Chapter 254: Her Intentions

ooked around at her surroundings. Gu Jingxi's bedroom was exactly what one would expect from a man's room - simple and unadorned. The sky-blue curtains hung neatly, and the folded brocade quilt was al...Sun was abandoned, and Meng Chengzhang registered her under the name of the deceased Zhou. With these two matters settled, the situation was temporarily resolved.

It's just that Sun Shi was on edge today, and mistakenly identified Meng Jin Yao and Chan Er as Zhou Shi and Du Yi Niang. She was frightened and deeply shaken. Her frail body had managed to hold on until now, which was truly remarkable. Before she even left the hall, she fainted.

As for whether it was just a marriage of convenience, Mrs. Sun still bore him a pair of children. Meng Dongyuan ordered his servants to first send Mrs. Sun back to her own courtyard. He also understood that Mrs. Sun had been traumatized and instructed the maidservant to find a doctor to prescribe some calming medication for her. It could be considered as paying respects to the ten years of marriage they shared.

Meng Jinyu and Meng Chenxing were still nervous about their mother, so they followed to Sun's courtyard.

Madam Meng didn't stop them, after all, although the Sun family had been divorced, she hadn't severed ties with her children. The two children still had to be filial to their mother.

The celebration that was supposed to be a joyful one had turned into such a farce, embarrassing her in front of all the guests. With such an anticlimactic ending and yet another ordeal endured, Old Madam Meng was utterly exhausted. She allowed herself to be led back to her Rongfuting by her maidservant for some much-needed rest.

In winter, Meng Dongyuan went to write a divorce letter. When Mrs. Sun woke up, he would have her take the divorce letter back to the Sun family and better take those two vengeful spirits with her too. Don't let them stay at the Meng family to haunt people.

Thus, only Meng Jinyang, Gu Jingxi, Meng Chengzhang, Qingqiu, and Chan'er remained in the hall.

Meng Chengzhang looked at his elder sister, tears welling up in his eyes and streaming down his face. People say that men should not cry easily, but they only have tears when they are deeply heartbroken.

Seeing this, Meng Jin Yao stood up and moved to sit beside Meng Cheng Zhang. She said softly, "Second brother, don't cry. Our revenge is finally avenged."

Meng Chengzhang looked at his older sister, who was only three years his senior. Although she was a weak woman, she had sheltered him. He choked with emotion and said: "Big sister, these past years have been hard on you. Why didn't you tell me the cause of Mother's death"

“I only learned about my mother's cause of death this year. When I went to Lingyun Temple to burn incense last time, I ran into the maidservant who served by my mother's side. The maidservant told Meng Jiny Yao, and then she briefly told Meng Chengzhang what happened.”

Meng Chengzhang asked again, "Why didn't you tell me about today's plan"

Meng Jinyao replied softly, "Your task is to study hard. Leave these matters to me."

Meng Chengzhang shook his head and said solemnly, "Elder sister, I am not a child anymore. These things are something I should share with you. As a man, how can I hide behind you"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was slightly stunned, then said with a smile, “Second brother has grown up. Well, next time something happens, elder sister will definitely tell you and we won’t shoulder it alone.” Her voice paused, she looked at Gu Jingxi who had sat beside her at some point, and chuckled, “However, this time I’m not shouldering it alone. I have my brother-in-law with me, and he even lent me a capable person to help me get things done twice as fast.”

Meng Chengzhang looked at Gu Jingxi. This brother-in-law was a bit older, but age had its advantages. If his brother-in-law were only a teenager still in school, he probably wouldn't be able to support his elder sister. At thirty years old, with high status, maturity, and stability, he could be her pillar of strength and protect her.

He gratefully said: "Thank you, brother-in-law."

Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow: "Thank me for what Your sister is my wife, I was just doing my duty."

Meng Chengzhang smiled. "No matter what, I still have to thank my brother-in-law. If it weren't for my brother-in-law's protection, my older sister would definitely have suffered a lot these past few months."

Meng Jin Yao also raised a smile, nodding in agreement and said, "Yes, we must thank Cheng Zhang's sister-in-law."

