Chapter 172 She Wants Revenge
These words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Meng Jinyao directly in the head and leaving her mind buzzing.
Her face was completely drained of color, and her complexion was deathly pale.
Disbelief, resentment, anger, and unwillingness... all sorts of emotions intertwined, and her hands trembled slightly inside her sleeves. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find her own voice.
Was her mother's difficult childbirth caused by human intervention?
For so many years, her family has said that she is a jinx, born to bring misfortune to her mother.
Although she didn't see herself as a jinx, she still felt bad and even wished she had never come into the world, because her mother had died giving birth to her. At that time, only one child could live, and her mother had left the hope of life to her.
Now she suddenly discovers that her mother was murdered, and the person who killed her mother was her stepmother, Sun, who had tormented her for many years. Her father was also an accomplice and one of the culprits.
On what grounds?
She was clearly not at fault, yet she took the blame for everything, while the real murderer lived happily for so many years.
Damn it!
Her father knew everything, but he helped Sun Shi conceal the truth, making people mistakenly believe that her mother had simply died in childbirth. As a result, she became a jinx, and her grandmother cursed her as a jinx for more than ten years, while her father always watched coldly.
Her father didn't love her when she was a child. She envied Meng Jinyu for having a father who loved her and tried to please her carefully, but her father didn't take her seriously, so she gave up. She also thought that her father hated her for causing her mother's death and thought she was a jinx, which is why he didn't want to pay attention to her and only favored the daughter born to Sun.
Now she suddenly realizes that she is not a jinx. The reason her father doesn't love her is because she is not the child of the woman he loves. In fact, when her father sees her, he probably thinks of the cause of his mother's death and feels guilty and doesn't want to face her...
And then there's Madam Sun. She'd never understood why Madam Sun was so hostile towards her. Even though she was born of the principal wife, she was still just a girl. She could be given a dowry when she grew up and that would be enough. She wouldn't inherit the title and posed no threat to Meng Chengxing.
Now she understands.
So, that cheating couple was feeling guilty.
Seeing Meng Jinyao's pale and gloomy face, and the overwhelming hatred in her eyes, the middle-aged woman panicked and said in a trembling voice, "Young lady, I have said everything I need to say. Madam's death really has nothing to do with me."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao's thoughts slowly returned. She took a deep breath and then asked, "When Madam Sun pushed my mother, who was there? Didn't anyone else see it? How did they manage to cover up such a big thing?"
The middle-aged woman replied, "Only I was there at the time. I am the lady's personal maid. Another maid happened to have a stomachache, so I was the one who took care of her."
"The lady is in critical condition during childbirth. I wanted to go to the Zhou family to inform the old master, but I was stopped by the Earl, who was the former heir. He threatened my family with their lives, saying that if I told anyone, he would not let my family go."
“I was afraid, so I chose to hide it. I had someone I loved, and the madam had already returned my indenture to me and let me marry. But I wanted to take care of the madam until after she gave birth before leaving. I never expected this to happen. After the madam passed away, I also left the Yongchang Marquis’s mansion.”
As she finished speaking, the middle-aged woman's face was filled with guilt and remorse, and tears streamed down her face: "Over the years, I have always felt guilty towards you, Madam. Whenever I come to Lingyun Temple, I offer incense to you. This time, I'm afraid it will be the last time I offer incense to you. The doctor said that I don't have much time left."
Meng Jinyao was silent for a while, then asked, "My father also had concubines back then. Since he was interested in Sun, Mother could have arranged for him to take her as a concubine. Why are you so angry?"
The middle-aged woman replied, "Because the Earl lied to the Madam, saying he had an appointment with a friend, but the Madam discovered their secret meeting. She felt deceived and betrayed, and became furious on the spot. Moreover, the Madam had met Madam Sun at the banquet, and they got along well. The Madam never imagined that her new friend would have an affair with her husband. I suspect that the Earl and Madam Sun had known each other for a long time, but the Earl married the Madam because of their parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was startled. She hadn't thought about this before, but she knew her father definitely liked Madam Sun.
She closed her eyes and then opened them again, asking, "Is there a single falsehood in what you said today?"
The middle-aged woman hurriedly said, "Young lady, everything I have said is true. If there is even a single falsehood, may my descendants suffer a terrible death!"
Meng Jinyao glanced at her in surprise. Those who come to worship Buddha must have some degree of faith in Buddhism. For someone to say such things in a Buddhist temple proves that what she said earlier was true.
She softened her tone and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry for offending you today. I see you're not feeling well, so I'll send someone to take you home."
The middle-aged woman was taken aback, somewhat incredulous that she would let her go home, but seeing that she didn't seem to be joking, she didn't dare to ask any more questions and simply replied, "Thank you, young lady."
Perhaps the young lady wanted someone to take her home so she could find out where she lived. Even if she refused, the young lady would find out anyway if she wanted to, so it was better to just agree. Besides, with her frail health, she wouldn't know how long it would take her to get home anyway, so it would be good to have someone take her.
Afterwards, Meng Jinyao instructed Qingqiu to see the middle-aged woman out and have her own coachman take her back in a carriage.
After the woman left, Ningdong asked in confusion, "Madam, why did you let her go? Since you know that Madam Sun is the murderer and the Earl is the one who protects the murderer, shouldn't you have taken her back to the Yongchang Earl's Mansion to expose their true colors?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "We have no evidence. Although she is the only witness, her one-sided testimony is not enough to bring down the Sun family and my father."
Ning Dong frowned and said, "Even so, are we just going to let her go like this? She has also protected the murderer and concealed the truth."
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "It is only natural to choose family over master. After all, blood is thicker than water. If there is no deep hatred, if I were her, I probably would not choose to help master explain the truth and abandon the lives of my family."
Ning Dong was stunned upon hearing this. Putting herself in her shoes, if it were her, could she abandon her family to seek justice for her master? She quickly shook her head, unable to imagine it, but the next moment, she had the answer in her heart. She would choose her master because her family had abandoned her when she was young and she hadn't seen them for many years. But the old woman from earlier was different. The old woman's family probably still kept in touch with her and had feelings for her. How could they just watch their family members get into trouble?
After a moment, Ningdong asked again, "Madam, what should we do next?"
Meng Jinyao narrowed her eyes, her gaze gradually deepening, a fierce hatred surging within them. A dangerous smile curled at the corner of her lips as she calmly said, "Then naturally, we should repay grievances and avenge wrongs."
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