Chapter 127 A Yao's Anger
A silence fell over the room.
Seeing her mistress remain silent, Ningdong assumed she was upset and stammered, "Madam, please, please don't be sad."
Meng Jinyao gave a soft "Hmm?"
Ning Dong steadied herself and said with increasing certainty, "Madam, you are the legal wife. That woman can never surpass you, and besides, she is very likely already married."
Meng Jinyao smiled and chuckled softly, "What are you thinking about? I'm not sad."
Seeing that they didn't seem to believe her, she added, "Really, I'm not sad."
The way they're saying it sounds like they're trying to cover something up.
The two maids looked at each other, unanimously believing that the lady was being hypocritical. The Marquis took out the things he hadn't been able to give to his beloved from the storeroom and put them in the study.
Besides writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and some books, the study contained some rather valuable items. The Marquis treasured that set of headdress so much; how could the Madam, as his wife, remain unmoved?
Seeing how nervous the two maids were, Meng Jinyao frankly said, "I admit that I'm not entirely unmoved when I hear about this, but so what?"
As she spoke, she shrugged nonchalantly and smiled, saying, "She came before me, I came after her. She is the past, I am the present. Why should I care about her? As long as the Marquis treats me well and gives me the means to establish myself in the Marquis's mansion, that's enough. I don't care about anything else. After all, I never wanted his love from the beginning. Who his heart belongs to is not something I should care about."
Qingqiu and Ningdong remained silent after hearing this. Their mistress was very insightful, but also very pitiful. She was only sixteen years old and just beginning to experience love. Before her marriage, she had beautiful dreams about marriage, but now she didn't even dare to hope for a sincere heart. Gu Xiuming's outrageous actions had a great impact on their mistress.
Meng Jinyao added, "Alright, let's not mention this again. I have more important things to do than romantic love."
Ning Dong felt sorry for her mistress and her heart was heavy. She forced a smile and replied, "Madam, Brother Lin said that everything is going according to our expectations, and we should be able to close the net in a few days."
Meng Jinyao nodded: "That's good then. You can go out first, I'll rest for a while longer."
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu and Ningdong exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads almost imperceptibly, before retreating in response.
Once outside the room, Ningdong asked in a low voice, "Qingqiu, is Madam really alright?"
Qingqiu replied, "I can't say for sure either."
After a long while, Qingqiu quietly entered the room and glanced at the soft couch by the window. She saw that her mistress was fast asleep, and it seemed that they had been worrying too much. Her mistress was not troubled by such things, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
As dusk settled, it was dinnertime.
Ning Dong served rice to Gu Jingxi, but when she placed it in front of him, she was slightly resentful and her movements were a bit rough, so the rice bowl made a loud "thump" as it was placed on the table.
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback and glanced at Ning Dong in surprise. He saw a hint of anger between Ning Dong's brows, as if she was giving him a hard time. He was stunned again, somewhat confused. Was his status at home so low now? Even a maid dared to give him a hard time?
Qingqiu was instantly filled with apprehension at Ningdong's actions.
Ning Dong froze. It was an unconscious action; she hadn't thought much about it when she did it.
Meng Jinyao immediately tried to smooth things over, her mind racing, and said, "Husband, Ningdong is feeling sad because she's thinking about her deceased elders, please don't take it to heart."
After hearing this, Gu Jingxi decided not to pursue the matter further.
Meng Jinyao looked at Ningdong and said gently, "Ningdong, you don't need to serve us here. The night view in the mansion is nice. Go for a walk in the courtyard to relax."
Ning Dong quickly responded, then curtsied and withdrew.
Qingqiu glanced at her back and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Originally, Madam had said that Ningdong had become much more composed, but now it seemed that she was still not composed enough and her emotions were easily revealed.
Afterwards, Meng Jinyao called Ningdong over and gave her a good scolding. With a stern face, she reprimanded her in a deep voice: "Ningdong, have I been too lenient with you? You've become increasingly bold, daring to be disrespectful even in front of your master. Have you forgotten the rules you learned?"
Ning Dong, her eyes red and choked with sobs, said, "Madam, I was just angry, that's why I did that."
Meng Jinyao's expression was cold: "I'm not angry, so why are you?"
She took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Don't forget how your master got this marriage. He was forced to marry me. He had no interest in me before he married me. Isn't it normal for a girl to want something but not get it? Of course, it's his fault for not raising his son properly. The son's debt is the father's responsibility. He himself did not object to marrying me."
Ning Dong met her mistress's angry eyes, her heart trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes, falling like broken beads. She knelt down with a thud, sobbing, "Madam, please don't be angry. This servant knows her mistake and will never dare to do it again."
Meng Jinyao softened her expression and said earnestly, "Ningdong, you must understand that our current peaceful life is hard-won and we must not cause any more trouble. It's better to pretend you don't know about some things. Your master is not the kind of person who gets upset over every little thing. This little thing doesn't bother me at all."
Ningdong nodded earnestly: "Madam, this servant understands."
Meng Jinyao said, "Alright, you can go now. Remember, there will never be a next time, or I'll find you a husband and give you a dowry to marry you off."
Ning Dong's heart tightened. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, she dared not say anything more and withdrew.
After Ningdong left, Qingqiu said gently, "Madam, please calm down. After this incident, Ningdong will definitely not dare to do it again."
Meng Jinyao sighed softly, "It's because I've spoiled her too much that she's become so bold."
Qingqiu glanced at her mistress's face and explained on Ningdong's behalf: "Madam, Ningdong was able to keep her composure last time. This time, it's probably because the Marquis brought that set of jewelry out of the storeroom. She's worried about you too much, and she's afraid that the Marquis can't let go of that girl and wants to rekindle their relationship. If that happens, you'll be in a difficult situation."
Meng Jinyao replied, "I know, but she shouldn't have been so bold in front of the Marquis. I didn't reprimand her this time, but what if she goes even further next time?"
Qingqiu opened her mouth, then hesitated and asked, "Madam, Ningdong's concerns are not without reason. Aren't you worried?"
"What am I worried about?" Meng Jinyao shook her head and chuckled, saying slowly, "I am the legal wife. As long as I don't make any mistakes, he can't divorce me without a reason. No matter how much he likes other girls, at most he can only take them into the mansion as concubines, and they will be subordinate to me."
After hearing this, Qingqiu stared at her master blankly for a long time, then understood what her master meant.
Meng Jinyao said gently, "As for you two girls, don't think too much. I've prepared for the worst. But given the Marquis's character, I think even if he takes a concubine, my fate won't be too terrible."
As she spoke, she smiled and said, "But he once promised me that he would not take a concubine, unless he breaks his promise."
At that time, she felt that Gu Xiuming was a rare and affectionate man to Li Wan'er, while Gu Jingxi thought that she had feelings for Gu Xiuming, so he said that this unfilial son was not a good match. Later, she asked back, "Then what about my husband? Is he a good match?"
Gu Jingxi once told her, "I will not take a concubine. As for whether she is a good match, that depends on what you think."
She thought, Gu Jingxi wouldn't go back on his word, would he?
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