Chapter 42: The Visitor Is Not Well-Intentioned

uickly suppressed for the time being.After the twenty-five lashes were complete, the executioner withdrew his hand. Gu Xiuming, who was sprawled on the wooden plank, had long since lost consciousness....The next day.

After breakfast, Meng Jinyo took out the dowry list for her mother that her grandfather had given her and compared it to the dowry list that the Sun family had given her.

She wanted to see how brave Mrs. Sun was. Apart from the dowry given to her by Yongchang Bo's mansion, she wondered how much more Mrs. Sun had added to it from her mother’s belongings and how much she had secretly pocketed for herself.

After comparing the two dowry lists, Meng Jinyao's face darkened. She let out a sneer: “You're really bold, swallowing so much without fear of bursting.”

Qing Qiu and Ning Dong, hearing this, both came over and asked, "Madam, what's wrong"

Have a look.

Since they were all trusted maidservants, Meng Jin Yao didn't guard against them and directly let them see these two dowry lists.

After reading this, both maids were indignant. Although the Yongchangbo mansion had fallen from grace, their eldest daughter getting married didn't mean she deserved such a meager dowry.

The items that Lord Yongchang prepared for his mistresses were mostly things that could be packed into boxes to fill space and appear impressive, but were actually useless. These things were not good to keep, so they could only be sold to raise some silver.

Besides, the silver mentioned in the dowry only amounts to eight hundred taels. This is from Zhonggong and belongs to the young master of Yongchangbo's Mansion. It's truly pitiful. Yesterday, the Marquis gave his wife three thousand taels as pocket money, so these eight hundred taels are hardly enough even for a beggar

While the mistress's belongings, such as valuable jewelry, antiques, and paintings, were largely omitted from the inventory list, they were replaced with items of lesser value. Riches like gold-plated shops were swapped for struggling ones in unfavorable locations. Prime farmland was replaced with inferior plots – a straightforward case of substituting a cat for a prince.

In this way, as Mrs. Sun had said, the harvest from the ancestral estate and shops left by the previous mistress was poor, so she advised the master to be frugal and not extravagant. All the earnings should be saved for the master's dowry.

Now, comparing this dowry list to what Mrs. Sun said, isn't it clear that her "poor harvest" refers to the fact that a property in a bad location, like a shop or farm, couldn't possibly have a good harvest

Ning Dong was so angry that she gritted her teeth: “Madam, the Sun family is going too far!”

Meng Jin Yao half-closed her eyes, her gaze deep as she looked at the two dowry lists. She chuckled lightly: "I had already expected that she would fill her private purse, but I didn't expect her to swallow so much. But, she dares to do this, isn't it because my good father and good grandmother intentionally or unintentionally encouraged her"

Hearing this, Ning Dong and Qing Qiu looked at their master with pity. Besides the second young master, everyone in Yongchang Bo's mansion was in cahoots. After the old master passed away, no one protected their master. If it weren't for the engagement with Changxing Hou's mansion, their master would still be of use. Otherwise, life would be harder than that of a servant girl in the house.

Meng Jin Yao took a deep breath and said to Ning Dong, "Ning Dong, you tell them to prepare the carriage. I'm going to Yongchang Bo's mansion today."

The Estate of Yongchang Marquis.

When the doorman saw the young lady return, he dared not stop her at the door this time, nor did he need to report to the master and madam first. With permission from both masters, he would then let the young lady in. Instead, the moment he saw the young lady, he immediately enthusiastically welcomed her into the mansion.

Grandfather had ordered a few days ago that if the eldest daughter returned to her natal home, they were not to stop her at the door. If anyone dared to slight the eldest daughter, they would be severely punished.

As soon as Meng Jinyao entered the manor, she saw the steward. Before she could speak, the steward greeted her with a respectful tone: "Miss, you're back"

She nodded slightly and asked, "Are my father and mother at home"

The steward replied respectfully, "Miss, you're back just in time. Master and Madam are both at home today, as well as the young master, Second Master, and Second Miss."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jin Yao nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. I thought I was going to run a wasted trip today."

