Chapter 85 Determined to Win
Li Wan'er was stunned, as if struck by lightning. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she stammered, "Brother Xiuming, didn't you say that even if I'm a concubine, I'll be your only woman, the only wife in your heart? Are you going to break your promise and marry another girl?"
Gu Xiuming quickly shook his head and promised again, "Wan'er, I will not marry. It's just that you are a concubine, and it's not proper for you to live in the main room." After saying that, he tried to justify himself, "I cannot disobey the orders of my elders. Wan'er has always been understanding, she will understand me, right?"
Li Wan'er's face turned pale, her slender body swayed precariously, and she collapsed into Gu Xiuming's arms. She understood that this was not Xiuming's intention, but rather that the elders of the Gu family looked down on her. She nodded slightly, and two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.
For the first time, she realized that being a concubine in a wealthy family was not easy. When the neighbors learned that she was about to become the concubine of the Marquis of Changxing's heir, they all said that she was lucky, that her suffering was finally over, and that she would enjoy a life of luxury and wealth, becoming a person above others.
Now that she has truly become a concubine, she realizes that even if her brother Xiuming doesn't marry, she won't have a good life. In front of the Gu family, she is ultimately inferior, and anyone can trample on her self-esteem.
Gu Xiuming held the girl tightly, his heart aching as he saw her distress. At this moment, he deeply understood that as long as he failed to become the Marquis of Changxing, the title might not fall into his hands, and his beloved girl would suffer as well.
Regardless of the circumstances, he was determined to secure his position as heir apparent and inherit the title of Marquis of Changxing. He was determined to obtain it.
His gaze was firm and deep. He gently patted Li Wan'er's back and said in a soft voice, "Wan'er, I haven't returned from the academy. You stay in Qingyuxuan and don't go out easily. That way, no one can make things difficult for you."
Li Wan'er nodded gently. Even without Xiu Ming's instruction, she wouldn't leave the courtyard casually, otherwise she would inevitably be humiliated if she encountered other members of the Gu family.
Not long after, a maid came in and reported, "Young Master, Madam has sent a maid over, saying she will teach Concubine Li manners."
Gu Xiuming frowned, feeling that Meng Jinyao was humiliating Wan'er by sending a random maid instead of a proper matron. There were maids like Qingyuxuan who knew the rules, but he couldn't vent his anger now, so he could only patiently say, "Go and bring her in."
The maidservant acknowledged and withdrew.
A moment later, Chunliu entered the room and bowed to Gu Xiuming with neither servility nor arrogance: "This servant greets the young master and Aunt Li."
When Gu Xiuming saw that the person who came was Chunliu, he was slightly taken aback. He recognized Chunliu. She was the head maid in his father's courtyard and was very popular in the Marquis's mansion. Even he had to give her some face. He put on a smile and said gently, "Miss Chunliu, I'm entrusting Wan'er to you. Please take good care of her."
Chunliu smiled faintly and replied, "Young Master, what are you saying? It's all what this servant should do."
Seeing that Chunliu was still carrying her bundle, Gu Xiuming assumed she was going to stay at Qingyuxuan. He quickly instructed the maid to arrange Chunliu's accommodations according to the standards for a first-class maid.
After Chunliu left, Li Wan'er was surprised by his good attitude towards Chunliu and asked in confusion, "Brother Xiuming, Chunliu is just a maid, but I saw that you treated her much better than the other maids in the courtyard."
Gu Xiuming instructed, "That's my father's head maid. I usually give her some face when I see her. You must learn the proper etiquette from her and not neglect her in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, Li Wan'er immediately became nervous. If she didn't learn well, her elders would definitely be even more dissatisfied with her. This time, she had to perform well no matter what.
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Wei Rui Xuan.
Hearing footsteps, Meng Jinyao looked up and saw the tall figure enter. The man, who rarely showed his emotions, had a cold and sullen face, looking like he was still angry. It was clear that he was quite annoyed by Gu Xiuming.
That's normal, though. With a son like Gu Xiuming, which father wouldn't be angry?
As Gu Jingxi entered the room, a faint aroma of tea wafted over him. Looking up, he saw a young girl sitting at the tea table, leisurely sipping her tea, looking quite content.
Their eyes met, and Meng Jinyao picked up a clean, empty teacup, poured herself a cup of tea, and said gently, "Husband, why don't you have a cup of tea to calm down?"
"Then I, your husband, shall accept this offer without hesitation."
Gu Jingxi moved to sit opposite her, picked up the teacup and smelled it. The tea soup was fresh and mellow, with a rich aroma. He took another sip of the tea soup, and it was refreshing and sweet.
Meng Jinyao asked, "How is it?"
Gu Jingxi gave a positive review: "Good tea. I didn't know that my wife could brew such good tea."
Meng Jinyao raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "There are many things my husband doesn't know."
The little girl raised her eyebrows and tilted her chin slightly, looking rather proud. Her lively and spirited appearance was finally in line with her actual age.
Gu Jingxi smiled gently: "It's because I don't understand you well enough."
Meng Jinyao put down her teacup, propped her chin on her hand, and looked at him with interest, asking, "Husband, you seem to be in a bad mood. Did our eldest son upset you?"
Gu Jingxi retorted, "Does Madam know the answer already?"
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao was not surprised and gently comforted him, "Husband, don't be anxious. Xiuming is still a child. We can educate him slowly. Why are you getting angry with a child?"
Gu Jingxi glanced at her: "Gu Xiuming is two months older than you."
"So what if he's two months older than me? He's still my son," Meng Jinyao said with a smile, then asked, "How did you educate him when you called him to the study?"
“He wasn’t really disciplined, but for a long time he didn’t dare to make any fools of himself.” Gu Jingxi gently swirled his teacup, looking at the pale green tea ripples in the cup, his gaze unfathomable.
Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback, lost in thought. She guessed that Gu Jingxi must have said something to intimidate Gu Xiuming. Seeing how disappointed Gu Jingxi was in Gu Xiuming, she figured that if he had another child, Gu Xiuming would probably have no chance of becoming the heir apparent.
After a moment, Gu Jingxi asked, "Madam, Mother asked you to send someone to teach Concubine Li etiquette and manners. Do you have someone in mind?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "I've already sent Chunliu over there. She'll be back once Aunt Li has learned the manners."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly: "That's good then."
At this moment, Xia Zhu came in and reported, "My lord, Zhou Yun has arrived and says he has something to report."
Zhou Yun was Gu Jingxi's personal attendant. Anyone who came to Wei Rui Xuan to find him must have something urgent to say. He stood up and said to Meng Jinyao, "Madam, I won't be back for lunch. Please make yourself at noon."
Meng Jinyao was also very understanding: "Husband, go ahead and do your work."
Gu Jingxi left in a hurry, and soon it was lunchtime. Meng Jinyao finished her lunch alone, rested for a while, and then went out to meet her friend.
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