Chapter 586: The Truth Comes to Light
Chapter 586: Chapter 586: The Truth Comes to Light
Meng Wanning lived with her mother in the Meng Mansion, which was a different place from the Lu Residence where the other Mrs. Meng lived.
Thus, when the imperial guard stormed the Meng Mansion late at night, the several hundred people of the household were so frightened that they all threw on their clothes, got up, and gathered in the front courtyard.
The masters and mistresses of the various branches of the family, along with their children, were all trembling with fear, not knowing what had happened.
"Could it be that the verdict on your second uncle’s case is in? Did he really kill that person?" Mrs. Meng, still unaware of the situation, held Meng Wanning’s hand, guessing that Lu Shaoyuan’s matter had escalated.
And Lu Shaoyuan’s mother was a person of great importance in the Meng Family, so it was only natural that this would lead to a thorough investigation.
Mrs. Meng didn’t notice Meng Wanning’s pale face at all. She just tutted to herself, "I said it long ago. Their wealth outstrips their virtue. They earned so much silver, only to raise a scoundrel."
In her earlier years, Mrs. Meng had not gotten along with the other Mrs. Meng due to personality clashes. Although they never had any open conflicts, she had secretly been waiting to see her become a laughingstock.
After all, there were very few women like that Mrs. Meng, who was able to keep her own surname after marriage.
Mrs. Meng’s own maiden name, for instance, was Qin, and she was only called Mrs. Meng after marrying. But when anyone in the Capital City spoke of "Mrs. Meng," the first person they thought of was the powerful matriarch of the Lu family.
That Mrs. Meng was a daughter of the Meng Family. After she married, her husband doted on her, her parents-in-law respected her, and knowing she enjoyed business, they were exceptionally supportive.
They didn’t mind her making public appearances in the slightest, nor did they try to restrain her with rigid, old-fashioned rules.
That’s why, for all these years, everyone had called her Mrs. Meng. Even her husband, Mr. Lu Sr., was happy about it, often saying his wife was not his appendage. She was the envy of all the noblewomen in the Capital.
A mocking glint shone in Mrs. Meng’s eyes. "Doting parents-in-law, an indulgent husband, and a successful eldest son. I really thought she could be smug for her whole life, but look at her now! Her younger son has made such a huge mistake! Raping and then killing a girl... this is a disgrace to the Meng Family!"
Meng Wanning’s face was pale, and her voice trembled slightly. "Mother, what kind of crime will Second Uncle be convicted of?"
Mrs. Meng snorted coldly. "What else could it be? It’ll definitely be death by being drawn and quartered!"
The moment she finished speaking, Meng Wanning’s legs went weak, and she nearly fell to the ground.
Mrs. Meng caught her. "What’s wrong with you? Why is your forehead covered in sweat? Are you not feeling well?"
Meng Wanning nodded, her heart pounding with guilt. "Yes, Mother. I want to go back to my room and rest, but with so many imperial guards insisting that everyone gather together, I don’t think I can leave, can I?"
Mrs. Meng glanced at the imperial guards at the front.
"It’s fine. The entire Meng Mansion has over two hundred people. No one will notice if you’re missing. You go on back and rest. Besides, this is the Lu family’s trouble, it has nothing to do with you. Go on, get a good night’s sleep."
Just as Meng Wanning was about to run, Wu Fang entered from outside, swept his gaze over the crowd, and asked, "Is everyone from the Meng Mansion here?"
Meng Wanning froze. She didn’t dare run anymore. Wu Fang knew who she was. ’What if he thinks I have a guilty conscience?’
She could only hide behind the crowd, hoping that Wu Fang had truly come to announce Lu Shaoyuan’s conviction and hadn’t discovered her involvement.
The current head of the family was Mrs. Meng Sr. of the second branch. Her graying hair was impeccably styled, and she carried herself with a dignified and imposing air.
Supported by two younger family members, she stepped forward.
"To what important matter do we owe the honor of your late-night visit, Sir?"
Wu Fang cupped his hands in a salute. "My apologies for the intrusion, Old Madam. On the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince, I have come to apprehend Miss Meng Wanning of the Meng Family and bring her to the palace to assist in an investigation."
As soon as he said this, an uproar erupted among the entire Meng clan.
Mrs. Meng, who just moments ago had been waiting to gloat over the other Mrs. Meng’s misfortune, was completely stunned.
Everyone’s gaze turned, filled with shock and scrutiny, and fell in unison upon Meng Wanning at the very back.
As if intentionally shunning her, they stepped back one by one until Meng Wanning stood alone, surrounded by their stares.
Her face burned with shame, and she couldn’t bring herself to look up.
Mrs. Meng couldn’t believe it. She took two steps forward. "Sir, could His Highness the Crown Prince have made a mistake? Lu Shaoyuan did it. What does this have to do with my daughter, Wanning?"
Wu Fang’s tone was icy. "The servant Ah Jin, whom we just captured, has already confessed. Miss Meng bribed him with 500 taels of silver to help steal the Crown Prince’s tour Defense Map from Mr. Lu Fu’s study. The evidence is conclusive. We are taking her back for interrogation now."
