Chapter 26: The Marchioness of Jingyuan Summoned to the Palace...
"M-Marquis?"
Yan Xuerui stared at him in astonishment, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the swaddled bundle in his arms. After a tense moment, she extended a slender, jade-like finger to touch his shoulder.
She spoke softly, "My Marquis has been working hard lately; you've grown thin."
Gu Yan's expression softened slightly. As a wife, it was fitting that she first inquired about her husband's well-being.
He smoothly placed their youngest son into her arms, his peripheral vision catching the fragments on the floor. He frowned slightly, discreetly kicking the broken porcelain away, and ordered, "Someone, clean this up."
He made no further mention of the medicine.
The maids, as if granted a great pardon, quickly cleaned up and withdrew. Yan Xuerui, suddenly reunited with her youngest son, poured all her attention onto him, cradling and rocking him gently. The little one had a quick temper—easily upset but just as easily soothed. Wrapped in his mother's soft embrace, his chubby face still streaked with tears, he waved his tiny hands and kicked his little feet, breaking into a smile.
Yan Xuerui smiled too. Though mother and son had been separated by only a wall, unable to meet, she now cast aside her shyness, directly loosening her robe to bare half of her snow-white, full bosom. The hungry, crying infant nestled against his mother's breast, sucking hungrily.
After a tender moment between mother and son, Yan Xuerui suddenly looked up, sensing something. She found Gu Yan watching her with an amused yet inscrutable gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable, as if he had been observing her for some time.
Her heart skipped a beat. Reluctantly, she called for someone to take the child away. She ambled over to Gu Yan, gently leaning in, her fair, slender arms encircling his neck.
Gu Yan took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her slender waist, and Yan Xuerui settled securely onto his firm thigh, looking up at him.
The man's face was stoic, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, offering no words.
"My Marquis."
Gu Yan remained silent.
Yan Xuerui tugged at his sleeve. Her strength was slight, like a feather lightly brushing past, making his heart itch with restlessness.
Gu Yan glanced down at her but still said nothing.
"My Marquis—"
Yan Xuerui drew out her tone, her slender, pale fingers lightly tapping his chest now and then.
She merely softened her voice to call him, not saying anything specific, completely avoiding any mention of their recent discord.
Her soft, melodic Wu dialect, filled with tenderness, could soften even the hardest of hearts. And Gu Yan was far from unmoved, despite his outward appearance.
He lifted her chin. Despite his coldly handsome features, the rather frivolous gesture carried a rakish charm.
"Done making a fuss?" he asked.
Senior Tutor Gu had been buried under mountains of paperwork during the day, and upon returning home, faced his wife's cold shoulder. These past days, his gloomy demeanor had been palpable, leaving his subordinates trembling with fear, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
Today, he had intended to teach her a proper lesson on "a wife's duties." Fortunately, she was sensible enough to step down gracefully, which greatly pleased him.
Yan Xuerui lowered her head slightly. Though she had already yielded, she didn't want to say "she was wrong." Leaning softly against Gu Yan's chest, she whispered, "It was our little one who was crying and fussing. What is my Marquis talking about? This humble wife doesn't understand."
Gu Yan snorted, released her, and lightly tapped the table with his knuckles. "Brew some tea."
Yan Xuerui rose, picked up the round-bellied purple clay teapot, and poured a cup of tea. Holding the cup high with both hands, her figure was slender and graceful, yet with the mature charm of a woman who had given birth.
Gu Yan didn't make things difficult for her and drank the tea readily. Yan Xuerui had a sweet tooth; the tea here was sweet *Biluochun* and *Baihao Yinzhen*. Gu Yan preferred stronger teas, like robust *Da Hong Pao* or *Taiping Houkui*. Their tastes didn't align.
But today, he drank this cup of *Baihao Yinzhen* without any reluctance.
In ancient times, the recluse Liang Hong and his wife respected each other like guests. Every time they ate, his wife would raise the tray to eyebrow level, hence the saying "raising the tray to eyebrow level," symbolizing marital harmony.
