Chapter 237

This year's Capital City.0

A bit desolate.0

Yet with a certain flavor.0

In the western part of the city, people used to think living next to the Goddess would bring them some spiritual aura, making them smugly content as property values rose even higher.0

A while back, a house two doors down from the Goddess sold for a full six percent higher than last year. Given how high prices already were in the west, that six percent increase meant a fortune.0

But ever since Old Madam Meng brought people to splash that huge bucket of urine, it was as if the Goddess's filter had been washed away.4

The Goddess's servants scrubbed for three days and nights, but the smell still lingered.0

When the Goddess was in her glory, no one dared say anything, fearing she might claim their fate was poor if they did.0

But once someone opened the floodgates, the gossip came pouring in.0

There had long been those who resented her.0

There was a young woman with a fiancé, but when the Goddess read another girl's love fortune, she actually said that girl's destined match was that very man - the first girl's fiancé.0

Somehow, it came to pass that the man actually broke off his engagement and married the other girl.0

It seemed the prophecy had brought about a happy union, while simultaneously destroying another engagement.0

Those who enjoy the benefits of fame are always accompanied by slander.0

There was no shortage of jealous people either.0

The nobles of the capital already had various professional frauds surrounding them. Jiang Wan's sudden rise was essentially stealing their rice bowls.0

It was said The Emperor was about to summon Goddess Liu, but after Old Madam Meng's bucket of urine came down, there was no follow-up.0

Moreover, Goddess Liu became a laughingstock.0

Then more gossip spread that Liu Tong, the Liu family's eldest son, was desperate to avoid marriage because of his adopted sister the Goddess. He even went before his fiancée Miss Dong, kneeling and begging her to let him go...4

Miss Dong broke off the engagement, also becoming the joke of the Capital City.0

However, the Goddess proved worthy of her title by unexpectedly saving the Crown Prince's only son.0

The Crown Prince is currently the prince with the loudest calls to become heir apparent.0

Though not born of the main wife, he is the eldest. The Crown Prince himself is valiant and handsome, tall and brave, with an generous personality that many admire.0

It's just that he had children late, with daughters coming first. He finally had a son, which is one of the reasons he's a strong contender for Crown Prince. After all, without an heir, the position of Crown Prince would be essentially out of reach.0

So the Crown Prince was extremely grateful to Goddess Liu, especially the Crown Prince's wife, who personally invited Goddess Liu as an honored guest. The winds of the Capital City shifted once again.0

With her snow-white hair, Old Madam Meng wanted nothing more than to kneel before the ancestor tablets and have a good cry.0

She also wanted to search through her storerooms - she had to send gifts to her granddaughter-in-law.0

When Madam Meng heard the news, she suddenly felt free of all illness and pain, free of all disaster and difficulty, light as a feather.0

She also wanted to search her storerooms, wishing she could move everything to her daughter-in-law.0

Little Yu'er had given birth to two sons in one go. From now on, whatever the daughter-in-law wanted, she would get. They could even enshrine and wait on her - she was too praiseworthy.0

If the messenger hadn't said they were already on their way to the Capital City, just needing to complete the month of confinement first, Madam Meng and Old Madam Meng would have set off for Jingzhou overnight.0

"The young mistress nearly met with disaster. Someone tried to poison her, but fortunately the young mistress was clever and saw through it. However, she was frightened into early labor because of it. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise - she gave birth to two big, healthy boys. If it had been any later, the babies would have been too big and difficult to deliver."4

The old soldier caught his breath, drank some tea to wet his throat, and continued to describe the scene.0

The listeners' hearts leapt in shock.0

"Then what happened?" Old Madam Meng asked anxiously.0

"Was the poisoner caught?" asked Meng Qingshe.0

"They should be cut into a thousand pieces!" Madam Meng cursed.0

"The waiter who delivered the food killed himself."0

Madam Meng frowned, "Then there's no way to verify anything, and it happened on the road too."0

Old Madam Meng also felt frustrated.0

Meng Qingshe said gloomily: "I hear my in-law is an upright and honorable man. Although he was forced to rebel before, he never actually fought or killed anyone, just helped maintain order in the county. In Jingzhou he's also been diligent and conscientious. Even someone as impartial as Inspector He praised Commander Jiang as a good official after returning from Jingzhou. In this world, the kind are bullied by others. They're taking advantage of our Meng family having no one around."0

The old soldier was also furious, but there was nothing to be done. He had rushed back to report as soon as he got news of the young mistress giving birth.0

But there was no help for it. That Lord Jiang looked too handsome, the typical scholarly official who would probably faint at the sight of blood, unlike their Meng family. That Madam Jiang also looked kind and gentle. Young Master Jiang also appeared to be a very well-behaved youth.4

No wonder the whole family wanted to keep their young master at home. Without the young master, they'd probably all be bullied to death.0

"Oh right, these are the young masters' first hairs. The young mistress cut them and asked me to bring them back." The old soldier produced two identical pouches.0

Old Madam Meng opened them to find two locks of hair, which she couldn't stop fondling lovingly.0

The two ordinary pouches were passed around between two generations of the family.0

Madam Meng's heart grew even fonder of her daughter-in-law. She really was considerate, knowing they would miss the children and sending these first hairs. Even gold, jade and other treasures couldn't compare to how precious these two pouches were - they had captured their hearts.0

"Mother, I'll go check again if there's anything else to prepare. When Little Yu'er returns, we should add some more things for her."0

"Go ahead. Take that large coral from my room and move it to my daughter-in-law's room. It's auspicious."0