Chapter 136 He's a Ruthless Character
The moment she finished speaking, Li Cheng's firm voice rang out: "Young lady, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."
After Li Cheng finished speaking, he reached out and touched the inkpad, then signed his name on both letters with fluid and unhurried movements.
Seeing this, Granny Qiao also quickly signed her name on it.
With concrete evidence against them, the mother and son were now completely on Meng Jinyao's side. From this moment on, they were in the same boat and had no choice but to be loyal to Meng Jinyao. Otherwise, if they reported it to Madam Sun, Madam Sun would not let them off the hook.
Meng Jinyao glanced at the fingerprints on the paper, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes, and said gently, "Granny Qiao, Steward Li, it's been a pleasure working with you."
She had a calm expression and a gentle voice, and seemed very approachable.
However, Granny Qiao and Li Cheng felt a sense of fear towards her. This eldest daughter of the Earl's family, who was the least favored and even the servants could trample on, was actually a ruthless character. After years of forbearance, she turned the tables and ruined the reputation of the Yongchang Earl's family. Who knows what kind of storm she would stir up in the future.
Granny Qiao asked nervously, "Young lady, what do you require of me?"
Meng Jinyao opened her lips and said, "I'm sure Granny Qiao knows perfectly well how my younger brother Chengyu died." After saying that, her sharp eyes fell on Granny Qiao, staring at her intently.
Granny Qiao's expression suddenly changed. She looked at Meng Jinyao with surprise and astonishment. When she saw the faint smile on Meng Jinyao's lips, she felt a chill.
A gust of wind blew in through the window, and Granny Qiao felt a chill spread through her body, making her feel cold all over. Her heart suddenly raced, pounding in her chest, making her dizzy and her thoughts in disarray.
She thought to herself that no one knew about the eldest young master's death except for her, her wife, and Cui'er, who died in childbirth after getting married. How did the eldest young lady find out? No wonder, no wonder the eldest young lady distanced herself from her wife and slowly went against her. It turned out that she knew about this.
Li Cheng was also a little confused. Wasn't the eldest son supposed to have died of illness? It's also possible that he was cursed to death by the eldest daughter.
But the next moment, he saw his mother's face change, her expression one of disbelief and panic. He was stunned and quickly realized that there was more to the story than met the eye, and it was very likely related to the madam. Otherwise, why would the eldest daughter want to deal with the madam?
Meng Jinyao glanced at the mother and son and asked in a low voice, "Did Granny Qiao lay a hand on them? As far as I know, before I found out, only you and Madam Sun knew about this."
Upon hearing this, Granny Qiao hurriedly shook her head: "Young lady, this is truly a misunderstanding. I did not lay a hand on it, and it wasn't just me and Madam who knew about it. There was a third person, a maid named Cui'er who served Madam. She was the one who did it."
This wasn't because she was afraid of death and randomly pinned the blame on the dead. Although she had done some dirty things for the madam, she really didn't participate in this matter. She only knew about the madam's plan, but it was Cui'er who did the dirty work on the medicine.
Meng Jinyao stared intently at Granny Qiao for a long time. Seeing that Granny Qiao's eyes were completely open, she believed her. Granny Qiao probably really didn't do anything, but she was an accomplice in concealing the truth.
Fearing she wouldn't believe her, Granny Qiao quickly raised three fingers and swore, "Young lady, I truly did not murder the young master. If I have uttered even the slightest lie, may I die a horrible death."
Meng Jinyao's face darkened, and she said coldly, "But you are also an accomplice for failing to report the truth. However, if you can handle this matter well and make amends, I will not pursue your responsibility. How about it?"
Granny Qiao's forehead was covered in cold sweat. She quickly nodded and replied, "This servant will obey the young lady's orders."
Meng Jinyao's expression softened, and she asked again, "Where is Cui'er?"
Granny Qiao answered truthfully: "Cui'er died in childbirth after getting married."
Did she die in childbirth?
Meng Jinyao lowered her eyes slightly. It's no wonder she was overthinking it. Cui'er was out of Sun's sight after getting married and was no longer under Sun's control, but she still knew Sun's secrets. Sun would inevitably have some concerns, so it was possible that she would try to silence her.
Granny Qiao observed her expression subtly, and could roughly guess what she was thinking. She said hesitantly, "Indeed, it is just as the young lady thinks."
Indeed, Cui'er's death during childbirth was the work of the madam, who had specially sent many tonics to help Cui'er recover from her miscarriage.
The naive Cui'er mistakenly believed that the lady was sending her tonics because she was sentimental and valued her. Moreover, the tonics were all high-quality things that she couldn't usually afford, so she ate them all. In the end, she died in childbirth, taking the life of both mother and child.
Even now, when she thinks about it, Granny Qiao still feels a little scared. Her mistress was indeed not a good person, but she was extremely good to her. Back then, she suffered severe internal injuries while saving the mistress, and the mistress used all sorts of precious medicinal herbs on her.
If the madam wanted to silence her, she could have easily killed her when she was seriously injured. Therefore, she and Cui'er were different in the madam's eyes, which is why she was willing to continue to follow the madam.
Meng Jinyao was not surprised and smiled, "It's normal for the Sun family to do something like this."
Granny Qiao looked at Meng Jinyao and asked curiously, "Young Miss, the Madam kept the Young Master's affairs extremely secret. How did you find out about them?"
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "Don't worry about how I know, I just know."
Granny Qiao choked, not daring to ask the question again, but her heart was filled with curiosity. The eldest young lady had suddenly grown distant from the madam at a young age, and she wondered how the eldest young lady had found out the truth back then.
After a moment, Granny Qiao asked again, "Young Miss, do you want me to testify against Madam for murdering her illegitimate son?"
Meng Jinyao countered, "Does Granny Qiao have any evidence that she plotted to harm Chengyu?"
Granny Qiao looked troubled: "Young lady, if it were back then, I could still provide some clues and follow the trail to find out the truth. But now, many years have passed, and all the evidence has disappeared."
Meng Jinyao chuckled: "If that's the case, why should I ask you to testify against her? There's no evidence whatsoever, so what's the point of testifying against her? Without proof, she could easily turn the tables and accuse me."
Granny Qiao was taken aback, then asked, "What does the eldest young lady want me to do?"
Meng Jinyao suppressed her smile, her face turned solemn, her gaze sharp, and she said in a low voice, "Granny Qiao is a master of perfumery, she should know which fragrances can cause hallucinations."
Granny Qiao, understanding the implied meaning, looked at her in surprise: "Young lady, you mean..."
“Give it to her.” Meng Jinyao nodded slightly, then added, “As for other matters, I will have them taken care of, but I will need Granny Qiao’s cooperation.”
This was not a difficult task for Granny Qiao, and she immediately agreed: "Don't worry, Miss, I will definitely handle things properly."
Li Cheng only heard half of their conversation, but he could understand that the eldest young lady wanted his mother to give the hallucinogenic incense to the lady. His mother knew how to blend perfumes, so this was not difficult and the task would be easy to complete. He just didn't know what the eldest young lady would ask the mother and son to do next.
After a moment, he asked with a fawning smile, "Young lady, what about the six thousand taels?"
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