"The Empress Dowager sent me to ask you if you want to go home for the New Year. If you do, she will send someone to take you back and then bring you back after the New Year."
Guo Siyuan paused in her hand holding the book when she heard Xie Zhiqing's words. "Sir, I won't be going back."
"You..."
Xie Zhiqing sighed helplessly again, "Then this year, I'm afraid it will just be you and me at Lingyun Garden for the New Year."
“Siyuan, the Spring Festival is the most important day of the year. You should go back and visit.” Siyuan is long gone and homeless, but Siyuan is different. Her parents are still alive.
“Master, my home is far away, and it takes several days to travel back and forth. I can’t stay at home for long before I have to come back.” Guo Siyuan’s tone was firm. “It would be my honor to spend the New Year with you, Master.”
"Fine, whatever you want. Just remember to get some rest."
Hearing this, Xie Zhiqing stopped trying to persuade her and quietly left the house.
Inside the room, after Xie Zhiqing left, Guo Siyuan didn't turn a single page of the book in her hands.
"Child, we really don't have the money to send you to school anymore. How about this, have your brother teach you to read every time he comes back?"
"Siyuan, your brother finally came back for a visit. Instead of letting him rest properly, you keep dragging him to teach you to read. You're really inconsiderate."
"Whose little girl is this? She's even writing on the mud with a twig. I must say, her handwriting is actually quite good."
“Siyuan, Lord Chen appreciates you and has given you a job. You must follow Lord Chen well. If it weren’t for your mother and me supporting your studies and teaching you to read, you wouldn’t have the good fortune you have now.”
Scenes from the past flashed through Guo Siyuan's mind, and her hands trembled slightly.
She was grateful to her parents for giving her the opportunity to read and write, but they were also the ones who deprived her of that right.
During the years she worked for Lord Chen, she gave her entire monthly salary to her family.
She didn't blame her parents, but at such a critical moment, she didn't want to go home.
In that case, let's stay at Lingyun Garden.
"Miss, please drink the ginseng soup quickly."
Guo Siyuan nodded upon hearing this and drank the ginseng soup in her bowl in one gulp.
......
The next day, Kui Ruo was summoned to the palace.
"What business does the Empress Dowager have summoned me to the palace?"
Jiang Yu rarely summoned Wei Ruo alone, so when Wei Ruo arrived at Zhaoning Palace, her heart trembled.
"Well, I heard that you specially renovated the backyard a few months ago. You should have gotten married long ago. I want to find a wife for you myself, so I wanted to ask what kind you like?"
In an instant, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over Kui Ruo's body, chilling her to the bone.
"What kind of thing is it? Your Majesty asks me this, but I am not quite sure how to answer."
Kui Ruo tried his best to maintain a smile on his face. Even after so many years, he still couldn't calm his emotions.
"Do you prefer someone calm and collected or someone more lively? Someone martial or someone who can compose poetry with you?" Jiang Yu laughed. "These are all options you can choose from, but of course, the girl has to agree first."
"I cannot insist on arranging a marriage for you without considering the girl's wishes."
"That's natural."
Kui Ruo's lips were pale. "I believe that Your Majesty's choice must be excellent, so I will leave the decision entirely to Your Majesty."
"How can this be allowed?"
Jiang Yu quickly waved her hand, "Go back and think it over carefully, at least give me a general idea."
Kui Ruo nodded upon hearing this, and then chatted with Jiang Yu for a few more minutes.
As she got up to leave, she happened to run into Granny Ling carrying in some medicine. Wei Ruo's expression immediately changed. "Is Your Highness unwell?"
"Prime Minister Kui, this..."
Ling Mama hesitated, unsure whether to tell Wei Ruo Jiang Yu that she was pregnant.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Yu slowly walked over. "I am fine. This is medicine prescribed by Mei Chu to help prevent miscarriage."
"Medicine to prevent miscarriage?"
Upon hearing Jiang Yu's words, Wei Ruo's mind went blank for a moment before she immediately knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you on the birth of your son."
"Thank you. The baby in my womb is only three months old, and the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor do not wish for the world to know about it too early."
"Your Majesty understands, and I will keep this message safe."
"Alright, how could I not trust you?"
On her way back to the manor, Wei Ruo was practically floating. After the manor gates closed, her straight back bent completely.
"Warm up some wine."
"Sir, it's daylight outside. Come inside and have a drink."
Kui Ruo shook her head. "No, we'll drink in the pavilion."
The wind howled as Wei Ruo poured one glass of wine after another into her stomach, the image of Jiang Yu's happy smile appearing before her eyes.
The Empress is living a very happy life now. The Emperor Emeritus treats her very well, the Emperor is filial, and now she is pregnant again. It couldn't be better.
"Some things should be let go."
Kui Ruo murmured softly, raising her wine glass high towards the sky.
"Father, Mother, I know what I should do, but I just... can't get over this hurdle in my heart." Wei Ruo's voice was choked with emotion, but if he continued to dwell on the past, the Emperor Emeritus would not allow it.
That ruthless man had little patience for him.
"Never mind."
That night, Wei Ruo got completely drunk again. The servant pulled her back into the room with both hands and feet. Looking at Wei Ruo's drunken face, the servant couldn't help but sigh.
The master usually doesn't like to drink heavily, but whenever it involves the Empress Dowager, he gets completely drunk.
But she was, after all, the Empress Dowager...
One careless move could lead to death.
The next day, after sobering up, Wei Ruo wrote down her "preferences" for Jiang Yu, and as a thank you, she also presented him with a warm jade that felt gentle to the touch.
It is most suitable for pregnant women to play with.
Zhaoning Palace.
"I never would have guessed that the Master would like this type of woman."
Gu Qingyan couldn't help but click his tongue as he read it, "The first rule is that one cannot marry the daughter of an official of the sixth rank or above in the imperial court."
"I'm afraid she doesn't want to get involved in factional disputes. The Zhong family's affairs probably left a considerable psychological scar on Wei Ruo." Jiang Yu shook her head. Back then, when Wei Ruo left the Zhong family to live alone, she also suffered a lot.
"Oh, Ayan," Jiang Yu's voice suddenly rose, "what do you think about us arranging a marriage for me with a woman from Lingyun Garden?"
"Does Mother mean that next March, a marriage will be arranged for the gentleman among the girls from the high school?"
“Yes, this way the two of them have a basis for communication, and it also meets Wei Ruo’s requirements. I think it’s excellent.” The more Jiang Yu thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She quickly began to flip through the booklets of Lingyun Garden.
Gu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
It seems... to be quite good.
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