Chapter 315 Setting the Wedding Date
The spring breeze drifted in through the window, carrying the fragrance of flowers, making people feel comfortable.
A few close girlfriends chatted and laughed, enjoying tea and snacks, having a very pleasant time.
Suddenly, Song Xinning remembered a piece of news she had heard yesterday and asked, "Ayao, your father and your future stepmother have set a wedding date. You've heard about it, haven't you?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, then shook her head: "Recently, with that rebellious son's incident, I haven't gone out. I've been staying at home with the Marquis, oblivious to what's going on outside, so naturally I haven't had time to pay attention to my family's affairs. When is their wedding date set?"
Song Xinning replied, "I heard it's scheduled for early April, but I haven't looked into the exact date."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly, not caring much about the matter, and said gently, "Knowing the approximate time is enough to keep you in mind. As for the specific time, he will send someone to deliver the invitation closer to the wedding date."
Princess Jingning asked curiously, "Ayao, aren't you worried that she'll be another wicked stepmother?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "I think the ones who should be worried about this kind of problem are Sun's two children. I am a married woman, so I don't need to worry about being mistreated. I will also protect my second brother. He is now under my mother's name and is the eldest son of the first wife. She will have to think twice before she tries to control him."
Princess Jingning nodded: "That's true, but I don't think she's threatening."
Meng Jinyao asked, "How do you know?"
Song Xinning also cast a curious glance at Princess Jingning.
Princess Jingning chuckled and said, "I specifically looked into the youngest daughter of this Hanlin scholar Dong. She is twenty-five years old and a widow who has lost her husband. She has no children. She has been married to her ex-husband for several years without having any children, which proves that she is infertile. Therefore, she will not give birth to a legitimate son, and then cause trouble by relying on her son to gain status."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao shook her head and chuckled: "Silly girl, not being able to have children isn't necessarily a woman's problem."
Song Xinning also said, "That's right. Some women are divorced because they haven't had children for three years, but they remarry and have both a son and a daughter. On the contrary, the men who marry again still can't have children."
Princess Jingning's smile faltered: "Is...is that so?"
Song Xinning laughed and said, "It's not just that. There was another couple who got together but couldn't have children no matter what they did. As a result, they separated, each found their own good match, and then each had children. Sometimes it's just that weird. Even though both of them are fine, they just can't have children."
Princess Jingning listened in astonishment, and asked, "A-Ning, how do you know so much? Do married women all know so much?"
Song Xinning laughed and said, "After getting married, I have a new circle of friends, a circle of young married women. We don't have the same inhibitions as young girls, and we can talk more freely about these topics. We share all sorts of things we've heard and gossip together."
Upon hearing this, Princess Jingning silently looked at Meng Jinyao beside her: "Ayao, are you like this too? Associating with a group of young women?"
Meng Jinyao nodded and said, "That's right. But apart from you, I don't have any people I get along with very well. I don't attend many banquets. I only attend necessary banquets. At other times, I only attend banquets when I'm bored."
Princess Jingning sighed softly and said, "Besides you, I don't seem to have anyone else I can really talk to. After getting to know you, I feel more and more that those people are sycophants, so I have less contact with them."
Song Xinning and Meng Jinyao were taken aback. The noble and pampered little princess was naturally fawned over wherever she went. But it was precisely because of this that she found it difficult to make true friends. Many of the people who approached her had ulterior motives, and when she treated others as friends, they only thought of using her.
Soon, Princess Jingning laughed again: "However, my mother said I've become much more well-behaved and have finally grown up. I don't run around outside all the time anymore. My grandmother also praised me for becoming more and more sensible. The only bad thing is that I was affected by A Yao's father's remarriage. I originally thought that the children would be the victims, but I didn't expect that I would be the one."
Meng Jinyao asked, puzzled, "What does my father remarrying have to do with you?"
Princess Jingning coughed twice, mimicking her mother's tone: "My mother said, 'Look at the Marquis of Yongchang, he's already had three marriages. You're sixteen this year, but you're still not engaged. You're so picky, you don't like this one or that one. Do you really think you're a fairy from the ninth heaven, and only the gods in heaven are good enough for you?'"
Upon hearing this, both Song Xinning and Meng Jinyao fell silent.
A moment later, the two of them burst out laughing again, looking at Princess Jingning who was frowning and had a bitter and resentful expression, laughing so hard that they were shaking with laughter.
Princess Jingning glared at them irritably and said in a resentful tone, "Are you still laughing? I'm thinking of hiding in the palace and living with my grandmother. I get nagged all the time at home, and even my father keeps bringing it up. He says that many girls my age already have to walk. I'm a princess, and even at twenty, there are seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys willing to marry me. Why do they have to worry about me not being able to get married?"
Meng Jinyao suppressed a laugh and asked, "The young men that the Princess Consort chose for you should all be outstanding, so why didn't you like any of them?"
Princess Jingning blurted out, "Either he's not handsome enough, or his height doesn't meet my standards, or he's too quiet, or too talkative, or dull and boring, or glib and restless, or childish, or too mature for his age. Being with him feels like being with my old father..."
Listening to this whole bunch of problems, some of which were contradictory, such as disliking someone for being quiet, but then disliking someone who was talkative when they came along, Meng Jinyao and Song Xinning, as good friends, both felt a headache for Princess Liang.
Song Xinning asked, "Ayan, what kind of person are you looking for?"
Princess Jingning was stunned; she really couldn't answer that question.
Meng Jinyao had a sudden inspiration and remembered a handsome young man. She tentatively asked, "Ayan, what do you think of someone like the heir of the Duke of Shen?"
Song Xinning paused for a moment, then quickly remembered this person. Last year, they saved the heir of the Duke of Shen. Last year, the second son of the Duke of Shen and his second wife was killed by wolves. It was rumored that the heir of Shen had already been in danger. The Duke of Shen sent people to search for him in secret for a long time, but there was no news. It was estimated that he was probably dead.
A few days ago, the young master Shen, who was in grave danger, returned home in a disheveled state to the Duke's mansion. The Duke, having lost his excellent eldest son, was overjoyed to have him back, and he wept bitterly while holding his son. If they hadn't saved the young master Shen last year, they probably would have truly believed he was in such a sorry state, and perhaps even that the death of the second young master Shen was partly his doing. But that's understandable; if someone wanted to take your life, showing mercy would be a betrayal of your own narrow escape.
However, given that Ah Yan and Prince Shen have a past grudge, why would Ah Yao ask about Prince Shen?
Princess Jingning was initially quite calm, but upon hearing about Prince Shen, she immediately exploded: "Shen Yunzhou? Is that guy even fit to be a husband? I've met him several times, and almost every time it's been unpleasant."
Seeing her so agitated, Meng Jinyao seemed to understand something, then smiled and asked, "Are you angry with him, or is he angry with you?"
Princess Jingning said angrily, "Of course I'm angry with him. He's the one who's infuriating. The day before yesterday, he was the one who hurt his hand because he was careless, but he still blamed me and even dared to make me peel shrimp for him. I think he's got a death wish. He doesn't know his place and even dares to order around a princess."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com