SGEIRS -Chapter 576 She Must Not Die

After Meng Chengxing caused such a scene, Meng Dongyuan felt nothing but humiliation. If only his eldest daughter had been present, it might have been tolerable—but now his stepdaughter Qiao Yunying and his son-in-law Gu Jingxi were both here. These two outsiders with different surnames were surely mocking him in their hearts for his failure to raise his son properly.

He silently took a deep breath and tried to save face. “Good son-in-law, I’ve really made a spectacle of myself today. Chengxing was spoiled by his biological mother and led astray. His temperament hasn’t been corrected yet.”

Madam Zhao looked at her husband with undisguised disdain and couldn’t help rolling her eyes. She hated men who shirked responsibility the moment something went wrong. If a child wasn’t raised well, how could that be the mother’s fault alone? The father bore half the responsibility too.

Meng Jinyao glanced at Meng Dongyuan and said coolly, “Father, the sages say: If a child is not taught, the fault lies with the father. Third Brother turning out like this has much to do with you as well.”

Meng Dongyuan was choked by her words. Anger surged in his heart, yet he dared not lash out. He forced a stiff smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “What A-Yao says is right. It’s also my fault for being too busy in the past and neglecting to discipline your third brother.”

Meng Jinyao replied evenly, “If you start teaching him properly now, it should still be possible.”

“???”

Meng Dongyuan froze for a moment, unable to tell what she meant. Was she telling him to properly educate that unfilial son—or properly torment him? Given that the eldest daughter and the youngest son had never gotten along, he assumed it was the latter and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Yet heaven could bear witness—Meng Jinyao had meant nothing beyond the literal meaning of her words. She hadn’t expected her father to overinterpret them.

With nothing more to say, Meng Jinyao didn’t bother wasting words on him. Remembering she still had another matter to attend to today, she said, “Father, I’d like to go see Grandmother.”

Meng Dongyuan nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

Meng Jinyao gently shook her head. “Father, Mother, Third Sister, and I will go together. You should stay and chat with my husband.”

In truth, Meng Dongyuan was reluctant. In the past, he would have tried every means to ingratiate himself with his son-in-law, hoping for some help in officialdom. But ever since the incident where he angered his mother into illness and pinned the blame on Chengxing—an incident the son-in-law also knew the truth of—he had lost all face, inside and out. He no longer had the courage to be alone with Gu Jingxi. Still, since his eldest daughter had spoken, he didn’t dare press the issue and could only agree. What karma—clearly he was the elder, yet whenever he faced his eldest daughter and son-in-law, he always seemed a head shorter.

Qiao Yunying followed obediently by Madam Zhao’s side, listening as her mother and Eldest Sister spoke. She didn’t interrupt, only casting admiring glances at Meng Jinyao.

To be honest, although her stepfather couldn’t bully her mother, she was still somewhat afraid of him. That probably came from living under someone else’s roof—after all, she wasn’t his biological child, merely a tagalong who came with her mother, lacking confidence.

Seeing her stepfather today, meek as a quail before Eldest Sister, truly broadened her horizons. No wonder her mother always said that even after marriage, this Eldest Sister remained the unquestioned authority in the Meng household. Clinging to Eldest Sister’s coattails meant never having to worry about living badly.

Meng Jinyao noticed a gaze landing on her again and again. Turning her head, she smiled and asked, “Does Third Sister have something she wants to say to me?”

Qiao Yunying quickly withdrew her gaze, like a child caught doing something wrong. Her face flushed red as she answered softly, “Eldest Sister is even more impressive than I imagined.”

Meng Jinyao paused, then quickly understood. Seeing how shy she was, Meng Jinyao couldn’t help marveling—fiery and sharp-tongued as Madam Zhao was, she had somehow raised a daughter so obedient and bashful.

She smiled and said, “Mother is impressive too. Third Sister should learn more from her. If you learn well, it will benefit you greatly.”

Qiao Yunying glanced at her mother, thoughtful, then nodded solemnly.

