Chapter 495 Difficult Marriage
The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
The flowers in the small courtyard outside were in full bloom, and colorful butterflies fluttered about, creating a vibrant spring scene. Inside the house...
Ning Dong jogged into the room, saw Meng Jinyao, quickly walked up to her, curtsied, and said, "Madam, there's a new development on the Lord's side."
Meng Jinyao was a little sleepy, her head nodding, but upon hearing this, she suddenly woke up and looked up abruptly: "What kind of trouble are they up to now?"
Ningdong replied, "I just heard outside that the old lady has found a matchmaker to find a daughter for the young master, who will be getting married again soon."
Meng Jinyao was surprised to hear this. Her father had just divorced a few days ago, and now her grandmother was already arranging a marriage for him.
She was certain that this was not her father's intention. Judging from how reluctant he was to part with Aunt Dong, he certainly wouldn't want to remarry so soon. For a long time to come, her father would still be unable to let go of Aunt Dong. Under such circumstances, marrying another woman would be a lot of trouble, unless the new wife could replace Aunt Dong in her father's heart.
Ningdong said, "Madam, if the Earl marries again, it will be his fourth marriage."
As soon as Gu Jingxi entered the room, he heard the second half of Ning Dong's sentence and asked curiously, "A Yao, who is getting married for the fourth time?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "My father is your father-in-law."
Gu Jingxi looked astonished, even somewhat incredulous: "Didn't my father-in-law just get divorced a few days ago? How can he be getting married so soon?"
Meng Jinyao shook her head helplessly: "I don't think it's my father's idea, but my grandmother's. My grandmother is currently looking for a matchmaker to find a good girl for him. I estimate that he will get married this year, so let's prepare the gift in advance."
Gu Jingxi remained silent. It had only been a few days since their divorce, and they were already arranging a wedding. Wasn't that a bit too fast?
After a moment, he gestured for the maid to leave, then asked, "A-Yao, what do you think of this matter?"
Meng Jinyao said nonchalantly, "If it's going to rain, it's going to rain. If Father wants to marry a stepmother, let him be. Let them do what they want. Actually, when Father divorced a few days ago, I already knew that Father would remarry. I just didn't expect Grandmother to find a matchmaker so quickly."
Gu Jingxi then asked, "Isn't Ayao afraid that her father-in-law will marry another woman like Sun?"
Meng Jinyao gently shook her head: "Second brother has grown up and has us to back him up. Even if Father really marries a woman like this, she won't dare to touch second brother. In the end, it won't be second brother who suffers."
She laughed as she spoke, "To be honest, I actually hope someone makes things difficult for them, doesn't let them have it too easy. That would be much better than them making things difficult for others."
Gu Jingxi nodded: "That's true."
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Madam Meng felt that since her family had a title and her son was the Earl of Yongchang, it wouldn't be difficult to find a good girl to marry her son. After all, if she married her son, she would be an earl, and countless good girls would be willing to do so.
However, Madam Meng was still too confident.
The matchmaker, following Madam Meng's request, sought out young, unmarried women, but with little success.
Originally, Madam Meng thought that her former daughter-in-law was too young to handle, so she wanted to find someone younger. Therefore, she required her to be fifteen or sixteen years old and young enough to bear children and give her more grandchildren. Now, her son's offspring were still too few, with only two sons and two daughters.
The matchmaker also looked for a girl for Madam Meng according to her requirements. The family background did not need to be high, as long as the family was a respectable scholarly family with a father or brother who was a minor official of the sixth or seventh rank. The girl had to be gentle, virtuous, knowledgeable and reasonable, and good-looking. But in the end, she could not find one.
The matchmaker was also in a dilemma, so she personally went to visit Madam Meng, hoping to persuade her to lower her requirements.
When Madam Meng learned that the matchmaker had come to the door, she assumed that the matchmaker had found a good girl, and her troubled mood instantly eased. With their family's conditions, finding another good girl would be easy, wouldn't it? As for Madam Dong, she was already twenty-six years old this year and had been married twice. The Dong family was not a wealthy family, so it was impossible for her to marry a man better than her son. She might even have difficulty getting married. When her son married a new woman, Madam Dong would know she regretted it.
Led by a maid, the matchmaker arrived at Rongfu Hall and greeted Madam Meng. Before she could speak, Madam Meng asked, "Matchmaker Zhang, which family's daughter have you found?"
The matchmaker was stunned for a moment before she reacted, and said hesitantly, "Madam, I have found many girls for Lord Meng according to your requirements, but..." She trailed off at the end.
Madam Meng frowned: "But what?"
The matchmaker said carefully, "But their parents are unwilling to marry their daughters to Lord Meng."
Madam Meng was stunned. Although her son was not a high-ranking official, he had a noble title and the Marquis of Changxing as his son-in-law. What was wrong with him? How could a family of such low social standing be unwilling to marry their daughter to her son?
Her brows furrowed even more: "Why is that?"
The matchmaker glanced at her and saw her displeasure, but she had to tell the truth, so she braced herself and replied truthfully, "They say that Lord Meng is born with a weak fate in marriage, and no matter who marries him, they will not be able to grow old together."
Madam Meng's face darkened, and she said angrily, "This is utter nonsense! Who is spreading rumors and slandering my son behind my back?"
The matchmaker hurriedly said, "Madam, please calm down. This is not what I said, but what those people outside said. They said that Lord Meng married three wives. His first wife died after a year of marriage. His second wife was married to him for fifteen years, but died the night she was divorced. His third wife divorced him in less than a year."
The matchmaker glanced at Madam Meng's face and continued, "They say that the reason why Lord Meng's second wife was able to stay with him for so long was because she was wicked by nature. Kind-hearted women don't live long, and the Dong family girl survived because her child protected her from disaster."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Meng was furious: "Nonsense! That's their problem, what does it have to do with my son?"
The matchmaker replied, "Madam, that's what they say. I know it has nothing to do with Lord Meng, but that's how they spread the word, and they don't want to marry their daughter to Lord Meng."
Madam Meng was furious and couldn't accept this reality. Her son was, after all, the Earl of Yongchang, and a handsome man. Why did those poor families look down on her son?
The matchmaker felt that the money from the Meng family was hard to earn, but she didn't want to offend them, so she tentatively asked, "Madam, what about Lord Meng's marriage?"
Madam Meng said in a deep voice, "Keep looking, I refuse to believe there won't be a girl to marry my son."
The matchmaker looked troubled: "Madam, in the current situation, it might be difficult to find a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl who has never been married. Perhaps you could relax your requirements a little?"
Madam Meng frowned and looked at her: "How can we relax the restrictions?"
The matchmaker said carefully, "It would be much easier to find a widowed or divorced woman, but it would be a bit difficult to find a young one, around twenty years old. She would need to be a bit older. But don't worry, Madam, we will definitely find someone younger than Master Meng."
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