Gu Jianli slightly opened her mouth, staring in astonishment at Ji Wujing, a bit unable to recover her senses. Fortunately, she was wearing a veil, hiding her surprise.
She quickly collected herself, appearing calm and composed.
Ji Xinglan, lying in her arms, whispered softly, “Lanlan is hungry.”
Dinner had been prepared long ago. A few people walked into the main hall and took their seats, watching the maidservants file in and lay out dish after dish. When the last plate of chilled fruit was placed, the maidservants quietly retreated, closing the six-panel door behind them.
“So many people.” Ji Xinglan reached out her small hand to grab the peanuts in the bowl.
Gu Jianli saw this and grabbed a small handful for her.
Ji Xinglou used his finger to tap the edge of the bowl, making it ring.
Gu Jianli glanced at him and put another small handful of peanuts into his bowl.
“Meddlesome.” Ji Xinglou pouted and threw a peanut into his mouth.
Gu Jianli pretended not to hear, removing her veil to eat. Luckily, the maidservants had all left; otherwise, she would have been troubled by appearing ugly in front of them.
Gu Jianli had just taken a small bite of milk cake when she heard the sound of tapping on a bowl again.
This time it was Ji Wujing, with a sullen face.
Gu Jianli instinctively reached out to grab some peanuts. Her fingertips touched the peanuts, but she only took one and put it into her own mouth, giving Ji Wujing a light glance.
—Such a grown-up, eat it yourself.
Ji Wujing looked sullen, dissatisfied that he was treated worse than the two children.
After a while, Gu Jianli felt it was time to handle the main business. She asked Ji Wujing, “Can so many people live here? Have the arrangements been made?”
“I don’t know.” Ji Wujing replied casually, absentmindedly picking at fish bones with his chopsticks.
“What about the steward?” Gu Jianli asked again.
Ji Wujing impatiently said, “Ask Changsheng.”
Ask Changsheng? The one who couldn’t even figure out how many courtyards his master had?
Gu Jianli took another small bite of the milk cake and silently swallowed it.
“Are we going to live here from now on? Where is Lanlan’s room?” Ji Xinglan asked happily.
Although Ji Xinglou didn’t speak, he looked expectantly as well.
Gu Jianli didn’t expect Ji Wujing to know. She touched Ji Xinglan’s little cheek and softly said, “Once your little tummy is full, I’ll take you to choose a room. You can stay wherever you like, okay?”
“Wow—” Ji Xinglan’s eyes sparkled with brilliant anticipation.
Eager to see their rooms sooner, the two children bowed their heads and stuffed their mouths with food, their soft cheeks puffing up. They finished eating quickly.
Gu Jianli put on her veil and led Ji Xinglan to choose a room. As for Ji Xinglou, he walked on the other side of Ji Xinglan, hopping and skipping, often running ahead and then waiting for Gu Jianli and Ji Xinglan to catch up.
While guiding Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan to select a room, Gu Jianli also took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the layout of the mansion. The courtyard was far larger than she had imagined. Since it was nighttime, even with lamps, the lighting was still insufficient. Gu Jianli glanced around briefly and decided to explore more in the daylight.
After a half day’s journey, everyone was a bit tired. Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan, fascinated by the new house, played for a while before drooping their little heads, letting Nanny Lin wash them and tuck them into bed.
When Gu Jianli returned to her room, Ji Wujing had already bathed and was lying down, his brows showing signs of fatigue. Gu Jianli, noticing his tired expression, lightened her steps and quickly went to the side room for a simple wash. Each side of the main room had three small rooms. The washroom was in the middle of the three rooms on the left side. As for what was in the other side rooms, Gu Jianli did not look; she was too tired. She returned to the main room, blew out the lamp, and crawled into bed from the foot, lying beside Ji Wujing, and soon fell asleep.
Before falling asleep, she drowsily thought about how she needed to quickly hire a steward the next day, as well as find a few reliable nannies to manage the hundreds of people for safety.
Although there weren’t as many servants in the prince’s mansion, there were still more than two hundred. Gu Jianli hadn’t managed much, but she had seen her sister handle it. When the Tao family first married in, they didn’t understand much about managing a household. Her sister had often handled matters while teaching Tao, and although Gu Jianli was young at the time, she had learned some things.
In her dream, Gu Jianli was managing the servants.
Over five hundred people… it was too many. She would talk to Ji Wujing about dismissing some.
Gu Jianli thought that changing beds suddenly would make her sleep poorly, but unexpectedly, she slept soundly. The next day, she woke up much later than usual.
She drowsily opened her eyes to see Ji Wujing’s slightly pale profile. His complexion had always been like this, but Gu Jianli had grown used to it.
Her gaze shifted to her own wrist.
Ji Wujing lay quietly on his back, in the same position as when she had climbed into bed last night, without moving. She lay on her side facing him, her arm entwined with his.
Gu Jianli’s eyes focused on her arm holding Ji Wujing’s, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She then slowly looked at Ji Wujing’s sleeping profile.
She didn’t rush to get up but quietly watched Ji Wujing. She watched him for a long time before slowly furrowing her brow—why wasn’t Ji Wujing moving? She couldn’t even feel his breath.
Her heart panicked as she propped herself up, leaning closer to listen to his breathing.
