Chapter 597 I Will Marry No One Else
After leaving Zhang's place, Madam Chen inquired with the servants and learned that her son had returned to the mansion and was currently in the study. She immediately went to find her son.
When Gu Xiuhong saw his mother push the door open and come in, he didn't need to ask to guess her purpose. She wanted to persuade him to marry a girl of equal social standing as his wife, and then take A Yuan as a concubine.
He went straight to the point: "Mother, if it's still about that matter, then there's no need to say more."
As soon as Chen entered, she heard this and immediately became angry. She put on a stern face and said, "I don't agree to you marrying that widow. What's so good about that widow? Not only is she older than you, but she's also not a virtuous girl."
Gu Xiuhong's face darkened, and he replied, "She's only two years older than me, and she's only been married before. How is she not innocent? According to Mother, does that mean all married women in the world are not innocent? The Emperor and the Empress both advocate that widows remarry. Look at Third Aunt's father; his third and fourth wives were both widows."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen recalled that Madam Zhang had also used Meng Dongyuan as an example. Now that her son was also using Meng Dongyuan as an example, she was immediately furious. She felt as if her good cabbage was about to be eaten by a pig. She angrily said, "How can you compare Lord Meng? He was married and had children, while you have never been married and have never even had a maidservant."
Gu Xiuhong frowned and asked, "According to Mother's logic, if I had a maidservant in my bedchamber, wouldn't it be unfair to the girl if I married a virgin in the future?"
Without hesitation, Chen retorted, "How can men and women be the same?"
Gu Xiuhong scoffed, "How is it different? Women come out of women's wombs, so why don't men come out of women's wombs? Since they all come out of women's wombs, what's the difference?"
Mrs. Chen was stunned, unable to refute for a moment, and even somewhat agreed with her son's words.
Gu Xiuhong glanced at her and said, "If Mother still doesn't agree, then I won't marry her."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was taken aback again, somewhat puzzled as to why her son had suddenly come to this realization. But this was a good thing, so she immediately smiled and said gently, "Son, it's good that you think this way. Your cousin Lingyi is quite nice; she's a wonderful girl. Spend more time with her."
Gu Xiuhong replied, "I may not marry A Yuan, but I will not marry anyone else."
Madam Chen's smile froze, and her brows furrowed: "Xiuhong, what nonsense are you talking about? You are the only son of the second branch of the family. If you don't get married, won't our second branch have no descendants?"
"How could the line end?" Gu Xiuhong shook his head with a smile, then said, "The Gu family is also a prominent family with many descendants. We can simply adopt a child from the clan. If you want to have a grandson as soon as possible, I will go and ask the mistress for permission and then arrange the adoption so that you can have a big, healthy grandson this year."
Chen was so angry at her words that her forehead throbbed with pain. She pointed at him and cursed, "You, you, you unfilial son! You've really infuriated me!"
Gu Xiuhong lowered his eyes, his expression downcast: "Mother, please calm down. It is rare to find a way to have it all. If Father and Mother cannot accept A Yuan as their daughter-in-law, then I will not marry her. But I cannot betray A Yuan either, so please forgive me for not being able to marry another girl."
Not only did Madam Chen not calm down, she became even angrier, hurling all sorts of insults in her anger: "You scoundrel! If I had known, I wouldn't have married your sister off. I would have let Xuanling find a son-in-law to live with the family and carry on the family line. Now that I think about it, Xuanling is so much better. She's obedient, well-behaved, and filial. Except for not being my child, she's better than you in every way. The one who should have married you off is you, you scoundrel!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuhong remained silent for a moment, then replied with a startling statement: "Otherwise, Mother, how about marrying your son off now? Although A-Yuan's parents already have a son, I don't think they would refuse such an excellent son-in-law like me."
His shocking remarks made Chen's vision blur. She steadied herself by holding onto a nearby antique shelf, and exclaimed incredulously, "What...what did you say? You want to be a live-in son-in-law? You worthless scoundrel! A proper young master from a noble family, you want to be a live-in son-in-law of a widow from a humble background? People will laugh at you! You have no shame, but your father and I do!"
Gu Xiuhong stepped forward, helped Chen Shi sit down, poured her a cup of tea, and said gently, "Mother, please calm down. Don't upset yourself."
Chen refused the tea he offered, her face contorted with rage as she gritted her teeth and said, "What a fine son I have! I never imagined you, you scoundrel, would have such a fetish for widows!"
Gu Xiuhong placed the teacup on the small tea table and replied, "My son doesn't have such a fetish; it's just that the girl he likes happens to be a widow."
Madam Chen, with a stern face, scolded, "What's so good about her? Why do you insist on marrying her? I've seen her. She's just pretty, not beautiful. She's been married before. Her family isn't of high social standing either. Her father spent his whole life taking the imperial examinations and only managed to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). Her brother is somewhat accomplished, having passed the Jinshi examination and been granted an official position, but he's just an insignificant minor official who can't help you in your career."
Gu Xiuhong asked disapprovingly, "Mother, does marriage have to be based on mutual benefit?"
Chen was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head: "No, it's just... it's just that she was married before and is a widow. If she has any outstanding qualities, I would accept her even if she is a widow from a humble background."
Gu Xiuhong said solemnly, "Mother, being married is her past, not a stain on her reputation. In your eyes, she may be ordinary in many ways, but in my eyes, she is an excellent girl."
Chen took a deep breath to calm her anger and said in a deep voice, "I think you've been bewitched!"
Gu Xiuhong remained silent, calmly watching his mother's burning anger, pondering how to get his parents to agree to the marriage.
After a long silence, Chen asked hesitantly, "Xiuhong, is it because she's been pestering you and you can't tell whether you feel sympathy for her or romantic feelings for her?"
“Mother, how could you have such a thought?” Gu Xiuhong looked at her strangely. “It’s clearly your son who’s clinging to her. If her ex-husband hadn’t died so young, I would have already devised a plan to get her divorced. That way, she wouldn’t have had to waste another three years mourning that beast.”
Chen stared in shock, her eyes wide: "What...what did you say? You actually thought about stealing someone else's wife? If you like her so much, why didn't you stop her parents from forcing her to marry?"
"Mother, have you forgotten? I accompanied you to Furong City to see your close friend one last time. We stayed in Furong City for a while, and it was several months before we returned to the capital. By then, she had already married." Gu Xiuhong said, a trace of pain flashing across his face. It was all fate's cruel joke; he had no one to blame but himself.
After hearing this, Chen remained silent.
When they returned to the capital, her son seemed a bit off, locking himself in his study and studying day and night. She didn't think much of it, as it was a good thing that her son was ambitious. She just told him to balance work and rest and not to ruin his health.
Hearing her son's words now, she realized that he was sad because his sweetheart had married someone else, and he was trying to distract himself.
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