Chapter 198

Chapter 198: Forever Without Status

The palace eunuch who read the edict did not even bother to look at Meng Yang. In a shrill voice, the palace eunuch announced, “Edict of the Empress Dowager! It is now heard that Meng Yang, the concubine of Qi Shu Xian, is improper in conduct. Meng Yang used a natural disaster as an opportunity to profiteer and harm the people, and Meng Yang lacks virtue and propriety. Effective today, Meng Yang shall not be entered into the household register of Qi Shu Xian and shall be forever without status. If Meng Yang later dares to seek status, stir trouble, or cause disorder, Meng Yang will be severely punished without mercy, to serve as a warning. So ordered.”

Only after speaking did the palace eunuch finally look at her.

Meng Yang’s eyes were blank.

Meng Yang understood the first part. But what did it mean, that Meng Yang would not be entered into Qi Shu Xian’s household register and would be forever without status? Forever without status?

Did it mean what Meng Yang thought it meant?

Meng Yang’s gaze turned to Qi Shu Xian without thinking.

The palace eunuch snorted. “Bedchamber maid Meng Yang! Hurry and kneel to receive the edict!”

Bedchamber maid… Meng Yang?

Meng Yang’s face turned white. In an instant, Meng Yang’s heart fell into an icy abyss. Meng Yang had clearly been the Heir Apparent’s concubine.

Qi Shu Xian knelt with a bitter smile. “This one accepts the edict on behalf of bedchamber maid Meng Yang.”

The palace eunuch did not care. The palace eunuch only glanced at Meng Yang again.

With looks like that, how could Meng Yang compare to Princess? Qi Shu Xian truly had been blind.

After the palace eunuch left, Qi Shu Xian rose. Meng Yang grabbed Qi Shu Xian’s robe hem. “Heir Apparent, what does the Empress Dowager’s edict mean? I… I am clearly your concubine!”

“You disaster!” Duke Qi kicked Meng Yang aside before Qi Shu Xian could speak. “You still have the face to call yourself a concubine? From now on you are a bedchamber maid, a bedchamber maid without status for life!”

Meng Yang fell to the ground, unable to believe it. How could it be like this?

Duke Qi raged, “If it were not for you, Shu Xian would not have been demoted from junior fifth rank to sixth rank. Now Shu Xian has gone from assistant sixth rank to no rank at all! You are a disaster! I was blind to let Shu Xian bring you into this household!”

The more Duke Qi thought about it, the angrier Duke Qi became. Duke Qi lifted a foot, about to kick Meng Yang again.

“Father!” Qi Shu Xian stepped in front of Meng Yang. “I agreed to it. If Father wants to kick someone, kick me.”

Duke Qi was so angry that Duke Qi almost passed out. The hand Duke Qi raised high finally fell again, powerless.

“Heir Apparent,” Meng Yang’s eyes filled with tears. “Tell me Father is not telling the truth!”

Meng Yang did not want to be a bedchamber maid for life. What Meng Yang wanted was to become a glorious Right Chancellor Madam, to have Meng Yang’s name and Qi Shu Xian’s name recorded together in history.

Not… a bedchamber maid who could not even be written into the clan register.

Qi Shu Xian met Meng Yang’s eyes and stayed silent for a long time.

At last, under Meng Yang’s increasingly desperate gaze, Qi Shu Xian spoke with difficulty. “In the future, I… will protect you.”

“So it is true?” Even with Sheng Zhi Wan gone, Meng Yang still could not become Qi Shu Xian’s wife. Meng Yang could not even be a concubine. Meng Yang would become a bedchamber maid with no status for life.

Why?

Why should it be like this?

“Sheng Zhi Wan!” Meng Yang’s eyes reddened as Meng Yang spoke. “It must be Sheng Zhi Wan! Heir Apparent, it was Sheng Zhi Wan humiliating me from behind the scenes! Sheng Zhi Wan hates that I stole you away. Sheng Zhi Wan wants me to be a servant for life-”

Meng Yang sprang up and ran toward the door. “I will go accuse Sheng Zhi Wan! Sheng Zhi Wan relies on power to bully people!”

So what if Sheng Zhi Wan was Princess? Sheng Zhi Wan was a divorced woman now, so Sheng Zhi Wan could not stand to see anyone else doing well.

Smack!

A slap landed hard across Meng Yang’s face.

Meng Yang froze mid-step and stared at Qi Shu Xian in disbelief. “Heir Apparent?”

Qi Shu Xian drew a deep breath. Qi Shu Xian had not expected Meng Yang to think like that.

