SGEIRS -Chapter 108 Leading a Child Astray

The man’s words were gentle and persuasive, slowly soothing the resentment in Meng Jinyao’s heart.

At first, she had been seething with indignation, gritting her teeth in anger and hating the person who had proposed such a law. Now, however, she felt helpless and powerless.

After a moment, she looked up at Gu Jingxi again. For no particular reason, hope rose in her heart. If there were more people like him, perhaps these unreasonable laws would gradually be improved.

She stared at him for a long while before murmuring, “Husband, I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you just now.”

Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly, not taking it to heart. In a gentle voice, he said, “It’s fine. Wife is reasonable and sensible. You were only upset for a moment.”

Meng Jinyao looked thoughtful and gazed at him eagerly. “Doesn’t the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review get to directly participate in drafting and revising laws?”

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi laughed helplessly. “Wife, I advise you not to place such high expectations on your husband. I’m really not that capable. Not only can I not do it—perhaps no one will be able to for hundreds of years to come.”

Meng Jinyao was instantly speechless.

He explained, “This law has been in place for thousands of years. It’s deeply rooted in people’s minds. Only the punishments differ from dynasty to dynasty. Changing it in a short time is impossible. The only way is through constant moral education and reflection, so people gradually change.”

Seeing her looking dispirited, he added, “Still, I can make a proposal—but there’s no chance it’ll pass.”

Meng Jinyao blinked. “It’s still good if someone proposes it. Only when different voices appear can reform be promoted.”

She sighed softly, full of melancholy. “Looks like suing my stepmother for poisoning my half-brother won’t work. Unless there’s a new turning point, even if she’s sentenced to death, I—an innocent person—would still be flogged twenty times and imprisoned for three years for suing my mother.”

Gu Jingxi comforted her. “Wife, when the law can’t give you justice, you can still reclaim it in your own way. Now, without reporting to the authorities, you can use your own means to make her receive the punishment she deserves. Before thinking about suing her, the priority is to get evidence and make her confess.”

After hearing this, Meng Jinyao pondered for a moment, then curved her lips into a meaningful smile. A hint of ruthlessness gathered in her eyes.

“That’s true. Death isn’t the most frightening thing. Living in misery is. Then let her live long and suffer—unable to live well, unable to die.”

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi said gently, “It’s not good for someone so young to harbor such heavy malice.”

Meng Jinyao blinked, smiling brightly. “Didn’t you teach me to use my own methods to punish her? If so, I have to be satisfied. Only then does it count as revenge. I believe my second brother will be satisfied too.”

Gu Jingxi was stunned for a moment. Clicking his tongue softly, he laughed helplessly. “Looks like I’ve led a child astray.”

“How could that be?” Meng Jinyao smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. “You’re guiding a child to develop new ways of thinking and not get stuck in a dead end.”

Gu Jingxi paused, then smiled as well. “Then what are you planning to do next?”

“Didn’t it mention Nanny Qiao’s weakness?”

As she spoke, she flipped to the last page and pointed at the line about Nanny Qiao’s son.

“Nanny Qiao has only one son—he’s her lifeline. On the surface, he’s capable and obedient, winning Madam Sun’s favor and becoming the steward of an estate. But in secret, he frequents brothels and gambles. In the past, this never came to light because Nanny Qiao always cleaned up after him. I can use this to seize her weakness and force her to defect. Once she switches sides, everything afterward will be much easier.”

Gu Jingxi looked at her with approval and nodded. “Wife is clever. Do you need me to do anything next?”

After thinking carefully, Meng Jinyao declined tactfully. “Thank you, husband, but for now, I don’t think I need help. I’d like to try on my own first. If I need assistance, may I borrow some manpower from you?”

He reminded her, “Alright. But don’t act rashly. Think things through carefully. If you need people, just tell me.”

She nodded lightly, put the letter back into the envelope, and changed the subject. “Husband, it’s getting late. If there’s nothing else, shall we go back to Weirui Pavilion and have dinner later?”

“Alright,” Gu Jingxi replied.

On the way back, the couple rarely shared such common ground. They chatted happily.

As the sun set, warm orange light bathed them, leaving two long shadows on the ground.

From a distance, Old Madam Gu saw this scene. She stopped and smiled with relief, saying to Nanny Feng beside her, “It seems Yaoling does know how to get along with young ladies after all. Look, he and A-Yao get along quite well now.”

Nanny Feng followed her gaze and smiled. “Old Madam, you can finally be at ease now. The Marquis and his wife seem to be on good terms.”

Old Madam Gu nodded with a smile. “They look good for now. They must keep it up.”

—

That night, Meng Jinyao tossed and turned in bed, her mind racing as she thought about how to set up her scheme.

She had longed to avenge Chengyu for many years, but because she lacked ability, she had never dared to act rashly. Now, the only variables were Nanny Qiao and her son. She had to make good use of them.

With someone beside her constantly turning over, Gu Jingxi couldn’t fall asleep either. When she turned again, he spoke softly, “Wife, some things can’t be rushed. The more anxious you are, the narrower your thinking becomes, and the easier it is to get stuck.”

Meng Jinyao was startled and turned to look at him. In the dim light, she couldn’t see clearly, but she knew his eyes were open.

“You’re still awake, husband?”

He replied, “If I were asleep, how could I talk to you?”

She felt a little embarrassed. “Did I disturb your rest?”

“No,” he said gently. “I’m not sleepy anyway.” After a pause, he added, “What have you thought of so far? You can tell me—I’ll help you think it through.”

She shook her head dejectedly. “Nothing. My mind is a mess.”

He said warmly, “Since you can’t think of anything, get a good night’s sleep first. With a clear mind, your thoughts will be clearer.”

She responded softly, closed her eyes, and stopped talking. Though she still couldn’t fall asleep, she no longer tossed and turned.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly. He already had a thorough plan in mind, but since the girl wanted to think it through herself, he kept quiet, trusting that her clever little head would come up with a good solution.