e man walking towards her with his tall and straight figure, taking steady steps.Although there were no spectators present, her heart was far from calm. She forced a nonchalant expression and walked f...Afterward, Gu Jingxi went to his study, leaving only Meng Jin Yao and Chan'er, the maid, in the room.

Chan'er touched her own face and asked curiously, "Madam, do I really look like Du Yiniang Why did Madam Meng call me Du Yiniang in broad daylight today"

Meng Jin Yao looked carefully at Chan'er's face and replied truthfully: "The temperament is similar, both have oval faces and willow eyebrows. At first glance, they are somewhat alike. Coupled with makeup to modify the facial features, they look about six or seven points alike. And since her mind wasn't clear, she made a mistake. But as long as someone is clear-headed, they wouldn't mistake you for Du Yiniang.

Chán'er nodded in understanding and continued, “No wonder she is always terrified by me. She kneels and bows her head in apology every time. Sometimes, even when I just show my back, she becomes suspicious, thinking that I am your mother’s soul. She curls up in the corner of the bed and cries, repenting for her sins and begging for forgiveness.”

Meng Jiny Yao smiled sarcastically: "She's guilty. If she hadn't done anything wrong, even if she really saw the ghosts of familiar people, she wouldn't be so scared." She asked Chan'er again, "Chan'er, are you really going to do the chores of sweeping the yard and carrying water"

Chan'er replied, "I find this quite easy, much easier than the tasks Master had given me before."

Meng Jinyao fell silent for a moment, then continued, “There’s an even easier way.”

“Madam, please spare me! I’m just a rough servant and can’t do delicate work. It makes me feel uncomfortable. This time, scaring people was just for fun, that’s how I managed to finish it. If you have anything else you need me to do, just tell me. And if you need me to accompany you out, I’ll tidy myself up and follow right behind you. I promise to look like a proper young lady, but I can only keep up this act for a short time. I can't pretend to be someone else long-term.”

Seeing her resolute attitude, Meng Jin Yao did not press her, nodding and saying: “Then alright.

Chán'er lowered her eyes to look at her attire. Today, she was following Madam out, disguised as a first-class maid by the side of the Houfu’s mistress. Her clothes were even more splendid than those worn by daughters of minor officials. This outfit looked beautiful, but it was inconvenient for doing things. She said, “Madam, may I change into a more convenient set of clothes"

Meng Jinyáo nodded, then suddenly remembered something else and instructed directly: "Chan'er, change your clothes and keep an eye on every move of the Sun family."

Chán'er respectfully replied, "Yes, madam."

Just as I was about to dismiss Chan'er, Meng Jinyao remembered something and asked, “By the way, Chan’er, has everything been settled with Grandma Qiao”

Ch'an-er replied, "Rest assured, madam, those spices have all been destroyed. The servant girl quietly went through Qiao Ma-ma's room, she didn't leave any behind. As for Sun shi's room, a different kind of scent was used today."

Meng Jin Yao, having heard this, felt reassured.

This is the end of the paragraph.

Yongchang Bo Mansion.

Today's events not only tarnished the reputation of Yongchangbo Mansion, but also dealt a heavy blow to Meng Jinyu and Meng Chengxing, siblings. The blow they suffered was second only to their mother, Sun Shi.

Although the Meng family had fallen from grace, they still held a noble title. The siblings, one a countess and the other a count, felt superior to those families who had also declined but lacked any aristocratic status.

Now things are even worse, mother has become the murderer of her husband's first wife and his illegitimate son. Who knows how those people outside will ridicule their siblings!

Worse still, their mother was abandoned by her husband. The household had no one to manage it, and their grandmother was elderly. Their father was only thirty-five years old, and there was a high chance he would bring home a stepmother to take care of the household chores.

In the late afternoon, Mrs. Sun slowly woke up. Seeing her two children standing by her bedside, she felt a warmth in her heart. Even though her husband was gone, at least she had these filial children.

