Chapter 393 If you can't beat them, join them
At this moment, Meng Xiyao was in her boudoir, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, sitting cross-legged on the bed, taking stock of her possessions.
As a concubine's daughter in the manor, she didn't actually have much property. She only had half a box in total, and most of it was given to her by Meng Lingge when she returned to the manor.
But she was content.
The betrothal gifts given by the Gu family were quite respectable. Meng Xingyuan and Du Shiyin were not mercenary people either. Although the dowry they prepared for her could not compare with that of Meng Lingge, it still exceeded the standard for most legitimate daughters in the capital to get married.
All these betrothal gifts will belong to her in the future. There are hundreds of boxes in total, containing everything from precious gold jewelry to clothing and bedding, all in complete sets.
From being the most easily overlooked concubine's daughter in the mansion to today, she has married in a grand manner to a young general whose character and appearance are impeccable. She is truly satisfied with herself.
From a young age, she was competitive and always wanted to compete with her older sister, Meng Lingge, in everything, but she never won. Whether it was talent or parental affection, the more she competed, the less she received.
She was exhausted, angry, and on the verge of a breakdown.
Later, she stopped arguing. After she stopped arguing, she received more and more. When she truly loved this family and everyone in it, her rewards became more and more abundant.
She didn't want to follow in her second sister's footsteps, lose the support of her family, and be abandoned by a man.
She wanted to use the power of the Meng family and Meng Lingge to pave a different path for herself, a path that could rival that of the legitimate daughter.
When she was implicated by Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming and sent to the harem as a concubine by the former emperor, she did resent Meng Lingge. However, this resentment was not as strong as the sisterly bond that already existed between her and Meng Lingge, so it was fleeting.
Without Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge's secret help, even if Gu Yan liked her very much, the old lady Gu would not have accepted her as her granddaughter-in-law.
So if she hadn't been on good terms with Meng Lingge before, and had caused them trouble at a crucial moment, let alone this good marriage today, it's hard to say whether she would even be alive now.
Meng Lingge has always been far superior to her; she is no match for her.
Since we can't beat her, we might as well cater to her interests and treat her sincerely. If Meng Lingge gives her a little help, she can rise from the abyss to the clouds.
She turned out to be right.
It's good to rest in the shade under a big tree.
From now on, she needs to cling even closer to Meng Lingge and the Meng family to secure her position as the mistress of the house.
Meng Xiyao played with the headdress in the box, thinking that she would put this box into her dowry later and take it to the Gu family mansion together.
Although many of these items were old and she didn't really like them anymore, they were still gifts from Meng Lingge. If she discarded them, it would only arouse Meng Lingge's suspicion.
I thought that now that she's married well, she doesn't care about the things her older sister gave her.
As soon as the maid Yun'er entered the room and saw her boisterous sitting posture, she quickly said, "Miss, why did you run onto the bed? The matchmaker has already done your makeup and told you to sit properly for a while and wait for the groom to come and pick you up. What if you ruin your makeup by jumping around like this?"
Meng Xiyao closed the makeup box and gracefully stepped off the bed.
"Don't worry, I'll be very careful. You help me put this box into the dowry, and I'll sit here quietly and promise not to move again."
Yun'er took it and weighed it in her hand.
"This isn't heavy, I'll just carry it for you. You should hurry up and put your veil on, I reckon the groom should be here to pick you up soon."
Upon hearing this, Meng Xiyao's eyes turned shy, but as if she suddenly remembered something, she stood up, clutching her bridal veil, her gaze fixed on the door.
Seeing this, Yun'er said, "Miss, are you still waiting for the Empress? I heard from the master that the Empress sent some expensive jewelry to your residence a couple of days ago, and the master added it to your dowry. The Empress is about to give birth, so she shouldn't be leaving the palace for the next few days."
"My older sister will definitely come."
Meng Xiyao frowned and said, "If she can't come, she should send someone to tell me."
"They should be going to Prince Zhong's residence first. I heard that the princess who is getting married today is like a sister to the Empress, and Prince Zhong is the Emperor's own brother. The Emperor himself is the officiant at their wedding, so they probably won't be able to come for a while. I'm afraid they won't be able to make it in time for Miss's wedding."
Yun'er analyzed it carefully.
She spent every day with her mistress and knew how much her mistress looked forward to the Empress coming to add to her makeup.
It is widely rumored that the Empress and the young lady are very close sisters. If the young lady gets married and the Empress does not attend, people will surely suspect that the sisters are at odds.
These rumors had little impact on the Empress, but were very detrimental to the young lady.
Yun'er also hoped that the Empress would come, but it was already this late and she still hadn't seen her. In order to avoid her mistress's greater disappointment if her expectations were too high, she could only offer her honest advice.
"My older sister will definitely get there."
Meng Xiyao repeated it heavily.
It was both an answer to Yun'er and a way to comfort himself.
Meng Xiyao actually had several close female friends in the capital, but she was afraid that if these girls came to do her dowry, it would offend her pregnant older sister, so she politely declined their offer.
If the eldest sister is unwell and does not leave the palace, then so be it.
If her eldest sister attended the wedding banquet at Prince Zhong's mansion but didn't have time to see her off, she would indeed be somewhat disappointed and a little aggrieved.
She is the eldest sister's biological younger sister.
Even though she did have ulterior motives towards her elder sister, her sincerity towards her elder sister was genuine. How could her elder sister neglect her younger sister for the sake of a friend?
Thinking of this, Meng Xiyao felt downcast, lowered her head and looked down, her small mouth slightly pouting.
The joy of their newlywed life was overshadowed by this incident.
Seeing this, Yun'er dared not say anything more. The two of them sat facing each other on the bed, looking dejected.
"What's wrong? Why are you pouting so much? Who upset you today?"
Meng Lingge and the others were wearing boots and their footsteps were light. Since the room was on a corner, Meng Xiyao and Yun'er didn't notice them when they arrived at the door. The sound startled the two of them.
Yun'er hurriedly tried to bow, while Meng Xiyao was on the verge of tears, feeling wronged.
"I thought my older sister wasn't coming today."
"How could I not come to your wedding?" Meng Lingge said, "No need for formalities," and told Yun'er and the other maids to step outside. She then pulled Meng Xiyao to sit down.
"Why are your eyes so red? Are you reluctant to get married? Then I'll go talk to Commander Gu and ask him to wait for you for another two years?"
"No, elder sister, please stop teasing me." Meng Xiyao blushed with embarrassment. "I can wait two more years, but how can the Gu family wait?"
If she doesn't marry him while the old lady still thinks highly of her, what will happen if, in a year or two, Gu Yan gets promoted and the old lady no longer approves of her?
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