Chapter 51.1

As Xu Yuan flipped through the old photo album of the Meng family, she realized that these items really had their significance. She had originally thought that forgotten memories would resurface when she saw the photos.

One particular black-and-white photo caught her attention. In it, a woman wearing a qipao stood beside a man in an old-fashioned suit. She had her hand on the man’s shoulder, and both of them were smiling shyly, unable to hide their happiness.

Meng Zhengrong pointed to the photo and said, “My grandfather was quite handsome when he was young, right? And that’s my grandmother; even in her sixties, she had a great aura.”

“They look great together,” Xu Yuan replied.

Meng Zhengrong nodded. “But later, I heard my grandmother say that she didn’t actually like my grandfather at first. She had a first love.”

At this point, Meng Zhengrong glanced at Xu Yuan, thinking that his grandmother’s situation was quite similar to Xu Yuan’s.

Of course, he couldn’t say that out loud. If Xu Yuan started counting his exes, that would be like shooting himself in the foot!

“Oh?” Xu Yuan responded, slightly puzzled.

“Her first love went abroad and never came back. At the time, my grandmother had someone in her heart, while my grandfather was infatuated with her and pursued her persistently. Eventually, my grandmother, feeling pressured, agreed to marry him since their families were also well-matched.”

Xu Yuan said, “That’s nice.”

Meng Zhengrong shook his head. “Later, when her first love returned, there was a lot of commotion. He wanted to take her abroad to settle down, but my grandmother didn’t agree, especially since she was already married. Although my grandfather claimed he didn’t mind her past, men tend to care about these things. He thought my grandmother would want to go with him, which led to a long period of tension between them. At that time, my grandmother was pregnant and ended up having a miscarriage after arguing with my grandfather—that was their first child.”

“And then?”

“My grandfather is a serious and fierce person in front of others; everyone fears him. Yet, he was terrified of my grandmother. He pestered her for a long time until they reluctantly reconciled, which eventually led to my dad being born.”

Xu Yuan imagined this marriage story, picturing a tough man ultimately subdued by a seemingly delicate woman.

“So, Xu Yuan, if we ever have misunderstandings, we need to talk openly,” Meng Zhengrong continued. “Some misunderstandings can be clarified with just a word or two. If I don’t ask and you don’t say, it could escalate into a major conflict, and that wouldn’t be good.”

Xu Yuan recalled some recent events and nodded in agreement, “Mm.”

Just as Meng Zhengrong was about to say something, Xu Yuan pulled a condom out of his suit pocket and said, “Why don’t you explain why you’re carrying this around?”

Meng Zhengrong was taken aback, and his first reaction was to ask, “You don’t suspect I’m cheating, do you?”

Xu Yuan shot him a look, “I know you wouldn’t dare.”

A woman can usually tell if a man is cheating or has other intentions.

Xu Yuan paused before saying, “The question is, why do you have this on you? We usually… don’t…”

Although she felt a bit embarrassed to say it outright, she left it to Meng Zhengrong to interpret.

Meng Zhengrong’s mind immediately went to the gutter. He raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean by ‘only at home’? Come on, say it.”

Xu Yuan reached out and pinched his thigh hard, causing him pain.

Under her intense questioning, Meng Zhengrong had to answer honestly, “I just carry it in case of emergencies.”

“And what kind of emergencies are you anticipating?” Xu Yuan pressed, “Generally, we’re at home. What do you really think by bringing this with you?”

Meng Zhengrong smirked, “If you know, then why ask?”

Xu Yuan, frustrated, pinched his stomach hard. She had discovered the perfect way to deal with him—pinching him hurt enough to make him grimace, but he couldn’t dare complain.

A true man, Meng Zhengrong had two aspirations in this area: one was to have an exciting moment in the car, which would surely be amazing; the other was to have an encounter on the office desk, which made him excited just thinking about it.

Of course, that was just a fantasy. He didn’t know why he randomly stuffed it in his pocket.

Xu Yuan tossed the condom into the trash can and rolled her eyes, saying, “Let me tell you, you’d better not even think about it; it’s not happening.”

Although Xu Yuan was somewhat thick-skinned, she ultimately lacked the shamelessness that Meng Zhengrong possessed.

Meng Zhengrong shrugged innocently, saying, “Whether I have that kind of thought is not important; what matters is that you threw this in the trash. If the servants see it…”

Xu Yuan wasn’t very thick-skinned in this regard. Even when she occasionally acted bold, it was only in front of Meng Zhengrong; she wouldn’t behave like that in front of others.

Just thinking about the scene of the servants discovering it made her feel dizzy, and she hurriedly pointed at Meng Zhengrong, “You quickly pick it up!”

Meng Zhengrong blinked and, resigned, began rummaging through the trash can while saying, “You’re really starting to treat me less like a person.”

In the past, Xu Yuan had been very polite to him. Not to mention asking him to dig through the trash, she wouldn’t even have asked him to get her a glass of water so bluntly. Although he felt his status was declining, he was still happy inside because it meant that, in Xu Yuan’s heart, he was no longer an outsider but someone close.

