Chapter 586 This is outrageous!
The autumn imperial examinations were held, and Zhang hoped her son would succeed. She spent her days in the Buddhist hall praying for Buddha's blessing. Originally, she and Chen managed the household affairs together, but now that Zhang was in the Buddhist hall, Chen had to manage everything alone.
Meng Jinyao brought Wanwan and Xiu Yuan's son, Xiao Yunxin. The two, uncle and nephew, were of different generations but were as close as brothers and even slept together at night.
Madam Zhang was very satisfied with this. Wanwan was her third brother's eldest son and was going to inherit the Marquis's mansion. Her third brother would definitely pave the way for Wanwan in the future. Her grandson had a good relationship with Wanwan, so her grandson would also benefit from it in the future.
As for Gu Xiuyuan and his wife Jiang, when they heard Wanwan call Yunxin "brother," they felt that their son had offended his elders and were very uneasy. Fortunately, their third uncle and aunt did not mind, and seeing that the two children were playing well, they were relieved.
At this moment, a gentle autumn breeze blows.
Meng Jinyao sat in the pavilion, her gaze falling on Yun Xin and Wanwan outside. The two little ones were circling the birdcage, teasing the parrot and talking to it. The two little ones were talking back and forth, and the parrot seemed not to know who to listen to, or perhaps it was annoyed by their noise, so it remained silent, leaving the two little ones feeling very frustrated.
Upon seeing this, she shook her head and chuckled.
Following her gaze, Chen also saw this scene and smiled, "Wanwan and Yunxin seem to get along quite well."
Meng Jinyao replied, "Yunxin is a lively child; he gets along with everyone." Then she asked, "Why haven't I seen you these past few days, sister-in-law? What have you been up to?"
Madam Chen looked at her in surprise and asked, "Third sister-in-law, you don't know?"
Meng Jinyao looked blank, then shook her head. She had been busy taking care of the child lately and had hardly heard anything about the outside world. What could she possibly know?
Madam Chen said, "Isn't Xiuwen participating in this autumn imperial examination? My sister-in-law is so nervous that she's praying to Buddha in the Buddhist hall to bless Xiuwen so that he can pass the exam." As she spoke, she shook her head repeatedly, "If you ask me, since it's related to the imperial examination, then we should worship the Emperor Wenchang and ask him to grant us a blessing so that Xiuwen can pass the exam this year."
Meng Jinyao understood after hearing this, and then smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law, you mustn't say this in front of eldest sister-in-law. If eldest sister-in-law realizes later that she has worshipped the wrong god, she will probably be worried sick tonight."
"I was just saying this to you," Chen sighed softly. "My brother is becoming more and more outrageous. No wonder my sister-in-law focuses all her attention on the child. Xuan Yi hides from my sister-in-law like a mouse seeing a cat."
Meng Jinyao sighed almost imperceptibly. Their brother-in-law was indeed outrageous. Ever since he had fallen out with his sister-in-law, he had never set foot in her room again. Instead, he spent his days in the rooms of his young and beautiful concubines. His sister-in-law had told her that her brother had once spent one night with three concubines. Because he was so indulgent at night, he slept until noon the next day and missed his turn to report to the government office.
Suddenly, Chen's gaze fell on the veranda not far away, and she said, "Look, what I said came true."
Following her gaze, Meng Jinyao saw a beautiful and charming young woman, whose every smile and frown exuded charm. It was none other than Aunt Ming, the most beloved concubine of her brother-in-law, Gu Jingsheng. Gu Jingsheng was speaking gently to Aunt Ming, seemingly saying something that made her laugh heartily, causing her to tremble with joy.
Madam Chen said, "They say a person's name reflects their character, but Aunt Ming is far from being as beautiful as the moon in the sky."
Aunt Ming's surname is Ming, and her given name is Yue. Mingyue means bright moon. In most people's minds, the bright moon should be pure, flawless, elegant and refined. However, Aunt Ming is excessively charming and has a bit of a worldly air about her.
Meng Jinyao did not respond to that.
Madam Chen was still muttering to herself, "She is quite pretty, but a bit too gaudy. However, most men like this kind of woman. They have a dignified and virtuous wife to maintain appearances, and a beautiful concubine to please them." She paused, then said in surprise, "Third sister-in-law, we've met on a narrow road. I reckon there's going to be a good show."
