bayedsolid Chapter 180 Getting a Scolding Upon Entering!
Chapter 180 Getting a Scolding Upon Entering!
The next day, Mu Changping returned to the mansion, and the old lady arranged an extremely grand ceremony for him. Although Li was displeased, she couldn't say anything because of the concept of filial piety.
However, Mu Xin Nuan noticed that the old man's expression was clearly not good.
She raised an eyebrow slightly; she had naturally anticipated the old master's reaction. After all, the old lady's previous attempt to send her daughter-in-law's dowry to her second son's courtyard had already greatly displeased him. Now, knowing that the old lady had made such a grand show to welcome her second son back to the mansion, he was utterly ignorant of her own limitations!
Although Mu Chang'an was displeased, it was his younger brother, whom he hadn't seen for many years, who had returned. How could he not be excited? So, he didn't care about the pomp and circumstance.
Once Mu Changping and his family entered the mansion, they naturally exchanged greetings and salutations.
Mu Changping and his wife Jin were dressed very appropriately, and their two sons were also dressed neatly and luxuriously. At first glance, they were even more wealthy than Mu Qingxuan and his brother!
When Mu Xin Nuan saw the carriages following behind them, the corners of her lips curled up slightly. This second uncle really has no fear of death! He actually dares to be so arrogant. Does he think that just because he has a concubine's daughter from a marquis's family as his wife, the prime minister won't dare to touch him?
Old Master Mu sat in the main seat, looking at his son with a very heavy expression. He had actually dared to embezzle public funds! If it weren't for the fact that he and his eldest son still had some influence with the Prime Minister, this son probably wouldn't be back by now!
But now this second son has returned home, and not only does he not know how to be discreet and cautious, he actually dares to make such a big show of it. He is clearly deliberately causing trouble and waiting for his superiors to punish him.
Putting aside the group's attire, just seeing the large number of servants and luggage trunks following behind them was enough to infuriate the old man.
"Still not kneeling down!"
The old man slammed his hand on the table, startling the old lady who was standing nearby. She blinked, clearly still confused. Her second son had finally returned to the capital, so why was the old man behaving this way?
"Grandpa, please don't get angry. As for the matter of the 100,000 taels of silver, it wasn't that the eldest son didn't have to worry about it; it was the second son who covered it up himself, wasn't it?" the old lady said unhappily.
"Yes, Father, I did not take a single tael of silver from my elder brother and sister-in-law."
Mu Changping's eyes welled up with tears, and his two sons behind him naturally knelt down as well. "Father, you were afraid that your son would implicate your elder brother, but your son didn't spend a single penny of your elder brother's money. Even if your son sold all his properties outside, he wouldn't dare to implicate the entire Mu family."
How pitiful those words are!
Mu Xin Nuan sneered inwardly. What a joke! It was clearly you who embezzled the national treasury's money. Shouldn't you be the one to return it? How come you make yourself sound so pitiful while portraying your father and mother as heartless people who stood by and watched them die? What a good second uncle of mine!
Li's expression indeed turned ugly. They were clearly in the wrong first, so why were they being so unreasonable now?
Mu Xinyao's eyes darted back and forth between the four members of the second family, clearly indicating that she was plotting something.
"How dare you say that!" The old man's anger flared even more upon hearing Mu Changping's words.
"You think you'll be fine once you've coughed up that 100,000 taels of silver?" The old man stared at her, noting that there wasn't a single servant left in the room. "And you dare blame your elder brother for not helping you? Do you think the Prime Minister is so easy to talk to? Do you think your elder brother didn't try to help you?"
"Hmph!" The old man snorted heavily. "To tell you the truth, if it weren't for your elder brother running around helping you pull strings and even giving the Prime Minister one of his favorite paintings, do you think you would still be alive?"
The old man deliberately emphasized the last four words, "come back alive," which immediately sent a shiver down Mu Changping's spine, and cold sweat poured down his temples.
"Do I need to explain the laws of my Great Yong Dynasty to you again? Embezzling ten thousand taels of national treasury silver is enough to warrant execution! Moreover, in your case, if the Prime Minister says it's embezzlement, then it's embezzlement; if he says it's misappropriation, then it's misappropriation. Do you think I'm bluffing you?"
"Father, I know I was wrong. That's not what I meant."
"That's not what I meant? What did I mean then? Changping, let me tell you, just because I'm old doesn't mean I'm senile! Don't you even know who you are? You're a criminal!"
The old man must have spoken too hastily, for his throat suddenly itched, and he began to cough.
Mu Xin Nuan hurried over and helped the old man catch his breath. She then personally served him tea to moisten his throat. Her actions of serving others were as natural and elegant as flowing water, without the slightest hint of servility.
Mu Xinyao couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy upon seeing this. Over the years, no matter how hard she tried to please the old master, he always kept a cold face towards her, and he treated Mu Qingyuan better than she did! She truly didn't understand what she had done to offend this grandfather.
"Grandfather, don't be in a hurry. Let's talk things out slowly. Now that Second Uncle is back, he will naturally have plenty of time to listen to your teachings. Why rush things?"
Upon hearing this, the old lady nodded repeatedly, "That's right! Ah Nuan is right, no rush. Let them go in and change their clothes first, so they can catch their breath."
The old man took a couple of sips of tea, cleared his throat, and glared at the kneeling second son on the ground with great displeasure. "I repeatedly told you in my letter not to spread this around, why didn't you listen? Now look what's happened, I'm afraid the news of the second master of the Mu family's passing in the capital has already spread like wildfire. I think you just want to die!"
This reprimand really woke Mu Changping up quite a bit, and his face turned a little pale.
She glared at Jin Shi with slight annoyance. If Jin Shi hadn't kept saying that if she returned to the capital too poorly, she would be looked down upon by the eldest son's family and her life in the Mu family would be very difficult, she wouldn't have made such arrangements. She was indeed a woman's view!
Mu Changping now regrets his actions, but he has forgotten that when he listened to Jin's words, he also felt that his elder brother, now a minister, might look down on him. That's why he thought he should return in a grand manner to make himself look more impressive.
Who would have thought that it would backfire?