Chapter 138 Not Indulging Her
Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of malice or theft.
Without hesitation, Meng Jinyao declined, saying, "No, I have other things to do."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyu asked with a disappointed look, "Big sister, do you not want to have lunch with us? We sisters have had some disagreements in the past, but I'm not the kind of person who likes to hold grudges. Now that we've met on the street, I sincerely invited you to have lunch with us."
Princess Jingning glared at Meng Jinyu with exasperation, probably thinking that she was embarrassing herself for trying to win someone's favor. She said, "Ayu, she doesn't want to talk to you, why are you trying to get close to her? Besides, I invited you today, but I didn't intend to invite her."
Meng Jinyao glanced at Meng Jinyu, a thought crossed her mind, and then smiled and said, "Since the princess is so kind, then I will accept it without being impolite."
Princess Jingning: "???"
Meng Jinyu was stunned.
Qingqiu and Ningdong were also dumbfounded.
After a moment, Princess Jingning realized what was happening and said irritably, "Madam Gu, don't talk nonsense. When did I invite you to lunch?"
Meng Jinyao seemed to suddenly lose her mind and asked with a smile, "Will the princess invite me again next time? If I have time, I will definitely accept the invitation."
Upon hearing this, Princess Jingning's eyes widened in disbelief. She truly hadn't expected Meng Jinyao to be so shameless as to dare to go against her. She couldn't do anything to Meng Jinyao, even though Meng Jinyao didn't have an official title, she was Gu Jingxi's wife, and her status depended on her husband.
Meng Jinyu had no idea what had gotten into Meng Jinyao. This sudden change caught her off guard, but her intuition told her that Meng Jinyao was up to something. She quickly said, "Big sister, how about we get together another time? It's my sister's fault for inviting you without asking the princess's opinion beforehand."
Meng Jinyao raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Second sister, there's no time like the present, I think today is a good day."
Princess Jingning was amused by her shamelessness and said, "Today is a good day. Since Madam Gu is so eager to come, then come with us."
Meng Jinyao readily agreed, "This concubine thanks Your Highness for your kindness."
Princess Jingning choked, feeling as if she had punched cotton. She had never seen anyone so shameless as to come and freeload.
Qingqiu and Ningdong looked at each other, puzzled. They couldn't understand why their mistress, who clearly disliked them, insisted on having lunch with them.
The group had different thoughts, and when they arrived at the restaurant ahead, they booked a private room.
Meng Jinyao sat down, glancing indifferently at Meng Jinyu, who was sitting opposite her and next to Princess Jingning, and asked with interest, "How did the Princess and my second sister meet?"
Princess Jingning glanced at her but didn't say anything, looking like she didn't want to talk to her.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyu subtly curled the corners of her lips and said considerately, "Elder sister, I met the princess at a poetry gathering. At that time, the princess even helped me out of an awkward situation. However, elder sister has always felt that these gatherings are pretentious and does not like such gatherings. She almost never attends them, so I won't go into details."
As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Jingning glanced at Meng Jinyao with an unfriendly look. Poetry gatherings were just pretentious parties, so in her eyes, weren't the people who attended poetry gatherings just pretentious people? She really didn't know any literature herself, yet she couldn't stand others being able to compose poems.
Meng Jinyao didn't expect Meng Jinyu to be so quick to label her, but she wouldn't tolerate it and replied calmly, "Second sister, you're mistaken. Isn't it because I can't go out that I don't attend these gatherings?"
She sighed softly, looking helpless, and said, "Second sister, don't you ever think about how you always get into trouble and I'm the one who cleans up your messes? Second sister is still young, and Grandmother can't bear to punish you, so she punishes me by confining me to my quarters to copy the family rules and making me kneel in the ancestral hall. There are only twelve months in a year, and confinement lasts for a whole month each time. How can I have time to attend any gatherings? I spend all my time copying the family rules."
Princess Jingning was taken aback and looked at Meng Jinyu with a questioning gaze.
Meng Jinyu's face stiffened, and she said with displeasure, "Elder sister, it was clearly you who did something wrong that was punished by Grandmother. How can you shift the blame onto me and wrong me? Grandmother is fair and impartial."
Meng Jinyao looked completely innocent and asked in a low voice, "Second sister, tell me, what did I do wrong?"
Meng Jinyu was taken aback by these words and said with a straight face, "Eldest sister knows very well that I will not reveal her past shameful deeds in front of the princess. Well, it's all in the past. As long as eldest sister corrects herself in the future, that's fine. After all, she has already married someone else. If she makes a mistake again, the Changxing Marquis's Mansion will blame the Meng family for not raising her well."
Meng Jinyao replied with a forced smile, "How would I know? Did you fall into the lake because you were playing and were afraid of being scolded by your elders, so you said I pushed you in and I refused to admit I didn't do it? Or did you offend someone with your loose tongue and then say I taught you to say that, and I was wrong for not taking the blame for you? Of course, whether I admit it or not, I have to be punished. Who told me, as the older sister, not to keep an eye on my wicked younger sister?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyu's expression changed drastically. She quickly glanced at Princess Jingning and angrily said to Meng Jinyao, "Elder sister, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Meng Jinyao remained calm: "Whether I'm telling the truth or not, Second Sister knows perfectly well."
As she spoke, she glanced at Princess Jingning beside her. Seeing the princess's stunned expression, as if she hadn't been able to react to what had happened so suddenly, she smiled and said, "Princess, you should be more careful in making friends in the future. Don't be so foolish as to be used as a tool by others."
Princess Jingning's face turned extremely ugly: "What do you mean by that, Madam Gu?"
Meng Jinyao's expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "Just like last time, wasn't the princess used as a tool by her? Last time at the theater, she even tried to trip me up and make me fall down the stairs. I didn't expect that my attempt to steal a chicken would backfire. I didn't want to save her, but to avoid her biting back, I still saved her. I didn't expect that I would still be bitten back in the end."
Her sharp gaze swept over Meng Jinyu, and she scoffed, "Second sister, don't think I don't know. You made the princess mistakenly believe that I pushed you down and then saved you. The princess took you to the clinic, and you still made the princess misunderstand and stand up for you. If your left foot keeps acting up again, I don't mind crippling it for you."
Princess Jingning suddenly looked at Meng Jinyu and saw that Meng Jinyu's face was pale and she was glaring angrily at Meng Jinyao, looking somewhat embarrassed and angry. She frowned and questioned, "Ayu, is what she said true?"
Meng Jinyu hurriedly explained, "Princess, she slandered me. I told you before that my sister is the best at twisting the truth and slandering people. I wanted to have a good get-together with her today, but I didn't expect her to slander me again. It was stupid of me to invite her to lunch."
As she finished speaking, her eyes welled up with tears, revealing an expression of grievance and impending tears after being wronged.
Princess Jingning looked at the two sisters, each sticking to their own version of events, and for a moment she didn't know who to believe.
Having achieved her goal, Meng Jinyao didn't want to waste her breath on her and said calmly, "Princess, some things require careful consideration. You can't just believe what others say. That's all I have to say. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't have dinner with you. Please make yourself at home."
After saying this, she stood up, took two maids and left, leaving behind the chaotic Meng Jinyu and the solemn-faced Princess Jingning.
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