The two of them didn’t quiet down until late at night. Minglan lay exhausted and limp, unwilling to move even though she felt sticky and uncomfortable all over. Her eyelids felt as heavy as Mount Tai pressing down on her. Gu Tingye, having spent the past few years living a rough life outdoors, didn’t want to get out of bed to bathe either. He simply held the half-asleep Minglan close, showering her with affection.
Minglan slept deeply, her mind drifting back to her university military training days—eight hours of drills, standing at attention, and marching, collapsing into unconsciousness the moment her head hit the pillow at night. Her entire body felt as though it had been thoroughly beaten—her waist weak, her legs sore, her bones as if they had been disassembled and reassembled, and her brain a muddled mess, almost in need of a factory overhaul.
As dawn broke, Minglan was awakened by a heavy weight pressing on her. Gasping for air like a carp out of water, she blindly groped around and found a massive Jinhua ham resting on her stomach. Furious, she felt like scratching the man’s face. Gu Tingye also woke up. In the faint morning light filtering through the bed curtains, he gazed at Minglan. Her small, snow-white face showed clear signs of fatigue, making the dark circles under her eyes even more pronounced. Yet her large eyes remained bright and lively, seeming both pleased and reproachful. Gu Tingye’s heart swelled with affection. He took her small hand and brought it to his lips, gently blowing on it, his deep, handsome eyes sparkling with amusement.
After a long pause, Minglan finally managed to utter, “Well… as long as the green hills remain, there’ll be no shortage of firewood…” Her voice grew softer and softer, a clear plea for mercy.
Gu Tingye chuckled, pulling Minglan into his arms and crushing her against his chest. He kissed her wildly, his chest rumbling with suppressed laughter.
Just then, a maid outside the door curtain called softly, “Second Master, Second Mistress, it’s time to rise.”
It took Minglan a moment to realize she was being addressed. She hurriedly tried to get up, but Gu Tingye beside her was still chuckling softly. Clenching her small fists, Minglan pounded them against his broad, sturdy shoulders and hissed, “Stop laughing! Someone’s here… and you’re still laughing? Still laughing?… If you keep laughing, I’ll call the constables to arrest you!”
Back in the day, Yao Yiyi had used this very threat to scare her cousin’s four-year-old nephew: “If you keep crying, I’ll call the police to arrest you!” Now, in her panic, the old tactic slipped out.
Gu Tingye laughed even harder, shaking silently against the bedding. Minglan, buried in the embroidered quilts and overshadowed by his tall frame, grew flustered and angry, wanting to bite him. She flailed like a tiny beast with newly grown milk teeth—not at all threatening, but utterly endearing. After a long while, Gu Tingye finally had his fill of amusement and called for servants to assist with washing and dressing.
Cui Mama had long been prepared. She led Danju and Xiaotao in first, wrapping Minglan in a spacious robe before escorting her to the adjacent room to bathe and freshen up. Only then did the maids and matrons outside file in, carrying basins, buckets, water, and towels. One group attended to Gu Tingye, while the other attended to Minglan.
By the time Minglan finished, dressed in her inner garment and inner robe, and emerged, Gu Tingye had also freshened up and was having Xiahe comb and tie his hair. When the two were nearly ready, a matron who appeared to be in charge entered the inner chamber. She retrieved the white silk wedding handkerchief, examined it, smiled, and placed it into a carved, red-lacquered, gold-traced wooden box.The bridal attire for the first day had to be grand. Minglan was dressed in a formal crimson peony-patterned brocade gown embroidered with gold thread, adorned with a large hairpin of five phoenixes facing the sun, crafted from gold filigree and layered pearls, holding a ruby in their beaks. Her ears were decorated with ruby-drop pearl earrings set in flowing gold tassels, while a double-fish auspicious gold necklace with a ruby-adorned lock pendant hung from her chest. Her wrists were weighed down by seventeen or eighteen dragon-and-phoenix gold bracelets. The sheer weight of this ensemble nearly made Minglan collapse. Compounding her discomfort, she had overexerted herself the previous night, leaving her muscles sore all over—every movement of her arms or legs was painful. Cui Mama’s heart ached for her, especially when she recalled the patches of bruises on Minglan’s body, and she couldn’t help but cast a somewhat disapproving glance at Gu Tingye.
Gu Tingye was also dressed in a vibrant crimson celebratory robe, embroidered from the shoulders down with gold-thread bats and floral clusters. A pine-scented, ink-splashed jade-inlaid belt cinched his waist as he stood before a full-length mirror, having Xia Zhu adjust the corners of his garment.
Minglan glanced sideways at him and couldn’t help but admire: such a rich, fiery red, intense and blazing, usually carried a touch of femininity. Yet he was a tall, straight-backed man with broad shoulders, effortlessly carrying the imposing aura and exuding a dignified, heroic spirit.
Noticing Minglan’s gaze in the mirror, Gu Tingye turned to look at her. After a thorough appraisal, he smiled faintly and said, “You look very beautiful like this.” Minglan nodded, her eyes twinkling mischievously though her expression remained serious, and she whispered, “You look very handsome too.”