Why… couldn’t she hear anything?
Gu Jianli’s heart raced, and she moved even closer.
Suddenly, Ji Wujing raised his hand, pressing the back of her head down, and kissed her lips.
“Not dead.” Ji Wujing’s lips curled into a smile as he pressed Gu Jianli against his chest and rolled over, holding her.
“Don’t sleep anymore, you sleep by yourself.” Gu Jianli pushed Ji Wujing away and got out of bed herself.
She intended to go to one of the side rooms to wash up, but because she was unfamiliar with the new place, she confused left with right. She pushed open the door to the right-side room, surprised as she walked in, passing through three side rooms. Her astonishment grew with each step. She repeatedly confirmed she hadn’t made a mistake, then ran back through the rooms, returning to the bedroom.
Bending down by the bed, she shook Ji Wujing’s arm and asked, “Why are there so many clothes? So many…”
Ji Wujing, with a lazy tone, replied, “Didn’t I tell you yesterday? In the afternoon, I said I’d send you some things. Then I changed my mind about moving, so I had them sent directly here.”
Ji Wujing tiredly rubbed his forehead.
“For me? All the clothes filling those three rooms are for me?” Gu Jianli’s eyes widened in surprise.
Ji Wujing nonchalantly said, “They’re all women’s clothes. If not for you, then who else would wear them?”
He paused and added, “I could wear them too.”
Gu Jianli pressed her lips together in silence. She wasn’t from a poor family; she had grown up in luxury. She could easily get anything she wanted. What shocked her was not the mansion or the clothes but that Ji Wujing did this, showing his change and care.
She quietly watched Ji Wujing for a while and sincerely said, “Thank you. I really like them.”
“How will you thank me?” Ji Wujing’s tone still carried weariness, his eyes remaining closed.
Gu Jianli leaned in and kissed the corner of Ji Wujing’s lips. After the light kiss, she hesitated, then kissed his lips, prying them open to share her sweetness.
Ji Wujing suddenly opened his eyes, meeting Gu Jianli’s gaze. Her eyes flickered briefly but quickly met his again as she seriously kissed him.
After the lingering kiss, Gu Jianli’s heart pounded. She suppressed her nervousness and asked nonchalantly, “How did I do?”
Ji Wujing’s throat moved slightly, remaining silent.
Gu Jianli spoke earnestly, “My father doesn’t understand our situation. But in the tumultuous past half-year, being able to marry you by chance has been my greatest blessing.”
Ji Wujing gazed deeply at Gu Jianli’s alluring, moist lips. Without a word, he turned over to face the inside, his back to her, ignoring her.
Gu Jianli was stunned. Did she say something wrong? Or did Ji Wujing not like her being so forward?
Changsheng knocked on the door from outside, “Master, Miss Luo is here. She says she needs to take your blood for medicine.”
Ji Wujing didn’t respond, grabbing a pillow and hugging it.
Gu Jianli answered for him, telling Changsheng to have Miss Luo wait for a while.
After washing and dressing, she looked through Ji Wujing’s clothes, then pulled him up from the bed.
When Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing, his face was expressionless. But when she looked away to tend to other things, Ji Wujing’s eyes followed her intently. When she looked back, his face was again expressionless.
Once everything was in order, Gu Jianli said, “I’ll go invite Miss Luo in.”
As she reached the door, Ji Wujing called out to her from behind, “Gu Jianli, is there anything else you want?”
I want my face to get better, Gu Jianli replied in her heart. But that was not something easily achievable, so she said nothing.
Luo Muge stood under the eaves, still dressed in a white gown, elegant and pure like a lotus untouched by mud, with the cold grace of plum blossoms defying the snow.
Gu Jianli hurried to meet her and asked, “Why are you standing outside? Did the servants not take good care of you? We just moved in last night, and many things are not yet arranged properly. Please don’t mind.”
Luo Muge shook her head and replied calmly, “The weather is nice, and the cool breeze is comfortable, better than being inside.”
Gu Jianli led Luo Muge to the main room. She glanced at Luo Muge’s arm and noticed that her left hand, hidden in her sleeve, did not move as she walked.
“I heard you got injured while picking herbs. Are you feeling better?” Gu Jianli asked.
Luo Muge, with a detached attitude, responded, “It’s a minor issue.”
With a slight smile on her face, Gu Jianli didn’t press further.
When they arrived at the main room, Luo Muge opened the medicine box hanging from her shoulder, revealing a small cage with a white rabbit inside. Luo Muge took out a small knife, pricked Ji Wujing’s finger, and let the poisoned blood drip onto a fragrant ointment. She then fed the ointment to the rabbit. Looking back, she saw Gu Jianli bending over by Ji Wujing’s side, using a small cloth to wipe the remaining blood from his fingertip.
Surprise flickered in Luo Muge’s eyes, and her expression turned slightly dazed.
She was still not used to seeing a delicate woman standing by her senior brother’s side. She carefully observed Ji Wujing’s expression, trying to catch any sign of displeasure or impatience.
Ji Wujing looked over, his gaze sweeping past Luo Muge’s arm, and casually remarked, “You can have someone else gather herbs. Be careful.”
“It’s nothing.” Luo Muge replied coolly, lowering her head.
