Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Jiang Heng didn't dispute the man's words; if he said it was concern, then so be it.

By late April, the weather had grown rather warm. Since bathing at the government office was inconvenient, Gu Yu carried a strong scent of sweat. Jiang Heng rested against his chest for a moment before pushing against him to lift her head, only to be pressed down again as he lowered his head.

Jiang Heng was shorter, so Gu Yu often had to lift her to kiss her. Usually, he would hold her by the waist, but today, perhaps caught up in the moment, he picked her up completely, raising her higher than his shoulders.

To steady herself, Jiang Heng had to wrap her legs around his waist, and she could immediately feel his arousal—his reactions were always swift. Whenever he held her close, she could feel his desire ignite almost instantly.

He stood firm and tall like a pine, steadily supporting her as he kissed her deeply, one hand holding the back of her neck, while carrying her toward the inner chambers.

Jiang Heng struggled slightly, noticing that the man felt even more solid and firm than before.

Once they reached the bed, he laid her down and pressed down on her.

But then, he suddenly rose again.

Jiang Heng felt the weight lift off her and was momentarily surprised.

Given his earlier urgency, she had expected him to be impatient, as he often was, not even bothering to remove clothes… Why had he gotten up?

Just as she wondered, she felt a firm grip around her ankle—his hand had grabbed her.

Then, he removed her cloud-patterned embroidered shoes and pulled off her socks.

His gaze fell quietly but intently upon her feet.

There was no part of her body he hadn’t seen before, except her feet, which he had never paid much attention to until now.

Her feet were just as lovely.

As Gu Yu stared at them, his brow suddenly furrowed, and his grip tightened unconsciously, giving him the urge to take up his blade and kill again.

Jiang Heng tried to pull her foot back and let out a soft cry of pain. Immediately, Gu Yu loosened his hold.

He felt no regret over killing those two men. How could they, in the esteemed Ministry of Justice, devise such punishments—and use them on an innocent woman?

Were her feet something they had any right to see or touch?

He parted her feet and pressed against her once more.

As their clothes came off, the sweat odor became stronger. Jiang Heng said nothing, quietly holding her breath.

She knew he had held back for seven or eight days and likely couldn’t hold back any longer. Well then… she could put up with it for his sake.

But then it occurred to her: whenever he started, it always lasted a long time. Having held back for over a week, would he stop easily?

Jiang Heng sniffed, frowned, and let out a soft breath, pushing her foot against his firm abdomen, using what little strength she had to keep him from entering her.

Yet her hands gently cupped his face, tracing his handsome features as she said softly, "Husband, there’s something I want to tell you."

"Speak," he replied, reaching again to part her legs and pulling her closer.

"Promise you won’t get angry," she said, a slight smile touching the corners of her eyes, trying to coax him.

"Mm," he hummed, deliberately moving against her to arouse her.

"You smell… unpleasant."

Gu Yu went completely still.

He instinctively wanted to smell himself, but reason stopped him—he couldn’t appear sloppy in front of her, nor could he let self-doubt undermine his confidence.

After a moment of stiffness, he decisively stood up, calmly dressed himself, and walked out of the inner chambers with his usual dignified posture, as though completely unbothered by her comment, his demeanor unshaken.

Quite some time passed, and Gu Yu still hadn’t returned from the washroom.

Normally, he bathed quickly, finishing in no more than fifteen minutes. This time, however, half an hour had gone by and he still hadn't emerged.

Had he become angry again and gone to his study instead?

Was he really that thin-skinned, unable to take even a little honesty? Was she not allowed to mention his sweat? It wasn’t as if she minded it that much…

Thinking to herself, Jiang Heng got up and put on her shoes, planning to check the study. If he had indeed gone there, she wouldn’t wait for him.

As she stepped out, she bumped into Cheng Ping.

"Madam, the master has been in the washroom for over half an hour. Could he have… fallen asleep in there?"

