Chapter 427 Unwilling to Marry
Seeing that she remained silent, Princess Jingning asked in confusion, "Ayao, what's wrong?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly: "It's nothing."
Princess Jingning looked at her thoughtfully, then asked hesitantly, "You're not just overthinking things, are you?"
"What?"
Meng Jinyao looked at her blankly, not understanding what was going on.
Princess Jingning replied, "There were rumors before that Marquis Gu had not married for many years because he couldn't forget his former fiancée. But you and Marquis Gu have a child together, and he treats you so well, which proves that the rumors are definitely not true."
Meng Jinyao understood and immediately said, "That rumor is indeed not true. When we were in Huzhou Prefecture, the Marquis told me that he had no romantic feelings for her, and the engagement was arranged by his parents and the matchmaker."
Upon hearing this, Princess Jingning breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I was just afraid you'd overthink it."
Meng Jinyao smiled gently: "Don't worry, I'm not overthinking things." She paused for a moment, "It's just a bit surprising that Lord Wei divorced Madam Wei, but thinking about it, it seems quite normal."
Princess Jingning nodded: "It is indeed normal to be divorced after being married for more than ten years without children. Some people are divorced after being married for three years without children."
Meng Jinyao knew in her heart that Madam Wei was not divorced because she had no children, but she didn't say much. The reason given by the Wei family was that she had no children, so let it be that she had no children.
Lord Wei truly loved Lady Wei. At this critical juncture, she was divorced and sent back to her parents' home. Now, no one knows the truth, and Lady Wei will surely be ridiculed. But when Lord Wei is escorted back to the capital for trial, some people will feel fortunate for Lady Wei, thinking that being divorced is good, that she has escaped the Wei family, and will no longer have to suffer.
A moment later, Meng Jinyao asked, "Ayan, how did you find out about this?"
Princess Jingning replied, "The Mei family girl, who was once known as the most beautiful and talented woman in the capital, has returned to the capital in a low-key manner, but rumors have still spread. Given her former fame, people will pay attention to her. Don't be fooled by my mother's dignified and virtuous appearance; she loves to listen to gossip. My mother has a maid who specializes in collecting gossip about other people's affairs and telling her the stories. I was with my mother and overheard some of it myself."
Meng Jinyao nodded knowingly.
Princess Jingning pondered for a moment, then murmured, "She seems to be almost thirty years old, doesn't she?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "She is one year younger than the Marquis, and is twenty-nine years old this year."
Princess Jingning sighed softly, "It's quite tragic to be divorced at such an age. It will be difficult to remarry into a good family. Young people won't even consider her, but families of similar age will want a younger one. Now that Madam Mei is still alive, when she passes away, her brothers will probably look down on her for being an old maid living in the house."
"That's not necessarily true." Meng Jinyao shook her head dismissively. "Madam Wei... no, she should be called Miss Mei now. Although she is nearly thirty, she looks only twenty-four or twenty-five. She is beautiful and talented. So many men admired her back then. If there were any widows who were still interested in her, they would probably have asked to marry her. After all, men of this age usually have children and wouldn't care whether she can have children or not."
Princess Jingning was slightly taken aback, then said, "That's true."
After a moment, Princess Jingning changed the subject: "Ayao, let's go and pay our respects to the old lady. I haven't paid my respects to my elders yet."
Meng Jinyao laughed and said, "Then you've come at an inopportune time. My mother-in-law isn't home today; she's gone out."
Princess Jingning asked in surprise, "The old lady rarely goes out, and she hardly ever attends banquets. Why is she in the mood to go out today?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "That's how it used to be, but she's been going out more often lately. It seems she went to offer incense and pray for blessings today. Let's take a walk in the back garden; the chrysanthemums there are blooming beautifully."
Princess Jingning nodded: "Alright."
The back garden was quite desolate in autumn, with withered grass and trees, and only seasonal flowers in bloom.
The two strolled leisurely in the garden, chatting about interesting things, with their maid following a few steps behind them.
Suddenly, Meng Jinyao heard a commotion coming from not far ahead and stopped in her tracks. Princess Jingning also stopped.
All that could be heard from ahead was Zhang's exasperated voice: "What's wrong with you? I told you to behave well and leave a good impression, but all you do is eat! How come I never noticed how much you love to eat before? Did the family go hungry or something? You look like you haven't eaten in three days."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Xuanyi's voice came through, replying in a nonchalant tone: "Their food is delicious. If I eat more, wouldn't that be giving them face?"
Zhang: "You...you're trying to drive me crazy?"
Gu Xuanyi replied, "Mother, I have no plans to get married right now, so please don't worry about it. My third brother is my twin brother, he's a quarter of an hour older than me, and he's not married yet, so why should I be in such a hurry?"
Zhang was furious: "Xiuwen is a man, and you are a woman. How can they be the same? Look at your third uncle. He is nearly thirty years old and still has a young and beautiful woman willing to marry him. If your third uncle were a woman, who would want to marry him when he is nearly thirty?"
Gu Xuanyi replied, "Anyway, I don't care. I just don't want to. If you say anything more, I'll go to my grandmother to seek justice for me."
Zhang: "How dare you use my grandmother to intimidate me?"
Gu Xuanyi: "I'm tired. I'll go back and get some sleep. Mother has been scolding me for so long, she must be tired too. Go back and get some rest."
Zhang: "...You child."
...
Listening to the content of their argument, it seems that Zhang wanted to find Gu Xuanyi a good new husband, but Gu Xuanyi was not cooperating and messed things up. Zhang was angry, but Gu Xuanyi didn't care at all.
Princess Jingning said in a low voice, "Ayao, judging from the tone of your eldest daughter, she doesn't seem too willing to get married."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly and replied in a low voice, "Xuanyi has been hurt before. She was tricked into marriage by her ex-husband and was even beaten up. She is afraid of marriage. However, Xuanyi is sixteen years old this year. As her mother, you must be anxious about her marriage. You are afraid that it will be difficult for her to find a good family when she gets older."
Princess Jingning said, "Miss Gu's ex-husband also received the punishment he deserved. After he and Miss Gu divorced, his father immediately went to the palace to petition the emperor and stripped him of his title of heir apparent. His reputation was ruined, and he could no longer make a living in the capital, so he left the capital. The Peng family also abandoned him, and he has become a discarded pawn."
Meng Jinyao replied, "He has homosexual tendencies. Even with a wife, he cannot consummate the marriage and have children. His reputation is ruined. To the family, he is already useless. They certainly cannot let him continue as the heir. Moreover, he bullied the Gu family's daughter. The Marquis will not let him off without paying a price."
Princess Jingning was very puzzled and whispered in Meng Jinyao's ear, "It's really strange. He can have sex with men, but why can't he have sex with women?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, then shook her head: "I really don't know."
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