Chapter 104 Living a Life of Widowhood

On that day, the weather was fine and the sky was clear and blue.

Meng Chengzhang and Gu Xiuwen set off for Lingshan Academy. The wounds on his face had not fully healed, but they were much better than the day before yesterday. As long as he applied the medicine on time, they would be completely healed by the time they arrived at the academy, and no trace of the wounds would be visible.

When Gu Xiuwen left home for the first time, Zhang was extremely reluctant to part with him. She saw her son off to Shili Pavilion outside the capital before bidding him a reluctant farewell. Seeing her son's excited face, it seemed that she, as a mother, could not bear to be apart from her son.

Zhang didn't say anything more, but instructed, "Son, you must study hard when you get to the academy and try to pass the assessment at the end of the year. Otherwise, if you are expelled, your third uncle will also lose face."

Gu Xiuwen nodded: "Mother, I know, please don't worry."

Meng Chengzhang was always sensible, so Meng Jinyao didn't have much to say to him. She just told him to eat well, dress well, and not to put too much pressure on himself. Then she said to Gu Xiuwen, "Xiuwen, in the academy, you and your second uncle should look after each other."

"Don't worry, Third Aunt, I will take good care of Second Uncle." After saying that, Gu Xiuwen turned to look at Meng Chengzhang. Ever since the two of them beat up Gu Xiuming together the day before yesterday, their relationship had improved a lot, and they seemed to be developing into close friends.

Madam Zhang chimed in, "Third sister-in-law, don't worry, Xiuwen is a good child and can take good care of Chengzhang."

She was happy for her son to befriend Meng Chengzhang, as a scholar could inspire her son to study hard. Furthermore, if her brother-in-law really wanted her son to be adopted in the future, Xiuwen would be on good terms with his uncle, which would strengthen their relationship and ensure that he could replace Xiuming as the heir.

Meng Chengzhang's expression froze. He was an elder, but he was younger than the younger generation and needed to be taken care of. He felt quite embarrassed, and even thought about switching the generations and calling Gu Xiuwen "Second Uncle".

It was getting late, so they put the person on the carriage and told the driver to set off.

Lingshan Academy is less than 400 li from the capital, which is only a two or three-day journey. However, Zhang was worried about her son, so she specially sent a servant who knew martial arts to accompany and protect him, and ordered the servant to safely deliver him to Lingshan Academy and then return.

In this way, it can both protect safety and let other students see it, making others think twice. This is a disciple of a wealthy family, and they should not provoke him casually. After all, even among scholars, many people respect a person's appearance before their character. People from wealthy families are not easily provoked.

When they returned to the manor, Meng Jinyao and Madam Zhang rode in the same carriage.

The two sisters-in-law were far apart in age, old enough to be mother and daughter, and had nothing in common to talk about, so they chatted idly along the way.

As they passed a jewelry shop, Zhang suddenly said, "Third sister-in-law, I saw Lady Yongchang and Miss Meng up ahead."

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao, who was resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them. She saw Zhang lift the carriage curtain, sat down next to Zhang, and looked outside. Sure enough, she saw her stepmother Sun and Meng Jinyu waving goodbye to their friends at the entrance of the jewelry shop.

The mother and daughter also noticed her, and the three pairs of eyes met.

The smile on Madam Sun's face froze instantly. She lowered her eyes slightly, half-closed them, and stared at her with a sinister look, as if she wanted to use her gaze to cut a piece of flesh from her body.

Meng Jinyu's expression changed, and she glared at her angrily.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao smiled and curled her lips. It was clear that the mother and daughter hated her to the bone and wished they could tear her to pieces.

She lowered the carriage curtain, ignored them, and turned to talk to Zhang about other things, avoiding the topic of Sun and her daughter.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyu stomped her feet in anger: "Mother, look at her, she just married into a wealthy family and she acts all smug. She doesn't even stop to greet her elders. You've wasted sixteen years raising her."

Watching the carriage drive away, Madam Sun slowly withdrew her gaze, suppressed the surging resentment in her heart, pulled her daughter into the carriage, and then said gently, "She won't be able to be so smug for long. In a few years, her beauty will fade and her favor will wane. She has no children to rely on. Without the favor of Marquis Changxing, she will be nothing."

“Even without the favor of the Marquis of Changxing, she is still a noble Marquis’s wife.” Meng Jinyu said, then pursed her lips, feeling downcast. A couple of days ago, when she attended a gathering with her girlfriends, someone ridiculed her, saying that her mother had fallen out with her eldest sister and that without her sister’s connections, she would only have a declining Yongchang Earl’s mansion, making it difficult for her to find a decent husband. She could never expect to be as successful as her eldest sister in this lifetime.

Madam Sun scoffed dismissively, "This Lady of the Marquis is nothing more than a widow living in vain. What difference is there between her and a eunuch being married off?" Seeing her daughter's dejected expression, she comforted her, "Ayu, your mother will find you a good marriage. You don't need to envy her."

Meng Jinyu lowered her head and murmured, "What good family can I marry into now?"

Madam Sun disagreed: "Why can't she get married? Our Ayu is so beautiful, and she is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is an excellent girl."

“That was before.” Meng Jinyu glanced at her mother and whispered reproachfully, “Mother, why did you covet her birth mother’s dowry back then? If that hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have fallen out, and my marriage wouldn’t have been thwarted. In the eyes of outsiders, I would have an elder sister who would become a Marquis’s wife and would support me in the future.”

As an elder, being questioned by the child in a blaming tone made Sun lose face. She immediately became angry and poked her forehead impatiently, scolding, "Isn't what your mother did all this for you and Chengxing?"

“Your deceased second uncle was a gambler. Your grandmother favored her youngest son and indulged him, covering up for him. Over the years, the Yongchang Marquis’s mansion has gradually declined and is now almost an empty shell. When you get married, you won’t have a decent dowry and you won’t be able to hold your head up in front of your husband’s family.”

Meng Jinyu remained silent. It would have been better if she hadn't tried to help her in the first place; then this whole mess wouldn't have happened. Now it's all for nothing, and she's been humiliated and ridiculed along with everyone. With the Yongchang Marquis's mansion in such a state, and Meng Jinyao not offering any support to her family, her future is uncertain.

After all, she was her own daughter, so Madam Sun didn't stay angry for long. Seeing her daughter's dejected expression, she didn't continue with the previous question and softened her tone: "Ayu, didn't you say a couple of days ago that you met Princess Jingning and had a very pleasant conversation with her?"

Meng Jinyu's eyes immediately lit up, and a smile appeared on her face, with a hint of pride: "The Jingning County government is hosting a flower viewing banquet and has also sent me an invitation, asking me to attend the banquet in a couple of days."

Looking at her beautiful daughter, Madam Sun seemed to be deep in thought. She quickly came up with an idea and gently instructed her, "Ayu, you must cultivate a good relationship with Princess Jingning. I've heard that the princess has a bad temper, so just bear with it and make her happy. It will bring you a lot of benefits."

Meng Jinyu nodded: "Mother, I understand. We finally managed to get in touch with Princess Jingning, and we won't mess it up easily."