If it were only like this, Wu Caiwei would not have arrived. After the original owner was heartbroken, she decided to raise her son well. Those two concubines were not very well-behaved, but with the old madam suppressing them, they couldn't cause much trouble. However, everyone could see that the madam had fallen out of favor.
Rumors about Master Meng neglecting Madam Meng spread throughout the city. Kong Jialiang heard about it and was furious. He personally came before Meng Changqing and reprimanded him severely. Meng Changqing clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his anger. Under pressure from the other party's power, he agreed to behave, but upon returning, he threw books all over the room, smashing cups and porcelain one after another. Even so, he could not vent his frustration. He punched the wall, and blood began to flow down the gap between his hand and the wall, but he felt no pain.
Meng Changqing felt he could no longer hear anything about Zhou Shaoqiu, or he would go mad.
Yet, somehow, the matter between Kong Jialiang and Zhou Shaoqiu spread throughout Wu Hu overnight. Even the details of Lord Kong reprimanding Meng Changqing and telling him to treat his wife well were clearly described. Instantly, people began to gossip, and even the way they looked at Meng Changqing changed.
No wonder the Prefect was so protective of the Meng family and intentionally or unintentionally made things convenient for him. It turned out it was all at the expense of sacrificing his wife. The moment Meng Changqing went out to do business, he saw people looking at him strangely. He walked ahead, and people behind him gossiped. He inquired and found out about the situation. He felt that he had gone mad, driven mad by Lord Kong and Zhou Shaoqiu.
The original owner, seeing her husband's bloodshot eyes, was somewhat frightened. She forced a smile and said, "What's wrong? Who has upset you?"
Meng Changqing looked at her appearance and nearly shed tears. He looked at her with pleading eyes and said, "Can you please stop associating with the Prefect? Can we live our lives well? How happy we used to be, how did it become like this?"
Hearing him say this, Zhou Shaoqiu broke down. All the grievances of the past period surged into her heart. But seeing the obvious disbelief in his eyes, she couldn't help but feel sad and disappointed. "I want to live a good life with you, but can you? You clearly don't trust me. I've told you so many times that it's all in the past between him and me, and we have no contact at all."
"It's not that I don't trust you, but others look at me with strange eyes. You are a woman of the inner chambers, staying at home all day without going out. But I have to go out and do business every day. I can't afford to lose face. People probably already suspect I'm wearing a cuckold's hat." If he had known things would come to this, he would never have proposed marriage back then. Yes, at this moment, he deeply regretted it.
Zhou Shaoqiu quickly took her people and went out to inquire. It was fine if people recognized her, they spoke hesitantly in front of her and didn't reveal everything. But those who didn't know her spoke utterly unspeakably. She finally understood why Meng Changqing reacted so strongly. To be honest, after only inquiring a few people, she herself couldn't stand it. She never imagined that in their mouths, she would be a promiscuous woman.
He went to Kong Jialiang and vented his anger. Kong Jialiang never imagined that his concern was a burden to her. He said with some guilt, "I just want you to live well. Don't worry, I won't bother you again in the future."
Jiang Yin slowly walked out from behind and said indignantly, "They are truly ungrateful. Master considers them in every way, wanting them to live well, but they don't appreciate it?"
He was fine when he didn't speak, but the moment he did, Kong Jialiang looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "Who do you think would know about my past with him so clearly? It's hard not to suspect their motives."
"Are you suspecting me, Master?" Jiang Yin pointed at herself in disbelief at his gaze and said aggrievedly, "I married you later. What happened between you two, how could I know? Perhaps they deliberately released this information so that others would know about her close connection with you. That way, their Meng family in Wu Hu could walk sideways. Coupled with your guilt towards her, it's truly a double whammy. One has to admire it."
"She is not that kind of person. I will find out the mastermind." Having been together for so many years, Zhou Shaoqiu's image in his mind was always positive. He believed she would not resort to such despicable means, let alone use their feelings.
"One cannot judge a person by appearance, nor a river by its capacity to hold a measure. My lord is still here regretting not being able to be with her, but she has already married someone else, has children, and thinks her current life is quite good. She has long forgotten you." Jiang Yin snorted coldly, revealing a jealous look where Kong Jialiang could not see. One day, she would make them turn against each other, and Kong Jialiang would only have eyes for her.
A few days later, Meng Changqing fell ill. It was just a minor cold, but he became sicker and sicker. By the tenth day, even the doctor shook his head. Zhou Shaoqiu was stunned, her mind a blank.
Knowing that Meng Changqing was not long for this world, everyone looked at her with angry eyes. Because the doctor said he was ill from excessive anger, what else could have angered him other than things related to Meng Shaoqiu?
The old madam regretted it. Before proposing to the Zhou family, he had met her at a banquet. Seeing her demeanor and conversation, he knew she was no ordinary person. He wanted to marry her, and then their Meng family would have nothing to worry about for at least three generations. But he never expected her to be the cause of their son's death. Their Meng family had only this one son. Their grandson was only a few months old and was not yet capable of taking on important responsibilities.
No matter how angry they were, Meng Changqing still passed away. On his deathbed, he looked at Zhou Shaoqiu with complex eyes, filled with love, hatred, reluctance, and disappointment at his lack of success...
Zhou Shaoqiu cried heartbrokenly. To support the family, she began to learn about doing business, working until midnight every day and waking up before dawn. Although she was tired, she felt fulfilled. She was afraid that if she stopped, she would think of Meng Changqing and her heart would ache.
He was quite talented and had a knack for business. Just as the business was stabilizing, another incident pushed the Meng family into an abyss.
When the yamen runners arrived, she was still confused. She asked around, but no one told her what had happened. She could only follow them to the public hall.
"Madam Liu, why are you here?" They had met just two days ago, and she was surprised to see her here.
And the Madam Liu he mentioned turned her head and looked at him with murderous eyes, scaring him into taking a step back. He couldn't understand why the person he had dinner with and chatted with cheerfully two days ago had become like this.
Soon, she understood what had happened and her heart sank. She was almost so anxious that she cried, recalling the events over and over again, looking for any slip-ups to exonerate herself.