Meng Jinyu saw that she had opened her eyes and said happily, "Mother, you're awake"

Sun nodded: “Ayu, Chengxing”

Meng Jin Yu thought of her pitiful state without her mother's support, and she couldn't help but cry, choking back tears: "Mother, father said that if you wake up, you will go back to your maternal grandparents' house. You went back to your maternal grandparents' house, what about us"

Sun Shi looked at her two children and gently soothed, "Silly children, why are you panicking A-Yu, you're still the second young lady of Earl's Mansion. Cheng Xin, you are the crown prince who will inherit the title in the future. If you miss your mother later, just go to your maternal grandparents' house to visit her. It would be worse if I stayed in the Meng family. Your father would send me to the countryside and I wouldn't be able to return home. But back at your maternal grandparents' house, there are your uncles and aunts taking care of you."

Meng Jinyu still had another worry: "But, but what if Father remarries What should we do then My second and third brothers are only thirteen and twelve years old respectively. They haven't reached the age to marry. Grandmother is getting older, and without wives to manage the household affairs and handle relationships with other families, there would be no one to do so. We would need a wife to maintain those connections."

At those words, Sun's heart tightened. Lately, she hadn't been at peace, preoccupied by the whole affair with that filthy thing. Her mind wasn't as sharp as usual, and she hadn't considered this. Meng Dongyuan was only thirty-five; it was natural for him to remarry. Other men in their forties who lost their wives would also take a new wife.

She'd been a stepmother before, how could a stepmother possibly like her husband's former wife's children What if her own children had a stepmother and were mistreated by her Especially Ah-Yu, she was at the age to be betrothed and was tricked into a marriage by her stepmother, what could be done about that

Cheng Xing is doing alright; he's already been named the crown prince. As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes, his stepmother won't be able to do anything about him. Cheng Xing will still be the crown prince. But there are so many people in the inner household, and if he encounters someone who is particularly cunning, it's possible for them to harm Cheng Xing's life, just like she did to Cheng Yu back then.

Sun's thoughts raced, wondering if there was any way to stop Meng Dong from marrying again.

At that moment, Meng Dongyuan's voice suddenly came from outside. The three of them immediately fell silent, afraid that anything they said would be heard.

In a short while, Meng Dongyuan came in from outside. Seeing that Mrs. Sun was already awake, he didn't waste any words with her. He threw the divorce papers to her and said coldly, "Mrs. Sun, since you are awake, take the divorce papers and go back to your Sun family. You can't take anything that belongs to the Meng family, not even a single thing. All the jewelry you use belongs to the Meng family."

Sun saw him so cold and ruthless, not caring at all about their marital bond. She suddenly sat up from the bed, grabbed a pillow, and threw it at him, angrily demanding: "Meng Dongyuan, what about my dowry You and your dead mother swindled my dowry, you have to pay me back!"

Meng Dongyuan was furious: “Who allowed you to touch Zhou’s dowry Since you used Zhou’s dowry, you should use your own dowry to make up for the hole.”

Sun was furious and, ignoring the presence of her two children, immediately confronted him: "Why would I touch Zhou's dowry Don't you know Your family is destitute, broke even, yet you insist on pretending to be wealthy. You live a miserable life because of your pride. If it weren't for Zhou's dowry, do you think your family could even maintain appearances"

She saw Meng Dongyuan's face getting uglier and uglier, so she spoke even more passionately: "I touched the dowry, wasn't it because you guys secretly agreed to it If you didn't allow it, would I dare Would I dare All that money was spent on your Meng family, and now you blame me The benefits belong to your Meng family, but the blame falls on me. When things came to light, you and your senile mother pushed me, a woman, out to take the blame. Do you and your old mother even have any shame"d silent for a moment, then asked, "Mother, I've been busy these past few days and haven't paid attention to the affairs of the house. Has something happened"Lady Gu told her son about what happened t...