They had been a loving couple for twenty years. The recent troubles were just a momentary lapse in her judgment. He didn't consider it a real rift.
Gu Yan felt thoroughly satisfied; the matter was now behind them. He stood up, helped her sit down, and said, "Staying cooped up at home every day will inevitably wear you down. I'll take a leave tomorrow and accompany you for a walk in the mountains outside the capital to get some fresh air."
In Gu Yan's mind, since she had already "apologized and made amends," it was only fair that he should make her happy in return.
He had his own set of principles, and Yan Xuerui could not defy them. But after many years of marriage, she vaguely understood his intentions.
"There's no need, My Marquis. You are overwhelmed with state affairs—"
Just as she was about to refuse, Gu Yan said leisurely, "As it happens, we can go see Ming Wei."
Yan Xuerui paused, the words of refusal on her lips now unspoken.
"Don't worry, I'll handle everything," Gu Yan reassured her, gently patting the back of her hand. "Egret Mountain Academy is gathering talented scholars, a crucial hub for the imperial examinations. As the chief examiner, it's only reasonable for me to inspect it."
Yan Xuerui hesitated, the sweet offer too great to refuse.
Both were her flesh and blood. She hadn't seen Ming Wei for quite some time. At her daughter's age, she feared she might take things too hard.
After a moment's thought, she lowered her thick lashes and said softly, "As My Marquis commands."
The gloom that had clouded Gu Yan's brow lately lifted, and his tone grew gentler as he comforted her, "Though Ming Wei can be willful, she knows right from wrong in important matters. Don't worry."
He had already made the pros and cons clear to Ming Wei. His daughter, with her high pride, would not cling shamelessly where affection was not returned.
Yan Xuerui shook her head gently. Her mother-in-law was upright and reasonable, and the Marquis's household's family teachings were strict and proper. She wasn't worried about that.
She only feared Ming Wei would be heartbroken.
Longing for what one cannot have is one of life's eight sufferings. She couldn't bear the thought of her daughter enduring such pain.
She didn't elaborate on these delicate thoughts to Gu Yan. After a moment's contemplation, she changed the subject.
"Bi He has been serving me for a long time and hasn't made any major mistakes. Please let her return."
Bi He was good in every way, except she often couldn't hold her tongue. Usually, out of respect for Yan Xuerui, Gu Yan turned a blind eye. But catching her at this time, she became the scapegoat and was still locked in the woodshed.
That girl cared little for hairpins and ornaments, preferring money. Have the accounts office pay her two years' extra salary as compensation.
"Alright."
Gu Yan was now exceedingly reasonable, saying gently, "You are the mistress of the inner household. Rewards and punishments in the rear courtyard are your decision; there's no need to inform me."
His calloused fingertips lightly brushed the back of her hand. Gu Yan sighed and said, "After so many years of marriage, why behave so coyly? It's needlessly laughable."
Yan Xuerui softly murmured in agreement. Since she had brewed tea, he had reciprocated her gesture. The matter was settled, best forgotten entirely.
Both were intent on reconciliation. In no time, Yan Xuerui had moved from the chair back onto his lap, panting for a moment. The couple tussled playfully, somehow ending up entangled within the bed curtains.
Their clothes askew, breathing ragged, just as Yan Xuerui was about to close her eyes and yield, Gu Yan suddenly stopped.
His eyes fixed fiercely on her, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. After a moment of locked gazes, Gu Yan grabbed the brocade quilt nearby and wrapped it around her smooth, flawless shoulders.
"At this time, we must not give in to passion."
He said, his tone unusually controlled, his chest rising and falling slightly as his breath remained uneven.
Yan Xuerui was taken aback. In the past, she had feared him, but lately, he had been uncharacteristically abstaining daily. Now that he was touching her, she didn’t actually react as strongly as before.
She had also figured out the earlier mix-up. She didn’t like Divine Doctor Gao, but since she didn’t have to drink bitter, dark medicinal brews or endure the conjugal burdens, she was willing to undergo his acupuncture treatment. Still, to put it plainly, it was somewhat effective, but not greatly so.
