Chapter 163 Accepting Reality
Madam Gu took a deep breath and her tone returned to calm: "What else can we do? Xuanyi went boating on the lake with the Marquis of Wu'an's son, fell into the water and was rescued by the Marquis of Wu'an's son. If someone we know saw this, it will definitely spread. If Xuanyi doesn't marry him, does she have to cut off her hair and become a nun?"
Zhang was stunned, feeling extremely upset. She was already troubled enough by the many troubles in the Wu'an Marquis's mansion and the thought that her daughter would suffer if she married into it. Now, she discovered that the Wu'an Marquis's wife's most preferred daughter-in-law was probably not her daughter, but a backup candidate. She was even more furious.
She stammered, "Mother, Xuanyi's personality is such that she won't be able to handle him after he marries into the family. She'll suffer."
Seeing Zhang kneeling on the ground, looking worried, Old Madam Gu sighed helplessly. What could be done now that the die was cast?
After a moment, Madam Gu said gently, "Get up first, sit down and let's talk."
Zhang responded softly, stood up, and sat down in the seat below Old Madam Gu.
Madam Gu added, "Then find her a calm and capable dowry maid to guide her. As long as she listens to advice, she will suffer less. Besides, she will learn from her mistakes and become wiser after suffering more losses."
Zhang nodded gently after hearing this, "I understand, daughter-in-law."
Madam Gu glanced at her and sighed softly, "People always have to pay the price for their willfulness. She disobeyed her elders and caused this mess by associating with the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an. Fortunately, Xuanling's marriage has already been arranged, otherwise it would have been affected to some extent. Since this marriage is what she wants, she should accept it when the Marquis of Wu'an's family comes to propose. There's nothing we can do about it."
Zhang responded again, forced to accept the facts, her feelings a mix of emotions. She had always wanted her daughter to marry into a good family, one with a good background, so she could have a grand and glorious marriage. Now, the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an had a good family background, but there were many troubles and infighting within the family.
Afterwards, Madam Gu gave some more instructions.
However, Zhang was preoccupied with worrying that her daughter would not have a good life after marriage, and it is unknown whether she listened at all.
After Zhang left, Old Madam Gu sighed and exhaled a breath of stale air. She said helplessly, "It's true that man proposes, God disposes. I thought I would marry Xuanyi into a family with a simple population and not too complicated. I never expected that she would end up choosing a complicated one."
Granny Feng replied, "Madam, this is probably fate. It's something that's destined, and there's no escaping it."
-
Wei Rui Xuan.
When Gu Jingxi saw the young girl return from outside, she looked solemn and preoccupied. She sat down listlessly, so Gu Jingxi asked, "Madam, what happened?"
Meng Jinyao looked up at him and asked, "Such a big thing, haven't you heard about it, husband?"
Gu Jingxi looked bewildered: "What is it?"
Seeing that he was still unaware of what had happened, probably staying in the study and oblivious to what was going on outside, Meng Jinyao briefly recounted the day's events to him.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi frowned. Even though the Wu'an Marquis's family kept the dirty secrets tightly under wraps, he had still heard about them. There was open and covert infighting within the family, but on the surface, they were all in harmony. His sister-in-law was always clueless and had also caused trouble for Xuanyi.
Meng Jinyao sighed helplessly: "I saw Xuanyi boating on the lake with the Marquis of Wu'an this morning. If I had caught her and brought her home this morning, this wouldn't have happened this afternoon."
Although she disliked Gu Xuanyi's arrogant and domineering nature, as a fellow woman, she had no grudge against her and didn't want her to fall into a pit of fire and suffer.
Gu Jingxi parted his thin lips slightly and said in a calm voice, "Sometimes, personality determines destiny. Part of the problem lies in the way parents teach, and the other part is due to personality. If it were Xuanling, she would definitely not dare to associate with men in private if her second sister-in-law said no."
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, then nodded in agreement. If it were Xuanling, she definitely wouldn't dare to do that. Xuanling was always obedient and never did anything out of line. "It's just that, because of this matter, my sister-in-law seems to have lost her soul."
Gu Jingxi showed no sympathy, her tone indifferent: "She failed to raise her daughter properly, and her vanity got the better of her. She agreed to the marriage between the Marquis of Wu'an and the Marquis of Wu'an's son, and now this has happened. Who can she blame? Instead of wasting time being sentimental, she should spend more time guiding her daughter and making her smarter so she won't suffer after marriage."
That made sense, and Meng Jinyao did not refute it.
Indeed, the mother greatly influenced her daughter. The matter was settled, and there were only two options: either agree to the marriage when the Wu'an Marquis's family came to propose, or cut off her hair and become a nun. Otherwise, what family of equal social standing would marry Xuanyi?
However, marrying someone of lower social standing is acceptable, as long as Xuanyi is married off to a distant place. Even if it damages her reputation, the husband's family will likely look down on her for marrying into a lower class and a distant place. However, they will endure it for the sake of their own interests. When they rise to power, it will likely be the time when Xuanyi falls out of favor. Being trampled on to rise to power is far worse than marrying the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an; at least Xuanyi would be willing. What happens to her in the future is up to fate.
-
The second wife's side also learned about what happened on the first wife's side.
The four members of the second wife's family were chatting and laughing happily when they were suddenly shocked to hear the maid report the matter.
When this happened so suddenly, Chen was more shocked than her husband and son who were completely unaware of the situation. Zhang had already given up on the idea of a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Wu'an, but now the two younger generations were meeting in private.
After such an incident, the two families have no choice but to arrange the marriage, even if they don't want to. If the Marquis of Wu'an's family doesn't send someone to propose marriage, it would be a slap in the face to the Marquis of Changxing's family, which would cause enmity. In this situation, Xuanyi has no choice but to marry the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an.
Madam Chen glanced at her obedient illegitimate daughter sitting to the side and admonished her, "Xuanling, disobeying your parents is the same fate your eldest sister is in now. Don't be fooled by the fact that your eldest sister has found a good family. Once she marries into the family, you'll know whether it's good or not. You can't judge a book by its cover."
Gu Xuanling nodded hurriedly, "Your daughter understands."
She was so obedient that Madam Chen nodded in satisfaction and said, "Now that you're engaged, just stay home and wait for your wedding. Don't run around like your older sister, or you'll cause trouble. Don't blame your mother for finding you a Liu family. Once you and your older sister are married, you'll understand your mother's good intentions."
Gu Xuanling hurriedly said, "Mother, I am quite satisfied with this marriage, and Young Master Liu is also very good."
These were her honest thoughts. Young Master Liu was handsome and refined, as well as studious and ambitious. Madam Liu was also gentle and kind. She had heard that Lord Liu was a kind and easy-going elder. She was very satisfied with this marriage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com