Chapter 582 The Little Burden
Song Xinning glanced at the distance and saw Wen Qinghan being surrounded by several guests of similar age, walking towards them. She whispered a reminder, "Your children are still young, so let's put aside the matter of marriage for now. They're coming this way, so let's move on first, otherwise we'll have to flatter each other again later."
Upon hearing this, Princess Jingning and Meng Jinyao both fell silent.
The three of them then walked in the opposite direction in perfect unison, subtly avoiding the group.
Princess Jingning didn't think much of it and said with a helpless smile, "Since you all dislike socializing so much, why do you still come? If you don't want to come, you can just refuse. Coming here will only make you want to hide away in peace and quiet."
Song Xinning replied, "We should at least give face to the Wen family's invitation. Besides, it's hard to refuse such a thing once, and it's hard to refuse it again next time. Otherwise, if we don't come every time, we will offend people without realizing it. Let's just treat today as a way to pass the time. Since you are here, we can get together and have a chat."
Princess Jingning glared at them: "Why didn't you say you were bored earlier? I sent you invitations to go out together, but you didn't say anything. I thought you were all busy."
Meng Jinyao smiled and shook her head, then said, "No rush. Next time, we can go to the manor together to stay for a few days to escape the summer heat. But your child is still young, only a few months old. He probably won't be able to manage without you."
Princess Jingning said, "Shen Yunzhou hasn't entered officialdom, so he's very free every day. He can just stay home and take care of the children."
Song Xinning asked curiously, "Ayan, Prince Shen passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen. He is a person of extraordinary talent. I heard that with his talent, if he had continued to participate in the spring examination, he could have passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen. However, he did not participate. Now that he has grown up, his stepmother is crazy and can no longer cause trouble. Has he ever thought about seeking an official position in the court?"
When this was mentioned, Princess Jingning couldn't help but laugh out loud and replied, "This year, when he saw that both of your husbands were serving as officials in the court, he suddenly felt that he was doing nothing and was like a playboy who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. He said that this was embarrassing for me. So, he wants to participate in next year's imperial examination. If he passes the exam, he will become an official in the court."
Meng Jinyao laughed and said, "If Prince Shen participates, maybe our Wanwan will have a father-in-law who is a top scholar. That would be great. We can encourage him to study hard in the future, otherwise he won't be able to find a wife."
Song Xinning chuckled helplessly: "It's not even close to being settled yet. If you want to bring someone's daughter home, it will be more than ten years from now."
Meng Jinyao said, "Let me have a good talking first."
Song Xinning gently shook her head: "You."
Princess Jingning was quite generous, saying frankly, "If Ayao likes it, you can come home with me today and take the child back to raise for a few days."
Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "Are you really willing to do that?"
Princess Jingning replied, "What's there to be reluctant about? I'm very relieved to entrust the child to you. It's good for me to have a few days of peace and quiet."
She sighed softly and couldn't help but complain, "Don't let her small size fool you. She's only cute when she's not being naughty. Most of the time she's quite fussy. When she goes to sleep, she doesn't want her wet nurse and insists on sleeping in my arms. It makes it hard for me to sleep at night. I even suspect that Shen Yunzhou and I owed this girl something in our past lives, which is why she's causing us trouble in this life. She can't compare to your Wanwan. Your Wanwan is really well-behaved."
Meng Jinyao looked her over carefully. Her makeup was exquisite, and she didn't look tired, but there were bloodshot eyes, which showed that she really hadn't rested well. Suddenly, she felt sorry for her: "Ayan, you've worked hard. You were only able to leave today after the child fell asleep, right?"
Princess Jingning said, "Shen Yunzhou brought her today. Actually, Shen Yunzhou is not much better off than me. Since the child was born, he has not gone out with his friends much. He has become quite haggard from taking care of the child all day. It's fortunate that he is now a wealthy idler without an official position, so he can help take care of the child and lighten my burden."
Song Xinning originally thought her son was too noisy, but after hearing her words, she felt sorry for him and said, "He sounds much harder to handle than my brat. Ah Yan, you've had a hard time."
“Sigh, every time I get so frustrated with my child that I want to throw her out, all I can do is silently tell myself that she is my own flesh and blood.” Princess Jingning said, then sighed again, “Let’s not talk about this anymore, it’s so upsetting. I don’t know who said that daughters are like warm cotton-padded jackets, it’s not true at all.”
Seeing that she was feeling down, Meng Jinyao and Song Xinning quickly comforted her and then subtly changed the subject.
After the banquet, Princess Jingning invited Meng Jinyao to her home, saying she had a treasure for her.
Meng Jinyao was very curious and followed her home.
But Princess Jingning wasn't lying to her. She was indeed a treasure, the little girl she had been longing to marry and whom she wanted to bring to her son's home. Princess Jingning packed her up and put her in her arms, along with her wet nurse.
Meng Jinyao, holding the chubby little baby, looked bewildered: "Ayan, what's this?"
"Ayao, I know you like this little thing. Don't be so polite with me. Take it home and play with it for a few days. When you're tired of it, bring it back to me." Princess Jingning's face was full of smiles, as if she had gotten rid of a hot potato.
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was overjoyed: "Are you serious? Are you really willing to do this?"
Shen Yunzhou was originally reluctant to part with his daughter, but when he heard his wife say that she was going to go out with him for a few days, he suddenly disliked the little burden and laughed, "What's there to be reluctant about? Madam Gu and Ayan are as close as sisters, they will definitely not mistreat the child. We are at ease leaving the child with you."
Princess Jingning added, "Didn't you want our daughter to be your daughter-in-law? Now, taking her back will allow her to develop a relationship with your Wanwan."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou immediately became anxious: "W-what daughter-in-law?"
Princess Jingning pinched his waist hard without making a sound, making him wince in pain, and didn't give him a chance to continue speaking: "Ayao, we still have some things to do, so we'll keep you here." After saying that, she instructed the head maid beside her to see the guest out.
Shen Yunzhou watched Meng Jinyao's retreating figure. If his wife hadn't been pinching the soft flesh on his waist, he would have rushed up and taken the child back long ago. After the child had gone far away, he said with a dark face, "Ayan, how come you arranged a marriage for Nuonuo after just one trip out? I don't care, my daughter's future husband must be learned, virtuous, handsome, and elegant. He can't be easily given to a child who hasn't even been weaned yet."
"It's not even close to being settled yet, why are you in such a hurry?" Princess Jingning glared at him. "It's just that Ayao doesn't have a daughter and is particularly fond of our Nuonuo. She was just joking around. Maybe Wanwan doesn't even like Nuonuo, that crybaby."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou's face darkened even more: "My daughter is so beautiful, everyone likes her, why doesn't he like her?"
Princess Jingning was too lazy to argue with him and nodded repeatedly: "Alright, alright, your daughter is the best, everyone loves her. Now quickly have someone pack our bags and go to the manor outside the city for a few days."
Shen Yunzhou replied, "It's not too late to go tomorrow."
Princess Jingning glared at him: "You still want to wait until tomorrow? If Nuonuo starts crying and making a fuss later, Ayao might turn back halfway and bring her back to us."
After hearing this, Shen Yunzhou stopped arguing and ordered the maid to clean up.
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