Better than nothing, she supposed.
Divine Doctor Gao said it would take time for the effects to become more pronounced. Yan Xuerui scoffed at this, but Gu Yan believed it.
Yet it wasn’t that he was incapable—far from it. Sometimes, when passion overwhelmed him, he restrained himself with great difficulty, leaving Yan Xuerui feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.
In the past, she had always resisted such matters, viewing them as a mutually consensual "transaction." But now, the balance of that transaction had suddenly shifted. Her body… it seemed she could no longer control it.
Hiding her unease, she looked at Gu Yan and said, "Perhaps… your wife could assist the Marquis?"
In recent days, when he couldn’t hold back, there were other ways.
Gu Yan smiled softly and kissed her temple.
"My dear Rui Er."
He spoke, and this was the first time she had willingly volunteered to help him. This feeling pleased him even more than the act itself.
He leaned down and lingered intimately for a while longer, his slender fingers tidying the stray hairs at her forehead before he adjusted his robes and rose.
Her rare tenderness and willingness moved him, and he was no man of unshakable virtue like Liu Xiahui. But with recent affairs piling up and tomorrow requiring him to set aside time to accompany her, tonight he had to work late at his desk.
Having stood firm in the court for many years, Senior Tutor Gu’s current status wasn’t built solely on factionalism and self-interest. He was meticulous, investigating every matter personally and never overlooking the slightest clue. He handled affairs neatly and thoroughly, leaving no vulnerabilities.
On his shoulders rested the rise and fall of the entire marquis household—hundreds of lives, his wife, children, elderly mother, brothers… For years, he hadn’t dared slacken even slightly.
***
Gu Yan lit candles and worked through the night, making advance arrangements to close off the mountain and prepare for the next day’s outing. But the weather is unpredictable. Just as the marquis household’s carriages and cushioned comforts were ready, a palace envoy arrived to deliver an imperial decree.
It wasn’t a formal edict stamped with the imperial seal, but an oral decree from the emperor, roughly stating that the Marchioness of Jingyuan was summoned to the palace for a chat.
"Marquis, this… this lowly servant is only following orders," the eunuch delivering the decree said, sweating profusely. Even a servant of the prime minister held seventh-rank status, and those sent from the palace to deliver decrees were usually treated with great respect by ordinary families. Only Marquis Gu truly treated them as mere servants.
Yes, they were servants—but under heaven, weren’t all the emperor’s subjects servants? Who was truly nobler than whom?
Now, with a single word from the emperor, even the powerful Senior Tutor Gu had to obediently obey the decree, didn’t he?
……
Though he thought this, the eunuch didn’t dare say a word. Senior Tutor Gu’s authority was deeply intimidating, and now, with him glaring darkly, he seemed like a cornered beast whose sensitive spot had been provoked. The eunuch didn’t dare approach.
The eunuch pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and ingratiatingly said, "Marquis, it’s only for a chat in the palace."
It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t return—was this really necessary?
Gu Yan sneered, gripping Yan Xuerui’s wrist tightly, and retorted scornfully, "I was unaware that my wife, who has long been convalescing at home, has any matters that require discussion in the imperial palace!"
Was it all because of that Taoist priest’s divination? The emperor was obsessed with the Taoist pursuit of immortality, but he had never neglected state affairs for it before. Besides, those priests never lived long. When he first heard that the Virtuous Prince had recommended a Taoist priest to the palace, he thought—just like Empress Xu—that it was a clever but self-dooming trick.
He hadn’t paid it much mind. But now that someone had set their sights on his wife, knowing full well it was the doing of the Virtuous Prince's faction, who knew what schemes lay within? How could he let her step into the tiger's mouth?
"Guards," Gu Yan said in a deep voice. "Escort my wife back inside."
If he couldn’t even protect his own woman, what use was he as a senior tutor or a marquis? He might as well slash his own throat and be done with it.