Chapter 249 Never Take a Concubine
When the old lady saw that Mengxi agreed to let Xiao Jun take a concubine, she was in a very good mood and started to say good things.
Oh my god, I wish I could die soon and be reborn soon. After hearing the old lady's insincere words and thinking of how her family tried every means to harm her, Mengxi was completely speechless.
After hearing Mengxi's words, Xiao Jun looked at her intently. He still remembered the words she wrote before she was poisoned: Loving each other and thinking of each other, we will be a couple for life. She longed for a life of two people, and now he also longed for the same. There was no room for anyone else between her and him, but she agreed without hesitation. It was not that she was not jealous, but that she didn't want him at all. This thought made Xiao Jun heartbroken.
Although he was heartbroken, he had experienced so much at this point and no longer had the impulsiveness he once had. He would not be like he was two years ago when he took in the room just because of her indifference, and then went back to pamper her in order to anger her and irritate her, hoping to conquer her with it.
He sat there motionless, staring at Mengxi for a long time, so long that the old lady, the master, and the mistress in the hall all noticed that Xiao Jun was in a bad mood, and they couldn't help feeling a little worried and uneasy. The indifferent Mengxi was also frightened by his gaze, and lowered her head in panic.
Seeing Mengxi finally lowered her head, Xiao Jun slowly stood up, took a step forward, and knelt on the ground with a plop.
"Jun'er, what are you doing? Let's go to the ground and let's sit down and talk."
Seeing Jun'er kneeling, the old lady thought something was wrong. Without waiting for him to speak, she hurriedly asked him to stand up and tried to stop something.
"Grandma, father, mother, please forgive Jun'er for being unfilial. Jun'er has been deeply rooted in the belief that a man should have three wives and four concubines in order to have many children and grandchildren. Therefore, before Jun'er got married, he took in several concubines according to the arrangement of the elders, but what did they bring to Jun'er? Jun'er's inner house has never been peaceful. They killed my son and harmed my legitimate wife. All this was just for a fight for favor. The root of the sin was Jun'er's many wives and concubines in the backyard. Jun'er dare not question the etiquette passed down by the saints, but Jun'er does not want to suffer the pain of losing a loved one in this life. Such pain is enough once. Today, with grandma, father, and mother as witnesses, Jun'er swears to the sky: I, Xiao Jun, swear to never take a concubine from now on. If I break this oath, the sky and the earth will be destroyed, and I will never be reborn!"
Xiao Jun, kneeling on the ground, raised his right hand and made an eternal oath facing the sky.
Although it was not a promise made to her alone, he thought that she should understand his heart. This was his only promise to her in this life.
The ancients were superstitious and valued promises, and they attached even greater importance to oaths. Especially the Da Qi, under the leadership of Taizu, all believed in the Buddhist theory of cause and effect. Today, Xiao Jun made such a solemn oath in front of the heavens. Even as his biological parents, how could they use the word "filial piety" to force their son to break his oath, and then be destroyed by the Dzi beads and the earth, and never be reborn!
This time, Xiao Jun really and completely blocked his grandmother and parents' idea of taking a concubine for him.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this, including Mengxi. Even she couldn't believe that he would really be so rebellious? After making such a poisonous oath, she wanted to step forward and block his mouth, not wanting him to swear, but her body seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and she just sat there like a clay sculpture, staring at Xiao Jun silently.
The master took a long time to come back to his senses and started to curse:
"You are such a rebellious son! How could I raise a son like you who is so rebellious? You are so rebellious, so rebellious..."
The eldest wife's originally pale face now looked as if the blood had been drained out. She sat there, her body swaying, and was supported by Baozhu Ziyue behind her.
Seeing that the Second Master had sworn to never take a concubine, the old lady was so angry that her face turned pale, her lips trembled, and she said tremblingly:
"Rebellion, rebellion, come, take this beast away and beat him to death!"
After hearing the old lady's fierce words, the servants in the hall were so frightened that their faces turned pale and their calves were cramped. How could they dare to step forward to punish him? For a moment, the air in the hall seemed to be stagnant and suffocating. After a long time, everyone came to mind, knelt on the ground, and begged for mercy on the second master.
Seeing his mother was angry, the eldest master also stood up and knelt down. The eldest wife also knelt down with the support of Baozhu and Ziyue. The eldest master said:
"I am sorry that I am unfilial and have not disciplined Jun'er well, causing my mother to worry. I will definitely discipline him when I get back. I beg my mother to calm down and not let her get herself hurt by anger."
Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground, the old lady calmed down. Thinking carefully, apart from being confused about Mengxi's matter, Xiao Jun was not a troublesome person. Although she was so angry that her teeth were itching, he was her own grandson after all, and it would be painful if she pulled his bones and tendons and really hurt him. However, Xiao Jun was so disobedient in front of a room full of servants, so she had to punish him. She pondered for a while and said:
"As the saying goes, a gift from an elder should not be refused. Today, Jun'er has dared to despise the gift from the elders and disregard the filial piety of the saints. It would be unjust if I didn't punish you. Considering that everyone has pleaded for you, I will spare your life. Come, drag you out, slap your face ten times, and make you kneel in the ancestral temple for an hour to apologize to our ancestors!"
…
Mengxi is a modern person. She couldn't accept that Xiao Jun had another woman. What's more, her background was incompatible with this family. She had planned to leave the house several times, which made her completely opposed to his family. How could this family have room for her!
