Chapter 314: Genuine and Sincere People
The wind was very strong today.
Even wearing thick clothes, it didn’t feel warm.
The wind was like a hand, prying open the gaps in one’s clothes and blowing forcefully inside.
Although many families’ children had rushed off to the battlefield.
The capital remained lively.
After all, the New Year was approaching.
In order to display his favor toward the Meng Family, the Emperor summoned the Meng Family into the palace again.
Those summoned today were Jiang Yu, her two children, Meng Qingshe, and Madam Meng.
In truth, the Emperor was a bit curious.
He wondered what Jiang Yu actually looked like.
The legends in the capital regarding the Young Madam Meng were no fewer than those about Princess Huiyun.
She was also Princess Huiyun’s granddaughter, though she had married early.
There was no morning court session today.
Eunuch Yan’s leg ailment had improved a bit, so he had come as well.
The Emperor looked at Wen Xin’s complexion; seeing he looked somewhat haggard, he complained, “I told you to take the elixir with me, but you insisted on observing the distinction between superior and inferior. Why must you and I draw such a clear line?”
Eunuch Yan smiled and said, “Those elixirs are meticulously refined for the Emperor. If I knew they were meant for a servant like me, I would worry that those people wouldn’t be as careful. Besides, it’s just an old ailment of mine; I’ll be much better after resting for a few days.”
“We are summoning Young Madam Meng today. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen her, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed. When I left, she was still a naive little girl. I never imagined she would be a mother of two children now. I wonder if she has changed.”
The Emperor saw the smile on Wen Xin’s lips.
He became even more curious about what his grand-niece was like.
She was someone who could make Wen Xin look so happy just by thinking of her.
On this day.
The Meng Family was to enter the palace.
Because Meng Shaoxia had gone to the front lines, Aunt Yin remained behind to take care of The Eldest Miss.
Aunt Yin was very laid-back now.
After experiencing so much surprise, she was no longer surprised by anything.
Today, she was accompanying The Eldest Miss into the palace, knowing that there would likely be no trouble on this trip.
The Emperor wanted to show his favor, so this was surely just a trip to receive rewards.
There wouldn’t be anyone blind enough to cause trouble.
Meng Qingshe and his wife were quite calm.
Meng Qingshe went to the palace often and was quite used to it.
Although Madam Meng didn’t go often, she was a daughter of a great family, her elders were all leaders in the Ministry of Justice—a proper second-generation official’s daughter. She was very bold and fearless.
Jiang Yu had undergone a transformation and was now effectively a third-generation imperial relative.
However, she had grown up in the countryside. By the time her family’s financial situation improved, that was already a matter for the future.
A person’s character, shaped by their childhood environment, is almost impossible to change.
If you are in a relationship and the man asks you to change your personality, let me tell you, it can’t be changed. You can only temporarily disguise it because you love him. If the love isn’t lasting, the disguise will be very exhausting.
Or if you want the other person to change their personality, they can’t change it either… It’s like cutting your feet to fit your shoes—your feet will bleed and hurt. At that point, you should rethink things; perhaps you aren’t suited to be together.
Jiang Yu happened to marry into the Meng Family. The Meng Family had a military general’s style; although they were well-off, they weren’t picky.
If she had married into a civil official’s family, like the Liu Family, the red tape and various rules would have tortured Jiang Yu to death, leading directly to depression. A large part of the reason why ancient women were often sent to family temples or ended up depressed and insane was due to this.
Aunt Yin didn’t teach The Eldest Miss to change her personality. If one wanted to change a person’s personality, it would be like bonsai landscaping—you have to fix and alter the distortions, grinding out scar after scar to form a fixed scene. It is a cruel aesthetic.
Aunt Yin taught The Eldest Miss to broaden her horizons and let her live according to her own preferences. She only broadened her knowledge, cultivated her strengths, and let her be confident and vibrant, playing to her strengths and avoiding her weaknesses.
We aren’t familiar with the rules, and we can’t be elegant, so we do what we are good at. I am good at cooking, I am good at tasting fine food, I am good at livening up the atmosphere—all of these things can be done. I have a heart of a child, I am innocent and romantic, and I don’t engage in pretense.
In short, Jiang Yu lived very smoothly in the Meng Family.
In the capital, the map of the capital, she hadn’t actually unfolded it yet.
But it would be unavoidable from now on.
At first, because the children were young, she could avoid going out to socialize.
But as Young Madam Meng, once Meng Shaoxia took charge of the household, Jiang Yu would inevitably have to go out.
Going out to socialize sounds complicated, but it is actually simple.
It’s just dealing with people and catering to their preferences.
Having to enter the palace, Jiang Yu was still slightly nervous.
“Just go in for a stroll and come back; think of it as going out to play. Don’t worry,” Aunt Yin said.
If it were in the past, she would have worried about Jiang Yu being given a hard time, but now she had the added status of being Princess Huiyun’s granddaughter.
With the retired Prime Minister Lu as a warning, everyone should know better than to provoke her.
