In the latter half of the night, the Guoping Marquis Mansion suddenly woke up, and one lamp after another lit up gradually.
Gu Jianli stood at the door, watching the people of the mansion bustling in and out, their faces either joyful or hiding fear. For a moment, the most secluded courtyard in the mansion became the liveliest place.
Looking at the crowd, Gu Jianli suddenly remembered Madam Tao’s words: “Some half-dead people recover as soon as something joyous happens. Our Jianli has always been lucky from childhood to adulthood. Despite the twists and turns in your marriage, you ended up marrying Master Ji by a twist of fate. It might not be a bad thing. Perhaps you really can drive away the illness from Master Ji, and the day after your marriage, he will be as lively as a dragon…”
Gu Jianli smiled bitterly. Madam Tao’s words had indeed come true. Thinking of Madam Tao inevitably made her think of her father. Although she had only left home for two days, it already felt as long as two lifetimes.
The mansion probably didn’t know about Zhao Fengxian sneaking in through the window tonight. That was good; now, the Guoping Marquis Mansion was hoping for her death. Talking about it would not bring any justice, and it would easily give others a handle to accuse her of unclear crimes.
Moreover…
Gu Jianli turned her head to glance in the direction of the inner room.
She had married Ji Wujing, and Ji Wujing knew the whole story about Zhao Fengxian.
Gu Jianli was slightly lost in thought until the old madam, holding onto Nanny Song’s wrist, approached her, and she came back to her senses.
“What happened tonight? Did Wujing really wake up?” the old madam asked.
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes and replied gently, “Yes, the fifth master has woken up. My father and several brothers have already arrived. You should go in and take a look.”
The old madam nodded, giving Gu Jianli a deep look before stepping over the threshold.
Several masters of the mansion were inside the room, and Gu Jianli did not go in. She only stood outside to entertain the ladies who arrived one after another. The first, second, and third madams were all in the outer room, having accompanied their husbands. The masters went in to see Ji Wujing, and they waited outside temporarily.
A servant reported that the eldest and second young ladies had come together.
Ji Yueming, wrapped in a fur cloak, rubbed her hands to warm up. Entering the room, she took a hand warmer from a maid and slightly raised her chin to look at Gu Jianli, asking, “How is my fifth uncle?”
Ji Yuewen followed behind her, while Ji Yuezhen was nowhere to be seen, likely still sleeping soundly.
“He has woken up,” Gu Jianli only said this one sentence.
Ji Yueming’s gaze swept over Gu Jianli, and she suddenly chuckled. She casually handed the hand warmer back to the maid, stepped forward a couple of steps, grabbed Gu Jianli’s wrist, and said with a smile, “I didn’t believe in the idea of a joyful event driving away illness before, but I didn’t expect fifth aunt to be so lucky. Our family really didn’t marry you in vain.”
This statement was a bit disrespectful.
Madam glanced towards the inner room, frowning to stop her daughter from causing a scene. “Yueming, don’t make a fuss, be careful not to disturb your fifth uncle.”
Ji Yueming originally wanted to retort, but following her mother’s gaze towards the inner room, she temporarily suppressed her urge to mock Gu Jianli.
“Yes, Mother.” Ji Yueming released Gu Jianli and turned to sit in one of the rosewood chairs arranged in a row. She stared at Gu Jianli’s face with interest, hoping to see this former celestial beauty show expressions of anger or grievance. Unfortunately, she didn’t get her wish. Gu Jianli’s face remained expressionless, as if she didn’t understand Ji Yueming’s taunt.
Ji Yueming frowned unhappily, about to speak again, when Nanny Song hurriedly came out of the inner room. She walked over to Gu Jianli’s side, shook out the cloak draped over her arm, and personally put it on Gu Jianli.
This scene surprised the ladies and maidservants in the outer hall. Nanny Song served by the Old Madam’s side and rarely attended to others personally.
Gu Jianli didn’t know that Nanny Song seldom served anyone personally, but she guessed the situation by observing the reactions in the hall.
As if aware of the questions in everyone’s minds, Nanny Song explained with a warm smile, “Fifth Master said that Fifth Mistress was dressed too lightly and it was cold outside, so he asked this servant to bring a cloak for you.”
A flash of surprise appeared in Gu Jianli’s clear black and white eyes. Gratitude? But then she recalled the dangerous and strange smile in Ji Wujing’s fox-like eyes, the coldness that permeated him from head to toe… Gu Jianli was only left with the eerie fear of a venomous snake lying on her back. Any sense of gratitude vanished without a trace.
Everyone in the hall, whether master or servant, looked astonished.
This…
Since when did Fifth Master become considerate of others? Sure, Ji Wujing sometimes acted unpredictably, teasing people on a whim. But hadn’t he just woken up? Had he so quickly accepted this wife pushed upon him?
Second Madam stared at the cloak on Gu Jianli, feeling uneasy—could it be that Fifth Master really wouldn’t die? Then how could they get rid of Gu Jianli, who was bound to bring trouble to the Guangping Marquis Manor, within nine days?
First Madam and Third Madam exchanged a glance, seeing the same concern in each other’s eyes.
The steward outside performed a salutation and reported that an imperial physician had arrived from the palace. Nanny Song immediately went to lift the curtain and invited the physician into the inner room.
