o her parents' home"Meng Dongyuan chimed in, "Mother is right. That rascal caused such a joke. If not for Father's sake, how would Changxing Hou ever marry her I'll tell the gatekeeper later, when tha...It's a sunny day, with a gentle breeze and warm sunshine. It's beautiful weather.

Princess Jingning and Song Xining made an appointment to visit Meng Jinyang. After such a big incident happened in the Gu family, they had wanted to visit their friend for a long time, but since Gu Jingxi was punished to reflect in seclusion, they didn't want to bother her by visiting.

Now that the deadline has passed, they have sent invitations and gone to visit Gu Jingxi.

Jingning County Princess looked at her carefully and asked, "Ayao, are you alright"

Before Meng Jingyao could reply, Song Xining laughed and said, "I think she's doing well. She looks healthy and seems to be in good spirits recently. It doesn't seem like that scoundrel's troubles have affected her."

Meng Jinyao smiled and replied, "I've been fine these days, you don't have to worry."

The quiet and gentle princess Jingning smelled a faint medicinal scent, and she inquired with concern: "Ayao, why do you smell faintly of medicine Are you sick"

Meng Jinyao was used to it and now she didn't feel anything. Hearing her friend mention it, she remembered that she had been marinated in medicine. She replied: "I'm fine, just a little weak in Qi and blood, and feeling cold. I took some herbal baths so my body has a medicinal smell. I don't care when I'm at home, but I'll take another bath before going out."

Song Xining said: "Your body needs to be taken care of properly. People in their forties don't have a body as bad as yours."

“So, I'll listen to the imperial physician and adjust my condition for a year and a half,” Meng Jin Yao said, then gestured for her two friends to sit down. She asked the maidservant to bring tea, fruit, and snacks.

Jingning County Princess asked softly, "Ayao, what exactly happened half a month ago"

Meng Jinyao replied: "As everyone has heard, the news of Madam Li's pregnancy is a misunderstanding. They wanted to use this to get rid of me, but unfortunately for them, my husband and I already knew that Madam Li was not pregnant. We were one step ahead."

Upon hearing this, Jingning County Princess wore a relieved expression: "Fortunately, you guys kept your wits about you. Otherwise, if you had fallen for their trap this time, you would have truly been subject to an unjust calamity."

Three good friends chatted about everyday life.

Meng Jinyao saw that Song Xining's complexion was good, and she should be living a happy life recently, but she still asked with concern to confirm: "Aning should be doing well since marrying into the Shen family, right"

Song Xining replied, "Besides being busy with the hostess duties, everything else is fine. My husband treats me very well, and my mother-in-law treated me like a daughter even before I married into the family, and she hasn't changed after I got married."

Meng Jiny Yao, hearing this, was also happy for her: "That's good."

At this moment, Princess Jingning suddenly asked, "How are Sir Shen and Madam Shen now"

"All of us are trustworthy friends. Song Xinning didn't hide anything and said honestly, "Ever since last year, my stepfather suddenly brought a pregnant concubine back home, my stepmother's relationship with him hasn't improved at all. He does want to mend the relationship, but my stepmother acts as if he doesn't exist. She only spares him because of face for her younger generation and doesn't fight with him on a daily basis. Now that she has recuperated for so long, her body has almost recovered."

Jing Ning County Master leaned her chin in her hand, and sighed softly: "To say he loved Madam Shen, he secretly kept a concubine. When the concubine was pregnant, he brought her back to take as his official wife. To say he didn't love her, he wanted to repair their marital relationship. Men are truly complex. Had I known this beforehand, why did I ever..."

Song Xining let out a light hum, her tone laced with disdain: "He's not doing this because he loves my mother-in-law. He's just poor."

Jing Ning County Lord was stunned: "Poor"

Song Xining recounted the story, "Ever since they had a falling out last year, my mother-in-law's dowry has stopped supplementing the household. He only has his salary and no other assets, so he is short of money and finds it difficult to support his family. His concubine also lives a hard life. Fortunately, most of the servants in the house are loyal to my mother-in-law, otherwise he would probably have to dismiss most of them."

However, my life with my husband and mother-in-law remains as usual. It's only them who are enduring hardship. I reckon the concubine is now regretting her decision with all her heart. She became the concubine of a Ministry of Works official but failed to live a wealthy and luxurious life.

“My mother-in-law said that it's the duty of the head of the household to support the family, and all household expenses should be covered by his salary. Her dowry is her own, and it would be shameful for a woman to use her dowry. My father-in-law wouldn't dare ask for it, so he can only focus on repairing the relationship between husband and wife and hoping that my mother-in-law will willingly supplement the money.

“But my mother-in-law was very clear-headed. When her husband became an official, he changed his heart. She went hysterical and suffered from a relapse of her old illness, almost dying. After coming back from the brink of death, she let it go. When their relationship was as sweet as honey, she didn't mind taking care of her husband, providing him with the best living conditions she could afford. Now that my father-in-law has been sentenced, she refuses to give him anything. She only spends her dowry on herself and her children.”

Upon hearing this, both Princess Jingning and Meng Jinyang were stunned. They also admired Madam Shen's courage, but to achieve this, she must have had her eldest son support her. An adult eldest son who served in the imperial court, coupled with her own wealth, both were indispensable. Having an excellent son wouldn't allow for such a comfortable life without money.

Princess Jingning asked, "Is Mr. Shen isolated at home"

Song Xining replied, "On the surface, things seem calm. My husband appears respectful to his father on the surface, but he despises his father for being someone who betrays their oaths after gaining power. He has the talent for studying, but without my mother-in-law, he couldn't even afford to study, let alone take the imperial examinations and become an official. He could only struggle for a living and ultimately had his talent buried by life."

"That's his own doing. He destroyed his happy home," Meng Jin Yao said, then asked, "Shouldn't the concubine be giving birth by now"

Speaking of this, Song Xining couldn't help but laugh: "A few days ago, I gave birth to a pair of twin daughters. My father-in-law thought they were twin sons or dragon and phoenix twins, but he was very disappointed."

Princess Jingning was astonished: "Lord Shen has such an excellent son as Young Master Shen, why is he still so concerned about whether his concubine's child is a boy"

Meng Jinyáo said, "Most men are patriarchal. Who would dislike having more sons Sons can carry on the family line, and the more sons there are, the more prosperous the family will be. Daughters are married off to other families, and few daughters are truly cherished. Many daughters appear to be cherished, but in reality, it's because their value is seen in them. They are pampered only for that reason. In the future, through marriage alliances, they can consolidate family power and extract even greater value."

Song Xining nodded. "That's right. I have a distant cousin who used to be very pampered. Because her family fell on hard times, they married her off to a man twenty years her senior as a concubine when she was still young."

Quietly, Princess Jingning fell silent.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "A-Yan don't think too much, Your Highness definitely loves you sincerely. He is a prince, the Emperor's own brother, noble and unparalleled, he doesn't need to use his daughter to consolidate his power."

Quiet Princess shook her head slightly: "It's not that I thought about myself, but rather this world, where women are inferior to men, it seems to be a universally recognized fact. Forget it, I don't want to think about this anymore, anyway we can't solve this problem.

"That's right, don't worry about things you can't solve," Meng Jinyao said, pushing a plate of snacks towards her. "Try these snacks, they were made by the maidservants around me. They taste pretty good."on. A wife is important, but a son is also important; she was truly in a difficult position.Seeing her son about to leave, she quickly reached out and grabbed him, whispering angrily, "You debt-colle...