Chapter 496 Target of Venting
Hearing this, Madam Meng felt annoyed. Her son was the Earl of Yongchang, so why did he have to lower his demands so much?
Seeing that she was unwilling, the matchmaker couldn't very well say she was quitting, so she could only persuade her: "Madam, think about it, this young girl is about the same age as your grandchildren, how can she manage the household affairs and make the children listen to her? It's different with older women, at least they look like elders."
After listening, Madam Meng felt that the matchmaker's words made sense. Looking at the problem from another angle, it would also be beneficial for her son to marry an older woman. Older women cannot have children and will not threaten Chengxing's position. Otherwise, her foolish son would be influenced by his wife's words and try to depose Chengxing and make his current wife's child the heir.
After weighing the pros and cons, Madam Meng's heart still leaned towards her grandson Meng Chengxing. It was fine for her son to marry an older woman, but her grandson's position as heir was unshakeable. She said calmly, "What you said makes some sense. Being older has its advantages."
Seeing that she agreed with her statement, the matchmaker continued, "Don't worry, Madam, I will definitely find a dignified, elegant, and outstanding woman for the Earl. If you don't think she is suitable when you meet her, you can continue to look. You will eventually find a daughter-in-law who suits your taste."
Madam Meng nodded slightly and emphasized, "Our Meng family is a family of nobles with a hundred-year history. When choosing a daughter-in-law, we also consider family background. We want a woman from an official family, even if the family background is lower, as long as she comes from a scholarly family."
The matchmaker had no choice. If it weren't for Madam Meng's requirement that the woman be from an official family and a scholarly background, there would be plenty of young girls willing to marry Lord Meng. But she quickly replied, "Don't worry, Madam, I will find someone according to your requirements and make sure you are satisfied."
After dismissing the matchmaker, Madam Meng sighed deeply, lamenting the misfortune of her family. She had ruined her son's reputation by letting a woman like Dong into the family, making his marriage difficult now.
After leaving the Meng family, the matchmaker couldn't help but feel disdain. Making money as a matchmaker in the Meng family was really tough. This Master Meng was about to marry four times, the Meng family's reputation wasn't good, and they were even down on their luck. And they still wanted a beautiful girl of fifteen or sixteen, from a scholarly family, who had never been married before? It was truly humiliating; they deserved to be rejected. His previous wife was a widow who remarried. The more times he married, the higher his demands became. She had no idea what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, Meng Dongyuan learned that the matchmaker had come to his door again, guessing that she had found a girl and came to ask his mother's opinion. He was immediately annoyed and paced back and forth in the room for a while. Suddenly, he had an idea and hurried to Rongfu Hall to find his old mother.
It didn't matter if the matchmaker found him a girl; he would go and ask her about her, then complain about her, which made his mother give up the idea. If this failed, he would try again next time, as long as he ruined his own marriage.
Upon arriving at Rongfutang, Meng Dongyuan greeted his elderly mother. As soon as he sat down, he asked, "Mother, I heard that Matchmaker Zhang came by."
Unable to fathom his intentions, Madam Meng nodded and said, "Yes, he has been here. What's wrong?"
Meng Dongyuan then asked, "I wonder which family's daughter Zhang the matchmaker has chosen?"
Madam Meng was surprised, not expecting her son to ask about this matter. She thought her son had come to his senses, let go of Dong Shi, and was going to marry a new woman. She said with relief, "I am very happy that you care about your marriage, but this time it did not go very smoothly." As she spoke, her tone turned serious, "This is all because of Dong Shi. If she hadn't caused a divorce and ruined your reputation, you wouldn't have earned the reputation of being born with bad luck in marriage."
Meng Dongyuan asked blankly, "Mother, what do you mean by that?"
Madam Meng relayed the information provided by the matchmaker, and then added, "Your marriage prospects are not good right now, and she's not much better off. She's twenty-six this year and has been married twice. Even if she manages to get married in the future, she's unlikely to marry into a family better than ours."
