Meng Ying regarded himself as a lineal descendant of Mencius and didn’t want to ruin himself because of jealousy or conspiracies. Thus, he told himself that it was not Meng Xuan’s fault to be brilliant and it was very normal for him to feel self-abased or envious, but he couldn’t keep being like this, or Meng Xuan would make more progress while he would be ruined by his own evil wills first before he could make any achievement.

Based on the principle of “Out of sight, out of mind”, Meng Ying left the garrison in Shanhaiguan. Instead of going back to the capital, he traveled everywhere to broaden his horizons and mind and sweep away the shades in the past. Then, he met Lord Ning, Feng Yang and Qi Xuanyu. He admired them because they were fond of practices and very capable, so he often visited them and hoped it could improve his knowledge. After finding he was the successor of Earl Baoding, Lord Ning and others got along with him on purpose. Moreover, they had similar temperaments and dispositions so they gradually became close.

Several months later, Meng Ying was even allowed to learn about the intelligence network of Wuying Tower and got free access to Yangzhou Caobang organization. Not only his knowledge was greatly improved, but also he became a bosom friend to Feng Yang and learned much from him. While he was still feeling lucky and thinking it was very wise for him to travel around this time, he happened to know their core secrets. He failed to run away and had to join them half forcibly.

Later, he got more and more involved. What people in Wuying Tower did and how they acted entirely violated “manners, righteousness, benevolence, credit and wisdom”, which he had been taught since he was a kid. He tried several times to run away from these men, but how wily Zhu Quan was. How would he let a pawn who had something on him firmly run away? After battling with him openly and secretly several times, Meng Ying admitted his superiority and gave in completely. He was terrified and knew he was no match for such a noble figure at all.

During that period of time, Meng Ying heard He Danggui’s name for the first time after he saw that striking scene.

Although Lord Ning forced Meng Ying to join them, he treated Meng Ying better than ordinary scholars, talked to him as an equal, and persuaded him to sincerely join them. Every time Meng Ying arrived at Daning Prefecture, he was picked up by servants from Lord Ning’s Mansion right away and was more respected there than in his own house. That was the way “Guests feel at home” was explained perfectly.

Of course, Meng Ying knew that he had to pay for the respect he received. He also knew the Theory of “State Scholars and the Ordinary” by Yu Rang. Lord Ning treated him like “a state scholar” and would never let him become “ordinary”. It must be because what he needed to do as “a state scholar” could never be done by those “ordinary men” who hadn’t been respected. Meng Ying could even predict that one day, Lord Ning would convince or force him to show his stand and to be on his side completely. Moreover, after he succeeded his father’s title, not only he but also the whole Meng’s Family would have to be on the side of Lord Ning even though they were always loyal to the emperor.

Meng’s family was the head of all the noble families in the Ming Dynasty. Together with Wang’s Family, Xie’s Family, Li’s Family, Chang’s Family, Guan’s Family, and Xu’s Family, it became one of the “seven great families of The Ming Dynasty”. And the reason why Meng’s Family, Wang’s Family, Chang’s Family, and Guan’s Family could keep being thought highly of by the emperor was that they all firmly supported the emperor and obeyed all his orders. Take Chang’s Family as an example, early in the 26th year of Hongwu Period, Lan’s Family who had a relation by marriage with Chang’s Family was found guilty of rising in rebellion. Chang’s Family expressed their attitude clearly by cutting off all the relations with Lan’s Family on the spot and assisting the imperial officers to investigate the “Treason Case of Lan Yu” thoroughly.

Lan Yu was a famous founding figure of the Ming Dynasty, a brilliant general, and the younger brother of Chang Yuchun’s wife. He was brave and astute and had made repeated battle achievements. After the country’s situation was just stabilized, he was assigned as Founding General and recognized as Duke Liang. However, after he held great power, he became arrogant and willful, kept many slaves and adopted sons, acted recklessly and brutally, and robbed farmers of their fields. Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor, was furious at what he had done.

Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor family. In the hardest time, he couldn’t even get enough chaff or edible wild herbs to eat. His parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law died of diseases or starvation one after another and just left him alone. Therefore, he swore at that time that he would “kill all corrupted officials in the world”. Lan Yu grew arrogant because of his achievements and offended the emperor’s taboo so that Lan’s Family suffered from a bloodbath brought by the imperial army led by Chang’s Family, their relatives by marriage. Lan Yu was executed for treason. His skin was removed, stuffed with straw, and presented in front of people around the country. Later, Armed Escort traced Lan Yu’s confederates and the number of people who were implicated and killed was over fifteen thousand.

All government officers that had corresponded with Lan Yu or even just met him several times were included, but none of those people was related to Chang’s Family. It could be seen that the emperor trusted and preferred Chang’s Family very much. Such preference was earned by their speaking and acting cautiously, obeying the emperor’s orders unconditionally, and working honestly and upright all the time. And the preference Meng’s Family received was even greater. It was nicknamed “Evergreen” in “Rules in Official Circles” and was respected throughout the court. Such preference and glory were unique.

It could be imagined how painful it would be if Meng’s Family fell from such a high position. At that time, the whole court would be in turmoil and experience a radical change. Would it be another “Treason Case of Lan Yu”?

After being trapped by Lord Ning, Meng Ying got overwhelmed by various worries. Maybe someday, before Zhu Yuanzhang passed away, Zhu Quan’s ambition and desires would lose control. With the forces he had gathered these years, he might attack the capital with the army, force the emperor to abdicate, or instigate all courtiers and force the emperor to make him Crown Prince. Would he do that? Would Meng’s Family be forced to support Lord Ning because of Meng Ying?

Although Meng Ying wished to keep away from such things, Zhu Quan trapped him with different methods. He used hard tactics, but he preferred soft ones. Meng Ying gradually lost himself. Even though he knew clearly he was tricked by a villain and Meng’s Family would be implicated sooner or later because of him, he couldn’t get rid of the Tender Land of Lord Ning’s Mansion.

Zhu Quan was shockingly generous. He not only let Meng Ying live in Lord Ning’s Mansion but also asked various pretty geishas, maids, and even his own concubines to serve Meng Ying. Since he was born, Meng Ying had been used to being restrained by family rules in Meng’s Family no matter what he said or did. Suddenly, he left the home and entered Lord Ning’s circle. He felt free as if “he had run away from a cage where he was stuck in for long and returned to the nature”. What’s more, some of the beauties sent by Zhu Quan were extremely gorgeous. Meng Ying thought, “Time just passes whether I’m happy or not. I should just seek joy amidst the sorrow.”

Then, he immersed himself in the Tender Land for several months and even happened to see Zhu Quan having sexual intercourse with a beauty before a tree in a plum grove. As soon as he noticed them, he felt embarrassed and shocked and was about to leave, but what he saw next really terrified him. It made him hold his breath and stop there to watch the whole thing with his eyes wide open.

At first, Zhu Quan and that beauty were so sweet and he treated her very gently, which made the lady’s tears stream down from her watery eyes. Meng Ying thought, “Zhu Quan must’ve been so in love with this woman. It’s said that he was always cold-blooded to women. This can be seen when he asks his concubines to serve guests as personal prostitutes. However, he adores this woman very much. It shows he can also be a gentle person sometimes.”

No sooner had Meng Ying finished thinking this than something horrible happened. Zhu Quan’s look suddenly changed, some red and black streaks appeared between his eyebrows, and he became an intimidating man who was utterly different from the person Meng Ying was familiar with. He looked several times more frightening than he did before. After this “change”, Zhu Quan stopped adoring the beauty and became wild and rode. The woman was tortured hard and couldn’t help begging for mercy.

