Chapter 246 No Mistakes Allowed
Zhang glanced at her and said bluntly, "Third sister-in-law, you and your third brother need to take care of Xiuming in your family."
Her tone carried a hint of hostility, and Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "What did he do now?"
Madam Zhang sat down to the side. Knowing that she and Gu Xiuming were actually at odds, she spoke bluntly: "That Concubine Li is ultimately just a lowly concubine. He dotes on her so much, treating her like an ancestor. I don't think he'll ever be able to get married. What girl would dare to marry him?"
Meng Jinyao was completely baffled. Gu Xiuming had been doting on Li Wan'er for a long time. He even disregarded his family's reputation and ran away from his arranged marriage for her. Now that he was finally with Li Wan'er, it was normal for him to dote on her. It would be strange if he didn't.
She smiled helplessly and said, "Sister-in-law, it's not appropriate for the Marquis and me to interfere too much in what happens in our son's room. It's normal for a young man just beginning to experience love to be a little clingy when he meets a girl he's attracted to. The novelty hasn't worn off yet."
Madam Zhang said unhappily, "Third sister-in-law, this isn't about whether they're clingy or not. That Aunt Li was playing around with Xiu Ming when she wasn't paying attention and bumped into one of Xiu's maids who does rough work. The maid managed to stay upright and didn't fall, but Aunt Li lost her balance and fell into the fishpond. Xiu Ming felt sorry for Aunt Li and scolded the maid without even asking what happened. If I hadn't happened to be passing by, he would have had the maid taken to the head maid for punishment."
Meng Jinyao was stunned after hearing this. She could actually see that Gu Xiuming had a violent aura after failing the exam, but he controlled it well in front of others and could maintain his gentle and refined appearance. Now he had exploded for Li Wan'er.
Madam Zhang continued, "Who cares whether he cares about his concubines or not, but it's going too far to reprimand and punish the maid without even knowing the facts. Although the maid is a servant, she cannot be punished arbitrarily. If word gets out, people will think that the Gu family are all unreasonable barbarians who beat their servants at will."
Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "Is that so?"
"Do you think I would fabricate facts to lie to you? It just happened."
Madam Zhang rubbed her temples and continued to sneer, "That Concubine Li not only looks weak and frail, but she's also mute when it really matters. She never mentions that she wasn't watching where she was going, and she just cries without saying a word. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the maid had pushed her into the fishpond. Sure enough, a concubine is a concubine. She's mute when she should speak, and when she shouldn't, she comes here to cry and whine about her grievances, doing all these vixen-like things."
Meng Jinyao said gently, "Sister-in-law, please calm down. I will talk to the Marquis and have him properly educate Xiuming. He did indeed make a mistake in this matter."
Madam Zhang added, "They must be properly educated, otherwise they will become a laughing stock again. Then our Gu family will be the laughing stock of the capital for a year. Every time, the laughing stock is related to the concubine who is not presentable. People who don't know the situation might think that being a concubine in the Gu family is more prestigious than being the wife."
Meng Jinyao nodded in agreement. She understood that this time it wasn't Zhang Shi targeting Gu Xiuming. The sisters-in-law had been together for so long and she knew that Zhang Shi disliked concubines the most. Gu Jingsheng had several young and beautiful concubines who competed for favor every day. Therefore, Zhang Shi disliked concubines equally. Since she knew that the maid hadn't done it on purpose, she had to deal with it seriously and not let the concubines' arrogance be encouraged, no matter whose concubine they were.
A moment later, she asked again, "By the way, was Aunt Li alright after falling into the water?"
Zhang replied, "How could she be seriously injured? When she fell into the water, Xiuming immediately jumped in to save her. She was only briefly submerged. It's late autumn now, so at most she'll just catch a chill." She paused for a moment, then continued, "They must have just returned from outside. I saw that Aunt Li's maid was carrying several packets of medicine. Are they unwell?"
Meng Jinyao said nonchalantly, "I don't know. Maybe they're feeling a little unwell, but they seem to be in good spirits, so they shouldn't be seriously ill."
Zhang nodded: "That's true."
Meng Jinyao lost interest in her rebellious son's affairs and continued writing invitations.
That evening, Meng Jinyao mentioned what Zhang had said to Gu Jingxi. She was too lazy to discipline her unfilial son; she wanted his father to handle such matters, otherwise the unfilial son would think she was using Li Wan'er's jealousy as an excuse.
Gu Jingxi listened with a helpless expression and said indifferently, "It is said that if a son is not taught, it is the father's fault, but it is not that I have not educated him. Since he was a child, I have been telling him the principles of sages and virtuous men, and I have always taught him to be a child of excellent character. Now he has become like this, which shows that he has not listened to a single word of my words. Now he probably hates me. It is not something that I can change his temperament by giving him a few more words of education. Let him do what he wants, so that his mother can see his true character."
Meng Jinyao didn't try to persuade him. Anyway, she had conveyed her message, and what he said was right. With Gu Xiuming in his current state, if a father tried to educate him, he would only receive complaints from his unfilial son.
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On this day.
Qingqiu returned from outside.
When Meng Jinyao saw her return, she dismissed the maids serving in the room before asking softly, "Qingqiu, what's going on?"
Qingqiu replied, "Madam, news came from the Earl's Mansion that it was the old lady's fifty-fifth birthday. Madam Sun thought it wasn't a big birthday celebration and wanted to have a simple event with the family, but she was severely reprimanded by the Earl and the old lady, who accused her of being unfilial."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao smiled mockingly and said, "It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. Even if the Earl's Mansion loses the support of my mother's dowry, my father and grandmother will still put on a show and continue to maintain the 'glory' of the Earl's Mansion, otherwise they will always feel that they will be laughed at."
Qingqiu said, "Therefore, Sun's objection is ineffective, and we can only do as the Earl and the Old Madam wish."
As Qingqiu spoke, she lowered her voice and said, "However, Madam Sun's insistence on keeping everything simple this time is not because she wants to spend money or be extravagant, but because she is not in good spirits and does not have the energy to hold a birthday banquet for the old lady."
Meng Jinyao wasn't surprised at all; it was something she had expected, because she trusted Qiao Mama's abilities. She slightly curled the corners of her lips: "On the day of the birthday banquet, will my plan be completed?"
Qingqiu nodded gently: "Given Sun's current condition, your plan will definitely be successful. She hallucinates when she sees someone who looks somewhat similar during the day, and occasionally she can't help but have delusions. If it weren't for Granny Qiao watching over her and stopping her from talking nonsense, she would have embarrassed herself time and time again."
Meng Jinyao suppressed her smile, a gloomy aura settling between her brows. She said in a solemn tone, "That's good. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come. Tell Granny Qiao that there must be no mistakes."
Qingqiu nodded again: "Don't worry, Madam."
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