Chapter Seventy-Eight is utterly absurd
Ningdong watched the departing figures of the mistress and servant, still somewhat shaken, and whispered, "Madam, I was so frightened just now. Fortunately, the Marquis didn't do anything to you."
Meng Jinyao remained calm: "His son was in the wrong first, so even if he is to be punished, he should be punished less severely than his son."
Even so, Ningdong was still worried and advised, "Next time, you should try to avoid contact with the young master. It was clearly his elopement that made Madam a laughing stock, but in the end, he said it was Madam's fault. It's best to avoid contact with such a person who complains and shirks responsibility. Who knows if he will go crazy and bite people randomly one day?"
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly and said gently, "Don't worry, I don't have time to go looking for trouble with him. It was just a coincidence that we ran into each other today. I can only say it was bad luck."
Meng Jinyao had taken Chunliu with her when she went to see Gu Xiuming twice before. Ningdong had never seen her mistress confront Gu Xiuming before. Seeing this today, she felt sorry for her mistress. With such a son, her mistress would probably face endless troubles in the future.
Meng Jinyao suddenly asked curiously, "Ningdong, is my lying skill really that bad, so that people can see through it at a glance?"
Ning Dong smiled and said, "Madam, have you forgotten? The Marquis is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who is in charge of investigating cases and interrogating criminals. You certainly can't fool him. Besides, you are quite eloquent, and the Marquis must know this, which is why he won't believe you."
Meng Jinyao: "..."
Ningdong asked again, "Madam, shall we still go for a walk in the garden?"
After Gu Xiuming's disruption, Meng Jinyao lost interest and gently shook her head: "No, let's go tomorrow. Let's go back to Weirui Pavilion first."
After she finished speaking, she was about to turn around and go back to Weirui Pavilion, but she pulled her foot back. Her interest was piqued in that instant, and she said, "It's not dinner time yet, let's go for a stroll. Let's go to Lanyue Pavilion. It's the best place in the manor to watch the sunset."
Ning Dong nodded in agreement, "Yes, it's just the right time to go back for dinner after enjoying the sunset."
-
A few days later, it was drizzling, and pedestrians were hurrying along the street when a sedan chair entered through a side gate of the Marquis of Changxing's residence.
Gu Xiuming, the heir of the Marquis of Changxing, has taken a concubine, the girl he has been longing for, Li Wan'er.
Of all the masters in the Changxing Marquis's mansion, only Gu Xiuming was in high spirits because of the happy occasion. No one was happy about this. In their social class, taking a concubine before the principal wife had entered the household was a very disgraceful thing that would damage their reputation. There was nothing to be happy about.
Many servants were whispering among themselves about this absurd matter.
The next morning.
Chunliu glanced at the sky and asked in bewilderment, "Madam, it's already past 7:45 AM, why hasn't Concubine Li come to pay her respects yet?"
Although their wives are not old, they are elders. As a junior, Aunt Li should pay her respects to the elders and leave a good impression. If there is a future wife for the heir, Aunt Li will have to pay her respects to the heir every day.
Those who are ignorant might find it troublesome to greet their elders, and it would be easier not to greet them. However, for a junior to not be allowed to greet their elders is a sign of being disrespected and unwelcome by their elders. Since their mistress did not issue an order forbidding Aunt Li from greeting them, then Aunt Li should come to greet them.
In other wealthy households, concubines who weren't refused to pay their respects would seize every opportunity to do so and curry favor with their elders. Even standing by and serving food to their elders while they ate was considered a matter of pride, as having the chance to show their faces in front of their elders and serve them represented their approval.
That's how it is with concubines. For the principal wife, serving dishes is about setting rules and enduring hardship, but for concubines, it's an opportunity to please the elders. If they can win the elders' favor, the principal wife won't dare to mistreat them too much.
Meng Jinyao wasn't surprised at all and said nonchalantly, "She probably won't come."
