Chapter 7 Favoritism
Meng Xingyuan's expression was rather unpleasant. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Guan family is not well-off. There is no betrothal gift list. We have only prepared two sets of clothes, four bolts of cloth, and the necessary eight-piece betrothal set."
The eight-piece set consists of a comb, ruler, money box, auspicious scale, mirror, measuring cup, scissors, and abacus. None of them are valuable items, but each carries a beautiful meaning.
Princess Anshun knew that Guan Yi'an's family was poor and that their betrothal gifts could not compare to those of aristocratic families. However, since this was, after all, marrying the legitimate daughter of a first-rank official in the court, she would at least arrange some valuable gifts such as gold and silver.
I never expected it to be so shabby; this little thing is even worse than what an ordinary person would have.
Even Princess Anshun felt sorry for Meng Lingge. He married such a beautiful and noble lady with such meager gifts, but not only did he not cherish her, he even had an affair with his bride's half-sister on their wedding day. This man is utterly shameless.
"Guan Yi'an is now a court official. Even if he used a month's salary for betrothal gifts, he could still afford some decent items," Princess Anshun mocked. "Lord Meng is now related to me by marriage, so I'll be frank. This Guan boy is clearly stingy and miserly. He's only lucky to have met someone as easy to talk to as you. If it were anyone else, they would have been kicked out long ago with such meager gifts. Let alone a legitimate daughter, he wouldn't even consider betrothal gifts from a concubine's daughter. But your concubine's daughter is dissolute; she'd be a perfect match for her."
Meng Xingyuan's face turned red and white after hearing these words, but he really had no way to defend himself.
Let alone others, when he saw these betrothal gifts and thought about the dowry he had prepared for Meng Lingge, he also felt a pang of heartache.
At the time, Guan Yi'an was sincere and said that his family had accumulated a lot of debts before he became the top scholar in the imperial examination. After paying off his recent monthly salary, there was not much left. He said that once Lingge came over, he would let her manage the household, and when he had more money, he would buy Lingge some valuable things.
He felt uncomfortable, but Guan Yi'an kept referring to him as "father-in-law," so he didn't say much.
Not only that, considering that Guan Yi'an's living quarters were too simple and cramped, he even funded the purchase of a small courtyard for Guan Yi'an to live in after their marriage.
Now it seems that Guan Yi'an and Meng Huanyan got the courtyard for nothing.
Meng Xingyuan smiled apologetically and said, "As for the betrothal gifts, the sentiment is what matters."
“The problem is that the Guan family boy’s intentions aren’t even there.” Princess Anshun waved her hand. “Forget it, let’s not talk about these spoilsports. Even if I gave him ten or a hundred times more, it wouldn’t be worthy of the Crown Prince’s status. How about this, I’ll have the steward of the manor take people to prepare as much as possible. The Crown Prince can bring it with him when he goes to pick her up.”
After saying this, Princess Anshun turned to leave, but stopped at the door.
“Lord Meng, today your eldest daughter and illegitimate daughter are getting married together. I should say something about this custom. The Prince of Anshun’s mansion is a bit farther from here than the Guan family’s mansion. We still need to prepare the betrothal gifts, so we will naturally arrive a little later.”
“But there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. The legitimate daughter is not yet married, so we can’t let the illegitimate daughter’s wedding procession get there first. When that boy from the Guan family comes to fetch the bride, you have to make him wait. He can only take away your illegitimate daughter after the heir apparent has taken away the heir apparent’s wife.”
Now that she has agreed to Mo'er marrying Meng Lingge, Meng Lingge is one of her own. If that boy from the Guan family bullies Meng Lingge, then he is bullying the Prince of Anshun's mansion.
She had to show this brat how wise it was for Meng Lingge to break off his engagement and choose Mo'er. Furthermore, she had to teach him what it meant to abandon something noble for something base and reap the consequences.
After entrusting Meng Xingyuan with the matter, Princess Anshun was still not at ease, so she left her personal maid and guards behind, instructing them to handle the matter properly before departing.
Meng Lingge was unaware of these things.
After seeing that Princess Anshun had agreed to the marriage, she knew that the matter was settled, so she took the opportunity to secretly withdraw.
In principle, she was not allowed to meet the groom's parents before the wedding ceremony. Her decision to break off the engagement and choose a husband in public was already unconventional. Although Princess Anshun did not mind, she could not be completely without rules.
Of course, there's another reason. With so many unexpected events happening at today's wedding, and her mother paralyzed in bed unable to come, she must be extremely anxious, and she needs to rush over to comfort her.
There was a strong smell of medicine in the room. When Meng Lingge arrived, the old woman was holding the medicine and looked helpless.
"The young lady has arrived. Madam has been worried and refused to take her medicine."
"Give it to me." Meng Lingge took the medicine bowl and sat down on the edge of the bed.
My mother, lying in bed, was wearing a festive coat today, with some makeup on her face. She looked a little healthier than usual, but her brows were furrowed and she looked worried.
"You all wait outside." Du Shiyin dismissed the servants, then took Meng Lingge's hand and sighed, "It's all because your mother is useless and didn't manage the household well, which has dragged you down. Your mother really didn't expect that you, my second daughter, would be so shameless, abandoning your own reputation and letting others ridicule you."
"Mother, take your medicine first." Meng Lingge blew on the medicine on the spoon and brought it to Du Shiyin's lips. "You should be glad for your daughter. Today you know that Guan Yi'an is a person who cannot be trusted. Your daughter can still choose again. If he had disguised himself well today, and your daughter had married him and borne him children before finding out his true colors, it would have been much more difficult to get away from him than it is now."
"That's true, but Prince Wen... given his condition, he can barely protect himself, let alone protect you in the future. Right now, Prince Anshun and his wife are there, but what will you do when they get old?"
Du Shiyin grew increasingly worried as she spoke, "I heard that when he's normal, he has the intelligence of a seven or eight-year-old child. Sometimes when he has an attack, he doesn't recognize anyone and will attack or hurt those close to him. With him like this, who knows if he'll hurt you in the future? Hurt your children? In fact, given his condition, you might not even be able to have children..."
She knew Meng Lingge's predicament today. Being able to marry Prince Wen as his principal wife was already a much better outcome than continuing to marry Guan Yi'an or being forcibly assigned to a eunuch by the government.
But she couldn't help feeling sorry for her daughter. Why should such a good young woman be forced to this point because of a man's mistake?
If she were healthy, she would definitely seek justice from Guan Yi'an's parents, unlike now where she can't do anything.
Meng Xingyuan treated all three daughters well, and he especially valued Lingge, his legitimate daughter. However, as a man, he was careless and easily swayed, so entrusting his daughter's marriage to him was a miscalculation.
But there's no point in saying any of this now, and thinking of this, she couldn't help but shed tears.
“Mother, Prince Wen’s condition isn’t that serious. Perhaps there’s still a chance to cure him. Even if he can’t be cured, it doesn’t matter. I’ve chosen him as my husband today, so I won’t look down on him.”
“I’ve known him since I was a child. He keeps his promises and has never broken his word. He promised to protect me, and he will definitely protect me. Besides, my daughter is not someone to be trifled with. No matter if he is good or bad, whatever he gives me, I will repay him double.”
Meng Lingge spoke casually, but Du Shiyin wiped away her tears and gave her careful instructions.
"Come back often when you have time. If you have a hard time at the Prince of Anshun's residence, come back and tell your mother. I'm not afraid of losing face. If they bully you, I will definitely stand up for you."
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