Gu Jingxi met those bright eyes, and smiled indulgently yet helplessly: "You, you're so mischievous."

Meng Jin Yao glared at him.

Meng Chengzhang watched them exchanging glances and smiles in front of him. He immediately understood that they must have feelings for each other, liking each other deeply. His brother-in-law's affection for his elder sister was no longer solely due to responsibility, but also because of love. With this newfound affection, he felt more at ease.

After a while, Meng Jiny Yao suddenly asked, “By the way, second brother, about the matter I registered under mother’s name, I didn't consult with you beforehand. Will you blame me for being presumptuous”

Meng Chengzhang immediately shook his head: "What's there to blame Elder Sister for It's just that I don't understand why Elder Sister is doing this"

Meng Jinyao calmly and clearly explained: "In the future, during festivals and holidays, when you offer incense to my mother, you can also continue to offer incense to Du Shi. But from now on, you are my mother's child, the legitimate son, the eldest son of Yongchang Bo Mansion. As for Chengyu, he is the illegitimate elder son."

“Your father isn't old, so if he remarries, the gap between legitimate and illegitimate children will be significant. As an illegitimate child, your stepmother could easily control you. But remember, since your name is under my mother's, she won't be able to treat you, the rightful heir, like this casually. Also, if Meng Chengxing inherits the title in the future, there will still be a difference between your half-brother and your elder brother. If it's your half-brother, he might be able to suppress you, but if it's your elder brother, he has to respect you as his older brother.”

However, whether Meng Chengxing, the current crown prince, can successfully inherit his title depends on whether he can securely hold onto the position of crown prince until his father's death. If not, then the second brother, Chengzhang, as the eldest legitimate son, would be the first in line to inherit, and the Earl's Mansion would pass to Chengzhang.

Of course, she didn't say this out loud; it was just her premonition.

As for her father, although he did not directly kill her mother, her mother's death was inextricably linked to him. He indirectly caused her mother's death and concealed the cause of her death. However, now is not the time to settle scores with her father. If her father were gone, Meng Chengxing would smoothly inherit the title.

Moreover, if our father were to pass away, and our second younger brother happened to fall within his filial piety period, he wouldn't be able to participate in the imperial examinations. If he had just entered government service, he would also have to observe three years of mourning for his deceased father, which would greatly impact his career path. At the very least, we need to ensure our second younger brother's stability before taking any action.

And there's Meng Chengxing, she doesn't proactively scheme against others, just to see if Meng Chengxing can hold on. But judging by Meng Chengxing's temperament, in a couple of years, it might not be guaranteed that she'll be able to stay stable.

Meng Chengzhang didn't know that his older sister had already thought so far ahead. Hearing his older sister consider him everywhere, he was deeply moved and couldn't help but shed tears again.

Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Just now you said you weren't a child anymore, how come you're crying again"

Meng Chengzhang held back his tears and looked at his elder sister. Thousands of words were condensed into a single sentence: "Big sister, I will study hard and won't disappoint you."

Only he passed the imperial examinations, became an official in the capital, and had a promising future. Only then could he support his elder sister and become her pillar of strength. Although he was not a woman, he also understood how important it was for a married woman to have a reliable family to rely on.

Meng Jin Yao understood his meaning and nodded lightly: "Good."

Meng Chengzhang asked: "Older sister, brother-in-law, are you hungry at this time"

If she hadn't mentioned it, Meng Jinyang wouldn't have felt anything. But after hearing this, she felt a little hungry and replied, "I am a bit hungry."

Meng Chengzhang, upon hearing this, immediately went to prepare lunch for them. He wanted them to have lunch first since there was a banquet later that day. The chef had already been preparing the banquet dishes, and everything was ready to eat.

When it was time for lunch, Meng Chengzhang had Gu Xiuming called over as well. The four of them ate a late lunch together.

After lunch, Meng Jinyáo gave Meng Chengzhang a few more pointers and then left without staying any longer.g at her glistening eyes, and whispered in a voice that was ambiguous to the extreme: "Ayao not only studies law well, but even this she learns well. It seems my teaching level is not bad."Suddenly, M...