Gu Tingye feigned a fierce glare, to which Minglan responded with a pitiful, apologetic smile, clutching her sleeves. In an instant, the two exchanged a smile, completely at ease and without a trace of awkwardness, as if proving the saying that some souls connect at first sight.
The maids and elderly servants in the room all kept their heads bowed, not daring to speak, though inwardly astonished. Those from the Sheng household thought, "The young lady seems to be on familiar terms with the groom right away," while those from the Gu household mused, "We’ve never seen the Second Master in such a good mood." A few more observant ones stole glances at Minglan, thinking that such a radiant and charming new mistress must be greatly favored by the Second Master.
According to standard procedure, the first day after the wedding involved paying respects to direct elders first, then acknowledging collateral relatives, followed by entering the ancestral hall to be recorded in the clan registry, with meals squeezed in between. Given the unique circumstances of the Ningyuan Marquis Household, Minglan had previously inquired discreetly. Gu Tingye had only replied, “We’ll pay respects to my parents first.”
The implications of this statement were profound and ambiguous. Firstly, his father had long passed away. Secondly, his mother had died even earlier. Thirdly, his current mother was his stepmother, and rumors suggested their relationship was far from harmonious.
Minglan was deeply puzzled. Under such circumstances, how should she interpret the new leader’s words?
As she was lost in these thoughts, a steward mama dressed in a dark brown plain-patterned brocade jacket suddenly appeared at the door. The maid holding the curtain curtsied lightly and said, “Greetings, Mama Xiang.”
Mama Xiang had a fair complexion and kindly features. Entering the room, she curtsied to Gu Tingye and Minglan and said with a smile, “Second Master, Second Madam, the Grand Old Madam has instructed that you first go to the ancestral hall to pay respects to the Old Marquis and Lady Bai. She will be waiting there.”
Gu Tingye replied with a smile, “Thank you, Mama. We will go right away.” His smile was warm but did not reach his eyes.
Minglan quickly instructed Danju to fetch a red envelope and give it to Mama Xiang. Mama Xiang accepted it with a beaming smile and then respectfully took her leave. Perhaps because Minglan had smiled a bit too warmly at Mama Xiang, Gu Tingye gave her a faint, lingering glance. Shortly after, the entourage escorted them toward the ancestral hall.The ancestral hall was a place to display ancestral tablets and conduct memorial ceremonies. In ancient times that emphasized lineage and ancestry, it was said that the more tablets a family possessed and the more illustrious their ancestors, the more ancient and distinguished their bloodline was.
Back when they held ancestral worship ceremonies in Youyang, Minglan had knelt below and counted the Sheng family's ancestral tablets out of sheer boredom. The result—ah! No wonder the Sheng family, despite their reputation and wealth, still didn't dare act arrogantly in their hometown.
According to Pinlan's gossip, it was said that Old Master Sheng had actually started as a young beggar who didn't even know his own name. One day, while listening to a fortune-teller who also begged part-time telling stories, he heard: "A prosperous age is coming." Filled with hope, the group of starving young beggars persevered, and Old Master Sheng gritted his teeth to survive. He later adopted "Sheng" (prosperity) as his surname and gave himself a name. However, about ninety percent of Pinlan's gossip was fabricated, mainly because she couldn't stand kneeling for long in the ancestral hall and resorted to making up stories out of frustration.
In truth, although Old Master Sheng had lost his parents in childhood and wandered as a beggar, he vaguely remembered his father and mother. But he couldn't recall his ancestors beyond that generation no matter how hard he tried. Unlike Commander Wei, who had the audacity to have his wife fabricate three generations of ancestors for official recognition, Old Master Sheng lacked such boldness. Thus, the Sheng family's ancestral tablets were quite modest—fewer in number than the Calabash Brothers.
So when Minglan stood in the Gu family's ancestral hall, an inexplicable sense of inferiority welled up within her.
The hall was deep and solemn, with tall pillars. The entire north wall was constructed as an altar, layered with tiered shelves for tablets, each about eight or nine inches high. The shelves rose layer upon layer, reaching seventeen or eighteen levels high. Gazing at the densely packed tablets, Minglan couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
Grand Old Madam Qin was already in the ancestral hall. When she saw Gu Tingye and Minglan, she took a few steps forward and said with a gentle smile, "You must have been exhausted yesterday. Well, come quickly to offer incense and bow."
The maids had already prepared kneeling cushions and incense sticks in front of the altar. Minglan's eyes swept over and noticed a relatively new tablet in the center of the bottom row, inscribed with "The Seat of the Late Father, Lord Gu Yankai." Understanding dawned on her. She followed closely beside Gu Tingye, knelt respectfully on the cushion, lit the incense to pray, and finally placed the incense sticks into the tripod before completing the ritual. Minglan glanced sideways and saw Gu Tingye staring fixedly at an old tablet on the lower right, inscribed "The Seat of the Late Mother, Madam Bai of the Gu Family." His eyes dimmed slightly.
