Chapter Seventy-Four: Sensing the Truth
Gu Jingxi saw that the little girl first looked enlightened, then quickly frowned, seemingly muttering something to herself.
He said frankly, "If you have any questions in the future, Madam, don't keep them to yourself and make wild guesses. Just ask me directly. I will tell you anything that I can talk to you about openly."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback. She raised her head slightly, her gaze falling once again on his handsome face, and asked curiously, "May I ask, my husband, what kind of things cannot be discussed openly and frankly?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "I can't talk about things related to official business."
Meng Jinyao looked surprised: "Does that mean you can say anything that's unrelated to official business?"
Gu Jingxi paused slightly, seemingly lost in thought, before adding a condition: "It depends on the situation."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao pursed her lips and gave a listless "Oh." It depends on the situation; there are probably many things that cannot be said. For example, what he thinks of his immature son, Gu Xiuming, is something that he probably cannot ask or say.
Seeing the young girl looking listless again, Gu Jingxi was a little puzzled. He thought that it must have been difficult for her to marry him, so he took advantage of the free time to ask a few more questions: "I'm usually busy with official duties and don't have much time to take care of you. Has anyone been bullying you or making you unhappy lately?"
Meng Jinyao rolled her eyes at him: "Besides our eldest son, who would dare to make me unhappy?"
Hearing these words, everyone felt that the young girl harbored deep resentment.
However, Gu Jingxi felt that her unfilial son was not capable of bullying her, so she smiled and said, "If Xiuming bullies you or has any conflict with you, just tell me."
Meng Jinyao regained her interest in talking to him and stared straight at him: "I've told you, so who will you help when the time comes?"
Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow: "I'll side with whoever is right."
The answer was as expected, and Meng Jinyao was not disappointed. She said, "My husband is indeed fair and just, and his actions are just. No wonder he was able to serve as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Hearing this, Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "Madam is well-educated and reasonable, not the kind of person who would make trouble unreasonably. Besides, Madam is an elder, so she would never take the initiative to cause trouble for a junior, wouldn't you say?"
His voice was gentle, and his tone seemed to be coaxing her like a child, trying to get her to behave.
Meng Jinyao pursed her lips, but seeing his gentle gaze, she forced a smile: "Why not? There aren't many mothers like me. Your son should take good care of me."
Gu Jingxi retorted, "Isn't Xiu Ming your son too?"
Meng Jinyao's smile deepened: "Yes, Xiuming is our family's good eldest son."
The young girl had a gentle smile and a mild tone, appearing every bit the loving mother who truly adored her son. However, Gu Jingxi could detect a hint of gritted teeth in her voice. Helpless, he sighed almost imperceptibly, "I've been very busy with official duties lately. If anything happens, I won't be able to handle it promptly. Please take it easy, Madam, okay?"
Meng Jinyao's smile remained unchanged, and she looked at him with innocent eyes: "Look at what you're saying, husband. I'm not the kind of person who causes trouble. What do you mean by 'take it easy'?"
Gu Jingxi chuckled softly, "Then please continue, my wife. I have something to attend to and need to go out for a while. I won't be back for lunch." With that, he stood up and prepared to leave.
Meng Jinyao nodded with a smile: "Okay, take care, my husband."
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Meanwhile, after leaving Wei Rui Xuan, Gu Xiuming went to Shou An Tang to pay his respects to Old Madam Gu, but was told by Granny Feng that Old Madam Gu had not slept well last night and was catching up on sleep.
Gu Xiuming had no choice but to go back first. Remembering that his father had already granted his request, he couldn't wait to send someone to find a matchmaker to go to the Li family.
Li Wan'er was initially happy when she was sent back to her home a month ago. However, as time went on and Gu Xiuming did not send anyone to deliver a message to her, she inevitably became anxious. She waited anxiously for more than half a month before the matchmaker finally arrived.
Her parents had both passed away, and she had lived with her grandfather. Now that her grandfather had also passed away, a matchmaker approached her, and she immediately agreed. After all, she had already given herself to Gu Xiuming, and she was afraid that if she pretended to be reserved and said she needed to think about it, the Gu family would change their minds and not let her into the family.
Taking a concubine is different from taking a wife. There are no formalities or marriage certificates. A matchmaker only needs to make a trip. If the matchmaker agrees, an auspicious day is chosen, and the concubine is carried to the man's house in a sedan chair. The sedan chair cannot enter through the main gate but can only enter through the side gate.
Ten days later was an auspicious day. Gu Xiuming consulted his father and, after receiving his father's permission, decided to bring Li Wan'er into the household ten days later.
Gu Xiuming was going to take a concubine in ten days, the girl who had eloped with him. This news also reached the first and second wives, shocking them. He hadn't even married his first wife yet, and he was already taking a concubine. What kind of behavior was this?
Recently, Zhang had been trying to get closer to Meng Jinyao. After learning this, she went to Weirui Pavilion to find Meng Jinyao and subtly inquire about her intentions.
At this moment, Zhang asked with a look of anxiety, "Third sister-in-law, Xiuming is taking a concubine before he has even married. It's such a big deal. Why didn't you and third brother stop him?"
Meng Jinyao smiled faintly, calmly poured Zhang a cup of tea, and placed the teacup in front of Zhang, saying gently, "Sister-in-law, we parents have tried to stop him, but he has grown up and has his own ideas. We can't stop him, so we can only let him be."
Madam Zhang frowned: "The principal wife hasn't even entered the house yet, but the concubine has already entered. What well-bred young lady would dare to marry him?"
“He’s cutting off his own path, what can we parents do?” Meng Jinyao said, sighing softly. “Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, we can’t control that. It’s just a pity that my husband and I won’t be able to drink this cup of tea with our daughter-in-law.”
Listening to her sighs and expressions of deep regret, anyone who didn't know better would really think that Gu Xiuming was her biological son.
Zhang's lips twitched slightly as she thought to herself: When it comes to hypocrisy, Meng Jinyao is the best. Even Chen, who has been fighting with her for over a decade, is no match for her.
She continued, following Meng Jinyao's words, "Then Third Brother must be very angry, right? He had high hopes for Xiuming, but now Xiuming has done such an absurd thing."
Meng Jinyao answered truthfully: "How could my husband not be angry? But the child is stubborn, and as elders, we can't do anything about it."
Upon hearing this useful information, Zhang's eyes lit up. This must be because she was disappointed in Gu Xiuming. She even agreed to the absurd thing that Gu Xiuming would do before marrying a wife. Thinking of her mother-in-law asking her brother-in-law to help her son Xiuwen get into Lingshan Academy, she was secretly delighted. It seemed that her guess was correct.
Seeing Meng Jinyao frowning, as if she was really troubled by her unfilial son, she sighed and said, "Sometimes when children are stubborn, not even ten oxen can pull them back."
“Yes.” Meng Jinyao didn’t want to continue talking about Gu Xiuming, otherwise she would not be able to maintain her image as a kind mother if she talked about it for too long, so she changed the subject. “Sister-in-law, try the tea I brewed first. The temperature is just right. It will affect the taste if it gets cold later.”
Zhang nodded slightly, picked up the teacup in front of her, took a sip of tea, and felt the warm tea linger in her mouth. Even though she wasn't very good at appreciating tea, she could tell it was good tea, and the person who brewed it was quite skilled.
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