Chapter 25: Let Me Teach Your Father a Lesson First!

Meng was genuinely startled by her sudden idea, her heart leaping to her throat.
She reached out to grab Wu Qingqiong. “Come! We must go and confess your wrongs to your grandmother!”
They had to inform the old lady at once, so she could decide what to do.
“No! I won’t go!” Wu Qingqiong shrank back instinctively, retreating. “Grandmother never liked me to begin with—she’ll beat me to death!”
“You…” For a confession, it was only proper that Wu Qingqiong go herself to show sincerity.
But Wu Qingqiong’s retreat made Meng hesitate as well.
The old lady had always held a grudge against her, and that dislike had extended to Wu Qingqiong. Wu Qingqiong herself had never won her favor; the old lady truly looked down on her.
There was still an unresolved debt from the time Meng had plotted against Wu Tan in the palace, and now new trouble had been added.
The old lady wouldn’t actually kill her own granddaughter, but Wu Qingqiong would certainly suffer greatly if she went.
Meng, after all, cared for her daughter. After a brief hesitation, she changed her mind.
“Then stay put in your room!” She turned and strode out, pausing at the doorway to glare fiercely at the two maids.
“Keep a close eye on her! Without my orders, she’s not to leave this room. If you let her out, I’ll break whichever leg she uses to step over the threshold. And keep your mouths shut—if anything that happened in this room gets out, I’ll skin the lot of you alive!”
This time, she was truly furious, her eyes filled with menace.
“Yes, madam!” The two maids dropped to their knees, voices trembling.
Meng, still seething, stormed out as she had come.
She walked quickly. Book Rong trotted after her for quite a while before catching up, panting and blurting out her doubts.
“Madam, do you think the heir might be behind this?”
A string snapped in Meng’s mind.
She stopped abruptly. “What did you say?”
Book Rong looked around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing. “Ever since we brought Second Miss back from the palace, the heir’s been in a bad mood. Book Rui privately guessed he might be unhappy with Second Miss’s marriage.”
Meng pondered. “That’s not impossible…”
Xiao Yun clearly disliked Wu Tan. If Wu Qinglin harbored resentment over the marriage and took action, it wouldn’t be surprising. After all—
Wu Qinglin was different from Wu Tan; he knew much, and had always viewed Meng and her children with suspicion and hostility.
Compared to outsiders, Wu Qinglin would find it easier to meddle within the household.
This thought calmed Meng’s urgency somewhat.
But the matter involved deceiving the emperor—she dared not be careless. After consideration, she pressed forward.
“Regardless, we must consult the old lady.”
Mistress and servant arrived at the main hall. At the door to the west warm chamber, Madam Zhou lifted the curtain, allowing only Meng inside, blocking Book Rong outside.
Inside, Meng found both Wu Qinglin and Wu Tan present.

The old lady’s face was still grim, reclining on the warm couch, her hand propped on the table, stewing in anger. Wu Tan knelt beside her, massaging her shoulders and laughingly acting spoiled.
As Meng entered, she caught a few words—Wu Tan already knew the results of the matching birthdates and was comforting the old lady.
Meng felt a complicated mix of emotions and could only sigh inwardly—
This girl certainly had a big heart.
“Mother—” She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and spoke.
The old lady turned away, refusing to even look at her.
Wu Qinglin, however, rose and bowed. “Second Mother has arrived!”
Meng watched his expression closely, but he remained calm, revealing nothing.
The old lady’s attitude left Meng awkward and cautious. She dared not sit, so she got straight to the point.
“Mother, all fault lies with Qiong’er. I’ve already punished and scolded her, and she knows she was wrong. But—”
She pulled a slip of paper from her sleeve and spread it on the table.
“Her ignorance is one thing, but this matter is not simple—someone instigated her.”
Upon hearing this, the old lady forgot her anger, sat up abruptly, and took the slip in hand.
Meng continued, “Whoever pushed her acted with clear intent. They must have found someone to calculate a birthdate incompatible with the Crown Prince, deliberately setting a trap for us.”
As she spoke, she watched Wu Qinglin from the corner of her eye, searching for clues.
Wu Tan at first thought Meng was just making excuses for Wu Qingqiong, so she paid little attention to the slip. But seeing Meng’s subtle glances, she grew furious—
Was this woman suspecting her brother?!
As Meng finished, Wu Qinglin frowned slightly.
“This is no small matter. If there’s an external hand, they may have further schemes.”
Wu Qingqiong was always unreliable; the old lady had summoned him to complain about Meng and her daughter, but he didn’t mind. He never agreed to Wu Tan marrying Xiao Yun, so if Wu Qingqiong took the blame, he welcomed it.
But if Wu Qingqiong was being used…
That changed everything.
The old lady, less experienced than him, gasped and grew anxious.
“You mean someone wants to harm our family?”
The Wu family’s position at court was precarious—she knew it all too well and could not afford any slip.
Her face turned pale.
Meng detected nothing linking Wu Qinglin to the matter and grew more anxious.
“I’m only guessing, but Qiong’er says she couldn’t see who slipped her the note…”
Wu Qinglin’s first thought was a political enemy. He took the slip from the old lady, but Wu Tan crawled over and snatched it.
“Let me see!”
She glanced at it carelessly, then tossed it back onto the table, declaring,
“I recognize the handwriting on this note.”

