Chapter 1082 – The Grief of the Meng Clan (Nine)
Meng Zhan had never expected the so-called truth to be so cruel.
“Yes! I did all of those things! At least I own up to my actions, much better than those hypocritical green tea bitches who pretend to be virtuous!” the Red-Clothed Woman exclaimed emotionally. “Don’t think you’re so noble! Go back to your mother’s grave and ask her how low she really was! Stole her own brother-in-law and pushed her sister into Meng Zhan’s arms. And now look how Meng Zhan treats Gu Zhen! She deserves to be punished!”
This was a lot of information to take in—
What does it mean that Gu Min stole Liu Zhi?
Gu Zhen’s marriage was clearly something Meng Zhan pursued himself; he even heard Liu Zhi complain about how Gu Min was focused on arranging Gu Zhen’s marriage. What’s more, Gu Min listed many talented men from Dongqing but had major objections to Meng Zhan, giving no consideration to him at all.
If Meng Zhan hadn’t sought the marriage himself and gotten Liu Zhi to convince Gu Min, this marriage might never have happened.
Then recalling the Red-Clothed Woman’s bizarre experiences, a terrifying thought crept into his mind.
His thoughts churned quickly as the conversation between the Red-Clothed Woman and a younger version of Liu Xi continued.
“My father said that Meng Zhan was a gentleman back then; when he married his stepmother, he repeatedly promised to treat her well. But just a few years into the marriage, Meng Zhan completely broke that promise. I have no doubt about my father’s judgment; he and Meng Zhan were schoolmates without conflicts of interest, and Meng Zhan had no reason to deceive him… So, what did you do to mess things up?”
With this revelation, Meng Zhan suddenly remembered the promise he made in his youth.
He had fallen head over heels for Gu Zhen, and he still recalled that breathtaking moment at Liu Residence.
In the midnight hours of memory, he couldn’t forget.
So what if she was a bastard daughter?
Besides her lowly background, Gu Zhen met all the qualifications of a Meng clan matriarch. Meng Zhan, in his youthful arrogance, insisted on marrying the one he liked.
Before Meng Zhan could gather his thoughts, the Red-Clothed Woman’s voice exploded in his ears.
“Gu Zhen’s wedding night, there were no bloodstains. To help her secure her position at her natal family, I sent her a congratulatory gift that night, and she gave birth to a son!”
Meng Zhan clenched his fists, as the younger version of Liu Xi voiced what he was thinking.
“And then?”
“On the night before Gu Zhen’s wedding, a small group of bandits ambushed her on her way to the ceremony. Fortunately, nothing major happened, but rumors spread that Gu Zhen had lost her chastity to them. With a wedding on the horizon, she couldn’t just refuse. You know how much men care about these things; without bloodstains on the wedding night, Meng Zhan tried to hold back, but who knew Gu Zhen got pregnant that very night? So, whose child is it really?”
Meng Zhan didn’t want to listen anymore.
A child born on the wedding night—wasn’t that Meng Heng?
He didn’t want to hear it, but the scene couldn’t stop unfolding.
“Liu Xi” continued questioning, “Did you also have a hand in the second child of your stepmother?”
The Red-Clothed Woman shamelessly admitted it.
“Meng Zhan saw Gu Zhen mingling with the young servants too many times; how could he not hate her?”
“Your stepmother wouldn’t do such a thing!”
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhan clenched his jaw in rage—how could Gu Zhen not do such a thing? He saw it with his own eyes; it couldn’t be false!
The Red-Clothed Woman smiled charmingly, her finger lightly covering her red lips, “Disguise pills are truly marvelous.”
Disguise pills?
Just hearing the name, Meng Zhan grasped their purpose, and disbelief kept mounting in his heart.
No way—
This can’t be true!
Liu Xi could use sorcery, conjuring up illusions—was that so difficult?
Meng Zhan roared internally, this was all Liu Xi’s scheming, none of it was real!
His heart pounded with fear, unwilling to acknowledge his mistakes. He hadn’t wronged Gu Zhen—
The more he thought this way, the more memories surged in his mind, refusing to be ignored.
He recalled Gu Zhen’s affection for Meng Heng; every time he showed a bit of disdain, she’d reveal that heartbroken expression—after years of mutual torment, Gu Zhen became increasingly quiet and despondent, like a dead tree with no life, driving him mad.
How could a woman who betrayed him show the hurt in her eyes?
“Isn’t it all just your own doing? If you had been willing to trust her a little, let go of your arrogance, and talked to your step-aunt, maybe all these misunderstandings could have been cleared up. The Fourth Woman’s Book was written by that Red-Clothed Monster; she first occupied Wang Huijun’s body, used it to stir up trouble, and then seized Empress Du’s body, writing ‘Fame Shakes the World,’ making you lament ‘Late to See the World’—surprised? Unexpected? Exciting?”
Jiang Pengji’s figure appeared before Meng Zhan.
“However, this situation can’t be entirely blamed on that monster; you, Meng Zhan, must take half the responsibility! Even without this incident, you Meng Zhan are still a scoundrel. Think about all the things you’ve done over the years; which one of them was good?” Jiang Pengji continued to provoke him, “As the head of the Meng Clan, when have you ever been accountable to the common people of Cangzhou? You’ve allowed your scoundrel bastard to run amok, harming the loyal and innocent and tarnishing women and children; that beast even harbored ill intentions toward his biological mother—wasn’t that taught by you, a father?”
Meng Zhan struggled against the piercing pain in his head while repeatedly yelling in anger.
“Shut up!”
“Do you remember Meng Hunyun? He has served you and the Meng Clan faithfully for years; your scoundrel bastard harmed his beloved wife and daughter, and instead of standing up for him, you covered for him and persecuted Meng Hunyun! How could you be worthy of him? When he set fire to the governor’s residence, if it weren’t for you, Meng Zhan, and that bastard stirring things up, how could it have led to a riot among the Meng clan’s populace? Your cousin Heng resembles you a bit; are you blind?”
The more Meng Zhan tried to silence Jiang Pengji, the more she wanted to speak freely.
You schemed against her, making her suffer, right?
Well, she’d give Meng Zhan a taste of hell.
“Speaking of Heng, I almost forgot about the legitimate second son your stepmother bore you, a boy with a red birthmark between his brows. He was supposed to be the legitimate second son of the Meng estate, but under your manipulation, he was switched with that scoundrel. He was buried in cold mud before even turning a month old—Meng Zhan, you killed your own legitimate second son with your own hands. You treat Meng Liang like a treasure, yet your legitimate son Meng Heng is dragged down by you both, while the son with special markings sleeps beneath the earth—what a clean river you are!”
It’s rare to see someone sink their own child to this extent.
“Next up—the main course is on the table—”
This was said so lightly by Jiang Pengji that Meng Zhan barely heard it.
In the psychic realm, Meng Zhan witnessed a fragment of Jiang Pengji’s memory.
It seemed long, but it was only a matter of moments.
Meng Hunyun followed orders, sending Meng Heng and Nie Xun over, both with different thoughts.
Next to them, Feng Jue grew suspicious—
Jiang Pengji wanted Meng Heng to go, which made sense; Meng Heng was Meng Zhan’s son, so a father-son meeting was understandable.
But why did she want Nie Xun to go?
Feng Jue glanced at Nie Xun, whose expression deepened his suspicions.
Nie Xun and Meng Heng entered the cell and saw Meng Zhan as if he had suffered a tremendous shock, looking crazed and deranged, his expression a distorted mask of madness.
