“And then? Did you choose?” In the residence at 133 Hulu Street, after hearing Gu Yan Chen’s “imperial palace adventure,” Lu Nian Fu eagerly pressed for the follow-up.
Gu Yan Chen spread his hands, “The choices were presented before me, naturally I couldn’t let them pass.”
“Which one did you pick?”
“Dali Temple Minister.”
“And then?”
“Then the Emperor had Eunuch Song escort me out of the palace. Wife, do you think this official position of mine will fall through?”
Lu Nian Fu mused, “Who knows? You, telling the Emperor things without thinking, as if you were still at the garrison. Don’t you know better?”
Gu Yan Chen said, “Can you blame me? Those people at the garrison, every single one of them is uncultured. I use two idioms, and they don’t understand. If I were to beat around the bush, what else would I do all day besides explaining what I mean?”
Lu Nian Fu: ……
The importance of one’s circle.
“Fine, be more careful in the future.”
“How can I be careful? You didn’t see the atmosphere then. I just said I didn’t want to take a concubine, and he pinned the jealous label onto you. If it were actually approved, how would you live later? Jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce, which can be used to discard a wife.” Gu Yan Chen thought about it more and more, finding it strange. He pointed to his head and lowered his voice, “You think the Emperor is sick? As long as I can help him with his duties, why does he care about my domestic affairs?”
Lu Nian Fu, knowing the inside story, found it even stranger. Isn’t it natural for a father to care about his son’s offspring?
Seeing her equally bewildered expression, Gu Yan Chen waved his hand, “Forget it, let’s not overthink it. Have someone bring the gifts, we’ll go back to the Marquis’s mansion to pay respects to Father and Mother. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, this must be done today.”
Lu Nian Fu poked her ear, suspecting she had misheard, “You said where to pay respects to Father and Mother?”
“Guang Ling Marquis’s mansion.” Gu Yan Chen slapped his head, “Didn’t I tell you? My father is the Guang Ling Marquis.”
Guang Ling Marquis? Guang Ling Marquis!!!
She stared blankly at Gu Yan Chen. It was the same face, but in her previous life he was the Seventh Prince, and in this life, he was the illegitimate son of some Marquis’s mansion. Were the Emperor’s illegitimate son and a Marquis’s illegitimate son the same?
She slumped onto a chair, utterly stunned.
Gu Yan Chen chuckled at her reaction, “Look how surprised you are, is it just a Marquis’s mansion?”
Lu Nian Fu looked up with teary eyes, “Your father is really the Guang Ling Marquis?”
“You’re funny, would I lie to you about this?” He wiped her tears with his sleeve, “It’s no use crying tears of joy. This title will definitely not fall to me in the end. Our biggest hope is what official position the Emperor bestows upon me. Of course, if you really want to be a Marchioness, your husband will work hard, and in ten or twenty years, it’s not entirely hopeless.”
“To be enfeoffed as a Marquis takes ten or twenty years?”
“If one stays in the capital, there’s no hope even in fifty years. Our Great Yin values martial arts; noble titles are granted to generals faster, but it’s not so easy for civil officials.” He pulled her up from the chair, “Let’s not talk about this. We need to be quick. If we don’t go back soon, it will be dark again. The capital is not like Yangzhou; it gets dark very early in winter.”
Even if it were a dream, the dream was too real. Lu Nian Fu looked at the man before her with a complex expression, his face full of boldness, and had to accept reality.
The Seventh Prince and all that was probably just her own imagination.
The huge psychological gap made her want to cry but have no tears. She had been planning to use her status as the Seventh Prince’s Consort to annoy Situ Jue and avenge her past life. But now…
Her memories from her previous life seemed to be jumbled in this life.
The golden thigh she thought she had was still a thigh, but it wasn’t shiny at all, and it wasn't thick enough.
It seemed there was no hope of getting revenge on Situ Jue.
Lu Nian Fu looked up at the overcast sky, “Heavens, did you bring me back with my past life’s memories just to tease me?”
The Guang Ling Marquis’s mansion had just been renovated before the new year. Even though the sky was overcast, the glazed tile roof still gleamed.