Today’s punishment had nothing to do with Sheng Zhi Wan. His Majesty had punished Qi Shu Xian for failing to manage the household and indulging a concubine in profiteering. Then Meng Yang, who had profiteered and harmed the people, was certain to be punished as well.

Even if, taking one step back, Sheng Zhi Wan truly had done something behind the scenes, what right did Meng Yang have to accuse anyone? A farm girl, a bedchamber maid who did not even count as a concubine…

How dared Meng Yang compare herself to Sheng Zhi Wan? How dared Meng Yang shout Sheng Zhi Wan’s name? Who had given Meng Yang that courage?

Or had Qi Shu Xian spoiled Meng Yang to this point?

Qi Shu Xian did not look at Meng Yang. Qi Shu Xian walked forward, yanked open the door, and pointed outside. “Go. If you are not afraid to die, then go!”

Meng Yang met Qi Shu Xian’s eyes and began to shake.

Only then did Meng Yang finally react. This was not the world Meng Yang had been in before. This was the Sheng Kingdom from thousands of years ago. With Meng Yang’s status, how could Meng Yang compete with Sheng Zhi Wan?

Tears fell one by one from Meng Yang’s eyes. Why? If Heaven had allowed Meng Yang to be reborn, why had Heaven only let Meng Yang be reborn as a farm girl?

“Enough.” Seeing her like this, Qi Shu Xian could not help softening. Qi Shu Xian stepped forward and pulled Meng Yang into his arms. “I will protect you from now on. Even if you are a bedchamber maid, no one will bully you.”

Was that so?

Meng Yang’s eyes looked empty, yet Meng Yang had no choice but to believe it. If Meng Yang did not believe it, then why had Meng Yang done so much and fought so hard?

Maybe… maybe when the Third Prince ascended the throne, when the Heir Apparent rose to the highest power, Meng Yang could still wait for that day.

Yes. Meng Yang would wait for that day.

Meng Yang took a deep breath, went limp, and collapsed into Qi Shu Xian’s arms.

Yet no matter how Qi Shu Xian guaranteed it, a bedchamber maid was still a bedchamber maid.

That night, Meng Yang was driven out of Wei Yang Courtyard. The plaque of Wei Yang Courtyard was also torn down and smashed into pieces.

Qi Shu Xian went to find Qi Fei Rui, who was now acting as steward. Qi Fei Rui only asked one question in a flat tone, and it left Qi Shu Xian speechless.

Qi Fei Rui said, “Elder Brother still wants to keep Meng Yang’s courtyard. Does Elder Brother want to publicly tell His Majesty and the Empress Dowager that Elder Brother is unhappy with their decree?”

Qi Shu Xian fell silent.

In the end, Qi Shu Xian could only arrange for Meng Yang to serve in Qi Shu Xian’s Xiao Lan Courtyard first.

From concubine to bedchamber maid, Meng Yang even had to change how Meng Yang referred to herself. How could Meng Yang bear it? Yet even if Meng Yang could not bear it, Meng Yang still had to endure.

Meng Yang burned with hatred and counted everything Meng Yang suffered onto Sheng Zhi Wan’s head. Meng Yang swore that one day, Meng Yang would step on Sheng Zhi Wan beneath Meng Yang’s feet.

Yet the Sheng Zhi Wan Meng Yang hated was in the Empress Dowager’s Ci Hui Palace at that very moment. Dozens of full-body portraits of men were laid out before Sheng Zhi Wan. Beside each portrait were the man’s age and descriptions of his temperament.

Empress Dowager introduced them one by one. “This one is the legitimate son from the eldest brother’s line of Consort Huai’s family. The looks are not outstanding, but the temperament is excellent, and the learning is good. In the last imperial exam, this one placed second and is now a junior fifth-rank Han Lin Lecturer.”

“This one is the legitimate second son of the Chief Minister Liu Family. Originally, I had my eye on the legitimate eldest son, but I heard the legitimate eldest son already has a marriage agreement. This legitimate second son is also rather handsome…”

“And this one is the son of one of General Han’s former subordinates. This one is brave and skilled in battle and is already a Colonel in the army…”

As Empress Dowager spoke, Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyelid twitched. “Grandmother, did I not tell you? I do not plan to marry for now. Besides, I have only been divorced for two months. How could I marry the moment I am divorced?”

“Of course I am not making you marry right now,” Empress Dowager said. “But we must decide early. Otherwise, if we delay, all these good young gentlemen will be chosen by others.”

Empress Dowager continued, “Your age is perfect. If you marry early, you can also have offspring early…”