Chapter 23, Part 1: The Heir Apparent's Wife
Xu Qingzhou felt that perhaps his mission could still be salvaged?
Unfortunately, Yu Wanwan just smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing.
The higher-ups understood Yu Wanwan's meaning, and after her return, they didn't force her to go back to work at the research institute.
They simply sent someone to discuss with her the possibility of her helping if the research institute encountered any difficulties.
After thinking about it, Yu Wanwan agreed.
For the rest of the time, Yu Wanwan did not go out again and returned to her previous state of staying at home.
They haven't lived in that little courtyard for a long time.
But now, in this house, there is also a grape trellis, and under the grape trellis is a recliner with a palm-leaf fan on it.
That was Yu Wanwan's favorite place to stay in the summer.
The days between Xu Qingzhou and her seemed to have returned to their original state, with nothing changed.
Without Yu Wanwan's subtle guidance, technological development gradually slowed down.
But as I said before, she's not the only smart person. She's just recreating things she's seen before; she can't be considered a true researcher.
None of those researchers were idle; even without Yu Wanwan secretly helping them, their research did not stagnate.
With the foundation laid by previous technological leadership, even if development slows down, the country will still stand at the top, leaving other countries behind.
Yu Wanwan lived in this world until Xu Qingzhou passed away peacefully.
Xu Qingzhou passed away in his sleep, without experiencing any pain.
Noticing that he had left, Yu Wanwan immediately opened her eyes.
His ethereal "soul" detached from his body, glowing with faint green light.
Those were fragments of her soul.
Yu Wanwan raised her hand, and the green light, guided by him, detached from his "soul" and entered her brow.
With her soul returning to its place, Yu Wanwan felt a warm current flowing through her body, which greatly reduced the headache that had been tormenting her from time to time.
Yu Wanwan paused suddenly as she retrieved the fragments.
"Guoguo, doesn't he still owe me a favor?"
Yes, that's right!
"..."
We lost money.
Oh well, we'll see each other again anyway, let him do it next time.
Yu Wanwan did not linger and had Daoguo take her away from there.
The next day, the servants at the villa, seeing that the two had not appeared by noon, went upstairs and found the two lying side by side on the bed, silent and still.
Xu Qingzhou was the world's richest man during his lifetime. He did countless charitable deeds, genuinely helped many people, and supported the country's scientific research projects with real money.
The whole country mourned his death.
The contributions Yu Wanwan made during her lifetime, the research projects she participated in, and the various products and technologies developed and launched by her were also made public.
That impressive resume caused a worldwide uproar.
What's even more unexpected is that the two are actually husband and wife.
Yu Wanwan has always kept a low profile and has never appeared in front of the media. So much so that even when Xu Qingzhou mentioned in interviews that he had a lover, they only thought that he was using this method to reject his suitors.
At this time, students from the same year in Kyoto also came forward to tell their story.
"They were the top scorers in the first college entrance examination! But Yang Jiahui disappeared from the school later. Many people wondered where she went. Unexpectedly, she went to do scientific research."
Not only them, but also the educated youth who were in Maolin Brigade back then came out to add to the list.
"Back then, Xu Qingzhou fell in love with Yang Jiahui at first sight as soon as he arrived at Maolin Brigade. In order to pursue her, he used all sorts of tricks, such as pretending to be sick and weak, and finally won her heart!"
These words have sparked discussion and aspiration among contemporary netizens.
Fanfiction emerged one after another, and even a producer, recognizing the popularity, made a film about the two characters.
Even many years later, their love story is still talked about with great interest.
"The young master has gone too far! Miss, you shouldn't have kept it a secret for him. You should have informed the Marquis and made sure the Marquis's mansion gives us an explanation!"
As soon as Yu Wanwan opened her eyes, she was startled by a crisp, clear voice that made her dizzy.
She held her forehead, not knowing what had happened, and could only keep smiling.
"Don't make a sound."
Yu Wanwan patted the little maid's head gently.
"Let me rest for a while."
To the maid, her listless and weak appearance was the sign of extreme heartbreak.
The young maid bit her lip, her eyes reddening, but she still nodded and served her carefully.
Yu Wanwan lowered her eyes.
Fruit.
【It's here!】
This is an ancient world called Da Rui.
The former chairman, Qingyao, was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changrong.
The Earl of Changrong was a member of a collateral branch of the royal family, not included in the imperial register, and thus held no real power.
However, Changrongbo himself was quite talented, extremely learned, and fond of composing poems and couplets. He was generous in teaching and guiding the candidates, and had an excellent reputation among scholars.
Although he neither held an official position nor taught at a university, he held the honorary title of "Teacher of the World" and was highly respected by civil officials.
The Earl of Changrong had no interest in vying for power and was an upright man; the current emperor also showed him much favor.
When Xi Qingyao was sixteen, the Changrong Marquis's Mansion and the Chengqing Marquis's Mansion formed a marriage alliance and made an engagement.
Unlike the Earl of Changrong, the Marquis of Chengqing was a military man. This title of marquis was earned through generations of fighting on the battlefield.
But now, the Great Rui has developed into a dynasty, and many countries pay homage to it.
The Great Rui Dynasty enjoys favorable weather and abundant harvests, and there has long been no war. Military officials have gradually declined, and the military power they held has been gradually transferred back to the emperor in a slow and gentle manner by the current emperor.
Military officers who want to avoid being swept away by the tide of the times have no choice but to transform themselves.
Since ancient times, scholars and warriors have looked down on each other. For them to switch from military to civil service, it is not an easy thing.
No matter how prosperous the Chengqing Marquis's mansion was, it could not escape this awkward situation.
