Chapter 225: Chapter 224 Hindered
Lady Tang’s question also piqued Mrs. Meng’s curiosity, but she had already noticed her daughter’s complexion looking somewhat poor, possibly due to someone upsetting her.
Guessing who would dare upset her daughter was easy— who else could it be?
“Not very good—the teacher’s abilities are mediocre, so how good can the students he teaches be?”
Meng Zhaojun’s blunt words actually made Lady Tang smile inwardly, yet she dared not criticize her mother-in-law’s relatives in front of others.
A few days ago, she had troubled two teachers, leaving her mother-in-law displeased. Later, her husband scolded her as well, and only then did she realize how highly her mother-in-law regarded these teachers. Though angry, she dared not voice her thoughts; naturally, she would no longer speak ill in front of outsiders!
However, she did not stop outsiders from speaking ill—the worse they spoke, the more pleased she felt inside!
“Jun’er, do not be rude…”
Mrs. Meng intervened to stop her daughter from making inappropriate remarks. Speaking carelessly felt good, but offending the Madam could negatively affect both mother and daughter. Speaking behind someone’s back, whatever her daughter said would directly reflect on her upbringing.
Chided by her mother, Meng Zhaojun bit her lip, offering no rebuttal. She glanced at her mother, then at Lady Tang, and noticed that Lady Tang seemed to actually support her opinion?
Was there something she didn’t know about?
Those two teachers and Lady Tang probably had no grudges, right?
Nor had she heard of them being closely related; after all, the Imperial Capital was so vast, perhaps they never knew each other before!
This woman, could it be out of jealousy? Or because she looked down on them as a couple?
The future mother-in-law appeared difficult to deal with, and now was not the time to offend her. Once she entered that household, conflict was inevitable.
“Alright, alright, it’s lunchtime now, let’s eat lunch first. Also, ignore my aggravating son—let’s not bother with him!”
Actually, many times at noon, Tang Shunyan was not with Lady Tang for meals. Out of the three meals a day plus supper, he ate three at his mother-in-law’s, which was particularly maddening because her husband ate there too; only her youngest son dined with her.
Meng Zhaojun spoke no more, already irritated with Tang Shunyan, she did not want to see him and get angry!
It seemed like every time she saw this young boy, she couldn’t help getting annoyed!
Like before, under the teacher’s instruction, Tang Shunyan worked on his lessons and hadn’t made any progress in music yet, though he managed a bit of progress in other subjects with the teacher’s guidance.
Meng Zhaojun visited and left, and he did not take it to heart; after all, this young girl often behaved haughtily and should not be indulged.
He wouldn’t let this young girl change his life trajectory; as usual, after class, he went to his grandmother’s for a meal.
Previously, he had casually suggested letting Meng Zhaojun tutor him, but that was just talk; once finished, he forgot about it!
Three days later, Mr. Mo and his wife had breakfast, and according to the plan, they were to go to the Ye family’s for a part-time job that day. A carriage had been arranged for them along with two guards leading the way.
This was all organized by the housekeeper as per the Madam’s instructions; when the teacher left the house, he needed guards. However, it was just Mr. Mo going to the Ye family; there probably wasn’t anything to worry about!
The couple traveled together, concerned for both their safety, given the relatives involved; it couldn’t be said that the road to the county was entirely safe.
The carriage traveled on the main road heading to the Ye family, which contained elements of danger, with bandits occasionally appearing in the mountainous areas!
Tang Shunyan actually wanted to join his teacher in visiting the Ye family, but was stopped at the door by someone—it was Meng Zhaojun from the day before!
It was agreed that I would visit the Ye family with the teacher, and the family had already made arrangements, involving a horde of maids and old women.
Tang Shunyan was entangled by someone, which left him no way to escape due to Meng Zhaojun’s Charming Technique.
“Tang Shunyan, didn’t you say you were free to let me give you some pointers? Or do you, a big strong man, speak only to break your word on the spot!”
Meng Zhaojun’s language was somewhat crude, fueled by her frustration with Tang Shunyan, especially knowing the young boy was supposed to visit the Ye family today. She had her maid find a driver to bring her here early in the morning without having breakfast and did all this secretly without telling her mother.
“Meng Zhaojun, I still have things to do. Could you please step aside?”
Tang Shunyan’s small frown deepened, sometimes truly at a loss with Meng Zhaojun!
Offending her too much wasn’t good either, as instructed by his family, understanding even at his young age that his family must maintain harmony with the Mengs.
More often than not, he endured Mistress Meng Zhaojun’s temper, not fussing over the small matters, now even his freedom to move was restricted.
“Busy with something? Planning to go out? Where to?”
Meng Zhaojun, with an angry face and red eyes, found the boy in front of her unappreciative, which solidified her resolve to stop him from going to the Ye household.
“Meng Zhaojun, this has nothing to do with you. Please go back first, I’ll find you when I’m free!”
Tang Shunyan still remembered the last time Meng Zhaojun made things difficult for Ru Mei when he didn’t want to go to the Ye family, this little girl followed!
“Hmph, I’m not so idle, come find me when you’re free. But now that I am free, you must accompany me, or else I’ll follow you wherever you go!”
Meng Zhaojun stood proudly, almost as tall as the young boy, yet a bit shorter.
Tang Shunyan felt both angry and annoyed, but he was unable to deal with the young girl in front of him and could only whisper a few words into the little pageboy’s ear.
“Tang Shunyan, don’t think about sneaking off, do you think I don’t know you’re heading to the Ye family? If you leave, can’t I go by myself?”
Tang Shunyan whispered into the little pageboy’s ear, and Meng Zhaojun mistakenly thought Tang Shunyan was trying to sneak away!
Tang Shunyan ignored Meng Zhaojun’s loud clamor, finished speaking to the little pageboy, and waved for him to leave.
Meng Zhaojun gave a look to Liang Chen, the Maid by her side, to stop the little pageboy.
“Meng Zhaojun, what are you doing now?” Tang Shunyan glared angrily, his usually mild demeanor hardly containing his stern expression as he looked at her.
“What else can I do? Either way, you and your servant can’t leave my sight.”
Meng Zhaojun, far from being angry, smiled smugly. As long as Tang Shunyan didn’t leave her sight today, she didn’t care whether he was angry or not.
Feeling helpless, Tang Shunyan could only wave for the maid to go inform the teacher to proceed to the Ye family without waiting for him.
Qiu Xia, who had been with him nearly a year, understood some of his non-verbal signals.
She went out to inform the two teachers, telling them to visit the Ye family without waiting for the young Master.
The Mo family couple had only planned to visit on their job this time; if the student Tang Shunyan didn’t accompany them, they didn’t ask for reasons.
The couple embarked on the carriage, the driver started off, and two guards rode alongside.
Tang Shunyan later heard from Qiu Xia, who reported back, that the teacher had already departed. Frustrated, he said to Meng Zhaojun, “Are you satisfied now?”