"Where's the frostbite ointment Xun Mei gave you? Bring it to me." Meng Yuan directed Jiang Tang.
Jiang Tang obediently went back for it and quickly brought it over.
Tucking it into his robes, Meng Yuan rose and said, "I'll go ask Manor Head Li."
"I'll go with you," Old Man Jiang hurriedly said.
"I can go by myself." Meng Yuan smiled to reassure him. "Don't worry, I absolutely won't cause trouble. I'm just going to ask a question."
When he stepped outside, the north wind was howling. There were no stars in the sky, and dogs barked in the distance, as if snow was on its way.
Arriving at Manor Head Li's courtyard, Meng Yuan did not beat around the bush. He asked directly, "Manor Head, how is the matter of my entering the Royal Residence to study martial arts coming along?"
"Ah, there's no way around it. I specifically asked, but the Princess Consort wants household-born servants. The two taels of silver you gave me were spent as well, and I even paid another tael out of my own pocket, but the path truly won't open." Manor Head Li sighed.
Li Dabiao laughed twice. "I told you, Little Gelder, just work in peace for now. Wait three to five years. If the Princess Consort still needs people then, my father will definitely go plead for you!"
This father and son pair truly were interesting, treating others like fools to be hoodwinked.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Manor Head."
Meng Yuan did not linger on the matter. He continued, "Manor Head, Old Man Jiang has been coughing at night these past few days. Tomorrow, I'd like to take a day off and go to town to get some medicine."
"Get medicine? What about tomorrow's work?" Manor Head Li became anxious as soon as he heard this. "Let me tell you, old people get sick. Medicine won't help anyway. You should just work properly—that's the right course!"
"My skills haven't been fully learned yet. If Old Man Jiang gets too sick to work, the manor will be the one taking the loss." Meng Yuan seized upon his weak spot and added, "Once I return with the medicine, I'll work extra and make up for it."
Hearing this, Manor Head Li finally agreed.
When he rose the next day, snowflakes were already drifting down.
Without eating breakfast, Meng Yuan left the manor directly. Rather than heading to Clearwater Town, he made straight for Songhe Prefecture City.
The reason Manor Head Li had managed to build up such influence was because he was an old servant who had come as part of the Princess Consort's dowry. That was the only reason he had received such generous treatment.
Therefore, if Meng Yuan wanted to strip him of his power, he had to cut off the Princess Consort's protection!
Of course, how could the bond between master and servant, built over so many years, be severed just because one wished it?
And Manor Head Li's usual dealings in reselling manure, piglets, and chicks were not considered major offenses. At most, he would receive a scolding.
But judging from everything recently, the Princess Consort valued rules, had a kind heart, cared for the common people, and attached great importance to her reputation.
Earlier, Xun Mei had asked whether anyone was causing trouble in the Royal Residence's name. As the Princess Consort's close attendant, her inquiry was equivalent to the Princess Consort's own. Clearly, the Princess Consort was also wary of those beneath her, but had simply not caught Manor Head Li by the handle.
Yet now, Manor Head Li was colluding with outsiders, bullying a mother and her orphaned daughter, and seizing another's fields in the Royal Residence's name. He had plainly violated the Princess Consort's taboos and tarnished her good name.
Therefore, if Meng Yuan wanted to strip him of his power, this was where he should begin.
Of course, Meng Yuan had no blade for stripping power, so he had to borrow one. Xun Mei was that blade.
The wind and snow grew heavier, until heaven and earth were all white.
As the vital fire within him grew increasingly robust, Meng Yuan became less and less afraid of the cold. His entire body brimmed with strength, and even hurrying along the road did not tire him.
"Without power, without money, and without even a blade in hand, doing anything is truly difficult!" Meng Yuan jogged onward, slipped, and landed hard on his backside. He felt all the more strongly that he needed to learn martial arts.
Only then could he avoid becoming cattle or sheep, and only then would he live up to the name Little Gelder.
The journey was more than forty li. He ran and walked, and it was nearly noon when he reached Songhe Prefecture City.
Meng Yuan first bought the medicine, then asked where the Royal Residence was located. Only then did he carry the medicine bundle and seek it out.
After half an hour, he arrived before the Royal Residence's main gate. There was still more than half a month until the New Year, yet the residence was already hung with lanterns and decorated in colors, filled with festivity.
