Chapter 307: Childhood Name
Ye Xian was accompanying the old marquis for his medical examination.
After the incident with Marquis Changxing, the old marquis had been plagued by frequent minor illnesses. Over the past two years, he had aged considerably, his back now hunched and his hair largely gray. Though he had once been a formidable warrior who fought battles across the land in his youth, those old campaigns had left him with lingering injuries. Now that he was older, those old wounds had begun tormenting him relentlessly.
A few days ago, after the rain, the old marquis’s knees had swollen red, leaving him unable to walk.
Gao Shi had hastily made him a pair of knee pads, but they did little to help.
Imperial Physician Guo finished taking the old marquis’s pulse and went to write a prescription.
Ye Xian handed the old marquis a bowl of red date and white fungus soup to drink.
"I heard… the Grand Secretariat has already settled on Fu An as the new Minister of War?" the old marquis asked slowly after taking a sip.
Ye Xian gave a noncommittal hum. "Fu An has put in his share of hard work. Since he’s not one of Zhang Ju Lian’s men, I don’t care to interfere."
The old marquis narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression weary with age. "Back in Qinghai, I fought alongside him once…" He paused to catch his breath. "Unlike Zuo Hede, who charges ahead recklessly, Fu An is far too cautious. Lacks drive… If it weren’t for his clever strategy of raiding the enemy camp and burning their supplies, he wouldn’t even be qualified for the Minister of War position now… Didn’t he pledge himself to Duke Zheng?"
Ye Xian replied, "Chang Hai is no fool either. Though he’s on good terms with Chen Yanyun, he’s never involved himself in Chen Yanyun’s affairs all these years. Whoever he’s pledged to, he won’t last long in that position."
The old marquis chuckled and shook his head with a sigh. "Changshun, ah. You’re still too young! Do you really think you can manipulate Zhang Ju Lian and Chen Yanyun so easily? Forget Zhang Ju Lian—Chen Yanyun alone is a man of deep cunning. You’re still a decade short of matching him."
Hearing the name "Changshun," Ye Xian’s mood soured.
"You should focus on taking your medicine properly. Why bother with these matters?" he said coolly. "You’re already old—why not accept it? The court belongs to the younger generation now. I may still be wary of Chen Yanyun, but Zhang Ju Lian is old too. And from what I see… he might be losing his grip on Chen Yanyun."
The old marquis burst into laughter again. "Fine, fine! The younger generation’s world. But do you know the saying, 'Lian Po may be old, but can he still eat his fill?'"
Ye Xian shot his grandfather a glance and chose not to respond. Handing the soup bowl to a waiting maid, he strode out of the main hall.
So what if he was proud and arrogant?
Scheming came naturally to him—he pursued perfection without scruples. Others had their reservations, but he had none.
Imperial Physician Guo handed the prescription to the steward before following Ye Xian out.
Ye Xian stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the blooming hydrangeas in silence for a long while.
"Chen Yanyun summoned you to assist with his wife’s childbirth. How did it go?"
Physician Guo inwardly grumbled—he was a proper imperial physician, not a midwife. He had only been called to prescribe labor-inducing medicine. But he dared not voice his complaints. Instead, he bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Young Master, the Third Madam Chen had a difficult delivery, but in the end, both mother and child were safe and well."
Ye Xian fell silent again. Physician Guo waited patiently for him to speak.
"If Chen Yanyun summons you again to treat his wife, do your utmost. You might as well prepare some medicine and send it over. I’ve heard postpartum recovery requires careful attention."The imperial physician Guo was quite surprised. He raised his head, wanting to see the expression on the heir's face. But the heir had his back turned to him, making it impossible to see.
He had thought... the heir's inquiries about Third Master Chen were merely political. But it seemed the heir wasn't concerned about Chen Ge Lao at all. Clearly, he was concerned about the man's wife! And now he wanted to send postpartum tonic medicine—without a proper reason, how could he send medicine to another man's wife!
Ye Xian probably realized this too: "...Forget it. Just prepare the medicine for me. I'll handle the rest."
Physician Guo assented with a bow and retreated.
...
After the wet nurse finished feeding, she brought the child over.
Having been fed, the child was sleepy and lay obediently in the swaddling clothes.
Gu Jinzhao, fearing he might choke on milk, lifted him from the ** and gently rocked him while patting his back.
Sure enough, the child let out a milky burp, his tiny, soft body nestling against his mother as he continued to sleep.
Gu Jinzhao's heart melted with tenderness, reluctant to put him down. She paced around the room, holding him.
Zhu Momo entered.
Zhu Momo had been assigned by Madam Chen, who worried that Gu Jinzhao, being young, might not know how to care for the child properly. Thus, Madam Chen specially assigned Zhu Momo to serve in the third household, effectively making her the child's wet nurse. This position held great promise—she might one day become the stewardess of the thirteenth young master's household—so Zhu Momo was very cautious.
Seeing Gu Jinzhao rocking the child, she quickly smiled and said, "Madam, this won't do... If the child gets used to being rocked, he might cry when no one is rocking him. We mustn't spoil him!"
Only then did Gu Jinzhao learn of this and stopped rocking him. She held him in her arms and walked around for a while until she grew tired and placed him back on the ** to sleep.
Third Master Chen returned from Madam Chen's quarters and entered the inner chamber to see her and the child.
