Chapter 329: Chapter 329: Suffering Wife vs. Homewrecker (15) Chapter 329: Chapter 329: Suffering Wife vs. Homewrecker (15) In that moment, Zhang Mingshu felt overwhelmed by a sense of shame and anger, as if she wished to die.
Yet, Gu Shengyin still refused to let her off the hook, speaking as if she had Mingshu’s best interests at heart, “In my opinion, sister, it would be best for you to keep your distance from your cousin in the future. After all, nothing is more important for a girl than her reputation. You should know that it’s usually the girl who gets hurt in such affairs. If your cousin truly has your best interests at heart, he should avoid meeting you and instead find you a suitable marriage.”
How could Zhang Mingshu be receptive to such words? She forced a smile and said, “Sister Meng, I’m feeling a bit unwell. I cannot entertain you today, I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Without waiting for anything further from Gu Shengyin, she summoned her maid to see the guest out.
After Gu Shengyin left, a thorn remained lodged in Zhang Mingshu’s heart.
She had always lived in the lofty castle Qin Yuanzheng built for her, never having to confront such matters.
She knew very well that to be with her cousin meant to become nothing more than a lowly concubine.
But her cousin had promised her earnestly that even if he married, he would not touch his wife; his heart belonged to her alone, with not a fraction to spare for anyone else.
My cousin loves me, she thought, smiling sweetly to herself.
As for the words Gu Shengyin had earlier spoken to her, Mingshu had no desire to think about them at all.
Given her family’s status, even with the Princess Consort of Zhenbei’s support, who of any notable household would she be able to marry?
Wasn’t life in the Prince’s Mansion, with a cousin who loved and cherished her, and an aunt who doted on her, far better than being married off?
If those gossipy women outside got wind of her thoughts, they’d likely curse vehemently, “Born with a servile bone, ignoring a respectable position as a legal wife, insisting instead on becoming someone’s concubine.”
Meanwhile, Qin Shao, having heard the report from a Hidden Guard, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
His little junior sister was truly amusing; he could almost envisage her speaking those words and the pale hue of Zhang Mingshu’s face as she heard them.
Words without any self-interest, yet each one precisely pricked at Zhang Mingshu’s tender spots.
Yet, if his little junior sister knew that the cousin this woman spoke of was her own betrothed, and that she herself was the malicious fiancee in question, who knows how heartbroken she would be.
Emperor Xiande felt that his decision to arrange that marriage had been made in a stupor.
And then there was the Prince of Zhenbei’s Mansion… His gaze suddenly turned icy at the recollection of Mingshu’s words.
What did they mean by thwarting true love and oppressing others with their power? If it weren’t for taking into consideration the Old Prince Consort of Zhenbei’s advancing years, he never would have consented to the Liang Family’s marriage offer.
A daughter of the Imperial Tutor’s family not good enough for the declining heir of a princely house?
Nonetheless, he now regretted it.
Regretted that he hadn’t investigated further before promising his little junior sister to such a family.
The more he learned about the affairs of the Prince of Zhenbei’s Mansion, Qin Yuanzheng, and Zhang Mingshu, the more he found this family repulsive.
What did they mean by “My heart is entirely with you, even if I am married, I shall not touch her”?
Was Qin Yuanzheng planning for his little junior sister to live like a chaste widow?
The Emperor’s gaze suddenly grew colder, and he knew he needed to give serious thought to the state of the Prince of Zhenbei’s Mansion.
On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held in the palace.
Of course, as the daughter of the Imperial Tutor, Gu Shengyin was to attend the palace alongside her mother and grandmother.
Naturally, the womenfolk and the officials were hosted in separate areas.
Since the Emperor had not yet held his grand marriage, the Empress Dowager was still in charge of the affairs of the Harem, so Gu Shengyin and the other officials’ female relatives gathered at the Empress Dowager’s Shoukang Palace.