The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

Hearing the servant's message, everyone in the room couldn't help but turn their heads to look over.

Different from polite greetings, it expresses genuine concern and joy.

Gu Jinchu walked over, first paid his respects to Madam Jiang, and then stood in front of his grandmother and mother, holding his mother's hand with one hand and his grandmother's hand with the other.

Her fair and delicate face was filled with a happy and bright smile, more beautiful than the flowers blooming outside the window.

"Grandma, mother." Gu Jinchu bowed and greeted them with a coquettish look and a smile.

Madam Zheng looked her up and down, her eyes full of love, and then smiled and said to Madam Jiang:

"My granddaughter has grown up by my side since she was little. My old man has no moral principles and wants to pick the stars from the sky to make her happy."

Gu Jinchu called out in a low voice, "Grandma!", with a hint of shyness on his face.

Madam Zheng took her by the hand and sat her beside her.

Gu Jinchu was sitting right between his mother and grandmother.

Old Madam Zheng turned slightly, looked at her daughter, then looked at her daughter's daughter. The love in her eyes seemed to overflow, and her face was full of satisfaction.

Old Madam Jiang said with a smile, "Jinchu is the most sensible one around me." Then she handed the thing in her hand to her daughter-in-law.

Zheng Mudan became rounder after pregnancy, her cheeks seemed to have a layer of glow, and her whole body exuded a warm and gentle aura.

She rested her elbows on the table beside her and spoke to Old Madam Jiang, "It's all thanks to my in-laws that they tolerate her so much."

"Mother, you shouldn't ruin your daughter's show." Gu Jinchu had a smile on his lips, looking very well-behaved.

The white porcelain plate in her hand was the one that Madam Jiang had just handed to her. It was a plate of peeled orange flesh.

Zheng Mudan nodded at her, her tone a little reprimanding, "How can a daughter-in-law let her mother-in-law do it?" She turned to look at Madam Jiang and said, "My dear relative, please don't spoil her like this. This child has been spoiled since she was a child."

Madam Jiang smiled and said, "My eldest daughter has always been quiet since she was young. Jinchu's liveliness has added a lot of fun to her life. I like her very much!"

Liu responded, "Since the fifth brother's wife came into the family, mother-in-law has been smiling more often, and the children in the family also like their fifth aunt."

Liu was not only good at observing people's expressions but also eloquent. Her face was sincere and her eyes were full of admiration for Gu Jinchu.

When Wang walked in, she happened to hear what Mrs. Jiang and her second brother's wife had just said.

She was the eldest daughter of the Minister of Industry and the wife of the prince. Ever since Gu Jinchu came into the family, she always felt that her fifth brother's wife was far inferior to her in status.

However, now, in the eyes of her mother-in-law and several sisters-in-law, the Fifth Lady of the Fifth House has surpassed her, the Crown Prince's wife of the eldest house.

A complex emotion surged in his heart, but the smile on his face became more and more friendly, making it impossible to tell what was going on.

Wang was wearing a bright red robe with wide sleeves and gold weaving. She walked in front of Old Madam Jiang with a gentle smile on her face.

He looked at Madam Jiang at the top with a respectful attitude: "Mother, Madam Zhou and Madam Liu have already arrived at the banquet... Do you think we should go over?"

Madam Jiang nodded when she heard this and looked at Madam Zheng and Zheng Mudan beside her: "The banquet will not start for some time."

"I heard from Jin Chu that my mother-in-law likes to play cards. Those old sisters are all easy to get along with. We all have the same hobbies. Why don't we go over and play a few hands?"

After hearing this, Madam Zheng stood up from the kang quickly, smiling and speaking in a clear voice:

"That's great! It just so happens that the birthday gift I gave to the Duke's wife is a set of colorful mother-of-pearl mahjong tiles. Why don't you use them to try out the feel of them?"

Old Madam Jiang did not refuse, and each of them was supported by the servants beside them and walked towards the banquet area.

Gu Jinchu and his mother smiled at each other. It was true that his grandmother liked to play cards when she had nothing to do, but the Duke's wife was a quiet person.

In the past, we played cards when there were guests at home and we just played along to keep everyone company.

Naturally, they were not as fast as the others, and the women of the Jiang family thought that Gu Jinchu and her daughter had something to talk about in private, so no one disturbed them.

Mrs. Jiang’s birthday was in June, when the lotus flowers in the lake were in full bloom, looking particularly beautiful and graceful against the backdrop of green leaves.

When the wind blows, the willow trees lower their soft branches, swaying gently in the breeze.

Zheng Mudan held her daughter's hand and thought secretly in her heart.

Gu Huanian was Jinchu's father after all, and he shouldn't have kept his death a secret from her. But now that her daughter's due date was approaching, she was afraid that telling her would affect her.

Thinking that today was the Duke's wife's birthday and it would be inappropriate to say such things on such a happy day, Zheng Mudan suppressed the idea.

Just as Wang had just reported, all the prominent and noble women in Shengjing City had come to the Duke Dingguo's Mansion today.

In front of the Duke's wife, they were all slightly lower in rank. Wang followed Madam Jiang and assisted her mother-in-law in greeting these ladies and dowagers.

She had a decent smile on her face and behaved elegantly and gracefully, so no one would or dared to look down on her.

Only her mother always had a critical look in her eyes whenever she looked at her, which made Wang feel uncomfortable.

Especially after seeing Madam Zheng and Madam Qin defending Gu Jinchu, this uncomfortable feeling became even stronger, and it was an indescribable sense of loss.

When Gu Jinchu walked in, with the introduction of Old Madam Jiang, these ladies realized that the pregnant woman next to Madam Jiang Wu was her mother.

She is also the legal wife of Qin Lang, deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the younger sister of Zheng Wenyang, the Minister of War.

Even though the usually arrogant ladies from aristocratic families and the noble ladies in the mansion would not be very respectful to the mother and daughter, they were kind in their attitude.

Wang followed Madam Jiang and smiled, just because of the Minister of War and Fifth Master Jiang who were behind her fifth brother's wife.

Gu Jinchu stood beside her mother-in-law, chatting with the ladies who came to greet her. She had a smile on her face and bright eyes, and her every move showed elegance and dignity.

From what everyone said, she didn't seem to feel that anyone knew that the emperor would come to celebrate his birthday.

Even Mrs. Jiang didn't seem to know.

She would not say anything.

Wang always had a gentle smile on her face, and her movements were skillful and appropriate. Old Madam Jiang played cards with several old ladies, and Wang waited on them, taking care of everything.

The cards used on the card table were the colorful mother-of-pearl dominoes that Old Madam Zheng had mentioned. Old Madam Jiang was in good luck today. While waiting for others to play their cards, she gently reminded Gu Jinchu that he didn't need to stay with her.

Wang, who was standing by, smiled and said, "It's rare for my dear wife to come here, so you can spend more time with Madam Qin. My mother has my sister-in-law to serve her."

She had long since stopped wanting Gu Jinchu to accompany her mother-in-law. In the past, she had always accompanied her mother-in-law on such occasions.

Now, not only has the fifth brother's wife stolen her limelight as the Crown Prince's wife, but she is also pregnant with such a big belly. If something happens, she, as the eldest sister-in-law, will also be held responsible!