Cheng Ping had also noticed something unusual about Gu Yu. But since Gu Yu never allowed attendants during his baths, she didn’t dare disturb him and could only report to Jiang Heng.

"I’ll go check."

As Jiang Heng approached the washroom, she detected the fresh scent of soap. Pushing the door open, the fragrance grew stronger. From the doorway to the screen, the stone floor was wet, scattered with soap bubbles that hadn’t been fully rinsed away.

Rounding the screen, she saw Gu Yu soaking in the bathtub. The water surface was invisible, covered by a layer of soap foam thicker than cotton.

Soap did produce lather, but normally it would only form a thin layer—not enough to fill half the tub and spill over.

How much had he used…?

"Why are you washing for so…" Jiang Heng began, but before she could finish, she noticed Gu Yu still holding a half-used bar of soap, rubbing it on himself. Seeing her, he paused, clutched the soap in his hand, and tossed it into the tub.

Normally, when bathing alone, he didn’t use a tub—he preferred pouring water over himself with a bucket.

Jiang Heng pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh and said, "Alright, hurry up and finish washing."

Afraid he might get any ideas in there, she quickly retreated from the washroom and returned to the main chamber ahead of him.

Another quarter of an hour passed before Gu Yu finally returned. The moment he stepped inside, Rui Zhu and Chun Jin, who were attending the room, instinctively sniffed the air. They were about to exclaim, "How fragrant!" but caught Jiang Heng subtly shaking her head, signaling them to stay silent.

The two tactfully withdrew.

Gu Yu had changed into fresh clothes. His wardrobe wasn’t particularly varied—mostly dark colors, or the purple appropriate for his official rank. However, he usually preferred dark robes, wearing purple only for court audiences or formal duties.

Yet now, ready to retire for the night, he was dressed in a purple robe.

Jiang Heng couldn’t help but smile, realizing that he had taken all his spring garments to the office—this was the only clean, perfumed set left at home.

His demeanor was always cool and detached, but now, freshly washed and refreshed, he resembled a piece of cold, carved jade, as if not of this world.

He glanced at Jiang Heng, lifted her, and carried her into the inner chambers. When he pressed down upon her, the fragrance from his hair was even stronger than that on his body—and it was the same scent, the smell of soap.

Uncertain, Jiang Heng sniffed again, suppressing a laugh. Had he really used soap to wash his hair as well?

He pressed down on her like a mountain, completely engulfing the woman.

"Still smelly?" He raised his eyebrows triumphantly, lifting his chin slightly as he watched her undulate uncontrollably.

Jiang Heng wrapped her arms around his neck, deliberately stroking his neck, pulling him down closer, and whispered something softly in his ear.

Before her whisper faded, the waves suddenly surged like a storm, battering and overwhelming her.

"Husband, be gentler."

But when it came to this, he was never one to obey.

······

Gu Yu had been particularly demanding the previous night, so Jiang Heng slept late and rose late. Not long after she got up, a message arrived from the Imperial College that Yan Rong had been in a fight, severely wounded someone, and was to be expelled.

When Jiang Heng arrived, Yan Rong and Li Hao were both waiting in the room. Li Hao had obvious bruises on his face, one eye swollen shut, while Yan Rong was unscathed but looked stern and grim, occasionally glaring at Li Hao as if he hadn't had enough of the fight.

"What happened? Why did you hit someone again?" Jiang Heng frowned, her expression unconsciously stern as she glared furiously at Yan Rong.

"He deserved it." Yan Rong clenched his fists again, glaring fiercely at Li Hao.

Seeing Yan Rong’s unyielding attitude, Jiang Heng told Li Hao to leave first, then turned to scold Yan Rong: "What exactly are you trying to do? If you were even half as good as your elder brother! Your character isn’t as good as his, your talent isn’t as good as his, but your bad temper is three or four times worse!"

