SGEIRS -Chapter 104 The Widow in Waiting

The day was bright and sunny, with the sky stretching clear and boundless.

Meng Chengzhang and Gu Xiuwen set off for Lingshan Academy. The bruises and cuts on their faces hadn’t completely healed yet, but compared to two days ago, they looked much better. As long as they applied their medicine on time, by the day they reached the academy, they would be fully recovered, with no visible traces left.

It was Gu Xiuwen’s first time leaving home. Madam Zhang felt an endless reluctance as she saw her son off at the pavilion ten li outside the capital. Only then did she part from him, watching his excited face, feeling how attached she was as a mother.

Madam Zhang said no more, only instructing, “Son, you must study hard at the academy. Strive to pass the end-of-year assessment. If you fail and get expelled, your Third Uncle will also lose face.”

Gu Xiuwen nodded. “Mother, I understand. Don’t worry.”

Meng Chengzhang had always been sensible, so Meng Jinyao didn’t have much to remind him about either. She merely told him to eat well, dress warmly, and not put too much pressure on himself. Then she turned to Gu Xiuwen: “Xiuwen, at the academy, take care of your Second Uncle for me.”

“Third Aunt, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Second Uncle,” Gu Xiuwen replied. Then he glanced at Meng Chengzhang. Ever since they had beaten Gu Xiuming together two days ago, their relationship had grown closer, and it subtly seemed to be developing into a deep friendship.

Madam Zhang also chimed in: “Don’t worry, Third Younger Sister. Xiuwen is a considerate child; he’ll take good care of Chengzhang.”

She was pleased that her son got along with Meng Chengzhang. Someone diligent in studying could encourage her son to study hard as well. And if, in the future, the third brother-in-law really wanted her son to be adopted into his family, Xiuwen being on good terms with his uncle would strengthen that relationship, making it easier to replace Xiuming as heir.

Meng Chengzhang felt a bit awkward. Though he was the elder in status, he was younger in age than Xiuwen and had to be cared for by his junior, which made him wish he could switch roles and call Gu Xiuwen “Second Uncle.”

It was getting late. They helped the boys onto the carriage and instructed the driver to set off.

Lingshan Academy was less than 400 li from the capital—a journey of two to three days. Still, Madam Zhang was anxious for her son’s safety and had assigned family servants skilled in martial arts to accompany them and ensure their safe arrival.

This arrangement not only ensured safety but also sent a message to other students: these were children of a prominent family. Others would think twice before provoking them. Even scholars respected wealth and status, so a student from a high-ranking household wouldn’t be easily antagonized.

On the way back, Meng Jinyao and Madam Zhang rode in a single carriage.

Though the sisters-in-law differed greatly in age—old enough to be mother and daughter—they had little in common. Their conversation was light and intermittent.

Passing a jewelry shop, Madam Zhang suddenly said, “Third Younger Sister, I see Madam  Yongchang and Second Miss Meng up ahead.”

Meng Jinyao, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them. Madam Zhang lifted the carriage curtain, and she looked out to see her stepmother Madam Sun and Meng Jinyu at the jewelry shop entrance, waving goodbye to friends.

The two women noticed her as well, and their three pairs of eyes met.

Madam Sun’s smile froze, her eyes narrowing with a cold, murderous glare, as if she wanted to carve a piece of flesh from Meng Jinyao with her gaze.

Meng Jinyu’s face changed, and she glared at her angrily.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao smiled faintly. It was clear that the mother and daughter hated her to the bone, wishing they could tear her apart.

She let down the curtain and ignored them, turning back to chat with Madam Zhang about other matters, deliberately avoiding the topic of Madam Sun and her daughter.

Meng Jinyu stomped her foot in frustration. “Mother, look at her! She’s just climbed a rung higher, acting all smug. She doesn’t even greet her elders. You’ve wasted sixteen years raising her.”

Madam Sun slowly withdrew her gaze from the departing carriage, suppressing the resentment surging in her heart. She pulled her daughter onto the carriage and said softly, “She won’t be smug for long. In a few years, her beauty will fade, her love will wane. Without children to rely on and losing Lord Changxing’s favor, she’ll be nothing.”

“Even without Lord Changxing’s favor, she’s still a noble marquis’s wife,” Meng Jinyu said, pouting in low spirits. A few days ago, at a ladies’ gathering, someone had mocked her, saying that since her mother had fallen out with her eldest sister, and the Yongchang estate had declined, she wouldn’t find a decent husband. She’d never enjoy the same prestige her elder sister did.

Madam Sun snorted disdainfully. “That marquis’s wife is a widow in waiting. What’s the difference between her and someone married to a eunuch?” Seeing her daughter’s gloomy expression, she reassured her: “A-Yu, I’ll find you a good match. You don’t need to envy her.”

Meng Jinyu lowered her head and murmured, “But who would marry me now?”

Madam Sun waved her hand dismissively. “Why not? You’re beautiful, talented in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—a truly excellent girl.”

“That was before,” Meng Jinyu muttered, giving her mother a reproachful glance. “Mother, why did you covet her mother’s dowry back then? If that hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have quarreled. My marriage wouldn’t have hit a dead end. Others would see I had a marquis’s wife as an elder sister to back me up.”

Being reproached like this, Madam Sun, as an elder, lost face. She immediately became angry, poked her daughter’s forehead, and scolded her, “I did that for you and Chengxing, didn’t I?”

“Your late second uncle was a gambler. Your grandmother favored the youngest son, covering for him. Over the years, the Yongchang estate declined and is nearly a shell now. When you marry, you won’t have a decent dowry and won’t hold your head high in your husband’s house.”

Meng Jinyu fell silent. She thought it would have been better if her mother hadn’t tried to do good for her back then. Now, it was all in vain. She was embarrassed and mocked. With the Yongchang estate in this state and no support from Meng Jinyao, her future looked bleak.

Being her own child, Madam Sun’s anger didn’t last long. Seeing her daughter’s despondency, she softened her tone. “A-Yu, didn’t you say a few days ago that you met Princess Jingning and got along well with her?”

Meng Jinyu’s eyes brightened, a smile spreading across her face, tinged with pride. “Princess Jingning held a flower-viewing banquet and invited me as well. I’ll attend in a couple of days.”

Looking at her beautiful daughter, Madam Sun thought for a moment and quickly formed a plan. She instructed gently, “A-Yu, you must build a good relationship with Princess Jingning. I hear she has a temper, so endure it, please her, and it will bring you many benefits.”

Meng Jinyu nodded. “Mother, I understand. I’ve finally got this connection with Princess Jingning. I won’t ruin it easily.”