SGEIRS -Chapter 493 Can’t Move On

Meng Jinyao watched coldly as mother and son grew distant, father and son grew estranged, mutual hatred flared, and each plotted in their own hearts. The three of them were about to enter a cycle of internal strife.

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.

She was that fisherman—able to reap what she wanted without lifting a finger.

After a moment, Meng Jinyao said again, “Grandmother, Father, we should head back too.”

It was already lunchtime, but even though Old Madam Meng was in no mood to entertain them, she couldn’t allow them to leave without a proper meal. “Jinyao, stay and have lunch before you go. You’re pregnant—you shouldn’t go hungry.”

Meng Jinyao didn’t refuse. She was genuinely hungry. After finishing lunch, she left with Gu Jingxi.

As soon as the couple left, Meng Dongyuan could no longer hold back his anger and wanted to confront his wayward son. But the son stayed close to his mother, so he held back, only saying to her, “Mother, what Chengxing did cannot go unpunished. If he makes such mistakes and isn’t disciplined even a little, he will never reflect on his wrongdoing.”

At these words, Meng Chengxing instinctively moved closer to Old Madam Meng, seeking her protection.

Old Madam Meng’s face remained stern. “And how exactly do you plan to punish Chengxing?”

Meng Dongyuan glanced at his rebellious son. “By the family code—kneel in the ancestral hall for reflection, and copy the family rules as punishment.”

Old Madam Meng, unwilling to see her grandson suffer, immediately intervened. “Chengxing is still young, just a child. How can he endure such harsh punishment? If you must punish him, just have him copy the family rules.”

Hearing this, Meng Dongyuan felt dissatisfied. He shot back, “By age, he’s only a year younger than Chengzhang. On New Year’s Eve, when it was freezing, you made him kneel in the ancestral hall just because Chengzhang spoke back to you once. Now with Chengxing, he plotted against his unborn siblings, and yet you only punish him by copying the family rules? Isn’t that unfair?”

Old Madam Meng had her own twisted logic and argued: “If Chengxing had not gone astray, it’s because you, as a father, were partial. You didn’t handle things fairly, hurt your child’s feelings, and that’s why he did something foolish. If you insist on enforcing the family code and making him kneel in the ancestral hall, then you, as the father, are at fault first and should be punished first.”

Meng Dongyuan was furious. “Mother, if he weren’t malicious at heart, even if I as a father were a bit biased, he wouldn’t have done such evil things!”

At that moment, Meng Chengxing suddenly fell to his knees, crying and sobbing. “Father, I know my mistake. I will accept the family code and kneel in the ancestral hall while copying the family rules.”

Seeing this, Old Madam Meng couldn’t help but feel for her little grandson. Her stance became even firmer, issuing the final word: “The family code is waived, kneeling in the ancestral hall is waived. Chengxing, go copy the family rules three times, reflect properly, and do not repeat this. Let this matter end here.”

“Three… three times?”

Only three times copying the family rules?

Meng Dongyuan was stunned. He had intended for the family code first, then kneeling in the ancestral hall, and finally at least fifty times copying the rules. Now only three times? That wouldn’t do.

He hurriedly said, “Mother, this—”

Old Madam Meng shot him a glare, her face dark, cutting him off: “Enough. This matter ends here. Madam Dong has left—do you want to drive your own son away?”

Meng Dongyuan shook his head repeatedly. “Mother, that’s not what I mean.”

Old Madam Meng, her face stern, said displeasedly, “If that’s not what you mean, then go home. Today’s events have given me a headache—I need some peace.”

Meng Dongyuan wanted to say more, but seeing that his mother didn’t even glance at him, he could only leave for now.

As soon as he left, Old Madam Meng’s expression softened. She hurried to her little grandson. “Chengxing, come on, speak to me.”

Meng Chengxing didn’t rise, choking on his words, repentant: “Grandmother, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. When I learned that the child was gone, I regretted it. If I hadn’t done that, this year you would have had another grandson or granddaughter.”

Though Old Madam Meng regretted the lost child, in front of her little grandson, that unborn child mattered little. She comforted him, “This is not your fault. Your father didn’t handle things properly, which made you act rashly.”

She lifted her little grandson, wiped his frightened tears with affection, and continued: “Don’t take your father’s words seriously. The heir isn’t deposed just because he says so, or replaced because he wants. That must be reported to the emperor and only with his permission can it happen. The heir cannot be changed recklessly unless a serious mistake is committed.”

Hearing this, Meng Chengxing felt reassured, but thinking of his elder sister’s words, he still felt uneasy. “But my eldest sister said that what I did this time is enough to strip me of my heir status and that I might be exiled like Gu Xiuming.”

Old Madam Meng replied: “Madam Dong has already separated from your father. This matter ends here. No one will bring it up again, and no further investigation will follow. Just don’t do anything foolish like this again.”

Meng Chengxing obediently nodded.

On one side, the grandmother and grandson shared warmth and love. On the other, Meng Dongyuan returned to the courtyard, not seeing Madam Dong, overwhelmed with grief. For once, his eyes welled with tears, and he covered his face with both hands, letting tears flow through his fingers.

In the carriage, Meng Jinyao leaned against Gu Jingxi, softly asking, “Husband, do you think I meddled too much today?”

Gu Jingxi replied, “You didn’t meddle. Outwardly, you helped Madam Dong, but in reality, you helped yourself and your second brother. Jinyao, your stratagem to sow discord was well executed.”

Meng Jinyao lifted her head, her face stern, a cold smile curling at her lips. “I had been thinking of how to deal with them, but they created this mess themselves. It just forced them to turn on each other.” She paused. “It’s just a pity about that child.”

Gu Jingxi said, “That child wasn’t meant to be part of the Meng family.”

Meng Jinyao sighed softly. She was about to become a mother and didn’t want such things to happen, but it had already occurred. She said, “I didn’t know Madam Dong well, but I understood her character. She’s educated, sensible, clever, gentle, and kind. Even if she gained nothing, purely to help her escape misery, I would have helped her today.”

“She treated my second brother extremely well and also helped me. When I went back to my maternal home, if my grandmother tried to say unpleasant things, she would play dumb to block them. Afterwards, she probably got scolded by my grandmother, yet she did it anyway. Whether or not she expected a favor from me, I’m grateful to her.”

Gu Jingxi said warmly, “She will have a better marriage in the future.”

Meng Jinyao smiled. “I think so too. Such a good woman deserves a better man. Marrying my father… that’s like putting a flower in manure.”

She thought of her father’s sad expression and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, a bit maliciously. “But my father will probably never get over it. The moment Madam Dong divorced him was when he loved her the most. The more he thinks of her, the more he will resent my grandmother and my third brother.”