Chapter 576 She Cannot Die
After Meng Chengxing's outburst, Meng Dongyuan felt humiliated. If only his eldest daughter were present, it would have been alright, but now that his stepdaughter Qiao Yunying and son-in-law Gu Jingxi were also there, these two outsiders might be secretly mocking him for his poor parenting.
He took a deep breath to save face: "My dear son-in-law, I'm sorry to have made you laugh today. Chengxing's personality has been spoiled by his birth mother, and it won't be corrected anytime soon."
Zhao looked down on her husband and even rolled her eyes at him. She hated men who shirked responsibility when problems arose. It wasn't just the mother's responsibility if the children weren't raised well; the father also bore half the responsibility.
Meng Jinyao glanced at Meng Dongyuan and said indifferently, "Father, as the sage said, 'If a son is not taught, it is the father's fault.' My third brother's current state is also inseparable from your responsibility."
Meng Dongyuan was speechless with anger, but dared not show it. He forced a smile and said insincerely, "Ayao is right. It is also my fault for being too busy in the past and neglecting to discipline your third brother."
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "It's still not too late to start educating them properly now."
"???"
Meng Dongyuan was slightly taken aback, unable to discern the meaning behind her words. Did she want him to properly educate that rebellious son, or to give him a good beating? Given the discord between his eldest daughter and youngest son, he assumed it was the latter and quickly nodded in agreement.
However, as Heaven and Earth can attest, Meng Jinyao's words were merely literal and had no other meaning; she never expected her father to overinterpret them.
There was no point in arguing with him, so Meng Jinyao didn't want to waste her breath on him. Remembering that she had something else to do today, she said, "Father, I want to go see Grandmother."
Meng Dongyuan nodded in agreement and said, "I will go with you."
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "Father, Mother, my third sister, and I will go together. You can keep my husband company and talk to him."
Meng Dongyuan was unwilling. In the past, he would have tried every means to get close to his son-in-law, hoping that his son-in-law could help him in his official career. However, ever since he made his mother sick and framed Chengxing, and his son-in-law knew the inside story, he had lost all face as an elder. He no longer had the courage to be alone with his son-in-law. But since his eldest daughter had spoken, he couldn't argue and had to agree. It was really a pity. He was the elder, but he always felt inferior when he saw his eldest daughter and son-in-law.
Qiao Yunying obediently followed Zhao Shi, listening to her mother and older sister talk without interrupting, only casting admiring glances at her older sister.
To be honest, although her stepfather couldn't bully her mother, she was still somewhat afraid of him. This was probably because she was living under someone else's roof and wasn't her biological child; she was just a burden who came with her mother and lacked confidence.
Today, seeing her stepfather behaving like a quail in front of her older sister was an eye-opener for her. No wonder her mother always said that even after her older sister got married, she would still be the undisputed leader in the Meng family. By clinging to her older sister's coattails, she would never have to worry about not having a good life.
Meng Jinyao noticed a gaze repeatedly falling on her, turned around and asked with a smile, "Does Third Sister have something to say to me?"
Qiao Yunying quickly looked away, her face flushed like a child caught doing something wrong, and she whispered, "Big sister is more amazing than I imagined."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback, but quickly understood what she meant. Seeing how shy she was, she was amazed. How could someone as fiery as Zhao Shi have raised such a well-behaved and shy daughter?
Immediately, Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Mother is also very capable. Third sister should learn more from Mother. It will be of great benefit to learn from her."
Qiao Yunying glanced at her mother, seemed to be deep in thought, and then nodded solemnly.
What Meng Jinyao didn't know was that Qiao Yunying took her words to heart and really learned from her mother. So much so that the man who later married Qiao Yunying initially agreed to the marriage because she seemed obedient, weak, and easy to control. Who knew that after marrying her, she turned out to be a shrewish tigress, a stark contrast. She even dared to pick up a rattan cane and chase after her husband to beat him. This girl, who looked like dough, managed to control her husband completely.
Rongfutang.
At this time, Madam Meng was asleep. She was sleeping so soundly that she did not wake up when someone came. However, her complexion was still okay, and apart from the smell of medicine, there was no other unpleasant odor in the room, which showed that she was being well taken care of by her family.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao knew that it was her stepmother, Zhao Shi, who had instructed the servants to take good care of her. As for her father, he would never take good care of her grandmother. She said gently, "Grandmother looks well. Mother has worked hard these days."
“It’s not hard work. Taking care of my elders is what I should do. Don’t worry, Ayao, my mother will live to be a hundred years old.”
Zhao glanced at her mother-in-law on the bed. Whether he was filial or not was another matter; she knew very well that Chengzhang would be taking the autumn imperial examinations this year. If he passed, he would participate in the spring examinations next year. If he passed the spring examinations, he would be of marriageable age, and wedding arrangements would need to be made. During this time, her mother-in-law couldn't die. If she did, Chengzhang would have to observe mourning, during which time he couldn't participate in the imperial examinations or get married. If her mother-in-law didn't receive proper care and died soon after, giving Chengzhang a way out, Ayao would definitely not forgive her.
Meng Jinyao glanced at Zhao Shi, their eyes meeting. Intelligent people understand each other with just a look. She sighed inwardly, thinking what a wonderful woman she was; it was a pity she married her father. Her father was fortunate, having married four wives, all of whom, except for Sun Shi, were good women.
Meng Jinyao said, "Mother, since Grandmother has not yet woken up, let's not disturb her rest. Let's go outside and talk."
Zhao agreed and went out into the outer room with her. Remembering that there was something she needed to say, she sent her daughter away: "Yunying, go to the kitchen and see how the family banquet preparations are going."
Qiao Yunying responded and left.
Meng Jinyao asked, "Does Mother have something to tell me?"
Zhao nodded slightly: "Ayao, Chengxing sent a letter to Ayu, hoping that Ayu would send someone to pick him up, but the letter was not sent. The servant who helped him send the letter turned around and handed it to your father."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was only slightly taken aback, but not particularly surprised. The only person her third brother could rely on now was her second sister, who had married far away in Yangzhou. After all, they were siblings from the same mother. However, she knew her second sister too well. Even if she received the letter, she might not lend a helping hand. After all, her third brother, who had lost his position as heir and whose reputation was ruined, was not only of no use to her second sister, but also a burden.
After a moment, she asked, "What was your father's reaction at the time?"
Zhao Shi truthfully said, "Your father has been keeping a closer eye on him. All the servants in his courtyard are your father's spies. No one is loyal to him. He can't leave the courtyard without your father's permission. He can't break free of his cage, and his behavior has become increasingly unrestrained. As long as the maids in his courtyard are not ugly, he has taken them into his own household."
Meng Jinyao was surprised: "He already had concubines. It was one thing for those concubines to have affairs with him before, he was just throwing caution to the wind, but even after he's like this, are those maids who haven't been introduced to him happy to do so?"
Speaking of this, Zhao Shi was somewhat helpless. As a stepmother, she dared not be labeled as mistreating her stepson. She replied, "I have not reduced his food, clothing and daily necessities. Everything is as before. If any servants are disrespectful to him, I will deal with them. Perhaps because of this, those maids think that he has not been abandoned and that his relationship with Chengxing is voluntary."
Meng Jinyao understood after hearing this. Zhao Shi was just fulfilling her duties as the mistress, but the maid who wanted to climb the social ladder had the wrong idea. However, no one could be blamed for this. If she didn't have ulterior motives, how could her third brother have succeeded?
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