Chapter 417 Jingxi Leaves the Capital

At night, people will rest.

On the eve of their departure, Gu Jingxi was wide awake.

He gently stroked Meng Jinyao's lower abdomen, and suddenly became melancholic, his tone quite sad: "Ayao, I'll be gone for at least two or three months. When I come back, will the baby not recognize me?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Husband, I'm not a cat who can give birth after only two months of pregnancy. The baby is still in my belly, and I can't see anything outside. How can I not recognize you? Once you arrive in Hangzhou, just focus on your business. The baby and I will be waiting for you to come home."

Seeing that she showed no reluctance at the impending departure, Gu Jingxi instantly felt as if she had fallen out of favor. She had been unable to sleep last night because of her departure from the capital, but today, after being diagnosed with pregnancy, her thoughts had shifted entirely to the child.

Meng Jinyao met his gaze and said again, "Husband, why are you looking at me like that? Isn't what I said the truth?"

Gu Jingxi said in a serious tone, "Ayao, the child will eventually grow up. In a dozen years, he will become someone else's wife or someone else's husband. Only your husband will always be with you, grow old with you, and be buried with you in the future."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, glanced at him with a puzzled look, and laughed, "That's more than ten years from now. Right now, I'm still in my belly, so let's not think about things that are far ahead."

Gu Jingxi: "..."

Wasn't he just trying to seduce a blind man, a complete waste of effort?

Meng Jinyao yawned and said, "Husband, it's getting late, let's go to sleep."

After hearing this, Gu Jingxi stopped dwelling on the issue.

The next morning.

After waking up, Gu Jingxi dressed and went to the bathroom to wash up. After having breakfast, he noticed that his wife was still asleep. He thought for a moment and decided to wake her up. Otherwise, she would probably feel bad if she woke up and found that he had already left.

Meng Jinyao slowly woke up and found that the man sitting by the bed was already dressed. Knowing that he was leaving the capital today, her sleepiness instantly dissipated by half. She asked, "Husband, are you leaving?"

Gu Jingxi nodded gently: "Yes, it's time to leave, so I woke you up to say goodbye."

“Then I’ll see my husband off,” Meng Jinyao said, and was about to get up.

Gu Jingxi pressed her shoulder to stop her from getting up and said gently, "No need to see me off. I will be gone for at least two or three months. Take good care of yourself at home. If anything happens, just ask your mother."

Meng Jinyao replied, "I will, my husband, don't worry."

Gu Jingxi said, "Ayao, I have to leave now. You can continue sleeping for a while."

Meng Jinyao said softly, "Have a safe journey, my husband, and come back soon."

Gu Jingxi nodded, bent down and kissed her forehead, then turned and left.

As Meng Jinyao watched his figure disappear from sight, the reluctance to part grew stronger. Fortunately, she had a little one with her, so she wouldn't be too lonely.

-

Meanwhile, Old Madam Gu sent Granny Feng to deliver some supplements for pregnant women.

In addition, Madam Gu, who usually lives a secluded life, went out today and personally donated a sum of money to the orphanage. Normally, this kind of thing could be done by sending a servant, but she felt that it was not sincere enough, so she made the trip herself.

Madam Gu donated silver and went to the temple to burn incense and donate money for incense oil, praying for her unborn grandson or granddaughter.

The servants of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion also knew that the Marquis's illness had been cured and that his wife was pregnant. The old lady attached great importance to this unborn grandson or granddaughter, donating money and burning incense to pray for blessings.

The servants in the manor treated Meng Jinyao like a fragile porcelain doll, taking great care of her. If she were to be bumped or knocked over, and something happened to the old lady's precious grandson, they would surely suffer the consequences.

The news of Meng Jinyao's pregnancy not only spread within the Gu family but also beyond, causing an uproar in the capital. Everyone was discussing it, never expecting that Gu Jingxi's illness could be cured and that he would have a child in his old age.

After making some inquiries, it was learned that it was thanks to Physician Wen that Gu Jingxi was cured; Physician Wen's superb medical skills had cured him. As a result, Physician Wen, who was already famous for his excellent medical skills, became even more renowned, and more and more men suffering from impotence secretly sought out Physician Wen for treatment.

Physician Wen originally felt quite accomplished for curing Gu Jingxi's chronic illness. Now, seeing so many people secretly seeking his treatment, and almost everyone telling him after their consultation that he must keep it a secret, he was getting tired of hearing the same thing.

When Meng Jinyao first returned, she planned to visit her friend in a couple of days and give her the gifts she brought back from Huzhou. However, after being diagnosed with pregnancy and an unstable fetus, she didn't dare to go out and only sent someone to deliver the gifts.

Princess Jingning and Song Xinning were both surprised and delighted to learn that she was pregnant, and they came to visit her together.

Song Xinning was more than seven months pregnant. As she was about to become a mother, she became much gentler and more composed. But when she saw Meng Jinyao, she immediately became lively again and chattered on and on to Meng Jinyao: "Ayao, you have no idea how jealous those women are. They say that you are only able to marry a marquis after Gu Xiuming ran away from his wedding. Their jealousy is practically written all over their faces."

Meng Jinyao asked, puzzled, "Why are they jealous of me?"

Song Xinning replied, "Because your Lord Gu was once their ideal man, the husband they dreamed of. They had a crush on him, but when they learned he was injured, they immediately fell for someone else."

"Now that the white moonlight has recovered from her illness, she is handsome, talented, and highly valued by the emperor, while the women themselves are not doing well after getting married, and their husbands are not as capable as Lord Gu. This comparison makes them think of the white moonlight, who belongs to another woman. How can they not be depressed? They wish they could turn back time and get engaged to Lord Gu after the Mei family broke off their engagement."

Princess Jingning snorted: "They are simply jealous of what others have and laugh at what others don't. They mock others when they don't have it, and they are sour and jealous when others have it, wishing they had it themselves."

“That’s right, that’s their mentality. If they marry Lord Gu, they’ll definitely find fault with him again before he gets better. They’re really crazy.” After saying that, Song Xinning reached out and gently touched Meng Jinyao’s belly, and added, “Ayao, now that we’re both pregnant, maybe we can become in-laws.”

Princess Jingning was immediately displeased upon hearing this, and said resentfully, "A-Ning, I'm getting married at the end of the year, and I might become a mother next year. Why do you only think about becoming in-laws with A-Yao and not with me?"

Song Xinning chuckled and retorted, "Ayan, have you forgotten what your future husband's last name is?"

Princess Jingning replied, "My surname is Chen. What's wrong?"

Song Xinning said, "Your future husband's surname is Shen, and your child will definitely also have the surname Shen. My child also has the surname Shen. Since they both have the surname Shen, how can they marry? There is a law that prohibits marriage between people with the same surname. If people with the same surname do marry, they will be punished with caning and divorced."

Princess Jingning was taken aback upon hearing this, then belatedly remembered the law. She silently turned her gaze to Meng Jinyao's belly and smiled, "Maybe you'll both have sons, and I'll have a daughter next year. Then my opportunity will come. No matter which of you I marry, I can rest assured that my daughter won't have any mother-in-law/daughter-in-law problems."

Meng Jinyao asked with a smile, "Ayan, aren't you ashamed? You're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about finding a son-in-law."