Therefore, even though she knew that Xiao Jun was deeply in love with her, she still did not dare to let go of her feelings and was still thinking about leaving the house. But today she was deeply shocked. If she thought about it carefully, Xiao Jun's behavior would not be a big deal in the 21st century, but this was ancient times, when the existence of mistresses was legalized. Xiao Jun made such a solemn oath, rejected his parents' gift, and once again disobeyed his parents for her. How could she continue to ignore it? She should have advised him long ago that they would not have any results, and she should not use such deep feelings anymore. She could not bear it.
Supporting Zhiqiu, he returned all the way to Xiaoxiang Courtyard and came to the upper room. As soon as he entered the room, he saw that it was in a mess. The maids and old women were standing on the ground, chattering.
As soon as the news of Xiao Jun's punishment came back, Xiao Xiangyuan was immediately in an uproar. The master was punished one after another, which cast a shadow on the hearts of everyone in Xiao Xiangyuan, as if the sky was about to fall. They all put down their work and came to the upper room to inquire about the situation of the second master. They were worried that their master had completely fallen out of favor with the old lady and the eldest master. If the master fell out of favor, it was conceivable how miserable the lives of these servants would be.
Hongzhu was even more miserable. She was already upset, and now she was being pestered by these people with questions. She didn't know how to get rid of them. When the door opened, Mengxi came in with Zhiqiu. A little maid at the door saw her come in first and hurriedly shouted:
"Second Grandma is here, Second Grandma An!"
The little maid's exclamation made the hall quiet in an instant, and everyone looked towards the door. Hongzhu also turned her head and saw that the second wife had helped Zhiqiu turn around the screen and walked up.
Hongzhu stood there blankly, looking at the Second Mistress, as if she were stupid. After a long while, she suddenly woke up, took a few quick steps forward, fell to her knees with a plop, and said:
" Hello, Madam. I beg you to persuade the Second Master not to torment him like this. The Second Master caught a cold in the rainstorm last time and has not recovered yet. There are many things to do in the south these days, so the Second Master has no time to recuperate. His cough is getting worse and worse, and he often wakes up in the middle of the night. In this courtyard, the Second Master listens to you. I beg you to persuade the Second Master. If he continues like this, he will die."
Seeing Hongzhu kneeling, the maids and old women also came to their senses, knelt on the ground, and followed Hongzhu to beg.
Mengxi had never wanted the Second Master to be like this. Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground, she was also confused and said:
"Don't you have anything to do? Why are you all gathered here?"
After hearing this, everyone lowered their heads unconsciously. Hongzhu raised her head and replied:
"Second Madam, everyone came here because they heard that the Second Master was punished again. Please forgive them for the sake of our servants who are also worried about the Master."
Everyone kowtowed after hearing this. Mengxi sighed, helped Zhiqiu sit down on the chair, thought for a moment and said:
"Second Master's affairs are decided by the old lady and the eldest master, and it is not your place to worry about them as servants. Look at you, what are you doing? The sky hasn't fallen yet, but your own courtyard is already in chaos. I will forgive you this time because it is your first offense. Get up and do what you need to do. Don't just pile up here and get in the way."
After hearing this, everyone kowtowed and thanked him, then stood up and walked out one after another. Hongxing had already served tea. Seeing that the hall had become quiet, Mengxi picked up the tea and took a sip. He glanced at Hongzhu and was about to speak when the little maid came to report that Aunt Cui and Hongyu had arrived and were waiting outside.
Mengxi frowned after hearing this and looked up at Hongzhu and asked:
"No one sent a letter to my aunt?"
Hongzhu heard this and said hesitantly:
"I sent it, but I'm afraid it won't come."
Mengxi listened, sighed and murmured:
"It seems that this aunt is determined to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures."
It turned out that Mengxi was poisoned this time because she drank the bird's nest porridge sent by the eldest aunt. The eldest aunt was almost implicated, and her personal maid Hong'er lost her life because of this. The eldest aunt was shocked and disheartened.
As soon as the Second Mistress regained consciousness, the Eldest Aunt came to her in person to apologize, saying that it was Second Mistress who nearly died this time and that she was to blame. She asked to go to Qingxin Temple to practice. When Mengxi saw this, he felt ashamed and regretted that he had not considered it carefully in such a hurry.
Seeing that Chun'er and Feng'er were still young, Mengxi was unwilling to let her abandon her two children at such a young age and go to face Qingdeng, so she did not agree. Xiao Jun originally agreed, but under the circumstances at that time, Hongzhu dared not pass on the message. Later, Mengxi woke up and the matter was left unresolved.
This time the eldest aunt brought up the issue again, and seeing that Mengxi disagreed, Xiao Jun calmed down and thought that his daughter was still young, so he naturally disagreed. But he could not resist the eldest aunt's insistence. Finally, Mengxi thought of a compromise and set up a small Buddhist temple in the plum garden so that the eldest aunt could often see her two daughters. When she felt more open-minded one day, she could remove the small Buddhist temple.
Mengxi originally thought that the eldest aunt was just upset for a while, and after a long time, she would forget about it and change her mind. However, she didn't come to say hello when the second master was punished today. It seemed that she was determined to be the cruel person.
Just as I was sighing secretly, I heard Hongzhu say:
"Second Madam, Aunt Cui and Hongyu are still waiting outside, please see..."
After hearing Hongzhu's reminder, Mengxi came back to her senses, looked at the maid on the ground, and said:
“Let them in”