The steward was taken aback and gave her a piercing look. She had a smile on her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. Perhaps he was overthinking it, but the young lady seemed to have ill intentions today.

Not long after, Meng Jinyang was summoned to the living room. A maid promptly served her tea, and fresh fruits and snacks were brought over for her to enjoy while she waited. Another maid went to notify the other masters and mistresses of the household.

This is considered the treatment of a distinguished guest, compared to the day I returned after three visits, it's simply worlds apart.

Ning Dong and Qing Qiu watched all of this, their faces calm, but disdain for the actions of Yongchang Bo's residence filled their hearts. Lord Yongchang had seen how the Marquis accompanied his mistress back to her family home on the day of the three dynasties return, realizing that she was favored by the Marquis and thus held renewed value. He wanted to secure his relationship with his mistress, but alas, their desires were destined to fall short.

Over there, Meng Dongyuan and Mrs. Sun were both taken aback when they learned that Meng Jinyao had returned. Just a few days ago, she had returned home for the three visits to her parents' house, so why was she suddenly back today Moreover, she hadn't even sent anyone to notify them in advance.

Sun shi seemed pensive, her face troubled as she asked her husband, "Husband, do you think that girl Ayao did something wrong at her in-laws' house That's why she's so flustered and ran back to us, seeking our help"

Meng Dongyuan immediately frowned and said with displeasure, "That disobedient daughter never listened to discipline even when she was in the boudoir. Now that she is married, she still causes trouble. If she did something to anger Hou Ye Changxing, and is abandoned by him, then let her shave her head and become a nun! Our Yongchang Bo mansion certainly doesn't welcome such a disgraceful daughter."

Sun's eyes flickered, and she spoke softly: "My husband, perhaps we overthought things. In fact, Ayao is sometimes quite well-behaved. Today, she might be feeling homesick after getting married, missing her family. Why don't we invite a few of the children to visit their older sister together It would be nice for them all to get together."

“As expected of someone born under a bad omen, she’s always getting into trouble,” Meng Dongyuan said, glaring at his wife with displeasure. “Doting mothers spoil their children; you just know how to indulge her and not discipline her properly. That's why she’s like this. Well, she’s already married, so we can’t control her anymore. If she gets into any trouble, let her sort it out herself. I might as well pretend I never raised such a wretch.”

Mrs. Sun smiled, then instructed a maid to notify some younger relatives.

Not long after, the three siblings Meng Jinyu, Meng Chengzhang, and Meng Chengxing arrived with their parents to greet their elder sister in the living room.

When the family of five entered the living room, they saw Meng Jin Yao leisurely sipping tea. She didn't look like someone who had caused trouble at her in-laws' home and needed to return to her parents' house for help covering it up.

Meng Dongyuan and Sun Shi secretly let out a breath of relief, glanced at each other, and immediately broke into kind smiles.

Mrs. Sun smiled brightly and asked, "Aiyao, why didn't you send someone to let me know when you came back That way I could have prepared some of your favorite dishes."

Meng Jin Yao looked up at her, her eyes calm and indifferent. She said, "It doesn't matter if you didn't prepare anything, Mother wouldn't know what I like to eat anyway."

Sun was choked by this statement, her smile faltered, and she awkwardly looked at her husband.

Meng Dongyuan scolded in a low voice, "You rascal, how dare you speak to your mother like that You siblings have different tastes, it's normal for your mother to forget occasionally."

Meng Jiny Yao didn't seem annoyed. She remained composed, with a smile still on her face, and slowly replied: "That's true, Mother has always been forgetful. Just like this time, she forgot to return some things to me. I didn't want Mother to make a trip, so I came myself."

She said, and from her sleeve she pulled out a document and handed it to Mrs. Sun. It was a copy of the dowry list from her birth mother that she had painstakingly transcribed. To prevent them from destroying evidence, she prepared a copy beforehand so that Mrs. Sun could have a good memory refresh.ht from the palace: "Carry out corporal punishment on Master Gu San and Mrs. Li!"As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuchs stepped forward and dragged Gu Xiuming and Li Wan'er, who were still kneel...