Chapter 263 Xiu Ming's Birth Mother
October 6th.
Today is the wedding day of Gu Xuanling, the second daughter of the Marquis of Changxing. The whole mansion is busy preparing. The mansion is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and is full of distinguished guests. It is a scene of great joy. This grand occasion is second only to the wedding of Gu Xuanyi at the end of August.
Since the incident with Madam Sun, Meng Jinyao's maternal family, the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion, has been claiming illness and staying home, refusing visitors. They did not come to the wedding banquet today, but only sent a congratulatory gift.
The guests didn't see anyone from the Yongchang Marquis's residence, and they knew without a doubt what had happened. The Yongchang Marquis's family had suffered a humiliating defeat a few days prior; the matriarch had murdered his first wife and harmed his illegitimate son, while the Meng family had remained oblivious. If it weren't for Madam Sun being possessed by a ghost and blurting out her thoughts in a moment of madness, the Meng family would likely never have known. Having lost such a disgrace, going to a banquet now would only be inviting ridicule. Staying out of the limelight and only sending a congratulatory gift was the wisest choice.
Chen noticed Zhang greeting a lady, paused slightly, then glanced at Meng Jinyao beside her. Her expression became somewhat subtle, and she felt it necessary to remind Meng Jinyao. She whispered, "Third sister-in-law, do you see the lady who is talking to eldest sister-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao looked in the direction of Zhang Shi and saw a lady in her thirties wearing a blue dress. She still looked quite elegant and her face seemed somewhat familiar, but she was certain that she had never seen this lady before.
She asked curiously, "Second sister-in-law, that lady looks familiar. Whose wife is she?"
Madam Chen replied, "It's normal for my third sister-in-law to find her familiar. That's Xiu Ming's birth mother, Madam Kong. Today is Xuan Ling's wedding, and she's here to attend the celebration. Last time, when Xuan Yi got married, she couldn't come because her mother was ill and she needed to go back to her parents' home to take care of her."
Gu Xiuming's biological mother?
Meng Jinyao was immediately stunned, her gaze falling on Kong Shi again. After a careful look, she noticed that Gu Xiuming also bore a resemblance to her. No wonder she seemed somewhat familiar earlier. Combining the appearances of Gu Xiuming's biological parents, Gu Xiuming's features resembled both his father and mother. As for his resemblance to Gu Jingxi, that was because Gu Jingze and Gu Jingxi were cousins.
At this moment, Madam Zhang and Madam Kong were walking towards them. Some of the ladies present recognized Madam Kong and subconsciously looked at Meng Jinyao, suddenly taking on a somewhat theatrical air. It was the first time the birth mother and adoptive mother had met; who knew what sparks would fly? If she were just a normal adoptive mother, it wouldn't be a problem. The issue was that this adoptive mother had once been Prince Gu's fiancée.
However, they were disappointed; they didn't get to see the play. But thinking about it, it made sense. They were all respectable people; who would want to cause trouble for the other at this time? It wouldn't benefit anyone.
Kong greeted Meng Jinyao with a smile and complimented her, saying, "I was too far away to see clearly at your wedding last time, but now I can finally see you clearly. I can hardly take my eyes off you. You look like a fairy princess. Just looking at you makes me happy."
Meng Jinyao wasn't sure what Kong Shi's attitude was towards her, but she was good at putting on a good show, so she smiled and replied, "Sister-in-law, you flatter me. When I first met you, I felt that you were very kind and approachable."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Meng Jinyao went to greet the other guests, and Madam Kong also went to talk to the other guests. Although her husband was only a county magistrate, she was the daughter-in-law of the Gu family. Even though she was from a collateral branch, she was still the birth mother of the Gu heir. There were still some ladies who would give her some face and were willing to talk to her.
When she was with Chen, Meng Jinyao lowered her voice and inquired about information: "Second sister-in-law, what kind of person is this Kong?"
Chen glanced at Kong not far away and replied, "She is a very tactful person who can get along with anyone. Talking to her is like being bathed in a spring breeze."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "What is her relationship with Xiu Ming and his mother like?"
"Third sister-in-law, you are mistaken?" Madam Chen withdrew her gaze and looked at Meng Jinyao. Seeing her blank expression, she added, "Third sister-in-law and Xiuming are mother and son."
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and replied in agreement, "Second sister-in-law is right."
Chen continued, "Mrs. Kong is just his paternal aunt. Even when he sees Mrs. Kong, he just greets her with a respectful 'paternal aunt.'"
Meng Jinyao gained a preliminary understanding from this sentence: Gu Xiuming and Kong Shi had a distant relationship on the surface, but who knew whether they were actually close?
Madam Chen said gently, "Third sister-in-law, the wedding procession will be arriving soon. I need to go and see how Xuanling's preparations are going."
Meng Jinyao didn't want to exchange compliments with the guests. Her face was almost stiff from smiling, so she said, "I think my sister-in-law can handle it. I'll go with my second sister-in-law. I also want to see the bride."
Ms. Chen nodded: "Then let's go together."
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Meanwhile, Gu Xuanling had already finished her makeup and was sitting in the room waiting.
As the older sister, Gu Xuanyi, even if she didn't like her cousin Gu Xuanling who was born out of wedlock, still had to put on a show. She went with the other cousins from the collateral branches who came to the wedding to visit her cousin who was about to get married, add to her cousin's dowry, and say a few words of blessing.
When Meng Jinyao and Chen Shi arrived, they saw a group of sisters chatting and laughing, their faces beaming with joy. Only the bride was blushing with embarrassment, her head slightly lowered, smiling shyly.
When the younger generation saw them enter, they quickly stood up and bowed to them in a gesture of respect.
"Mother."
Gu Xuanling also stood up, preparing to bow.
Seeing her adorned in her phoenix coronet and wedding gown, Madam Chen quickly offered a helping hand and said, "Alright, no need for formalities, please sit down."
Afterwards, Madam Chen sat down with Gu Xuanling and said a few words. This was nothing more than instructing Gu Xuanling to be a good wife and mother after marriage, to be filial to her parents-in-law, and to go back to her parents' home to tell her parents and brothers if she suffered any grievances.
Looking at the mother and daughter, Meng Jinyao suddenly felt a little envious. Although Chen was not Gu Xuanling's biological mother, it was clear that there was a mother-daughter bond between them. Looking at the phoenix coronet and wedding robes, it was obvious that Chen treated Gu Xuanling, the illegitimate daughter, quite well. Moreover, when Chen looked at Gu Xuanling, there was a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
If her mother hadn't been harmed by Sun, she would have grown up lovingly under her mother's care, and her mother would have given her gentle advice when she got married.
Unfortunately, she had a weak bond with her mother; she never met her mother, and her mother never met her.
When she was to be married, Gu Xiuming ran away from the wedding. The Gu family brought a rooster to greet the bride in his place, lying that Gu Xiuming was sick and unable to come in person. But her father and Sun Shi didn't care about such things. As long as the marriage wasn't canceled or postponed, they treated her as a commodity to exchange for benefits and couldn't wait to stuff her into the bridal sedan chair.
Even before she got into the bridal sedan chair, he reminded her not to forget the kindness of the Meng family in raising her, to win over the Gu family, and to seek benefits for the Meng family. He didn't care about her feelings at all, only whether she could bring benefits to her family.
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