Chapter 43: Accompanying Wife and Child
Gu Yan clenched his jaw, but instead of confronting her, he offered a faint smile and pulled her into his embrace.
"Whether it is or isn't, it's all for His Majesty to decide."
He said no more, his calloused palm cupping the nape of her neck. Yan Xuerui trembled slightly but did not pull away.
The man's deep voice resonated in her ear.
"Just as well. I've been busy with official duties lately and have neglected you. With nothing weighing on me now, I can take this chance to spend time with my wife and child."
"Are you happy?"
His tone was gentle. Seated on his firm thigh, Yan Xuerui couldn't see his expression but vaguely sensed an unusual undertone in his voice.
"Your wife is happy."
She lowered her eyelashes and, guided by her sharp intuition, deftly changed the subject.
"I heard that Young Master Su came first in this year's Spring Imperial Examinations. Given what's happened, will the rankings from the exams still hold?"
"And what about the other scholars who took the exams? Has a decade of arduous study gone to waste?"
Gu Yan raised an elegant brow. During the morning court session, a group of sanctimonious old men had spoken self-righteously, invoking ancestral rules and the fabric of the realm, yet not one of them showed concern for the scholars involved in the Spring Imperial Examinations. Regardless of where the investigation ultimately placed the blame, based on the existing evidence, the exam questions had indeed been leaked.
The purpose of the imperial examinations was to select the worthy and appoint the capable. Whether from noble families, humble backgrounds, or even farm boys tilling the soil—as long as they possessed talent and could write well, they could enter officialdom through the exams and achieve great things.
Now that the questions had been leaked, some had advance knowledge. Were those who passed this year truly erudite, or merely incompetents sneaking by like the impostor of Guo?
It was as if the scholars of this round had been placed over a fire.
Gu Yan had not intended to bring court affairs into his household, but today, not one among all the court officials had shown as much sense as Yan Xuerui, a mere woman, which left him somewhat moved.
He answered truthfully, "Yes."
The questions had been leaked, and Guo Congjia had sounded the Dengwen Drum, causing too great a stir. Rumors were already spreading among the public.
To uphold justice and clarify the laws, His Majesty was conducting a thorough investigation. Many would lose their official posts, even their heads. That these scholars kept their lives and retained their eligibility for official service was already an exceptional act of grace.
As for the rankings achieved this year, they were void.
"Such is fate, such is luck."
He comforted Yan Xuerui: "Don't dwell on it, Rui'er."
The right time, place, and people—they could only blame their misfortune. Gu Yan thought indifferently that talented people are a dime a dozen, and official positions in the Ministry of Personnel never stay vacant for long.
Yan Xuerui said regretfully, "Then Young Master Su and Ming Wei…"
She had originally hoped to use the Deer Cry Banquet as an opportunity to bring the two young people together. She hadn't managed to persuade Gu Yan at the time, and now even that last hope was gone.
The next imperial examinations would be three years later. A young woman’s youth is as fleeting as a blossom—her Ming Wei couldn’t afford to wait that long.
Gu Yan’s expression was unreadable.
He had originally opposed this marriage, but the Virtuous Prince’s unexpected move had, through a twist of fate, ended up helping him—all thanks to this promising talent nurtured by the Upright.
They had indeed cultivated a truly noble and modest gentleman.
Initially fearing that he might call in this favor, Gu Yan had asked him what he wanted. Su Huaimo stood in his study, silent for a long time, before saying, "Years of arduous study in the cold should not make the Spring Imperial Examinations a weapon for factional strife. I only beg Your Lordship to show leniency to the scholars. This student pays his respects."
Gu Yan was not afraid of villains—he himself was not entirely honorable and had countless ways to deal with them. But when faced with a true gentleman, he found it harder to maneuver.
His slender fingers brushed a strand of hair from her temple. After a pause, Gu Yan repeated his earlier words, "We’ll see."
This time, "we’ll see" carried a sense of consideration, quite different from his previous vague dismissals. Just as he understood her, having slept with Gu Yan for so many years, Yan Xuerui also detected a change in his tone.
She recalled what Ming Lan had told her earlier—that Su Huaimo had once visited Gu Yan.
What had happened between them? Could it be related to this turmoil?
Yan Xuerui tried to probe indirectly, but Gu Yan was tight-lipped. If he didn’t want to talk, no amount of questioning would work. As the two were at an impasse, the wet nurse lifted the bead curtain with Young Slave in her arms.
"Your Lordship, the young master just woke up and has already been fed."
With more people present, Yan Xuerui, feeling embarrassed, quickly got up from Gu Yan’s lap. Surprisingly, Gu Yan did not stop her. He lifted his chin, signaling the wet nurse to hand Young Slave to him.
Since when did Senior Tutor Gu know how to hold a child? He had seldom held Ming Lan or Ming Wei. His muscles were firm, and his way of holding the swaddled child was awkward. Young Slave, with his round, wide eyes, had suddenly left the wet nurse’s soft embrace. He stared curiously at the unfamiliar man before him.
Then he let out a piercing wail and began to cry.
Well-nourished and well-rested, Young Slave was a strapping child, and his cries were ear-splitting. Gu Yan’s face darkened immediately. "Stop crying!" he scolded.
The child couldn’t understand his expression and cried even harder, crying his eyes out. Yan Xuerui, as his mother, felt her heart ache. But for some reason, Gu Yan seemed in a strange mood today and refused to let go. He held out until the little rascal wore himself out, let out a milk burp, and gradually quieted down.
"That’s more like it."
