ounger brother."Meng Chengzhang was deeply moved and his eyes welled up with tears.The siblings chatted for a while longer. Meng Jin Yao invited him to stay for lunch, and Meng Cheng Zhang happily agr...A moment later, Qingqiu came to report, "Madam, the second young master is here. He says he's returning to the academy today and would like to see you before he leaves."

Before Meng Jingyao could reply, Song Xining readily understood and said, "Ayao, you should go see Young Master Meng Er. Since you returned to your mother's house yesterday, you probably didn't have much time to spend with him. My sister and I will come visit you another day."

Lady Jingning also agreed and said, "Yes, let's come back another day."

Meng Jinyo nodded. "Then let's make plans for another day." She then instructed Ningshuang, who was standing nearby, "Ningshuang, you see Song Girl and the Princess off."

Qing Qiu asked, "Madam, why did the maidservant bring the second young master here"

Meng Jin Yao nodded again.

In autumn, Qing Qiu answered and Fu Shen stepped back. Go bring Meng Chengzhang here.

After about half an hour, Meng Chengzhang followed Qingqiu to Zui Lian Ge. After exchanging pleasantries, Meng Chengzhang asked: "Elder sister, did the Sun family really see a ghost Or did she do something wrong and was being suspicious of herself"

Meng Jinyao took a sip of tea and smiled faintly: "There are no ghosts in the world. It's just her guilty conscience playing tricks on her."

Chan'er and Du Yiniang didn't actually look alike. They only shared a similar gentle and tranquil temperament. After makeup and facial adjustments, they appeared similar, but the Sun family had smelled the illusion-inducing incense and felt guilty. Her mental state was disrupted, so she thought Chan'er was Du Yiniang's ghost.

Meng Chengzhang looked at her, always feeling that she knew something. He asked again: "Big sister, do you know something"

Meng Jin Yao fell silent. Originally, she didn't want to tell her younger brother, afraid it would affect his studies. But judging by the current situation, her younger brother would know soon anyway. It might be better to let him know now and give him some time to adjust

Meng Chengzhang saw her hesitation and said again, "Big sister, don't think I'm young, so you don't tell me anything. I've grown up, and I can accept anything."

After a moment of thought, Meng Jinyang still chose to let him know in advance. She waved her hand, telling Qingqiu to stand guard outside to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, and then slowly said: "Second Brother, your elder brother's death is not what it seems. He didn't die from an incurable disease that year, but Sun Shi tampered with the medicine.

As soon as these words were uttered, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Meng Chengzhang was stunned and dumbfounded by the news, unable to recover for a long time. He stammered, "Big sister, is this really true"

Meng Jin Yao nodded lightly: "It's true, I knew it a long time ago. And the day I found out the truth was the day my grandfather passed away. That day, I overheard Sun Shi talking to her personal maidservant and rushed to get my grandfather to punish Sun Shi, but my grandfather was already at his end, powerless. Before he died, he repeatedly urged me not to act rashly.

Meng Chengzhang's heart surged with anger and resentment upon hearing this, but he wasn't surprised. He believed the Sun family was capable of such cruelty. No wonder his older sister, who was as close to the Sun family as her own mother, had become rebellious and gradually turned against them. His eyes were red and swollen as he choked out, "Sister, do Father and Grandmother know about this"

Meng Jinyao replied, "It's likely they don't know. If they did, how could grandmother call me a harbinger of death who killed my elder brother How could she blame your brother's death on me And our father loved you and your brother so much as twins; it's impossible he would remain indifferent after knowing that Sun had poisoned your brother."

She glanced at her second younger brother and continued, “The ‘ghost’ Mrs. Sun saw was actually Du shi. Du shi came to her looking for her son, but she was so guilty that she couldn't sleep at night and became mentally unstable.”

