Chapter 375 Ex and Current Partners
The following day was the birthday banquet for Prefect Wei's mother.
After dressing up, Meng Jinyao, along with Qingqiu and Chan'er, went to the banquet with Gu Jingxi.
When the prefect's mother celebrated her birthday, officials, merchants, and prominent figures from Huzhou Prefecture all came to offer their congratulations, and they arrived well in advance.
Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi arrived at a moderate time, and when they got off their carriage, they saw that there were already many carriages and sedan chairs parked in front of the gate.
At this moment, people also got off the carriage next to them. The couple looked up and saw that they were a middle-aged couple who looked to be in their forties and dressed in fine clothes. The man was elegant and dignified, and the woman was gentle and poised with a faint smile on her face. They looked very kind. Behind them, a young couple got off the carriage with their child.
Gu Jingxi and his wife exchanged glances with the middle-aged couple opposite them.
Then, Gu Jingxi bowed and said, "Lord Han, it's been many years. How have you been?"
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man calmly returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "You've been doing well lately. Judging from your appearance, you must be doing quite well too. It's really different after you've started a family."
Gu Jingxi turned to look at the person beside him, his gaze gentle, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he said softly, "Of course, my wife is gentle and virtuous. If I am not happy with such a wife, then it is my problem."
From their conversation, Meng Jinyao knew who they were: Governor Han of Zhejiang and his wife, and the people behind them were probably their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
Madam Han looked Meng Jinyao up and down, a look of amazement flashing in her eyes. She smiled gently and said, "Madam Gu is really beautiful. If you didn't know better, you would think she was a fairy in front of the Queen Mother of the West. She is so pleasing to the eye."
Meng Jinyao responded with a smile: "Madam Han is too kind. I have heard that Madam Han was exceptionally talented and beautiful in her youth, a role model for young ladies in the capital, and a role model for us younger generations to learn from."
Whether she was a true role model or not, she didn't know; she just blindly praised her. Madam Han came from the Wei family, a prominent family in the capital. As long as the daughters of the Wei family didn't turn out badly, they were all very outstanding, and outstanding people are role models.
Whether it's the truth or not doesn't matter; what matters is that it makes one feel comfortable. Therefore, it's common for officials' wives to flatter each other.
Upon hearing this, Madam Han smiled even more. After exchanging a few words with her, seeing that she was speaking to her as if she were an elder, she said in a kind and gentle tone, "If we consider seniority and the relationship between our two families, I might presume to be an elder myself. If you don't mind, you can call me Auntie."
Meng Jinyao was a little confused. Her husband had said that he had no dealings with the Wei family, but what about the Han family? They probably did, otherwise Madam Han wouldn't have said such a thing.
She didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, but Madam Han was indeed older. Even if her mother were still alive, she wouldn't be as old as Madam Han and could be considered an elder. Seeing that her husband hadn't hinted that it wouldn't work, she called out, "Auntie."
Madam Han smiled and responded, then took off the fine jade bracelet from her wrist and slipped it onto the other woman's wrist without further ado, saying gently, "I didn't bring much with me when I went out, so consider this bracelet a gift from me."
Meng Jinyao turned to look at Gu Jingxi, and seeing that Gu Jingxi nodded slightly, she did not refuse and thanked him with a smile: "Thank you, Auntie."
As the women became closer, the men naturally broke the ice as well. Gu Jingxi addressed him as "Uncle Han" and Lord Han as "Yaoling," instantly warming up their relationship considerably.
Lord Han and his wife's son and daughter-in-law also stepped forward and greeted them.
The group entered the Wei residence, chatting and laughing.
Madam Han glanced at Gu Jingxi's back, then looked at Meng Jinyao beside her. This girl was truly beautiful, especially her big, bright eyes. It was a pity that she married Gu Jingxi, but marriage is something outsiders can't always judge. What outsiders think is just their opinion.
