Chapter 467 Only a Pure Minister
Second Prince's Consort?
Meng Jinyao was surprised, but on the surface she remained calm and curtsied respectfully: "This humble woman greets the Second Prince's Consort."
Seeing this, the Second Prince's wife stepped forward and offered a helping hand, saying, "Madam Gu, there's no need for such formalities."
Meng Jinyao stood up. Not knowing the other party's purpose, she did not take the initiative to talk further. She simply maintained a polite smile and waited for the other party to continue.
The Second Prince's wife praised softly, "I heard Sister Ayan mention Madam Gu at the Empress Dowager's place before. Seeing her today, she is indeed a beautiful woman who makes people like her at first sight."
Meng Jinyao readily replied, "You flatter me, Second Prince's Consort."
Afterwards, the Second Prince's wife chatted with Meng Jinyao for a long time. Although she was approachable and gentle, Meng Jinyao remained cautious. Other female members of the royal family also joined their conversation, and the group seemed to be having a pleasant chat.
When the banquet began and everyone was seated at their respective tables, Meng Jinyao was finally able to leave.
After the party ended, Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi went home without lingering.
Seeing that she looked a little tired, Gu Jingxi asked with concern, "Ayao, are you tired?"
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "Dealing with them is indeed quite tiring. Previous banquets were never this difficult to handle. This banquet has many royal relatives, so we need to be careful. By the way, I also ran into the Second Prince's Consort, and she took the initiative to talk to me."
Gu Jingxi paused for a moment: "Second Prince's Consort?"
Meng Jinyao nodded again: "She talked with me for a long time, as did other female relatives of the royal family. I had never met the Second Prince's Consort before and did not know her temperament. But today I found her to be very easy to get along with, even a bit enthusiastic."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi seemed to be thinking about something, and then asked, "How did A Yao deal with it?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "You said earlier that you would only be a loyal subject and would never participate in the princes' struggles or take sides. So I was very cautious today. Regardless of whether the Second Prince's wife intended to win me over, I was polite and did not give her any further opportunities."
Gu Jingxi smiled and instructed, "Ayao did a good job. Don't get too close to the Crown Princess. Besides the Crown Princess, you should also do the same for the ladies who have given birth to princes when you enter the palace to attend banquets. If a prince loses the struggle for the throne, the ministers who followed him will also not have a good ending. Our Gu family cannot get involved in these things."
Meng Jinyao said, "I understand." Then she changed the subject, "Husband, it's not too late yet. Why don't we take a stroll in the streets instead of going back so soon?"
Gu Jingxi countered, "Don't you feel tired?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Dealing with them is very tiring, but since we've come out for a while, we might as well take a stroll before going back."
Gu Jingxi was very accommodating to her. When they arrived at the bustling street, they got off and walked.
In the cold winter of December, there were fewer pedestrians in the capital than before, probably because of the cold. People generally didn't go out unless they had something to do. Street vendors, in order to make a living, still set up their stalls on time every day, unless there was heavy snow.
Just then, two little beggars came into view, a boy and a girl. The boy was about ten years old, and the girl was about seven or eight. Both were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces were chapped from the cold, and their lips were dry and cracked. They were shivering in the cold winter, holding bowls in their hands and begging from passersby. Their little hands were also red and swollen from the cold, and they had frostbite on their hands.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao's heart clenched, and she asked the man beside her, "Husband, did you bring any money with you when you went out?"
Gu Jingxi knew what she wanted to do and whispered, "Even if you give these little beggars money, they won't be able to hold on to it. See those two older beggars on the street corner? They're probably their boss. Giving them money is not as good as giving them a few hot buns, at least they can have a bite to eat."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback. Her gaze fell on the street corner, where she indeed saw two older beggars sitting there, watching over the two younger beggars. The older beggars were dressed slightly better. She instantly understood: the two younger beggars were so young and pitiful that they easily aroused the sympathy of passersby, who would give them alms. The older beggars then used them to make money.
She instructed the maid following behind her, "Qingqiu, go over there and buy a few meat buns."
Qingqiu responded immediately and went to the steamed bun shop across the street to buy steamed buns.
At this moment, the two little beggars walked up to them, looked up at them with pleading eyes, and said, "Sir and Madam, please have mercy on us, my brother and sister. We haven't eaten for two days."
Meng Jinyao glanced down at their broken bowl, which contained only a few copper coins, not much profit. She said gently, "Wait a moment."
After hearing this, the two little beggars looked at her blankly, hesitated for a moment, and really didn't leave.
A short while later, Qingqiu returned with meat buns.
Meng Jinyao took the meat buns and put them directly into their bowls, saying, "Eat up."
The little beggar was surprised for a moment, then quickly thanked them, picked up the meat buns, and began to wolf them down. The meat buns at this shop were not small, but they quickly finished one each, leaving four. They swallowed hard, seemingly hesitant, and did not dare to eat any more.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao didn't pay any more attention and left with Gu Jingxi. After they had gone some distance, she said, "Husband, you were right after all. If we give them a few meat buns, they can at least eat one each. But if we give them silver, they probably won't even be able to keep a single copper coin."
Gu Jingxi said, "The strong prey on the weak, and this is true in any environment. Young beggars like them, without anyone to protect them, are destined to be controlled by older beggars."
Perhaps because she was about to become a mother, Meng Jinyao couldn't bear to see her child suffer. Thinking of the many little beggars in the city, she said, "Husband, I've heard that many beggars starve or freeze to death every year. Do you think it would be feasible for me to distribute porridge in the city? Of course, I won't go there myself, but I'll arrange for servants to take care of it. The money spent on distributing porridge won't come from the manor; it will come from our own pockets."
Gu Jingxi certainly supports doing good deeds and accumulating merit. Without hesitation, he said, "It's feasible. Ayao, just tell people to do it. Once you start, other families will follow suit. Some people are doing it out of the good heart, and some are doing it for a good reputation, but no matter what, the result will be good."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Then I'll have someone do it when I get back."
Seeing Meng Jinyao's radiant smile, Gu Jingxi also smiled; his Jinyao was kind-hearted.
Meng Jinyao continued, "Actually, I thought about taking those two little beggars home, but then I thought, there are so many pitiful people in the world, I can't just take them home every time I see them, and I don't know their character, so taking them home rashly might cause trouble. I feel that giving out porridge is better, it can help more people, and those two little beggars can also go and line up to get porridge."
Gu Jingxi praised without reservation: "Our Ayao is not only kind-hearted, but also very smart."
Meng Jinyao snorted lightly: "I'm not stupid to begin with."
Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "Yes, our Ayao is the smartest."
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