Zhu Quan pinned her to the plum tree and pushed her up and down. A short while later, dozens of deep and shallow scars were seen on the beauty’s fair back and it was bleeding. Several thorns pricked her buttocks and the back and they cut deeper because of Zhu Quan’s movements. The beauty cried so hard that she got weak and gradually became semi-conscious. Maybe she would die after Zhu Quan finally stopped. Meng Ying felt very pitiful. He didn’t expect that Zhu Quan’s sexual preferences were so brutal and he wanted to stop Zhu Quan from killing a woman like this.

However, before Meng Ying took action, Zhu Quan sobered up himself. He stopped his rudeness and cried hard while holding the beauty in his arms. He kept saying “Yiyi” and even fed her with his Zhenqi to heal her, but the woman was hurt too severely and died at last. Zhu Quan became crazy again suddenly. He not only kept hurting the dead beauty but also exerted his palm energy everywhere like a monster. In an instance, the whole plum grove was destroyed. He looked up and shouted, “He Danggui, I’ll kill you! He Danggui, you failed me so much!”

A sweet scene between a couple instantly turned into a crime scene in ruins, and Zhu Quan completely became another person. He sometimes cried and laughed and sometimes thumped his chest and hit trees. He also scolded “He Danggui” after calling “Yiyi” in pain.

Meng Ying was scared by him and didn’t dare to keep watching it. After that day, Meng Ying felt very nervous in Lord Ning’s Mansion and couldn’t run away even though he wanted. Every day appeared like a year in length to him. Half a month later, Feng Yang came to Daning Prefecture. Meng Ying told him what happened that day and then, Feng Yang explained the reason why Zhu Quan became like that was that he fell in love with a woman named “He Danggui” two years ago in Yangzhou City.

That woman looked beautiful but she was very malicious. Zhu Quan who was a normal man before was forced to become crazy like that by her. Otherwise, he was obsessed with her and determined to marry her as his consort. He was still preparing for this. To deal with his lovesickness, he gathered a dozen of beauties who looked like her from all over the country to accompany him. He Danggui’s courtesy name was “Qingyi” so there was “Yi” in the names of all those beauties. They wore clothes similar to He Danggui’s, dressed like her, and served Zhu Quan whenever he needed.

Meng Ying was startled by it and after he went back to the capital, he saw Duan Xiaolou who was also obsessed with He Danggui. Thus, he had a very bad impression of this woman. When he knew Meng Xuan, his most brilliant brother, loved her as well, Meng Ying immediately disapproved of it in his heart. Then, he always agreed to offer help when Lord Ning’s men and Duan Xiaolou came to him for this amazing woman named “He Danggui”.

This time, he confessed to Meng Xuan who was dying about Duan Xiaolou’s request to him, but he still kept the part of Lord Ning a secret. Although that day Lord Ning had seen He Danggui’s “ugly” face and buried his burning love for her immediately, he came to Meng Ying again after that. He asked Meng Ying to bring He Danggui to him for three reasons. First, he wanted to take revenge on her. Second, he needed to improve his kung fu. Third, he would cover a secret about He Danggui’s birth.

Of course, Zhu Quan only told Meng Ying the first and second reasons. He persuaded Meng Ying by combining threats with inducements to bring him He Danggui after poisoning her to be dumb. It was because the thing Duan Xiaolou had experienced happened to Zhu Quan as well when he went to catch He Danggui himself some days ago. He also found a strange Killing Love Matrix outside He Danggui’s room. Other people could pass it freely but he couldn’t even get close to it.

Bai Yangbai’s “Killing Love Matrix” was created in Yongle Period. Although he taught Zhu Quan everything, he couldn’t exert it now because it was just the 31st year of the Hongwu Period. Of course, Zhu Quan wouldn’t be able to break the matrix. He thought the normal process to marry a woman was too complicated and might cause other trouble. Then, he had the idea the same as Duan Xiaolou’s. Since Meng Ying could approach He Danggui easily, Zhu Quan asked him to poison and abduct her directly. Then, he would hide her well.