Chapter 218 The Autumn Examination is Approaching
Wei Rui Xuan, the study.
Meng Jinyao rarely sets foot in the study. Today, having nothing to do and feeling a bit bored, she went into the study to find a book to read and pass the time.
The study in Wei Rui Xuan was much smaller than the study in the front yard, and it didn't have as many books, but she could still find a travelogue that she could read.
After a long while, Qingqiu pushed the door open and came in, then closed it again. Seeing her sitting at the desk reading, she moved to her side and whispered, "Madam, there's new news from the Yongchang Marquis's residence."
Without looking up or taking her eyes off the book, Meng Jinyao asked casually, "How is it?"
Qingqiu replied, "Mrs. Sun was in a daze in broad daylight yesterday. She saw a maid who looked like your mother from behind and was so frightened that she suddenly screamed. Later, she ordered that maid to be transferred to be a laundry maid and was not allowed to appear in front of her."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused in her book-turning, chuckled, and teased, "So, people who have done something wrong are so afraid of ghosts."
"They say if you don't do anything wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at your door in the middle of the night. But if you do too many wrong things, you'll be afraid during the day. The more you think about it, the more afraid you'll become." Qingqiu said, a meaningful smile appearing on her face. "Madam, Madam Sun also went to the Hall of Rebirth at Lingyun Temple today."
Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, then gave a mocking smile. Her mother's memorial tablet was enshrined in the Hall of Rebirth at Lingyun Temple. Was Sun Shi so afraid that she wanted to repent and beg for forgiveness in front of her mother's memorial tablet? She had already done things she shouldn't have done, and now she was only repenting. Wasn't it a bit too late?
After a moment, she asked again, "By the way, did she alert the rest of the family when she saw the maid scream yesterday?"
Qingqiu replied, "Only the Second Miss knows, but she didn't think much of it. She just thought that she hadn't rested well and was in a bad mood. After all, she has been a bit irritable lately."
Meng Jinyao said with regret, "That's a real pity."
Qingqiu comforted her, "Madam, no matter how well she tries to cover it up, the truth will eventually come out. She's like a frightened bird, suffering every day, and it will be exposed sooner or later."
Meng Jinyao twitched the corner of her mouth and said indifferently, "Tell Granny Qiao to continue according to the original plan. If necessary, whisper in Sun Shi's ear. I need to see a satisfactory result by the time the day comes."
The clear autumn air echoes.
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Shou'an Hall.
Today, the autumn imperial examinations begin on the 9th of the eighth lunar month, with three sessions in total: the 9th is the first session, the 12th is the second session, and the 15th is the third session.
Tomorrow is the autumn imperial examination. Three children in the family are participating, and the elders are very nervous, but they are putting on a calm demeanor so as not to make the younger generation nervous as well.
The three Gu brothers had to go to their posts. Although the eldest brother, Gu Jingsheng, only had a sinecure, he still had to go. After the three brothers paid their respects to the old lady, they went to their posts. The women and other younger relatives stayed at Shou'an Hall.
Madam Gu said a few words of encouragement to her three grandsons, and told them not to feel pressured, as they were still young and should just treat it as accumulating experience.
Gu Xiuyuan, Gu Xiuhong, and Gu Xiuming all agreed, but the three brothers had different expressions. Gu Xiuyuan looked a little nervous, Gu Xiuhong looked calm and composed, as if he didn't take the autumn examination seriously and was just participating. Gu Xiuming was the only one of the three who was confident.
Meng Jinyao's gaze swept across the three brothers' faces, finally landing on Gu Xiuming's face. Seeing the confidence between his brows, she couldn't help but wonder where his confidence came from. Even Gu Xiuhong, the best student among the brothers, didn't have such confidence.
As she spoke, Madam Gu turned her gaze to Zhang and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, besides Xiuyuan's participation in the autumn imperial examination, Xuanyi's wedding is also approaching. There are only half a month left, so you need to prepare as well."