Meng Jinyao also saw Zhang Shi leading her maids and servants, walking hurriedly towards Gu Jingsheng and Aunt Ming. Gu Jingsheng and Aunt Ming also saw Zhang Shi. Gu Jingsheng, with his arm around Aunt Ming, walked towards Zhang Shi with a provocative look on his face, as if he wanted to block Zhang Shi's way and cause her trouble.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao frowned. How could her brother-in-law be so absurd? In broad daylight, in a corridor where people could pass by at any time, wasn't he afraid that the maids and servants would see him and gossip in private, and that if it got out, the censor would impeach him for favoring his concubine over his wife?
Seeing Zhang's commotion, Gu Jingsheng assumed she was jealous and about to cause trouble. He really wanted to bring his concubine to annoy Zhang and make her laugh, just to please his concubine.
Unexpectedly, Madam Zhang kept her eyes straight ahead, seemingly not seeing them. She moved aside, leading her maids and servants past them without glancing at them. Only when the maids and servants passed by did she give a slight curtsy.
Being ignored like this, Gu Jingsheng was furious and shouted at Zhang's back, "Zhang, you stop right there! At least greet your husband! What kind of lady is as ill-mannered as you?"
Madam Zhang paused, turned around, and gave him a cold look, warning him, "My son Xiuwen is currently taking the autumn imperial examination. He is studying under a famous teacher at Lingshan Academy and is highly regarded by the teacher, so he is very likely to pass. If he passes this time, he will also have to take the spring imperial examination next year. When he passes the exam and becomes an official, he will also have to find a wife. His reputation is the most important thing. You must not make a fool of yourself and drag my son down."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingsheng immediately fell silent. No matter how angry he was with Zhang Shi, how he wanted to dampen her spirits, or how he had impulsively tried to elevate his beloved concubine at the expense of Zhang Shi, he sobered up upon hearing about his son's future. Since his third brother was not helping him in his official career, he would probably only be able to hold a sinecure for the rest of his life. Whether he could live a glorious life after the division of the family property depended on whether his son was capable enough.
Seeing that her husband had shut up, Zhang didn't say anything more. She turned around and walked away. She had long been disappointed in her husband. She didn't care which concubine he favored, but she absolutely couldn't have any illegitimate children to cause her distress. She prepared contraceptive soup every day and would give it to whichever room her husband went to.
Meng Jinyao and Chen Shi both heard Gu Jingsheng's angry shout clearly. They didn't hear what Zhang Shi said afterward, but seeing Zhang Shi's calm demeanor and Gu Jingsheng's subdued and defeated expression, they knew that Zhang Shi had easily subdued him.
Chen rarely showed Zhang any appreciation, saying, "Sister-in-law looks much better now. It's just a pity that she can't stay like this for long. She might say something annoying or do something annoying at any moment."
Just as Meng Jinyao was about to reply, her skirt was tugged. She looked down and saw that it was Wanwan and Yunxin, the two little ones. The two little ones seemed to have been frightened by Gu Jingsheng's angry shout, especially Yunxin, who looked in Gu Jingsheng's direction with a hint of fear.
She quickly reached out and rubbed Yunxin's head, saying gently, "Yunxin, don't be afraid, Grandpa and Grandma are just playing around."
Gu Yunxin asked, still a little confused, "Was Grandpa just joking around with Grandma a couple of days ago?"
Upon hearing this, both Meng Jinyao and Madam Chen were stunned. They hadn't expected their elder brother-in-law to have argued with his sister-in-law in front of the children. This was outrageous; he didn't act like a grandfather at all.
Meng Jinyao smiled gently: "Of course. You must be hungry after playing with your fourth uncle for so long. We've prepared some of Yunxin and Wanwan's favorite pastries in the small kitchen. Would you like to go back and eat first?"
Before Gu Yunxin could reply, Wanwan, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly when she heard about food: "I want to eat!"
Meng Jinyao chuckled softly, "You little glutton."
Madam Chen said gently, "In that case, Third Sister-in-law, take the two little gluttons back for some pastries. I just remembered I have some things to take care of."
Meng Jinyao nodded and left with the two little ones.
The events that occurred in the covered walkway today eventually reached the ears of Old Madam Gu, who immediately sent someone to summon Gu Jingsheng and give him a scolding.
Although Gu Jingsheng dared to be arrogant in front of Zhang Shi, he was still afraid of his stepmother. After being scolded, he became much more obedient and at least dared not cause trouble for Zhang Shi in front of the servants, concubines, and younger generation.
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