Chapter 429 Schadenfreude

d. He bowed deeply to his father: "Please calm your anger, Father. I will go back and reflect on myself thoroughly, and I will never make the same mistake again."After leaving the study, Gu Xiuming wa...The news that Mei Qingyun, the former number one beauty of the capital city, renowned for both her talent and appearance, had been divorced spread throughout the city in just a few days. Although she kept a low profile when returning to the capital and never left her home, rumors still circulated. As more people whispered about it in private, the news eventually reached every corner of the city.

Mei Qingyun was once a model of a noblewoman in the capital city. She possessed outstanding beauty, a gentle disposition, and extraordinary talent. She excelled in all areas, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her musical skills were even praised by the Empress Dowager. Many young men from prominent families admired her, while many other noblewomen envied her.

Such a girl, back then, was betrothed to Gu Jingxi, who was known as the most handsome man in the capital. While many envied her, the hearts of countless young men and women were broken. However, when people thought about two exceptionally talented and beautiful individuals being together, they felt less resentful. After all, they were truly a match made in heaven; no one could be more suitable for each other than them.

Later, when Gu Jingxi had an incident, the Mei family withdrew their engagement.

Gu Jingxi had no woman willing to marry him, but Mei Qingyun still had many suitors. Matchmakers almost broke down the threshold of Mei's house.

However, Mei Qingyun ended up marrying Wei Heng.

Many young men from official families were discontent: why was Wei Heng favored He was just a bit more handsome. Was he even handsomer than Gu Jingxi

Soon after, Wei Heng passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi.

Everyone fell silent.

At only nineteen, he had already passed the imperial examinations. While not as impressive as Gu Jingxi who became a top scholar at fifteen or sixteen, he was still a very talented young man. Old Master Mei had discerning eyes and chose a husband with talent for his daughter.

After Mei Qingyun and Wei Heng's marriage, she soon followed her husband to his post. People no longer paid attention to Mei Qingyun's affairs.

Once again, attention is focused on Mei Qingyun. Currently, she has been married for over a decade with no children and was abandoned by her husband's family. She returned to Huzhou Prefecture dejectedly. It seems she lost too much face; she doesn't even dare to leave the house.

The former best friend who was overshadowed by her back then, now that she's fallen on hard times, gossips about her behind her back with schadenfreude.

Many people say in private, "What use is it to be beautiful What use is talent As a woman who doesn't give birth and carry on the family line, what's the difference between her and a hen that doesn't lay eggs"

Some people say: "The Mei family thought that Lord Gu had been injured back then, and as a result, their daughter turned out to be unable to have children. After more than ten years, Lord Gu was cured by Dr. Wen, and she was abandoned because she had no children. If she had married the injured Lord Gu back then, she wouldn't have ended up being abandoned."

And when the men who had admired her learned that she had been abandoned by her husband because she had no children, they felt a certain sense of relief. They were grateful that the Mei family had not agreed to the proposal from their own families. Otherwise, if she had married into their family and failed to give birth, it would have been a problem as well.

Some men saw this as an opportunity. The women they had admired in their youth were now divorced, nearing thirty, and unable to bear children. They found it difficult to remarry, so if these women were still attractive, why not take them as concubines

Just thinking about that girl from back then, the one I wanted to hold in the palm of my hand and cherish for a lifetime, but who didn't even look at me, eventually got abandoned by someone else, and became my concubine, gives me an indescribable sense of pleasure, as if I have finally avenged myself.

For this, there were truly men from families better off than the Mei family now who pondered whether they should take advantage of this opportunity to find a matchmaker to go to the Mei family and propose marriage, taking Mei Qingyun as a concubine

Meng Jin Yao rarely went out, but this time she ventured out for a stroll. When she stopped at a teahouse to rest, she overheard people discussing Mei Qing Yun's situation: being divorced by her husband at almost thirty years old. Some expressed pity and concern for her, while others condemned her, and some even took pleasure in her misfortune.

