Chapter Twenty-One: Shame on You

ted by her mother-in-law to help Zhang manage the household finances as a way to balance the power between the first and second wives. Her own husband wasn't particularly impartial; although he held a..."My son is back Then I'll go take a look."

As soon as these words left her mouth, a thousand ripples stirred in Chunliu's heart lake. She had a bad premonition and instantly regretted her actions. If she had known better, she wouldn't have told the mistress about this just to please her.

Chūnliǔ stammered, "Madam, are you, are you really going to see the young master now"

Meng Jinyao nodded, her expression was that of a loving mother, and she spoke softly: "Yes, my child is back. As a mother, I should go take a look, shouldn't I"

Chun Liu choked back her words and thought: "You're two months younger than the young master. By age, you could even be considered his younger sister. Are you sure you went to see the young master for some other reason besides revenge"

Meng Jin Yao curled the corners of her mouth and smiled: "Come on, let's go take a look together."

Chunliu saw the smile at the corner of her mouth, and she felt it was creepy. The mistress must be using her seniority to cause trouble for the young master. However, she dared not refuse. She knew the fate of those two maidservants yesterday, so she hurriedly nodded and replied: "Yes, Mistress."

Actually, Meng Jinyao really went there to see others in a bad light, she just wanted to watch the show. She wanted to see what reaction her ex-fiancé would have when his former fiancée became a mother, whether he would be scared out of his wits.

To encounter such an irresponsible man, who could elope with someone else even on his wedding day, she also felt pity for the young woman who eloped with Gu Xiumin. She became a concubine instead of a wife, and her status was deplorable.

If Gu Xiuming were truly a good man, he should have broken off the engagement and married his beloved instead of eloping on his wedding day, turning his fiancée into a laughingstock and preventing his love from ever becoming his legal wife. A family like the Gus would never accept a woman who ran away with a man as their mistress. Even if Gu Xiuming loved this woman dearly, he could only take her as a concubine.

The son of a renowned Marquis, acting so recklessly. One can't help but wonder if he was spoiled rotten, or if he felt, being the heir apparent, he had the right to be willful, because he would inherit the title in the future. Or perhaps it was because the marriage was arranged by his late grandfather that he hesitated and couldn't break it off. In the end, he regretted it and, in a fit of impulsiveness, ran away with another person.

Actually, the old master didn't specify which one was to marry her. He couldn't break off the engagement, and changing the groom wouldn't have been such a big deal. There was no need for this mess at all.

Meng Jinyao and her maidservant arrived at the front courtyard study door. They saw that the study door was closed tight, with a servant guarding it.

The servant, upon seeing her arrival, was quite surprised and hurried forward a few steps to bow: “Greetings, Madam.”

Meng Jinyao nodded lightly and instructed: "Open the door."

The servant hesitated for a moment, but ultimately obeyed her and opened the study door. Yesterday, two second-class maids from the Marquis's courtyard had been sent to the estate. He certainly didn't want to go work in the fields; serving the Marquis with his writing was much more agreeable.

In the study.

Gu Xiuming was brought back by his father's men. Those men didn't say a word to him, directly tying them up and stuffing their mouths shut. His heart sank half way, this proved his father was very angry. Since he had been adopted into the Hou Mansion, he had always been the center of attention, never treated like this before

And the young woman beside him was filled with fear. The moment the door creaked open, her face paled, and her heart pounded in her chest. Instinctively, she moved closer to Gu Xiuming, seeking refuge in his presence.

This subtle movement made Gu Xiumin's heart ache. He wanted to comfort her, but his mouth was blocked and he couldn't speak.

Meng Jinyao entered the study and, at a glance, saw Gu Xiuming and a young woman sitting on the ground. The two were tied up with five flowers and their mouths covered with coarse cloth. The man's face was tense, and the woman's eyes were filled with tears as she huddled against Gu Xiuming timidly.

She was taken aback, clearly not expecting to see such a scene. The esteemed Prince had been treated in such a manner.