Chunliu frowned: "This Aunt Li is too ill-mannered."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Ignorance is no excuse. I can't blame her. It saves me trouble if she doesn't come."
She knew that this was all Gu Xiuming's idea. Li Wan'er had just entered the manor and had not been taught etiquette by a nanny before entering. She probably did not know the rules of a wealthy family and did not know that concubines had to pay their respects to their elders.
Gu Xiuming knew about it, but he didn't remind Li Wan'er, obviously because he was afraid that she would make things difficult for her. Since he didn't know about it, he waived the matter of paying his respects to her.
Chunliu was frustrated and couldn't understand what kind of bewitching potion that Concubine Li had given the young master, that he could abandon his dignified and proper wife and elope with the unruly Concubine Li, making such a big joke.
She glanced at the indifferent Meng Jinyao and said, "Madam is kind."
Meng Jinyao replied, "Aunt Li has never paid respects to Heaven and Earth or to her parents. She is not my proper daughter-in-law, so she is not required to come and pay her respects to me. It doesn't matter whether she comes or not."
Chunliu was taken aback when she heard this. Indeed, a proper daughter-in-law must pay respects to her mother-in-law, but a daughter-in-law who is not proper is not required to come and pay respects to her elders. Being able to come and pay respects is a favor. Therefore, concubines consider it an honor to be qualified to pay respects to their elders. Since Aunt Li does not want this honor, then so be it. However, not being recognized by the elders makes her even less respectable than an ordinary concubine.
Meng Jinyao suddenly remembered that her mother-in-law had gone to the temple to offer incense and stayed there for a few days. Today should be her return day, so she asked, "By the way, is the old lady returning home today?"
Chunliu nodded and said, "That's right. According to custom, the old lady always gets home in the afternoon."
-
afternoon.
When Madam Gu returned to the mansion, all the younger generation, except for those with official positions who had not yet finished their duties and Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong who were studying at the academy, came out to greet her.
However, there was one exception: Gu Xiuming, who had taken leave from the academy, went out in the morning with his newly acquired concubine, Li Wan'er, and had not yet returned.
When Madam Gu saw her grandson Gu Xiuwen, she asked Zhang, "Eldest daughter-in-law, Xiuwen's three older brothers are all at the academy, why isn't he there?"
Zhang explained, “Mother, I thought that Xiuwen would be going to Lingshan Academy later. The students at Lingshan Academy are all outstanding. In order to ensure that he could keep up with the pace when he went to Lingshan Academy, I asked a teacher to give him one-on-one instruction before he enrolled. That way, it would be safer, so I didn’t let him go to the academy.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu, unusually, agreed with her teaching method and nodded in satisfaction: "Your approach is good. For Xiuwen at the moment, one-on-one tutoring is better."
Seeing that her mother-in-law had approved of her, Zhang was secretly delighted. Thinking of Gu Xiuming, she looked thoughtfully at Meng Jinyao and asked, "Third sister-in-law, didn't Xiuming ask for leave from the academy? Why is he nowhere to be seen?"
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu's gaze also searched for her grandson's figure. She glanced at the people present and withdrew her gaze with a hint of disappointment.
Meng Jinyao knew that she wanted to embarrass Gu Xiuming in front of the elders, but even if she didn't say it, everyone else knew that Gu Xiuming had left the mansion with Concubine Li. So she answered truthfully: "Xiuming took a few days off because he was taking a concubine. Unfortunately, the child went to the market with Concubine Li this morning. He probably didn't know that Mother was returning to the mansion today."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu frowned in displeasure, feeling even more disappointed. Her grandson, on whom she had placed high hopes, had asked for leave from the academy to accompany his concubine—it was utterly absurd!
Taking a concubine is not the same as marrying a wife, so why ask for leave?
If she remembered correctly, Consort Li entered the mansion yesterday. As soon as she entered, Xiu Ming asked for leave for her. He asked for leave so casually for a concubine who was not worthy of being mentioned, and he did not take his studies seriously. What would become of him in the future?
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