894 The Young Lady of the Meng Family (1/2)
Lady Meng of Golden Roc Castle had a little-known maiden name — Shengxiao. There seemed to be an omen about her unwillingness to be outdone from birth. She had let out a cry so loud that her father, who was waiting outside, had thought he had received a son. In that moment, that name had flashed across his mind, and he hadn't changed it even after finding out that the baby was a girl.
Her prescient father had died young and her mother, who was weak and easy to bully, had lost her protection and lived in fear for less than two years before passing away. From then on, the nine year old Meng Shengxiao had lived under another's roof.
Sometimes, she thought that her personality and attitude towards life was more likely to have been formed through her eight-year struggle for survival than from that manly name.
She called her experience of living under the roof of the Meng family as a 'struggle' because it wasn't a good memory at all. She and the Meng family were not close relatives. The reason why she could even live in foster care in the Meng family was because of the generous legacy that her father had left her. And she had never forgotten about it. So, after entering the door of the Meng family, she had regarded herself as a real lady and had fought back bravely against all those who dared to challenge it, thus winning the title of ”Miss Wild.”
Some still remembered the anecdotes of this Miss Wild to this day. She had smashed an aunt's dowry simply because the other side snorted softly as she passed by; she had forced her cousins, aunts, and uncles to obey her orders and those who were disobedient had all been isolated; all the servants in the inner chamber had cleverly accepted her as the real master after the first month of her entering the mansion.
At that time, Meng Yuzun had just taken over the family business and become the head of the family. No one knew whether it was because he wanted to establish a reputation of benevolence or it was because he believed that his distant niece had a promising future, but he had always quietly supported her deeds and hadn't punished her even when the old lady was angry about her mischief.
This support was perceived as indulgence in others' eyes, but Meng Shengxiao could not feel it. From top to bottom, all she felt was hostility, either overt or covert. What she often said was, ”I came to the Meng family with my fortune, and I am not a beggar begging for food and shelter. Why should I swallow my pride and endure in silence?”
The Meng family had been making arrangements for Miss Wild's marriage since she was twelve, but anyone who inquired a little bit about her dared not to marry such a girl no matter how many dowries the Meng family was willing to offer. Even Meng Yuzun became a bit anxious when she was sixteen years old and swore that if her marriage couldn't be decided in another year, then she would casually marry a rich man in southern Jade City, where people dared to kill each other for money and where even the most hard-hearted woman had to lower her head.
Just then, the Unique King's wife died and he decided to marry someone else. As was customary, his new wife had to be a woman surnamed Meng.
Meng Yuzun had several cousins of the right age who were as beautiful as flowers. The Unique King could choose at will. However, he would not listen to the matchmakers' extravagantly colorful description, and neither would he inquire about any rumors through the maids. He wanted to see his new wife in person.
It was an unusual request. Even the kings of the kingdoms in the Western Regions dared not to be so rude to the Meng family at that time. But for some reason, Meng Yuzun agreed to it and regarded it as an honor.
There were eight candidates in total, who were all gorgeously dressed, awaiting the Assassin King's selection. But before the Unique King came, they had already turned pale because rumors said that the former Lady Meng of Golden Roc Castle had died not of illness but had actually been killed. As for the means, there were at least five different versions, all of which were went like the horrible stories of man-devouring demons.
But Meng Shengxiao wasn't afraid. She even made herself the first woman the Unique King saw when he walked into the garden.
As Meng Yuzun's niece, Meng Shengxiao was actually not one of the candidates. But she decided for herself that instead of being married into southern Jade City, which was full of sabers and swords, it was better to choose Golden Roc Castle which was full of killers.
On that day, she had dressed up carefully, looking neither too shabby nor showy. With a light green dress, she appeared much taller and slimmer. All the people in the garden had followed her order to hide in the room. Only she, along with two maids, had gone to the garden, pretending to pick flowers and 'accidentally' running into the Unique King who had come to choose a wife.
Meng Shengxiao then gracefully greeted Meng Yuzun, who was accompanying the Unique King before continuing to head for the garden under the gape of her uncle. During the whole process, she hadn't glanced at the Unique King even once, as if she didn't know him at all.
The Unique King knew that the composure of the woman dressed in green was all an act. Everyone in the city knew that he was coming to the Meng family to choose his wife. A young lady of the Meng family could not avoid learning of it.
The selection hastily ended. The eight cousins of Meng Yuzun were too frightened. Upon seeing the Unique King walking into the garden, they were like a flock of sheep watching the butcher stepping into the sheepfold, all of them trembling with tears.
Among a flock of timid lambs, Meng Shengxiao was as conspicuous as a fearless sheepdog. She was chosen even before the Unique King left the Meng family mansion.
Meng Yuzun was worn out by his cousins' performance and was very delighted that the Unique King chose someone, especially when this person was one of the girls that he was anxious to marry out. The only thing that he worried about was that Meng Shengxiao was his niece, which meant that the Unique King would technically become his nephew according to the family hierarchy. He dared not take advantage of it and assume that he was superior to the Unique King.
The Unique King easily solved the problem. ”She's also surnamed Meng. She's a replacement for my former wife so her seniority will naturally be that of my former wife.”
The last Lady Meng had been Meng Yuzun's younger sister. And with that, the marriage was settled and everyone was happy. Many people even gloated over it and wanted to see how many days Miss Wild could survive at Golden Roc Castle.
At the age of seventeen, Meng Shengxiao became the new Lady Meng.
Miss Wild survived. Lady Meng had inherited her father's business-oriented mind. From the first moment she had walked in front of the Unique King in her green dress, she had never dreamed that their marriage would be a model of a devoted couple.