Chapter 48 Extra 8

Gu Qingyan patiently recounted what he knew: Madam Lin was in good health, but had become increasingly talkative; Gu Qingyu had been promoted to lecturer in the Hanlin Academy and was highly regarded by His Majesty; Shen Qinglan commanded a unit of the Imperial Guards, acting decisively and efficiently, and no one in the capital dared to underestimate her…

Then he smiled slightly and kept everyone in suspense: "Now, another female scholar has emerged in the imperial court. Cousin, why don't you guess who it is?"

A knowing smile appeared in Ling Wei's eyes: "Then he must be my teacher."

It was Lu Youyi.

In the past, due to her deep entanglement with powerful families, and to avoid the calamity of vying for the throne, she returned to Wu County in Jiangnan to live in seclusion after Ling Wei became a palace lady, but she never stopped corresponding with Ling Wei.

On the day she learned that Ling Wei had achieved the top score in the imperial examination for the second time, the letter she sent was not written with her usual steady handwriting, but with a series of bold and unrestrained "good" characters, her joy leaping off the page.

The letter ended with: My heart is at peace; I may now go into seclusion.

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow: "I thought you would guess it was Qin Wan."

Ling Wei smiled slyly: "She wrote to me a long time ago."

Qin Wan also passed the imperial examination and was assigned to the Ministry of Personnel's Examination and Appointment Office. The Empress knew how to appoint people wisely and knew that Qin Wan was lively, clever, and good at dealing with people, so she could make the most of her strengths in this position.

Thanks to the Empress's strong support, women who stand out based on their true talents are now given important positions. Although there are occasional complaints from the court and the public, no one can voice them.

Qin Wan's letters were always thick stacks, as if she wanted to tell all the gossip in the capital.

Such talent for gathering information shows that the Empress has an excellent eye for people.

Ling Wei learned a lot of information from this, including about a person whose name she hadn't heard of in a long time—Du Qianqian.

When the Second Prince was defeated, the system informed Ling Wei that Du Qianqian's luck had been taken back.

She was also unable to cause trouble, because the Second Prince revealed Du Qianqian's name at the end of his defeat, which prompted the Empress to secretly send people to closely monitor the Du family.

Minister Du lived in constant fear, as the Empress delayed giving him a definite answer, which felt like being slowly ground down by a dull knife.

To prevent Du Qianqian from causing any more trouble and implicating the whole family, he sent her to the estate overnight for strict supervision.

Recently, however, they suddenly brought her back, only because she had reverted to her original mentally impaired state.

Qin Wan sighed in her letter, but she did mention that when she met Du Qianqian again, she felt that Du Qianqian had become a different person. Although she was silly, she was much more likable.

Ling Wei knew the reason: because her luck had been taken back, Du Qianqian's soul had been squeezed back into the modern world.

The system tracked the current situation and informed her.

"Du Qianqian was a bullying delinquent, and now she has received the punishment she deserves after going back."

Although Ling Wei doesn't understand the meaning of bullying now, it's still not a good thing.

This can be considered a case of reaping what you sow.

Then she shared some shocking gossip.

Ling Wei couldn't help but steal a glance at the person sitting opposite her.

"It is widely rumored in the capital that Lord Gu Qingyan may be gay, otherwise why would he refuse to marry until now?"

(The middle section is Qin Wan's embellished description)

...The Gu family was extremely anxious and even tried to force the engagement. However, he went to the woman's house in person and frankly admitted that he was "not a good match and might ruin the good girl's life."

When the other party asked about the rumors circulating in the city, he neither confirmed nor denied them.

As time went on, no one dared to marry this older, "problematic" young man anymore.

But she didn't see any suspicious men around him either. A sudden inspiration struck Qin Wan, and she quickly wrote down her conclusion:

"Lord Gu may have a hidden illness."

When Ling Wei saw this, she spat out her water.

Her cousin, though a gentleman of impeccable character, remained remarkably calm about those kinds of rumors...

That's truly admirable.

Gu Qingyu also mentioned this matter in the letter, implying that Lin was very worried.

But she immediately changed her tone: It's alright, the Gu family still has her, she can take him in as a son-in-law to continue the family line.

Upon hearing her announcement of this decision, Mrs. Lin ate two extra bowls of rice.

She decided to go with Gu Qingyan. After all, thinking too much would shorten one's lifespan. She wanted to live well and see how high Ling Wei and Qing Yu could climb. This was much more important than what gender her son preferred, as it concerned the future of women all over the world.

Ling Wei coughed and shifted her gaze.

I can't think about it anymore. Sitting with the person at the center of the conversation, I can't help but keep glancing in a certain direction.

Little did she know that no matter where her gaze turned, Gu Qingyan remained focused on her.

Over the years, Ling Wei had become accustomed to being watched by all sides and had not noticed that the attention was any different.

"My cousin has managed to govern this border region so well, making it prosperous and peaceful, and winning the hearts of the people. It is truly admirable," Gu Qingyan said gently, bringing the topic back to the present.

This statement contained not a trace of flattery.

Looking back on the year Ling Wei first arrived at the border, there were quite a few people in the court waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Even though her proposed policies of "mutual trade" and "education" sounded reasonable, the old ministers ultimately felt that she was young and inexperienced, and that a woman would find it difficult to truly establish herself in such a harsh and chaotic place.

However, starting from the second year, the tax revenue accounts at the border became more and more impressive each year. Foreign merchants holding gold seals for trade even began to appear in the capital, vividly describing how the four border cities had transformed from desolate lands into bustling caravans and orderly settlements. Once again, those who had once questioned the situation were thoroughly shattered by reality.

Seeing that the situation on the border was very favorable, and that taming the barbarians and making unparalleled contributions seemed to be just around the corner, some people began to have their own ideas.

As a result, some people actually started to make moves, secretly trying to push their own people to the border, ostensibly to "share the Emperor's burdens," but in reality, they just wanted to reap the rewards halfway through.

The empress on the dragon throne simply smiled at this, and then banished the most troublesome ones to the malaria-ridden land of Lingnan.

They ostensibly declared it was to expand into the southern frontier and realize grand ambitions, allowing them to experience the true meaning of "starting from scratch."

Upon hearing Gu Qingyan mention the changes, Ling Wei's eyes immediately lit up: "When I first arrived here, it was truly desolate, and the people were struggling to make ends meet."

She picked up a sesame cake. "The officials below me, though outwardly respectful, still looked down on me, even though I was a woman. In those days, one of us had to play the good cop and the other the bad cop. Otherwise, nothing would get done."

Gu Qingyan's eyes flickered slightly: "The one playing the bad cop is..."

Before she could finish speaking, the tea and snacks in Ling Wei's hand were suddenly snatched away.

The man's warm tongue even deliberately hooked her fingertip, sending a slight shiver through her.

Ling Wei turned her head and saw Xie Zhuo standing beside her at some point. He was covered in dust but did not look disheveled at all. Instead, he exuded a wild arrogance.

He slowly swallowed the pancake, meeting Gu Qingyan's suddenly cold gaze, and a smirk appeared on his lips:

"It's me."