Mrs. Meng nearly collapsed.
Mrs. Meng Sr.’s eyes were severe. She was always extremely strict with the children of the clan and would absolutely not tolerate such sordid schemes.
She had heard about what happened to Lu Shaoyuan, but she never imagined it was a case of their own family harming one of their own!
"In that case, please take her away, Sir. We, the Meng Family, have always acted with integrity and have never produced such a heartless person. If the investigation confirms she is indeed responsible, please tell His Highness the Crown Prince that the entire Meng Family hopes he will handle this with the utmost severity and show this girl no leniency!"
After speaking, Mrs. Meng Sr. flicked her sleeve, struck her crane-headed cane on the ground, and turned aside, looking exceptionally stern.
With the family head’s permission, Wu Fang immediately sent his men to seize Meng Wanning.
"Mother! Grandmother! I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it, you have to save me!" Meng Wanning wailed endlessly as she was dragged away.
Wu Fang and his men hurried back to the palace.
Mrs. Meng knelt before Mrs. Meng Sr. "Mother, you have to save Wanning! You watched her grow up. Even if she’s done wrong, you can’t bear to just watch her die, can you?"
Mrs. Meng Sr. looked down, her gaze sharp as she stared at her. "If she truly committed such a disgraceful act and ruined our family’s reputation, I will fully support the Emperor in sentencing her to death! And you, as her mother, failed to discipline her properly. That alone is grounds for your husband to divorce you, yet you still want to plead for her? Hmph!"
Mrs. Meng Sr. violently shook off her hand and, leaning on her cane, departed with the support of the younger family members.
The clan members looked at Mrs. Meng without a shred of sympathy.
Meng Wanning and her mother usually acted arrogantly in the mansion, flaunting their status as part of the legitimate line. Now that such a disaster had struck, not a single person genuinely pitied them.
Mrs. Meng collapsed to the ground, wailing and screaming, and soon fainted.
On the way, Meng Wanning kept shouting that she was innocent, but once she was inside the palace, Mo Lingwei had the bodies of Shuyan and Lu Shaoyuan’s servant placed before her.
He had someone force Meng Wanning’s head down, making her look closely at the faces of Shuyan and the servant.
"In front of them, will you still say you didn’t do it? That you knew nothing?" Mo Lingwei sat high on the dragon throne, his voice so cold and distant it seemed to come from the heavens.
Meng Wanning was scared out of her wits. She broke down crying, "I did it! But I... I just wanted to make Shen Ningning give up on Your Highness! I didn’t mean to harm anyone! This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this! Your Highness, please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Mo Lingwei frowned in disgust.
If he had to say one more word to Meng Wanning, he felt he would lose his temper.
So he waved his hand, signaling for Chen Shaobei to interrogate Meng Wanning.
Desperate to absolve herself, she confessed quickly.
She had bribed a total of three people. The first was Lu Fu’s servant, Ah Jin, who was tasked with stealing the Defense Map for the Crown Prince’s tour. The second was a shopkeeper who worked for Jiang Shanglong. She bribed him because she knew Lu Shaoyuan was going to discuss business the night before.
Jiang Shanglong’s business was failing, and his shopkeepers were all short on silver. The shopkeeper Meng Wanning bribed was especially desperate due to gambling debts, so he agreed to her request without a second thought.
After that, she arranged for the flower seller she’d bribed, Shuyan, to create a scandal that would ruin her own reputation and Lu Shaoyuan’s.
Shuyan’s father was ill and needed a lot of money for treatment, so Meng Wanning promised Shuyan that if she did as she was told, she wouldn’t have to worry about the money for his medicine.
The only unexpected event in the whole affair was that the shopkeeper she had bribed accidentally killed Lu Shaoyuan’s servant.
Creating two dead bodies was a major complication.
Meng Wanning, however, had thought her plan was flawless. But just as she’d said, it was her first time, and she forgot about the matter of silencing witnesses.
A more thorough investigation quickly brought the truth to light.
Furthermore, Mo Lingwei also discovered, much to his surprise, that Meng Wanning had forged a message from Ye Shangyi to Shen Ningning, inviting her to meet at a restaurant.
This was all so Shen Ningning would witness the incident between Lu Shaoyuan and Shuyan, and thus misunderstand that Shuyan had been sent by Mo Lingwei.
After learning the full story, Mo Lingwei was overcome with rage and ordered Meng Wanning to be put to death by the cruelest punishment—drawing and quartering.
Upon hearing that sentence, Meng Wanning went cold and stiff, her mind flashing back to her mother’s words mocking someone else. Now, that same fate had befallen her!
She shivered from the cold, or more accurately, from fear. She kowtowed and begged for mercy all the way, banging her head on the floor until it bled, but Mo Lingwei showed no pity and had her dragged away directly.
「The next morning.」
Someone was standing at the entrance of the Xie Mansion, waiting for Shen Ningning.