Chapter 28 Severing Ties
Meng Huanyan's gaze shifted from anticipation to disappointment, from disappointment to anger, from anger to madness...
Guan Yi'an refused to help her in her time of need; then let her go to hell with him.
Whether others believe it or not, she is determined to tell the whole story, and Guan Yi'an will not be able to escape unscathed!
Meng Huanyan spat out a mouthful of blood and was about to roar when a familiar voice came from outside the door, causing her to swallow back what she was about to say.
"My lord, my lady, please release Yan'er. It's all my fault for not raising her properly. No matter how many faults Yan'er has, she is the child I carried for ten months and raised with great difficulty. My heart is breaking at the sight of you beating her like this..."
"I have served in the Meng family for nearly twenty years and have never asked you, sir or madam, for anything. I only have one child, Yan'er. I beg you, sir and madam, to have mercy on her this time. I am willing to take the blame for her..."
Aunt Lu staggered in and knelt down in front of Meng Xingyuan, kowtowing as she spoke. By the time she finished speaking, her forehead was covered in blood.
Three days ago, Meng Huanyan had an affair with Guan Yi'an. She knew that the adults and his wife disliked and resented their daughter. She couldn't persuade her daughter and was too embarrassed to ask her for a dowry.
She can only work harder to fulfill her duties, hoping that one day the adults will respect her and forgive her.
Today she was busy purchasing seasonal necessities for the household and didn't even have time for breakfast. If Guan Yi'an hadn't sent someone to inform her, she would still be checking the bills right now.
When Guan Yi'an saw her arrive, a weight was lifted from his heart.
Knowing that Meng Huanyan might betray him if she couldn't bear it, he sent his personal servant to inform Aunt Lu when Meng Xingyuan called for family discipline. However, Aunt Lu's accounting office was far from Zhufeng Residence, which is why Meng Huanyan suffered so much.
Aunt Lu came from a poor background and was extremely grateful to have become the concubine of a first-rank official. She had no great ambitions; her greatest wish was to live a peaceful life under Meng Xingyuan's protection and for her daughter to marry a good husband.
She was helpless because her daughter was willful, but now that she saw her daughter suffering, she couldn't just ignore it.
With blood streaming down her forehead, she desperately clung to Meng Xingyuan's hand holding the whip, her eyes filled with pitiful vulnerability. Meng Xingyuan, consumed by rage, couldn't bring himself to strike her upon seeing this.
Just to make Du Shiyin and Meng Lingge feel better, he still rebuked them forcefully.
"Let her go! You pleaded for her, but this wretched girl doesn't even know she's done anything wrong! Releasing her today is giving her another chance, another opportunity to kill everyone!"
Aunt Lu's face turned ashen, and she kept shaking her head, "No, no, Yan'er knows she was wrong, she definitely won't do it again next time, I promise, I promise to discipline her properly and make her repent and start anew..."
"Mother, don't beg him, don't beg any of them, just let him beat me to death!"
Meng Huanyan stared at her mother with bloodshot eyes, half angry and half ashamed.
She hated her mother's subservient manner the most. Despite being a concubine, she acted like a servant in front of her father and Du Shiyin, doing everything she could to please them.
She took such a big risk because she wanted her mother to hold her head high in front of Du Shiyin, to make her mother the most honored woman in the mansion, so that she and her mother would no longer have to look down on anyone's face, and would no longer have to kneel down for her mother!
My mother has lived a humble life, and I must not let her become even more humble!
"You wicked girl! Today I'll do as you wish and beat you to death! *smack*..."
Meng Xingyuan loosened his grip on the whip, then clenched it again and lashed it forcefully at Meng Huanyan.
He suspected that this wretched girl had gone completely mad. She had been docile and obedient as a child, but now she was vicious and foolish. He had intended to let her off the hook, but she had deliberately made things difficult for him.
"No! Don't hit her anymore, Yan'er, please, just admit your mistake..." Seeing that she couldn't stop Meng Xingyuan, Aunt Lu got up from the ground and lay on top of Meng Huanyan, protecting her daughter with her body.
"ah!"
Meng Xingyuan was still angry and did not stop whipping her when he saw this. She received a solid lash on the back.
"Mother!" Meng Huanyan was filled with pain and hatred. The more her mother pleaded, the more angry she became, and the less willing she was to bow her head.
After a few more lashes, Aunt Lu's clothes were torn open, revealing glimpses of her fair skin. She noticed it herself, crying out in pain as she frantically tried to cover herself, looking helpless and pitiful.
Meng Xingyuan closed his eyes and finally threw the whip aside.
Meng Huanyan endured dozens of lashes, yet her clothes remained intact. In contrast, Aunt Lu's back was torn after only a few lashes, not because she had used more force, but because Aunt Lu was always frugal and wore coarse fabric.
Aunt Lu had very low demands for material things. She would either save the good fabrics distributed by the mansion or give them away, and rarely made clothes for herself.
Du Shiyin entrusted her with many opportunities to embezzle funds, and as long as she didn't go too far, Du Shiyin wouldn't investigate a few dozen taels of silver. But Aunt Lu didn't. No matter how carefully she examined the bills, they were always accurate.
Aunt Lu has been in the Meng family for over twenty years, and the only thing she has gained is her daughter, Meng Huanyan. If the beating continues, Aunt Lu will not survive before Meng Huanyan even dies.
Looking at Meng Huanyan's unconvinced eyes, Meng Xingyuan felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.
"Fine, you're unrepentant, and your mother is determined to protect you. I can't let you continue making mistakes. So, there's only one way."
“I am severing my father-daughter relationship with you. From now on, if you commit any crimes outside, it will have nothing to do with the Meng family. From now on, you are no longer the second young lady of the Meng family. If your mother wants to see you, she can only visit you outside the mansion. The gates of the Meng family will never be open for you again.”
"Anyway, I'm the second young lady of the Meng family, and I haven't gotten any benefits from it. So what if we're cut off? Who cares? I'd rather beg on the streets than come to the Meng family's gate..."
Meng Huanyan gritted her teeth, raised her head, and stubbornly refused to admit defeat.
She suffered a crushing defeat today, and all that's left is this backbone. If that backbone falters, she'll have nothing left.
“Father-in-law, this is inappropriate. In the past few days, Huanyan has spoken of you to me many times, her words full of respect and gratitude. Today, she was just jealous that you doted on my elder sister more than you did on her, and she did something foolish. Her mistake is far from serious enough to warrant severing ties. Father-in-law, please do not do anything that would hurt your relationship with me in your impulsive anger.”
Guan Yi'an was hoping that Meng Huanyan would win Meng Xingyuan's favor and gain some benefits from the Meng family. Upon hearing that Meng Xingyuan wanted to sever his father-daughter relationship with Meng Huanyan, he was extremely anxious and loudly tried to stop him.
Meng Xingyuan turned to look at him and sneered. His voice was cold as he said, "Since I am severing ties with Meng Huanyan, you are no longer my son-in-law, and I am not worthy of being called your father-in-law. If you hadn't spoken, I would have forgotten that Meng Huanyan is now your concubine. So, please take your concubine and leave the Meng residence immediately, Young Master Guan."
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