Chapter 284 A Beginning of Regret
After prescribing a medicinal bath for Meng Jinyao, Physician Wen left.
There was quite a distance between Wei Rui Xuan and the front gate of the Marquis's residence. While seeing off Imperial Physician Wen, Gu Jingxi also planned to ask whether the quack doctor's medicine was effective or not.
However, before he could speak, just as he stepped out of Wei Rui Xuan, Imperial Physician Wen asked meaningfully, "My Lord, have you tried that 'good medicine'?"
Gu Jingxi paused, gave him a look, but didn't reply.
Imperial Physician Wen couldn't quite tell whether he had tried it or not, but seeing how serious Lord Gu was, he figured he probably hadn't tried it. So he asked cautiously, "Lord Gu hasn't tried it yet?"
Gu Jingxi narrowed his eyes and slowly uttered two words: "Tried it."
Upon hearing this, Physician Wen's eyes lit up immediately, and with a hint of surprise, he asked with a smile, "Will that 'good medicine' work?"
Gu Jingxi's face was tense: "What do you think?"
Physician Wen glanced at him, and seeing his expression as if someone owed him 100,000 taels of silver, he knew that there was not much reaction. He quickly comforted him, "My lord, it is normal that it does not work the first time. After all, this is not a magic pill. Why don't you try harder and try a few more times?"
Gu Jingxi increasingly felt that he was like an unprofessional quack doctor.
Fearing he might be discouraged, Physician Wen added to his confidence: "My lord, I have improved the prescription. I am 90% confident that your illness can be cured. As long as you follow the doctor's orders and don't give up halfway this time, it can be cured."
Gu Jingxi then gave a lukewarm "hmm".
Doctor Wen: "..."
Does this mean they believe in his medical skills, or they don't?
After seeing Physician Wen to the door, Gu Jingxi returned to Wei Rui Xuan and saw his wife looking dejected, sitting there holding a hot water bottle and sighing. He felt both sorry for her and amused, and comforted her, "A medicinal bath is good, at least you don't have to drink medicine."
Meng Jinyao rolled her eyes at him: "Didn't you hear what Physician Wen said? You still have to drink the medicine you were taking before. If you drink medicine for too long, other people can smell the medicine. If you add a medicinal bath, it will be completely absorbed into your body. You can smell it from far away. How am I supposed to go out to attend banquets then?"
"It's not that exaggerated." Gu Jingxi patted her head. "No one will say anything to you at home. If you feel uncomfortable when you go out, just take a shower and you won't smell."
Meng Jinyao: "..."
What else could she say? She was only sixteen, but she acted like a sixty-year-old woman, taking medicine every day.
This deepened her resentment towards her family, for she owed their help in securing her health.
After a moment, she waved her hand, signaling the maid to leave, and then asked, "By the way, our son's biological father and mother have been urging him to marry a proper wife. Has he taken any action these days?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "There have been actions, but there hasn't been any substantial progress yet."
Meng Jinyao then asked, "What do you mean by 'no substantial progress'?"
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "The girls he likes, who are of equal social standing, keep their distance from him. The girls he doesn't like, who are of lower social standing and want to climb the social ladder, are the ones who want to get close to him."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was only slightly taken aback, but not particularly surprised.
A man who can run away from his wedding day and spoil his concubine rotten is very likely to spoil his concubine and destroy his wife in the future. Most girls raised by wealthy families are clear-headed. If they have such family background, why would they rush to find a husband like Gu Xiuming?
Only those from low social standing who want to find a better future through marriage would not mind Gu Xiuming's behavior. This is because they only care about Gu Xiuming's ruined reputation. Girls of equal social standing would not want Gu Xiuming and would only want to take advantage of the situation to become the wife of a prince, not Gu Xiuming himself.
Once a woman marries a man based on his family background and gives birth to a legitimate son, Gu Xiuming becomes useless, and he can do whatever he wants with which concubine he prefers.
-
That night, at Qingyuxuan.
Gu Xiuming lay on his bed, unable to fall asleep, troubled by the matter of marrying a proper wife. In order to find a suitable wife for himself, he recently attended several poetry gatherings. There were also girls at the poetry gatherings, some of whom were talented and invited to participate, and some who came with their brothers to broaden their horizons.
Besides poetry gatherings, he also attended some flower appreciation banquets. These banquets would feature talented men and women who would compose poems on the theme of a particular flower and appreciate each other's work.
Unfortunately, these banquets were of no use. Before, when he had a fiancée, it was normal for the girls to keep their distance from him to avoid suspicion. But now that he doesn't have a fiancée, the girls still keep their distance from him. They are even afraid of spreading rumors about him if they talk to him for a few more words.
Could it be because of Wan'er?
Gu Xiuming glanced at the girl lying beside him. She was beautiful and graceful, with a gentle and kind nature. She was the one he loved, but now he felt a little irritated by her and a trace of regret welled up in his heart. If he hadn't run away from the wedding back then, he probably wouldn't be having any trouble now.
But when the girl beside him called out "Brother Xiuming" in a soft, sweet voice, the regret in his heart instantly vanished. He was not willing to marry a woman like Meng Jinyao.
Li Wan'er called out again, "Brother Xiuming?"
Gu Xiuming asked, "What's wrong?"
Li Wan'er asked in confusion, "Brother Xiuming, what are you thinking about? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Gu Xiuming replied, "It's nothing, I'm just thinking about some things and I'm feeling a bit irritable."
Li Wan'er, being understanding, said, "What's troubling you? Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can give you some advice."
Gu Xiuming looked at Li Wan'er for a while, thinking that Wan'er was a young lady and should know how to get close to other young ladies, so he said, "I have a classmate, he..." He stopped halfway through his sentence, afraid that the young lady would think of something because she was sensitive, so he changed the subject, "Never mind, it's other people's business, so I won't say anything, lest he complain that I can't control my mouth."
Hearing him say that, Li Wan'er didn't ask any further questions. She simply said, "Brother Xiuming, we can't interfere in other people's business. Let's not worry about other people's affairs. It's already very late. Let's go to sleep."
Gu Xiuming: "Okay, go to sleep."
Li Wan'er leaned shyly into his arms, wrapping her arms around him, her meaning clear: she was asking for pleasure.
Gu Xiuming stiffened. Ever since he said he wanted to have a child as soon as possible to consolidate his position, Wan'er had become much more proactive, and she took her fertility medication every day without fail. But now he didn't want to have a child with Wan'er so soon. At least he wanted to wait until his wife entered the family and they had a legitimate son.
In this matter, Father and Mother are right. If the eldest son was born before the main wife entered the family, the girls of equal social standing would be even less willing to marry him. How could he then secure his position as heir apparent and win over his grandmother's heart so that she could help him stop Gu Jingxi from adopting his fourth brother to compete with him for the position of heir apparent?
He looked at Wan'er, who had a sweet smile in his arms, and felt a little tempted when her soft body pressed against him. However, reason prevailed, and he ruthlessly pulled Wan'er's hands away. Doing this too often could easily lead to pregnancy.
Seeing Wan'er's blank expression, he said gently, "Wan'er, stop making a fuss and go to sleep."
Although Li Wan'er was disappointed, she couldn't force herself to say she wanted it. In recent days, her brother Xiuming had rejected her several times. She wondered if it was because he was too tired from studying and that he wasn't good at that kind of thing. He was willing but unable to do it.
However, if it's not working when they're young and full of energy, wouldn't it be even worse if they waited any longer? She needs someone to make some aphrodisiac tonic soup, otherwise she doesn't know how long they'll have to wait before they can have a child.
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