SGEIRS -Chapter 115 She Takes It in Stride

Qingqiu and Ningdong remained silent, feeling sorrow for their mistress. Their mistress was such a fine young lady—how could her fate be so unfortunate?

Originally, she had a very good marriage lined up. They had all thought that once their mistress married, her hardships would finally be over. But on the wedding day, the would-be groom struck a crushing blow.

Their mistress instantly became the laughingstock of the entire city. Everyone in the capital was mocking her. For decades, nothing like this had happened in the city: to be abandoned on one’s wedding day. Yet it had happened to their mistress.

Fortunately, the Marquis had married their mistress and treated her quite well. But who would have thought that the Marquis actually had a beloved in his heart?

Ningdong choked back her emotions and said, “Madam, you’ve suffered an injustice.”

Meng Jinyao, however, took it in stride and replied warmly, “When I chose to marry him, I didn’t choose between Gu Xiuhong and Gu Xiuwen. Wasn’t it to reclaim my own dignity, to gain the status of a marquis’s wife, to become Gu Xiuming’s elder so that even he couldn’t bully me? My goal is already achieved now; there’s no reason to feel wronged.”

Ningdong’s heart ached. “But I feel it’s unfair for you, Madam. Their actions have hurt you. If he didn’t want to marry, they could have called off the engagement. To flee on the wedding day—that’s outrageous!”

As she spoke, tears fell, a mix of anger and grief. “You were such a pure, innocent girl, marrying a man so much older and with health issues, only to find his heart belongs to someone else. It’s the Gu family who wronged you. Even if you married a humble scholar who only had you in his heart, it would still have been better than marrying a man whose heart was elsewhere.”

Meng Jinyao felt some discomfort herself. Was she wronged?

Of course she had been, but that was all in the past. The matter was settled; why dwell on it?

She was now the Marchioness. Aside from the matriarch, she held the highest status in the Gu household. She had endless wealth, attendants at her service, fine clothes and exquisite food, and no concubines causing trouble—life was already quite good.

Meng Jinyao spoke softly: “Alright, don’t cry. I’m fine. I never married him for his true heart—I wanted status and position. I have them now, and he treats me well.”

Ningdong, hearing her calm tone, still felt uneasy. “Madam, things seem fine now, but the moment that woman appears, the Marquis probably won’t glance at you again. How well you live in this household depends entirely on his attitude.”

Meng Jinyao paused briefly, then waved it off. “What does it matter how much he likes that woman? As long as I don’t commit the seven grounds for divorce, he cannot dismiss me. I am the Madam Gu, and always will be.”

She chuckled lightly, shrugged indifferently, and added, “Besides, he’s twenty-nine. The woman he fancies must already be married. She poses no threat to me. Would he really chase a married woman? I trust his upbringing—he wouldn’t do such a thing, nor mistreat me just because his heart once belonged to another.”

Ningdong was stunned.

Qingqiu also paused, then nodded in agreement after a moment. “Madam is right. No matter how much the Marquis fancies her, it doesn’t matter. Madam Gu can only be you. Judging by his character, he won’t mistreat his wife. He has no intentions against you now, and everything a Marchioness deserves, he has already given you.”

Meng Jinyao smiled faintly. “Alright, let’s not mention it again. What does it matter that he once had a beloved? He even had a fiancée before—an exceptional girl, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and the most beautiful in the capital.”

Upon hearing this, Qingqiu and Ningdong exchanged a glance and silently nodded.

Ningdong hesitated. “Madam, do you mean that the Marquis’s beloved is his former fiancée?”

Meng Jinyao was momentarily stunned. She pondered Ningdong’s words and realized it was possible. If it was his former fiancée, she had no reason to worry. Gu Jingxi’s ex-fiancée had already married and moved out of the capital with her husband.

Ningdong expressed regret: “Such deep feelings buried in his heart—what a pity.”

Meng Jinyao’s lips twitched. She couldn’t help feeling that the girl was taking some pleasure in her misfortune.

After a moment, she glared at Ningdong and said, “Enough. Let it go. Don’t bring it up again, especially not in front of the Marquis. Ningdong, return these headdresses to the storage room, just put them back where they belong.”

Ningdong hesitated. “Madam, I don’t know which corner they belong to.”

Meng Jinyao glanced at Qingqiu. “Then you go, Qingqiu. You should know.”

Qingqiu replied, “Yes, Madam. I know. That corner is quite noticeable. The box used to cover it kept the area clean—there’s no dust beneath it, it’s the cleanest spot there.”

With that, Qingqiu took the box, received the key from her mistress, and set about handling the task.

Ningdong watched her mistress’s expression carefully. Seeing it unchanged, she couldn’t tell if she was truly untroubled, and after a moment of hesitation, she suggested, “Madam, I heard there’s a new play at the theater. Shall we go? It’s still early, there should be seats available; later, it might be full.”

Meng Jinyao agreed cheerfully. “Sure, we can watch the play and stroll outside afterward.”

Seeing her mistress still in the mood to go out, Ningdong was relieved. “I’ll have the carriage prepared immediately.”

More than half an hour later, the three of them arrived at the capital’s largest theater.

They arrived neither too early nor too late. The private boxes were full, but there were still screened compartments outside the private rooms.

Meng Jinyao chose a second-floor seat by the railing with a clear view of the stage, ordering the essential tea, snacks, fruits, and a pot of West Lake Longjing tea.

Soon, the ground-floor audience was packed. It was clear the play was very popular, and with a famous performer, it was even more in demand.

The performer appeared, the play began, and they sang out the new story.

Meng Jinyao rested her chin on her hand, bored, watching. She wasn’t particularly fond of plays. The performer was skilled, and the story seemed to be about patriotism and family loyalty, but her mind wandered. Outsiders might think she was watching intently, but she was daydreaming.

During the curtain call, Ningdong asked, “Madam, how did you find the play?”

Meng Jinyao came back to focus, answering succinctly: “Excellent.”

Ningdong asked again, “Which part did you like?”

Meng Jinyao sipped her tea and replied, “The tea is good.”

Ningdong: “…You daydreamed again?”

Meng Jinyao nodded honestly. “I saw the beginning. What’s the ending?”

Ningdong replied, “Of the seven sons, six died in battle. The father survived.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao instinctively glanced down at the audience on the ground floor and noticed many wiping away tears, including several elderly men.