Seeing her mother's anxious and hesitant expression, Gu Yaoniang sat down in the chair opposite Madam Gu. She didn't urge her mother, but simply looked at Madam Gu with clear eyes.
Madam Gu felt flustered under her gaze. She had originally intended to tell her husband about it when he returned from work. However, she knew that Yao Niang had noticed her anxiety today, and now that things had come to this, there was no way to hide it. But she truly didn't know how to phrase it and only wanted to wait for her husband to return so they could discuss it together.
She gazed at the beautiful girl before her, gently brushing away the stray hairs from the girl's forehead with a tender touch, her voice long and gentle: "My beautiful girl, what will become of you from now on..." Her sigh was tinged with sorrow, filled with a sense of bewilderment, as if she were asking herself a question, or simply sighing in vain.
Gu Yaoniang gently grasped her mother's hand. She understood that her mother's unusual behavior must be for her sake, but she didn't know what it was.
"Mother, what happened?" Her eyes were soft and admiring, yet also held an undeniable firmness. "I want to know."
Madam Gu released her grip, straightened her posture, and sat back in her chair, her hands clasped together until they turned white. She looked out at the courtyard, which was surrounded by a cloudless sky. However, sitting in the hall, she could only see a sliver of light through the not-so-spacious courtyard and over the wall.
She forced a smile at Gu Yaoniang and said, "Actually, it's nothing serious. It's just that today an aunt was talking about Qin Yuxiu and Miss Xie, how they were a perfect match, how he passed the imperial examination with flying colors, their wedding night was filled with joy, and they had double happiness. It made me uncomfortable."
Gu Yaoniang understood. Gossiping was an essential part of banquets and gatherings in the city, especially about things like the top scholar in the imperial examinations or a marriage bestowed by the emperor. These things, which were originally unattainable for the women of Qingyun County, suddenly happened right next to them. The crowd, like cats that had smelled fish, devoured these topics of conversation with great interest.
It seems they mentioned more than just Qin Yuxiu.
"Mother, did the aunts mention me again?"
Madam Gu was taken aback for a moment: "Someone mentioned you and asked me if you two were engaged before."
She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, and said, "I've told them everything we agreed on." She patted Gu Yaoniang's slender wrist, "Don't worry, Yaoyao, it's alright."
Gu Yaoniang understood; that meant she wouldn't be happy. However, she still harbored some doubts, feeling there was something she didn't know.
In the evening, after dinner, Madam Gu said she had something to do and sent Gu Yaoniang back to her room early.
Gu Yaoniang refused to return, but was glared at and driven away by Mr. Gu. Once outside the main room, Gu Yaoniang gestured for Bitao to follow behind, secretly eavesdropping. She had a premonition that what her parents were about to say would most likely be the very thing that had caused Madam Gu to return home in anger during the day.
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang had been sent away, Madam Gu poured out the story of what had happened that day. She was not usually one to keep secrets, but in her anger, she had endured it all day long out of pity for Gu Yaoniang, which was already her limit.
It turns out that the host family had been on good terms with Madam Gu in the past, and had made it clear beforehand that they would not be inviting Aunt Qin.
However, this small banquet didn't have many rules to begin with, and each guest brought along another person. One of the guests invited Aunt Qin to come along as well.
Aunt Qin was overjoyed at the occasion. Coupled with her naturally flamboyant nature and lack of restraint, she repeatedly mentioned Qin Yuxiu loudly during the banquet, drawing flattery from the surrounding guests. This only annoyed Madam Gu.
That's fine.
Unfortunately, a woman, unaware of the situation, vaguely remembered hearing that Qin Yuxiu had been engaged to the young lady of the Gu family next door. Now that she had found another good match, she couldn't help but ask.
Madam Gu and Aunt Qin both denied it, saying it was a misunderstanding as agreed, and that the two families were just exchanging pleasantries. They remained silent. Seeing that there was nothing more to say, the ladies also gave up their gossipy thoughts.
However, seeing the awkward atmosphere, the host, wanting to liven things up, warmed up some peach blossom wine and invited the ladies to taste it. Although it was late spring, a chill would occasionally set in if a breeze blew. At this time, the warmed wine, with a touch of honey, was sweet and pleasant, and the ladies thoroughly enjoyed it.
Who would have thought that although the peach blossom wine was sweet and not very spicy, it had a strong aftereffect. None of the families who came today were particularly wealthy or powerful. Usually, the men in their homes drink the wine, and the women rarely have the opportunity to drink. Unaware of the limits of their capacity and unable to hold their liquor, they became intoxicated and spoke recklessly, which led to the trouble.
First, a lady spoke with certainty that the Gu family and the Qin family had indeed been engaged, which drew agreement from the surrounding women.
The conversation then turned to Yao Niang.
Some people say, "The young lady of the Gu family is really pitiful. She is not young anymore, but she has been rejected by her fiancé. It is as if she has been abandoned. She will probably never be able to get married in the future."
Someone chimed in, "That's right! They've been engaged for so many years, who knows what happened between them that made Scholar Qin look down on Miss Gu and break off the engagement. Now, it's probably impossible to say for sure what happened to Miss Gu."
Some people say, "Times have changed. Qin Yuxiu has now passed the imperial examination with flying colors, but the Gu family is still just a poor county official. The young lady of the Gu family usually manages the household affairs and appears in public. It is only natural that the Qin family looks down on the Gu family and cancels the engagement."
Some people say, "If the Qin family and the Gu family were truly engaged, and now that their daughter has been abandoned, the Gu family is still covering it up. Could it be that there's something wrong with the young lady from the Gu family?"
Some people said, "A few days ago, I saw the young lady of the Gu family crying and making a scene at the Qin family's door every day, but she was kicked out by the Qin family."
However, some people countered: "The young lady of the Gu family is clearly weeping every day, her face is wet with tears, she doesn't eat or drink, and she hasn't stepped out of her room. She is heartbroken and can't go on living."
Every word was a speculation and slander against Gu Yaoniang, but not a single word was mentioned about Qin Yuxiu. Madam Gu was so angry that she saw stars.
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