SGEIRS -Chapter 559 Each with Their Own Motives

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Madam Zhao couldn’t help but speak again. “A-Yao, help me think of a solution. I really don’t know what to do.”

Instead of answering, Meng Jinyao asked, “Mother, after Grandmother fell ill, what plans does Father have now?”

Madam Zhao replied, “He means that we should continue doing whatever we usually do, as if no one in the household is sick. Even Chengxing doesn’t know about it yet. On the surface, your grandmother is said to be in good health, staying in the Buddhist hall to chant sutras and pray for blessings, with no one allowed to disturb her. But this is just deceiving ourselves—sooner or later the truth will leak out. If anything were to happen to your grandmother…”

Halfway through her sentence, Madam Zhao stopped and did not continue.

“Even Third Brother doesn’t know?” Meng Jinyao was astonished. For the first time, she felt that her father’s handling of matters was actually somewhat competent—he had even managed to keep it from Third Brother. Third Brother had a strained relationship with their father, and his only support now was Grandmother. If something happened to her, Third Brother would definitely be the most anxious person in the entire family.

Madam Zhao glanced at her and gently shook her head. “It’s not that your father hid it well. It’s that Chengxing hasn’t come home these past few days, so he doesn’t know what’s happened in the household.”

Meng Jinyao pressed further. “Why hasn’t he come home? He’s not like Second Brother, who studies far away. He attends an academy in the capital and can come home every day after classes.”

Madam Zhao answered truthfully, “I don’t really know either. Your father knows he hasn’t been home, but he didn’t bother with him, and even told me not to meddle. He said Chengxing isn’t my biological son, so I have no right to interfere. Since your father said that, I certainly wouldn’t decline him. But as far as I know, Chengxing has done this—staying away from home for several days—quite a few times before.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao pondered for a moment and then understood. Her father bore resentment toward Third Brother and intended to completely ruin him, then find an opportunity to memorialize the Emperor to abolish Third Brother’s position as heir and instead install Second Brother.

At this thought, Meng Jinyao’s eyes flickered slightly. She spoke gently, “Mother, Father spreading news that he angered Grandmother into illness would disgrace the Meng family. Grandmother values the family’s reputation above all else. I think it might be better to wait until Grandmother wakes up before making any decisions. For now, let’s do as Father says. Once Grandmother awakens, how Father should be dealt with can be decided according to her wishes. What do you think, Mother?”

Madam Zhao listened, a probing look in her eyes as she studied Meng Jinyao. She didn’t believe Meng Jinyao truly chose not to expose Meng Dongyuan just for the sake of family reputation—there must be another motive. Still, she pretended not to see through it, feigned contemplation, then replied, “Your grandmother does indeed care deeply about the family’s reputation. I think your suggestion is a good one. We’ll wait until she wakes up before deciding anything.”

“The servants who know the truth—Mother, please be sure to keep a close watch on them,” Meng Jinyao added. “If necessary, send them away, so they don’t wag their tongues and invite trouble.” She then asked, “Father angered Grandmother to this extent—what was his attitude after he sobered up?”

Madam Zhao replied, “He told the household physician to use the best medicines to treat your grandmother.” Thinking of the complicated expression her husband had after sobering up—panic mixed with viciousness—when he saw his mother lying unconscious, she could guess that he wanted his mother dead, yet feared that if she truly died, the truth would eventually come to light and he would be convicted of unfilial conduct.

Meng Jinyao froze slightly. Though her father was mediocre and incompetent, he still had some clarity of mind. If Grandmother really died, and one day the matter of him angering his own mother to death could no longer be covered up, he would definitely face dire consequences. The current Emperor was a paragon of filial piety and despised nothing more than unfilial sons. An unfilial son who drove his own mother to death—he likely wouldn’t even be able to keep his noble title.

Madam Zhao voiced her concern. “A-Yao, what I’m worried about now is that your grandmother may never wake up.”

Meng Jinyao pretended to ponder for a moment, then revealed a look of pain and hesitation. “Mother, if—if something truly happens, then we can only follow Father’s wishes. He is still my father. If I, as a daughter, were to report him, that would be unfilial. And you, as his wife, would also be punished with beatings and imprisonment for accusing your husband.”

At these words, Madam Zhao looked at her in surprise. Their father and daughter clearly did not get along, and this was solid evidence to deal with Meng Dongyuan. Even if the Old Madam truly passed away, Meng Jinyao still intended to pretend ignorance and cover for him—what exactly was she plotting?

Meng Jinyao lowered her eyes, her thoughts churning endlessly. It wasn’t that she was truly so filial to her father that she would act against her conscience for his sake. Rather, she wanted to preserve the noble title that the family’s forebears had fought for with their lives. She couldn’t allow one rotten apple to ruin the foundation they had built.

Moreover, in her eyes, Grandmother deserved to die anyway. A person who should die—once dead, so be it. Asking her to seek justice for someone who deserved death was impossible. With Grandmother gone, Third Brother would lose his only support, making it easier for Father to petition the Emperor to change the heir. She could also use this matter to hold leverage over her father. For her, it was a good thing.

Meng Jinyao added pointedly, “Mother, although Father and you don’t get along, after what happened to Grandmother, I think he should realize his mistake and understand the seriousness of discord between husband and wife. In the future, he probably won’t dare treat you like this again.”

Madam Zhao understood the implication immediately. She knew that Meng Jinyao was agreeing to protect her and not allow her father to oppress her. She looked at Meng Jinyao gratefully.

She wasn’t loved by her husband. No matter how fierce or strong-willed she was, it was only because her mother-in-law had supported her that she could live comfortably in the Meng household and make her husband suffer at her hands.

If her mother-in-law were gone, she and her daughter—just a widow and child—would have no backing in the Meng family. Life would truly be difficult. Although she could leak the truth through informed servants and ensure her husband met a bad end, leaving him unable to deal with her, she didn’t want to resort to that unless absolutely necessary.

It wasn’t that she had feelings for her husband and couldn’t bear to part with him—it was for the sake of her daughter, who was about to come of age. If she exposed everything and divorced Meng Dongyuan, she could certainly free herself.

But without the status of a marquis’s wife, and with her natal family being of humble means, she would have no way to find a good marriage for her daughter. It was even possible that her own family would treat her daughter as a tool for profit, arranging a marriage simply to gain benefits.

Now, she was the marquis’s wife. Her stepdaughter was the Marchioness of Changxing, her stepson Chengzhang studied diligently and was talented, and with the Marquis of Changxing’s support, he would surely have a promising future. As long as she maintained good relations with these two children, others would show her some respect for their sake, making it much easier for her daughter to marry well.

As a mother, she couldn’t think only of her own comfort—she had to plan for her daughter’s future. If her stepdaughter could be her pillar of support, then she would follow her stepdaughter’s wishes. That way, life for her and her daughter wouldn’t be too hard.

Thus, the two women—each harboring their own motives—reached a consensus. Whether or not Old Madam Meng could awaken, they would pretend to know nothing of the truth and follow Meng Dongyuan’s lead in concealing it. If Old Madam Meng were to pass away just like that, they would announce to the outside world that she had died suddenly from a severe illness.