Chapter 148 She's Incompetent
At noon, Princess Jingning stayed at the Marquis's residence and had lunch with Meng Jinyao.
After lunch, Meng Jinyao instructed her maid to make chilled lychee and water chestnut soup, and then send some to both the first and second wives' families.
Lychees can cause internal heat, but water chestnuts can reduce it. They make a sweet and refreshing dessert soup, and it's even better chilled. One sip is cool and sweet, and it can also relieve the heat. It's perfect to drink this on hot days.
Princess Jingning took a sip and let out a comfortable sigh: "It's really good. Why didn't I think of making it into a sweet soup before?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "It just came to my mind suddenly."
"You always ate lychees like this?" Princess Jingning looked at her in surprise, then nodded. "You really know how to enjoy them. They taste quite good this way."
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly and replied gently, "No, I've never eaten it before. I just had a sudden urge to try it. When my grandfather was alive, I ate lychees once, and then I ate some the day before yesterday and yesterday. They were a gift from the Emperor to the Marquis."
Princess Jingning was stunned. She suddenly remembered that the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion was a fallen noble family. After the old marquis passed away, the current Yongchang Marquis was unable to rise to power. How could he afford to eat lychees? In addition, Meng Jinyao was not favored. Even if the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion had not fallen, Meng Jinyao would not have been able to eat lychees.
Thinking of this, Princess Jingning said, "I will send you lychees every summer from now on."
Meng Jinyao said gratefully, "Thank you, Ayan, but you don't need to send me lychees every year. The Marquis said he would let me eat lychees every year from now on."
Princess Jingning was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Lord Gu treats you quite well."
"The Marquis has indeed treated me well. Since I married into the Marquis's mansion, he has never mistreated me." Meng Jinyao said, the corners of her mouth slightly turned up, her smile gentle and serene.
After hearing this, Princess Jingning stared at her for a long time. Suddenly, she remembered something and laughed, "Prince Gu, that is, your adopted son, is blind. He ruined his reputation for an orphan girl and gave up such a good girl like you. I wonder if he regrets it."
Meng Jinyao replied, "There's no way I can regret it now. He hates me to the core and feels that my existence is a disgrace to him."
Princess Jingning looked shocked and said incredulously, "He hates you? He did something to wrong you, making you the laughingstock of the entire capital. What right does he have to hate you?"
Meng Jinyao curled her lips into a gloating smile: "I married his father and became his mother. The fact that my fiancée became his mother makes him lose face. Of course he hates me. Even if I had to choose between the second young master or the fourth young master, I would not have chosen to marry his father. It would have made him even more humiliated."
Princess Jingning asked in surprise, "You chose to marry Marquis Gu to spite him?"
"To spite him?"
Meng Jinyao scoffed dismissively. The princess treated her sincerely, and she regarded the princess as a true friend. She said truthfully, "What is he? I just think it doesn't matter who I marry. If I'm going to marry someone, I should definitely find the best one by considering all aspects. The Marquis is better than his two nephews, and he can also protect me."
Upon hearing this, Princess Jingning gave her an approving look, and then asked with great interest, "Then will he call you mother?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "In front of others, he will definitely call me mother."
Princess Jingning felt a surge of secret pleasure upon hearing this: "Serves him right. His reputation is ruined now. People outside are saying that if he were to marry, he would definitely be the kind of person who favors concubines over his wife. I doubt any well-bred lady would be willing to marry him unless he marries someone from a humble family who sells their daughter for personal gain."
Meng Jinyao glanced at her in surprise, seeing her gloating expression as if she had some grudge against Gu Xiuming, and asked in confusion, "You seem happy to see him suffer?"
Princess Jingning pouted, her face full of disdain: "I just can't stand him. He always puts on airs and acts like a good person, but he's actually a hypocrite. Others say he's gentle and refined, with the demeanor of Marquis Gu."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback: "Ayan has a good eye."
Princess Jingning smiled shyly: "He's alright, but I've seen his bad side before, and I think he's quite different from what he appears to be."
As she spoke, she took another sip of the sweet soup. The cool and sweet soup made her feel refreshed. She added, "Let's not talk about it now. Drink it while it's cold. It probably won't taste as good when it gets hot."
After drinking the sweet soup, Princess Jingning stayed for another half an hour before returning to the Liang Prince's Mansion.
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Gu Jingxi returned after his shift ended.
When Meng Jinyao saw him, she called him gently, "Husband."
Then, she instructed Ningdong to bring over chilled lychee syrup for Gu Jingxi to cool him off; this portion was specially reserved for him.
Gu Jingxi was flattered upon hearing this. He had never received such treatment from the young lady before. She prepared sweet soup for him before he finished his shift so that he could drink it when he got home. She said gently, "You are so kind, Madam."
When Meng Jinyao met the man's surprised gaze, which carried a hint of being flattered, her expression froze, and she suddenly felt that she had not been a good wife.
Now that the weather is hot, the husband is busy with official duties and works hard, and the wife doesn't even ask the maid to make some soup to cool him down.
Feeling a little uneasy, she awkwardly looked away and said, "My husband likes sweet soup, so I'll ask the maid to make it again next time."
Gu Jingxi didn't stand on ceremony with her: "Tomorrow I'd like to drink mung bean soup, so please put less sugar in it, it doesn't need to be too sweet."
Meng Jinyao readily agreed: "Then I will instruct the kitchen to prepare it tomorrow, so that my husband can have it when he returns from duty."
Gu Jingxi said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam."
Meng Jinyao quickly shook her head: "Husband, you don't need to be so polite. I was just saying it."
After speaking, she paused slightly, feeling even more guilty. She had never heard Gu Jingxi do anything like this before, except for Gu Jingxi herself, who was enjoying herself every day, providing for all her needs, and even gaining a few pounds.
Seeing her silent and looking at him with a guilty expression, Gu Jingxi seemed to understand what she was thinking and said gently, "I am not fond of food. It doesn't matter whether there is food or not. Please don't worry about it, my wife."
Meng Jinyao's lips parted slightly, but she ultimately said nothing. However, she felt that she should be more responsible in the future. Gu Jingxi had fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband, and she should also do what a wife should do. She couldn't enjoy the good things others brought without giving anything in return.
A moment later, Ningdong brought over the sweet soup. Gu Jingxi saw that there were lychees and asked in surprise, "Madam, why are there lychees here?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "Princess Jingning brought several catties of lychees today. I can't eat that many, and there aren't enough to share among everyone, so I had some sweet soup made and distributed some to the first and second branches of the family. I'm just offering this as a token of my respect so that everyone can have some."
Gu Jingxi asked in surprise, "Is Madam on good terms with Princess Jingning?"
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "They are friends I made in the last few days."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi stopped asking questions.
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