SGEIRS -Chapter 314 Reaping What One Sows

The day was calm, with a gentle spring breeze and warm sunlight—a perfect day.

Princess Jingning and Song Xinning had arranged to visit Meng Jinyao. After all that had happened in the Gu household, they had long wanted to check on their friend, but with Gu Jingxi being punished to stay behind closed doors and reflect on his misdeeds, they hadn’t dared disturb the household.

Now that Gu Jingxi’s period of reflection was over, they sent an invitation and paid a visit.

Princess Jingning looked her over carefully and asked, “A-Yao, are you doing all right?”

Before Meng Jinyao could answer, Song Xinning smiled and said, “She seems fine to me. Her complexion looks good. Recently, she’s probably been living comfortably, not affected by that troublesome scoundrel.”

Meng Jinyao smiled in return. “I’ve been doing well these past days. You don’t need to worry.”

Princess Jingning caught a faint medicinal scent and asked with concern, “A-Yao, why do you smell like medicine? Are you ill?”

Meng Jinyao, having gotten used to it, hadn’t noticed, but hearing her friend mention it reminded her that she had been steeped in medicinal baths. She replied, “I’m fine. My qi and blood were a bit deficient, and my body was cold, so I’ve been taking medicinal baths. That’s why there’s a smell. I usually don’t care since I don’t go out, and I only bathe again before going outside.”

Song Xinning said, “You really should take care of your health. Even people in their forties aren’t as frail as you are.”

“That’s why I’m following the imperial physician’s advice—regulate my health for a year or so first,” Meng Jinyao said, then invited her two friends to sit while having the maid serve tea, fruits, and snacks.

Princess Jingning asked gently, “A-Yao, what exactly happened with that incident half a month ago?”

Meng Jinyao replied, “The truth is exactly as people have been saying. Concubine Li being pregnant was a misunderstanding. They tried to use it to get rid of me, but since my husband and I already knew she wasn’t pregnant, we preempted them.”

Hearing this, Princess Jingning looked relieved. “Good thing you were cautious. Otherwise, if their plan had worked, you’d have suffered an undeserved disaster.”

The three friends chatted about everyday matters.

Seeing that Song Xinning looked well, Meng Jinyao still asked with concern, wanting to confirm, “You’ve been married into the Shen family. You must be doing all right?”

Song Xinning replied, “Apart from being busy managing the household affairs, everything else is fine. My husband treats me well, and my mother-in-law treated me as a daughter even before I married in. That hasn’t changed since the marriage.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao was genuinely happy for her. “That’s good to hear.”

Then, Princess Jingning suddenly asked, “How are Lord Shen and Madam Shen now?”

Being close friends, Song Xinning did not hide the truth. “Ever since my father-in-law suddenly brought home a pregnant mistress last year to take as a concubine, my mother-in-law and he never reconciled. He does try to repair the relationship, but she acts as if he doesn’t exist. Out of respect for the younger generation, there’s no quarrel, and now that she’s had time to recover, her health is mostly restored.”

Princess Jingning rested her chin on her hand and sighed softly. “So he supposedly loves Madam Shen, yet secretly keeps a mistress and brings her home while she’s pregnant to take as a concubine. But if he doesn’t love her, why try to mend the marriage? Men are really complicated. If I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered in the first place.”

Song Xinning snorted lightly, her tone dismissive. “He didn’t do it out of love for my mother-in-law. It was because he was poor.”

Princess Jingning was surprised. “Poor?”

Song Xinning explained carefully, “After their troubles last year, my mother-in-law’s dowry was no longer used to support the household. He only had his official salary and no other assets, barely enough to manage the family. His concubine lived poorly as well. Luckily, most of the servants were loyal to my mother-in-law; otherwise, he would have had to dismiss most of them. Still, life for me, my husband, and my mother-in-law remained as usual. The hard times were only for them. The concubine must be regretting now; she married the Minister of Works’ concubine but didn’t get to live a life of wealth.”

“My mother-in-law always said that supporting the family is the head of the household’s responsibility. Household expenses should come from his salary. Her dowry is hers, and it would be shameful to use a woman’s dowry for household expenses. My father-in-law had no choice but to try to repair the marriage, hoping my mother-in-law would willingly provide some money.”

“But my mother-in-law is very clear-headed. When a man becomes an official and changes his heart, she used to become hysterical and nearly died from a sudden relapse of her old illness. Having died once, she saw things clearly. When they were loving, she didn’t mind supporting him, providing the best life she could. Now that he betrayed her, she refuses. Her dowry is only for herself and the children, not for him.”

Hearing this, Princess Jingning and Meng Jinyao were both stunned but also admired Madam Shen’s firmness. To achieve such control, she needed her legitimate eldest son on her side. A grown son in office and wealth of her own—both were necessary. Without money, even an excellent son couldn’t secure such comfort.

Princess Jingning asked, “So is Lord Shen isolated at home?”

Song Xinning replied, “On the surface, things seem calm. My husband shows respect outwardly, but he despises his father for breaking promises after gaining power. He has a talent for study, but without my mother-in-law, he couldn’t have pursued the civil service exams. He would have been too busy struggling for a living, and his talents would have been buried by life.”

“That’s what he has coming. He destroyed a happy home,” Meng Jinyao said. She then asked, “The concubine must have given birth by now, right?”

At this, Song Xinning couldn’t help but laugh. “A few days ago, she gave birth—a pair of twin daughters. My father-in-law expected twin sons or a boy and a girl, so he was very disappointed.”

Princess Jingning was astonished. “Lord Shen already has an excellent son, Shen Gongzi. Why does he still care so much about whether the concubine bore a son?”

Meng Jinyao said, “Most men favor sons over daughters. Who would complain about having too many sons? Sons carry on the family line, sons increase the household population. Daughters marry into other families. Truly favored daughters are rare; many are only apparently favored because of their usefulness to the family. They are cherished to strengthen alliances and consolidate power for the family.”

Song Xinning nodded. “Exactly. I have a distant cousin who was once much favored, but when her family’s fortunes declined, they married her off as a secondary wife to a man twenty years her senior.”

Princess Jingning fell silent.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao smiled. “A-Yan, don’t overthink it. The prince genuinely cherishes you. He’s a prince, the emperor’s full-blooded brother, extremely noble. He doesn’t need to use a daughter to consolidate power.”

Princess Jingning shook her head slightly. “It’s not about myself. I just think about the world—weaker status for women is almost universally accepted. Never mind, I won’t dwell on it; we can’t change it anyway.”

“That’s right. Don’t trouble yourself over what you can’t solve,” Meng Jinyao said, pushing a plate of snacks toward her. “Try these. My maid made them herself—they’re quite tasty.”