The two stone lions at the entrance were magnificent, and auspicious patterns were everywhere on the eaves. The carving was exquisite, clearly the work of a master craftsman.
Gu Yan Chen stepped forward personally and knocked.
After a long while, the door opened a crack, revealing a head wearing a servant’s cap. He didn’t show much respect upon seeing Gu Yan Chen, merely saying, “Oh, it’s the eldest young master returning. Madam is busy at the moment. She asks you to return to Qing Feng Courtyard and wait. You can go pay your respects when she’s free.”
Gu Yan Chen was indifferent to paying respects to his legitimate mother. He shrugged, “Alright. Is my father at home?”
“Master has gone out to visit a friend today.”
“Oh, to Official Fang’s place, right?”
The servant’s expression remained blank, “Your servant doesn’t know the master’s itinerary.”
Hmph, he deliberately sent his father out to embarrass him, didn’t he? Tsk, his father was getting more and more henpecked. Gu Yan Chen wasn’t too disappointed; he never expected much from this father anyway.
If he wasn’t here, he wasn’t here. He was too lazy to argue with a servant. He said, “Didn’t you tell me to go back to Qing Feng Courtyard and wait? Then open the door.” A head squeezed out from the crack. He wasn’t afraid of scaring anyone; he just found the servant blocking the way.
Just a crack, enough for the two of them to squeeze through?
The servant said arrogantly, “Eldest young master, Madam said that illegitimate sons can only use the side gate. Please go around.”
Heh.
Gu Yan Chen was almost amused to the point of anger.
So he took one step back, and they had already cornered him. In the past, he wouldn’t have minded climbing over the wall to get in, let alone using the side gate. But today was his wife’s first time entering the mansion. If they truly used the side gate, who would consider her a legitimate wife in the future?
Seeing his expression suddenly darken, the servant also faltered slightly. He was about to say something conciliatory, but it was too late.
Gu Yan Chen raised his foot and delivered a fierce kick. The servant leaning on the door was sent flying instantly. The small door in the main gate, pushed open, sprang back to its full extent with a loud clang. Gu Yan Chen snorted, his gaze sweeping around. The servants hiding in the shadows all shivered.
He stepped forward, grabbed the gatekeeper servant’s chin, and lifted him up.
The servant trembled with fear, “E-eldest young master, this, this is all, all Madam’s orders. How would this lowly one dare disobey?”
“Oh, you dare not disobey Madam’s orders, so you come to make trouble for me. What gave you the confidence to lord over me, and even dare to make my wife use the back door?”
“L-lowly one… lowly one dares not again.”
God, the eldest young master three years ago was so easy to talk to! How did he become so fearsome after going out?
Gu Yan Chen patted his face, “Remember what you said now. If you show any disrespect to my wife in the future, I’ll sell you directly to the black mine. I wonder if your master behind you will confront me for you.”
“No, I don’t dare, I don’t dare.”
“Since you don’t dare, then go do your work. Haven’t you seen the eldest young mistress waiting outside?”
He flicked his hand, and the gatekeeper servant staggered several steps. But he was already scared out of his wits, and how could he dare to complain? He stumbled towards the door to open it.
Lu Nian Fu and Qing Ya in the carriage witnessed the entire scene, their worry about this fellow’s family status resurfacing.
Even a gatekeeper dared to treat him like this. What kind of life did he live before?
Qing Ya rubbed her arms, “Heavens, the son-in-law is truly handsome when he’s angry.”
Lu Nian Fu: ……
The gatekeeper servant endured the pain and pulled the bolt, opening the mansion gate. Gu Yan Chen then walked over and helped Lu Nian Fu down from the carriage, “Let’s go, wife. We’ll go back to the courtyard to rest first, and talk when my father returns.”
Lu Nian Fu whispered, “What are you doing? Causing such a commotion as soon as we return?”
“I don’t want to cause trouble, but some people are pushing their luck. Fu Er, the set of hair accessories you bought won’t be needed. A pair of shoes as a meeting gift will suffice.”
Lu Nian Fu: ……