freenovelworld Chapter 287 The Truth of What Happened Back Then!
Chapter 287 The Truth of What Happened Back Then!
Mu Xin Nuan now understood that her grandfather was unaware of the cause of his wife's death back then, and only thought it was due to a difficult childbirth.
"Grandfather, can you tell me about Grandmother?"
The old man nodded. “Your grandmother’s surname was Feng. She was a very gentle and considerate woman. To be honest, it was my fault. I married her with the neighbors as witnesses. I really shouldn’t have sent the letter home so late. I should have sent it home before the wedding.”
"When my family received the news of my marriage, four of the six rites had already been completed. Although the Song family was not a high-ranking family, they were not an ordinary family either. They were not so easy to bully. Helpless, my mother asked someone to send a message to the other side: the marriage could not be cancelled, but it could not be a marriage of convenience either."
"Who would have thought that since things had come to this, the Song family might as well marry a concubine instead. However, at the time, it was not made clear who was the principal wife and who was the concubine?"
"Grandfather, later you took Grandmother back to the Mu residence?"
The old man nodded, seemingly recalling the events of that year and seeing his wife Feng's shy expression again; a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.
"She was a woman from Jiangnan, physically delicate and petite, but she was always very generous in her actions. She got along well with everyone in the household. Later, when Song entered the family, the next day, I had a big argument with my elders over the matter of the principal wife and the secondary wife. I was in love with Feng, so naturally I didn't want her to suffer any injustice. Since I couldn't give her the only one, and the mistake had already been made, I should at least give her the title of principal wife."
“At the time, I thought it was simple. Feng’s family was far away in Jiangnan. If I couldn’t protect her, and she didn’t have a proper title in the mansion, wouldn’t she be easy for everyone to bully? In the end, Song gave in and even persuaded the elders to make Feng the principal wife and Song the secondary wife.”
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. The so-called equal wife, in theory, seems to be equal in status to the principal wife, but in reality, she must perform the etiquette of a concubine in front of the principal wife. Moreover, in the future, in any major sacrificial rites, she will always be ranked after the principal wife.
The fact that Song was able to swallow this insult at the time shows how strong her will was!
“When Madam Feng gave birth, I was away on official business and not in the capital. When I returned, all I saw was her cold body and an infant still in swaddling clothes. At that moment, I felt as if I had been struck by lightning, and I felt as if I had lost my soul.”
"Grandfather, please don't get agitated. It's all over now," Mu Xin Nuan gently comforted him.
The old man shook his head. "I asked the midwives and maids at the time, and they all insisted that your grandmother had a difficult childbirth. I also thought that since Mother was still in the mansion at the time, even if Song Shi really had the guts, she wouldn't dare to do such a wicked thing under her nose."
At this point, the old man seemed quite sad. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and said with great self-reproach, "It's all my fault! If I had investigated more thoroughly back then and hadn't trusted the Song family so much, perhaps none of this would have happened."
“Grandfather, the deceased is gone, you must take care of yourself. Actually, when I first heard Granny Liu mention this matter, I was quite surprised and thought she was just bluffing me. It wasn't until later, when I heard that Granny Liu’s small house in the capital suddenly caught fire and burned to the ground, that I realized that Granny Liu was not only telling the truth, but that the old lady wanted to kill her to silence her.”
The old man's eyes snapped open, a fierce glint in his eyes. He slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang and stood up.
"Hmph! This Song family member, she's had enough of living such a comfortable life all these years! Feng family member can't have died in vain, and Song family member, she won't get away with this!"
"Grandfather, don't worry. Father has only just been granted a title and appointed Grand Secretary. If something were to happen to the old lady now, I'm afraid it would affect Father and Second Uncle."
The old man waved his hand, "You don't need to worry about this. I have my own arrangements. You may go now."
Mu Xin Nuan hesitated for a moment, but seeing the old man's steadfast expression, she nodded, curtsied, and withdrew.
That day, Mu Xin Nuan had someone keep a close eye on the old man, hoping he wouldn't do anything too outrageous. But by midnight, he still hadn't made a move.
The next afternoon, Mu Xin Nuan heard from the servants that the old master had been summoned away by him as soon as he returned to the mansion.
Mu Xin Nuan's heart skipped a beat, and she rushed to Jin Yuan.
"So, it's highly likely that your grandfather told your father the whole truth about what happened back then. Is he coming back later?" Mrs. Li said with some worry.
“Mother, you don’t need to do anything, just stay with Father. Father values you, so if he’s willing to talk, listen and offer some advice. If he’s not willing to talk, don’t ask. Let Father get through this on his own.”
Li sighed softly. She was already in her thirties, yet she was still not as good at thinking and dealing with things as her daughter. Had things really been going too smoothly for her these past few days?
That evening, the entire Mu family did not dine together, but instead ate in their own courtyards.
Although the second branch of the family found it a bit strange, they heard that the old master and Mu Chang'an were still in the study and hadn't come out yet. They assumed they were discussing something important, so they didn't think much of it and continued eating in the west courtyard.
That night, Mu Xin Nuan also went to bed very late. She knew that she was probably not the only one suffering from insomnia that night.
The next morning, before Mu Xin Nuan had even gotten up, Granny Yu rushed in, "Miss, please hurry up and get ready, we need to go to Rongyuan."
Mu Xin was alarmed. "What happened at Rongyuan Hospital?"
"I heard that the old lady got up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and accidentally fell, hitting her head and breaking her leg. But she fainted as soon as she fell, and the old woman who was keeping watch outside was sleeping soundly and didn't hear it until recently when someone called her to get up."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xin Nuan's face still showed shock, but she was somewhat relieved. At least, the old lady was still alive!
When Mu Xin Nuan arrived at Rong Yuan at a leisurely pace, she found that she couldn't even enter the inner room. She could only hear a few soft sobs coming from inside. Upon closer listening, it was not difficult to identify them as those of Jin Shi and Mu Xin Yao.
Mu Xin Nuan carefully entered the inner room and stood not far from the door. Watching the people inside put on this tender scene, she felt extremely ironic!
I wonder if my second uncle and aunt know my father's true background? Do they know what shameful things this old lady has done? If we send Granny Liu and her confessions to the authorities, my second uncle's future will be completely ruined.
Mu Xin Nuan's eyelids drooped slightly. It seemed that although her grandfather was angry, he did not want to ruin his son's future. Therefore, it was only Song Shi who would have to suffer.