Gu Jianli tugged at the cloak on her shoulders, the soft material brushing against her palms. Tonight’s events made her understand the situation at Guangping Marquis Manor more clearly. She had thought Ji Wujing was seriously ill and the manor had carelessly thrown him into this remote place without even assigning servants to attend him. But seeing the people standing here in the dead of night, Gu Jianli realized it was probably because Ji Wujing preferred peace and had chosen this courtyard himself.
Gu Jianli still couldn’t figure out the relationship between Ji Wujing and the people in the manor, couldn’t tell if these people wished him well or hoped for his death. But she understood that no one here dared to anger Ji Wujing.
Indeed, such a dangerous and terrifying person.
The old Marquis and the Old Madam came out of the inner room, followed by several masters.
The Old Madam sized up Gu Jianli and said, “The fifth master wants you to go in.”
What for? Gu Jianli frowned inwardly but maintained her composure, slightly curtsying and responding, “Yes, ma’am.” She then walked into the inner room.
Ji Wujing was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, seemingly in the same position as when he had just woken up. The imperial physician was bent over, writing a prescription.
As Gu Jianli approached the bed, she inadvertently caught sight of a bloodstained handkerchief on the table. It must have been used by the physician to analyze the blood Ji Wujing had coughed up.
The blood on the handkerchief was now very dark, with large black clots. However, Gu Jianli clearly remembered that the blood Ji Wujing coughed up had been bright red…
Standing before the bed, Gu Jianli cautiously asked, “Fifth Master, what is it?”
Ji Wujing turned his head to look at Gu Jianli and asked, “Where is my fish?”
Gu Jianli let out a small “ah,” took a step back, and her dark eyes shifted evasively.
She had forgotten…
“I-I’ll go and give the order right away…” Gu Jianli bit her lip lightly, stammering a bit as she tried to explain, “You had just woken up, and there were many people outside, I-I was attending to them…”
Her voice grew softer, tinged with guilt.
“Forget it,” Ji Wujing said lazily. “Call Changsheng in.”
After a long night, the visitors gradually left one by one. Gu Jianli sat on the Luohan bed, sneaking glances at Ji Wujing as he ate fish.
Shouldn’t someone who just woke up be very particular about their diet? How could he eat fish so heartily?
Does he really like fish that much?
Gu Jianli sat with her back straight, but she was starting to feel sleepy. It was almost dawn, and she hadn’t slept at all. However, it was clearly not the time to sleep. She could only sit quietly and elegantly.
“Master, why did you wake up at this time?” Changsheng asked, then suddenly remembered that Gu Jianli was sitting nearby and swallowed the rest of his words.
“Noise,” Ji Wujing said, tossing a fishbone onto the plate and picking up another fish.
Gu Jianli kept her head down, her demeanor submissive, but she was straining to listen to the conversation between master and servant.
“Someone jumped through the window and you didn’t even know. Are you itching for a beating, hmm?” Ji Wujing’s voice was slow and nonchalant.
“What? How could that be…” Changsheng’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly explained, “Master, now that you’re married, Changsheng isn’t supposed to guard the inner quarters, and Lizi is a fool…”
Ji Wujing paused his motion of eating fish, raising his eyes to look at Gu Jianli, who was sitting obediently in the distance.
He almost forgot, he had woken up to find himself with a wife.
Ji Wujing casually threw aside the fish he was holding, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and rested his chin on his hand, staring at Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli knew Ji Wujing was looking at her, but she didn’t know how to respond. So she pretended not to notice and kept her head down.
A long time passed, so long that Gu Jianli could barely endure it anymore, so long that Changsheng also felt he could no longer stay in the room. Changsheng scratched his head and said, “Master, do you want to take a bath?”
Ji Wujing’s gaze remained fixed on Gu Jianli as he lazily nodded.
Changsheng cleaned up the bowls and plates and left, leaving only Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing in the inner room. The thing Gu Jianli feared most was being alone with Ji Wujing; it felt like sitting on pins and needles.
In the west side of the inner room, there was a small side room used for bathing. Soon, Changsheng filled the round wooden tub with hot water, and steam swirled around.
Changsheng prepared the hot water and clean clothes, then looked at Gu Jianli with some confusion before hesitantly asking Ji Wujing, “Master, should I leave now?”
“Mm—” Ji Wujing responded lazily, drawing out the sound.
Gu Jianli, who had been sitting like a statue, suddenly looked up. If Changsheng left, who would attend to Ji Wujing’s bath? Even if Ji Wujing were in good health, he should have servants attending to him.
Gu Jianli slowly turned her neck to look at Ji Wujing. Her father’s wrongful conviction had not been redressed, and her own future was bleak. Every opportunity in front of her was worth cherishing. Ji Wujing had been in a coma for a long time and wouldn’t know about the forced marriage. When Guangping Marquis Manor pushed Ji Wujing forward, they certainly didn’t expect he would wake up one day. Perhaps, Gu Jianli could seize this opportunity to grasp at life?
Ji Wujing seemed lost in thought, his gaze somewhat vacant.
Gu Jianli struggled internally for a moment, then finally stood up and walked towards Ji Wujing. The moment she stood up, Ji Wujing’s eyes were on her, watching her every step.
When Gu Jianli reached the bed, she slowly knelt down. Her light red high-waisted skirt layered over itself, resembling a blooming red peony.
Her eyelashes fluttered lightly as she raised her eyes to look at Ji Wujing and said, “Fifth Master, I am your wife, Gu Jianli.”
Ji Wujing stared at Gu Jianli’s face for a while, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly, revealing a hint of an inscrutable smile.