Chapter 438 Third-Rank Imperial Consort
Not long after lunch, Qingqiu hurried in, curtsied to Meng Jinyao and his wife, and said, "My lord, my lady, an imperial edict has arrived from the palace."
Gu Jingxi was slightly surprised. He had only entered the palace that morning, and now the imperial edict had arrived. He had thought that the edict would not arrive until tomorrow.
Meng Jinyao was puzzled: "Husband, why would an imperial edict suddenly come from the palace?"
Gu Jingxi pretended not to know: "I don't know either. Let's go receive the imperial decree first, and we'll find out what's going on later."
Meng Jinyao responded, stood up, and went with Gu Jingxi to the front courtyard to receive the imperial decree.
Meng Jinyao was pregnant and walked slowly. When she and her husband arrived at the front yard, all the women from the first and second wives' households, except for the men who were not at home, had already arrived, and even Old Madam Gu was there.
All members of the Gu family who were at home were present, and they all knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
The eunuch glanced at the Gu family, then slowly unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict. A high-pitched voice then rang out: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Meng, wife of Marquis Gu Jingxi of Changxing, is dignified, virtuous, and wise; gentle in nature, and possessing profound virtue. She is a dutiful and dignified wife to her husband and a gentle and virtuous wife to her household. Therefore, she is hereby conferred the title of Third-Rank Virtuous Lady. So be it!"
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone was stunned. They never expected that this was actually an imperial edict conferring a title of nobility.
Gu Jingxi was a third-rank official, and his wife's status rose with his wealth. Meng Jinyao received a third-rank imperial title because of Gu Jingxi.
Meng Jinyao was completely taken aback. Being granted an imperial title was something she never dared to dream of, yet it had suddenly fallen upon her, making her wonder if she had misheard.
Seeing that Meng Jinyao was stunned and didn't react, the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree gently reminded her, "Madam Gu, please accept the decree."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao finally reacted and hurriedly kowtowed to express her gratitude: "Your Majesty, I accept the decree and thank you for your great favor. Long live the Emperor!" After she finished speaking, she stretched out her hands to accept the imperial decree.
After everyone stood up, Madam Gu instructed her maid to hand over the prepared purses to the three eunuchs, as a gesture of inviting the eunuch who had delivered the imperial decree, as well as the two accompanying eunuchs, to have tea.
After the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree left, Meng Jinyao was still stunned, holding the decree in her hand. She felt as if she were dreaming, and even though she had the decree in her hand, it still felt unreal.
Madam Zhang and Madam Chen were filled with envy. In their Changxing Marquis's household, only their mother-in-law held an imperial title, and now their third sister-in-law also held one. This was not only an honor, but also a monthly stipend, the opportunity to attend palace banquets, and even meet the Emperor and Empress. Being granted an imperial title was the dream of countless women. If their husbands couldn't achieve this, they would have to rely on their sons to make them noblewomen.
Seeing her daughter-in-law staring blankly at the imperial edict, Madam Gu smiled kindly and said, "Ayao, the edict-bearer has already left, why are you still daydreaming?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao snapped out of her daze and smiled sheepishly, "Mother, I just feel like it's not real, and I can't quite process it yet."
Madam Zhang laughed and said, "Third sister-in-law, you don't think you're dreaming, do you?"
Madam Chen congratulated her, saying, "It's not even dark yet, so it must not be a dream. Congratulations, Third Sister-in-law."
Gu Xuanyi also smiled and offered her congratulations: "Congratulations, Third Aunt."
Meng Jinyao responded with a smile, exchanged pleasantries with the eldest and second wives, and chatted with Old Madam Gu for a while before returning to their respective courtyards.
As soon as they returned to Wei Rui Xuan and entered the room, Meng Jinyao threw herself into Gu Jingxi's arms, looked at him with a smile, and said, "Thank you, my husband."
Gu Jingxi put his arm around her waist and asked with a smile, "Why are you thanking me? It was the Emperor who bestowed the title upon you; you should be thanking the Emperor."
"That must be because my husband has done a great service and made outstanding contributions to get me an imperial title. You went to the palace in the morning and the imperial decree arrived in the afternoon. Did you do something great?" Meng Jinyao was initially unsure how to react, but after her excitement subsided, she realized that the emperor wouldn't grant her an imperial title for no reason. It must be because of her husband. She guessed that her husband had worked hard for several months and made outstanding contributions, thus securing an imperial title for her.
Gu Jingxi said frankly, "This time I have done a good job."
He lowered his head and kissed Meng Jinyao's cheek, then pulled her down to sit. He said guiltily, "Ayao, our marriage was hasty and absurd back then, and you are still being gossiped about. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper wedding, so this is the only way I can make up for it."
"I do feel wronged, but it's not just me who feels wronged." Meng Jinyao looked steadily into his eyes, her lips moving as she spoke softly, "Husband, you have also been wronged. You were also a victim that day. It was your first time getting married, yet you didn't get a proper wedding."
Gu Jingxi was stunned, feeling guilty: "In the end, this matter still stems from the Gu family."
“It’s all in the past, and it’s not your fault. It was Gu Xiuming’s problem.” Meng Jinyao said, then asked curiously, “Husband, when Gu Xiuming ran away from the wedding, you lied and said that Gu Xiuming was sick and couldn’t come to pick him up in person. What were your plans for the aftermath?”
Gu Jingxi replied truthfully, "There was no other way at the time. If people found out that Xiuming had run away from the wedding, it would put you in the spotlight. So we could only lie and say that he was sick, catch him and punish him severely, and then see what you wanted. If you wanted to continue living with him, the Gu family would never mistreat you. If you didn't want to, then you could get a divorce and claim to the outside world that it was his fault. When you remarry, the Gu family will give you a dowry as compensation. I didn't expect that the news would still leak out in the end, and your maid would expose it on the spot."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "My two maids, Qingqiu and Ningdong, are both calm and composed, but I think her impulsive actions that day were exactly what I wanted. If she hadn't acted impulsively, we wouldn't be together. She can be considered our matchmaker."
Gu Jingxi nodded in agreement: "When she gets married, we'll give her a decent dowry."
“Of course.” Meng Jinyao said, then suddenly remembered Chan’er and Yu Chuan, and added, “By the way, husband, after Chan’er returned to the capital, I told her about Yu Chuan’s feelings for her and asked her if she had feelings for Yu Chuan. Guess how she answered?”
Gu Jingxi guessed, "She agreed?"
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "No, she didn't give a clear answer. She only said that Yu Chuan should go and talk to her in person after he comes back. I don't know if she meant it. Now that Yu Chuan is back, you can have him go and talk to her."
Gu Jingxi nodded: "I'll talk to Yu Chuan another day."
Meng Jinyao asked curiously, "Husband, do you think Chan'er has feelings for Yu Chuan?"
Meeting her curious gaze, Gu Jingxi smiled and shook her head: "Perhaps young ladies hide their thoughts well, I can't tell, but I can tell that Yu Chuan is interested in her."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "Of your four attendants, Yu Chuan is the youngest, right?"
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "Indeed, he is the same age as you, not yet eighteen. He will be eighteen after the New Year. Zhou Yun is nineteen this year, while the twins Fang Xuan and Fang Ce are a bit older, twenty-two this year."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "If Chan'er is interested in Yu Chuan, then Yu Chuan will be the youngest among them and the first to get married."
Gu Jingxi chuckled softly, "Who knows if this silly boy can win over the girl?"
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