SGEIRS -Chapter 448 An Unexpected Encounter with Madam Yang

On the other side, Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi had left the Meng residence but didn’t rush home. Since it was a rare outing, they decided to stroll through the streets for a while.

It was only the fourth quarter of the You hour (around 7–8 PM), yet the sky had already darkened. Shops lining the street had lit their lamps, and the lanterns in front of the stores illuminated the entire street. Though there were fewer pedestrians than during the day, the street was still lively.

After walking a short distance, Meng Jinyao ran into an acquaintance—the elder sister-in-law of her former stepmother, Madam Sun. Madam Yang had once been very close with Madam Sun, but when Madam Sun was dismissed, she and her husband Sun Zhiyong had outright rejected Madam Sun, refusing her entry.

Madam Yang wasn’t exactly malicious—she hadn’t committed any grievous wrongs—but she was a selfish, opportunistic fence-sitter. When she could gain something from someone, she would do what pleased them, feigning loyalty.

For instance, when Madam Sun disliked her and Meng Jinyao’s second brother, Madam Yang would make things difficult for them to curry favor with Madam Sun. She caused the most trouble for them, but once she saw Madam Sun smile, she would turn around and flatter her to gain benefits. Over the years, because Madam Yang knew how to manipulate people, she had secured many advantages from Madam Sun, who in turn was generous toward her natal family.

Meng Jinyao had originally planned to ignore Madam Yang, but when their eyes met, Madam Yang froze for only a moment. Then, as if their past grudges had never existed, she smiled lightly and stepped forward, offering a slight bow: “Greetings, Marquis Gu, greetings, Madam Gu.”

Gu Jingxi was a third-rank official, and Meng Jinyao a third-rank titled madam. It was appropriate for Madam Yang to greet them.

Slightly surprised, Meng Jinyao asked calmly, “Madam Yang needn’t be so formal. Today is my second sister’s wedding—why didn’t you attend the banquet?”

Madam Yang let out a light sigh, full of guilt. “No matter what my little sister-in-law has done, no matter how angry I am as her elder sister-in-law, A-Yu and Chengxing are innocent. But because of my little sister-in-law, our Sun family had no face to set foot in the Meng residence. So today, as A-Yu marries, I, as her aunt, can only watch the wedding procession from the street—consider it my way of seeing her off.”

At these words, Madam Yang’s maid looked at her mistress in surprise. Clearly, Madam Yang had gone out today to meet a friend. That morning, when she realized it was her cousin’s wedding day, she even cursed her late aunt for bad luck, claiming her daughter must be no good.

Meng Jinyao smiled faintly. “Then Madam Yang truly is a good aunt.”

“Our Sun family didn’t raise daughters properly. This one turned out to be… never mind, no need to speak of her—just mentioning her is tiresome.” Madam Yang shook her head gently, then looked apologetic. “Madam Gu, in the past, because of my little sister-in-law’s gossip, I had misunderstandings about you, prejudices even. That was my fault, for not discerning the truth of her words. I truly apologize and hope Madam Gu can forgive me.”

Her tone was sincere. Meng Jinyao, knowing well whether it was genuine, smiled politely without emotion. “It’s all in the past. Had you not mentioned it, I wouldn’t even remember. As you said, it was just an error in judgment influenced by others.”

Madam Yang didn’t mind her response and continued in the same respectful tone. “As long as Madam Gu doesn’t take it personally. In any case, it was the Sun family’s fault. We failed in raising our daughter properly, and she turned out a troublemaker.”

Meng Jinyao replied lightly, “Madam Yang worries too much. It’s all past. We have other matters, so we’ll take our leave first.”

Madam Yang spoke warmly, “Madam Gu, please take care. Marquis Gu, please take care.”

Seeing Madam Yang, Meng Jinyao lost interest in further strolling. She and Gu Jingxi returned to their carriage and headed straight home.

On the carriage:

Meng Jinyao thought of Madam Yang, smiled, and asked the man beside her, “Husband, what do you think of Madam Yang?”

Gu Jingxi replied, “She’s someone who knows how to bend and adapt. When in a weak position, she can lower her pride without hesitation or flinching. If anyone else tried that, they would likely struggle with it.”

Meng Jinyao suddenly recalled something and laughed. “My second brother and I used to dislike her, secretly calling her a fair-weather friend—devoted to whoever gives her benefits. Since Madam Sun could provide advantages, she fawned over her. Madam Sun disliked both my second brother and me, so whenever she came to the Meng residence, she looked for ways to trouble us, just to curry favor with Madam Sun, making Madam Sun willingly contribute to her natal family.”

Gu Jingxi remarked, “The benefits she gained from Madam Sun also slipped away in another way.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao remembered what a maid had told her last year: Madam Yang’s eldest son, Sun Bojun, had a broken engagement. The marriage date had been set, but due to Madam Sun’s situation, the engagement was annulled. The other party thought a family that raised such a daughter had poor morals and refused to marry their daughter into the Sun family.

After the engagement was canceled, combined with Sun Bojun failing the autumn imperial exams, the Sun family’s reputation suffered further. Nearly a year passed with Sun Bojun having no prospects. Recently, a new engagement had been arranged, but it was far less prestigious than the previous one.

Back at the Changxing Marquis residence, as they stepped down from the carriage and prepared to enter, the couple ran into Madam Chen. She had just returned from attending the “three-year washing” banquet for Gu Xuanling and the second young master’s eldest legitimate daughter.

The couple greeted Madam Chen, and she and Meng Jinyao began chatting, leaving Gu Jingxi unable to join the conversation and trailing behind the two sisters-in-law.

Seeing the daughter living well today, Madam Chen felt a sense of accomplishment. “I carefully selected Xuanling’s match. Though the Liu family’s rank is lower, their household is simple, their family style good, and their character decent. It proves my choice was wise. Now the Liu family has only the second young master, and Xuanling gave birth to a daughter. I thought they would dislike it, but they not only accepted it—they even like her very much.”

Meng Jinyao said, “That’s good. Xuanling won’t feel too much pressure.”

Madam Chen nodded in agreement. “Exactly! Look at the fourth branch of the Lu family next door. Their rank is high, but since they have only one son and his wife gave birth to a daughter, they were displeased, thinking the daughter-in-law’s womb was unproductive. Luckily, the second child was a boy, otherwise they would have resented her even more. Ah, third sister-in-law, you probably haven’t heard, that was several years ago.”

Meng Jinyao was surprised. “But I saw the fourth Madam Lu really liked her eldest granddaughter.”

Madam Chen replied, “That’s because the child is clever and adorable, like a little fairy. Taking her out brings prestige. Otherwise, would she have liked her? Previously, they disliked a daughter, but when she was two or three and they saw the granddaughter’s intelligence and charm, she became their treasure. Even their grandsons don’t have the wit of their granddaughter…”

Meng Jinyao listened to her rambling, occasionally responding. Judging by her attitude, she seemed to have had unpleasant experiences with the fourth Madam Lu. Her complaints were full of disdain, but given the reasons, they seemed understandable—some of the fourth Madam Lu’s actions were indeed irritating.