Chapter Forty-Five: Shamelessness
These words shocked everyone present.
No one expected that there was such a trick up his sleeve. Just how meticulous was Old Master Zhou to be able to anticipate every step of the way and prepare solutions in advance?
The Sun couple, Mr. and Mrs. Meng Dongyuan, had initially breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they could simply say they had never seen the document and deny its authenticity to get away with it. But now that they had this trick up their sleeve, it was irrefutable evidence.
The couple's hearts were in their throats, especially Sun's. Her heart was pounding. Was her reputation, built up over many years, about to be ruined? Although her husband and mother-in-law knew the truth, they figured they would absolve her of any responsibility and push the blame onto her.
Meng Jinyu and her brother Meng Chengxing were also worried for their mother. For some reason, they felt that what Meng Jinyao said was true, and that their mother really had kept the dowry left by Zhou Shi.
Just as the couple were racking their brains, trying to turn the situation around, Meng Jinyao continued, "Father's silence means he doesn't trust Grandfather and your in-laws?"
Meng Dongyuan came to his senses, shook his head slightly, and said in a relatively calm voice: "That's not what I meant. I was just surprised that such a thing could happen. But it's just hearsay. You say you have solid evidence, but I've never seen any evidence. How can I question your mother's character just because you said that? I've seen how she's treated you all these years. She loves you so much, how could she do such a thing?"
He smiled kindly and said gently, "How about this, if you have evidence, why don't you show it to your father first? If the evidence is conclusive and it has been verified that it really happened, I will have your mother apologize to you. What do you think?"
These words were undoubtedly a reassurance to Madam Sun. She glanced at Meng Jinyao, who only had two unarmed maids behind her, and her tense emotions instantly subsided.
As long as the original copy of that document and her father-in-law's handwritten letter are handed over, they can easily destroy the evidence and leave no way to prove anything. Ayu and Chengxing are both her own children, and they will definitely side with their mother, not their half-sister.
As for Chengzhang, he's an illegitimate son, completely under her control, and certainly wouldn't dare to speak recklessly. No matter what Meng Jinyao says, as long as there's no evidence, they can easily shift the blame to Meng Jinyao. As for the other servants, they probably wouldn't dare to gossip either; just find an excuse to send them far away.
However, Meng Jinyao had already anticipated what the couple could think of. Having been together for more than ten years, how could she not know the couple's temperament?
One is outwardly respectable, the other is kind-hearted but ruthless; both are extremely hypocritical and cunning. If what really happened is true, should we just have Mrs. Sun apologize to her? Just an apology? Does that mean the things won't be returned?
Meng Jinyao frowned, put down her teacup, met Meng Dongyuan's gaze, and smiled, "Father, I'm sorry I can't hand over such important evidence to you. If you collude and destroy the evidence, wouldn't I really be left with nothing but empty words? Why don't you ask my good stepmother first and see if she did this?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, child? Is that the kind of person you think your father is?" Meng Dongyuan was furious. He quickly turned to Madam Sun and asked sternly, "Madam, you are both telling the truth. I don't know who is telling the truth and who is lying. Let me ask you, is everything A-Yao said true?"
Having been married to him for many years, Mrs. Sun naturally cooperated tacitly and readily played along with his act, directly crying out her innocence: "Husband, I am innocent! A-Yao is the child I raised. How could I do such a thing? A-Yao must have believed other people's slander. She can't even produce solid evidence, so how could it be true?"
Seeing the couple putting on an act, Meng Jinyao, who was trying to provoke them into handing over the evidence on the spot, lost her patience. She waved her hand and said, "Alright, you two don't need to put on this act in front of me. I don't have time to watch your performance."
Her gaze swept back and forth between the couple, finally settling on Madam Sun. A meaningful smile appeared on her face as she continued, "I'm going to make this clear today. Father, you may not believe me, but if I don't receive my mother's dowry within three days, we'll go to court. I have solid evidence, and I'll win every time. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to try."
Seeing that she not only didn't fall for it, but also wanted to report it to the authorities and take them to court, the couple panicked instantly.
Meng Dongyuan's face darkened, and he immediately scolded, "Nonsense!"
As he spoke, he glared at his eldest daughter with displeasure, and said angrily, "This is a family matter. Why should a family matter be taken to court? You are a junior. For a junior to sue an elder is unfilial. Do you want the whole capital to know that the juniors of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion are unfilial?"
Meng Jinyao scoffed, "If elders are not kind, how can one be filial?"
Meng Dongyuan's face turned pale with anger, and he rebuked, "This is all baseless, yet you want to make a scene in court. It's not that your elders are unkind, but that you are biased and wrongly accuse them. Even if your mother really did such a thing, she is still the mother who raised you. How can you make a scene in court over such a trivial matter? What kind of behavior is that?"
Faced with her father's raging fury, Meng Jinyao remained calm and said in a low voice, "Since Father thinks this is a small matter, he should make her return the dowry left by my mother, turn a big matter into a small one, and a small matter into nothing, so as to avoid the whole family going to court."
Meng Dongyuan said, "Are you such a rebellious daughter, obsessed with money? You can't stop talking about your dowry. We raised you all these years, is the debt of raising you less than a dowry? Even if she did do it, it was out of necessity."
"Forced to do something?" Meng Jinyao smiled mockingly. "Being forced to do something means you can take what belongs to others for yourself?"
Meng Dongyuan's thoughts raced for a moment, then he sighed and tried to appeal to her family ties: "Ayao, our family is no longer what it used to be. Your two younger brothers will be getting married in a few years, and your younger sister will be getting married in two years. The betrothal gifts and dowries are a huge expense. It's understandable that your mother might have had ulterior motives. You'll be living a life of wealth and honor after marrying into the Marquis of Changxing's household. Why bother arguing with your mother about whether she's returned your dowry?"
The more he spoke, the more reasonable he seemed, and he concluded decisively: "Ayao, as the eldest sister, now that you've married into a prestigious family, it's only right that you support your younger siblings. Consider that dowry as your way of helping them. When they achieve great things in the future, they won't forget your kindness today. If it's true, I'll have your mother apologize to you, and we'll let this matter rest. If you've wronged your mother, you'll have to apologize to her as well."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao felt disgusted; she had never seen such a shameless person.
She clapped her hands, applauding her father's abacus skills, and then asked with a mocking smile, "Since ancient times, a woman's dowry has been her private property, which even her husband cannot touch. In the end, the husband and his second wife made the decision, excluding the woman's own daughter and giving it directly to the husband and his second wife's child as betrothal and dowry. What kind of logic is this?"
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