The marriage alliance with the Changrong Marquis's family was a political one.
Marquis Chengqing could leverage the reputation of Earl Changrong among scholars to subtly transform his descendants from military to civil officials, while the Earl Changrong's family could also benefit from the Marquis Chengqing's family, ensuring its continued prosperity for generations to come.
Xi Qingyao was very smart. She understood the implications from the beginning, so she neither expected nor disliked the marriage.
At the age of seventeen, she married Xu Qingzhou, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Chengqing, and became his consort.
The couple didn't have much affection for each other, but they treated each other with respect.
Unexpectedly, just one month after the wedding, Xi Qingyao discovered that the young master had an ambiguous relationship with Xiaotang, a renowned courtesan at Zuixianlou.
As the wife, Xi Qingyao still tried to persuade the young master to behave himself and not to frequent brothels. However, she did not expect that the young master would become angry and disgusted with her.
After that, the young master met with Xiaotang even more frequently. He even made no attempt to hide it, brazenly carrying betrothal gifts to Zuixianlou, wanting to take her as his concubine.
You should know that a concubine is just a slave and has to sign a contract of servitude, but a noble concubine can be removed from the slave register and included in the family genealogy.
When Xi Qingyao learned of this news, she was so angry that she almost fell backwards.
For a noble family to allow a woman from a brothel to become their concubine and be included in the family genealogy is utterly laughable!
Without a second thought, she rushed over with her men to try and stop the young master's outrageous behavior.
Unfortunately, before she could stop her, Xiaotang rejected the young master herself, declaring that she would rather be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine.
The young master was even more impressed by her character, feeling that she had integrity and that even after being rejected in front of so many people and losing face, she remained devoted to her.
Even though Xi Qingyao thought he was crazy, she could only coax him and swallow her anger.
However, no matter where Xi Qingyao went after that, she would always run into Xiaotang. Even though she didn't want to get involved with her and tried her best to avoid her, she would always be discovered by the young master for no reason. He felt that she was bullying Xiaotang. The young master did not listen to Xi Qingyao's explanation at all, and the relationship between the couple dropped to a freezing point.
Finally, at a banquet, Xiaotang attended as a courtesan. During the banquet, Xiaotang fell into the water and insisted that Xi Qingyao pushed her. The young master believed Xiaotang without even checking and gave her a letter of divorce.
Unable to bear the humiliation and to avoid implicating the reputation of other women in the Earl's mansion, Xi Qingyao cut off her hair and became a nun, spending her days with only the company of the Buddha and the lamp.
By the time Marquis Chengqing learned of this, it was too late.
The relationship between the Marquis of Changrong and the Marquis of Chengqing deteriorated rapidly. However, the young master was still arrogant and thought he was so talented that he could pass the imperial examination even without the Marquis of Changrong. He showed no remorse and even married Xiaotang with great fanfare shortly after Xi Qingyao became a nun.
The rest of the story... is self-evident; the young master inevitably paid the price for his irrational behavior.
Marquis Chengqing completely abandoned him and instead raised his illegitimate son. He lost his position as heir apparent and his official post. In the end, he discovered that Xiaotang was not sincere towards him either. He was separated from his wife and children and abandoned by everyone. At the last moment of his life, he suddenly realized his mistake.
Then, Xu Qingzhou appeared.
The scene at this moment was when the young master was making a big show of taking Xiaotang back to be his concubine, and Xi Qingyao rushed over to stop him.
The maidservant beside her was named Tinglan, who had come with Xi Qingyao as part of her dowry. There was also a maidservant named Xueya, who was waiting in the Marquis's mansion in case of any emergency.
Yu Wanwan thought about when Xu Qingzhou appeared in this world, and suddenly became interested, so she lifted the carriage curtain to take a look.
How much longer until we arrive?
"Princess Consort, it'll be ready soon!"
"Um."
Yu Wanwan lowered the carriage curtain and leaned against the carriage with a smile.
Tsk, Xu Qingzhou in this world appeared right when the young master was asking Yue Ji for her hand in marriage.
I'm really looking forward to it.
【Wanwan, you're so naughty!】
Same here.
Tinglan felt that her young lady seemed a little different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
"Miss? Are you alright?"
Yu Wanwan took a sip of tea and raised an eyebrow.
This tea leaves a pleasant fragrance in the mouth upon tasting, with little bitterness.
Truly befitting a marquis's residence.
"It's nothing."
Tinglan pursed her lips, not knowing what else to say, and simply served her carefully.
Soon, we arrived at Zuixianlou.
When their carriage arrived, a large crowd had already gathered outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, all watching and making a noisy commotion, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion.
Yu Wanwan lifted the carriage curtain, and she could see right through the throng of people to the very back.
There, dressed in expensive clothes and looking dashing, the young master was gazing affectionately at the entrance of Zuixianlou.
"They're out! They're out!"
Inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, a slender figure was walking slowly towards them.
Yu Wanwan also looked up at that person.
The woman who emerged was dressed in a moon-white long dress, with a belt around her waist that accentuated her already slender waist, making her appear even more delicate and fragile.
As her figure moved forward, her face, which had been hidden under the eaves, was gradually revealed in the sunlight.
Beneath her arched willow-leaf eyebrows, her almond-shaped eyes seemed to be veiled in mist, with slightly upturned corners that exuded a touch of charm. Her nose, however, was round and delicate, revealing a charming and innocent air that suppressed the alluring look of her upturned eyes.
This is Xiaotang, the girl who haunted the young master's dreams.
She is a rare beauty.
Tinglan spat out a mouthful of saliva, her face full of indignation.
"You have such a vixen-like face! Shameless!"
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