Chapter 530 The Shrewish Zhao
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng became even more satisfied with Zhao. She liked this kind of gentle and perceptive daughter-in-law, unlike Dong, who was clueless and often spoke without thinking, ruining her plans.
She said gently, "Good child, I'm sorry you had to go through this tonight. I will make it up to you."
Zhao found it ironic; wasn't this a case of slapping someone and then giving them a sweet treat? On the surface, she was extremely grateful: "Daughter-in-law thanks Mother for her understanding."
Madam Meng enjoyed the feeling of being both kind and strict, having people under her thumb perfectly—something that neither Madam Zhou, Madam Sun, nor Madam Dong could give her. She then said, "It's getting late. You've had a long day. Get some rest tonight. He won't be waking up anytime soon."
Zhao replied, "Yes, Mother."
Afterwards, Madam Meng said a few more kind words, and seeing that she had completely calmed her daughter-in-law down, she returned to Rongfu Hall.
After Old Madam Meng left, Meng Chengxing sighed softly and stammered, "Mother was wronged. The Huiyun that Father mentioned... she, she was actually Father's previous wife. They were deeply in love and had a harmonious marriage, but in the end, they impulsively divorced."
As he spoke, he seemed to realize that he had said something he shouldn't have, and quickly added, "Mother, you are so gentle, virtuous and understanding. Father will see your goodness sooner or later and live a good life with you in the future. Don't take what happened tonight to heart. Father just said something inappropriate while drunk tonight."
Upon hearing this, Meng Chengzhang frowned and glanced at his third brother with displeasure, his eyes seeming to say: If you can't speak, then sew your mouth shut.
Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly, carefully examining Meng Chengxing. She sensed that this boy was quite scheming, perhaps afraid that she and Meng Dongyuan were close, and deliberately said these things to annoy her and make her feel resentful. She feigned a lonely expression, lowered her head slightly, and said, "Chengxing, you are a good child. You don't need to worry, your mother is fine. It's getting late, you should go back and rest. I will take care of your father."
Meng Chengxing glanced at her, feeling that he had achieved his goal. With his father's meddling further sowing discord between them, he did not linger any longer and took his leave.
After he left, Meng Chengzhang said, "Mother, you were wronged tonight. The house is a bit messy, and you may not be able to adjust well. But I will be returning to the academy in a few days. If you have any difficulties that you cannot handle, you can go to the Marquis of Changxing's residence to find my eldest sister."
Upon hearing this, Zhao glanced at Meng Chengzhang and felt that this stepson was different from Meng Chengxing and should be a good one. It also indirectly indicated that he and Meng Jinyao were different from the other members of the Meng family.
In this way, Zhao Shi made up her mind. Since she couldn't rely on her husband and mother-in-law, she would directly rely on Meng Jinyao and Meng Chengzhang. Moreover, these two children were the most promising, and she could also benefit from their success.
Zhao said meaningfully, "Chengzhang, don't worry, your mother knows what to do."
Seeing that she understood his meaning, Meng Chengzhang did not linger any longer and took his leave.
Inside the room, only Zhao Shi and Meng Dongyuan, who was lying unconscious on the bed, remained.
Zhao sighed slowly, the unpleasant matter finally came to an end. She had just added fuel to the fire, without mentioning that she had quarreled with Meng Dongyuan, and tried to clear herself of any wrongdoing, all to make herself the perfect victim in front of her mother-in-law.
Whether out of guilt or guilt, the mother-in-law did not pursue the matter further. As it turned out, she did the right thing. Regardless of whether Meng Dongyuan remembered what happened that night after waking up, she insisted that Meng Dongyuan was drunk and could not remember. The mother-in-law probably already knew that Meng Dongyuan still cared about Dong Shi, so she would believe her more.
A moment later, Zhao stepped to the bedside. Looking at the man on the bed, she was both angry and resentful. She gritted her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and raised her fist, wanting to hit Meng Dongyuan hard in the face. Her movements were so smooth and fierce.
But the next moment, Zhao realized that the slap in the face was too obvious, so she quickly withdrew her fist, lifted the quilt, and pinched Meng Dongyuan's soft flesh on the waist a few times.
Seeing that Meng Dongyuan seemed to feel pain and consciously frowned, but did not wake up, Zhao pinched him hard again to vent her anger before letting go. She scoffed, "No matter what you and Dong divorced, in my life, Zhao Qianyi, there is only the loss of a husband, not divorce. Since you can't let go of Dong, then keep thinking about her forever. Anyway, you can't get her back."
Even if she had some expectations when she married into the family, she was already this age and didn't care about romantic love. If her husband treated her well, that would be fine. If he didn't, then she would care about status. The status of a countess was better than that of a widow, and better than that of a second wife of someone with a lower status. With her current status, she had many more options when looking for a marriage for her daughter.
As for Meng Dongyuan, regardless of whether he likes her or not, as long as she doesn't violate the seven grounds for divorce, he can't divorce her. If he treats her badly, she'll retaliate.
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The next day.
When Meng Dongyuan woke up, his head was spinning. When he saw Zhao Shi by his bedside, he was stunned. The events of last night flooded his mind. Zhao Shi's aggressive appearance was particularly clear in his mind. He said angrily, "Zhao Shi, what are you still here for?"
Zhao calmly replied, "My husband, this is our bridal chamber. Last night was our wedding night. If I'm not here, where should I be?"
Meng Dongyuan was speechless for a moment: "You..."
Zhao stood up, looking down at him with an indifferent expression, and said slowly, "Husband, are you saying again that this is your and Huiyun's room, not a place for me? That's all in the past. Now I am the mistress of this courtyard. I hope you will recognize reality and stop talking nonsense. Otherwise, if word gets out, you will be the one who loses face. People will only laugh at you for only appreciating what you've lost, for still being hung up on your ex-wife, yet not stopping you from marrying a new one. Such deep affection is worthless, a joke."
Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan's face turned extremely ugly. He stared intently at Zhao Shi, but could not refute her.
Without wasting words with him, Zhao said, "Since you're awake, husband, get up. We still need to serve tea to Mother. It's past noon now, and Mother has been waiting for a long time."
After saying this, Zhao Shi left without waiting for his reaction, and went to summon a maid to serve her.
Meng Dongyuan: "?"
When did he agree to go to the tea ceremony with Zhao Shi? And this woman is even arranging his itinerary in such an authoritative tone?
He was instantly furious. He had lived for decades and women had always been obedient to him. How could any woman dare to treat him like this?
Zhao Shi, a shrew who is neither gentle and considerate nor obedient and speaks aggressively, is far from the daughter-in-law her mother had in mind. So how did her mother choose Zhao Shi?
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