Chapter 279 Preparing to Remarry
On this day, at the Luo family's tea party.
The Luo family are from the capital and have relatives and friends there. However, Lord Luo was sent to serve as an official in another region, which is why he has been away from the capital for many years and has had little contact with them.
Now that he has been transferred back to the capital and promoted, he has reconnected with his old relatives and friends, as well as the families of some of Lord Luo's colleagues. Today, many guests have come, and the Luo family is bustling with activity.
Meng Jinyao didn't sleep well last night and got up a little late today. When she arrived, most of the guests had already arrived. Fortunately, two guests arrived later than her, so she wasn't the last one to arrive.
Those who came today were all from families of similar social standing to the Luo family. Among the ladies, Meng Jinyao's status was the most prestigious. As soon as she arrived, everyone present became somewhat reserved. It should be noted that the women of the Changxing Marquis's family rarely gathered with them; they usually met with the women of other noble families or high-ranking officials.
Meng Jinyao greeted her uncle's second wife, then spoke with Madam Xu. When other ladies tried to strike up a conversation with her, she smiled and joined in.
Seeing that she didn't put on airs like a noblewoman, everyone relaxed and felt comfortable chatting with her.
But inevitably there will be gossipy people who lack tact and don't watch their words. One of them asked, "Madam Gu, I've heard that Miss Meng and Prince Meng haven't visited Madam Sun's grave since she passed away. Is that really true?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat subtle, but driven by their gossipy nature, they didn't interrupt the lady. Instead, they subtly turned their gazes to Meng Jinyao, wanting to hear the gossip. Such things were just rumors, how could anyone know as much as Meng Jinyao? If the rumors were true, then Sun's children were truly terrifyingly cold-hearted, complete ingrates. No matter how vicious Sun was, she hadn't wronged them, yet they hadn't even visited their graves.
Madam Xu frowned, about to speak up for her cousin, but seeing her cousin gently shake her head, she held back.
Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly at her cousin-in-law, then calmly picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and replied unhurriedly, "I have heard about this matter, but I don't know if it is true or not. After all, the person I have called 'mother' for more than ten years murdered my biological mother and half-brother. After the birthday banquet that day, I didn't pay any special attention to her affairs and just treated her as a stranger."
This statement indicated that she had heard the rumors, expressed her disillusionment with Sun, and did not deliberately pursue the charge of filial impiety against her younger siblings. Rumors were rumors, but whether they were true or false, given her disillusionment with Sun, she did not delve into the subsequent events involving Sun.
Whether she truly hadn't paid attention or not, only the person involved would know. The ladies glanced at her, thinking to themselves that she was someone who spoke with impeccable discretion.
Soon, a lady began to flatter her: "Madam Gu is kind-hearted. She didn't turn her over to the authorities back then. If it were someone else, would they have been so easy to talk to? They probably wouldn't have cared about the mother-daughter relationship of more than ten years and would have torn her up on the spot."
As soon as the words fell, someone else sighed, "Sometimes it's hard to tell which is more important, the kindness of giving birth or the kindness of raising. Madam Gu didn't report it to the authorities because of the kindness of raising her for more than ten years. In the end, she took her own life, which can be considered retribution. It is said that if the King of Hell wants someone who has done a lot of evil to die at midnight, she will not live past dawn."
Someone else chimed in, "Yes, this is her retribution. She's been abandoned by everyone, and even her own two children died without anyone collecting her body."
Meng Jinyao only drank tea and didn't speak. In fact, she wasn't that easy to talk to. At first, she only wanted to kill Sun Shi and destroy her spirit, so that Sun Shi would be divorced and disliked by the Sun family, and let Sun Shi taste the bitterness of being betrayed and abandoned by everyone. Finally, she would report Sun Shi to the authorities. She never expected that Sun Shi would kill herself by crashing into the Sun family's door that very night.
At this moment, a lady quietly observed Meng Jinyao's expression. Seeing that she showed no displeasure, she remembered something and carefully said, "Madam Gu, there is something I don't know if you have heard about."
Meng Jinyao looked at her: "What is it? Please speak freely, Madam."
The lady said, “Yesterday, I was looking for a marriage for my cousin who was staying at my house. I overheard the matchmaker let slip that the Yongchang Marquis’s family had hired a matchmaker. I was thinking that Miss Meng is of marriageable age, but she is still in mourning. The Second Young Master is not yet of marriageable age, and the Heir Apparent is even younger and is also in mourning.”
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone could guess what was going on. Among the children, those of marriageable age were observing mourning, while those who didn't need to observe mourning were still too young to be in a hurry to find a spouse.
In that case, who else could be the one to propose marriage?
It can't be so absurd that an old, frail Madam Meng would want to remarry, can it?
It must be Meng Dongyuan, the Earl of Yongchang!
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. He had just divorced his ex-wife last month, and she had also died last month. So why was he already looking for a matchmaker to find a girl to marry again?
Surprised as they were, people could easily accept it: if a divorced wife dies, does that mean a man should remain chaste for a vicious, abandoned woman?
Not only do children need to be cared for at home, but the lady of the house also needs to take charge, manage the household affairs, and maintain the relationships between the various families. Furthermore, it was Sun who made the mistake, while Lord Meng was an innocent victim. His first wife was killed by Sun, and his eldest son was also killed by Sun. He was only in his thirties, so it was normal for him to remarry.
Meng Jinyao was also surprised. Although she had expected this, she did not expect her father to find a new wife so quickly. Her mother remarried and her father took another wife. These were things that children could not stop.
Seeing everyone silent, especially Meng Jinyao, the lady felt a little uneasy, as if she had said something wrong. She quickly tried to make amends: "Madam Gu, I must have misheard. Don't overthink things that haven't been confirmed."
Meng Jinyao's expression returned to normal, and she said gently, "Perhaps it is true, but it is not our business as juniors to interfere in the affairs of our elders. If Father really wants to remarry, then we, as his children, congratulate him and his new wife on their harmonious marriage."
Seeing that she didn't seem to care, the lady breathed a sigh of relief and echoed, "Mrs. Gu is right."
Fearing that her cousin would be upset, Mrs. Xu subtly changed the subject.
The other ladies also suppressed their gossipy nature and changed the subject to Xu's suggestion.
Meng Jinyao smiled faintly, calmly sipping her tea, but her thoughts drifted far away.
Fortunately, she anticipated her father's next move that day and took the opportunity to bring up her deceased mother, claiming that her mother had dreamed of having a son. She persuaded her father and grandmother to agree to register her second brother under her mother's name, making him the legitimate son of the first wife. This way, it wouldn't be so easy for her stepmother to control her second brother after he entered the family. The difference in status between a son born out of wedlock and a legitimate son of the first wife is huge. In addition, with her sister, a lady of the marquis, backing her up, her stepmother would not dare to touch her second brother easily.
As for Madam Sun's two children, they probably won't be so lucky. Madam Sun made a big mistake and was divorced by her father. Meng Jinyu and Meng Chengxing's reputations were damaged. She and her second brother are not close to Madam Sun's two children. Unless their stepmother is kind, they will be tormented.
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