Chapter 757 - 759: The Mute
Chapter 757: Chapter 759: The Mute
As soon as Nanny Meng arrived at the mourning hall, she knelt on the floor and greeted Old Madam Bai in a hoarse voice.
Kuang Yunqiao and Steward Yu had already turned pale, staring at Nanny Meng in disbelief.
Bai Jingli was the first to lose her composure. Pointing at Nanny Meng, she stammered, "You—aren’t you a mute?"
"I am not mute. My voice is simply too grating to the ear. Afraid of disturbing the masters, I gradually stopped speaking." Nanny Meng’s uniquely raspy voice, sounding like a broken gong, made everyone’s ears uncomfortable.
Sweat beaded on Steward Yu’s forehead, dripping onto the floor like raindrops. He shot several pleading glances at Kuang Yunqiao, but received no response whatsoever.
Kuang Yunqiao’s legs went weak; it was only thanks to Bai Jingyang supporting her from the side that she didn’t collapse.
Old Madam Bai sneered at them. Nanny Meng had been in the Marquis Mansion for decades, longer than Kuang Yunqiao had even been part of the household. Despite being the main wife for decades, Kuang Yunqiao had never paid any attention to the people serving by the Marquis’s side. It was only her own foolish son who couldn’t see that this woman had never truly cared about him at all.
"Tell us exactly what happened," Old Madam Bai demanded.
"Old Madam," Kuang Yunqiao interjected to stop her. "An old woman who hasn’t spoken a word in decades—her words cannot be trusted."
Old Madam Bai shot her a sideways glare. "Nanny Meng served the Marquis since he was a child. Her utmost loyalty to him is unmatched by anyone in this mansion.
"Besides, she hasn’t even opened her mouth yet. How can you be so sure her words are untrustworthy?
"The Kuang family truly raised you well, allowing you to wreak havoc in my mansion for so many years."
Old Madam Bai would never admit that Kuang Yunqiao’s ability to throw her weight around the mansion for so many years was entirely due to her own son’s indulgence. Regardless, the fault always lay with others.
Being humiliated in front of so many servants made Kuang Yunqiao’s face flush bright red. She cursed inwardly, wondering why this damn old hag had lived for so long. The Marquis was already dead, yet this woman at her advanced age was still hanging around the mansion to disgust people. It would have been a great blessing if she hadn’t caught her breath yesterday and followed him to the grave.
"To answer the masters," Nanny Meng began, "yesterday, when the Second Young Master and the Young Miss arrived at the inner courtyard, I was cleaning the back side room."
Everyone present was familiar with the back side room she mentioned. Because the Marquis was paralyzed in bed, the back side room had been connected to the east side room. This modification allowed more servants to take night shifts and care for their master without making enough noise to disturb him.
Bai Jingyang and his sister both turned deathly pale, looking nervously at Kuang Yunqiao.
Kuang Yunqiao’s mind was completely blank. No matter how many schemes she had concocted before, everything had devolved into a mushy blur at this moment.
"Yesterday, not long after the Marquis kicked the Young Master out, the Second Young Master and his sister arrived," Nanny Meng continued. "As soon as the Second Young Master walked in, he asked the Marquis how the matter went and if his eldest brother had agreed..."
Marquis Bai’s anger, which had finally subsided, was provoked once again. After gasping for breath and scolding his son, he said, "Your eldest brother refused to agree, saying he couldn’t make the decision on this matter. He said that if I had any ideas, I could go to the palace and request an audience with the Holy Emperor. That unfilial son! How am I supposed to meet the Holy Emperor in my current condition?"
"How could Eldest Brother be like this? He doesn’t respect me as his brother at all," Bai Jingyang complained.
"I asked him to take me along to run the sea trade before, and he immediately refused.
"This time, I just wanted to invest a little in the shipping business; it’s not like I’m taking advantage of him for free. Why can’t he bear to see me succeed?
"Father, will there even be a place for us in the Marquis Mansion in the future?"