Meng Jinyao took a sip of tea and shook her head dismissively. If others knew the truth, they would understand that Mei Qingyun wasn't abandoned; she was protected by Lord Wei because he loved her. That's why he used a divorce letter to shield her.

Hearing the chatter, Meng Jin Yao found it irritating. She left the teahouse in less than a cup of tea's time.

The maidservant and matron followed closely behind. Ning Dong went to pay for the tea.

As usual, Meng Jinyao didn't make a big fuss when going out. She only had a driver and maidservants with her. After all, seeing the Gu family's carriage, others wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

But now things are different, she's pregnant, this child came hard-won, she doesn't bring many people with her, her family doesn't trust her to go out.

The highly skilled Chan'er stepped back half a step, following her closely. Qingqiu and Ningdong also followed, accompanied by two second-class maidservants and two elderly women. All the guards with martial arts skills brought six of their own, keeping everyone else at bay.

A young and beautiful woman, accompanied by a dozen servants, went out. Such a grand display inevitably drew the attention of passersby.

Meng Jinyao even felt a little uncomfortable. She whispered to Qingqiu: "It seems I should go out less in the future. With such a grand occasion, I feel a little awkward."

Qingqiu replied, "Madam, when the Master returns, he will accompany you out. Then there's no need for this."

Meng Jinyo sighed softly: "I wonder if Lord will be able to return before winter."

This question Qingqiu couldn't answer well, only saying: "Master Hou will definitely be back before the New Year."

Meng Jinyao nodded. "Before the New Year, that should be possible. The Marquis also said before leaving that it would be at least two or three months, or nearly half a year. After walking around for a while, we're almost done. Let's go back to the mansion."

She stopped speaking and strode forward. The carriage of the Changxing Marquis's Mansion was parked not far ahead.

A lady had just come out of a rouge shop and, seeing their group, she said to the lady beside her: "Who is that woman across the street She's making quite a grand entrance, with ten or so servants accompanying her."

The lady beside him glanced at the emblem on the carriage. "That emblem belongs to Houfu of Changxing," she said, "And looking at her back, she seems young. She must be the wife of Hou of Changxing. The daughter-in-law of the eldest room wouldn't have such a grand procession when going out."

The lady glanced at the carriage, her face clouded with displeasure. "This is too ostentatious," she muttered. "Going out requires this much fuss They even brought so many servants, and they're not carrying anything!"

The lady beside her smiled and said, "Madam Gu's belly is carrying the grandson that Old Madam Gu has longed for for many years. When she goes out, she will definitely be accompanied by servants to attend to and protect her, otherwise what if she bumps or bruises herself"

Somehow, the lady suddenly remembered Mei Qingyun and smiled: "Back then, the Mei family rejected her marriage proposal, now Mei Qingyun has been abandoned because she has no children, while Changxing Hou has a wife and son. What do you think she would feel like if she returned to the capital and knew about this"

"Besides regret, what else could be the feeling"

The woman beside him shook her head gently and said, "But it's normal for the Mei family to break off the engagement. Who would marry a man who can't even walk When Master Mei was alive, the Mei family was doing well. Mei Qingyun was both talented and beautiful, so how could she marry such a man As for what happened later, who knows"

That lady chuckled with schadenfreude, saying: "She was so proud back then. I can't believe that at her age, she's been cast aside for her inability to bear children and sent back home with a divorce letter. Who knows if she can still hold her head high now"

The woman beside him replied, “I guess not. She's ashamed now and doesn't even dare to go out or see visitors.”

The lady smiled even wider: “In a while, I’ll throw a banquet for her and invite her. We’ll see if she comes.”

The woman beside him glared at her, helplessly saying, "You, after so many years, are you still holding a grudge against her"

As soon as those words were spoken, the lady's smile froze. Although she had already married her cousin as she wished, her cousin's concubine bore a striking resemblance to Mei Qingyun and was also quite talented. This proved that her cousin still couldn't forget Mei Qingyun, which made her feel nothing but resentment.i was a little confused. She was bewildered by his sudden request to see her courtyard, but she still obediently led him to the courtyard where she lived before getting married. The courtyard was stil...