SGEIRS -Chapter 590 Deliberately Ruining Him

On this side, Madam Zhao instructed the kitchen to prepare tonight’s family banquet, then went to Old Madam Meng’s courtyard to deliver some good news.

While feeding medicine to Old Madam Meng, she said, “Mother, the results of the autumn imperial examination were announced today. Chengzhang has made the list—he’s even the top scorer.”

Old Madam Meng felt a flicker of joy in her heart and tried to squeeze out a smile. But her body betrayed her; with her face twisted and eyes crooked, she couldn’t even manage a simple smile.

In the next moment, she suddenly remembered that her second grandson and eldest granddaughter were on the same side. No matter how successful they became, it wouldn’t benefit her little grandson; on the contrary, it would suppress him. That fleeting joy was instantly washed away.

Thinking of this, a wave of resentment surged in her heart. She hated her son for being so unfilial—not only did he make her ill with anger, but he had also stripped her little grandson of his position as heir, locking him away. They, grandmother and grandson, still hadn’t been able to see each other.

Madam Zhao noticed her mother-in-law’s expression but pretended not to. Her mission was simply to have the maids and servants take good care of Old Madam Meng and to have the doctor prescribe good medicine to prolong her life. She couldn’t let her stepson’s mourning interfere with important matters—everything else was none of her concern.

Old Madam Meng, furious, refused to take her medicine and outright defied Madam Zhao.

Madam Zhao dared not let her act so willfully, and gently coaxed, “Mother, I know you’re afraid of the medicine, but good medicine tastes bitter. You have to get better. Later, you still need to see Chengzhang and Chengxing get married and hold your great-grandchild.”

Chengxing getting married?

A spark of light appeared in Old Madam Meng’s dim and cloudy eyes. She thought: her little grandson will marry in the future. When it comes time for betrothals, her son won’t be able to keep him locked away forever. Once her little grandson is freed, they can meet. Then she can let him know that her stroke wasn’t caused by him, but by his father’s cruelty.

Seeing her begin to cooperate and take her medicine, Madam Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

By evening, Meng Dongyuan and his wife, along with Meng Chengzhang and Qiao Yunying, sat down for the family banquet. With the joyful news of Chengzhang’s success in the imperial examination, the atmosphere was relatively harmonious.

Though they were celebrating with a banquet, Madam Zhao did not forget Meng Chengxing, who was confined to his courtyard. She had someone deliver a sumptuous dinner for him as well. Because she had always treated all Meng children equally, never mistreating any of them, her reputation for virtue and kindness had already spread outside the residence.

Confined, Meng Chengxing could only amuse himself with the maids in his courtyard, living a drunken, indulgent life.

At this moment, he looked pale and listless, his eyes swollen, clearly the result of overindulgence with the maids. His moon-white inner robe hung loosely on his body as he embraced his favorite personal maid intimately. When he saw the dinner set before him, unusually lavish, he asked in confusion, “Why is tonight’s meal so sumptuous?”

The maid replied truthfully, “Third Young Master, the results of the autumn imperial examination were announced today. The heir has topped the list—he is the top scorer of this year’s exam. The household is holding a banquet to celebrate, so tonight’s meal is special.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Chengxing’s expression changed. Instinctively, he shoved the maid away, who was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Seeing his terrible expression, she dared not make a sound, only listening as he asked in disbelief, “What did you say?”

The maid, though intimidated by his terrifying look, repeated her words.

Meng Chengxing’s face darkened with a fearsome gloom. In a short moment, he tilted his head back and laughed wildly, appearing insane. The heir’s position belonged to his second brother, and now his second brother had topped the exam. Their father would surely throw everything behind promoting the second brother, forgetting he even had another son. But why? Why him? He, too, was his father’s legitimate son, yet he was confined in the courtyard, living a life neither human nor ghost.

He truly hated it. He was the legitimate son; all glory should have been his. But his father treated him like this. If it weren’t for the risk of ruining his reputation, his father would have eliminated him long ago—just to avenge that child of Madam Dong, who had never seen the light of day.