"Father, our mansion is struggling so much right now, and Eldest Brother is the future Marquis. Why can’t he spare a thought for the family?" Bai Jingli wiped away her tears from the side.
"Mother budgets meticulously just to get by. Even if he hates my mother, he shouldn’t treat you so poorly!"
Thinking about the meager belongings left in the mansion’s storehouse made Bai Jingli anxious. Her second brother was fine since he was already engaged and the family had paid the betrothal gifts, but what about her own dowry? Would she have to rely on those old, outdated items in the storehouse?
Whenever she remembered that both Old Madam Bai and the late wife had left their entire dowries to Bai Jinglie, she seethed with hidden resentment. Yet, even if she coveted those things, she couldn’t say it aloud. The Marquis Mansion was ultimately one family, and since her eldest brother controlled so many sources of wealth, why couldn’t he make life easier for the rest of them?
Stirred up by the siblings’ instigation, Marquis Bai flew into a rage. "He’s just as aloof, arrogant, and selfish as his mother who died early!
"Over all these years, apart from sending some flashy but useless holiday gifts, he hasn’t contributed a single thing to this family.
"If the Holy Emperor didn’t show him favoritism, I would definitely have him..."
"...Father," Bai Jingyang interrupted. "Forgive your son for speaking so unfilially, but have you ever thought about what will happen to me, Mother, and the others in the future?"
Marquis Bai cast a dissatisfied glance at Bai Jingyang. "You are descendants of the Bai family. Naturally, you have a share in this household.
"Rest assured, I will make the proper arrangements."
"Father, those words can only fool my mother," Bai Jingyang replied sullenly. "I know Eldest Brother is capable and highly regarded by the Holy Emperor. In the future, the Marquis Mansion will inevitably be his.
"Your son doesn’t ask for much; I merely want to live a good life with Mother and my sister.
"Gu Wenheng is no longer in Lu City, yet Mrs. Gu still retains shares in the sea trade. If Eldest Brother truly considers me his brother, I only want those shares. As for everything else in the Marquis Mansion, I don’t want any of it."
"...I already brought this matter up with him, but that unfilial son outright claimed he couldn’t make the decision..."
"Eldest Brother simply can’t bear to see us thrive," Bai Jingli said, biting her lip. "Mrs. Gu hasn’t been in Lu City for a long time, and the sea trade is now in Eldest Brother’s hands. Whether it makes a profit or a loss is entirely up to him.
"I think Eldest Brother just can’t distinguish between insiders and outsiders. He’d rather help outsiders make money than lend a hand to his own brother.
"Father, Eldest Brother already has so much. How can he still be so selfish?"
Bai Yugang gasped for breath even more frantically at the thought of his rebellious and disobedient eldest son.
"Father, don’t be too angry. Anyway, it’s not the first time Eldest Brother has been so unfilial." Bai Jingyang noticed Bai Yugang’s condition but completely brushed it off.
"How about I go call him back here, Father, and you can have another good talk with him?
"We’re all brothers in the same family. Only if I’m doing well will I not drag him down."
Bai Yugang struggled to raise his hand, but who could have known that his two children would turn a blind eye to it, their mouths continuing to spout endless complaints.
When he finally couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed heavily back onto the bed, Bai Jingyang looked at Bai Jingli with a grim expression. "Why does Father always use this trick?
"It’s one thing to use it against Eldest Brother, but to actually pull this stunt in front of us..."
Bai Jingli, being a girl, was a bit more observant. Taking a step forward, she saw Bai Yugang’s deathly pale face and the finger that was still pointing at them. Covering her mouth, she cried out in alarm, "Brother, I think Father really is..."
"What do you mean ’really’? Mother has used this same routine countless times already.
"Father, stop acting in front of us. Even if you want to put on a show, wait until Eldest Brother gets here, and then you can..."
The more Bai Jingyang spoke, the more he lost confidence in his own words. He walked over and called out softly a few times. Discovering that the person on the bed was completely unresponsive, panic finally set in.