Chapter 268 The Man's Change of Heart
The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
When Gu Xiuming returned, it was already evening. When he arrived at Qingyuxuan, he saw Li Wan'er looking up at him from under the eaves. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up, she smiled, and walked gracefully toward him.
He suddenly felt a little guilty. Wan'er's heart and eyes were full of him. He had also thought about spending his whole life with Wan'er. Although Wan'er was a concubine, he would never marry.
But reality dealt him another blow. His father and mother were right. He did need a wife of equal social standing to help him secure his position as heir, and he also needed a legitimate son to please his grandmother. The son born to Wan'er was far less important to his grandmother than the legitimate son.
Li Wan'er affectionately took his arm and said gently and considerately, "Brother Xiuming, are you hungry? I'll have someone prepare the meal right away. Tonight we'll have your favorite steamed sea bass."
Gu Xiuming was still thinking about getting married and didn't hear what she said.
Li Wan'er called out again, "Brother Xiuming?"
Gu Xiuming then came to his senses and asked blankly, "Wan'er, what's wrong?"
Seeing his absent-minded look, Li Wan'er asked in confusion, "What are you thinking about? You're so engrossed that you didn't even hear what I was saying."
Gu Xiuming shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm hungry, have someone prepare the meal."
He was unwilling to talk about it, so Li Wan'er didn't press him further for fear of upsetting him. She nodded and said "okay," then went to instruct the maid to prepare the meal.
Looking at his beloved's graceful figure, Gu Xiuming felt increasingly guilty, and also somewhat ashamed. However, he could still distinguish between what was more important and what was less important. If he were not the heir apparent and could not inherit the title in the future, Wan'er would also have to suffer with him. He had no choice but to do this, and it was also for their future.
Wan'er is so innocent. He will find a gentle and generous wife so that Wan'er will not suffer. After that, he will not have any other women. One wife and one concubine are enough. He married his wife out of necessity, but his heart belongs to Wan'er.
After dinner, Gu Xiuming suddenly asked, "Wan'er, how would you feel if you had another sister?"
Li Wan'er trusted him quite a bit and didn't think the worst. She assumed he was talking about normal sisters, so she smiled and replied, "I think it's great. If I could have more sisters, they could talk to me and help me relieve boredom."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiuming secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the unease he felt about betraying his beloved was soothed. He thought to himself that he would marry a gentle and virtuous wife, and Wan'er would surely accept it. With a harmonious marriage, he would have much less to worry about.
As for how to get married?
He had a bit of a headache. Marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers. He had told Gu Jingxi that if Wan'er became a concubine, he would never marry and would only want Wan'er. If he changed his mind now and told Gu Jingxi that he wanted to marry, Gu Jingxi probably wouldn't agree, since Gu Jingxi wanted to groom his fourth brother to be the heir apparent.
As for Meng Jinyao, although she is his nominal mother, she certainly doesn't want him to have a good life and would never arrange a marriage for him.
His grandmother had a bond with him, but if he told her about this, she would definitely tell Gu Jingxi and his wife to arrange his marriage. Even if they verbally agreed, they wouldn't put their heart into it. Who knows what kind of wife they would choose for him, and in the end, they would ruin him.
Therefore, it would be better for him to find a wife himself, plan slowly and steadily, and wait until the time is right and the girl is determined to marry him. Then he will have succeeded.
-
As night fell, Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi returned to the Marquis's residence.
Just as the couple was about to pass through the moon gate, they heard Zhou Yun's voice behind them. They stopped and turned around to see Zhou Yun walking quickly toward them, as if he had something urgent to report.
Zhou Yun bowed to the couple and then reported, "My lord, Yu Chuan has something to report and is waiting in the study."
Yu Chuan?
Gu Jingxi frowned slightly, then nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
As he spoke, he headed towards the study in the front yard to see Yu Chuan. He glanced at his young wife, lost in thought, and felt that there were some things she needed to know. So he said gently, "A Yao, come with me."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao looked up at him in astonishment, utterly perplexed: "Husband, you have important business to attend to. Wouldn't it be obstructing our official duties if I went with you? I'd better go back to Weirui Pavilion and wait for you."
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly: "It doesn't matter. I think there are some things you should know."
Meng Jinyao glanced at him with a puzzled expression, genuinely unable to think of any use she could possibly have. She knew nothing about solving cases, but since he had said so, she would go along and see.
Upon arriving at the study in the front courtyard, Meng Jinyao saw a young man dressed in black standing at the door. The young man looked younger than Zhou Yun, and seemed to be about the same age as her. He must be Yu Chuan, whom Zhou Yun had mentioned.
Upon seeing the couple, Yu Chuan quickly stepped forward to greet them, saying, "This humble servant greets the Marquis and his wife."
Gu Jingxi waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite, and then led his wife into the study.
Yu Chuan followed closely behind and closed the study door behind him.
Gu Jingxi pulled his wife down to sit, looked at Yu Chuan, and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
Yu Chuan replied, "My lord, the young master met his biological parents today."
Meng Jinyao was slightly surprised, but quickly realized it was normal. Gu Xiuming, that unfilial son, never regarded Gu Jingxi as his father. Otherwise, why would he repeatedly disobey his teachings? Now that his biological parents have come to the capital, they must have a good reunion.
Gu Jingxi didn't seem to care and asked casually, "And then?"
Yu Chuan recounted how Gu Jingze and Madam Kong had advised Gu Xiuming to marry a woman from a respectable family to solidify his position as heir apparent and to have a legitimate son to win over the old lady. He then told the story of how Gu Xiuming was successfully persuaded.
Gu Jingxi remained silent for a moment before instructing, "Keep an eye on the young master. If he tries to harm innocent girls to achieve his goal, don't ask me for permission. Just stop him directly, and don't be afraid of revealing your identity."
Yu Chuan nodded in response: "Yes, Your Excellency."
Gu Jingxi then said, "If there's nothing else, you may leave now."
Yu Chuan acknowledged and withdrew.
The large study was now empty except for Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao.
Meng Jinyao was suddenly struck by a piece of big news, and her mind was momentarily overwhelmed. She asked in astonishment, "Husband, didn't he say that he would only choose one woman from among many, and that even if Consort Li couldn't be his wife, he would take her as a concubine instead of marrying a wife? How long has it been, and he's already changed his mind?"
Gu Jingxi fiddled with the sachet at his waist and said slowly, "He probably thought he was indispensable as the heir, so he acted recklessly and did whatever he wanted. Now that he has a sense of crisis, he knows how to weigh the pros and cons."
Meng Jinyao scoffed and mocked, "I thought he loved Aunt Li so much that he ran away from the marriage for her, disregarding the family's reputation. In the end, he's nothing but a hypocrite. He changed his promises so easily."
Gu Jingxi shook his head and smiled: "The love we once had was real, but people's hearts are fickle and it's hard to keep one's original intentions. Driven by desires, things can become unrecognizable. The white moonlight of the past can gradually turn into frost on the ground, and in the end, we might even blame each other."
As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes, a cold glint appearing in them, and said in a low voice, "Let him do whatever he wants."
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