The person in charge of reception today was the Fifth Prince’s mother, Consort Zhang.
The Fifth Prince had always been fond of Buddhism and was acting mystical all day long. The Emperor didn’t like it; the Emperor hated anything related to Buddhism.
However, with the Fifth Prince being this way, he was safe in certain respects.
The Emperor didn’t need to suspect him of anything.
The Fifth Prince’s mother also lived quite securely in the palace and didn’t have to be implicated by her son.
Consort Zhang had experienced great storms throughout her life, and now in her later years, she didn’t need to fight for favor.
She was equivalent to a senior executive in a company, getting dividends directly. She had money without working hard, and working hard would only offend people. She was old and didn’t want to be the CEO (Empress), so she just laid back.
Occasionally helping the Emperor with a reception was very natural for her.
The reception was just a formal meeting, since there were female guests.
Consort Zhang looked at Madam Meng. Wow, she was living a comfortable life; her face was round and without a single wrinkle. Master Meng had good skills.
Tsk tsk~~~
And she was already a grandmother.
Then she looked at Young Madam Meng. Indeed, rumors were not as good as seeing for oneself.
All that talk about “rivaling Daji” or “causing the downfall of a nation,” “devastatingly beautiful”—where did that come from?
It was completely not like that.
Consort Zhang didn’t like Princess Huiyun; it was probably the kind of discord between a sister-in-law and a sister-in-law. Even royal sisters-in-law were still sisters-in-law.
Princess Huiyun was too flamboyant. Consort Zhang had also been flamboyant when she was young, so when they clashed, she naturally didn’t like her.
And while one could find some resemblance between Young Madam Meng’s appearance and Princess Huiyun’s, their personalities felt like they were poles apart.
Knowing that Consort Zhang was receiving them, Jiang Yu had prepared a gift for Consort Zhang.
She didn’t even think about jewelry or anything that cost money; those were for people who were extremely close, like her future sister-in-law.
For outsiders, she naturally pulled some tricks to save money while keeping appearances decent.
Consort Zhang received a pillow, one for aiding sleep, filled with all kinds of beans and grains.
The cost was extremely low, but it was actually especially good for high-ranking people.
High-ranking people lived too delicately; using something a bit coarser, something closer to nature, actually helped them sleep better.
Because they often used various incenses and such, and those things were too expensive and actually added unnecessary substances.
However, one had to try the pillow to know.
But after Consort Zhang learned that Jiang Yu had also given one to Princess Huiyun, she was very happy.
It meant her status was similar to Princess Huiyun’s.
Looking at the two children, she truly felt affection for them.
The twins didn’t look alike at all; one could tell them apart at a glance.
But the two little boys, holding hands and dressed festively, looked very good.
Older women liked children and liked liveliness.
Consort Zhang’s son, the Fifth Prince, liked Buddhist studies. Although he had married, he didn’t have many offspring.
Who would complain about having too many children?
More children meant more blessings.
In the past, everyone mocked the Meng Family.
Now, looking at Jiang Yu’s appearance.
She was the type of girl the older generation liked—one who could bear children, with a rounded figure and a pleasing face.
As soon as Jiang Yu spoke.
Consort Zhang understood that she was a straightforward person.
Consort Zhang had just said she envied the twins.
Jiang Yu replied, “Your Highness, do you still want to give birth? Would you like me to send you a set of clothes that my two children have worn? It is said that children attract children.”
Madam Meng:…
Aunt Yin:…
Consort Zhang covered her mouth and laughed.
She laughed for a good while before stopping.
What was she going to give birth to? She was at her age.
How long had it been since the Emperor summoned any of his concubines?
If she could conceive, that would be truly terrifying.
However, she hadn’t seen such a naive girl in a long time.
Consort Zhang still found it very interesting.
“That would be lovely. I thank you on behalf of my daughter-in-law. When she has a child, I will have her go and thank you. She has quite a lot of treasures,” Consort Zhang said with a smile.
Jiang Yu nodded happily.
Children’s clothes that had been worn—it was a waste to throw them away, so she gave them to others. Now she knew that these high-ranking people didn’t wear other people’s clothes.
Actually, it was better for children to wear clothes that other children had worn. The fabric of worn clothes was softer, and they had been “tested”—there wouldn’t be any strange things, and they could grow up healthy.
Some children were raised too delicately, using everything new, but they were always sick and the cause couldn’t be found.
Seeing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, the doctor would prescribe medicine and suggest wearing some old clothes, and they would get better.
If that was the case, sending clothes wasn’t a waste. Whether one conceived was a matter of probability; someone would always conceive, so it was a free gain.
Jiang Yu was very happy thinking this way.
She agreed very seriously.
“Then, in a while, should I send the clothes into the palace or to your daughter-in-law’s place? Which daughter-in-law? Where is the address?”
Consort Zhang couldn’t help but laugh heartily at this moment.
She had truly never seen such an honest child.
She said she would give, and she really would give.
It wasn’t just polite talk.
She was even asking for the address. Although… well, it was still very funny.
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