Chapter 266: Relationships Within Relationships, Just One Circle

Chunxiang's sister-in-law was a household-born servant of the Hou Fu, serving there continuously before her redemption, even attending upon the Old Mistress—though not as a senior maid, but as a second-class laboring maid.

This background may seem unimpressive, yet it was enough to let Chunxiang's sister-in-law move freely within the Hou Fu's inner quarters. Whenever the Hou Fu hosted banquets or similar events and needed temporary helpers, Chunxiang's sister-in-law was always among them.

Chen Guanlou might not know the Hou Fu's relatives and friends, but Chunxiang's sister-in-law certainly did. Any relative or friend who visited the Hou Fu was required to pay respects to the Old Mistress.

Chunxiang's sister-in-law pondered carefully, then shook her head. "The Hou Fu has no relatives surnamed Meng—at least, none that I know of. If you want definite information, ask Chen Guanxiang. He serves in the Hou Fu as a gatekeeper's boy and knows every relative and friend who has dealings with them."

Following Chunxiang's sister-in-law's advice, Chen Guanlou arranged for someone to contact his clan brother Chen Guanxiang and invited him to drink at Guanmei Tower.

In truth, the two were nearly the same age—Chen Guanxiang was only half a year older than Chen Guanlou.

But they were not close; aside from their two years in the clan school, they had virtually no contact.

Still, since they shared the surname Chen, even without prior interaction, when a mutual acquaintance delivered the message, Chen Guanxiang showed up on time. That's the advantage of being from the same clan—blood or not, you're both Chen; helping out is nothing. Of course, the real reason Chen Guanxiang came was because Chen Guanlou had money.

Among the clan, Chen Guanlou's reputation was this: this boy has made his fortune and clung to the Big Master's leg. Among the younger generation, aside from the Chen clan soldiers, Chen Guanlou is the most capable.

Prison guards are lowly?

Hah!

To turn a lowly job into something profitable, bringing home piles of silver—that's not lowliness, that's capability.

Chen Guanxiang wanted to see up close what this capable Chen Guanlou was really like. Back in school, Chen Guanlou had been a despised oaf. How, after years apart, had he become such a capable fellow?

The two met at Guanmei Tower and faintly recognized in each other's faces the features of their younger selves.

"Hahaha…" They burst out laughing in unison. "You've changed a lot!"

"Brother Xiang has grown even more handsome and dashing—no doubt many young maids lie awake at night thinking of you."

"Same to you! I've heard you're a regular on Flower Street; the courtesans must all have lost their souls to you."

They teased each other, and the initial awkwardness vanished instantly, as if they'd been close friends for years. After a few cups of wine, they became inseparable brothers who could talk about anything.

Chen Guanlou flattered him, and Chen Guanxiang boasted that he knew every prominent figure in the capital—so well, he might as well have hosted the Emperor himself.

Once his boasting was done, Chen Guanlou brought up the real matter.

"I've got two prisoners who claim they're distantly related to the Hou Fu. I asked around, and no one recognized them. I figured no one knows the Hou Fu's relatives better than you, Brother Xiang, so I came to ask. If they truly are relatives, it's only right to show them some favor. But if they're lying, pretending kinship to trick me, I won't be gentle—I'll give them three swift blows first, break their legs before anything else."

"You've come to the right person. If it's a relative of the Hou Fu, I know them all."

"Surnamed Meng. Two brothers. Do you recall them?"

Chen Guanxiang frowned in thought. "You're certain they're surnamed Meng?"

Chen Guanlou nodded. "Definitely surnamed Meng."

"There was a Meng general who once came to the Hou Fu to present gifts. But as far as I know, this General Meng now serves in the south and is close to the Eldest Master. Other Mengs… wait—there is another Meng family, but they're not Hou Fu relatives; they're the Second Young Mistress's maternal kin."

So he'd found the right trail.

Chen Guanlou refilled Chen Guanxiang's empty cup. "Brother Xiang, tell me about this Meng family—did they offend someone?"

"I did hear something about it—just overheard, really. It's a nasty business."

"It's still early. Brother Xiang, speak up—it'll pass the day." Chen Guanlou flattered him.

Chen Guanxiang began.

The Second Young Mistress's maternal family was surnamed Wang. The Wang family had a relative surnamed Zhao.

The most accomplished branch of the Zhao family was the Second House, which had many sons—six in total. The first three were born to the principal wife; the last three were born to concubines. Yet the most accomplished of them all was the fourth son—the neglected concubine-born child.

The fourth son had talent; after securing an official post, he rose steadily.

So the Zhao family arranged a marriage for him—to the niece of the principal wife, and a legitimate daughter at that. A legitimate daughter marrying a concubine-born son? More than sufficient.

I forgot to mention—the principal wife's maternal family was surnamed Meng.

But the Fourth Son refused.

He hated his stepmother; he would never marry her niece.

Yet Zhao the Elder forced him to marry the Meng woman—refusal meant filial impiety.

For the sake of his career, the Fourth Son gritted his teeth and accepted the match. His post came through the Wang family, who were in-laws to the Hou Fu; the Wangs had once had ties to the Mings as well.

It was all one tangled circle—except the Meng family had fallen first, now diminished, clinging only to their ancestral reputation to preserve face.

After marriage, life grew worse—mutual loathing.

Yet the Fourth Son's official rank kept rising, surpassing even the eldest son, the heir. Every time he saw his stepmother or his wife, resentment festered within him.

With his power secured, he went to the Meng household to humiliate them. How? He seized his father-in-law's favorite concubine and took her to bed the same night.

The Meng family, so publicly shamed by their son-in-law, could not swallow this insult.

Though it happened over a decade ago, many elderly people in the capital still remember this scandal.

The Meng family lost face and became sworn enemies with the Fourth Son.

The Zhao family tried to reconcile, but the Fourth Son was defiant—he refused to yield. He moved out of the household and set up his own residence with the concubine he'd seized.

The stalemate held until a year ago, when it was shattered completely.

The Meng family suffered disaster!

Meanwhile, the Fourth Son's career soared—he gained the favor of Jiang Tu.

The concubine he seized, known as Hua Niang, was deeply favored by him. She bore him a son.

Yet for all these years, she had never been admitted into the Zhao household, and her son remained off the Zhao family genealogy.

Hua Niang hated the Fourth Son's principal wife, Meng Shi, with every fiber of her being. In her eyes, it was Meng Shi's interference that kept her son from the genealogy, leaving him a bastard, despised wherever he went.

When the Meng family fell, Hua Niang was the happiest.

Years of bitterness had twisted her into a monster.

She forced the Fourth Son to destroy the Meng family—especially Meng Shi's brothers—because her son had suffered repeated humiliations at their hands. She demanded double retribution.

With Jiang Tu's backing, the Fourth Son had no trouble crushing the fallen Meng family.

To please his concubine, he ignored his father's warnings, disregarded his stepmother's dignity, and trampled on his principal wife and legitimate son's feelings—he seized the two Meng brothers, used connections to have them thrown into the Zhao Prison, and intended to see them dead.

To this day, the Meng family does not know what torments the two brothers endured in the Zhao Prison. They assume it was merely ordinary punishment—if they still live, there is still hope.