ing Shan Academy, but his younger brother passed. How could they stand idly by and watch their illegitimate son be more successful than their legitimate sonShe said softly, "This matter is beyond my a...Grandpa

Meng Jinyao's face froze. Wasn't her grandfather the one referred to as "the master" by Uncle

Her grandfather treated her like a precious jewel. How could such a kind elder harm her mother

She kept a composed face and continued to use her motherly persona to probe him: "Don't talk nonsense. Father has always been kind to his juniors, how could he harm me and even hold others' lives as leverage"

The middle-aged woman was stunned, realizing she had misunderstood.

That's right, someone who has been dead for so long wouldn't care about earthly affairs. It's normal that their information would be out of date.

The middle-aged woman hurriedly explained, “Madam, the old master has long since passed away. The young master inherited the title, and now the current master is the young master. You have also changed from being the mistress of the lord to simply being the madam. In my heart, there’s only you as the madam. That Sun family…”

Meng Jinyao nodded, understanding. Her grandfather was such a good person; even if someone said her mother's death had something to do with him, she wouldn't believe it.

But, is her mother's death related to her father

For this matter, Meng Jinyao tried her best to remain calm. Before she figured out the ins and outs of the situation, she couldn't be led in by a stranger's words. Otherwise, she would lose her ability to think and judge.

For a moment, she took a deep breath, suppressing the many questions in her heart. She raised her eyes and looked at the row upon row of tombstones, accurately finding her mother's tombstone. Her eyes instantly reddened. She ordered the maids behind her: "This is not a place to speak. Qingqiu, Ningdong, take her back."

Qīngqiū and Níngdōng heard the sound, recovering from their shock.

The middle-aged woman was taken aback by this, only then did she notice that there were two maidservants from wealthy households walking towards her.

This is not the point.

The key point was that she only realized later that there were still shadows on the ground. Besides the two maids' shadows, there was also her mistress's shadow, but her mistress had already died. Could a dead person have a shadow

Is she dying, so everything seems blurry to her

Autumn and Winter approached, bending down to reach out with their hands, wanting to help the middle-aged woman up, ready to restrain her on either side and take her away.

When their hands just touched the middle-aged woman, the middle-aged woman was startled.

Qing Qiu knew why she was like this, so she said: “Don’t worry, madam. We are not ghosts, and our mistress is not a ghost either. We are humans.”

The middle-aged woman stammered, “No, not a ghost”

“It’s broad daylight now, and this is a sacred Buddhist temple. Where would there be ghosts” Ning Dong chuckled lightly. Thinking of the middle-aged woman's words just now, the smile instantly froze, her face darkened, and she continued, “Auntie, about what happened just now, please come with us. Our mistress wants to ask you something.”

The middle-aged woman felt the warmth in her hands, confirming that they were indeed human. Her spirit immediately cleared, realizing she had been flustered and mistaken them for someone else. She also understood that she had said things she shouldn't have. With caution, she asked, "Who are you I don't understand what you're saying. Why should I follow you"

Meng Jin Yao's expression turned cold as she asked in a low voice, "My mother is the original wife of the current Duke Yongchang, the same woman you just referred to. Big aunt, will you willingly return with us, or shall we use some means to bring you back"

The middle-aged woman was astonished: "You, you're a young lady"

She paused, rubbed her eyes, and tried to see more clearly. She found that while the face before her was somewhat similar to the one she remembered, it was still different. The aura was unlike any she had known. The mistress was gentle and compliant, always soft-spoken and kind, a woman as gentle as flowing water. But this woman before her, dressed in vibrant colors, stunningly beautiful, with a cold face and an imposing presence, did not seem like someone to be trifled with.

Let's go.

Meng Jinyao said softly, then turned and left.

Qīngqiū and Níngdōng also forcefully helped the middle-aged woman up from the ground.

Even though Ning Dong wasn't as composed as Qing Qiu, when it came to crucial moments, she could still be quite intimidating. She blurted out, "Auntie, please, our mistress is the wife of the Marquis Changxing, and her husband is the Minister of Dali Temple, specializing in dealing with people like you. If you don't cooperate, we will have you imprisoned for treason."

The middle-aged woman was about to resist and shout for help, but upon hearing that she would be going to jail, she was terrified into submission. If she went to jail, it wouldn't matter if she died, but what about her family The eldest daughter wouldn't let them go either, so she meekly followed them, not even daring to ask for help walking. However, they seemed afraid she would cause trouble, so they carefully supported her and escorted her to the guest room.

Along the way, Meng Jinyao though she appeared calm on the surface, her thoughts were in turmoil, her mind a jumbled mess.

Upon arriving at the guest room and closing the door behind them, Meng Jinyao glanced at the frail middle-aged woman and motioned for her to sit down. She then cut straight to the chase and asked, "Was there something else behind my mother's death, or did she really die from childbirth complications"

As she spoke, her face was grim, her eyes fixed on the middle-aged woman without blinking, missing no subtle expression on her face.

The middle-aged woman met her gaze, those sinister eyes, so chilling, she felt panicked and stammered in defense: "Miss, it wasn't me who killed the mistress. If you hate what I did back then, I'm willing to accept any punishment. Please, Miss, spare my family."

Meng Jin Yao frowned, her voice impatient: "I never said it was you who killed her, so why are you panicking Just tell me the whole story clearly. Of course, if you were involved in my mother's murder, that's a different matter."

A middle-aged woman raised her eyes to look at the young girl before her. Her delicate brows and eyes held a coldness, and her expression was solemn and imposing, an invisible pressure descending upon them.

She hurriedly withdrew her gaze and slowly said, "This secret has been hidden in my heart for many years, and I never had the opportunity to say it out loud. I thought I would take it with me to the grave, but unexpectedly, I met the young lady by chance before my death. It seems that it was destined long ago..."

Meng Jin Yao interrupted her: "Get to the point."

The middle-aged woman was taken aback. Seeing that the other seemed increasingly impatient, she thought to herself, "Although they are mother and daughter, the mistress is somewhat mild-tempered, while the eldest daughter is rather quick-tempered."

Qingqiu and Ningdong both understood that their master wasn't naturally impulsive. It was because he cared too much, so he became flustered. His current apparent calmness was a result of immense effort. This could be compared to being agitated by concern.

Seeing Meng Jiny Yao's face growing increasingly worse, the middle-aged woman didn't dare to utter a word. She hurriedly said, "Madam, while she did die in childbirth, it wasn't during her due date that the complications occurred. It was a case of induced labor."

Meng Jinyu looked at her with a puzzled expression, gesturing for her to continue.

The middle-aged woman did not dare to conceal anything, and continued: “Madam and Master, that is, the young master at the time, they treated each other with respect after their marriage. Madam was quite satisfied with her husband, and outsiders also thought they were a well-matched and loving couple. Not long after, Madam became pregnant with the eldest daughter.”

But good times don't last. With only half a month left until her due date, the mistress accidentally discovered the affair between her husband and Sun Shi. For the first time, the usually gentle and kind mistress flew into a rage, angrily confronting them and accusing them of shamelessness. Unexpectedly, Sun Shi, enraged and humiliated, shoved the mistress hard. The mistress fell to the ground and suffered a miscarriage. She went into premature labor and ultimately died due to an abnormal fetal position.on't give him this opportunity."Meng Jinyao pursed her lips and smiled: "Even so, I still want children."Gu Jingxi nodded in response: "Good"For a moment, Meng Jinyang thought of her scumbag father. C...