Chapter 165 Discovering Clues
Wei Rui Xuan.
Back at Wei Rui Xuan, Meng Jinyao looked at her two maids: "Qingqiu, Ningdong, did you notice anything amiss in the back garden just now?"
Ningdong shook her head slightly, looking at her blankly, indicating that she had not found anything and did not even know what the question was about.
Qingqiu was much more perceptive than Ningdong, and she was also very meticulous in observing things. She noticed something and respectfully replied, "Madam, this servant has discovered that the young master has finally revealed his true colors after pretending for so many days."
Ning Dong looked at her in surprise and quickly asked, "Qing Qiu, nothing serious happened just now. How did you notice something was wrong? I didn't feel that the young master had changed at all?"
Meng Jinyao said gently, "Qingqiu is right, he has shown some clues." As she spoke, she glared at Ningdong, "I told you to pay close attention to and observe the things around you before. If you hadn't observed carefully, you definitely wouldn't have noticed anything."
Ningdong blinked innocently: "Madam, I've been watching them the whole time, but I only noticed that the eldest young lady seemed guilty. I didn't see anything else wrong."
Meng Jinyao said to Qingqiu, "Qingqiu, you talk to her about it."
Qingqiu nodded and said, "The eldest daughter hit Aunt Li, and the young master is furious for his beloved. He will definitely be angry and demand an explanation. However, compared to the eldest daughter, the young master has a deeper grudge against his wife. Since he can repent and treat his wife as his mother, why would he hold a grudge against the eldest daughter? These are all things of the past, and they should be treated equally."
Upon hearing this, Ning Dong suddenly realized: "Madam, I understand now. The young master was pretending. Subconsciously, he knew in front of whom he should pretend, so he would subconsciously pretend to be the best. As for some less important people, even if the young master was pretending, he didn't care too much. However, judging from the way the young master handled things today, he was much more composed than before."
Meng Jinyao gave her an appreciative look and smiled, "Our Ningdong is very smart; she understands things very quickly."
Ning Dong pursed her lips, her smile bright, and then said, "Madam, now that we've confirmed that the young master is just pretending to be a filial son in front of you, we must be careful. He might just make a move against you one day."
Meng Jinyao nodded and said, "Absolutely. My rebellious son has suddenly become a filial son. He's probably brewing a big move to deal with me."
Ning Dong seemed to be deep in thought, and asked hesitantly, "Madam, do you think we should mention it to the Marquis? It would be good for the Marquis to know his true colors, otherwise he might think that he has really changed for the better and have complete faith in him."
Meng Jinyao smiled faintly: "If I can find out, then the Marquis can naturally find out too. I have a grudge against Gu Xiuming. If I were to tell him, it would be like sowing discord between father and son. Let him find out for himself."
Qingqiu chimed in, "Madam is right. It's best not to do such a thing. The Marquis and the Heir Apparent have been father and son for many years, while Madam and the Marquis have only been husband and wife for a few months. How can a few months compare to years of father-son relationship?"
Ning Dong disagreed: "Madam, I think even if you say it, the Marquis won't think too much about it."
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head, her gaze falling on the green plants outside the window, her eyes deep and unfathomable, and slowly said, "Ningdong, the Marquis is indeed an upright person, fair in his dealings, of good character, and very responsible. In some matters, you can choose to trust him unconditionally, such as when Sun Shi murdered Chengyu, I even borrowed the people who handled the matter from him."
However, some things shouldn't be taken for granted, especially matters of the heart. Taking things too seriously and valuing yourself too much might just make you look foolish. I don't think I'm more important than his son. Of course, I also don't believe he would abandon me for his son if I haven't done anything wrong.
After hearing this, Ningdong pouted, lowered her head, and fell silent.
Qingqiu also fell silent. She understood her mistress's thoughts and her situation even more. Her mistress was cautious in everything she did because she didn't have the luxury of being willful. The previous quarrel between her mistress and the young master was a minor matter, and since the young master had disrespected her first, her mistress was in the right. But if, after the young master 'became better,' her mistress went to the Marquis and gossiped about him, constantly saying that the young master had ulterior motives, then the Marquis would inevitably harbor resentment towards her mistress. Her mistress never fought a battle she wasn't sure of winning.
Meng Jinyao glanced at them and said softly, "Gu Xiuming hasn't done anything to me yet, so I'll just be on guard. I won't do anything else for now. If I take the initiative to deal with him, with the Marquis's insight, my methods will definitely not escape his eyes, which would be tantamount to courting my own destruction."
Ning Dong nodded and said with certainty, "Madam, he certainly can't compare to you in terms of forbearance. You endured so many years before taking action against the Sun family regarding the eldest son's matter. He definitely won't be able to tolerate you for long. Once he slips up, the Marquis will definitely not let him off easily."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Yes, so let's not do too many unnecessary things."
Just then, a commotion came from outside. It was Gu Jingxi returning from his shift. The three of them immediately fell silent and stopped talking about the matter.
A moment later, the man in the scarlet official robe walked in. He saw the three women, mistress and servants, looking at him with a tacit understanding, especially his young wife, whose almond-shaped eyes were bright and lively, staring at him expectantly. He was slightly taken aback, then smiled faintly and said, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Meng Jinyao readily replied, "It's nothing. I just heard footsteps and looked over. It really was my husband who came back."
Just as Gu Jingxi was about to reply, a maid's voice came from behind him, saying that Gu Xiuming had arrived. He said calmly, "Let him in."
Meng Jinyao's expression froze slightly. Why did she feel that Gu Xiuming had sent someone to guard the door and wait for him? Otherwise, why would he have arrived so quickly? Gu Xiuming was really going all out to win over Gu Jingxi, coming to Weirui Pavilion so frequently.
Gu Xiuming has been very diligent and studious lately, saying he wants to catch up on the lessons he has missed. His diligence has amazed even Old Madam Gu, who said she has never seen her grandson so hardworking and studious, and she praised him in front of the third branch of the family.
This time, Gu Xiuming was no exception; he came to ask for instruction and asked Gu Jingxi if he was free. Gu Jingxi agreed and took him to the study to teach him.
When it was time for dinner, Meng Jinyao saw the father and son come out of the study in Wei Rui Xuan and said gently, "Son, why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"
Gu Xiuming did not refuse and went along with her words, saying, "Okay, your son has never had dinner with his father and mother before."
Instantly, Meng Jinyao felt as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly. She had originally intended to say some polite words, but she did not expect that this unfilial son would not be polite to her at all. Although she was depressed, she still instructed the maid: "Go and set out the meal. The young master is staying for dinner. Add an extra set of chopsticks and bowls."
Gu Jingxi noticed that the little girl's smile was slightly forced and her eyes were somewhat resentful. It was rare to see the little girl looking so frustrated, so he subtly curled the corners of his lips.
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