Speaking of Gu Jingxi, Madam Han thought of her own sister-in-law, Mei Qingyun. This sister-in-law was Gu Jingxi's fiancée. The most handsome man in the capital was also very talented, and the most beautiful woman in the capital was also very talented. The talented man and the beautiful woman were a perfect match, which was a beautiful story.
Unexpectedly, Gu Jingxi had an accident, the Mei family broke off the engagement, and her younger brother, who had long admired Mei Qingyun, begged his parents to propose marriage. In the end, he married Mei Qingyun, and they were quite loving at first. Now, they are a couple...
Ah, let's not talk about it!
The male guests were in the front yard, and the female guests were in the back yard.
Madam Han was familiar with the Wei residence, and she led Meng Jinyao, her daughter-in-law, and her grandson to the backyard.
When they arrived, someone quickly came out to greet them.
Meng Jinyao looked up and saw that the woman looked to be in her early twenties. Her skin was like solidified cream, her eyes were like autumn water, her face was like a lotus, her features were soft yet not flat, and she was beautiful enough to touch people's hearts, but not seductive or ostentatious.
She was dressed simply and gracefully, wearing a light blue dress, a jade hairpin in her hair, and pearl earrings. Her movements were elegant and graceful, and she walked with light steps. Every gesture she made exuded poise and composure.
When she smiles slightly, she appears even more gentle and approachable. She is a gentle and graceful beauty with a charm that makes people feel good at first sight.
The next moment, she said to Madam Han, "Elder sister, you've finally arrived. Mother was just talking about you."
Upon hearing the word "elder sister," Meng Jinyao immediately guessed the other woman's identity: she was her husband's former fiancée and now the wife of the prefect.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Mei Qingyun, Madam Han took the initiative to introduce her, saying, "Qingyun, this is the wife of Marquis Gu." Then she said to Meng Jinyao, "Ayao, this is my sister-in-law."
Mei Qingyun had just casually glanced at Meng Jinyao and was about to ask who Meng Jinyao was when she heard her sister-in-law's introduction. She was immediately stunned and looked Meng Jinyao up and down again.
The young woman in front of me was stunning at first glance, and stunning again upon closer inspection. She was strikingly beautiful, radiant and captivating, with clear and bright almond-shaped eyes that seemed to speak volumes. She was a rare beauty.
She had long heard that her ex-fiancé had married, and knew the circumstances under which he did so. She never expected that the woman would be so beautiful, and that Gu Xiuming would abandon such a beautiful fiancé for an orphan girl.
Mei Qingyun withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and gave a slight curtsy: "Madam Gu."
Meng Jinyao nodded: "Madam Wei."
They didn't talk much. Mei Qingyun invited them into the flower hall. As the birthday girl and the mother of the prefect, Madam Wei was flattered by the female guests.
Upon learning Meng Jinyao's identity, the expressions of those in the know were subtly complex. The former fiancée and current wife of Lord Gu were meeting, but seeing their polite and courteous demeanor, they couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed, as it wasn't the scene they had hoped for. However, being respectable people, they certainly wouldn't show any unusual reaction in public.
Lord Han's official residence was in Hangzhou Prefecture, which was relatively close to Huzhou Prefecture. Whenever she had free time, Madam Han would come to Huzhou to visit her elderly mother. She also knew some of the families of officials, merchants, and prominent people in Huzhou. When she talked to Meng Jinyao, she introduced them to her.
Although Meng Jinyao didn't know much about Madam Han, she could still sense Madam Han's kindness and could tell that Madam Han was a kind and easy-going person.
At the same time, she also knew that Madam Han's kindness to her was partly due to her husband's abilities. In officialdom, men strive for advancement, while women in the inner quarters also actively cultivate relationships with the wives of other ministers, which can be crucial at critical moments. For example, just now, Madam Han's efforts to get closer to her husbands also, to some extent, brought them closer as well.
Overall, Madam Han meant her no harm, but she wouldn't completely let her guard down.
However, it was strange that Madam Han, who was so gentle and easy-going, seemed to treat this person she was meeting for the first time even more kindly and amiably than she treated her own sister-in-law, Madam Wei.
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