She had already reached for her embroidered shoes by the couch.
Everyone eyed her doubtfully until she explained, still unconcerned,
“If I’m not mistaken, this is Miss Huo’s handwriting—from Lord Huo Wenshan’s household.”
“What?” Meng shrieked, grabbing the slip to examine it closely.
The old lady was more cautious. “Are you certain? How do you recognize her writing?”
“I saw some of her copied poetry before. Her calligraphy is excellent—left a deep impression.” Wu Tan lied offhandedly, already pulling on her shoes and hopping down. She patted her skirt, snatched the slip from Meng, tucked it into her sleeve, and, seeing the old lady’s anxious face, quickly composed herself and assured her solemnly,
“No need to worry. I can handle this. Brother, let’s go out at once!”
She winked furiously at Wu Qinglin behind the old lady’s back.
Wu Qinglin knew his sister too well. Whenever she got worked up, he could guess what mischief she planned, and this matter truly infuriated him. He didn’t want to risk delay.
“Let’s go!” He grabbed Wu Tan’s cloak and handed it to her, then turned to the old lady.
“I’ll deal with this. Grandmother, don’t worry.”
He finished, gave Wu Tan’s head a firm pat, and pushed her out to the courtyard.
Outside, his young servant Xiao Lingzi hurried to assist.
Wu Tan steadied herself, looked up, and grinned.
“Lend me a set of your clothes!”
By then, dusk approached. Wu Qinglin ordered a covered pony cart prepared. Wu Tan changed clothes, and Xiao Lingzi drove them out.
Their destination was naturally the Huo household.
In the carriage, Wu Qinglin never exposed her earlier lie, simply closing his eyes to rest. Wu Tan grew uneasy.
“Brother, aren’t you afraid I messed up and accused the wrong person?”
“So what?” Wu Qinglin opened his eyes. The carriage was dim; he looked at her.
“Even if the blame falls on her wrongly, isn’t there already an account to settle? At least the trip isn’t wasted.”
“Pfft!” Wu Tan burst out laughing, then glanced at the fading daylight, her eyes suddenly brightening.
Wu Qinglin sensed trouble. Before he could speak, Wu Tan sidled up, hugging his arm and grinning ingratiatingly.
“Brother, we’re not in a rush—let’s take a detour, warm up a bit first…”
A quarter hour later, two streets from the Huo residence in a dead-end alley, Xiao Lingzi squeezed himself and the cart into the darkest corner, looking innocent and bewildered.
A short distance ahead, Second Miss was gripping a rough wooden stick scavenged from the firewood pile, peering out with high spirits, eager and excited—her eyes shone as she eyed the empty street, muttering,
“Dare to scheme against my father? Hmph! I’ll thrash your father first…”
This street was Lord Huo Wenshan’s usual route home at night.
Standing tall behind her, Wu Qinglin gazed wordlessly at the sky, utterly resigned…