Meng Mingde Repays Kindness With Malice

She was born in a distant water town and learned medicine from her mother from a young age.

When the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, he was ordered to go to the water town to manage flood control.

After the flood came the plague.

She and her mother treated the people, while the Crown Prince assisted and was hands-on.

As young teenagers, their feelings for each other began to stir, and they were attracted to one another.

After the Crown Prince returned to the capital, he requested a marriage decree from the Emperor.

She became a secondary consort to the Crown Prince.

When the Crown Prince ascended the throne as Emperor, she was enfelled as a Noble Consort, favored above all others in the palace.

She and the Emperor had one daughter, the round-faced girl from earlier, named Meng Ying.

When Meng Ying was five years old, her hometown experienced another flood. She worried about her family and couldn't eat or sleep.

The Emperor, pitying her, allowed her to return home to see her family.

About thirty miles from her hometown, she saw a man lying by the roadside, covered in blood.

She ordered her people to rescue him. Although she knew that as a consort, she should avoid men, she was also a physician.

She brought the man back to the old family residence.

In between treating the injured and sick villagers, she also diligently treated him.

The man woke up and looked at her with an unusual gaze.

She tried to avoid him as much as possible, and when he had fully recovered, she asked her father to persuade him to leave.

However, he not only refused to leave but also appeared in her room that night. At the time, she had been busy all day and was bathing.

She called for help.

But the maids serving outside were immobilized, able to hear but not move.

She could only let out a low cry.

With another gesture from him, the maids could no longer make a sound.

Empress Chu cried and cursed, telling him to leave.

He not only refused to leave but also immobilized her and forcibly took advantage of her.

For the next month, he came to her room every night.

After a month, he finally left, proudly announcing his name and leaving a token, saying that in ten years, his wife should have ascended, and she could come find him, and he would give her the position of a concubine.

If she had a child, she could become a favored concubine.

She only wished for death.

The rope she used to hang herself broke.

When she jumped into the river, a river god caught her.

When she jumped off a cliff, someone flew up to catch her.

Drinking poison had no effect whatsoever.

Instead, she was diagnosed with pregnancy.

She tried every method to induce an abortion, but none were successful.

The Emperor, seeing that she had not returned for a long time, wrote to urge her to come back.

How could she face him with such disgrace?

She kept delaying her return.

The Emperor, unable to wait any longer, came to pick her up in person.

A large entourage of officials, guards, and palace maids arrived with him.

The proud Emperor stepped out of his imperial carriage and saw her slightly bulging belly.

She had been away from the capital for half a year, and her condition should not have been this advanced.

The Emperor, in his rage, caused bloodshed for a thousand miles.

Her entire clan was killed, and within a ten-mile radius, not even a live chicken was left.

The maids she brought with her were all beheaded.

She was brought back to the palace, and the Emperor tried various methods to abort the child, but none were successful.

The Emperor finally realized something was wrong and asked her for the reason.

She explained everything, and the Emperor was filled with shame.

But when she witnessed the Emperor killing her parents and siblings with her own eyes, her heart turned to stone.

She requested to be confined to the cold palace.

The Emperor sent Meng Ying to accompany her.

She gave birth to Meng Shiwan in the cold palace.

Perhaps it was because she was too restless in the womb, Meng Shiwan was somewhat foolish and dull.

Three years ago, she ran out of the cold palace, was bullied by the other princesses, and fell into a lotus pond. When she woke up, she was suddenly clear-headed.

Meng Anli paused her action of peeling grapes, "After falling into the pond, she woke up and wasn't foolish anymore?"

Empress Chu nodded, "After she learned about her background, she was very happy and said she wanted to find her father. I advised her, telling her how terrifying Meng Mingde is and how difficult the life of a half-human, half-beast child would be.

But she said, 'My fate is determined by me, not by heaven. Since I started so miserably, I must be playing a comeback script. I should be favored by the Heavenly Dao, otherwise, why couldn't I get rid of them even after multiple abortions?'

What if I cultivate immortality? What if there are many gods and demons, with changing circumstances and countless capable people? I can use my advanced knowledge and technology to crush these ancient people."

Just then, Meng Anli took a bite of a grape, and the sourness made her small face pucker.

Hmm, it's not as delicious as the ones Master gave me.

Seeing her like this, Empress Chu couldn't help but curve her lips.

Meng Anli coughed lightly, regaining her profound and unfathomable demeanor.

She vaguely understood the heroine's intention, like a dan actor in a play.

"Advanced knowledge and technology?"

She thought about it, and some of Meng Shiwan's words were indeed novel.

But in the Meng family, she mostly used that innocent and weak face to frame her and act pitiful.

Empress Chu shook her head, "I don't know the specifics, but in short, she took a token and went to Chongwu Mountain."

Meng Anli nodded slightly, indicating she understood.

She asked Empress Chu, "You hate Meng Mingde, don't you?"

"Ultimately, he ruined my life. How could I not hate him? But I..." Empress Chu trembled with fear, "I don't dare to hate him, he is too powerful."

"You don't need to be powerful to manipulate them. Meng Shiwan doesn't even have an inner core. You are more beautiful than Meng Shiwan and more resilient. Her resilience seemed very fake to me, but they bought into her act.

Let me tell you how Meng Shiwan did it..."

Meng Shiwan went up Chongwu Mountain alone, showing her resilient personality.

After being sent to the Meng residence in the Heavenly Realm, she specifically requested to live in a remote small courtyard. As a result, due to the courtyard's darkness and dampness, she broke out in a rash all over her body.

She said with envious and innocent eyes, "I've caused trouble for you all. It would be great if I could live in my sister's sunny courtyard."

She sounded pitiful, but in places her father and brothers couldn't see, she rolled her eyes at Meng Anli, full of provocation.

Meng Anli had initially agreed, but seeing that look, she no longer wanted to.

Meng Shiwan was on the verge of tears, about to faint.

Her third brother took pity on her and asked Meng Anli to switch courtyards.

Her eldest brother asked them to live together.

Meng Anli reluctantly agreed.

They didn't live together for a few days before poisonous scorpions were found on Meng Shiwan's bed.

Her father and brothers investigated and found a scorpion jar in Meng Anli's room.

Meng Shiwan outwardly defended her, "Sister must not have done it on purpose. Sister must just resent me for living here and is temporarily upset."

No matter how Meng Anli explained, they didn't believe her.

Her father told her to move to that dark courtyard to reflect on her actions.

She encountered Meng Shiwan in the mansion's garden.

Meng Shiwan grabbed her hand and pushed herself, causing her to fall into the pool.

The guards and maids saw it clearly and all said that Meng Anli had pushed Meng Shiwan.

No one listened to her explanations.

Her father and brothers only thought that due to the previous incident, she harbored resentment towards Meng Shiwan.

Meng Anli let out a long sigh and forced a smile.

"See, it's these tricks that gradually pushed me out, and she became the darling of my father and brothers."

Empress Chu looked ashamed, "When she was foolish, she would still help me plant vegetables and fetch water for me. She was a good child. I never expected that after she recovered... perhaps she saw too many dirty things in the palace since she was young."

"Does this mean..." Meng Anli asked her, "you often let her run around?"

Empress Chu paused, "She was a foolish child. Although I resent her father, she is, after all, my child. I usually kept her confined in this cold palace. The only time she went out was that time she fell into the water..."

"Did anything strange happen that time she fell into the water?"

"Meng Ying found her first."