Ch 33: Taking A Stroll
Madam Meng had just returned to the courtyard and taken a sip of hot tea when the noise from outside unexpectedly burst into her ears.
“Get out of the way, what’s wrong with me entering the courtyard where my elder sister used to live? How dare you stop me.”
A familiar voice reached her ears, exploding in her head like firecrackers, causing a splitting headache.
The anger she had suffered outside had not yet dissipated, and now it was intertwined with more anger, almost suffocating her.
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, placed the cup on the table, lifted her skirt and went out, only to see a scene that almost made her faint with anger.
Xiao Wuyou swaggered into the courtyard, disdainfully criticizing everything in the courtyard.
“This courtyard doesn’t look like it was designed by my sister. The taste is so bad, I almost fainted from the unbearable scent just standing here. If I didn’t know this was a place where people lived, I would have thought it was someone’s garden.”
“Look at these potted plants, the inscription on them isn’t even gold-plated, it’s faded. It’s obviously cheap stuff. And these flowers, the scent is so pungent, I don’t know what inferior medicine was sprayed on them.”
“Also, who told you to plant rows and rows of flowerbeds in the courtyard? If you didn’t know, you would think you had wandered into a flower farmer’s field. It’s so ugly.”
“……”
Xiao Wuyou spoke one sentence after another, and the maid servant beside her had no chance to interject.
If it weren’t for Ziyan supporting her, Madam Meng would have almost fainted from anger.
She had personally arranged this courtyard, and she had also erased the traces left by Xiao Changle.
“Xiao Wuyou, don’t push it too far.”
Madam Meng’s voice trembled with anger. She slowly walked down the stairs with Ziyan’s support.
Seeing her come out, Xiao Wuyou was even more relentless, “I said my sister’s taste wouldn’t be that bad. This is your courtyard, no wonder.”
Madam Meng clenched the handkerchief in her hand, “Xiao Wuyou, you are not welcome here.”
“This place? Is this your land? Did you buy this courtyard? Or is this room written in your name? You, a usurper, an inferior thing, actually think you are the master?”
“No matter what, you are just a second wife. If my sister were still alive, you would at most be a concubine.”
“Don’t think I dare not kick you out.”
“This mansion can be Meng’s, it can be Xiao’s, but it is not Jiang’s. You have no right.”
“Alright, I’m not here to make things difficult for you, I just want to see the traces my sister left behind.”
“You’ve come to the wrong place to look for Xiao Changle’s traces.”
Xiao Wuyou’s eyes darkened, and a hint of madness appeared in her expression.
Madam Meng felt fear and took a few steps back involuntarily.
Seeing this, Qin Mama quickly stopped Xiao Wuyou, “Third Miss, calm down. There are no traces of the Second Miss in this courtyard anymore. The remaining things in the room were taken away by the eldest Miss some time ago.”
Xiao Wuyou then retracted the emotions in her eyes, “Tingyue did a good job, but have those things been cleaned? They can’t be contaminated with dirty things.”
Madam Meng’s relaxed expression froze again, her eyes slightly twisted, and the strength of her grip on Ziyan’s hand tightened, causing Ziyan to frown and grimace in pain.
“They’ve all been cleaned.”
Xiao Wuyou nodded with extreme satisfaction, “Then that’s fine.”
Then, she changed her tone, “I’m looking for you today for another matter. Where is the dowry list? I need to add to my niece’s dowry.”
“This is against the rules. You are only Tingyue’s aunt, I am her nominal mother now. My daughter’s dowry cannot be handled by others.” Madam Meng gradually calmed down.
She couldn’t let anyone see the dowry.
“Don’t talk nonsense, give it to me or not. If you don’t give it to me, don’t blame me for revealing your theft and sale of the legitimate daughter’s dowry.” Xiao Wuyou’s expression was impatient.
“Don’t talk nonsense, I didn’t do such a thing.”
“Didn’t you? Then let me help you recall, the Auspicious Beast Incense Burner, the Cloud Brocade Gold-Embroidered Screen…”
Xiao Wuyou recited several names in succession.
With each name she mentioned, Madam Meng’s face grew worse.
These were the items she had sold years ago, all from Xiao Changle’s dowry. Why did she know about them?
“If that’s not enough, I can continue.”
Xiao Wuyou raised her chin slightly. Her already tall figure now added a more imposing aura, and an invisible sense of oppression loomed.
Madam Meng was distraught.
“If you don’t believe me, I can tell you in detail about the whereabouts of these items, and I can even write them down, copy several copies and distribute them to everyone to see how the wife of our Honglu Temple Minister cherishes the legitimate daughter’s dowry, and even engages in such a disgraceful business.”
“I also have the dowry list my sister prepared for Tingyue. If we really make a fuss, it won’t just be you who will lose face.”
Xiao Wuyou lightly waved a piece of paper in front of Madam Meng.
Meng Tingyue told Xiao Wuyou all of this. The reason Meng Tingyue knew so much was because in her previous life, she had personally witnessed these items being sold or left in other people’s homes.
Upon inquiry, she learned that these items had been purchased as household items several years ago.
As for the so-called dowry list, it was also fabricated by Meng Tingyue and Xiao Wuyou.
Xiao Changle left in a hurry and didn’t prepare any dowry for Meng Tingyue, let alone a list.
Whether or not she left anything depended entirely on their word.
Madam Meng stared intently at the paper in her hand, wishing she could rush forward and snatch the paper and tear it to shreds.
But she couldn’t. Not to mention whether she could beat Xiao Wuyou, the paper in Xiao Wuyou’s hand might not be a real list, and if it was a counterfeit, it would be a waste of effort.
“Add to the dowry, add to the dowry. Bring the list.” Madam Meng conceded.
“I want to write it myself. I’m afraid something else will go wrong, and the things will be swallowed up by some unknown thing.”
Madam Meng gritted her teeth, “Fine.”
……
By the time Xiao Wuyou returned to Moon Gazing Pavilion, it was late.
Dinner was to be had in the Moon Gazing Pavilion tonight.
Besides Meng Tingyue and the Xiao siblings, everyone in the room was trustworthy.
Xiao Wuyou took a sip of wine and angrily pounded the table.
“Do you know what that bitch Jiang Qingrou did? She actually added my sister’s dowry to Meng Qingjiao’s. If I hadn’t forced her to find Meng Qingjiao’s dowry list for comparison, I wouldn’t have known that someone could be so shameless.”
“If it weren’t for Tingyue, I would have torn her face off on the spot.”
Xiao Huaifeng’s face was as dark as water, and a heavy storm brewed in his eyes, chilling people’s hearts.
Jiang Qingrou dared to tamper with the dowry list, one can imagine what kind of life Tingyue had led in Meng Mansion all these years.
Meng Tingyue was much calmer. In her previous life, after marrying the Fifth Prince, she discovered that her dowry was not right.
The items in her dowry seemed to be about the same quantity as Meng Qingjiao’s, but in reality, there were very few truly valuable items. It was like a beautiful shell, hollow inside.
She had been greatly hampered in the Fifth Prince’s mansion because of her meager dowry, filled with helplessness and sadness.
She smiled, raised her glass of water, “I’m about to leave this quagmire of the Meng Family. My aunt and uncle should be happy for me.”
