But Mrs. Gong did not get discouraged; she knocked on the door for seven consecutive days.
She had once offended An Jing. If she could curry favor with An Jing, that would be great; if not, she hoped that this action would lead An Jing to forgive her past actions.
It was not that Mrs. Gong truly repented, but that she had become afraid.
An Jing was now an official!
An official has two mouths, and commoners should not contend with officials. Even if they did, they could not possibly win. She did not wish for An Jing, with her petty grievances, to remember those past issues and use her official status to take revenge against her family.
Her family was already suffering enough. If an official were to take revenge on them, it would be extremely easy, and she did not want to suffer any more.
If they were to suffer any further, her family would not survive.
Her in-laws’ health was getting worse by the day, and now, even though her husband An Fu wished to buy them medicine, he simply could not afford it.
Just as Mrs. Gong was thinking that if the door didn’t open today, she would return tomorrow, Meng Zhuqing opened the courtyard door and let her in.
Meng Zhuqing dared to let Mrs. Gong into the courtyard only with An Jing’s orders.
Mrs. Gong was stunned at first, but then quickly entered the courtyard, not forgetting to bring those two eggs and a big handful of greens with her.
The eggs were still the same two she had brought seven days ago, but the greens had been changed—they were freshly picked from the vegetable garden this morning.
If the previous greens hadn’t wilted and turned yellow, which would have made for a very unsightly gift, she would not have picked new ones from the garden.
At that moment, An Jing was standing in the courtyard with her hands behind her back.
As soon as Mrs. Gong entered the courtyard, she knelt before An Jing and apologized, "Madam Gong bows before you, My Lord! I have previously been disrespectful to you, My Lord, and I beg for your forgiveness!"
An Jing did not ask Mrs. Gong to get up, nor did she speak of forgiving her. Instead, she looked down with a detached expression at Mrs. Gong, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked, "You have been knocking on my door for seven days in a row, seeking an audience just for this matter?"
Mrs. Gong knelt, prostrating herself, and clenched her teeth before responding, "I have been disrespectful to you, My Lord, and I have always felt deeply regretful in my heart, feeling that I have wronged you. I could only relieve my heart by personally apologizing to you, My Lord."
An Jing knew all too well in her heart that Mrs. Gong was afraid she would seek revenge on her for past grievances now that she had become an official.
However, An Jing did not expose this but said unhurriedly, "Did you disrespect only me?"
Mrs. Gong immediately began knocking her head on the ground nonstop, "I have a filthy mouth, a mouth spewing filth, and I have previously slandered you, My Lord. I beg for your forgiveness! I beg for your forgiveness! I beg for your forgiveness! I beg for your..."
An Jing knew in her heart that Mrs. Gong was not sincere, but still, she did not expose her and said in a detached tone, "One must keep moral integrity in speech and live with a clear conscience before heaven and earth."
Mrs. Gong immediately responded, "I will surely heed the lesson you have taught, My Lord, and I will remember your teachings; I dare not act as recklessly as before."
Only then did An Jing reveal the truth, "I know you are afraid I would retaliate against you. I don’t care what you do in the future, but the reason I let you in is to tell you to stop bothering me from now on. You are not welcome here." She paused, "If you keep coming here every day to report , then I might actually start seeking revenge on you."
Mrs. Gong, frightened, immediately began knocking her head on the ground again, "My Lord, forgive me! My Lord, forgive me! I won’t come again, I won’t ever come again, I hope you—"
"It’s enough. Rather than making promises to me, it’s more practical for you to leave my house quickly," An Jing said with no politeness whatsoever.
Don’t think that she couldn’t see through Mrs. Gong, who was indeed harboring the intention to ingratiate herself. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so persistent in seeking her out every day.