93: Chapter 93 Living Better Than You: The General Male Supporting Character 11 [An Qi, the Official, Owes 8 Chapters]

Nan Jin was completely stunned.

She had never imagined that someone would say such things to her.

A warm current, like a bursting flood, instantly submerged her entire heart.

Her whole body felt as warm as a furnace, and she could no longer utter a single word, only nodding desperately while her tears flowed even more fiercely.

Nan Jin's psychological issues could not be resolved overnight, but the first course of treatment had good results.

At the very least, Meng Zhu had successfully walked into her heart.

He then gently patted her back, and only after her emotions had calmed slightly did he ask softly.

"Only today can we truly be considered to have opened our hearts to each other, so your husband would like to ask one more time, what does my wife want?"

He pulled back slightly, allowing her to look directly into his eyes.

Nan Jin stared at him blankly.

For a long, long time.

So long that Meng Zhu thought she wouldn't answer, her lips finally moved.

Her gaze no longer dodged, no longer appeared humble.

Word by word, she clearly revealed the obsession buried deep in her heart.

"I want to... live better than Nan Li."

"Father's favoritism is a thorn stuck in my heart, and I must live better than her."

Meng Zhu smiled, a joyful smile from the bottom of his heart.

He pulled Nan Jin tightly into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice filled with indulgence and doting.

"Alright!"

"From now on, my wife shall always be more impressive than your stepsister in front of her!"

"Your husband will definitely make my wife live better than her, and make everyone in the world envy you!"

Nan Jin did not want to distinguish the truth from the falsehood in his words; she only knew that her husband had learned of her embarrassing side, yet instead spoke even more moving words of love.

She buried her face deeply into his broad, warm chest, feeling his steady and powerful heartbeat, her nose lingering with his reassuring masculine scent.

At this moment, she was finally no longer panic-stricken and finally felt a sense of security.

Nan Jin thought to herself repeatedly towards Meng Zhu, with warmth rippling in her heart.

"I could have endured the darkness, had I not seen the light."

"Husband, since you have already given your heart, you must never take it back."

"Otherwise, when that day comes, Nan Jin will truly die."

...

The small boat rocked leisurely.

The two sat cross-legged in each other's arms, watching the flower lanterns in the distance, now only orange specks of light, gradually drifting away.

[Why is no one posting comments?]

[Sorry, I don't understand, but I'm a bit shocked.]

[He is redeeming her, right?]

[I see a loving couple, but I really want to cry.]

[Please, no angst later; if it's angsty, I really can't take it.]

[Wait, my emotional intelligence is a bit low, can someone explain it to me?]

[What's so hard about this?]

A crowd of light specks surrounded the small boat.

[Actually, it's quite simple. It's just that her experiences in the last life caused Nan Jin to become black-hearted cotton; how could rebirth instantly change a person's personality? We should have thought of this earlier.]

[Exactly, it's just that in this life, Meng Zhu's favoritism made her eager to grasp it, so she tried hard to disguise herself, hide her true self, and please Meng Zhu.]

[But this put her under immense pressure, twisting her heart, which is why we felt her personality was fractured before, like she had a split personality.]

[So, is it that she was suppressing herself when facing Nan Li, occasionally exposing her true nature, while trying hard to restrain herself?]

[Yeah, she just got talk therapy from Dr. Meng, that's why she finally opened up.]

[Holy crap, is high-level romance all like this? This is too hard.]

[Duh, this kind of supporting female character is harder to deal with than the female lead; only Meng Zhu could do it.]

[That's why Mr. Zhu is the god forever, long live Mr. Zhu!]

[Brainless fans, your compliments all seem so superficial.]

[I have a question, is the boat just drifting like this? Are they going home to eat?]

[The atmosphere is so good, and you're talking to me about eating?]

[No, it's really far away now, there are no subways in ancient times, you know.]

[Can't take it anymore, brothers, beat him up!]

...

The midday sun was bright.

Nan Jin stood in the courtyard with her eyebrows arched.

"Meng Zhu! Meng Zhu! Meng Zhu!"

"Hey, hey, hey, replying to Madam, the General is in the study!"

"Fine, Meng Zhu is hiding in the study again; he has secrets. Butler Zhong, take me there quickly."

Butler Zhong hurried over, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Since that night of the Lantern Festival, Nan Jin's personality had changed a lot; at this moment, she was like a young girl who had just left her maiden home, willful and lively.

However, the servants in the mansion did not know the reason and only felt that the Madam had suddenly changed her temperament overnight.

Although she seemed a bit more willful, it actually brought more vitality to the mansion.

At this moment, inside the study of the Generals Mansion.

Meng Zhu stood by the window, looking at a secret letter in his hand.

Personal Guard Mo Yu cupped his hands in a salute and reported in a low voice.

"General, it has been confirmed that the commander of the Capital Patrol Battalion has indeed been replaced by one of Prince Yu's men."

Hearing this, Meng Zhu didn't even lift an eyelid, just casually held the secret letter to the candle flame to ignite it.

"No need to continue investigating; I already know who arranged it."

Meng Zhu was a border military general with real power and did not need to attend court daily.

However, he naturally paid attention to the news in the court.

But the mastermind behind this was actually mentioned by the comments.

Since he received the news about the change in the Patrol Battalion, the comments had been chattering incessantly.

Actually, it was quite normal.

Prime Minister Nan Ling favored Nan Li, and now that she had married Prince Yu, it would be unreasonable for Prime Minister Nan Ling not to secure some benefits for Prince Yu.

The Patrol Battalion was naturally not worth mentioning compared to the Imperial Guards, but it was, after all, one of the military powers in the capital and could not be ignored.

The comments analyzed it back and forth, each one like a military strategist.

However, Meng Zhu knew what he was doing and did not intend to move lightly for the time being.

And the thing he had been waiting for had just been delivered to the mansion today.

Those were two invitations, which were also the next extremely important plot point.

This plot point was much earlier than in the original work, but arriving at this moment, it was exactly what Meng Zhu wanted.

The struggle for the heir to the throne of the Great Wu Dynasty had only just begun.

The eldest prince, who was once the crown prince, had died early.

The second prince, Prince Liang, was also born to the Empress, thus becoming the legitimate eldest son.

That old fellow Prime Minister Nan Ling had originally favored Prince Liang.

But now, by securing benefits for Prince Yu, he had given the Empress a dangerous signal.

Thus, the flower appreciation banquet plot was brought forward.

The reason was very simple: the Empress wanted to find a marriage match for Prince Liang to gain some support.

The invitations were now lying on the desk.

They stated that the autumn chrysanthemums were in full bloom, and a flower appreciation banquet would be held in three days.

The families of officials in the capital, as well as unmarried noble daughters and young masters, were all on the invitation list.

Those who were already married were also included, as in ancient times, it was normal for men to have three wives and four concubines.

But this so-called flower appreciation was actually similar to a modern matchmaking event, as everyone knew well.

Originally, this matter had nothing to do with Meng Zhu.

He did not intend to have three wives and four concubines, nor did he have any intention of going to the banquet to make friends.

But this was an extremely important plot point, important to all of Meng Zhu's future layouts and plans.

It was, in short, a must-attend event.