SGEIRS -Chapter 196 Informing Chengzhang

After a short while, Qingqiu came in to report, “Madam, the Second Young Master has arrived. He says he’ll be returning to the academy today and would like to see you before he leaves.”

Before Meng Jinyao could respond, Song Xinning thoughtfully said, “A-Yao, go see Second Young Master. You went back to your parents’ home yesterday, so you probably didn’t get to spend much time with him. A-Yan and I can come visit you another day.”

Princess Jingning echoed her words. “Yes, we’ll come another time.”

Meng Jinyao nodded. “Then let’s meet again another day.” She turned to Ningdong and instructed, “Ningdong, see Miss Song and the Princess out.”

Qingqiu asked, “Madam, shall I bring Second Young Master here?”

Meng Jinyao nodded again.

Qingqiu acknowledged and withdrew with a curtsey, going to bring Meng Chengzhang over.

About a quarter of an hour later, Meng Chengzhang arrived at Zuilian Pavilion with Qingqiu. After exchanging a few words about their recent situations, he asked, “Eldest Sister, did Madam Sun really see a ghost? Or was she just feeling guilty and imagining things?”

Meng Jinyao took a sip of tea and smiled faintly. “There are no ghosts in this world. It’s just her guilty conscience playing tricks on her.”

Chan’er didn’t actually look much like Concubine Du. It was only her gentle and graceful temperament that resembled hers. With some makeup and deliberate adjustments to her features, she merely appeared similar. Coupled with the hallucinogenic incense Madam Sun had inhaled and her own guilty mind, she mistook Chan’er for Du’s ghost.

Meng Chengzhang looked at her thoughtfully. He felt that she knew more than she was saying, so he asked again, “Eldest Sister, do you know something?”

Meng Jinyao fell silent.

Originally, she hadn’t planned to tell her second brother, fearing it would affect his studies. But given how things were developing, he would find out sooner or later. It might be better for him to know in advance and have time to process it.

Seeing her hesitation, Meng Chengzhang said earnestly, “Eldest Sister, don’t think I’m too young to know anything. I’ve grown up. I can handle whatever it is.”

After a moment’s thought, Meng Jinyao decided to let him know. She waved her hand, telling Qingqiu to stand guard outside to prevent eavesdropping, then slowly said, “Second Brother, there’s another truth behind our eldest brother’s death. He didn’t die from an incurable illness. Madam Sun tampered with his medicine.”

The words struck like a bolt from the blue.

Meng Chengzhang was stunned, his mind reeling. After a long moment, he asked in a daze, “Eldest Sister… is that true?”

Meng Jinyao nodded lightly. “It’s true. I’ve known for a long time. I learned the truth on the day Grandfather passed away. That day, I accidentally overheard Madam Sun talking to her trusted maid. I went to ask Grandfather to punish her, but he was already at death’s door and powerless. Before he died, he repeatedly warned me not to act rashly.”

Hearing this, a storm of emotions surged in Meng Chengzhang’s heart—anger, grief, and hatred intertwined. Yet he didn’t find it unbelievable. He knew Madam Sun was capable of such cruelty.

No wonder his eldest sister, who had once been as close to Madam Sun as a biological daughter, had become rebellious and gradually turned against her.

With reddened eyes, he choked, “Eldest Sister, do Father and Grandmother know about this?”

“I don’t think so,” Meng Jinyao replied. “If they did, Grandmother wouldn’t have scolded me as a jinx who caused my brother’s death and blamed everything on me. And Father loved you and your brother so much. If he knew Madam Sun poisoned him, he wouldn’t have remained indifferent.”

She paused, then continued, “The ‘ghost’ Madam Sun saw was Concubine Du. Concubine Du came to demand her son back. Madam Sun was so guilty that she couldn’t sleep and became mentally unsettled.”

Meng Chengzhang clenched his teacup tightly, hatred filling his eyes.

He was only thirteen. No matter how much he tried to restrain himself, when he thought of his brother who died at two, and of his birth mother, Concubine Du, who fell ill and passed away soon after, he couldn’t help but burst into tears.

If Madam Sun hadn’t committed such evil, both his mother and brother would still be alive.

Meng Jinyao took out a handkerchief, gently wiping his tears as she comforted him. “Second Brother, even if she doesn’t die, she’ll live in misery. Let’s wait. She’ll get the punishment she deserves.”

As for the next step, she already had a plan and was preparing to put it into action.

Meng Chengzhang looked up at his elder sister with tear-filled eyes.

She had suffered far more than he had over the years, carrying such a heavy secret alone. Every time she faced Madam Sun, she must have endured immense pain—while he had always lived under her protection.

That slender, fragile figure had always stood in front of him.

If Madam Sun succeeded once, there must have been a second attempt.

After his brother’s death, had she turned her claws toward him as well?

Yes—surely so.

He suddenly recalled the time he had been pushed into the water. His sister had called for help immediately and saved him. He had once felt lucky that she arrived in time.

Afterward, he told her someone had pushed him. But she firmly insisted she hadn’t seen anyone, only that he had fallen in by accident. He accepted it, thinking it was just his imagination—after all, he had just recovered from a cold and might not have been clear-headed.

Now he understood.

She hadn’t wanted to alert the enemy.

If Madam Sun knew he was aware of the attack, she would surely try again. And even if his sister told the truth, no one in the family would believe her.

He asked softly, “Eldest Sister, how many times has Madam Sun tried to harm me?”

Meng Jinyao was startled for a moment, then understood. He must have been rethinking the past.

She answered honestly, “She nearly succeeded once. The other times, I ‘accidentally’ disrupted her plans while playing around.”

“Was it the time I fell into the water?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes, that time.”

Her voice softened. “Second Brother, you’re not a child anymore. It won’t be easy for her to harm you now. You must study hard and make something of yourself. Only then won’t the family be able to control you.”

Wiping his eyes, Meng Chengzhang nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, Eldest Sister. In three years, I plan to take the examinations and see how far I can go.”

Meng Jinyao smiled with relief, then said earnestly, “It’s good to be ambitious, but you’re still young. Don’t rush. Pass the county and provincial exams first. Build your foundation for the metropolitan exam, aim for a good ranking, and then you’ll have confidence in the palace exam. A good result will help your future.”

“I understand, Eldest Sister.”

He suddenly thought of Gu Xiuming and asked, “By the way, why has Gu Xiuming suddenly changed so much? Yesterday, he even respectfully called my second uncle.”

“He?” Meng Jinyao snorted lightly, her tone full of disdain. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. He’s only behaving because he realizes his position as heir is about to slip away. He’s crying only when he sees the coffin. If he was so afraid of losing his status, why did he act so recklessly before? Being pampered for too long made him think he’d never fall.”

Meng Chengzhang nodded in understanding, then asked, “What about Brother-in-law?”

“He knows Gu Xiuming’s intentions,” Meng Jinyao replied. “Trying to pretend and make up for things now is already too late.”

Meng Chengzhang was slightly stunned.

That meant his brother-in-law already intended to strip Gu Xiuming of his heirship.

As for why he hadn’t acted yet, he was probably waiting for the right opportunity.