Chapter 489 Choose One
"absurd!"
Old Madam Meng looked furious and was about to scold her granddaughter, but when she caught sight of her grandson-in-law sitting next to her, she swallowed her words and finally said, "Ayao, why are you siding with outsiders? Caijiao, who poisoned your mother's unborn child, has already atoned with her death. We can no longer punish her even if we wanted to. Now that the murderer is dead, what else can we do to satisfy her?"
Meng Jinyao countered, "Grandmother, is this really just something Caijiao did all by herself?"
Madam Meng replied, "The medicine was found in her room. She herself admitted it. Because your mother had scolded her, she harbored resentment and thus had evil intentions. Overwhelmed with guilt, she ultimately atoned with her death."
Meng Dongyuan echoed, "Yes, no one expected Caijiao to be so bold, but she has already atoned with her death, so there's no need to dwell on this matter anymore. We can only advise your mother to let it go."
Meng Chengxing felt extremely guilty and didn't dare to utter a sound or look at Meng Jinyao, keeping his head slightly lowered.
Meng Jinyao's gaze swept over the three of them indifferently, finally settling on Meng Chengxing, and she said, "Grandmother, Father, Third Brother, whether it was only Caijiao who did it, I think you all know the answer."
Upon hearing this, the three of them felt a jolt of fear.
Meng Dongyuan feigned ignorance: "Ayao, what do you mean by that? I don't understand."
Meng Jinyao said bluntly, "Father, there's no need for you to play dumb with me. Caijiao is just a maid; how could she have the audacity to do such a thing?" As she spoke, her gaze never left Meng Chengxing. "Third brother and Caijiao have been having an ambiguous relationship lately. Third brother, do you dare to say that this has nothing to do with you?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng felt a pang of anger. Fortunately, Cai Jiao was dead, and there was no way to verify the story. As long as Cheng Xing denied it outright, that would be fine.
But this was the first time Meng Chengxing had done something so wrong, and he had no experience. When he heard his elder sister ask him, he subconsciously looked up and met the eyes of his elder sister and brother-in-law. He saw that they had solemn faces, scrutinizing eyes, and sharp eyes, staring at him intently. He felt panicked and couldn't help but stammer, "It really has nothing to do with me."
Gu Jingxi fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist and said unhurriedly, "Third brother, you may be able to fool others with this kind of thing, but you can't fool me. There is no criminal who can refuse to confess in front of me yet."
Meng Chengxing turned deathly pale with fright, his pupils constricted sharply, and his voice trembled as he stammered, "I, I..."
Seeing this, Old Madam Meng quickly chimed in, "Yaoling, Chengxing is timid. Why are you scaring him? He wouldn't even step on an ant normally, how could he dare to do something to harm the fetus in his mother's womb?"
Meng Jinyao scoffed, "Yes, my third brother wouldn't even step on an ant, yet he's capable of killing an unborn brother or sister. Whether he's innocent or not, we'll find out by taking him away and interrogating him."
Madam Meng was furious: "You...you child, Chengxing is your third brother, not a criminal. What do you mean by interrogation? Do you intend to interrogate your third brother like a criminal?"
Meng Jinyao said, "He is a criminal suspect now, what's wrong with interrogating him?"
With a serious expression, she said slowly, "My husband and I had a child named Xiuming before, who was stripped of his title as heir and exiled to Yazhou for plotting against his stepmother. The crime committed by my third brother is no different from that of Xiuming. If we investigate carefully, my third brother also ended up being exiled."
As soon as the words were spoken, Madam Meng and her son Meng Dongyuan's expressions tightened. This was true; if the matter were investigated, Chengxing would truly be doomed.
Meng Chengxing was still young and had grown up in a privileged environment. Upon hearing about exile, he was terrified and nearly lost his soul. He looked at Old Madam Meng with a face full of panic and pleaded in a trembling voice, "Grandmother, save me! I... I don't want to be exiled."
This statement confirms that Meng Chengxing was involved in the matter.
Grandma Meng was surprised that her grandson admitted it so easily, but seeing him so frightened and panicked, she felt sorry for him. She knew her granddaughter's temperament; since she had gotten involved in this matter, she wouldn't just make a few threats. She was likely to escalate the situation. So, instead of confronting her directly, she asked, "Ayao, what exactly do you want?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "Grandmother, as I just said, Mother has only one wish, which is to divorce Father."
Meng Dongyuan still liked Dong Shi, and once again refused without hesitation: "I do not agree to a divorce!"
Meng Jinyao added, "Since Father disagrees, we can only choose another way to solve the problem: hold Third Brother accountable. Father and Grandmother don't need to worry; he'll only be exiled. Third Brother will still live."
With a pained expression, Madam Meng said, "Ayao, Madam Dong is just your stepmother. Your third brother is your own brother, who is related to you by blood. How could you be so heartless?"
Meng Jinyao remained unmoved: "Grandmother, I am acting on principle, not on family ties. Since you have already made your decision, then punish my third brother."
"Fine, fine, fine!" Old Madam Meng couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had to back down. "If Madam Dong wants to leave the Meng family, then we will divorce her. She can take the divorce papers and leave today."
Meng Jinyao frowned: "Grandmother, Mother has done nothing wrong, how can you divorce her?"
Madam Meng retorted, "Your father has done nothing wrong, so how can you agree to a divorce?"
While divorces can sometimes be due to incompatibility, many are actually caused by the husband's fault. If they do divorce, wouldn't others assume that her son is at fault?
Meng Jinyao shook her head dismissively and said forcefully, "Isn't it wrong for Father to protect Third Brother? Grandmother, now we can only choose one of the two: either divorce and set Mother free, or deal with Third Brother immediately." She turned to Meng Dongyuan, "Father, you can choose between Third Brother and Mother."
Meng Dongyuan glanced at his good-for-nothing, unpleasant, and vicious son, and then thought of his gentle, kind wife who always pleased him. For a moment, he considered giving up his son. After all, he still had Chengzhang, his promising son. Giving up a good-for-nothing wouldn't matter. But when he met his mother's warning gaze, he was instantly caught in a dilemma.
Seeing that her son was still hesitating, Madam Meng said in a deep voice, "A-Yuan, you can remarry if you lose your wife, but if you lose your son, he's really gone. Chengxing has been calling you father for more than ten years. I think you know what to do."
Since she had to choose between the two, she would choose divorce. Her beloved grandson couldn't be harmed, and she didn't need Dong Shi, since she didn't like her anyway. Without Dong Shi, her son could remarry and find a daughter-in-law who suited her taste.
Meng Dongyuan truly loved Dong Shi and was extremely reluctant to part with her, but due to pressure from his mother, he could only reluctantly give her up: "I choose divorce."
After he finished speaking, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and he glared at his son with anger and resentment.
He had originally intended to punish his son, but he listened to his mother and decided to downplay the matter and protect his son.
He was still hoping to have more children with his wife in the future. But after all this trouble, he lost his beloved wife and had no choice but to keep this eyesore of a scoundrel. If this scoundrel were to inherit the title in the future, he would die with his eyes open in disgrace!
Madam Meng and Meng Chengxing both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw him make his choice.
Seeing her father's face full of resentment and hatred, Meng Jinyao subtly curled the corners of her mouth. It seemed that she didn't even need to lift a finger; her father would take matters into his own hands.
That's perfect, no need to dirty her hands.
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