Chapter 569 Suspicion Arises
Zhao wanted to answer, but the words caught in her throat, so she swallowed them back. She decided to leave the lie to Meng Dongyuan, and the truth would be known when Meng Chengzhang met Meng Jinyao.
Meng Dongyuan looked at his son. The boy was tall and handsome, with a clear and upright air about him. He looked like a good child with a kind and honest nature. It was all that wicked woman, Sun,'s fault. If that wicked woman hadn't gossiped about the child, how could he have ignored him for so many years? Fortunately, it was still not too late to make amends. He had even requested that Chengzhang be granted the title of heir apparent. No matter how dissatisfied Chengzhang was with his father before, he should let it go now.
He sighed deeply, patted his son's shoulder, and said earnestly, "Chengzhang, your younger brother is disappointing. After I'm gone, our Meng family will have to rely on you."
Meng Chengzhang then asked, "What exactly did my third brother do?"
Meng Dongyuan’s voice was filled with anger: “Your third brother is good-for-nothing, he has made friends with bad people, secretly skipped school, and spent the night in brothels. He angered your grandmother so much that she suffered a stroke and became paralyzed. Now your grandmother is so ill that she can’t even speak anymore, and she probably won’t be able to stand up again. She will be bedridden for the rest of her life.”
Meng Chengzhang was taken aback upon hearing this, sensing that something was amiss.
His grandmother had high hopes for his third brother, but given her doting on him, even if he skipped school and spent the night in a brothel, or even brought a brothel girl home, his grandmother wouldn't be so angry that she would fall ill. At most, she would blame his bad friends for leading his third brother astray.
In her grandmother's heart, the third brother was the best child. No matter what he did, it was because others instigated him or led him astray. The third brother could not be wrong. Even when the third brother caused Aunt Dong's miscarriage, the grandmother was not angry with him at all. So what did skipping school and spending the night in a brothel matter?
Meng Dongyuan added, "Alright, let's not talk about that bastard anymore. Let's go to the ancestral hall and enshrine the imperial edict."
Meng Chengzhang didn't ask any further questions. He went with him to the ancestral hall to enshrine the imperial edict, and then went to Rongfu Hall to visit Madam Meng.
When Meng Chengzhang saw the sickly-looking old lady with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, he was stunned. He did not expect that she was really as his father said, very ill. But was it really his third brother who made his grandmother so angry?
Afraid that his elderly mother might cause trouble, Meng Dongyuan quickly sat down on the edge of the bed, took her hand, and said, "Mother, Chengzhang was worried about you. When he learned that you were sick, he immediately asked for leave and came back after receiving the letter. You must get better."
Meng Chengzhang stepped forward and greeted her gently, "Grandmother, your grandson is back. How are you feeling now?"
Madam Meng glanced at her son. How could she dare to show any sign of distress? If she showed even the slightest abnormality, her precious grandson would have to remain locked up in the ancestral hall. Thinking of Chengxing, she felt a pang of heartache and tears welled up in her eyes. The tears came quickly and slid down her cheeks. She gently shook her head to indicate that she was fine and that the younger generation should not worry.
Seeing this, Meng Dongyuan quickly said, "Mother, don't cry. I know you miss your grandson. Don't worry, Chengzhang will stay for a few days this time."
When Old Madam Meng met her son's warning gaze, she felt both angry and helpless. She could only hold back her tears and nod gently.
Since Madam Meng couldn't speak, she could only look at people longingly. Meng Chengzhang didn't have much affection for this grandmother to begin with, and now that she couldn't speak, he didn't know what to say. He just asked her a few words of concern and told her to take good care of herself.
Meng Dongyuan, fearing that his elderly mother might cause trouble, said, "Chengzhang, your grandmother is tired. Let her rest first. You've come all this way, so go and freshen up too."
Meng Chengzhang responded and left.
When only the mother and son remained in the room, Meng Dongyuan stood up, looked down at his elderly mother, and smiled: "Mother, I almost forgot to tell you, we have some good news for our family today. An imperial decree has arrived from the palace."
Madam Meng looked at her son with a puzzled expression. Their Meng family had fallen into decline, so why would the Emperor still remember them?
Meng Dongyuan said calmly, “Chengxing is of bad character and disrespectful to his elders, which has made you so angry. This morning at court, I went to the palace to petition the emperor to change the heir apparent. The emperor granted my request and changed Chengzhang to the heir apparent, who will inherit the title in the future. As for Chengxing, the emperor stripped him of his title of heir apparent and gave him thirty strokes of the cane. But don’t worry, your precious grandson was not beaten to death, he just fainted from the pain.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Madam Meng was furious, but she couldn't do anything about it. She could only stare at him intently. She never expected that he would actually petition the Emperor to depose Chengxing. When talking about Chengxing fainting from the pain, he spoke so casually, as if Chengxing wasn't his son. What a cruel heart he had! Even if Dong Shi was carrying a son, it was still an unborn child. How could it be more important than Chengxing? For the sake of that vixen and an unborn child, he treated Chengxing like this. Did he have no heart at all?
Meng Dongyuan's smile deepened: "Mother, please rest well. I will come to see you again tomorrow. By the way, you must be obedient from now on, otherwise I can't guarantee what might happen to Chengxing in the future."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Old Madam Meng was filled with grief. What a good son he was! Why wasn't it this unfilial son who died back then? If her younger son were still alive, he would never have treated her like this.
Meanwhile, Meng Chengzhang privately asked the servants at home what had happened recently, and the answer he received was the same as what his father had said. The servants also said that his father was a filial son, a rare example of a dutiful son, who took care of his grandmother without taking off his clothes. In just a few days, he looked haggard and lost a lot of weight.
Meng Chengzhang had a feeling that this wasn't the truth, but he couldn't get any information from the servants. Perhaps his elder sister would know something, so he decided to go to the Marquis of Changxing's residence tomorrow.
That night, Meng Chengxing developed a high fever due to his injuries and fell into a coma.
A servant came to report to Meng Dongyuan, who angrily said, "This unfilial son still doesn't know how to admit his mistakes? Go back and tell him to stop playing these tricks and pretending to be pitiful. If he's really sick, he should see a doctor. I'm not a doctor, so why would he come to me?"
The servant didn't think much of it, only that the master was angry. After all, the master was a filial son, and the old lady was so ill because of the third young master, so it was normal for him to be angry with the third young master. So he went to find the family doctor and then told the lady about the third young master's high fever and coma.
By morning, Meng Chengxing's high fever had not subsided, and he was still unconscious. The physician of the Ling family looked somewhat grave and said to Madam Zhao, "Madam, if the Third Young Master's high fever continues, his life may be in danger."
Zhao frowned: "Is it that serious? Is there any way to bring his fever down?"
The physician from the Ling family replied, "There is a method, but it may not be effective. I will do my best."
"Then I'll have to trouble you to take care of him." After saying that, Zhao glanced at Meng Chengxing, who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. The boy's lips were dry and chapped, and his face was flushed from the high fever. Whether he could survive this ordeal depended on how strong his will to live was.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com