Light footsteps sounded outside the door, the steps slow and graceful, like a woman's. Someone walked to the door of the private room, knocked gently, opened the door, and came in.
Lu Zhaoan sat for a while before leaving Jin Yu Lou.
At this moment, only Gu Yaoniang was in the private room. Hearing the sound, she turned her head to look outside the door.
Upon seeing the visitor, she smiled and tried to get up, but Princess Ruining stopped her: "Oh, don't sit still! I heard from Bitao that you weren't feeling well, so we could have arranged for another day!"
Gu Yaoniang's face was pale, but she didn't seem to care much: "I'm not that delicate. It happens every month. I'm used to it."
She smiled at Xie Danqiu, who was behind Princess Ruining: "A-Qiu."
She looked at Xie Danqiu and saw that she looked somewhat haggard. The carefree spirit she had when she was young had disappeared from her face, replaced by an undeniable weariness.
Princess Ruining and Xie Danqiu—that's the real reason Gu Yaoniang came to Jinyulou despite feeling unwell.
Xie Danqiu stood still, without making a move.
She stared intently at Gu Yaoniang, making Gu Yaoniang feel a little uneasy. Xie Danqiu had always been open and friendly towards her, and would even protect her when others made things difficult for her.
But Xie Danqiu's gaze was sharp at this moment, and Gu Yaoniang felt sad and her heart ached.
From the very first day they met, from the moment Xie Danqiu first showed kindness to Gu Yaoniang, Gu Yaoniang had been worried about this day coming.
Princess Ruining and Gu Yaoniang exchanged a glance. Princess Ruining then called out to her, "A Qiu, don't stand there, come and sit down."
Xie Danqiu then moved and walked to the table.
The three chairs in the private room were close together. Gu Yaoniang and Princess Ruining sat on the left and right sides respectively, leaving the middle seat for her.
There was another chair on the other side, but it was opposite Princess Ruining and Gu Yaoniang.
Xie Danqiu hesitated for a moment by the table, but Princess Ruining pulled her to sit down in the middle.
Princess Ruining whispered to Gu Yaoniang, "Lord Qin's mother is quite formidable. If I hadn't gone to fetch Aqiu today, she wouldn't have allowed Aqiu to go out."
She took Xie Danqiu's hand, held up her hand and compared it to Xie Danqiu's wrist, and said, "Look at you, how thin you are! What kind of young girl is so thin after giving birth?"
And you too, what kind of family is the Qin family, and what kind of family is yours? How could they bully you like this, a daughter of the dignified Xie family?
Have you read too many books and gone mad? This is the time for you to abuse your power. What's the point of talking about gentlemanly conduct, filial piety, brotherly love, and righteousness? Not suffering a loss is the most important thing.
Her tone was full of heartache.
Xie Danqiu's eyes reddened, but she stubbornly turned her head away and remained silent.
Gu Yaoniang was also standing to the side, feeling quite guilty.
Xie Danqiu should now know about her previous engagement and subsequent annulment with Qin Yuxiu. Their meeting now is somewhat awkward.
Princess Ruining and Gu Yaoniang both felt that their previous concealment of the truth from Xie Danqiu had led to this bitter outcome. Although they were forced to comply with the imperial decree, they could have let Xie Danqiu know the truth beforehand and prepared herself, and perhaps things would be better now.
Xie Danqiu seemed to have lost contact with the Qin family, and the Qin family was not a place to talk, so they could only invite Xie Danqiu out to talk at Jinyulou.
Gu Yaoniang called softly, "A Qiu...it's my fault..."
Xie Danqiu's eyes were only red, with tears welling up but not falling. But upon hearing Yao Niang's words, the tears streamed down her face.
"What's wrong with you! This isn't your fault. I didn't want to see you, but I didn't know how. I've never resented you... It's the Qin family who's gone too far!"
When she spoke of Qin Yuxiu, the tenderness of the past was gone, but there was no excessive resentment either.
Gu Yaoniang picked up a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, but her own eyes also reddened.
Xie Danqiu didn't want her to see her vulnerable side, so she turned to face Princess Ruining.
Gu Yaoniang sighed: "I know Aunt Qin. She's very strong-willed in front of others. She won't do anything really bad, but she's good at making others suffer."
Princess Ruining had been rubbing Xie Danqiu's back, but upon hearing Gu Yaoniang's words, Xie Danqiu suddenly looked up and gave a cold laugh: "Ha! That old woman! Always putting on an act!"
She regarded Qin Yuxiu as her lifeblood, believing him to be a top scholar, a golden phoenix that flew out of a grass nest, and treasured him dearly.
My daughter-in-law is naturally the enemy who stole her son. Every time she sees me, she's all hostile and unfriendly. She always gives me a disapproving look before she even speaks. If she ever gives me a nice look, I feel strange.
But when I was with Qin Yuxiu, she was incredibly kind to me. That fool Qin Yuxiu only listens to her mother; her mother is always perfect, and if her mother says I'm bad, then I'm bad.
When Princess Ruining and Gu Yaoniang heard her mention Qin Yuxiu, she no longer referred to him as "husband" but called him by his given name. They knew then that the couple's relationship had likely deteriorated to the point of no return, and their marital affection was probably beyond repair.
The relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law has always been difficult, let alone for them.
"How do you think I knew you were engaged to Qin Yuxiu before? It was that old woman who said I had a bad temper, that I wasn't as gentle as you, and that I wasn't good at cooking. She said Qin Yuxiu looked down on you and married me instead, but she never expected me to be this kind of person."
Few of my uncles and brothers hold official positions, so she said that our Xie family has a big name but no real power; it's just an empty shell. If I had known it would be like this, I would have been better off marrying you. At least your second uncle has put you in charge of the family now, and marrying you would have brought me the wealth and status of the Gu family.
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