His father was truly ruthless. Years of father-son affection meant nothing compared to an unborn child. They say that with a stepmother comes a stepfather, and indeed, it proved true.

He laughed, then cried while laughing, gnashing his teeth, his voice dripping with hatred: “Good, good, good… all is well! Ha ha ha!”

Though he had lost favor and was confined, none of the servants dared neglect him. The maids inside the house were all frightened by his reaction, shrinking back and afraid to incur his wrath.

Was he abandoned by the Meng family? Not really. If any servant neglected him and it reached Madam Zhao, she would surely punish them. That didn’t resemble abandonment.

Yet he had not been fully embraced either—he was confined and had never received a glance from his father.

The head of the household’s attitude toward the Third Young Master was truly ambiguous, but there seemed to be a subtle signal: once the father’s anger subsided, the confinement would end. After all, they were father and son. Could his father stay angry forever? Eventually, he would calm down.

The next morning.

A young servant from Meng Chengxing’s courtyard hurried to find Madam Zhao, reporting that he had fainted.

Upon hearing that her stepson had collapsed from overindulgence with a personal maid, Madam Zhao’s expression darkened. This was a family scandal, but as the stepmother, she could not intervene too directly. She said, “Quickly fetch the household doctor to treat the Third Young Master.” Then she instructed her trusted maid, “Go find the Master and tell him I have an urgent matter to discuss.”

Meng Dongyuan had not yet risen, still embracing his favored concubine. This concubine was newly taken, resembling his late wife Madam Dong in appearance. Regrettably, she lacked Madam Dong’s talent, possessing only her looks—but that was enough for him.

Recently, he stayed in her room every night, imagining that this concubine, bearing a resemblance to Madam Dong, could bear him a child. The child he had had with Madam Dong had been killed by the rebellious Chengxing before birth. If this new concubine could give him a child, it would at least partially resemble Madam Dong, fulfilling a long-held wish.

When a maid’s voice called outside, saying Madam Zhao urgently wished to see him, his interest instantly waned, even feeling some displeasure. He did not want to see her, but the maid urged him, saying it was about the rebellious Chengxing. Reluctantly, he allowed his concubine to help him rise and dress, then went to meet Madam Zhao.

Upon seeing her serious expression, he was momentarily taken aback, then furrowed his brow. “What has he done this time? Such a troublemaker… can’t even behave while confined.”

Madam Zhao explained the situation in full, then added, “Chengxing is still young and doesn’t know moderation. Those maids in his courtyard are restless, constantly enticing him. Why not send them to work in the estate, replacing them with a batch of honest, well-behaved girls?”

She felt this solution was reasonable: send them to work, find him a suitable match to marry, have children, and live a simple, peaceful life—it was better than wasting his youth with Meng Chengxing.

However, Meng Dongyuan disagreed. “Those maids are already attached to him. How could we send them away? This time, they did not serve properly. Just dock their monthly wages as punishment.”

Was he planning to go easy on them?

Madam Zhao slightly frowned. Seeing the cold calculation in his eyes, a chill ran through her heart. He not only intended to ruin his son, he also wanted to ruin his health by letting him indulge in lust. At just over ten years old, the boy was already so undisciplined; his body would soon be drained, his health collapsing.

Even a tiger will not eat its own cub—but he could be so heartless.

Enough. She had said what needed to be said. If the biological father arranged things this way, as a stepmother she would not interfere too much. For a child like Meng Chengxing, even if she tried to correct him wholeheartedly, he would not appreciate it and might even resent her. Why do something thankless? When she visited later, a few words of advice would suffice. Whether he listened or not was no longer her concern.

Meng Dongyuan recalled another matter and said, “Be sure to prepare the ‘Avoiding Child Soup’ for those maids. No mistakes. Otherwise, they may conceive illegitimate children before marriage, tarnishing the family’s reputation and also harming Chengzhang’s name.”

Madam Zhao replied, “There will be no oversight on this.”