Gu Yan casually wiped away the child’s tears, looking satisfied.
His son should listen to him, shouldn’t he?
Only then did Yan Xuerui take Young Slave back into her arms. The child’s skin was tender, and Gu Yan’s rough wiping had left red marks on Young Slave’s soft, tofu-smooth cheeks.
She patted and comforted him gently, then looked up and glared angrily at Gu Yan. "Did Your Lordship come today just to bully my son?"
Because Gu Yan disliked noisy children and had forbidden her from breastfeeding their son, she usually held Young Slave only when Gu Yan was not around. Today, Gu Yan had the wet nurse bring the child over and then made him cry. She truly couldn’t fathom his intentions.
"What do you mean, 'bully'? Rui’er, he’s my son too."
Gu Yan disliked her acting like he's not his father. He said, "I told you, from now on, I’ll spend more time with you and the child."
"There’s no need. Your Lordship should focus on court affairs. The household affairs are my mother’s and my responsibility. There’s no need for Your Lordship to trouble yourself."
Yan Xuerui’s tone was somewhat sharp. Gu Yan pressed his thin lips together and fell silent, the atmosphere suddenly growing tense.
After a moment, Yan Xuerui calmed down and felt she had been too harsh. She was about to soften her words when Gu Yan said abruptly:
"I thought you’d appreciate it."
Who would like—wait?
It dawned on her, Yan Xuerui remembered something else.
Lately, she had grown close to Mrs. Wu. During one casual conversation, Mrs. Wu had praised her husband she grew up with, saying he helped with household chores and was hands-on in raising their children, which made him much better than other men.
Yan Xuerui thought of her own family. They had three children, yet Gu Yan only cared for Ming Lan. As for this youngest, Senior Tutor Gu was so busy with official duties that she wasn’t sure he saw the child even once a month. She had unconsciously vented a little, then immediately realized it was inappropriate and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
Mrs. Wu might not even remember this clearly, so how did Gu Yan know?
She always sent her attendants away when speaking with others, so it was impossible for him to know!
Yan Xuerui felt her blood run cold. She looked up at Gu Yan, but his gaze was steady, his expression calm, giving nothing away.
"Enough, I’m not that petty," Gu Yan said slowly. Noticing Yan Xuerui having some difficulty, he signaled with his eyes for the wet nurse to take Young Slave from her.
She had little strength, and now that Young Slave was growing sturdier by the day, she could no longer hold him for long.
…
Yan Xuerui felt uneasy and could no longer focus on caring for her youngest son. She spent the entire day staying close to Gu Yan. Gu Yan’s composure far surpassed hers, making Yan Xuerui increasingly uncertain. Unconsciously, her attention fixated on Gu Yan, even taking precedence over her care for Ming Lan and Ming Wei.
From that day onward, Gu Yan seemed to truly become a man of leisure, without a care in the world. He followed a routine: morning exercises at dawn, having breakfast with Yan Xuerui, reading for a good part of the morning in his study, coming back to the main courtyard to have lunch, accompanying her for an afternoon nap, playing a game of chess or tending to her plants—watering and loosening the soil—and amusing Little Young Slave until it was time for dinner.
Just as he said, he stayed within the estate, spending time with his wife and children, living a carefree, almost heavenly life. Outside, the chaos continued—one day, a member of the Crown Prince's faction was exposed; the next, one of the Virtuous Prince's supporters was brought down. Yet, all these disturbances had nothing to do with Gu Yan.
Occasionally, he received guests.
After all, he had only been dismissed from his official post; his title of Marquis remained. The emperor had merely "temporarily stripped him of his official seal," leaving his future uncertain. Some refused to believe that Senior Tutor Gu, who had dominated the court for two decades, had fallen so completely. Adhering to the idea that "offering fuel in snowy weather is better than adding flowers to brocade," a steady stream of visitors came to the Marquis estate.
Gu Yan did not receive everyone, but some were hard to turn away.
For instance, the Crown Prince.
Perhaps the Crown Prince had taken Empress Xu’s words to heart, or perhaps the recent court conflicts made him realize he could not afford to lose Gu Yan as his mentor. Whatever the reason, his visits to the Marquis estate grew more and more frequent.
Yan Xuerui knew about this, and she was somewhat grateful to the Crown Prince. She had just begun to enjoy a period of relaxation when Gu Yan suddenly was stuck at home with nothing to do. While he claimed to be keeping her company, in reality, it felt more like she was accompanying him.
Chatting and laughing with Mrs. Wu lifted her spirits, but being with Gu Yan… well, it wasn’t that he treated her poorly. It was just that his controlling nature and intolerance of defiance were overwhelming. If court officials broke into a sweat after just one morning audience with Senior Tutor Gu, how much more exhausting was it for her to be with him day in and day out?
It was like being squeezed by a python, making it hard for her to breathe.
She welcomed the Crown Prince as a guest, but she never expected that his frequent visits would lead Yun Shu, whom she had not paid much attention to for some time, to become interested in him!
But the Crown Prince already had a primary consort and a concubine!
She summoned Yun Shu, who brushed off her concerns. "Even as a concubine, a royal consort is nothing like an ordinary one. She is a mistress."
"Aunt," Yun Shu said, her eyes lingering on Yan Xuerui’s peach-blossom complexion with a hint of envy.
She persuaded, "Uncle has been dismissed from his post. Now more than ever, we must make connections and seek his reinstatement. For the sake of the Marquis estate, Yun Shu is willing to serve by the Crown Prince’s side."