g the little girl looking so dejected, Gu Jingxi was a bit puzzled. He thought that for such a young girl to marry him was no easy feat, and with some free time now, he decided to ask her a few more q...Ning Dong saw her silence, and questioned, "Madam, what is wrong"

Meng Jiny Yao gently shook her head and softly said, "It's nothing, I just think it's very good. Prince Shen, whether in terms of appearance or family background, is worthy of Miss Yan."

She paused and continued, "Since Lady Shen Guogong is so ill, marrying them sooner might help her get well. It's said that when a family has happy events, even if there are sick people, many can recover."

Ning Dong whispered, "Madam, I've heard rumors circulating that the Lady Shen, wife of the Duke of Shen, has become ill from taking too many medications. Since the unfortunate passing of the second young master Shen, she has been desperately trying to conceive a child. It is estimated that she might have taken too many concoctions from quack doctors."

Meng Jin Yao was stunned. She hadn't expected others to actually think so, so she said: "Well, I guess that's true. Medicine has three parts of poison. Eating too much medicine will damage your body, especially some quack doctors' prescriptions

"

Ning Dong let out a soft sigh, expressing his regret: "She's in her early thirties. It's rumored that she suffered injuries to her body after giving birth to the second young master and has been unable to conceive since then. What's the point of going through all this trouble now She already has a stepson from her original wife, as well as filial sons and daughters from other relationships. The Duke also dotes on her. She should just live peacefully as the Duchess. Now, she's gotten sick because of this commotion. When she passes away, the Duke will be only in his early forties and might even take a new wife."

Meng Jinyao said: "Everyone thinks differently, perhaps she just wants her own bloodline, but she didn't expect to get herself sick."

Ning Dong sighed again: "That's also true.

"

Meng Jinyáo asked, "By the way, is there any news from the Meng family"

Ning Dong replied, "The second young lady's filial piety period is about to end. The master is still looking for a husband for her. For this reason, the second young lady even argued with the master, just a few days ago."

Hearing this, Meng Jin Yao was surprised and asked, "How do you know they had an argument"

"I heard from a maid who works for Madam that Master complained to his wife about the Second Miss's lack of manners. He said she was just like Mrs. Sun and thankfully, they had divorced her. Otherwise, if Mrs. Sun had died, the Second Miss would have had to observe three years of mourning. Since they divorced her, she is considered an outsider, only needing to observe one year before being married off. That way, he wouldn't have to look at her constantly."

Meng Jinyao fell silent after hearing this. In the past, her father had doted on Meng Jinyu, but now he seemed to loathe her at sight. This eagerness to marry off his unwelcome daughter for personal gain was a despicable act, no better than what the Sun family did. They were both just as bad.

In a moment, Meng Jinyu asked again: "Has a husband's family been found for her now"

Ning Dong replied: "Grandpa was looking at a wealthy merchant from Yangzhou. The second young lady disliked him, saying that merchants were lowly and unwilling to marry, thus angering Grandpa."

Meng Jin Yao fell silent again. Her father had previously found a widower, an official older than her father, for Meng Jin Yu. Now he had found a wealthy merchant, clearly because of his wealth.

The Meng family's current situation is dire. Their wealth has dwindled from its former glory, and Meng Jin Yu's reputation has been tarnished because of the Sun family. Her prospects of marrying well are nonexistent. To her father, Meng Jin Yu's only value lies in using her marriage to benefit the Meng family financially.

But what the merchants saw was the Yongchangbo Mansion. Even though the Meng family had fallen on hard times, they were still aristocrats. Plus, her husband could be considered in-laws with Changxing Hou. Even if the two families didn't associate, having this connection would make people look at them favorably and potentially bring some benefits.

Meng Jin Yao asked again: "So, are you now engaged to that wealthy businessman"

Ning Dong shook his head: "It's not settled yet, but from Master's meaning, this matter is already a foregone conclusion."

Meng Jin Yao listened, faintly hummed a response, and then did not inquire further. She wouldn't take the initiative to calculate who Meng Jin Yu would marry, nor would she lend a hand to help her.

Here is your text translated into English:

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In the evening, Gu Jingxi returned from the palace.

Meng Jin Yao saw him return and immediately told the maidservant to set the table for dinner.

After dinner, Gu Jingxi told her, "Ayao, tomorrow ask the maidservant to pack my luggage. Now that autumn has arrived, I should start packing my fall clothes. I'll be leaving for business the day after tomorrow."

Meng Jin Yao, after hearing this, was completely dumbfounded. She looked at him blankly: "Husband, we only just returned to the capital today. How could the Emperor send you out again The Dali Temple has other officials too, like Lord Qi isn't he a good choice"

Gu Jingxi explained: "I took over this case, and the follow-up should also be handled by me. I originally thought it was only Wei's problem, but now it involves too much and needs to be investigated further. This time, I didn't go to Huzhou Prefecture, but to Hangzhou Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyu understood. It is said that heroes emerge in troubled times, and corrupt officials emerge in prosperous times. Lord Wei, a mere fourth-rank prefect, could be so greedy for wealth, let alone Lord Han, a high-ranking official with territorial jurisdiction. If he were to engage in corruption and bribery, the amount of money he would amass would be astronomical. With the governor behaving this way, there would undoubtedly be many corrupt officials among his subordinates. A thorough investigation would likely lead to the downfall of many officials.

Meng Jin Yao was also worried. It was because of those account books and letters that Lord Han had sent people to hunt them down. If they went deeper into investigating this case again, wouldn't the danger be even greater

Her face darkened, and she softly asked, "Husband, was the Emperor only sending you this time"

Gu Jingxi knew she was worried. He pulled her into his arms, gently patted her back to comfort her, and said, "We were attacked on the way back. I have informed the Emperor, who has sent skilled guards to accompany us. Lord Han and Lord Wei are being escorted to the capital for questioning. This way, Lord Han will not dare to openly send people to assassinate us again."

Meng Jinyao, upon hearing this, felt much relieved. Since the emperor had issued an order, then Mr. Han had no choice but to obey. He could only be escorted back to the capital. If he disobeyed the imperial decree, it would be a capital offense, and his family would also be implicated. Mr. Han dared not defy the emperor's will at all.

If you want to remain unscathed, the only way is if the Han family's rebellion succeeds. But it's clear that the Han family doesn't have that capability. While the Duke of Zhen Guo is a nephew of Mr. Han, he has no military power and his official position in court is still lower than Mr. Han's.

And even if she assassinated her husband, it would be useless. Even without her husband, there would be other officials to investigate and send them to the capital. Lord Han was able to become a high-ranking official of the second rank, so he must be a smart person. A smart person wouldn't do something that would further incriminate himself at this moment.

She asked again, "Husband, how long will it take to get there"

Gu Jingxi replied, "It's estimated to take two or three months. If things don't go smoothly, it will take longer. I hope to be back before the Lunar New Year."

Meng Jinyao was deeply disheartened after hearing this. They hadn't been apart for so long before, but she understood that a man of ambition couldn't be stuck in the house with a woman all day. Unless he was like her father, a man of no ability, who spent his days either at pointless social gatherings or lounging around the house with women.

She curved the corners of her mouth into a smile and looked up at Gu Jingxi: "Husband, I'll wait for you to come back home."s idea on hold for now. She probably won't be thinking about finding a wife for Xiu Ming anytime soon."Gu Jingxi leaned down and kissed her forehead: "Ayao did a good job."Meng Jin Yao looked up at h...