ave another cheap sonHowever, this might be a good thing for her. Adopting Gu Xiwen and establishing him as the heir apparent is more beneficial to her than having Gu Xuming inherit the title in the f...Meng Jinyáo suddenly asked, "By the way, Mother, where is Grandmother"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun came to her senses and replied truthfully, "Your grandmother hasn't been feeling well these past two days. She didn't sleep well last night, had breakfast this morning, and then went back to sleep. She probably hasn't woken up yet. You can go pay your respects later."

Meng Jinyu nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, let's go later."

After that, Mrs. Sun had them sit down to talk. Looking at Meng Jiny Yao and Gu Xiuming's motherly and filial relationship, the family of three getting along so harmoniously, she felt something was amiss. She couldn't figure out what kind of magic potion Gu Jingxi and his son had been given. This little vixen really hadn't wasted that face of hers that men found irresistible.

All the women were in the flower hall. As Gu Jingxi and Gu Xiuming were men, they didn't stay for long. After sitting for a while, they went to the front yard.

They left, and a moment of silence fell in the flower hall.

Meng Jiny Yao glanced impassively at the guests present. They were all not as well-off as Yongchang Bo's residence, or about on par with it. These families had once been glorious, otherwise they wouldn't have interacted with the Meng family. And while they could interact with each other, it was out of shared suffering. None dared to belittle one another, and instead, they would flatter each other, maintaining face as if their family situations were still as prosperous as before.

For example, her grandmother's family had been well-off in the past. Otherwise, her grandmother wouldn't have married her grandfather, who was the son of the then Duke Yongchang. However, after her grandmother's father passed away, his descendants were not successful and gradually declined.

Her stepmother's family, the Suns, were also quite well-off while Sun's father was alive. That's why Sun's dowry was decent. Otherwise, how could the Meng family have allowed Sun to use her own dowry to make up for the shortfall in her biological mother's dowry Those spent dowry funds could be filled by about six or seven tenths of Sun's dowry.

However, Sun's dowry pales in comparison to her mother's. Her maternal grandfather only had one child, her mother, and practically all his possessions went into her dowry. It's no wonder they'd have ulterior motives.

Now the Sun family has fallen completely. The elder brother of the Sun family was mediocre and incompetent, and the younger brother with some ability died young due to illness. The nephew of the Sun family is still studying, and his future is uncertain. There is currently no one in the Sun family serving in the government. They are all living off the wealth left by their ancestors. When they go out, they claim to be from a scholarly family just like their equally mediocre father. They spend their time composing poetry and engaging in elegant pursuits with others who have little ability but have read books.

And the only things her father had over others were: firstly, his ancestors had some ability and received a hereditary title; secondly, he was related to the Changxing Marquis's Mansion by marriage, able to bask in the glory of the mansion; as for the third, it naturally was because her father was good at saving face. He was generous when going out and socializing with these wine-and-meat friends, becoming an object of flattery.

Moments later, Meng Jinyao withdrew her gaze and looked at Mrs. Sun. Now much thinner and haggard, she had lost a lot of weight. Even the thick layer of rouge couldn't hide the fatigue on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, and under her eyes were dark circles that even makeup couldn't conceal. She seemed to be forcing herself to appear energetic to entertain the guests. After all, Meng Jinyao knew that Mrs. Sun had encountered a ghost again last night and hadn't slept much.

She subtly twitched the corner of her mouth and asked with concern, "Mother looks much more haggard. Is it related to the incident with the ghost"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Mrs. Sun. They hadn't missed her pale and haggard face, and they could probably guess what was going on. However, since today was someone else's turf, they refrained from asking out loud for fear of being disliked. After all, they were here to see if they could establish connections, not to offend anyone. Unexpectedly, Meng Jinyao asked this question. But considering that Mrs. Sun had withheld Meng Jinyao's mother's dowry, how could Meng Jinyao continue to be dutiful and filial towards her

Sun's face stiffened slightly, she evaded the question and replied lightly: "I didn't sleep well last night. I have already asked the master to solve that matter."

Anyone with eyes could see that she wasn't just tired from one bad night's sleep. This was the result of many sleepless nights. She seemed haunted, like something wasn't resolved. But there hadn't been any news lately.

Meng Jinyao nodded. "That's good, Mother should pay attention to her rest." Her voice trailed off, then she asked curiously, "Mother, are there really ghosts in this world"

Since there are people in this world, it's not surprising that there are ghosts. Sun's voice was faint, as if she didn't want to talk much. Just as she was thinking of changing the subject, Meng Jin Yao didn't give her a chance.

Meng Jin Yao seemed to ponder for a moment, then asked, "Your home is doing well, so why are there ghosts I heard it's in your mother's courtyard. There was a maidservant who died in your mother's courtyard before, could it be that she has returned"

This statement was vague and easily misinterpreted. People might think that Mrs. Sun had done something to the maidservant, so much so that even after her death, the maidservant still clung to Mrs. Sun. Everyone's expressions became subtle.

Meng Jinyu, with her maternal love burning fiercely, didn't wait for Sun Shi to finish before frowning and saying, "Big sister, what do you mean Little Tao died from a high fever. Mother had the doctor see her, but unfortunately, she couldn't break the fever, and she passed away late at night. Mother has nothing to apologize for. How could her ghost come back to seek revenge on her"

Meng Jin Yao was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "That's right. Mother has done nothing wrong. Why would a ghost come to find her That ghost was probably a lonely spirit, passing by our Yongchang Bo Mansion and just happened to be seen by Mother. Fortunately, the master came to perform the ritual and drove the ghost away."

When Sun heard the words “I have done nothing wrong,” her heart pounded uncontrollably. Her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the flower tea in it nearly spilled out. She gripped the cup tightly, took a deep breath, and calmed herself.

After the master's séance, she sealed off the news and forbade the maids in the courtyard from spreading it outside. People didn't know about it, but she could almost see the ghosts of Du shi, the mother of Meng Chengyu and Meng Chengzhang, every night. Before the master's séance, they had only been quiet for a few days, but now they were back to bothering her. It was truly an incessant haunting.

At this time, a lady chimed in: "Madam Meng is the kindest of them all, how could she possibly do anything wrong"

The other ladies chimed in: "That's right, Mrs. Meng is a kind and generous person; she wouldn't do anything wrong. It must just be that she was caught in a misfortune this time.

That's right, they say that people who have seen ghosts will have their yang energy drained, no wonder Madam Meng looks so pale. She really needs a good rest.

……

Everyone chimed in, showering compliments on Zhang with insincere flattery. They didn't even bother to think; their words were empty and thoughtless. Sun listened to them, her face burning with shame. Each word felt like a deliberate jab, designed to humiliate and embarrass her.

She couldn't help but think back to the dowry incident a few months ago, which had caused quite a stir throughout the city. Everyone knew she was responsible for the scandal. Even so, she couldn't refute it or get angry. She could only maintain a composed smile. and looked at Yu Chuan, asking in a faint voice, "What's wrong"Yu Chuan replied, “Master Hou, the young master saw his biological parents today.”Meng Jin Yao was slightly surprised, but quickly felt...