When Meng Dongyuan learned that his marriage was thwarted, he breathed a sigh of relief and comforted her, "Mother, at my age, it's alright if I don't get married. In two or three years, Chengzhang will also be of marriageable age. Once your granddaughter-in-law enters the family, the management of the household will be handed over to her."
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng's face darkened. Chengzhang was not the heir apparent, so how could it be Chengzhang's wife's place to manage the household? It should be Chengxing's wife who manages the household. Although she had repeatedly warned her son, he still favored Chengzhang. However, she would not give in to her son's wishes. She would wait until her son married a new wife, and then let the new wife manage the household. After a few years, when Chengxing married, she would hand over the management of the household to Chengxing's wife.
She didn't argue with her son, but said gently, "You don't need to be discouraged. Lower your expectations a little, and your marriage won't be difficult. Your mother will find you a good woman, and we can get engaged as soon as possible and get married in the second half of the year."
Meng Dongyuan: "..."
After a moment of silence, he said, "Thank you for your concern, Mother."
Madam Meng said, "We are mother and son, there's no need for such formalities. I'm a little tired, you should go back first."
Meng Dongyuan responded and bid farewell to his elderly mother. After leaving Rongfu Hall, he was filled with anger but had nowhere to vent it. He was old and couldn't even make his own decisions about his marriage. He had to marry whoever his mother told him to marry. Disobeying his mother's orders was unfilial.
Suddenly, Meng Dongyuan thought of someone he could vent his frustrations on: his youngest son, Meng Chengxing. He had disliked this wicked and rebellious son for a long time, but his mother protected him, preventing him from even punishing him. Now that his mother wasn't around, he could find an opportunity to punish him, since the son was definitely not studying hard right now.
Meng Dongyuan arrived at Meng Chengxing's courtyard without saying a word. When the servants came forward to pay their respects, he waved them away and walked straight toward his son's study, stopping the servants from reporting to him, all to catch that unfilial son off guard.
He pushed open the study door and looked inside. The scene he saw did not disappoint him. His unfilial son was embracing a beautiful maid, their clothes disheveled. The son's face showed anger at being interrupted, while the maid looked panicked.
Meng Chengxing was surprised to find that the person who came was his father. His expression changed from anger to panic and embarrassment. He quickly pushed away the maid in his arms, straightened his clothes, and asked awkwardly, "Father, what brings you here?"
Meng Dongyuan said with a gloomy face, "I just happened to pass by your courtyard and remembered that your grandmother said you study very hard. Every day after returning from the academy, you lock yourself in your study to read. So I came to test your knowledge." He glanced at the maid who was kneeling on the ground trembling with fear and continued, "I didn't expect you to be this diligent after returning from the academy."
Meng Chengxing was speechless for a moment, but his mind worked quickly. He immediately shifted the blame to the maid and knelt down with a thud: "Father, I know I was wrong. It was this slut who seduced me."
The maid looked at him in shock; it was clearly he who had taken the initiative.
Meng Dongyuan glanced at the maid. In fact, he was fully aware of his son's actions and did not punish her severely. He thought the maid was still useful, so he dealt with her leniently: "Considering this is your first offense, I will deduct three months' wages. This is not to be repeated. If there is a next time, I will not let you off lightly."
The maid was stunned and forgot to react. She thought she was going to be expelled from the manor, but she didn't expect that she would only have three months' wages deducted.
Meng Dongyuan turned to look at his son and said in an unquestionable tone, "Since you know you're wrong, take your books to the ancestral hall and kneel down to read, so that our ancestors will know that you truly know your mistake and bless you to pass the Lingshan Academy's examination. Go now, I'll have someone watch you as you read."
Meng Chengxing was both surprised and astonished. He felt a sense of resistance, but had no way to retaliate, so he could only reply, "Yes, Father."
Seeing his rebellious son's frustration, Meng Dongyuan felt much better.
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