"Fighting and brawling, and attacking the newly crowned top scholar—are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Jiang Heng rarely lost her temper, but Yan Rong endured her scolding without retorting or showing anger, standing straight and silent.

"Think carefully about whether you still want to continue your studies. If you truly don’t want to study anymore, I won’t force you. Do whatever you want!"

Jiang Heng stormed out of the room, shutting the door and confining him to reflect on his mistakes. She glanced at Li Hao waiting outside and, remembering she needed to ask him to plead for mercy before Tang Yue, walked toward him despite her lingering reservations from the gathering incident.

"Madame Jiang." Li Hao remained respectful and courteous, bowing to her first.

"Li langjun, A-Rong has a quick temper…"

"Madame Jiang, it’s not A-Rong’s fault. It’s mine." Li Hao looked at Jiang Heng and then confessed the reason behind his fight with Yan Rong.

"Actually, after I became the top scholar, Duke Sui’s Young Master Li specially came to congratulate me and gave me a sum of money to congratulate me on passing the exams. Later, he heard that I was an old acquaintance of yours, Madame, and suggested I seize the opportunity to express my gratitude to you. Although he didn’t explicitly say it, he implied the general idea behind the gathering. I was foolish and misled by him, causing trouble for you, Madame. When A-Rong found out, he couldn’t help but hit me…"

Jiang Heng paused for a moment, nodded slightly, neither blaming him nor saying anything else. After a moment of silence, she turned back to see Yan Rong.

She heard him sniffle, quickly wipe his eyes, and then drop his arm as if nothing had happened.

Yan Rong was only seventeen this year, and he still didn’t know that Yan Hui was alive.

"A-Rong, I wronged you."

Jiang Heng apologized softly. After a long moment without any response from him, she poked his shoulder with her finger, just as she had when she admonished him as a child, and said, "Are you going to sulk with me?"

"Don’t touch me." Yan Rong stormed off a few steps, turning his head away from Jiang Heng.

"A-Rong, if you keep ignoring me, I’ll ignore you too," Jiang Heng threatened.

"Have you ever cared about me? How long has it been since you came to see me?" Yan Rong still kept his head turned, but glanced at her.

"Well, you haven’t come to see me either, have you?" Jiang Heng retorted righteously.

Yan Rong snorted. "I’m not going to Duke Wei’s residence!"

Jiang Heng knew he was angry with her and Gu Yu because of Yan Hui. Now, he probably wasn’t angry with her anymore, but he certainly still disliked Gu Yu.

"You said I’m not as good as my brother. Of course I’m not as good as him. Do you still remember my brother?" Yan Rong looked at her, his eyes red.

"He’s been dead for so long, without even a grave. I want to offer him a cup of wine, but I don’t know where to go."

His eyes grew even redder, and he turned away again.

The brothers had always been very close, respectful and caring toward each other. In the past, because of Yan Hui, Yan Rong had also been respectful toward her and would even help her fight behind Yan Hui’s back. When he was a child, he was short and small, but he never lacked ferocity in a fight. Once, he even lost a baby tooth from biting someone while helping her.

"A-Rong," Jiang Heng wanted to hug him like she did when he was little, but she realized that standing before him, she had to look up at him. He had already grown taller than her shoulders, as tall and elegant as Yan Hui.

They were biological brothers, and Yan Rong was looking more and more like Yan Hui.

She could no longer squat down to hug him as if he were still a misbehaving child.

"A-Rong, your elder brother isn’t dead. He’s still alive, just not in the capital. When you become the top scholar, I’ll help you send him a message and ask him to come to the capital to see you."

Yan Rong’s eyes suddenly brightened. "Really?"

Jiang Heng nodded gently. "If you keep causing trouble like this and ruin your chance at education, what face will you have to see him?"

Yan Rong lowered his head, and his stubborn, unrepentant expression finally faded.

"Come on, let’s go apologize to Master Tang. I’ll put in a good word for you, but you have to promise not to cause him any more trouble."

