his gaze calm and deep. "That's enough. Send the girl to a small town outside the city and give her some traveling money."

Chi Yu grunted in acknowledgment, took the letter, and left. He returned moments later, holding a package. "Fulang, Brother Lu and the others intercepted this. It might have been meant for your food."

Meng Wan took it and opened it to look. Inside the oil paper was wrapped some pink powder, very little in quantity, but the color was bright, almost reddish.

"Ha, still the Luo family's old tricks."

Chi Yu chimed in with a grin, "Didn't you say it yourself? Old or new, as long as it works."

"Yes." Meng Wan sighed. "I'm not the only clever one in this world. These endless little tricks are impossible to guard against." Even he felt a chill of dread.

No matter how much Meng Wan sighed, it was only about self-protection. The Luo family was the one truly in a desperate situation.

"Not a single one of Gao Si Yu and Deng You was saved?"

The Luo family's most senior Clan Elder asked, his voice trembling. Matters of family rise and fall were at stake, and all the influential members of the Luo family were gathered here.

Someone said in panic, "Even if their family heads were killed, they still have people in the court. Why would they go to the capital so willingly and get killed so easily?"

Luo Zhan was the key figure of the clan. News from the capital reached his ears first, and he darkened his face. "It wasn't execution by beheading. They were taken back to Yingtian Prefecture and decapitated, their heads exposed in the marketplace."

The heads of Gao Si Yu and Deng You hung on the city gates of Yingtian as a warning to others, while the heads of Li Xiu Wen and Yao Jing hung on the city gates of Suzhou. The Suzhou aristocratic families were thrown into another wave of terror, each one obediently cooperating with the land equalization, not a single word of complaint.

Luo Zhan's final words were the last straw that broke the camel's back: "After the joint trial by the Three Judicial Boards, Song Ting Zhou didn't stay to oversee the execution of the condemned, but headed straight for our Lin'an. I expect he will arrive within days."

Ge Quan held the imperial sword bestowed by the emperor. Song Ting Zhou had already been opposing the Luo family since his time in Lingnan. The Luo family was now backed into a corner, with no choice but to gamble everything on one last desperate move.