mtl008 Chapter 1392 Harmony
Chapter 1392 Harmony
Before he finished speaking, Rong Zhiyu suddenly pulled out a poisoned dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it straight at Lin Yiwan's chest.
The dagger gleamed with a chilling blue light, clearly indicating it was poisoned with a deadly toxin that would kill upon contact with blood.
Lin Yiwan was prepared and dodged to the side. The dagger grazed her clothes and embedded itself deeply in the bedpost behind her with a dull thud.
Seeing this, Rong Zhiyu's eyes flashed with even more killing intent. She shouted at the remaining assassins, "What are you all standing there for? Attack! If you don't kill Lin Yiwan today, you will all die with her!"
The assassins, already intimidated by the aura of the guards, were now forced forward by Rong Zhiyu and had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge forward.
But they were no match for the well-trained guards. In no time, they were pierced through the chest by spears and fell to the ground lifeless.
Rong Zhiyu watched as the assassins around her fell one by one, her face ashen. She knew her fate was sealed, yet she still refused to admit defeat. She frantically tried to rush forward and fight Lin Yiwan to the death, but was held down firmly by two guards, unable to move.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Rong Zhiyu struggled desperately, his hair disheveled, looking like a madman. "Lin Yiwan! Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will never let you go!"
Looking at her like this, Lin Yiwan felt no pity, only icy coldness.
She slowly stepped forward, looking down at her, her voice as cold as ice: "Rong Zhiyu, you have harmed so many people, and the blood debt you owe cannot be settled with just the words 'a vengeful ghost seeking revenge.' I will personally deliver you before His Majesty, so that you will pay the price for your actions!"
Having said that, she waved her hand at the deputy general and said in a deep voice, "Take her away and send her to the palace to await her fate!"
Only after watching their figures disappear did Lin Yiwan's expression relax.
Madam Meng struggled to get up from the bed and staggered to Lin Yiwan, saying, "Wanwan, your aunt has never asked you for anything before. This time, please, no matter what, help me!"
She pretended to kneel down, which startled Lin Yiwan, who quickly grabbed her arm.
She spoke sincerely: "Aunt, you don't need to bow so deeply to me. I'll say it again: if the Meng family is in trouble, I absolutely cannot stand aside. Besides, the reason why Prime Minister Meng is being entangled with Rong Zhiyu is because of my Zhanyi Marquis's mansion!"
Lady Meng burst into tears in an instant, sobbing sadly, "I know he is guilty of grave sins and I do not wish to ask for his forgiveness. I only hope that you can send me to the dungeon to stay by his side. I do not want him to go on his journey alone. Please grant my request!"
Lin Yiwan gripped her hand tightly and nodded emphatically: "Alright, I'll send you to the palace now and explain the situation to Father. As for how to deal with him, that's not up to me!"
Madam Meng turned to bid farewell to Meng Yunshang, and said in a hoarse voice, "Go find your husband and child? They are trapped on the estate in the suburbs of the capital, and I'm afraid they still don't know about the changes in the Prime Minister's residence!"
Meng Yunshang threw herself into her arms and burst into tears.
Lin Yiwan took Madam Meng away and sent her to the imperial prison.
At this moment, Meng Xiang was sitting next to a dilapidated table. Even though he was in prison, his dignity remained intact.
When he saw Madam Meng, his face was immediately filled with shock.
He asked in a trembling voice, "You, how did you get here?"
Madam Meng's eyes filled with tears as she gritted her teeth and accused, "How could you be so foolish? Did you think that by obeying Rong Zhiyu's orders, Yunshang and I would be safe? She still wanted to kill us. She even fed us poison. If Wanwan hadn't arrived in time, I would already be a wronged ghost!"
Meng Xiang was jolted awake, and the dilapidated table next to him crashed to the ground and fell apart in an instant.
The bloodshot in his eyes intensified. He staggered to his feet, his thin, bony fingers clenched tightly, knuckles turning white from the force: "What did you say? Rong Zhiyu actually dared to lay a hand on you?"
Lady Meng finally couldn't hold back her tears, her voice filled with chilling coldness, "How could she not dare? She approached you only to use your power to take revenge on the Marquis of Zhanyi's mansion! You thought you could protect us, but from the moment you entered the palace, she had already planned what poison to feed me and Chang'er!"
Meng Xiangru was struck by lightning and staggered back two steps in disbelief, crashing heavily into the wall behind him.
He recalled Rong Zhiyu's promise to him, and how he had agreed to collude with the Wolf Head Gang to embezzle disaster relief funds in order to protect his wife and daughter. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his whole body became ice cold.
"How could she be so untrustworthy!" he muttered to himself, his eyes unfocused. "She clearly said that as long as I did things for her, she would let you and your daughter go. How dare she lie to me?"
Madam Meng sneered, her laughter filled with despair. "You've held such a high position for so many years, yet you can't even see through this wickedness of human nature! She never intended to let us go from the very beginning! Meng Yuan, you've been shrewd and capable your whole life, but in the end, you trusted a woman so easily. Has your brain been eaten by a dog?"
Even though he was scolded, Meng Xiang was not angry. When he saw Madam Meng's energetic appearance, he suddenly calmed down.
After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke: "Ah Zhi, it's so good that you're alive!"
Madam Meng's tears streamed down her face again as she threw herself into his arms, sobbing, "How cruel you are! How could you abandon me? The reason I came to see you is to die with you. We are husband and wife, sharing the same bed in life and the same grave in death!"
Meng Xiang squeezed his eyes shut, reached out and held her tightly, as if trying to meld her into his very bones. His rough fingertips repeatedly stroked the white hair at her temples, the marks etched by time and this turmoil, a pain that felt like a dull knife had cut into his heart.
A moment later, he suddenly pushed her away. The force was so great that Madam Meng staggered back two steps, staring at him blankly.
Meng Xiang's chest heaved violently, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He forced it down, his hand trembling as he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a neatly folded secret letter. He handed it to her, his voice hoarse and barely audible: "This is your divorce agreement. I wrote it a long time ago. We are no longer husband and wife. The crimes I committed have nothing to do with you!"
Madam Meng stared at the divorce papers, her pupils contracting sharply. She recoiled as if burned, tears blurring her vision. "What do you mean by this? Let me tell you, I don't recognize this divorce agreement! I was born a member of the Meng family, and I will die a member of the Meng family!"
"You must admit it!" Meng Xiang suddenly raised his voice, his eyes bloodshot, his withered fingers tightly gripping the secret letter: "I, Meng Yuan, have been arrogant all my life, but in the end I have ended up disgraced and ruined. I admit it! But I cannot implicate you and Yunshang! As long as you take this divorce letter to the Emperor, His Majesty will surely spare your lives, mother and daughter, considering that you have already severed all ties with me!"