Chapter Seventy-Nine: Favoring the Concubine and Destroying the Wife
Although Madam Gu tried her best to control her emotions, she could not hide her disappointment.
The younger generation present all saw her frowning unhappily, her face showing disappointment, which showed how much she disapproved of Gu Xiuming's actions and how disappointed she was.
However, no one was surprised by this. After all, before Gu Xiuming ran away from the marriage, Old Madam Gu doted on this grandson the most. Among her four grandsons, she had the highest expectations for him. Now that Gu Xiuming has acted willfully and recklessly, it would be strange if she wasn't disappointed.
Upon seeing this, Zhang felt a secret joy in her heart, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. She felt even more that her youngest son, Xiuwen, could be adopted into the third branch of the family. Gu Xiuming, that fool, probably thought that his brother-in-law was unable to have children and that he was the only son, so the title would be his sooner or later. That's why he was so fearless and dared to act recklessly.
Chen noticed the faint smile on her lips, pursed her lips, and felt disdain. The old lady had never said that she wanted to adopt Xiuwen into the third branch of the family, yet she was already thinking so highly of herself. What was she so smug about? Maybe in the end it would all be for nothing.
Finally, Meng Jinyao broke the silence: "Mother, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you go back and rest for a while?"
After these words were spoken, who would dare to continue mentioning Gu Xiuming and causing trouble for the old lady?
Madam Chen chimed in, "Third sister-in-law is right. Let's take Mother home to rest first. We can talk about anything else tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu stopped worrying about her grandson and nodded gently: "Alright, I'm tired too."
The younger generation escorted Madam Gu back to Shou'an Hall. Seeing that she was preparing to take a nap to rest, they all took their leave.
After leaving Shou'an Hall, Madam Chen started chatting with Meng Jinyao: "Third sister-in-law, I heard that Xiuming let that Concubine Li live with him in the main house of Qingyuxuan. She is clearly a concubine, but she is treated like a wife. Are you aware of this?"
Qingyuxuan was Gu Xiuming's courtyard. As the heir of the Marquis's mansion, this courtyard was only slightly inferior to Weiruixuan and Shouan Hall.
The names of the courtyards all have symbolic meanings. Qingyu means that the foundation will last forever. The heir is the successor of the Marquis's mansion. It is obvious how much expectation is placed on the heir by using this name for the courtyard. At the same time, it is also a hope to remind the heir to strive for excellence and not to ruin the ancestral foundation after inheriting the title.
The Marquis lived in Weirui Pavilion, and Weirui means flourishing branches and leaves, which means that after inheriting the title, he hoped that the family business would continue to prosper in his hands.
The main house in the courtyard is reserved for the principal wife; it would be against the rules for Gu Xiuming to have Li Wan'er live there with him.
Even the second wife knew about it, so Meng Jinyao naturally heard about it too. But Gu Jingxi, the father, didn't care, so why should she, the nominal mother, meddle?
She said gently, "Second sister-in-law, I am aware of this matter as well."
Madam Chen said earnestly, "Third sister-in-law, you and your third brother must keep an eye on him. You can't let him do whatever he wants. Otherwise, if word gets out, who would dare to marry their daughter to Xiuming?"
Meng Jinyao understood that although these words were also directed at her, they were actually meant to be used to tell Gu Jingxi to take charge. However, Gu Xiuming had already stated that even if he couldn't marry Li Wan'er, he would take her as a concubine and would not marry any other woman. Gu Jingxi was disappointed and simply decided not to get involved anymore.
But she couldn't tell Chen the truth, so she could only sigh helplessly: "Xiu Ming is stubborn, and neither my husband nor I can control him. We can only let him be."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen felt extremely depressed and even somewhat annoyed. Gu Xiuming's actions had ruined the family's reputation and damaged her son's reputation.
Her son is seventeen this year and is currently looking for a wife. Given Gu Xiuming's character, families with daughters all think that Gu Xiuming will be a man who favors his concubine over his wife. Her son is Gu Xiuming's brother, so maybe he will be the same way.