Gu Xiuming looked up, and the first thing that caught his eye was Meng Jinyao's stunningly beautiful face. Especially when he saw Meng Jinyao wearing a woman's hairstyle, he widened his eyes in astonishment. He hadn't expected that even after he eloped, Meng Jinyao would still stubbornly marry him, becoming his wife and taking the place that should have belonged to Wan'er.

Soon, a look of disgust appeared in his eyes, as if he had seen something dirty.

Meng Jinyao took his change in expression into her eyes, but she didn't care much. She smiled faintly and ordered the servant: "Untie their mouths."

The servant respectfully responded and stepped forward to remove the coarse cloth covering their mouths.

>

After holding back for so long, I finally got the chance to speak, but I ran into someone I loathe. Gu Xiuming looked at Meng Jinyao with cold eyes and spoke first: "Miss Meng, as you can see, my heart belongs only to Wan'er. For the rest of my life, it will be only Wan'er. If Miss Meng is willing to divorce, I am willing to recognize her as my adopted sister. If Miss Meng encounters difficulties in the future, I will do everything in my power to help. This cannot be blamed on him for being heartless. He tried to accept his fate and marry Meng Jinyao as his wife, taking Wan'er as a concubine, but he still couldn't bear to wrong Wan'er in the end."

Li Wan'er, with tearful eyes, looked at Gu Xiuming in surprise. She had thought that they were finished and there was no possibility between them anymore. Unexpectedly, Gu Xiuming was willing to divorce his wife for her, which deeply touched her heart.

Meng Jin Yao was stunned. She had originally thought that Gu Xiu Ming already knew the situation at home, but she didn't expect him to be completely unaware. She couldn't help but laugh, looking down at the unfortunate couple on the ground. A sly smile curved her lips: "Child, the matter of my separation from your father, I'm afraid you have no say in it.

Gu Xiuming didn't pay attention to the first two words she said, thinking she was unwilling. He thought she would use her father to pressure him, so he said, "I think Miss Meng doesn't want to spend her life as a nominal couple with me, wasting time."

Meng Jinyang spoke in a gentle tone, her words carrying a profound meaning: "I think you've misunderstood. Whether or not someone is indispensable to me has nothing to do with you, and my relationship with him has nothing to do with you either. Besides, since I have married your father, you should call me Mother, not Miss Meng."

Mother

These two words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Gu Xiaming on top of his head. His brain buzzed with confusion. He looked at the smiling girl in front of him and said with a sullen face: "Miss Meng, I know you blame me for running away from my wedding. You can take your anger out on me, but please be careful with your words and don't ruin my father's reputation.

Meng Jinyao appreciated his changing expressions, watching him go from shock to anger, still refusing to believe the facts. She said calmly, "Didn't they tell you after bringing you back that I'm already married to your father The eldest daughter of the Meng family is betrothed to the Gu family, but it doesn't specify which son of the Gu family she will marry. Besides you, there are three other unmarried sons in the Gu family who haven't set a marriage date yet, and I chose your father."

Hearing this, Gu Xiuming was stunned. He glanced at the servant beside him. This servant had been serving ink and brushes in his father's study.

The servant noticed his gaze, quickly glanced at Meng Jiny Yao, saw Meng Jiny Yao nodding slightly, immediately echoed Meng Jiny Yao's meaning: "Master, the madam did not lie to you, the person the madam married two days ago was indeed a Marquis."

Is the fiancee now a mother

Gu Xiuming was dumbfounded, unable to digest this news, let alone accept the result. She was his acknowledged fiancée, yet on their wedding day, she married his father, becoming his mother. It was absurd to the extreme, and it gave him a sense of unspeakable shame.

After a long silence, he flew into a rage and sneered, "Meng Jin Yao, do you have any shame Since you couldn't be my bride, you want to be my mother" at Meng Jin Yao in shock and disbelief, feeling like the sky was about to fall. She asked urgently, "Third younger sister, are you sure Is it really Xuanyi and the son of Duke Wuan"Meng Jin Yao's voi...