Gu Jinzhao was watching the child sleep, adjusting his swaddling clothes, and didn't notice his arrival.
Third Master Chen gazed at her for a long while before chuckling. "You spent all last night looking at him. Still not enough?"
Gu Jinzhao sighed. Only now did she truly understand the feelings of motherhood—her own child, whom she couldn't bear to look away from.
"I just can't get enough of him..." Her voice was languid.
He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, also looking at the sleeping child.
His face was so small, his cheeks chubby, his little mouth pink and utterly endearing. And this was his and Jinchao's child.
He reached out to embrace her, but when his hand brushed against her chest, Gu Jinzhao let out a small whimper of pain.
Third Master Chen frowned. "What's wrong? Are you unwell?"
She wasn't breastfeeding, nor did she have much milk, but she still felt discomfort—a swollen, aching pain.
Gu Jinzhao turned her face away and murmured, "Just... don't touch there."
Her jade-like face flushed slightly. It was rare to see her shy. Realizing where his hand had been, Third Master Chen laughed and leaned closer to her ear. "I could help massage it for you. A favor for a favor."
Gu Jinzhao pushed him away and retreated deeper into the bed. She hadn't bathed in days. During childbirth, she had sweated profusely, and when she used hot water and a cloth to wipe herself, Granny Sun had scolded her endlessly. During this postpartum confinement, she was delicate—no water, no drafts—and even she could smell herself. She didn't want Third Master Chen to notice. And not washing her hair for a month... she couldn't imagine how she'd look by then!Third Master Chen let go and coaxed her helplessly, "I was just teasing you." He opened his palm to show her what was inside: "This is the longevity lock I used as a child. Mother just found it and said to let the baby wear it."
The longevity lock Third Master Chen had used?
Gu Jinzhao picked it up to examine it. Unlike the dazzling shine of a newly made gold lock, this one had a softer luster, slightly grayish.
Suddenly, an idea struck her: "Third Master, what if we name the baby Changsuo (Long Lock) as his milk name?"
Third Master Chen ruffled her hair. "The milk name is entirely up to you. Changsuo is fine. I'll choose his formal name later."
Of course, he would! He had even mentioned that he would personally teach the child to read in the future.
Gu Jinzhao thought to herself, with a father and teacher who had once achieved Second Place in the imperial examinations, the child would surely have no trouble mastering the Eight-legged essay.
As they spoke, the baby twisted his little head, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, and suddenly burst into loud wails.
Gu Jinzhao moved to pick him up and soothe him, but Third Master Chen had already reached out to hold him.
He was very tall—Gu Jinzhao wasn’t short for a woman, yet she only reached his chin. The baby was still tiny in his arms as he paced gently, murmuring soothing words in a deep but tender voice. Leaning against the pillow, Gu Jinzhao watched quietly as Third Master Chen comforted their child.
The contrast between the small baby and his towering figure was oddly serene.
After a while, the baby’s cries subsided. Third Master Chen called Zhu Momo in to check, and sure enough, the little one had wet himself. Zhu Momo changed his diaper, wrapped him up again, and placed him beside Gu Jinzhao. The baby’s eyelashes were still damp with tears, his little face flushed red, looking utterly pitiful.
Gu Jinzhao kissed his cheek. He smelled sweetly of milk, his face soft to the touch.
Third Master Chen said to her, "I need to go to the outer courtyard for a while. You should rest more and move around less. If the baby fusses and you can’t calm him, call Zhu Momo to help. This little one doesn’t stop crying easily—you might struggle to soothe him..."
Gu Jinzhao truly had no experience with babies. But diligence could make up for clumsiness—she refused to believe she couldn’t handle this little one.
The previous night, the baby hadn’t slept with her. Third Master Chen, worried the crying would disturb her, had left him with two wet nurses, who were woken four or five times during the night. Strangely, sometimes the baby cried even when he wasn’t hungry or wet.
Once, Gu Jinzhao had woken up hearing the baby’s cries from the East Side Room and had nearly rushed over. Why did he sound so distressed...?
After Third Master Chen left, Wang Shi and Madam Ge came by one after another to chat with her and see the baby.
In the afternoon, Chen Xuanyue arrived after finishing his lessons.
He dashed straight to Gu Jinzhao’s bedside—An Momo couldn’t stop him in time. But he quickly came to a halt in front of the bed, peering curiously at the swaddled baby. "Auntie, why aren’t his eyes open?"
Gu Jinzhao whispered to him, "He’s sleeping. Do you sleep with your eyes open?"
Chen Xuanyue tilted his head, thinking seriously before replying, "Oh, I think mine are closed too."
He then asked, "Will he wake up to play? I made a toy for him!"
Gu Jinzhao smiled. "He’ll need to grow a bit more before he can play. You made him a toy?"
Chen Xuanyue nodded proudly and carefully presented a paper crane."I learned it from An Momo." He pinched the paper crane's head and eagerly showed it to Gu Jinzhao. "Look, if you pull its tail, it can fly."
He tugged the paper crane's tail and ran around in circles with it. "It's flying, it's flying!"
Gu Jinzhao smiled and beckoned him to sit down. "Auntie sees it, it really can fly!"
Chen Xuanyue grinned, revealing a pair of small canine teeth.
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