SGEIRS -Chapter 189 Calling Someone to Account

When Meng Jinyao saw that Madam Sun dared to be angry but did not dare to speak up—clearly furious, her eyes brimming with suppressed rage, yet still forcing herself to maintain a polite smile—she felt both admiration and a sense of satisfaction.

Once upon a time, she had treated Madam Sun as her own biological mother. Who would have thought that Madam Sun had never regarded her as a daughter? Instead, she had been scheming against her all along, had even plotted to harm Chengyu, and had also been responsible for the death of her birth mother.

As Madam Sun’s own daughter, Meng Jinyu could see how awkward her mother was feeling. She did not dare to argue, because everything others had said sounded like praise. Yet her mother really had done things against her conscience. The matter of withholding Meng Jinyao’s mother’s dowry was already common knowledge, and when such “praise” was applied to her mother, it only sounded ironic.

Meng Jinyu frowned slightly and shot a resentful glare at Meng Jinyao, who was watching the scene like a spectator.

Their gazes met. Meng Jinyao curled her lips in a mocking smile. Seeing Madam Sun being “haunted by ghosts,” suffering sleepless nights and constant fright, made her happy—but this was far from enough.

If not for the laws of the dynasty, which stipulated that children who sued their parents would be imprisoned regardless of whether the charges were true, she would long ago have accused Madam Sun of plotting against Chengyu. As for her birth mother’s death, there was no longer any solid evidence. Although there was a witness, relying solely on that woman’s one-sided testimony made it difficult for the charge to stand.

One day, she would make Madam Sun admit everything herself.

When a person’s mind is unsettled and under immense psychological pressure, their willpower gradually collapses. She was waiting for that day to come. Whether Madam Sun died in the end did not matter much. Often, living was more terrifying than dying. Living in misery, worse than death, was sometimes more cruel than death itself.

Madam Sun’s sister-in-law, Madam Yang, noticed the undercurrent between the two sisters and thought to herself that Meng Jinyao really had climbed high and gained influence. Since she now regarded her younger sister as an enemy, then as a member of Sun Family, Madam Yang would gain nothing from her either.

In that case, she might as well support her sister-in-law. If her sister-in-law was pleased, she could also obtain some benefits. Her eldest son was about to get married, and if her sister-in-law could help a little, their family could save some money. Although the Yongchang Marquis’s Manor had declined, it had once been a prestigious household, and its foundation was still there. Judging from today’s reception—the fresh fruit, pastries from Yipin Pavilion, and fine tea—it was clear that the manor was still doing fairly well.

Moreover, since her sister-in-law managed household affairs, it would be convenient for her to help her natal family.

With this in mind, Madam Yang changed the topic and said, “A-Yao, I heard that you and A-Yu recently had a disagreement over making friends?”

Hearing her sister-in-law speak up, Madam Sun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Meng Jinyao immediately knew it was about Princess Jingning. She cast a faint glance at Meng Jinyu and asked calmly, “Aunt, have you misunderstood something?”

“Perhaps it was a misunderstanding,” Madam Yang sighed lightly and said earnestly. “You two only have each other—no other sisters. You must get along well. You’re the elder sister, so you should yield to your younger sister. A-Yu even cried over this matter for a long time.”

Without distinguishing right from wrong, she had directly pinned the blame on Meng Jinyao for being unfriendly.

Meng Jinyao’s expression did not change. Unhurriedly, she replied, “Did Second Sister tell you why she cried?” Though she was asking Madam Yang, her gaze fell on Meng Jinyu, carrying a deeper meaning.

Meeting her gaze, Meng Jinyu’s face tightened. Last time, with Princess Jingning present, she had suffered a great loss at Meng Jinyao’s hands. This time, she dared not gamble. At such a moment, she could only give in. Otherwise, if she embarrassed herself in front of the guests, her reputation would be ruined.

She quickly said, “That day was actually my fault. I didn’t explain clearly and caused Her Highness to misunderstand Eldest Sister. After returning home, I felt very guilty and cried. Fortunately, Eldest Sister didn’t blame me.”

Hearing this, Madam Sun immediately knew the fault lay with her daughter. That day, her daughter had not explained clearly and had only said that Meng Jinyao slandered her before Princess Jingning. She had not expected there to be more to it.

She glanced at her daughter and said gently, “You child, be more careful with your words in the future. Did the princess misunderstand later? If she did, you must personally explain it to her.”

Meng Jinyu replied, “Mother, it’s already been clarified.”

Madam Sun nodded lightly. “That’s good.” Then she stood up gracefully and said to Meng Jinyao, “A-Yao, A-Yu, help me entertain the guests for a while. I’ll go to the kitchen and see how the lunch preparations are going.”

Both sisters agreed.

This was exactly what the other ladies wanted. They had been wondering how to strike up a conversation with Meng Jinyao.

After Madam Sun left, Meng Jinyu took the unmarried girls to a small pavilion nearby to play cards.

Meng Jinyao, meanwhile, handled the ladies with ease. Her attitude was calm and distant, carrying an air of aloofness that kept people at arm’s length. It made it difficult for them to flatter her, and even harder to curry favor. Even the wife of her grandmother’s nephew, relying on her status as an elder, found it hard to get close to her.

Before long, lunch began, with men and women seated separately.

On the men’s side, they drank heartily and played drinking games. The atmosphere was lively.

On the women’s side, it was much quieter. They only discussed interesting happenings in the capital to avoid awkward silence.

Looking at the dishes, Meng Jinyao found the flavors familiar—similar to a restaurant she had once visited with A-Ning. She guessed her vain, status-conscious father had hired a professional chef. The morning’s pastries, fruit, and tea had all been of high quality. Even this modest banquet was a considerable expense.

She curled her lips into a mocking smile. The Yongchang Marquis’s Manor had already declined, and without her mother’s dowry to support it, they still insisted on keeping up appearances. This was probably what it meant to find it hard to return to frugality after luxury.

After lunch, Madam Yang seized a moment when no one was around and approached Meng Jinyao, mocking her in a low voice: “A-Yao, now that you’ve climbed high, have you forgotten what your surname is?”

Meng Jinyao was not surprised that Madam Yang dared to come and challenge her. Since she held grievances against Madam Sun, she naturally would not be friendly to her natal family either. Madam Yang understood this, which was why she had not tried to flatter her earlier.

She replied calmly, “Aunt, what do you mean by that?”

Relying on her status as an elder, Madam Yang adopted a reproachful tone.

“However wrong your mother may be, she is still your mother. The matter of the dowry is already in the past. No matter how angry you were, you should have let it go by now. Money is just an external possession—can it be more important than your mother? Yet you deliberately embarrassed her in front of the guests today. Is that what a daughter should do? Such unfilial behavior—does your husband’s family know about it?”

Meng Jinyao said indifferently, “Aunt, you’re joking. I care about my mother. How could I embarrass her?”

As she spoke, she let out a light laugh. Her gaze turned cold as she looked at Madam Yang, her tone filled with mockery.

“But Aunt, you are a sister-in-law of Madam Sun, while I am a daughter of the Meng family and a daughter-in-law of the Gu family. Even if one day I truly behaved improperly, my parents and grandmother are still alive. It wouldn’t be your place to lecture me. Or do you intend to overstep them? I call you ‘Aunt’ out of respect for my stepmother. If it weren’t for her, my mother had no brothers. What kind of ‘aunt’ do you think you are?”