Chapter 593 Going Along with Her Wishes
When Meng Jinyao saw her father's smile deepen and his joy almost overflowing, she immediately frowned. She knew without guessing that her father had come to his senses and wanted to join the Fourth Prince's camp, betting on the chance to gain merit in the future.
She asked coldly, "Does Father intend to side with the Fourth Prince and support him?"
Meng Dongyuan was in a good mood and didn't care about the eldest daughter's attitude at the moment. He knew that with his talent, he would definitely have his day. His career had not been smooth in the past because no one appreciated him. It was the Fourth Prince who had a discerning eye. He smiled and said, "The Fourth Prince has valued my talent. How can I let down the Fourth Prince's kindness?"
Meng Jinyao was speechless, choked by his words. How could someone be so shameless? He was just trying to make himself look good.
After a moment of silence, Meng Jinyao scoffed and said, "If the Fourth Prince had taken a liking to Father's talent, he would have promoted him long ago. Why wait until Second Brother became the top scholar in this year's imperial examination before recognizing Father's talent? The Meng family has long since declined. If Second Brother hadn't made a name for himself in this year's imperial examination and had only become a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), would the Huang family have been willing to marry their daughter to him? Now that Second Brother is so promising, the Huang family is willing to marry their daughter to him. Firstly, Second Brother is exceptionally talented and will likely become a Jinshi (a higher-level scholar) in the future. Secondly, Second Brother is the heir apparent and will be able to inherit the title. Moreover, his brother-in-law is the Marquis of Changxing."
As she spoke, she paused, looked up at Meng Dongyuan, and said with a half-smile, "So, Father still thinks that the Fourth Prince valued your talent and that's why he had his men marry his daughter to the Second Brother? The Second Brother is promising, but once he enters the court, it won't be easy for him to climb to a high position in three or five years, and he won't be able to provide much help. But his brother-in-law is different; he is a favorite of the Emperor. If we can bring his brother-in-law into our camp, the Fourth Prince will gain a great advantage."
The truth was laid bare, like a bucket of ice water poured over Meng Dongyuan's head, extinguishing the joy that had just welled up in his heart and chilling him to the bone. His illusion that being recognized by someone with discerning eyes would lead to a bright future was instantly shattered.
Meng Jinyao said, "Father, don't let yourself be sold out and then help the seller count the money."
Meng Dongyuan, being an elder, felt humiliated and embarrassed by being ridiculed by a junior. His face was not very pleasant, but he still tried to save face, saying, "Isn't it a good thing that the Fourth Prince has taken a liking to Yaoling and Chengzhang? The Fourth Prince is currently at the height of his power, and he may very well become the future monarch. Yaoling and Chengzhang will also have the merit of supporting the emperor."
Meng Jinyao said in a deep voice, "Wasn't the Second Prince at the height of his power back then? Now he has been demoted to a commoner. In the struggle for the throne, no one knows who will be the final winner until the very last moment. One wrong step and you will fall into an abyss. The Gu family will not participate in the struggle for the throne, and my second brother cannot participate either."
Meng Dongyuan was determined to marry into the Huang family and was unwilling to give up the easy opportunity for promotion. He was unmoved by his eldest daughter's persuasion, saying, "How would a woman like you understand matters of officialdom? Don't say such things again."
Seeing that he was still stubborn, Meng Jinyao smiled coldly and glanced at him with a warning look in her eyes, saying, "It is my husband's decision that the Gu family will not participate in the struggle for the throne. It is my decision that my second brother cannot participate. My second brother is a sensible person and will not participate. If Father insists on going his own way and betrothing my second brother to a girl from the Huang family, then don't blame your daughter for being ruthless."
Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan's heart skipped a beat. He looked at her warily and asked, "What do you want?"
Meng Jinyao asked in a low voice, "If the Emperor finds out that you are a fake filial son, and are actually the culprit who made your grandmother fall ill, and then framed your third brother, what do you think your fate will be?"
Meng Dongyuan's face paled, and he scolded in a low voice, "Meng Jinyao! Have you gone mad? If the Emperor finds out about this, what good will it do for the Meng family? He might get angry and take back our title. You love Chengzhang so much, can you bear to see him without a title to inherit?"
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "Rather than being implicated and potentially ruined, I'd rather he have no title to inherit, at least that way he can save his life. Besides, Chengzhang is promising, and with his brother-in-law's help, he won't end up in a bad situation. But Father, it's different. Not only are you unfilial, but you also framed my third brother, making him bear the blame. How do you think the Emperor will deal with you then?"
Meng Dongyuan trembled with rage, pointing at her and whispering, "You're insane! You're absolutely insane!"
Meng Jinyao replied, "My madness was forced upon me by my father. It's not too late. The decision rests with my father."
Meng Dongyuan knew she was capable of such a thing, so how could he dare to truly oppose her? He took a deep breath, swallowed all his resentment and anger, and said, "As you say, we will not form a marriage alliance with the Huang family."
Meng Jinyao nodded in satisfaction and then said, "There is one more thing that Father must promise me."
Meng Dongyuan's expression darkened: "What else is there? Don't push your luck!"
Meng Jinyao said, "I will decide on my second brother's marriage. You and Mother will have to get my approval before you can arrange a girl for him."
Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan was dissatisfied, but he knew that his eldest daughter would not harm Chengzhang, and he had no choice but to agree to this matter, so he said, "Alright, whatever you say. Even if you want to find a girl for Chengzhang yourself, that's fine too."
Meng Jinyao smiled with satisfaction, the atmosphere was no longer tense, and her tone softened as she said, "Father, I am doing this for the good of the Meng family. No matter who sits on the throne in the future, we will only be loyal to the Emperor. If Lord Huang asks again, just say that you respect your child's wishes and wrote to ask my second brother if he was interested. However, my second brother is still young and has not yet matured. He only wants to study and has no interest in marriage, so I will not delay Miss Huang."
Meng Dongyuan looked displeased. "I know that. I don't need you to teach me."
Meng Jinyao stopped arguing with him, stood up and said, "Father, didn't you have something to do and need to go out? I won't take up any more of your time. I'm going back to my parents' home today and haven't paid my respects to my mother and grandmother yet. I need to go and pay my respects to my two elders first."
After this incident, Meng Dongyuan had no desire to go out. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, go ahead."
As Meng Jinyao left the study, Meng Dongyuan's anger surged again. He had finally gotten a chance for promotion, but this rebellious daughter ruined it all. He didn't know when the next opportunity would come, and maybe this was how his life would end, leading a meaningless and unproductive career.
At this moment, he could no longer contain his temper. He grabbed a book from the desk and slammed it to the ground. Not content with just smashing one book, he swept the desk's writing implements and other items onto the floor, gritting his teeth and saying, "What a wretched child! A wretched child!"
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