SGEIRS -Chapter 188 Putting Her in an Awkward Position

Meng Jinyao suddenly asked, “By the way, Mother, where is Grandmother?”

Hearing this, Madam Sun came back to her senses and replied truthfully, “Your grandmother hasn’t been feeling well these past two days. She didn’t sleep well last night, and after breakfast this morning, she went back to sleep. She probably hasn’t gotten up yet. You can go pay your respects later.”

Meng Jinyao nodded. “Alright, we’ll go later.”

After that, Madam Sun had them sit down and chat. Watching Meng Jinyao and Gu Xiuming behave so affectionately like a loving mother and son, with the three of them appearing like a harmonious family, she found it strange. She couldn’t understand what kind of bewitching potion Meng Jinyao had fed Gu Jingxi and his son. This little vixen truly hadn’t wasted that fox-like face of hers, one made to please men.

The Shou’an Hall was filled with female relatives. As men, Gu Jingxi and Gu Xiuming were not suited to linger there, so after sitting for a while, they went to the front courtyard.

After the father and son left, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Meng Jinyao calmly glanced at the guests present. They were all from families that were worse off than the Yongchang Marquis’s residence, or at best comparable. These families had once known glory; otherwise, they wouldn’t have associated with the Meng family. Now, they kept in touch out of mutual sympathy—none dared to mock the others. Instead, they flattered one another to maintain appearances, pretending their households were still as prosperous as before.

For example, her grandmother’s natal family had once been well-off; otherwise, her grandmother wouldn’t have been able to marry her grandfather when he was still the heir to the Yongchang title. But after her great-grandfather passed away, the younger generation proved useless, and the family gradually declined.

The same was true of her stepmother’s natal Sun family. When Madam Sun’s father was alive, the family was still doing well, so her dowry had been decent. Otherwise, how could the Meng family have allowed Madam Sun to use her own dowry to cover the hole left by squandering her birth mother’s dowry money? Madam Sun’s dowry had made up about sixty to seventy percent of that loss.

However, compared to her mother’s dowry, Madam Sun’s was far inferior. Her maternal grandfather had only one child—her mother—and had poured almost his entire fortune into her dowry. No wonder they had harbored crooked intentions.

Now, Madam Sun had completely fallen. Madam Sun’s elder brother was mediocre and incompetent, and her capable younger brother had died young of illness. Her nephew was still studying, with an uncertain future. No one in the family held official posts anymore. They lived off their ancestors’ savings, presenting themselves as a scholarly household. Like her equally mediocre father, they mingled with other half-talented scholars, composing poems and pretending to be refined.

As for her father, the only things he had over others were, first, capable ancestors who had secured a hereditary title; second, marital ties with the Changxing Marquis’s residence, allowing him to bask in their reflected glory; and third, his love of saving face—he was generous outside and, among his wine-and-meat friends, became an object of flattery.

After a moment, Meng Jinyao withdrew her gaze and looked at Madam Sun.

Madam Sun had grown much thinner and looked haggard. Even thick makeup couldn’t conceal her exhaustion. Her eyes were bloodshot, dark circles visible beneath the powder. She appeared utterly listless, clearly forcing herself to entertain guests. According to what Meng Jinyao knew, Madam Sun had “seen ghosts” again last night and had barely slept.

A faint smile tugged at Meng Jinyao’s lips as she asked with concern, “Mother looks much more worn out. Is it because of the haunting?”

As soon as she said this, everyone turned to look at Madam Sun.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t noticed her poor complexion. They had roughly guessed the reason, but since today was her event, they hadn’t dared to ask, so as not to offend her. They had come to build connections, not make enemies. Who would have thought that Meng Jinyao would ask so bluntly?

Then again, considering that Madam Sun had withheld Meng Jinyao’s birth mother’s dowry, how could Meng Jinyao truly continue pretending to be dutiful and affectionate?

Madam Sun’s expression stiffened slightly. She answered evasively, “I didn’t sleep well last night. That matter was already handled by inviting a master.”

Anyone with eyes could see that her state wasn’t caused by just one sleepless night. It looked more like many nights without rest. It seemed the haunting still wasn’t resolved, though no recent rumors had spread.

Meng Jinyao nodded. “That’s good. Mother should take care to rest.” After a pause, she asked curiously, “Mother, do ghosts really exist in this world?”

“Since there are people, it’s not strange that there are ghosts,” Madam Sun replied coolly, clearly unwilling to discuss it further. She was about to change the subject when Meng Jinyao gave her no chance.

Pretending to think for a moment, Meng Jinyao continued, “Everything was fine at home, so how did it suddenly become haunted? I heard it was in Mother’s courtyard. Didn’t a maid die there before? Could it be that she came back?”

The words were ambiguous, easily leading to misunderstandings. Someone ignorant of the truth might think Madam Sun had mistreated the maid, causing her spirit to return for revenge. The others’ expressions grew subtle.

Protective of her mother, Meng Jinyu spoke up before Madam Sun could. “Eldest Sister, what do you mean by that? Xiaotao died of a high fever. Mother even had the household doctor treat her. She just didn’t recover and passed away in the middle of the night. Mother didn’t wrong her. Why would her spirit come back for Mother?”

Meng Jinyao was momentarily stunned, then nodded in agreement. “That’s true. If Mother hasn’t done anything wrong, why would a ghost come for her? It must have been a wandering spirit passing by our residence, and Mother happened to see it. Luckily, after the master performed the ritual, it was driven away.”

When Madam Sun heard the words “hasn’t done anything wrong,” her heart began to race uncontrollably. Her hand trembled slightly as she held her teacup, nearly spilling the floral tea. She gripped it tightly and silently took a deep breath to steady herself.

After the ritual, she had sealed the news and forbidden the maids from spreading it. Outsiders didn’t know, but almost every night she still saw the ghosts of Meng Chengyu, Meng Chengzhang, and their birth mother, Concubine Du. The ritual had only calmed things for a few days before they returned. They were truly relentless.

At this moment, one lady chimed in, “Madam Meng is the kindest person. How could she do anything wrong?”

Others echoed her.

“Yes, Madam Meng is so upright.”

“Exactly. This was just undeserved misfortune.”

“They say people who see ghosts lose their vital energy. No wonder Madam Meng looks so pale. You really must rest well.”

…

One after another, they showered her with flattery without thinking. Listening to them, Madam Sun felt her face burn. Every word seemed like deliberate sarcasm, making her unbearably embarrassed.

It also made her recall the dowry scandal from a few months ago, which had become common knowledge throughout the capital—her unmistakable wrongdoing.

Even so, she couldn’t refute them, nor could she show anger. She could only maintain a proper smile…