Chapter 142 Borrowing a Girl
As dusk approached, Meng Jinyao parted ways with Princess Jingning and each returned to their respective residences.
On the carriage.
Meng Jinyao closed her eyes to rest.
At this moment, Ningdong suddenly sighed, "Madam, what you said before about not judging people too one-sidedly makes a lot of sense."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao opened her eyes and gave her a reproachful look: "Otherwise what?"
Ning Dong thought of how Princess Jingning had been humiliated by the Madam several times today, and said, "Last time I met Princess Jingning at the theater, she and the Second Miss made things difficult for you. I thought she was really annoying and bullied people by taking advantage of her power. But today I suddenly realized that the Princess is actually quite likable."
Meng Jinyao smiled and nodded in agreement: "She is quite likable, with a charming personality, but she is too naive. No wonder Meng Jinyu was able to deceive her."
Ning Dong's lips also curled up, and she chuckled, "The Second Miss is probably furious. She probably wanted to annoy you today, so she invited you to have lunch with them, hoping that the Princess would stand up for you and make things difficult for you. But you exposed her true colors directly, and the Princess believes you this time."
Meng Jinyao raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.
Meng Jinyu's methods might fool her family, who unconditionally favor her, but they can only fool naive outsiders. Anyone who isn't completely stupid will think things through when they hear a different version of events.
Princess Jingning is simple-minded, but not stupid. With a little thought, she can see that something is wrong and won't be deceived any further.
Ning Dong's smile deepened, her tone tinged with schadenfreude: "Second Miss is really bold, daring to even deceive Princess Jingning. Given the princess's temperament, she will definitely deal with her later."
Meng Jinyao said indifferently, "That's what she brought on herself. She's like Madam Sun, but not as good as Madam Sun. Madam Sun was much more composed than her, even when Madam Sun was young."
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The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
Meng Jinyao returned to Wei Rui Xuan, feeling somewhat exhausted.
The mistress and her servants went out this morning and spent the afternoon accompanying Princess Jingning around. They didn't return until sunset, and the hot weather made them even more tired.
As she reached the doorway, Meng Jinyao noticed that Gu Jingxi had returned earlier than her and was sitting in a chair with a chessboard in front of him, playing chess with both hands. Remembering that she had something to tell him, Meng Jinyao immediately perked up and quickly walked towards him.
Hearing footsteps, Gu Jingxi looked up and saw her. He asked gently, "Is there something you need, Madam?"
Meng Jinyao was taken aback: "How did my husband know?"
Gu Jingxi chuckled softly: "When you look at me, your eyes light up, as if you've seen some hot commodity."
Meng Jinyao: "..."
Her gaze wasn't that obvious, was it?
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Madam, please sit down first. If you are not in a hurry, we can talk after I finish this game of chess."
Meng Jinyao nodded, instructed Qingqiu to put away the things she had bought that day, and then sat down opposite him without disturbing his chess game.
Meng Jinyao looked down at the crisscrossing chessboard. The game had just begun. Seeing him place a black piece on the board, she felt an urge to play and picked up a white piece from the chess jar and placed it on the board.
Seeing this, Gu Jingxi looked at the spot where the white piece had been placed, then looked up at her in surprise: "I didn't expect Madam to be such a good chess player."
Startled by the unexpected compliment, Meng Jinyao blushed slightly, then humbly replied, "When I was in my boudoir, I had nothing to do, so I would just sit in my room and ponder things."
Gu Jingxi placed another black piece and smiled, gesturing for her to continue, Madam.
Meng Jinyao nodded, focusing intently on playing chess with him, since she wasn't in a hurry to do her own thing anyway.
It is said that chess reflects one's personality; a person's character will be reflected in their chess game.
When Gu Jingxi plays chess, his moves are intricate and his defenses are meticulous and orderly. He makes brilliant attacks and defends flawlessly, which perfectly reflects his calm and composed personality.
Meng Jinyao, on the other hand, is cautious and meticulous. She always chooses a defensive strategy when setting up her formations and rarely takes the initiative to attack. Even if there are loopholes in her formations, she will still arrange her troops in the camp herself. She will not act rashly without being absolutely certain of success, which makes people anxious and impatient.
Fortunately, Gu Jingxi is calm and composed, and he patiently and slowly worked things out with her without any rush.
No matter how cautious Meng Jinyao was, she still lost in the end.
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Madam, you flatter me."
Looking at the chessboard, Meng Jinyao felt somewhat annoyed, but she was convinced of her defeat: "My husband's chess skills are superb, I admit defeat."
Gu Jingxi replied, "Actually, Madam's chess skills are not bad either, but she is too cautious, which causes her to miss many good opportunities."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the little girl and saw that her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she was annoyed that she had lost. He then said, "Madam, life is like a game of chess. When you have an opportunity, you must seize it. As the saying goes, 'Opportunity knocks but once.' If you miss a good opportunity, you may not be able to wait for the next one. Caution is a good thing, but being too cautious and looking back and forth can easily lead to mistakes."
Meng Jinyao was stunned. She was indeed overly cautious in her actions, a trait she had developed since childhood. After her grandfather passed away, with no one to protect her, she had to endure everything and dare not act rashly unless she was absolutely certain of success.
After a moment, Meng Jinyao said, "My husband is right."
Gu Jingxi didn't continue the topic and asked, "Madam, what did you want to say earlier?"
Meng Jinyao was not in a hurry and replied, "Husband, it's not urgent. It's getting late. We can talk about it after dinner."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi glanced around. It was already dark, and the room was brightly lit. It was already dinner time, but they had spent too long playing chess, which had delayed them a bit.
He nodded and said, "Alright."
Meng Jinyao immediately instructed the maid to prepare the meal.
After dinner, Meng Jinyao dismissed the maids and then brought up her business, asking Gu Jingxi, "Husband, do you have any girls who know martial arts? I'd like to borrow one from you."
Gu Jingxi paused, gave her a strange look, and asked, "Does Madam not know whether I have a daughter or not?"
Meng Jinyao was taken aback, then belatedly realized that her question was ambiguous and could easily be misunderstood. She smiled awkwardly and immediately changed her question: "Does my husband have any female subordinates who know martial arts? I've heard that officials usually have many capable people under them, both men and women."
Gu Jingxi readily agreed: "Yes, I'll send the person over to you tomorrow."
Meng Jinyao was surprised: "My husband, aren't you going to ask me what I came here for?"
Gu Jingxi asked gently, "Didn't you tell me yesterday that you caught a big fish? My wife, please go ahead and do it."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's lips curled up, and she asked again, "Can I make a request?"
Gu Jingxi asked, "What are the requirements?"
Meng Jinyao thought for a moment and replied, "Exactly, could we have a girl with an oval face and a gentle appearance?"
After hearing this, Gu Jingxi chuckled helplessly and asked with amusement, "Madam, are you looking for a subordinate or a wife? And a gentle one at that? Why don't you just say you want a virtuous wife and loving mother?"
Meng Jinyao chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's easier to fool someone if you have a similar temperament."
Gu Jingxi agreed: "Okay, I'll send the person over to Madam tomorrow."
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