Chapter Twenty-Two: The Rebellious Son is Dumbfounded
My fiancée became a mother?
Gu Xiuming was dumbfounded, unable to process the news, and even more unable to accept the outcome. His fiancée, whom he had always recognized, was marrying his father on their wedding day and becoming his mother. It was utterly absurd and filled him with an indescribable sense of shame.
After a long pause, he became enraged and sneered, "Meng Jinyao, have you no shame? You didn't become my bride, but you want to be my mother?"
Li Wan'er was also shocked as if struck by lightning. She looked at Meng Jinyao in disbelief. She had just been deeply moved by Xiu Ming's decision to divorce Meng Jinyao for her sake. Now she suddenly learned that Meng Jinyao had not married Xiu Ming, but had married Xiu Ming's father. Wouldn't that mean she would become her mother-in-law?
Thinking of this, her heart skipped a beat.
Her elopement with Xiu Ming made Meng Jinyao a laughing stock on her wedding day. When Meng Jinyao became her mother-in-law, she would definitely make things difficult for her. Mothers-in-law have many ways to make things difficult for their daughters-in-law, and just setting rules is enough to torment people.
Meng Jinyao watched the changes in their expressions with great interest. The man was furious and embarrassed, as if he had suffered some great humiliation. The woman was uneasy. When she met her gaze, her neck shrank back in fear, and she subconsciously leaned against Gu Xiuming, as if she was very afraid of her. Gu Xiuming looked at her with a warning in his eyes, as if to say: You can't touch a hair on Wan'er's head.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao chuckled. As long as this girl named Wan'er didn't cause any trouble, she wouldn't take the initiative to attack. This girl Wan'er was indeed shameless and eloped with her fiancé on her wedding day, but the main culprit was Gu Xiuming, this irresponsible, irresponsible, and reckless man. If Gu Xiuming wanted to be a responsible person, no matter how much trouble this girl Wan'er caused, it would be useless.
Seeing her laughing, Gu Xiuming's expression turned grim: "What are you laughing at?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "It's nothing, I'm just happy to have a healthy son so soon after I got married."
Who is your son?
Gu Xiuming seemed to have been stepped on. If he hadn't been tied up, he probably would have jumped up immediately, glaring at her with disgust, and mocking, "You're shameless! If you can't marry a son, you'll marry a father. A down-on-his-luck woman like you've abandoned all dignity to climb the social ladder. Don't think that just because you married my father, you'll really become my mother."
Seeing his face contorted with rage, Meng Jinyao felt a surge of satisfaction. She smiled brightly and replied in a way that was sure to infuriate him, "Son, although you may not want to admit it, it is the truth. I am your father's wife, which means I am your mother. In the future, when you see me, you must treat me with the respect due to a junior and call me Mother."
Gu Xiuming said coldly, "Don't even think about it!"
"I've heard that the Gu family values filial piety highly, and unfilial sons are punished by family rules. Is that true?" Meng Jinyao looked at Chunliu beside her halfway through her sentence. Although she didn't call her by name, her meaning was clear: she wanted Chunliu to answer.
Chunliu was enjoying the show when suddenly the mistress threw this offensive question at her. On one side was the young master who had committed a crime, and on the other was the Marquis's beloved wife. Any smart person would know which side to stand on. She wasn't stupid, so she naturally knew she should stand on the wife's side. The Marquis had a hidden illness, and even if the wife didn't have children in the future, as long as she had the Marquis's favor, she could still enjoy a life of glory for twenty or thirty years.
Therefore, Chunliu nodded without hesitation and replied, "Madam, the Gu family does indeed have this family rule."
Gu Xiuming glanced at Chunliu in astonishment. He recognized the maid; she was a first-class maid in his father's courtyard. Meng Jinyao had only been married for three days, yet she had already made the maid in his father's courtyard serve her.
He looked at Meng Jinyao and saw that her eyes were cunning, as if she was plotting something. His face immediately darkened, and he asked, "Meng Jinyao, do you intend to use family discipline on me? Do you think you can hit me, the heir of a marquis's mansion, whenever you want?"
Seeing the wariness in his eyes, Meng Jinyao's smile deepened. Gu Xiuming could be so willful and reckless because of his status as the heir of the Marquis of Changxing. He thought that Gu Jingxi had a hidden illness and could not have his own children, so the title would definitely be inherited by him as the adopted son.
However, his thinking was too optimistic. As long as Marquis Changxing was still alive, he could petition the emperor to establish another heir. He thought that since his adopted son was incompetent, he could adopt another adopted son to inherit the title.
Thinking of this, Meng Jinyao chuckled, half-seriously and half-jokingly saying, "I am your mother, and you are my son. What's wrong with that? But I don't want to get my hands dirty today. A person lacking in virtue is not worthy of the position of heir apparent of the Marquis of Changxing. Son, what do you think? If I ask your father to petition the Emperor that you are not worthy of the position and strip you of your heir apparent title, and appoint someone with both virtue and talent as the new heir apparent, would the Emperor grant the petition?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuming panicked, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he frowned, staring intently at Meng Jinyao: "You poisonous woman, what do you want to do?"
Li Wan'er was also taken aback by Meng Jinyao's words. She raised her eyes, her eyes brimming with tears, and pleaded with Gu Xiuming in a choked voice, "Madam Gu, you are an elder, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against Brother Xiuming. Brother Xiuming just can't accept the fact that he suddenly has a mother. He is actually a person who respects his elders. If you are angry that Brother Xiuming eloped with me and made you lose face, then punish me. Brother Xiuming is innocent. It's all because of me that he acted this way."
Meng Jinyao suppressed her smile. Her still somewhat childish face held a certain authority when she put on a stern expression. She looked down at the tearful and pitiful Li Wan'er as if she were an ant. The aura of a Marquis's wife was overwhelming. She said in a low voice, "Miss Wan'er, I was talking to my son about family matters. Isn't it too ill-mannered for an outsider like you to interrupt?"
She paused, and before Li Wan'er could reply, she asked herself, "That's true. How well-mannered could someone who eloped with my son be?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Wan'er's face turned ashen, and tears welled up in her eyes and immediately streamed down her face. She lowered her head in shame and cried silently, her body swaying precariously, her slender shoulders trembling as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Seeing this, Gu Xiuming felt a pang of pain in his heart and angrily rebuked Meng Jinyao: "Meng Jinyao, if you have any problems, come at me. What kind of skill is it to bully Wan'er by relying on your status?"
Just as Meng Jinyao was about to reply, she felt a gaze fall on her. She looked up instinctively and saw the handsome man standing at the door, looking at her with a half-smile. She wondered how much of what she had just said had been heard by him.
She swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue and accused, "Husband, your son is unfilial and has offended his elders."
Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow. This little girl was very clever. She had clearly prepared her rebuttal to Xiu Ming. As soon as she saw him, she immediately complained and asked him to deal with the unfilial son. He moved to Meng Jinyao's side, looked at his son who was full of astonishment, and said unhurriedly, "The unfilial son is ignorant. I am busy with official duties. In the future, I will have to trouble Madam to help discipline him properly."
Gu Xiuming was dumbfounded: ? ? ?
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