Zhang replied gently, "Mother, don't worry, everything is being prepared. My second and third sister-in-laws are also helping with the preparations."
Madam Gu nodded: "That's good. The guest list for the banquet must be checked again and again to avoid any omissions, otherwise it will be embarrassing."
Zhang replied, "Yes, Mother."
After leaving Shou'an Hall, Meng Jinyao followed Zhang Shi to help. She had been helping Zhang Shi for the past few days, and it didn't matter if she was just doing odd jobs. Since she had no experience, this was a good opportunity to learn. Otherwise, after the family splits up, she would probably be overwhelmed if she had to handle such matters on her own.
Zhang Shi had seen Gu Jingxi and Old Madam Gu's attitudes toward Meng Jinyao, and dared not be perfunctory, lest she offend the two of them. Therefore, whenever Meng Jinyao humbly asked for advice, she would teach her earnestly.
Not to be outdone, Chen would offer Meng Jinyao a few pointers from the side.
Therefore, the three sisters-in-law got along fairly well.
Madam Zhang handed the guest list to Meng Jinyao and said gently, "By the way, Third Sister-in-law, please take a good look at this list and familiarize yourself with the Gu family's relatives and friends. Those at the top of the list are families that are on good terms with the Gu family, as well as Gu family relatives. Those in the middle are people with whom we have only casual relationships. As for those at the bottom, they are distant relatives who are not necessarily invited, but out of consideration for past relationships, they have all been invited to this important occasion of our daughter's wedding."
Meng Jinyao took the list, intending to take it back and take a closer look later.
Zhang sighed several times.
Hearing her sighs, Meng Jinyao asked, "Is something on your mind, sister-in-law?"
Madam Zhang was filled with sorrow: "With Xuan Yi's personality, I don't know how miserable she will be after marrying into the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, but she is so carefree and happy for herself."
Now that things have come to this, the wedding date has been set, and it's a done deal. If there are no surprises, they will get married on the 25th of this month. Meng Jinyao didn't know what to say, so she could only comfort her, "Sister-in-law, things will work out in the end. The Wu'an Marquis's family environment is a bit complicated, but with the Changxing Marquis's family as their backer, they won't dare to openly bully Xuanyi."
Surprisingly, Madam Chen didn't ridicule Madam Zhang at this moment. Instead, she comforted her, saying, "Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law is right. They wouldn't dare to openly bully the daughter of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion. Don't worry. So what if Xuanyi suffers a loss after marrying into the family? She'll learn from her mistakes and improve over time."
As Chen spoke, she changed the subject: "Xuanyi's wedding is still half a month away, so don't worry about it. The autumn examination is tomorrow. Why don't you focus on Xiuyuan first, sister-in-law? Xiuyuan's wife is pregnant and she fell and had a miscarriage a couple of days ago. She is currently resting in bed. Xiuyuan's wife can't prepare the things Xiuyuan needs for the exam herself. Sister-in-law, please prepare them for Xiuyuan first."
Upon hearing this, Zhang's attention was indeed diverted. She said, "Thanks to my second sister-in-law's reminder, I almost forgot about this. I'll go prepare the things Xiuyuan needs to bring into the examination hall tomorrow. Please excuse me."
Chen replied, "Sister-in-law, go ahead. I also need to go prepare for Xiu Hong."
After both of her sisters-in-law left, Meng Jinyao went straight back to Wei Rui Xuan. As for preparing things for Gu Xiuming as a loving mother, she had no interest in it. Even if she did prepare them, Gu Xiuming wouldn't dare to use them.
She took out the guest list and began to look at it carefully.
When she saw her maternal family's Yongchang Marquis residence, she narrowed her eyes. Some things still needed to be postponed. She needed to let Madam Sun have a few days of peace and quiet. On this joyous occasion for others, she couldn't let Madam Sun accidentally ruin things.
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