d seeping through the outer robe and staining his inner garment as well. A strong smell of blood filled the air.Meng Jinyao wrinkled her nose uncomfortably, hesitated for a moment, then, acting as a d...In the evening, Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyang returned from a trip to Taihu Lake. As soon as they arrived at Qinya Xuan, Liu Butler came over and presented them with an invitation card, respectfully saying: "Master Hou, this is an invitation card sent by the magistrate of Huizhou."

The Prefect of Huzhou

Gu Jingxi frowned slightly, reached out to take the invitation card, and glanced at the content on it. The invitation card succinctly stated that the mother of the Hu Zhou magistrate was turning fifty-six years old the day after tomorrow, and a banquet was being held in her honor at the magistrate's mansion, inviting them as a couple to attend.

The magistrate of Huzhou was a fourth-rank official, and he was a third-rank official. Logically speaking, his rank was higher than the magistrate of Huzhou by one level. It wouldn't be appropriate for the magistrate of Huzhou to invite them over to celebrate his mother's birthday.

But the brother-in-law of the Huizhou prefect was the Zhejiang governor, a veritable high-ranking official, holding a rank higher than his. When they met, he had to pay respects. With such a powerful patron, it was normal for the Huizhou prefect to invite him. After all, on the day of the birthday banquet, the Zhejiang governor, as the old lady's son-in-law, would also come to offer congratulations.

If the governor went, he's choosing not to show respect by not going as well.

When Liu, the steward, saw his master frowning, he was uneasy in his heart: "Master, is there something wrong" He finished speaking and looked at his wife, as if realizing something, hurriedly bowed his head.

Gu Jingxi said in a soft voice, "It's nothing, you can go back first."

Liu Guanjia responded and withdrew: "Yes, Lord Hou."

Meng Jinyáo took the invitation from her husband, looked at the content on it, and then asked, "Husband, what connection does the magistrate of Huizhou have with our family"

Gu Jingxi shook her head: "No intersection."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "Then we should prepare a gift for his birthday and have someone send it over the day after tomorrow Although his official position is lower than yours, he's also in the government. Who knows, maybe he'll be promoted later and be on par with you. We still need to show him some respect, don't you think"

"Our little AiYao thought this through thoroughly. Gu JingXi praised her idea, then changed the subject, "However, for the birthday banquet the day after tomorrow, we'll both give a present and attend the banquet."

Meng Jin Yao was taken aback, but she didn't think much of it. She just said, "Then I'll have Liu the Butler prepare the birthday gifts tomorrow, and we'll attend the banquet the day after tomorrow. I also want to see what a birthday banquet in Huzhou is like."

Gu Jingxi asked, "Ayao, do you know the background of the magistrate of Huzhou Who is his wife"

Meng Jinyao shook her head. She didn't understand the intricacies of the officialdom and had no idea about Huizhou Prefecture's magistrate's background. Not knowing his background, let alone who his wife was, would be beyond her comprehension. Even if she did know, it would only be from the circles of the capital city; she knew nothing about local officials.

Gu Jingxi said calmly, "The magistrate of Huizhou is surnamed Wei. He was originally from the capital city. He married a woman from the Mei family and became a Jinshi. After passing the imperial examination, he was sent to serve as an official in the local area. After his father and elder brother passed away one after another, he brought his mother to live with him and take care of her. He has an older sister who is the wife of Han Daren, the governor of Zhejiang."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyu nodded in understanding and replied: "So his brother-in-law is the governor. No wonder her husband attended the banquet. He may not give face to his wife's family, but he has to give face to the governor, after all, the old lady is the governor's mother-in-law."

Gu Jingxi saw that his young wife hadn't realized the problem yet, so he reminded her: "Ayao, do you still remember which family my ex-fiancee was from"

Meng Jinyo answered without hesitation, "What's wrong with the Mei family"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that her husband's former fiancee was from the Mei family. The wife of Zhifu Wei, the magistrate of Huzhou, was also from the Mei family. Was this the same person, or were they sisters

Seeing her reaction, Gu Jingxi knew she had understood. He continued, "Mrs. Wei was my former fiancée."

Although she had guessed it, hearing his words, Meng Jin Yao's heart was still stirred. She didn't expect such a coincidence, that Mrs. Wei was her husband's former fiancée.

In an instant, countless scenes flashed through Meng Jinyao's mind. Old lovers reunited, comparisons between old and new loves... She even couldn't help but speculate if her husband still had lingering feelings for someone else, wanting to meet his old flame in Hangzhou.

She lowered her eyes slightly and asked in a soft voice, "What...what does my husband mean"

Gu Jingxi replied: "What I mean is, this kind of thing should be told to you in advance, so that at the banquet you wouldn't be the last one to know and feel embarrassed."

Meng Jin Yao clenched her fists, suddenly raised her head to look at Jing Xi, and with a burst of courage, asked the question that had been troubling her heart: "Did your husband attend the birthday banquet to see her"

She was uneasy inside, and her voice wavered slightly when she asked the question.

Gu Jingxi heard this and was taken aback for a moment. The next moment, he scooped the person up and sat her on his lap, saying softly, "Silly girl, what are you thinking about I told you last year that I have nothing to do with her. We only had an engagement once, and now we are both married. This time attending the birthday banquet has nothing to do with her. Even if Mrs. Wei wasn't her, I would still attend this banquet."

Meng Jin Yao asked again, "She's fine after getting married, but what about before Didn't you have a plum blossom-style headdress made for her You just didn't send it out. You're meeting her the day after tomorrow, what do you think now"

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback before gently explaining, "At the time, we were preparing to set a wedding date. My mother said I was like a piece of wood and wouldn't win the girl's heart. She told me to send her a gift on her birthday and said she liked plum blossoms, so I should send her something she liked to improve our relationship. That's how this headdress came to be. Later, I got injured, and I never sent out this headdress."

Meng Jinyao saw that he didn't seem to be talking. The uneasy feeling in her heart had slowly calmed down, but she still had questions, so she asked, "Since the Mei family took the initiative to break off the engagement, why are you still keeping this set of headwear"

"I honestly told him, 'After I was injured, the imperial physician told me about my condition, and I started thinking about breaking off the engagement. I didn't want to waste a lifetime for another girl. I even threw away the headwear in the warehouse, but before I could propose canceling the engagement, the Mei family came to break it off themselves.' The headwear in the warehouse, I had forgotten all about it. It was you who found it later, and then I remembered."

Meng Jinyao was stunned. She hadn't expected it to be this reason. No wonder she found that set of headdresses when she discovered them in an inconspicuous corner, covered in dust for a long time. It turned out that her husband had forgotten about it after his passing.

Gu Jingxi spoke softly, "Ayao, I've never had romantic feelings for her. The engagement was arranged by our elders. I think Miss Mei is dignified and elegant, a good girl, so I didn't refuse."

Meng Jinyao believed his words and blushed, saying, "Husband, have I been unreasonable"

Gu Jingxi gently shook her head: “How could this be unreasonable If you have any doubts, just ask them directly. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just afraid you won't ask anything and just guess randomly in your heart.”

He said, reaching out to hold his wife's face and looking into her eyes, he softly said: "Ayao, don't overthink things from now on. Your husband has lived so long, he only likes you as a girl."were both wearing it, so what problem would there be if he wore oneHowever, such a small matter set off the other officials in Dali Temple.Previously, officials who got married felt that such scented...