"Go to the back gate." After Meng Yuan explained his purpose and offered a tenth of a tael of silver, the gatekeeper gave him directions.
Meng Yuan thanked him and headed to the back gate, where he found a maid guarding it.
"Big Sister, I'm from South of the City Pasture Manor. I've come to see Mei-jie." Meng Yuan offered two coins of silver and took out the porcelain bottle of frostbite ointment Xun Mei had given him.
"Mei-jie is busy with New Year matters. Wait here first." Though Meng Yuan looked bedraggled, the maid could not conceal her appreciation for his handsome features. She accepted the money and porcelain bottle, happily went inside to report him, and returned only after quite a while. "I reported it. Just wait. If she doesn't come, you can't blame me."
Meng Yuan thanked her, then stood by the wall to wait, pondering at the same time.
There were two difficulties in this trip.
The first was that Xun Mei might be too busy to see him. That was why Meng Yuan had deliberately brought the porcelain bottle that had held the frostbite ointment, hoping that when Xun Mei saw the old object, she would remember a little of their old connection.
The second was that this matter was, in essence, a complaint. If he spoke truthfully, Xun Mei would likely think he had secretly investigated Manor Head Li's misdeeds only because Manor Head Li had blocked him from studying martial arts, and that he was lodging a complaint out of resentment.
If that happened, then even if Manor Head Li was dealt with, Xun Mei would think Meng Yuan was deeply calculating. She would inevitably look down on him, and he would fall into the inferior position.
In the end, the matter of studying martial arts still rested with Xun Mei. Therefore, Meng Yuan had to expose Manor Head Li's wicked deeds without allowing Xun Mei to develop a bad impression of him.
That would truly test his ability to adapt to circumstances.
"Spending all day racking my brains and exhausting myself—if I'd known, I would have gone to be a male favorite!" Meng Yuan lamented inwardly.
After half an hour, when he was drenched in snow, he finally caught the faint scent of plum blossoms.
Xun Mei stood before the gate, draped in a pale cloak. When she had heard that someone had come seeking her with the porcelain bottle, she had known who it was.
With the New Year approaching, it was precisely the season for exchanging gifts. Xun Mei had seen too much of worldly calculation. After asking the maid who had carried the message and learning that the youth had arrived carrying a bundle wrapped in coarse paper, she felt a touch of displeasure.
When she had given him the frostbite ointment last time, Xun Mei had already hinted that so long as he worked steadily and diligently, she would surely offer him guidance in the future. Yet not even a month had passed, and he had come to give gifts and pull strings.
It now seemed that he was someone who only knew how to scheme and maneuver, despite being blessed with such a good face. And what was this trick of standing in the snow? Clearly, he had not read many books. How utterly boring.
"Meng Yuan?" Xun Mei tucked her hands into her sleeves, her voice indifferent.
The moment Xun Mei spoke, the youth seemed to recover himself. The backs of his hands were bright red, his eyes exceptionally clear. A delighted smile appeared on his face as he said excitedly, "Mei-jie!"
"Why have you come?" Xun Mei remained cold.
Yet the youth lifted the bundle wrapped in coarse paper in his hand. Seemingly unaware of Xun Mei's coldness, he said eagerly, "Old Man Jiang has been coughing at night, so I took leave to come out and buy medicine. I originally planned to go to Clearwater Town, but I've never been there. Once it started snowing, I lost my way, so I simply followed the main road to the prefectural city."
"Then how did you find this place?" When Xun Mei saw that the youth had come seeking medicine for a family member rather than bearing gifts, much of her discomfort faded.
The youth's gaze did not dodge or evade hers. With innocent seriousness, he said, "The snow was heavy today, and I saw many refugees beneath the city walls. I thought that if the Princess Consort hadn't taken me in, I'd still be just like them. Since I'd reached the prefectural city, I figured that if I didn't come kowtow to the Princess Consort, it would be too ungrateful. Old Man Jiang would scold me for not knowing better too."
The backs of the youth's hands were frozen red. He breathed into them and rubbed them together, yet his face still wore an innocent smile. His clothes were dirty, but he showed not a trace of self-pity. His thoughts were clearly pure, and his gratitude toward the Princess Consort was especially sincere. Xun Mei could not help softening considerably.
"It's enough that you have such intentions. The Princess Consort does not care for such empty formalities." Xun Mei smiled gently. "It's cold outside. Come in and have some tea to warm yourself."