Seeing Meng Jinyao like this, she became even more anxious and said, "Third sister-in-law, you are young, and Xiuming may take advantage of your inexperience and not listen to you. But Third Brother has always been a respected figure in the mansion. Would Xiuming dare to disobey him?"
Meng Jinyao sighed again: "My husband has been very busy with official duties lately, leaving early and returning late. He leaves before I even wake up in the morning and comes back under the stars and moon at night. By then I'm already asleep, and I don't even know when he gets back. I'll bring it up with him when he has some free time."
Madam Chen was finally satisfied and nodded gently: "That's how it should be. We can't let him act recklessly. Otherwise, which well-bred young lady would dare to marry him?" She paused and then brought up her mother-in-law, "Mother just came back today. She doesn't know about the outrageous things Xiu Ming did yet. When she finds out, she'll probably be furious. What if she gets sick from it?"
Meng Jinyao nodded and said, "Second sister-in-law, don't worry. Tomorrow is a day off, and my husband should be free then. I will talk to him about it then."
Zhang listened to their conversation from the side. To be honest, Gu Xiuming's actions had somewhat affected her son's reputation, as her youngest son, Xiuwen, was not yet engaged.
However, she hoped more than anyone else that Gu Xiuming would continue his absurd behavior. As long as Gu Xiuming was completely rejected by his mother-in-law and brother-in-law, his brother-in-law would naturally petition the emperor to remove Gu Xiuming from his position as heir apparent.
By then, the chances of her Xiuwen being adopted into the third branch of the family will be much greater. Children from collateral branches of the clan are just cousins, and how can a cousin be as close as a biological nephew? There has already been an example like Gu Xiuming, so next time they will definitely choose Xiuwen as their biological nephew, after all, he is a child they have watched grow up.
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Wei Rui Xuan.
Gu Jingxi came home early today, and the couple were able to have dinner together. It had been several days since they last had dinner together.
Although Meng Jinyao didn't want to meddle in other people's business, she would keep her promise to Chen Shi. After dinner, she dismissed the maids and talked to Gu Jingxi about Gu Xiuming.
Finally, she added, "Neither my eldest sister-in-law's Xiuwen nor my second sister-in-law's Xiuhong are engaged yet. Families with daughters who see Xiuming's behavior will probably think that the men of the Gu family will favor their concubines over their wives and dare not marry their daughters into the family."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi remained calm and silent for a moment before parting his thin lips and saying in a low voice, "Madam can handle this matter as she sees fit."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback: "You don't want to take care of your son anymore, so you're just leaving him for me to manage?"
“That’s your son too.” Gu Jingxi smiled faintly. “Didn’t Madam say before that she would educate Xiuming properly? Well, here comes the opportunity.”
Meng Jinyao rolled her eyes at him. Whoever wants this opportunity can have it!
Although she disliked Gu Xiuming and wanted to get back at him, she didn't want to interfere in his love life. Otherwise, she would be seen as a villain seeking revenge, and people might mistakenly think she was jealous of Li Wan'er for Gu Xiuming's love.
Putting everything else aside, Gu Xiuming is a rare and devoted man. He disregards everything for the girl he loves. If Gu Xiuming hadn't run away from the wedding but had explained the reasons for breaking off the engagement, she would have appreciated his devotion, agreed to the annulment, and found another good match. But Gu Xiuming just had to disgust her like this.
Gu Jingxi asked with a smile, "You're not going to take this opportunity that's been handed to you, Madam?"
Meng Jinyao glanced at him and asked in a low voice, "My husband doesn't want to be gossiped about, does he?"
Gu Jingxi asked with interest, "What gossip?"
Meng Jinyao spoke in a tone of extreme regret: "The Marquis of Changxing finally managed to marry a wife, but although she married him, she still has his son in her heart."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi's face froze, and he said calmly, "Madam, you don't need to concern yourself with this matter. I will personally educate him tomorrow."
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