"Okay."

Jiang Heng took Yan Rong with her to find Tang Yue, unaware that not far behind, Gu Yu had already arrived and was frowning as he watched their retreating figures.

A moment later, he went ahead to see the Chancellor of the Imperial College.

···

When Jiang Heng and Yan Rong arrived, they heard that Tang Yue was meeting with a guest, so they had to wait outside. After about two quarters of an hour, the door opened, and Gu Yu emerged, with Tang Yue politely seeing him out.

So the guest was Gu Yu? Jiang Heng wondered. Hadn’t he gone to discuss matters with Prince Qin? When did he come to the Imperial College?

And… had he followed her here?

Tang Yue spotted Jiang Heng and Yan Rong and walked toward them with Gu Yu.

"Since Duke Wei has personally come to vouch for you, I’ll give you another chance. If there’s any more fighting or brawling in the future, there will be no leniency," Tang Yue said sternly.

Jiang Heng was even more puzzled. Had Gu Yu come to plead for Yan Rong? Since when did he have such a good heart?

"Aren’t you going to thank Duke Wei?" Tang Yue said, looking at Yan Rong.

Yan Rong acted as if he hadn’t heard. "I don’t need him to vouch for me."

"You insolent brat!" Tang Yue scolded sharply.

Gu Yu spoke up promptly, appearing magnanimous and unconcerned. "My wife treats him like a younger brother, so naturally, I regard him as one too. Among family, there’s no need for thanks."

With that, he stepped closer to Yan Rong and grabbed his shoulder as if sharing a brotherly chat.

Yan Rong tried to break free, but Gu Yu’s grip was too strong, like a mountain pressing down on his shoulder, making it impossible to move or escape.

Gu Yu's expression was unusually gentle and friendly, truly like an elder brother, showing a level of patience and warmth he had never even extended to his own younger brother, Gu Cen.

"Study well. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can always come to me."

After speaking, he patted Yan Rong’s shoulder twice firmly, as if placing great expectations on him. Only then did he turn to Jiang Heng and say, "Let’s go."

"I still have a few words to say to him. Please wait for me at the gate," Jiang Heng said, smiling, believing the man was sincerely treating Yan Rong well.

Gu Yu, appearing like a magnanimous and refined gentleman without a hint of resentment, nodded slightly and walked away calmly.

However, he did not wait at the gate of the Imperial College as Jiang Heng had instructed. Instead, he stood by a nearby canal, far enough from the conversing group but still within her view, letting her know he was waiting for her.

From a distance, Gu Yu watched Jiang Heng for a while, his gaze unconsciously lingering on the young man beside her, who had already grown taller than her shoulders.

That Yan Rong truly lived up to being Yan Hui’s younger brother—he looked more and more like Yan Hui, tall and handsome, with scholarly enthusiasm.

Only seventeen years old, he was younger than both Yan Hui and him.

When Jiang Heng looked at him, could she help but remember Yan Hui at seventeen?

Gu Yu’s expression darkened slightly as he withdrew his gaze and stared at the stones beneath his feet. Suddenly finding them irritating, he kicked a few stones the size of goose eggs into the canal, making a loud splashing noise.

"Let’s go," Jiang Heng said, walking toward him after finishing her conversation.

"Mm," Gu Yu replied, betraying no emotion.

The two walked almost side by side, but before they had even left the gate of the Imperial College, Gu Yu suddenly stopped. After a brief pause, he turned to Jiang Heng and said, "You’ve always treated Yan Rong like a younger brother?"

Jiang Heng nodded.

"Then why not," he paused, speaking seriously, "make him your sworn brother?"

"There’s no need for such formalities..." Jiang Heng felt it was entirely unnecessary.

"It’s no trouble. If he becomes your sworn brother, it’ll make more sense for me to help him out in the future," Gu Yu said, feigning an air of ancient warmth and righteousness.