Chapter 247 Suspicion and Paranoia
The Yongchang Earl's Mansion.
Sun has been through so much these past few days that she has lost a lot of weight and developed many more wrinkles around her eyes, making her look almost ten years older.
As the saying goes, beauty fades and love wanes.
Meng Dongyuan hadn't spoken to her properly in a long time. The couple had met regularly, and she wanted to whine to her husband about her grievances, but seeing the disdain in his eyes and his impatient expression, she felt angry but didn't dare to show it.
Madam Sun stared blankly at the tea in her cup, and murmured softly, "Granny Qiao, in my current condition, how many more years do you think I have to live?"
Granny Qiao hurriedly said, "Madam, what nonsense are you talking about? You will live to be a hundred years old."
Sun was a little pessimistic at this moment, and sighed softly, "You don't need to comfort me. I can feel that my body is getting worse day by day. I always feel weak all over. Maybe one day, those two dirty things will take me away."
Now, not only does Aunt Du come to see her at night, but even Meng Jinyao's birth mother, Madam Zhou, has come.
She regretted it. For Meng Dongyuan, she had taken several lives, and now she was haunted by a ghost. All she got in return was Meng Dongyuan's change of heart.
Meng Dongyuan showed no pity for her being haunted by a ghost, and even complained that she was old and unattractive. He stayed overnight at his concubine's place every night. If she hadn't been so cunning, those vixens would probably have gotten pregnant.
Sun, feeling wronged, shed tears and choked out, "I think I've figured it out. Meng Dongyuan probably changed his mind a long time ago. That's why he made me use my dowry to fill the gap in Zhou's dowry. Now I have nothing left. When Ayu gets married, I won't be able to prepare a decent dowry for her."
Granny Qiao didn't respond, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
A moment later, Madam Sun suddenly said, "By the way, the Luo family has been transferred back to the capital. They should arrive in the capital today. Please add the Luo family to the guest list for the old lady's birthday banquet."
Meng Shuzhen, the eldest sister of Meng Dongyuan from the Luo family, was the first child of Old Madam Meng and Old Master Meng. Unfortunately, she died young. She married into the Luo family and gave birth to their eldest son, Luo Yong'an. She died of illness when her child was less than two years old, at the age of eighteen.
Granny Qiao hesitated and said, "Lord Luo has already remarried and has become estranged from the Earl's Mansion. If we send them an invitation, will they come?"
Sun replied, "Although my eldest sister-in-law has passed away, she is still the son-in-law of our Meng family. The eldest son of the Luo family is the old lady's own grandson. On his maternal grandmother's birthday, even if his father doesn't come, he, as the grandson, must come."
Granny Qiao nodded and said, "That's right, I didn't think of that just now."
Madam Sun smiled faintly and said, "I've had people inquire about everything. Yong'an's stepmother is a merchant's daughter, but she has a clever and bright son. The son is sixteen years old this year and passed the imperial examination this autumn. He is not yet engaged and is two years older than Ayu. I think he would be a good match for Ayu."
Upon hearing this, Granny Qiao was taken aback: "Young Master Luo and Second Miss?"
Sun replied, “Now that my brother-in-law has been promoted and Luo Shi’an has passed the imperial examination, they are barely a good match for Ayu. While I am still alive, I must make plans for Ayu. As for Chengxing, he is only twelve years old, so there is no rush. When he passes the imperial examination, there will naturally be plenty of girls who want to marry him.”
Granny Qiao remained silent. The second young master of the Luo family was a good match for their second daughter, but their second daughter might not be good enough for the Luo family. Unless the eldest daughter had a good relationship with her maternal family and could get the Marquis to help her family, she was just a down-on-her-luck daughter of an earl's family, not as good as the daughters of other officials who were of equal social standing.
Afterwards, Madam Sun chatted with Granny Qiao for a while longer. Later, probably because she hadn't slept well the night before and was extremely tired, she unknowingly fell asleep while talking, her head nodding as she sat in the chair.
Granny Qiao stayed by her side.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, Madam Sun suddenly said, "Don't come any closer!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly opened her eyes, staring ahead in terror. When she saw Granny Qiao standing in front of her, looking at her with concern, she asked urgently, "Have you seen that bitch Zhou? She... she said she was going to kill me with Aunt Du!"
Granny Qiao patiently comforted her, "Madam, please don't overthink it. It's all a dream. It's not even night yet, how could she possibly be out?"
Ms. Sun looked dazed, unable to distinguish between dream and reality, and stammered, "Am I dreaming?"
Just then, an autumn breeze swept in through the window, bringing a chill, followed by another gust of wind.
Sun shivered involuntarily, feeling a chill run down her spine. She was instantly terrified and said in a trembling voice, "They're here! They're here! Go and stop them, quick!"
Granny Qiao grasped Madam Sun's hand and reassured her, "Madam, it's broad daylight now, there won't be any ghosts. Even if they were to come, they would come at night." As she spoke, she pointed to the sunlight outside the window, "Look, there's still sunlight now. Ghosts are most afraid of light, how could they possibly come out in broad daylight?"
Feeling the warmth from her hand, Sun felt her panic lessen. Looking in the direction she pointed, she saw a clear blue sky with sunlight streaming down, bathing the ground in its glow.
It wasn't dark yet.
Sun's emotions gradually calmed down, and she said, "Granny Qiao, come with me for a walk in the back garden."
Granny Qiao agreed and accompanied her for a walk in the back garden.
Because of the ghost stories, Sun developed a fondness for sunlight. Whenever she felt guilty or afraid, she would go outside to bask in the sun. Under the sun, there was plenty of yang energy, and yin creatures were most afraid of yang energy. As long as there was yang energy, they would not dare to appear.
Sun was not in good spirits and had not slept well last night. She was tired after walking for only a short while and sat down in the pavilion to rest, chatting with Granny Qiao.
As the sun set, Madam Sun returned to her courtyard. Walking along the corridor, she suddenly stopped and asked Granny Qiao, "Did you hear anything?"
Granny Qiao shook her head: "I didn't hear anything, what's wrong?"
Madam Sun listened intently, and after a while, she suddenly turned her head to look, only to find that there was no one behind her. She shook her head blankly and murmured, "Impossible, didn't you hear Aunt Du's voice?"
Granny Qiao shook her head again: "Madam, I really didn't hear that. Are you sure you didn't mishear?"
Sun pointed to the spot behind her and said in a trembling voice, "She was just behind me, saying she wanted to kill my Chengxing to avenge her Chengyu. No, no, my Chengxing can't be harmed, I have to go find Chengxing."
As she spoke, she turned and walked back, preparing to head towards Meng Chengxing's courtyard.
Seeing this, Granny Qiao had no choice but to go with Madam Sun.
I really have to admit, the young lady's trick is really brilliant. It has made the lady mentally confused, unable to eat or sleep, and living in constant fear and paranoia. Even before using the incense during the day, the lady is already experiencing hallucinations or auditory hallucinations.
In addition, the occasional harmless "minor accidents" involving the second young lady and the young master further convinced the guilty lady that the dead had returned as ghosts to seek revenge on her.
The lady was so worried about her two children that she was on the verge of a breakdown, but she dared not tell the Earl the truth, since he did not know the cause of the eldest son's death.
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