Meng Chengzhang clutched the teacup tightly, his eyes filled with hatred, his face strained. At just thirteen years old, the young man tried to suppress his emotions, but thinking of his elder brother who had died at two years old and his biological mother, Du Shi, who had fallen ill and passed away after her son's death, he couldn't help but burst into tears before his older sister, sobbing, "If it weren't for Sun's wickedness, my aunt and elder brother would still be alive."

Meng Jin Yao took out her handkerchief, wiping his tears while comforting him: "Second brother, even if she didn't die, she would live a worse life than death. Let's wait a little longer, she will get what she deserves."

As for her next steps, she already has them planned out and is ready to put them into action.

Meng Chengzhang raised his blurred, tear-filled eyes to look at his elder sister. His elder sister had endured far more pain than him over the years, and there was such a heavy secret hidden in her heart that she couldn't release it. Every time she faced the Sun family, she must have been tormented. And he had always lived under the protection of his elder sister.

That frail and slender frame, yet it always stands before him.

Since the Sun family had succeeded once, there will surely be a second time. One can only assume that after his elder brother's death, the Sun family's clutches reached out to him again

That's right, definitely. I remember once he was pushed into the water by someone, and my elder sister immediately called for help. He was grateful at the time that my elder sister arrived in time, thinking that she had always been silently protecting him.

After he was rescued, he told his elder sister that someone had pushed him, but his sister insisted that she hadn't seen anyone and only saw him fall into the water by himself. She said it must have been his hallucination. He didn't think much of it at the time, after all, he had just recovered from a cold and his head wasn't clear.

Looking back now, my elder sister must have done this to avoid causing a stir. If Mrs. Sun knew that someone had pushed him, she would definitely try every means to get rid of him. Even if my elder sister saw who pushed him and told the truth, no one else in the family would believe her.

Meng Chengzhang asked, "Big sister, how many times did Sun Shi attack me in total"

Meng Jin Yao was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood. He must have been deeply thinking about the past. She honestly replied: "Only once did I almost succeed. The others were disrupted by me playing around 'accidentally'."

Meng Chengzhang asked again, "Was it the time I fell into the water that almost allowed her to succeed"

Meng Jin Yao nodded and said, "Yes, that's the time."

Her voice softened, soothingly, "Second brother, you're not a child anymore. It's not that easy for the Sun family to harm you. You have to study hard and make something of yourself in the future, so you won't be controlled by your family."

Meng Chengzhang wiped his eyes, suppressing the anger in his heart, and nodded solemnly: "Sister, don't worry. In three years, I will be ready to compete and see how far I can go."

Meng Jinyang smiled with relief, then said earnestly: "It's good that you have this ambition, but you're still young and there's no need to rush. If you really want to take the exam, pass the provincial examination and the county examination first. For the metropolitan examination, you need to accumulate knowledge and strive for a good ranking. Then you will be confident in the palace examination. A good ranking in the palace examination is also beneficial for your future."

"Big sister, I understand. Meng Chengzhang suddenly remembered Gu Xiuming and asked again, "By the way, why did Gu Xiuming suddenly become like a different person Yesterday, he even respectfully called me Second Uncle."

He.

Meng Jin Yao let out a light scoff, her tone laced with disdain. "Don't be fooled by his appearance. He's only acting this way because he realizes his position as prince is about to be lost. It's too late for him to cry now. If he was so afraid of losing his status, why did he act recklessly in the first place Being pampered makes people think they'll never fall."

Meng Chengzhang nodded in understanding and then asked, "What about your elder brother-in-law"

Meng Jin Yao replied, "Your brother-in-law knows his intentions. He's trying to make amends now, but it's too late."

Meng Chengzhang was slightly taken aback. That meant his brother-in-law already had the idea of abolishing this prince's title, and he probably hadn't acted yet because he had other intentions.wo more pieces at most. If I eat too much more, I won't be able to eat dinner later."-Not long after, Gu Xiuming came to look for Gu Jingxi, asking him for some pointers on the autumn imperial examina...