"No, no." The youth hurriedly waved his hands, still holding the medicine bundle. "I'll kowtow to the Princess Consort and Big Sister, then I must hurry back to decoct medicine for Old Man Jiang."
"There's no rush for this moment. Be good." Xun Mei no longer had the slightest ill feeling toward the youth. Instead, she found him innocent and sincere, a person who fulfilled both loyalty and filial piety. Even his appearance became more pleasing to her eye.
Leading the youth through the gate and into a side room, Xun Mei removed her cloak and personally poured him tea.
"Thank you, Mei-jie." Meng Yuan thanked her sincerely.
"Are you living well at the manor?" Xun Mei asked.
"Big Sister, I'm someone who fled famine. Having a place to sleep is enough to make me content." Meng Yuan said with a smile.
"You truly know contentment and happiness." Xun Mei smiled and nodded, then asked, "Tell me honestly: has Manor Head Li done any evil?"
"Well..." Meng Yuan looked somewhat embarrassed. Seeing Xun Mei's serious expression, he said, "I've seen him seem to sell some manure outside. He has also sent some chicks and eggs out to sell."
Meng Yuan mentioned only minor matters.
"Ignorant and greedy. Still, he is from the old household, so we cannot be too harsh with him."
Xun Mei smiled, then continued, "The Princess Consort ordered people below to send children of suitable age to learn martial arts. Why didn't you go? Looking at you, you might just be a martial arts prodigy."
"You flatter me, Big Sister." Meng Yuan held his teacup and said earnestly, "To be honest, Old Man Jiang and I discussed it. We originally wanted to give it a try, and we paid money to ask the manor head to inquire for us. But he said I entered the manor too late and told me to wait two or three years. I thought that made sense. I am, after all, an outsider, so waiting was nothing."
"That is the view of a layman. The earlier one begins martial arts training, the better. If you delay for several years, it will be too late." Xun Mei said with a smile.
"That's nothing either. I don't understand martial arts or training." Meng Yuan wore the innocent expression of someone without desire or ambition. "Whether I train in martial arts or work at the manor, I'm serving the Princess Consort. There's no difference."
The moment Meng Yuan opened his mouth, he sounded like an old loyal retainer.
"I never expected you to be so sensible." Xun Mei nodded in approval, then asked, "Have you eaten lunch? I'll have someone bring you something to eat."
"Big Sister, that truly won't do." Meng Yuan hurriedly rose to refuse, lifting the medicine bundle. "I must hurry back to decoct medicine for Old Man Jiang. There's work to do in the fields as well, so I cannot delay too long."
"Do you take me for someone who cannot tell the five grains apart? In the winter season, farmers do not even go out. What work could there be in the fields?" Xun Mei asked with a smile.
Meng Yuan answered honestly, "I was once someone who nearly starved to death by the roadside. The Princess Consort gave me food and clothes. If I can do more work, it counts as a little of my own sincerity. Besides, the manor head said the land was newly bought by the Princess Consort. After it is turned over, Spring Wheat must be planted, so it cannot be delayed."
Xun Mei had been smiling, but upon hearing this, she set down her teacup and asked, "Where is this newly purchased land?"
"It's just west of the manor, more than ten mu. The few of us are nearly done turning it over, and we've even spread fertilizer. Don't worry, Big Sister. It will surely yield a good harvest next year." Meng Yuan was utterly sincere.
Xun Mei nodded. After thinking for a moment, she smiled again and took several pieces of broken silver from her embroidered pouch. "You came all this way with such hardship. Since you do not wish to eat, take this money and buy some food on the road."
"Mei-jie, I don't lack food or drink at the manor, and I even receive monthly wages. I cannot take this money." Meng Yuan refused firmly.
"Then I will not force you. Your nature is innocent and simple, and you are too honest. If anyone bullies you, come find me. It will not be in vain that you call me Big Sister." Xun Mei smiled. "Also, do not tell anyone about coming to see me today."
Meng Yuan agreed, then bid farewell to Xun Mei.
On this trip, Meng Yuan had not spoken a single lie. Every sentence had been true.
"Pretending to be clever is difficult; pretending to be innocent is even harder. Fortunately, I was already pure and genuine by nature, so it could not be called pretense." Meng Yuan declared with absolute conviction.
Before you continue