Meng Rong

Meng Rong was the only girl of the Meng Family's generation, a single splash of red amid ten thousand shades of green.

Naturally, she was doted on by every elder in the family.

Her father, Meng Jizu; her third uncle, Meng Hongdao; her mother, Kong Yun; and her third aunt, An Hui, all spoiled this kind-hearted, pure girl beyond measure, treating her like a princess.

They took the practice of raising a daughter in luxury to the utmost extreme.

That aside, among her peers, Meng Rong was not entangled in disputes over family interests simply because she was a girl. Her two biological brothers and her two cousins from the third branch all adored her dearly, granting her every request.

After all, this younger sister was inherently lovable and was also the apple of the elders' eyes. None of them dared offend her.

If they ever bullied her, she might turn around and tattle to the elders. In the end, they would be the ones in trouble.

And so, Meng Rong had developed such an innocent, worldly-naive temperament.

When she spoke in anger, she could not help sounding somewhat high-spirited, making her seem rather impolite.

But in truth, the girl was merely complaining to Meng Zhao, the cousin she had just met, about his neglect of her. She was not deliberately picking faults or harboring any ill intent.

Besides, she simply wanted to draw Meng Zhao's attention—a little bit of a girl's private fancy.

In the past, Meng Rong had always been so carefree and uninhibited with her brothers. This time, she had merely switched the target to Meng Zhao.

Kong Yun and An Hui's expressions both changed upon hearing this, and they grew somewhat worried.

After all, Meng Zhao was different from the others in Meng Mansion. They had always lived with the family, shared bonds with one another, and understood each other.

He had been sent to Great Compassion Temple in Jade Capital, thousands of miles away, when he was young, where he had suffered untold hardships.

They did not know what his temperament was like, so they could not help being cautious, afraid of hurting this ill-fated child.

Though his words and bearing showed that he was a polite child.

What if they handled this poorly? How would they step down from the situation later?

And if Meng Zhao did not handle things well and Meng Rong was hurt, that was not something they wished to see either.

Fortunately, all their worries were unnecessary.

Meng Zhao was naturally not some inexperienced hothead. Facing the little girl's indignant questioning, the corners of his lips curled upward. With a slight smile, his pair of bright, sharp eyes softened as he said,

"Ha ha, how could an elder brother forget such a beautiful and adorable little sister?

I merely wanted to tease you a little, little sister.

How about this? To show my apology, I'll have someone send you a White Jade Lotus Bracelet.

With little sister wearing it, flawless as white jade, you'll surely be breathtakingly beautiful.

In this world, I suppose only Eldest Aunt and Third Aunt can compare to you."

This girl truly could not be offended. She looked difficult to deal with as well, so Meng Zhao adopted the mindset that if he could coax her, he would coax her. Flattery poured from his mouth as though it cost nothing, and he was even prepared to bleed a little to send her away.

The White Jade Lotus Bracelet was one of the more precious treasures Meng Zhao had selected from the batch bestowed by the imperial family. Its design was magnificent, and its materials were valuable.

Generally speaking, only imperial consorts, princesses, and the like were qualified to wear and enjoy such an item.

This gift could hardly be called anything but generous.

Meng Rong was immediately left dizzy by Meng Zhao's praise. Her little face flushed crimson, her heart thumped wildly, and her sparkling eyes brimmed with delight. She gave a crisp little "Mm," looking exceptionally sweet and charming.

Whenever she glanced at Meng Zhao, her expression was filled with fondness. Her earlier puffed-up anger had vanished completely.

Seeing Meng Rong so thrilled and delighted by nothing more than one gift from Meng Zhao and a couple of airy, plain-spoken compliments, Meng Xi and Meng Wen felt terribly sour and bitter inside, more miserable than if they had drunk bitter gall water.

They even felt as though the cabbage they had raised at home was about to be rooted up by a piglet from the neighboring pen.

One had to know that every year, the gifts the two of them gave their younger sister Meng Rong numbered far beyond a hundred. Every single one was a treasure, and none was worth less than some White Jade Lotus Bracelet.

Yet all they received in return was Meng Rong's indifferent word of thanks, sometimes even an eye roll and open disdain.

Where had this little-daughter-like behavior ever been for them?

Meng Xi sat upright in his chair, forcibly pulling a faint smile onto his somewhat stiff face, as if he were delighted by the harmonious relationship between these cousin siblings.

Yet he felt exceedingly bitter inside. He had previously given Meng Rong a very luxurious jade bracelet as well, but he had never seen his younger sister this happy.

Looking at Meng Zhao's exceptionally handsome face and tall, valiant physique, he secretly thought,

Could it be that I'm not handsome enough, so little sister prefers Meng Zhao, whom she has only just met, over me, her own elder brother?

Then he turned and saw that his younger brother Meng Wen looked much the same, which made him feel considerably better.

Their inner dramas were quite rich, but neither showed it.

After all, the elders were present. They had to restrain themselves.

During the waiting that followed, the conversation continued to revolve around Meng Zhao.

Kong Yun did not speak much. An Hui was mainly the one guiding the conversation.

As the mistress of the third branch, she asked about what he had seen and experienced in Jade Capital and about his life there, while also showing concern for his daily needs after returning home. It made one feel quite comfortable.

Meng Rong was especially interested. She had been protected well from childhood to adulthood, but precisely because she had been protected too well, she was like a golden canary trapped in a cage, longing all the more intensely for the world outside.

Jade Capital was the center of Great Yong, as well as the imperial capital of the medieval Great Yuan Dynasty, Great Ming, and present-day Great Yong.

It must be extraordinarily bustling and marvelous. How could it not stir longing in her heart?

Fortunately, Meng Zhao had done his homework thoroughly. When he had been trained and taught by the mysterious man, he had also studied with exceptional diligence. In this regard, his performance was flawless.

He first said that he had spent most of his time living in the temple, accompanied by blue lamps and ancient Buddhas, and was not overly familiar with Jade Capital, lest he expose a flaw that would be difficult to patch up.

Then he said that he had only occasionally gone out with several friends. He selected a few famous sights within Imperial Capital City to describe, drawing frequent glances from everyone.

Not only was Meng Rong captivated, but even Kong Yun and the brothers Meng Xi and Meng Wen felt that Jade Capital was a wonderful place.

A small part of that owed to Meng Zhao's glib tongue and vivid descriptions.

The greater part was because those experiences truly caught people's attention, drawing them in before they even realized it.

In fact, not to mention these people—when Meng Zhao himself had listened to the mysterious man recounting all manner of things about Imperial Capital City, he too had developed a yearning for it.

He felt that one day, he absolutely had to visit Imperial Capital City and see the most prosperous and flourishing place in the world.

Without the slightest exaggeration, Jade Capital was Great Yong's political, economic, cultural, and military center.

By comparison, though Ji Prefecture was also a major province in both population and territory, and Nan'an appeared quite wealthy, they always fell somewhat short.

Not only that, but in order to please these women, Meng Zhao had deliberately explained some secrets of how the noblewomen of Imperial Capital City maintained themselves and dressed. Some he had truly heard from the mysterious man, while others came from what Meng Zhao had seen in his previous life.

This seized the hearts of the three women even more firmly. For a time, they forgot all about the brothers Meng Xi and Meng Wen, chatting animatedly with Meng Zhao amid a scene of perfect harmony.