Chapter 497 The Little Green Tea Man
That evening, in the cold ancestral hall, candlelight flickered, and Meng Chengxing's reading voice sounded particularly abrupt.
For Meng Chengxing, today's punishment was nothing short of humiliating. He seriously suspected that his father was taking revenge for personal reasons. A few days ago, he caused Dong Shi to miscarry, and he was only punished three times by copying the family rules. Now, however, he was being punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall and reading aloud because of his ambiguous relationship with a maid. Kneeling in the ancestral hall was one thing, but kneeling and reading aloud at the same time was a disgrace.
The servant watching Meng Chengxing was Meng Dongyuan's trusted follower. He only obeyed Meng Dongyuan's orders. When he heard Meng Chengxing's reading voice lower, he said, "Young Master, if you are thirsty, I will pour you a cup of water. The Earl said that you must study hard tonight and read loudly, so that our ancestors will know that you have truly realized your mistake."
Meng Chengxing threw down his book, turned to look at him, and said in a deep voice, "Who do you think you are? Who gives you the right to tell me what to do?"
The servant was not annoyed, but said, "Young Master, how could I be qualified to teach you how to do things? I am just following the orders of the Earl. If you are dissatisfied, you can go and talk to the Earl yourself."
Meng Chengxing was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it. However, now was not the time to argue with him. He would wait until his grandmother found out about this matter tomorrow, and she would take charge of things for him.
The next morning, when Madam Meng woke up, she learned that her grandson had been punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall and reading all night. He had no energy to go to school that morning, and she was so angry that she couldn't eat breakfast. She immediately sent someone to call her son over and gave him a severe scolding.
Meng Dongyuan replied, "Mother, Chengxing is not studying hard and is focusing his attention on this matter. He should be severely punished, otherwise he will do it again next time."
Madam Meng said dismissively, "Then you should punish the maid who was so ambitious and wanted to climb into his bed. Chengxing is only fourteen, and that maid is sixteen. If that maid hadn't seduced him, would he have done such a thing?"
Meng Dongyuan said, "That's because his will is not firm. If his will were firm, could a maid's tricks sway him?"
Hearing this, Madam Meng was even more furious. She felt that her son had become rebellious in his middle age and had even learned to contradict her. She said angrily, "If word gets out that you made him kneel in the ancestral hall to read, do you not care about his reputation? You are not young anymore, how can you not know what you should and shouldn't do? When other people have this kind of thing happen, they will try to make a big deal out of it and let it go, and protect their children's reputation. But you are afraid that his reputation will be too good."
Yesterday, Meng Dongyuan was only venting his anger on his son and didn't think about reputation. Hearing his mother say this, he felt that he had done well yesterday. This unfilial son had already become estranged from him and even plotted to harm his unborn child, causing him to lose his wife and child. He couldn't rely on this unfilial son in the future. Besides, this unfilial son was unlikely to amount to anything. Not only was he vicious, but he was also addicted to women at a young age. Sooner or later, he would become a good-for-nothing who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, ruining his reputation so that he could make way for Cheng Zhang in the future.
Seeing that her son remained silent, Old Madam Meng didn't think too much about it. It was normal for her son to be not very clever and to act unreliably. She said in a deep voice, "You have already reached the age of being a grandfather. You must not act so rashly in the future. Think thrice before you act, and prioritize the interests and reputation of the family."
Meng Dongyuan respectfully replied, "Your son will remember."
Madam Meng also knew how to manipulate people's hearts, giving a slap followed by a sweet treat. Seeing that her son was docile, she softened her tone: "Have you had breakfast yet? If not, then stay and have breakfast with us."
Meng Dongyuan replied truthfully, "Not yet."
During breakfast, the mother and son were enjoying each other's company, as if the stern reprimand they had just received had never happened.
After having breakfast, Meng Dongyuan left Rongfutang.
Old Madam Meng felt sorry for her beloved grandson who had suffered kneeling and reading last night, so she brought medicine to apply to his knees and some soup to soothe his throat. She went to visit her grandson in his courtyard and comforted him with gentle words. After that, she punished the maid from yesterday and sold her off.
As for the maid Meng Chengxing took in at the end of last year, she is still being kept, but Old Madam Meng called her over and gave her a dressing down, ordering her to do her job as a maid and not to distract Meng Chengxing until he passes the Lingshan Academy's assessment, otherwise she would be sold off directly.
Madam Meng's actions also deterred the other maids in Meng Chengxing's courtyard who wanted to climb into his bed.
But for Meng Chengxing, it was truly unbearable. He had only recently experienced the pleasures of love and was deeply engrossed in it. How could he possibly endure having to give it up all of a sudden?
Madam Meng genuinely wanted her grandson to succeed and didn't want those sycophantic maids to ruin his future, but she also didn't want him to have any complaints about her. So she said earnestly, "Chengxing, don't blame your grandmother for being too strict with you. This is all for your own good. Once you pass the imperial examinations and become successful, what kind of girl won't you have? These are just maids with a little bit of looks."
Meng Chengxing obediently replied, "Grandmother, I know your good intentions. Last night I reflected on my mistakes in front of you all night and realized that I should not have wasted my time on this matter."
Hearing her grandson's hoarse voice, Madam Meng felt another pang of heartache: "It's good that you can understand. Your father is really something, making you study all night long, and now your voice is hoarse."
Meng Chengxing shook his head repeatedly: "Grandmother, please don't blame Father. Father loves his grandson very much and is very strict with him. He was annoyed when he saw his grandson wasting his time on other things."
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng was very pleased with her grandson's thoughtfulness and even more dissatisfied with her son's behavior. However, there were some things she couldn't say in front of her grandson, lest the father and son become estranged in the future. So she said, "You didn't sleep all night. Get some rest today and make sure you're in good spirits. Go to the academy tomorrow."
Meng Chengxing nodded obediently and personally escorted Old Madam Meng to the gate of the courtyard. After returning, he did not rest but went to his study, picked up a book, and began to read an article in his already hoarse voice.
When Meng Chengxing's maid heard the sound of reading, she exchanged a glance with Meng Chengxing and immediately understood his intention. She went to Rongfu Hall and told Old Madam Meng that Meng Chengxing was still studying diligently without resting.
When Madam Meng learned about it, she was happy for her grandson’s hard work and ambition, but she was more worried about him. He hadn’t slept all night and was still not resting. How could his body take it?
Finally, fearing that her grandson would exhaust himself, Madam Meng decided to make another trip.
When Meng Chengxing saw that Madam Meng had come again, he immediately scolded his maid for being nosy.
Madam Meng spoke up for the maid, then gently advised her grandson to rest well, saying that studying shouldn't be rushed and that health was the most important thing. She saw her grandson return to his room to rest but didn't go back herself. Instead, she sat in the small hall until the maid informed her that Meng Chengxing had fallen asleep, and then she returned to Rongfu Hall.
No sooner had she left than the maid entered the inner room and informed her that Old Madam Meng had returned home.
Upon hearing this, Meng Chengxing smiled. His goal had been achieved, and he could finally sleep peacefully without bothering with any more studying.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com