Chapter 170: The Secret Exposed

Meng Dongyuan's smile faltered, and he instinctively threw the blame onto Mrs. Sun, demanding, "Madam, wasn't I told to have someone waiting at the gate Why is the door locked"Mrs. Sun choked back her...The next morning.

Meng Jinyáo had finished her breakfast and was preparing to set off with Qingqiu and Ningdong for Lingyun Temple.

Although there was a coachman, Gu Jingxi didn't feel reassured. With only three young ladies and one coachman, what could the coachman do if anything happened He ordered ten servants skilled in martial arts to follow them.

Meng Jin Yao looked at the ten strong servants, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Besides her wedding day, she had never experienced such a large entourage. Having so many people following her felt a little strange. She softly said, "Husband, is this really necessary"

Gu Jingxi glanced at her lightly, and without asking, he knew what she was thinking. He said in a soft voice: "Which wife goes out without maidservants, servants, or guards following They all know how to fight. In case of something, they can protect you."

Meng Jin Yao was stunned: "I've been to Lingyun Temple before, could there be anything"

Gu Jingxi said, unwilling to be refused: "Madam, take them all. Aren't we staying at Lingyun Temple for a day or two If something happens, just tell them to do it. If nothing happens, just pretend they don't exist."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao no longer refused and set off with ten servants.

Lingyun Temple is very efficacious, and the incense in the temple burns brightly.

When Meng Jin Yao arrived at Lingyun Temple, it was the busiest time for incense visitors. Not wanting to squeeze with others to offer incense, she asked Qing Qiu to find a monk in charge of guest rooms and got a guest room to rest for a while.

At noon, Meng Jiny Yao and her servants had their meal in the guest room. After resting for a while, they prepared to go incense offering. However, the summer weather was as fickle as a child's face; it suddenly poured rain, so they had to wait until it stopped before going to offer incense.

The afternoon after the rain was even hotter than before it rained.

Meng Jinyao, along with her servants, went to the main hall to offer incense and donate incense money. Then they proceeded to the Hall of Rebirth.

The Temple of the Passing is a place where tablets with names of deceased people are enshrined. These tablets, called "Lotus Seats of Rebirth," are kept in temples and are meant to seek blessings from Buddha for the departed souls to find a good afterlife.

The tablet bearing the name of Meng Jinyao's biological mother, Zhou shi, is enshrined in the Hall of Passing at Lingyun Temple. This was decided by Meng Jinyao's maternal grandfather, Zhou Lao Ye, who hoped that his deceased daughter would be blessed by Buddha and find a good afterlife. The Meng family agreed to this arrangement.

For this reason, Meng Jinyao found it much easier to worship her biological mother and did not need to enter the Meng family ancestral hall.

It had been a year since she last came to offer incense. She originally planned to come before her wedding to inform her mother of her impending marriage, but she fell ill with a cold before the wedding and was bedridden for a long time. Just when she was recovering, it was time for her wedding.

To her surprise, even after getting married, she encountered more troubles. This went on for a long time, and now she has finally come to Lingyun Temple to burn incense for her mother.

The monk led the master and servant out of the Hall of Passing and left. The Hall of Passing was unattended; after all, people came to burn incense and sometimes spoke a few words to the departed. It wouldn't be convenient for anyone to speak if there were monks guarding it.

The gate of the ancestral hall was slightly ajar. Meng Jinyao was just about to push it open when she suddenly heard a woman's voice coming from inside. She stopped her action of opening the door and didn't go in to disturb them. It was probably someone offering incense to their ancestors inside, after all, the hall housed more than just her mother's tablet.

Meng Jin Yao softly said, “Let’s wait a while.”

Qing Qiu and Ning Dong nodded lightly.

Meng Jinyao was just about to leave when she suddenly heard a voice filled with remorse but also relief from inside: "My lady, rest in peace. Although our eldest daughter couldn't marry the young master of Changxing Hou, Changxing Hou has treated her very well."

Upon hearing this, she immediately stopped in her tracks, motioning for Qingqiu and Ningdong to be silent as she listened intently.

There's only one Changxing Marquis in our dynasty, and that's her husband. And the eldest daughter that woman mentioned must be her. Who else could possibly light incense for her mother

The only one who could call her mother "madam" would be a servant. Could it be the people who attended to her mother back then

The next moment, she heard a voice coming from inside. It was much quieter than before. She pressed her ear to the crack in the door and could barely make out the words. The person inside was sobbing and said, "Madam, about what happened back then, I had no choice. Now, I'm nearing my end. Before long, I'll be going down there myself and will personally apologize to you." The woman finished speaking and burst into tears silently. She didn't say anything else.

Things from that year

What happened that year

Meng Jin Yao's mind buzzed with the woman's words, a thousand thoughts flashing through her mind. The most likely possibility was her mother's death, but wasn't her mother dead from childbirth

Could there be some other secrets

Thinking of this, Meng Jinyao's heart tightened. She suddenly reached out and pushed open the door, her gaze fixed on the middle-aged woman kneeling on the cushion, wearing a dress washed white, thin and hunched over. She tried her best to steady her voice and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you"

When the middle-aged woman heard the sound, she seemed to be startled. Her body stiffened. At this moment, she was facing away from them, and her expression was unclear. However, judging by her frantic gestures wiping away tears, it was clear that she was in a state of distress.

She was very panicked.

Nervousness proves that one is guilty.

Meng Jinyao asked again, "Who are you"

The middle-aged woman steadied herself, stood up, and slowly turned to look.

It wasn't bad at first glance, but the moment he saw Meng Jinyao standing with her back to him, that slightly blurred face, which was quite similar to his memory, his originally pale face instantly turned ashen, his figure became unstable and he collapsed to the ground. He stared at Meng Jinyao, his pupils constricted, and stammered out a word: "Wife"

Meng Jinyao frowned. She was sure that the woman in front of her was calling her mother, but she looked seven points like her mother, so she had mistaken her when her heart was unsettled.

She narrowed her eyes, appraising the woman before her. The woman's eye sockets were sunken, and she was thin to the point of emaciation. Her demeanor spoke of poor health, appearing as though she were at death's door. It was impossible to tell her true age.

Seizing the opportunity as he seemed a bit dazed, she calmly replied, "Yes, it's me. But what happened to you"

She spoke, her face contorting, eyes blazing, a cold stare fixed upon the woman. Her expression was terrifyingly fierce, like a vengeful ghost come to collect a soul, and she roared, "You want me to apologize What can you possibly offer in atonement I treated you kindly, yet you betray me"

The middle-aged woman, seeing this scene, was completely lost in thought. She quickly climbed to her feet and knelt down, stammering anxiously and helplessly: "Madam, I was forced! They threatened my family's lives, I had no choice!"

"Who is it" Meng Jin Yao took a step forward, walking towards her slowly, and asked as she walked, "Who's blackmailing you"

She was advancing, the middle-aged woman instinctively moved her knees backward in panic. But seeing her getting closer, she was so terrified that she lost her wits and couldn't even speak coherently: "I-it's... it's the Young Master! No, it's not, it's Uncle Master! Yes, it's Uncle Master!" The woman kowtowed, "Spare my life, Madam, please spare my family. It was my fault, you can punish me instead. My family is innocent."it would even affect her marriage.Now that she heard her father's own admission, the dowry list was fake, she let out a breath of relief and looked at her mother, who had a face full of grievance. An...