What Meng Jinyao didn’t know was that Qiao Yunying truly took these words to heart and really did learn from her mother. Later on, the man who married Qiao Yunying had agreed to the match because she looked docile and weak, easy to control. Who would have guessed that after marrying her, he found himself with a fierce tigress? The contrast was extreme—she even dared to grab a cane and chase her husband around with it. A girl who looked like soft dough ended up pinning her husband down completely.

Rongfu Hall

At this moment, Old Madam Meng was asleep. She slept so deeply that even visitors didn’t wake her. Her complexion looked decent, and aside from the smell of medicine, there were no unpleasant odors in the room, making it clear she was being carefully looked after.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao knew it must be her stepmother Madam Zhao who had instructed the servants to tend to her diligently. As for her father—there was no way he would personally care for Grandmother properly. She said gently, “Grandmother’s color looks quite good. These past days must have been hard on you, Mother.”

“It’s not hard,” Madam Zhao replied. “Caring for elders is what I should do. A-Yao, rest assured—Mother will live to be a hundred.”

Madam Zhao glanced at her mother-in-law on the bed. Whether she was truly filial or not aside, she was very clear-headed about the situation. Chengzhang was sitting the autumn examinations this year. If he passed, he would take the spring examinations next year. If he placed well then, it would be time to arrange his marriage. During this period, her mother-in-law could not die. If she died, Chengzhang would have to observe mourning—no examinations, no marriage. If the old madam weren’t cared for properly and died too soon, holding Chengzhang back, A-Yao would definitely not let her off.

Meng Jinyao looked at Madam Zhao, meeting her gaze. Between clever people, a single look was enough to understand. She sighed inwardly—what a good woman. It was a pity she had married her father. Her father truly had good fortune: four wives in total, and aside from Madam Sun, the other three had all been good women.

Meng Jinyao said, “Mother, since Grandmother hasn’t woken yet, let’s not disturb her rest. We’ll go to the outer room to talk.”

Madam Zhao agreed and went out with her. Remembering something she needed to say, she sent her daughter away first. “Yunying, go to the kitchen and see how the family banquet preparations are coming along.”

Qiao Yunying answered and left.

Meng Jinyao asked, “Mother, is there something you wanted to tell me?”

Madam Zhao nodded lightly. “A-Yao, Chengxing sent a letter to A-Yu, hoping she’d send someone to take him away. But the letter was never sent—the servant helping him post it handed it straight to your father.”

Meng Jinyao was only mildly surprised, not shocked. The only person Third Brother could rely on now was his second sister, married far away in Yangzhou. They were full siblings, after all. But she knew that second sister too well—even if she received the letter, she might not lend a hand. Without the title of heir and with his reputation in ruins, Third Brother was useless to her—and a burden besides.

After a moment, she asked, “How did Father react?”

Madam Zhao answered honestly, “He tightened the watch on him even more. All the servants in his courtyard are your father’s eyes and ears—none are loyal to him. Without your father’s permission, he can’t leave the courtyard. Trapped like that, his behavior has grown even more unrestrained. Any maid in his courtyard who isn’t ugly has been taken into his room.”

Meng Jinyao was startled. “He already had a concubine maid. Letting that one fool around with him was one thing—smashing the jar once it’s broken—but now he’s like this, and even the maids who haven’t yet been formally assigned are willing?”

Madam Zhao looked helpless. As a stepmother, she dared not earn the reputation of abusing a stepson. She explained, “I haven’t reduced his food, clothing, or daily allowances—everything is as before. If any servant showed him disrespect, I dealt with them. Perhaps because of this, those maids thought he hadn’t been abandoned yet. They were willing to consort with Chengxing of their own accord.”

Meng Jinyao understood. Madam Zhao had only fulfilled her duties as the household matron, but maids with ambitions had read too much into it. Still, no one else could really be blamed—if they hadn’t harbored crooked thoughts, how could Third Brother have succeeded at all?