Chapter 487 Wanting a Divorce
Meng Jinyao was shocked. When she returned to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, her stepmother was perfectly fine and in good health. How could she have miscarried out of nowhere?
Soon, Meng Jinyao remembered her father. She had heard from her friend that her father had been talking nonsense after getting drunk in a tavern, saying that if her third brother was not good enough, he would petition the emperor to depose her third brother and make her stepmother's son the heir.
In addition, because the second brother is successful, the third brother is disliked by the father, and the third brother must be resentful. If the third brother finds out that the father wants to make his stepmother's child the heir, the third brother is very likely to do something that is detrimental to the fetus in his stepmother's womb.
She asked in a heavy voice, "Xianglan, how could Mother suddenly miscarry?"
Xianglan choked up as she said, "Madam accidentally fell, and the fetus became unstable. The doctor prescribed medicine to prevent miscarriage, but someone with malicious intent added blood-activating drugs to the medicine, and Madam miscarried."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's expression turned solemn. Her father would never harm his own child, and no matter how much her grandmother disliked her stepmother, she would never harm her own grandson. The only person in the mansion with the motive to harm someone was her third brother.
Even though she already suspected the culprit, she still asked, "Has anyone found out who did it?"
Xianglan glanced at Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi, then looked at the maids in the room, hesitating to speak.
Meng Jinyao waved her hand, signaling the maid to leave.
After the maid left, Xianglan said, "It was the young master who did it, but the maid Caijiao, who was instructed by the young master to administer the drug, was probably threatened. She insisted that she held a grudge because the madam had scolded her, which led her to commit the evil deed. Then she smashed her head against the wall and died in the hall. Now she is dead and there is no way to verify the story."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "Do you have any evidence to prove that this matter is related to the Crown Prince?"
Xianglan shook her head and replied, "Neither I nor Madam have any conclusive evidence, but someone saw that Caijiao and the young master were having an affair, and the young master has always harbored resentment towards Madam. We suspect that she was acting under the young master's orders."
Meng Jinyao pressed on, "Who threatened Caijiao so she didn't dare tell the truth?"
Xianglan hesitated for a moment before saying, "At first, Caijiao cried out that she was innocent, but when they found the medicine that had been added to Madam's pregnancy-preserving medicine in her room, she had no way to refute it. The old lady also interrogated Caijiao, and the young master was also present during the interrogation. Then Caijiao offered her life as an apology. This servant does not know how the old lady interrogated Caijiao. Caijiao was born into a family, and this servant dares to guess that she probably did so for the sake of her family, which is why she insisted that she held a grudge and then poisoned Madam."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao frowned deeply. Although her stepmother and Xianglan were only guessing, she agreed with their guesses. How could a maid dare to do such a thing? Her third brother probably approached Caijiao to use her to commit the crime. Her stepmother's pregnancy was unstable and she needed to take medicine to prevent miscarriage, which gave them the opportunity to do it.
As for her grandmother protecting her third brother, she was not surprised at all. In her grandmother's eyes, an unborn granddaughter or grandson was far less important than her third brother. Even her promising second brother was not as important as her third brother in her grandmother's eyes. Her third brother was her grandmother's beloved grandson.
Seeing her silence, Xianglan was unsure of her meaning, so she spoke again: "Young lady, Madam really has no other choice. She sent me here to invite you back to the Meng family. Only you can help Madam."
Meng Jinyao said gently, "My mother needs me, and as her daughter, I have no choice but to help. Please get up, and we will set off for the Meng family now."
"Thank you, young lady."
Xianglan bowed in gratitude before standing up.
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On the carriage.
Meng Jinyao's face was heavy, her delicate brows furrowed. She was about to become a mother and understood the importance of a child to a mother. Her stepmother was twenty-six years old when she became pregnant with her first child, and she must have cherished it dearly. But the child had been murdered. Her stepmother must be heartbroken and overwhelmed with grief.
Gu Jingxi reached out and touched her brow, trying to smooth out her furrowed brows, and said softly, "Ayao, don't be sad."
Meng Jinyao said in a deep voice, "Meng Chengxing is indeed a good son of the Sun family, with the same viciousness inherited from his family. My grandmother is also outrageous. Meng Chengxing did such a thing, and she still protected him and helped cover up his crimes. Even the death of my second uncle could not make her realize the truth. She still excessively pampers and indulges her favorite juniors. She does not punish the juniors when they do wrong, which only makes them more unscrupulous."
Gu Jingxi said, "In the minds of these elders, they all think that the younger generation who makes mistakes is still just a child. They are young and do not know any better, so there is no need to be petty. They will naturally become more sensible when they grow up. However, the child goes further and further astray and eventually becomes beyond redemption."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao narrowed her eyes and said, "The old woman is immoral, and the whole family suffers. My grandfather worked so hard to revive the Meng family, but she ruined it all."
Gu Jingxi comforted her, "Ayao, don't be upset. Once your second brother grows up and reforms the family tradition, things will get better for the Meng family."
Upon returning to her parents' home, Meng Jinyao did not visit her father and grandmother, but went directly to her stepmother's courtyard to see her stepmother.
After losing her child, Dong was depressed and desperate, lying on the bed with lifeless eyes. She had already discovered that the Meng family was a den of wolves, and apart from her eldest daughter and Chengzhang, there was no good person in the whole family. But she did not expect that something even more suffocating was waiting for her. Chengxing knew how to harm people at such a young age, and her mother-in-law knew that it was Chengxing who did it, but chose to protect him unconditionally. Her husband was also unreliable and dared not disobey his mother. He could only comfort her that she would have children again in the future. In the end, she could only rely on her married stepdaughter.
Just then, a maid ran in and announced, "Madam, the eldest young lady and her husband have arrived."
Upon hearing this, Madam Dong's eyes finally lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Quickly, go and invite the eldest daughter and son-in-law in."
When Meng Jinyao entered the room, she saw Madam Dong sitting on the bed, looking haggard with red and swollen eyes, clearly having been crying. Her heart tightened, and with Gu Jingxi's help, she quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "Mother, are you alright?"
Seeing that her concern was genuine and not feigned, Madam Dong felt a warm current flowing through her heart. She glanced at her belly and said guiltily, "Ayao, you are not well, and I shouldn't have troubled you to make this trip, but I really have no other choice. Only you can help me now."
Meng Jinyao sat down on the edge of the bed and said gently, "There's no need for such formality between a mother and daughter."
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Madam Dong's eyes again: "Thank you so much for making this trip for me today."
Meng Jinyao asked gently, "Mother, you don't need to be so polite. But how can I help you? I heard from Xianglan that Caijiao has committed suicide. Now that she is dead, there is no way to verify the facts. If my third brother insists that this matter has nothing to do with him, and Grandmother is protecting him, we can't do anything about it unless there is other corroborating evidence."
Looking at her, Madam Dong said firmly, "Ayao, I want to divorce your father."
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