now, and he had never lost his temper with her. He thought he had accommodated her in every way, after all, she was young, and minor matters shouldn't be held against her. As for major matters, he had...Splendid Pavilion.

Gu Jingxi returned to the courtyard. It was noon, mealtime, but he didn't see the young girl's figure. He didn't even see Qingqiu and Ningdong, the two maidservants.

He found it strange and asked Chunliu, "Did Madam go out today"

Chun Liu respectfully replied, "Madam went out to meet someone earlier this afternoon. It's been more than an hour." After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "Lord Hou, would you like lunch"

At these words, Gu Jingxi's brow furrowed slightly. She felt that the usually quite clever maid seemed a little out of sorts. It was already lunchtime, and she was asking if lunch was needed. Wouldn't lunch be needed if dinner wasn't

Chūnliù saw that his face was wrong and hurriedly explained: "Madam said before going out that she would not be back for lunch, so the kitchen didn't need to prepare it. The servant also asked if we should prepare Master's lunch. Madam said that you were visiting friends today and wouldn't be back at noon, so there was no need to prepare it to save waste. Unexpectedly, you came back so early.

Gu Jingxi was stunned.

So, is he back home with no food

Chunliu quietly lifted her head to glance at him, unsure whether he was displeased. She asked nervously, "Master Hou, shall I go and tell the kitchen to prepare a meal What would you like to eat today"

Since it was this hour, Gu Jingxi didn't want to cause any more trouble. He said, "There is no need to go through the trouble. I will go to Old Madam's place today and have lunch with her."

Chun Liu nodded: "Yes"

-

Before Song Xining arrived, Meng Jinyao was already waiting in a private room at the tavern.

However, Song Xining, who was always punctual, was late today, a full half hour late. Meng Jin Yao found it strange, but she patiently waited.

Song Xining hurried to the appointed restaurant, took a deep breath, restrained the resentment and grief on her face, pushed open the door of the private room, and saw Meng Jin Yao was still patiently waiting. She stepped into the room and apologized: "Ayao, I'm really sorry, something happened to hold me back. Did you wait for a long time"

Meng Jin Yao shook her head slightly: "I just arrived not long ago, let's sit down and see what to eat."

Song Xining replied and sat down next to her.

The two of them chose several signature dishes and then told the maidservant to take the menu to tell the shopkeeper.

Song Xining sized up her friend without making a sound, a look of astonishment flashing in her eyes. She had known Ayao for so long, and had never seen her dressed like this before. She was dazzlingly beautiful, stunning beyond compare, captivating one's gaze. Before, Ayao's clothes and jewelry were all prepared by Madam Meng, directly obscuring three to four tenths of Ayao's beauty.

Seeing Ah Yao's face lit with a smile, without a hint of gloom, looking carefree and relaxed, she put her heart at ease and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Ah Yao, are you alright"

Meng Jin yao was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said: "It's nothing. Changxing Houfu hasn't treated me badly. I have good food and lodging, so how could anything happen to me"

Upon hearing this, Song Xining smiled and pinched her cheek, giggling, “It's clear that the Changxing Houfu hasn't mistreated you. Your complexion is rosy, not only have you not lost weight, but it seems like you've even gained a bit. Look at your attire, compared to when we last met, you now truly have the bearing of a houfu mistress. Our Ayo still looks beautiful dressed up like this, I can't help but be moved when I see you.”

Meng Jin Yao giggled playfully: "Don't worry, An Ning, I'm doing well. If things were bad, I'd probably come run to you in the middle of the night.

"I wouldn't want you to ever have to come running to me. You, Ah Yao, must always be well and good," Song Xinning said, giving her a playful glare. Seeing her still smiling idiotically, she snorted softly. "I just went to my grandmother's house in Tongzhou. The day before yesterday, as soon as I got back to Beijing, I heard about your fight with your family, and it scared me half to death! So I immediately made an appointment to see you today. Actually, I wanted to meet you yesterday, but there was something else I had to attend to."

Meng Jinyao said, "It was only a matter of time before things went sour with them. They just gave me an early opportunity."

Song Xining gritted her teeth, indignant: "Your stepmother really dares to do this, even swindling your biological mother's dowry."

Meng Jin yao's eyes darkened, and she gave a mocking smile: "If it weren't for my father and grandmother's permission, she wouldn't dare to do this. But they are all the same, they just lack evidence to prove that their mother and son were involved. The blame is directed at Sun shi alone, so now they say that Sun shi embezzled her stepdaughter's dowry, while their mother and son pretend to know nothing, shifting the responsibility onto Sun shi, letting her bear the blame alone."

Song Xining was stunned for a moment before nodding slightly. "That's right, the most important thing is your grandmother and your father." Her mother said with a sarcastic smile, "Your father loves your stepmother so much, but when things went wrong, he didn't hesitate to push her out to take the knife. It seems that a man's love is nothing more than that."

Meng Jinyao shrugged: "Selfish people, nothing happens. Loving couples, something happens is a shield."

Probably all men are so heartless.

Song Xining said, a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes, she looked at Ayao, she felt very sorry for her: "Ayao, after this incident, you and them have really had a falling out. You are truly like you don't have a family anymore. Your grandmother, you are her eldest granddaughter, if she didn't treat you like this, your stepmother wouldn't dare to treat you like this either. Even if your father ignored you, you wouldn't have suffered so much."

Meng Jin Yao gave a bitter smile: "Even if this hadn't happened, it would have been the same as having no family, so it doesn't matter. But now it seems, she's probably not an enemy's granddaughter." Her voice trailed off, her red lips parted and closed slowly, she continued in a languid tone, "She's directly an enemy.

Song Xinning agreed with this statement. With things developing to this point, for the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion, Ai Yao was their enemy, an enemy they wished to eat her flesh and drink her blood.

She let out a barely audible sigh. Ai Yao hadn't done anything wrong, but the elders in her family treated her like an enemy, as if her very existence was a sin.

It's truly absurd. If Ah Yao were really a harbinger of disaster, wouldn't all the people in Yongchang Bo's household have died by now after all these years

For a moment, she curiously asked, "Ayo, I heard that both she and your stepmother fell ill, driven to sickness by you. Is it true"

Meng Jinyao retorted, "Their bodies are frail. How could they stand the strain if something happened It's normal for them to fall ill when things go wrong"

Song Xining was enlightened after hearing this. It turned out she wasn't really sick, she was pretending to be ill.

Meng Jin Yao said softly, "An Ning, let's not talk about them. They're bad luck." Saying that, she proactively changed the subject, "Speaking of which, An Ning, you're getting married at the end of the year too, right"

Upon hearing this, Song Xining lowered her eyes. The radiance on her face dimmed at a visible speed. She softly said, "Ai Yao, I'm afraid my wedding can't be held as scheduled."

Meng Jin Yao was stunned: "Why"his, her face full of confusion. She didn't remember asking anyone to find the proprietress of Jinshiu Fang, but she still had someone bring the proprietress to Weiruixuan. Even on a hot day, she didn...