Who wants their partner to be too polite? He certainly didn’t like that. Xu Yuan directing him to do this and that made him happy.

“Is that so?” Xu Yuan felt a bit guilty.

Meng Zhengrong was right; recently, she had been a bit too self-satisfied. In front of him, she not only showed a petty side but also acted this way. But what could she do? She had no intention of changing.

This was quite nice; she felt relaxed in this state.

Meng Zhengrong nodded affirmatively, “Yes.”

“Do you have any objections to this?” Xu Yuan asked.

Meng Zhengrong glanced at her and shook his head decisively, “No, no.”

“Then that’s good.” Xu Yuan’s smile was genuine this time. People are like that; while being tense does provide a sense of security, it’s only when they relax that they realize how light and refreshing it feels.

The two lay on the bed. The old house’s room was larger than the villa’s, giving it a more spacious feel. After all, they wouldn’t stay here often, so it lacked a bit of liveliness.

Thinking about what had just happened, Xu Yuan, unable to sleep, started chatting with Meng Zhengrong.

“I have a question for you,” Xu Yuan said as an opening line.

Hearing such words gave Meng Zhengrong an ominous feeling, but he nodded anyway, “Go ahead, just don’t ask anything too tricky. I can tell you the passwords to all my cards.”

After pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan said, “Let’s say you were a prince who was not favored…”

“That’s a good analogy,” Meng Zhengrong said, ruffling his hair. “A fortune teller once told me that I have the appearance of an emperor.”

“Puh.” Xu Yuan pinched him again. “Don’t interrupt me; just listen. You weren’t favored, and your father, the emperor, favored a eunuch who was close to him. This eunuch had no grudges against you and never spoke ill of you. You rarely interacted, only exchanged formalities when you met. One day, the emperor passed away and left the throne to you. Would you kill that eunuch?”

Meng Zhengrong frowned, “Why are you asking this?”

Xu Yuan replied, “I just saw it in a drama recently. Since we have nothing to do, I thought we could chat.”

Meng Zhengrong replied, “… Oh.” So boring.

Of course, he couldn’t say that out loud; otherwise, he’d get scolded.

Xu Yuan nudged him, “Hurry up and answer! Would you kill that eunuch?”

She didn’t know why, but she was curious about Meng Zhengrong’s answer.

Even though the question was meaningless, she still wanted to ask.

Meng Zhengrong thought seriously and looked at Xu Yuan, nodding, “I probably would.”

Xu Yuan was taken aback. She sat up, staring at Meng Zhengrong, not angry but struggling to understand and unable to believe she got such an answer. “Why??”

What had she done to deserve this?

The emperor liked her and treated her well. If the new emperor had issues, he should go to the emperor, not her!

She swore that throughout everything, she had never harbored any bad thoughts about the new emperor, never tried to harm him, never spoke ill of him, and never hindered him in any way. Why would he want to kill her?

Seeing her so agitated, Meng Zhengrong pulled her in and patted her head, saying, “Let me ask you this: did the prince ever try to win over the eunuch?”

“… No, I don’t think so.”

That seemed correct. The new emperor had been quite well-behaved as a child, always greeting her when she first arrived by the emperor’s side. But as he grew older, he stopped acknowledging her. She never dared to be too familiar with the princes, and she was very busy, so eventually, they had become distant. She believed she had done well; she had never offended him or acted maliciously.

“That’s right,” Meng Zhengrong said, looking at Xu Yuan. “It’s a simple question. If he had tried to win him over, the eunuch wouldn’t live long. If he hadn’t, he also wouldn’t last long.”

“Why?” She wondered how she could be so unwelcome despite not having done anything wrong.

“Let’s put it this way: generally, the favored eunuchs don’t have good outcomes because the princes will resent them. The reason for that resentment is hard to explain, but if it were me, I would also kill that eunuch, because he has been at the center of power for too long, making him a figure to be wary of. Even if he’s not disliked, he would still be resented by a new emperor in control of the power.” Meng Zhengrong patted Xu Yuan’s head. “You’re quite smart, yet you can’t see such a simple problem?”

It seemed she had gradually been influenced by the thinking of this era; this reasoning surprisingly couldn’t convince her.

In fact, she knew Meng Zhengrong was right; otherwise, she wouldn’t have realized she wouldn’t have a good outcome when the new emperor ascended to the throne.

Being in her position seemed glamorous, but it was actually the hardest to navigate.

Being too favored by the emperor didn’t end well unless the emperor could live forever. But could that happen?

Not being favored by the emperor would likely lead to a short life in a palace where people devoured each other.

Thinking carefully, her past life hadn’t been a success either; true success was being able to retreat unscathed even after the new emperor took the throne. She hadn’t achieved that, so she considered herself a failure.

But she didn’t lose out entirely; at least she had enjoyed power.

Being a trusted eunuch by the emperor was incredibly difficult; just standing in line was a challenge.