SGEIRS -Chapter 148 She’s Incompetent

At noon, Princess Jingning stayed at the Marquis’s residence and had lunch together with Meng Jinyao.

After lunch, Meng Jinyao instructed her maid to make chilled lychee and water chestnut syrup. Once it was ready, she sent some over to both the main and second branches of the family.

Lychees can cause internal heat, but water chestnuts help to clear it. Making it into syrup made it sweet and refreshing, and chilling it made it even better—one sip was cool and fragrant, and it helped beat the summer heat. Perfect for the hot weather.

Princess Jingning took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh. “This is really good! Why didn’t I think of making syrup out of it before?”

Meng Jinyao replied, “I just thought of it suddenly.”

“Did you always eat lychees like this before?” Princess Jingning asked in surprise, glancing at her, then nodded approvingly. “You really know how to enjoy things. This is quite delicious.”

Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly and said in a gentle voice, “No, I hadn’t tried it before. I just felt like experimenting. When my grandfather was alive, I had lychee once. After that, I only ate some the day before yesterday and yesterday—it was a gift from the Emperor to the Marquis.”

Princess Jingning froze for a moment. She suddenly remembered that the Yongchang Marquis’s residence was a declining noble family. After the old Marquis passed away, the current Yongchang Marquis couldn’t maintain the household—how could they afford lychees? And since Meng Jinyao wasn’t favored, even if the household hadn’t declined, she wouldn’t have had a chance to eat lychees.

Thinking of this, Princess Jingning said, “From now on, every summer, I’ll send you lychees.”

Meng Jinyao replied gratefully, “Thank you, A-Yan. But you don’t have to send them every year. The Marquis said I would get to eat lychees every year anyway.”

Princess Jingning was momentarily stunned, then said, “The Marquis really treats you well.”

“The Marquis does treat me well. Ever since I married into the Marquis’s household, he has never wronged me,” said Meng Jinyao, her lips curving slightly into a gentle and serene smile.

Princess Jingning looked at her steadily for a long moment, then suddenly remembered something and laughed: “As for the Young Master Gu—your so-called fiancée—he must be blind! For the sake of a poor girl, he ruined his reputation. He left a fine young lady like you, and I wonder if he regrets it.”

Meng Jinyao replied, “Regret? That’s impossible. He hates me to the bone now. He feels my existence is an embarrassment.”

Princess Jingning was shocked, incredulous. “He hates you? He wronged you, made you the laughingstock of the entire capital, and yet he has the nerve to hate you?”

Meng Jinyao’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “I married his father and became his stepmother. His fiancée became his stepmother—he couldn’t hold his head high. Of course he hates me. Even if I had chosen between the Second or Fourth Young Master, I still didn’t choose him. That made him even more humiliated.”

Princess Jingning was surprised. “You married the Marquis just to spite him?”

“To spite him?”

Meng Jinyao gave a dismissive chuckle. Princess Jingning had treated her sincerely, and she considered her a true friend, so she answered honestly: “What kind of person is he? I just thought, if I have to marry someone, I might as well choose the best match in every respect. The Marquis is better than those two nephews, and he can protect me.”

Upon hearing this, Princess Jingning gave her an approving look, then asked with lively curiosity, “So will he call you ‘Mother’?”

Meng Jinyao smiled. “In front of others, he definitely will.”

Princess Jingning felt secretly pleased. “Serves him right. His reputation is ruined now. People outside are saying that if he marries, he’ll be the type to favor a concubine and destroy his wife. No noble lady would marry him, unless he married a girl from a minor family seeking prestige.”

Meng Jinyao looked at her in surprise, sensing the glee on her face, as if she bore some grudge against Gu Xiuming. She was slightly puzzled. “You seem very happy to see him in trouble?”

Princess Jingning pouted, full of disdain. “I just can’t stand him. He always puts on airs, looking like a gentleman, but in reality, he’s a hypocrite. Everyone says he’s gentle and refined, with the Marquis’s demeanor, but I’ve seen the other side of him.”

Meng Jinyao was taken aback. “A-Yan, you have sharp eyes.”

Princess Jingning blushed slightly and smiled. “Not bad. I’ve just seen his bad side, so he seems very different from how he acts.”

She took another sip of the chilled syrup. The cool sweetness refreshed her, and she said, “Let’s not talk about him now. Drink while it’s cold—it probably won’t taste as good once it warms up.”

After finishing the syrup, Princess Jingning lingered for over half an hour before returning to the Liang Prince’s residence.

Gu Jingxi returned from his duties.

Seeing him, Meng Jinyao called out gently, “Husband.”

She then instructed Ningdong to bring the chilled lychee syrup over for Gu Jingxi to enjoy and cool off—this portion was specially reserved for him.

Gu Jingxi was pleasantly surprised. He had never received such treatment from the young lady before. The syrup was prepared before he returned home from duty, and he said warmly, “You’ve been thoughtful, Wife.”

Meng Jinyao met his astonished gaze, sensing the surprise in his eyes. Her face froze for a moment, suddenly feeling that she had been an incompetent wife up until now.

Now that the weather was hot and her husband busy with official duties, she hadn’t even thought to have the maid make some refreshing drinks.

Feeling guilty, she averted her gaze awkwardly and said, “If you like syrup, Husband, I’ll ask the maid to make it again next time.”

Gu Jingxi didn’t bother with formalities. “Tomorrow, I’d like mung bean soup, less sugar, not too sweet.”

Meng Jinyao agreed immediately. “I’ll instruct the kitchen to prepare it tomorrow, so you can have it ready when you return from duty.”

Gu Jingxi said, “Thank you, Wife.”

Meng Jinyao quickly shook her head. “No need to be polite, Husband. I’m just moving my lips.”

After saying this, she froze for a moment, feeling even more guilty. “Moving my lips,” she thought, realizing she hadn’t really done much in her role as a wife before. She had been enjoying herself every day, consuming everything provided by Gu Jingxi, and had even gained a few pounds.

Seeing her silent and guilty expression, Gu Jingxi looked at her thoughtfully and said gently, “I’m not picky about food. It doesn’t matter if it’s available or not. Don’t overthink it, Wife.”

Meng Jinyao parted her lips slightly but didn’t say anything. Yet, she resolved to be more competent in the future. Gu Jingxi fulfilled his duties as a husband; she had to fulfill hers as a wife. She couldn’t just enjoy what others provided without giving anything in return.

Soon, Ningdong brought over the syrup. Seeing lychees, Gu Jingxi asked, “Wife, why are there still lychees?”

Meng Jinyao explained, “Princess Jingning brought a few pounds over today. I couldn’t eat that many by myself, and it wasn’t enough to divide as whole fruit, so I made syrup and sent some to the main and second branches. Sharing the flowers while honoring the Buddha—everyone can enjoy it.”

Gu Jingxi was surprised. “You’ve become friends with Princess Jingning?”

Meng Jinyao nodded lightly. “Yes, a new friend in the past few days.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi didn’t ask further.