Among the nobles of the Duke's mansion, only the former Madam Meng, Lady Li, retained a shred of memory of Meng Qingping. By the time she married into the family, Meng Qingping was already fifteen, only two years younger than her husband.
At that time, her mother-in-law and husband harbored a deep hatred for this second son of the Duke's mansion.
The reason was simple: the concubine of this second son was a childhood sweetheart of the old Duke, and the position of the old Duchess was originally meant for this sweetheart.
As for how it ended up with her mother-in-law, as a daughter-in-law, she was curious but dared not delve too deeply.
Alas, that sweetheart was ill-fated. After giving birth to the second son, she remained bedridden and passed away years later, to everyone's regret.
In the back courtyards of aristocratic families, who doesn't have some secrets that cannot be disclosed? Everyone understands this tacitly.
However, no matter how poorly her mother-in-law and husband treated this second son, Lady Li, as a newlywed daughter-in-law, would not interfere.
Self-preservation was the most basic common sense for every noble daughter surviving in a large household.
Thus, after many years, Lady Li only remembered one thing: the scene of young Master Meng the second leaving the Duke's mansion. Without a trace of nostalgia, he left decisively, without looking back.
From then on, he never set foot in the Duke's mansion again, to the extent that she, the mistress of the Duke's mansion, had almost forgotten that such a person existed in the world.
...
Meng Qingping paid no heed to the Meng clan members, not sparing them a single glance, his sole focus being on taking good care of his grandchildren.
After two days of travel like this, with the pampered and delicate members of the Duke's mansion slowing them down, and having been whipped by the constables, these people finally truly grasped their plight of being exiled.
Outside a small town not far from the capital, a group of people sat dejectedly on the ground, while the escorting constables looked at them with utter disdain.
"At this snail's pace, when will we ever reach Liaodong?" the youngest constable couldn't help but complain.
"Don't rush, Nianzi. The longer it drags on, the more they will suffer when they reach Liaodong. It'll be easier if they freeze to death. It's a pity that those three, grandfather and grandchildren, have to suffer because of these beasts." A middle-aged constable, well aware of Liaodong's harsh climate, glanced at the grandfather and grandchildren sitting alone by the roadside in front.
"Alas, isn't that the truth." Old Jiangtou, the oldest among the constables and their highest-ranking officer, lowered his voice and said, "The yamen runners who escorted those three, grandfather and grandchildren, to the capital found me. They didn't even leave enough for travel expenses, and just barely scraped together five taels of silver to stuff into my hand. They kept flattering me, saying their lord was a good person, and begged me to protect them on the road so that their lord and his grandchildren could reach Liaodong in one piece."
"Jiang tou, did you take the money?" asked a burly man with a dark face from beside him in a deep voice.
"I, Old Jiangtou, have done something good for once in my life. Such a large handful of loose silver and large coins, and I held back and didn't take it. Five taels of silver, enough for me to sneak drinks for months!"
"Haha, Jiang tou, I'll buy you wine tonight."
"Jiang tou, you're truly a good man."
"Haha, speaking of which, being a good person feels quite good."
"Haha."
The constables were chatting happily, spitting as they spoke, when they saw a warhorse galloping towards them, kicking up dust.
The warhorse stopped beside them, and the rider pulled on the reins with a "hiss."
After a man dressed in a low-ranking military uniform nimbly dismounted, they saw a small boy with a bundle sitting behind him.
"Boy, get down."
"Alright."
After the boy stood steadily beside him, the rider scanned the constables. When his gaze fell on Jiangtou, he immediately approached and asked, "Are you Jiang tou?"
"I am. And who might you be?"
"It's good that you are Jiang tou," the man said, pulling the boy beside him forward. "Jiang tou, my brother, Zhang Dahu, is a gatekeeper at the North Gate of the capital."
"What can I do for you? Please tell me." For constables like them, offending the military men guarding the gate was something they absolutely did not want to do, otherwise they would have to camp outside the city if they couldn't get in.
"Jiang tou, it's like this. General Liu of the Liaodong Garrison's Commander Qi is my fellow townsman, and this boy is Commander Qi's son, named Qi He."
"Oh."
"Concubine Qi passed away during childbirth when she gave birth to this boy. The boy has always been raised by his grandmother. A while ago, his grandmother passed away, and the boy couldn't get along with his uncle and aunt. So, he's going to Liaodong to join his father."
"Does Commander Qi know this boy is going to him?" By now, Jiangtou understood that this military man wanted them to escort the boy to Liaodong.
"He knows. We sent him a message beforehand. Now we'd like to trouble you, Jiang tou, to take the boy to Liaodong. We'd be immensely grateful." Zhang Dahu said, taking out five silver ingots from his embrace and handing them over. "Jiang tou, these five taels of silver are for the boy's expenses on the journey."
"Oh, Brother Zhang, this won't do. Commander Qi guards Liaodong for the safety of our Great Ming people. It's our destiny to escort young Qi along the way."
Jiangtou refused to accept the money, but Zhang Dahu insisted on giving it. Because he knew these constables too well, only by taking the money could he feel at ease.
The two parties were at a stalemate for a long time, neither able to persuade the other.
Qi He looked around and saw two grown men pushing and shoving for so long, more indecisive than his grandmother. He reached out and took the silver ingots from Uncle Zhang's hand.
While they were stunned, he split the five silver ingots into two, giving three to Jiangtou and putting two back into Uncle Zhang's hand. Then, with a mischievous smile, he said, "Grandpa Jiang, if I spend it sparingly, you can just accept three ingots from Uncle Zhang."
"Haha, alright, this boy speaks well." Jiangtou had accepted Zhang Dahu's money and also given him face.
Zhang Dahu glanced at the silver ingots in his hand and laughed heartily. After thanking Jiangtou, he pulled Qi He aside and whispered some instructions. Finally, he secretly stuffed the two silver ingots into Qi He's embrace.
"Uncle Zhang."
"Good boy, you must keep this money safe. When you're pressed for time on the road, buy yourself some food, or if it's cold, get yourself some warm clothes. Remember to spend sparingly, and absolutely do not spend it all before reaching Liaodong. And also..." Zhang Dahu pointed at the disheveled and dejected Meng clan members, and sternly warned, "Boy, these are not good people. Stay far away from them on the journey, and absolutely do not get dragged down by them."