SGEIRS -Chapter 305 Xiuming’s Crushing Defeat

Hearing her words, Gu Xiuming’s thoughts fell into chaos. His mind was in complete disarray, and he could no longer think clearly. She clearly had no concrete evidence, yet he could not suppress his growing panic. How on earth did she know?

Meng Jinyao looked at Gu Xiuming kneeling on the ground. Seeing that beneath his fear there was also confusion and bewilderment, she asked,

“Xiuming, aren’t you very curious about how I found out?”

Gu Xiuming raised his eyes to look at her. His face was tense, and he did not reply. Still, deep down, he hoped she would give him an answer. Even if he was to die, he wanted to die knowing the truth.

Naturally, Meng Jinyao would not reveal that she had long been monitoring his every move. She concealed the past and spoke only of this matter, saying calmly,

“You dote on Concubine Li so much. When you learned she was pregnant, you should have been happy. But instead, your expression suddenly changed, and you treated her like an enemy. Your father and I both found it strange, so we sent Yu Chuan to observe you. We wanted to see what was going on. Unexpectedly, we discovered everything. It was an accidental gain.”

At these words, Gu Xiuming abruptly looked toward Yu Chuan, who was standing nearby. His face was full of disbelief. He had been monitored by someone like this for so long without realizing it?

Meng Jinyao showed him no mercy. She only wanted to tear off his mask completely.

“If Concubine Li had truly been pregnant, then today’s miscarriage should have made you the happiest person of all. Because before you even knew she wasn’t pregnant, you had already tried every possible way to get rid of the child in her belly.”

Gu Xiuming shook his head instinctively and denied it. His voice trembled.

“I… I didn’t. Don’t talk nonsense. That was my child. How could I do such a thing?”

“Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, you know very well in your heart.”

Meng Jinyao glanced at him coldly and exposed his filthy, vicious side.

“You knew that during the first three months of pregnancy, a woman must not have sexual relations. Yet you suddenly reconciled with her, all so you could make her miscarry. You knew she was unwilling, so you used aphrodisiacs to force her to submit. Afraid that wasn’t enough, you even placed a musk sachet on the bed while you slept.”

Hearing this, everyone’s expression changed as they looked at Gu Xiuming.

They had thought he only resented Meng Jinyao and wanted to frame her. They never imagined he would also scheme to make the woman he loved lose her child.

Even tigers do not eat their own cubs—how much more so humans? What he did was inhuman. He was no better than a beast.

Meng Jinyao sighed softly.

“Your father and I were deeply shocked by this. We couldn’t understand it at all. Later, we thought that if you had an illegitimate eldest son or daughter, your future marriage prospects might become difficult. Perhaps that was why you wanted to get rid of the child. After all, you once told your maid Yuer that once your legitimate wife entered the household, you would raise her to the status of concubine. That meant you already planned to marry. Your earlier promise to take only Concubine Li and never marry had already changed.”

“But if you wanted to marry, why didn’t you tell your parents and elders? Why did you resort to these underhanded tricks? Later, when you found out she wasn’t pregnant, Concubine Li planned to take advantage of the time when the household doctor was away visiting his hometown. She bribed another doctor and claimed she had eaten something wrong and miscarried. The doctor would then confirm it and cover up the blunder. You agreed to this plan.”

“Since that was the case, your father and I let you do as you pleased. At least it would hide the scandal. We never expected that you would suddenly try to frame me. That caught me completely off guard. Xiuming, you’re already grown. You’re not a three-year-old child. You should know very well that if I had no evidence and the charges were confirmed, what kind of fate I would face. You unfilial son are both stupid and vicious.”

Gu Xiuming had no strength left to argue. He lowered his head in dejection, endless regret welling up in his heart.

In truth, he and Wan’er had already bribed a doctor. They planned to say she had miscarried from eating something wrong, so they wouldn’t be humiliated.

But later, he thought that if he could make good use of the situation and drag Meng Jinyao down with them, he could drive her out of the Gu family. It would be killing two birds with one stone.

So he and Wan’er planned everything. They even had the maid Hongling cooperate.

Today’s incident was a rare opportunity that Wan’er had finally found. When he heard the maid report that Wan’er had fallen, he had been secretly overjoyed.

He never expected it would all end in vain.

In the end, he failed to drive Meng Jinyao out. Instead, he and Wan’er dragged themselves into ruin.

After a moment of silence, Gu Xiuming suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Now that everything was lost and he did not know what fate awaited him, he no longer bothered pretending to be filial.

With hatred in his voice, he said, “Meng Jinyao, since you knew everything, why didn’t you expose me from the start? You toyed with me like a monkey—was it fun?”

A barely perceptible smile curved at the corner of Meng Jinyao’s lips.

Of course, it wasn’t for amusement.

It was to let him question her self-righteously, to let him publicly criticize her, and only then reveal the truth—creating a sharp contrast that would plunge his image and character into the lowest, most disgraceful depths.

One strike, decisive and permanent.

That was her goal.

After surviving under Madam Sun’s control for more than ten years, Meng Jinyao understood deeply: either endure and never strike, or, once you strike, make sure you crush your opponent completely and leave no chance for recovery.

Otherwise, they would retaliate, and next time, no one would know who would win or lose.

In this battle, she had won completely.

The unfilial son had suffered crushing defeat.

Her objective had been achieved.

Of course, she would never speak the truth aloud.

After all, she was a gentle, kind, loving mother. A good mother had to look the part. Her rebellious son could lose his dignity—she could not.

So Meng Jinyao sighed deeply and looked at him with an expression full of disappointment and heartbreak.

“Xiuming, I wanted to give you a chance. Again and again, I hoped you would turn back. That’s why I didn’t expose you. I questioned you and the doctor repeatedly, but you both insisted that Concubine Li had miscarried from fetal disturbance. As a mother, watching her child make mistake after mistake, even going so far as to frame me—I’m truly heartbroken.”

Gu Xiuming stared at her with hatred in his eyes. He did not believe her words.

Yet he regretted deeply.

Perhaps if he had admitted his fault before she revealed the truth, there might still have been room for redemption.

Now that things had come to this, how would his father punish him?

Meng Jinyao no longer paid him any attention.

A defeated enemy was not worth wasting words on. The punishment awaiting this rebellious son would surely be severe.

She turned her gaze to the doctor, preparing to deal with another matter.

She asked, “You’re the doctor they bribed, aren’t you? You took their money and cooperated with them, saying Concubine Li miscarried from eating something wrong. But in the end, it became a miscarriage caused by a fall. Wasn’t it the maid who came to fetch you who taught you what to say at the last minute?”