Minglan focused again and noticed two slightly smaller tablets beside Old Master Gu's. One belonged to her formal mother-in-law, Madam Bai, and the other, more ornate and gilded, was inscribed "The Seat of the Late Mother, Madam Qin of the Gu Family." Minglan couldn't resist glancing at Grand Old Madam Qin beside her, thinking: If she were to pass away, how would her tablet be inscribed? In these times, it wasn't customary to engrave women's names on tablets—wouldn't that easily lead to confusion?
Gu Tingye quickly snapped out of his reverie, turned to Grand Old Madam, and said, "It's time to pay respects to the Grand Old Madam."
Grand Old Madam Qin sat to the side, looking sorrowful as she pressed a handkerchief to the corner of her eye. She waved her hand gently and said, "No need, no need."
"Propriety must not be neglected. Please do not decline, Grand Old Madam," Gu Tingye's voice was low but firm. Minglan, embodying the virtue of following her husband's lead, promptly instructed Danju to place the two kneeling cushions in front of Grand Old Madam and prepared to kneel.Seeing she could not decline, Grand Old Madam Qin sat upright and accepted their bows with a smile. After the ceremony, Minglan received a pair of extremely translucent gold-inlaid jade bracelets and a heavy, gourd-shaped pouch in autumn-spice color, embroidered with pearls.
That kowtow was quite worthwhile.
"Go see your elder brother," Grand Old Madam said to them with satisfaction in her eyes, moisture gathering at their corners. "He hasn't been well these past two years, and since the new year his condition has worsened. Now he can't even leave his bed. Seeing you married and settled will surely bring him great joy."
Gu Tingye's expression darkened, seemingly quite distressed, as he softly replied, "Of course."
Soon, the entourage made their way to the main courtyard in a quiet procession. Only Grand Old Madam occasionally murmured about Eldest Brother Gu's illness, but as an elder, she restrained herself from speaking too much to maintain dignity. After a few words, she fell silent. Minglan, being a newlywed bride, couldn't be too talkative and kept her lips sealed like a clam, feigning shyness. Gu Tingye had no desire to speak at all, his face somber and gloomy. Minglan bet that if asked, he'd immediately say: Eldest Brother is gravely ill, and my heart aches.
From the corner of her eye, Minglan observed him—this fellow was definitely being insincere.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Minglan's group finally reached the main courtyard. As they entered the second compound, a strong odor of medicinal soup wafted through the air. Minglan followed behind the Grand Old Madam into a large bedroom. The floor was paved with blue bricks and covered with a woolen carpet, devoid of any decorative items. From the side tables and shelves against the wall to the area before the bed, it was filled with various medicine jars and pots. Even the curio shelves on the eastern side were crammed with bottles and containers. Though it was already the third month of spring outside, a blazing stove still warmed the room.
Inside a rosewood bed carved with vines, grasses, birds, and insects lay a man. Beside the bed sat Madam Shao, quietly weeping. Hearing footsteps, she hurriedly wiped the tears from her face and stood to greet the visitors.
"Yu'er, your second brother has come to see you!" Grand Old Madam Qin called out softly. Seeing Gu Tingyu trying to sit up, she quickly stepped forward to press him down, holding his hand and patting it gently. As she murmured softly, her eyes reddened.
Though Minglan was quite displeased at being overlooked by the Grand Old Madam, she stepped forward with a smile and bowed respectfully alongside Gu Tingye. "Greetings, Eldest Brother. Greetings, Eldest Sister-in-law."
Madam Shao hurriedly rose to return the courtesy. Gu Tingyu slightly propped himself up, and Madam Shao helped him lean against the pillow. He nodded to Gu Tingye, then smiled at Minglan and said, "I apologize for making a spectacle of myself, sister-in-law. This useless elder brother is truly incompetent."
Minglan quickly replied, "How could I dare think that? It's most important for you to focus on recovering, Elder Brother." As she glanced up, she was startled. Though Gu Tingyu was critically ill, his complexion sallow, and he had withered to little more than skin and bones, his features bore a strong resemblance to Grand Old Madam Qin's, yet were even more delicate and exquisite. Among all the people Minglan had seen since coming to this ancient era, only Qi Heng's looks could compare to his.
The difference was that while Qi Heng's handsomeness was masculine, Gu Tingyu's held a more feminine softness. After speaking, he coughed weakly several times, sickly blue veins bulging on his pale neck, and an unnatural flush spread across his cheeks.
"My child, you must rest now," Grand Old Madam Qin said, her heart seemingly shattered, her hand trembling as she stroked the back of Gu Tingyu's hand. The affection between mother and son appeared utterly genuine and concerned.Gu Tingyu smiled as he held Grand Old Madam's hand, his gaze fixed intently on Gu Tingye—from his tall, straight figure to his vibrant face—revealing a mix of envy and gloom in his eyes. After catching his breath with some difficulty, he finally spoke: "You’ve finally come to see me. Well, it must be fate after all. Those who ought to make way must do so—once like this, twice like this."
Gu Tingye also stared steadily at his elder brother for a moment before offering comforting words: "What are you saying, elder brother? You’re just not in good health right now. Once you recover, everything will be fine."
Gu Tingyu let out a bitter laugh. "You’ve truly matured, learning to say such things. It seems your years away haven’t been wasted. Good. Now, you’re the only one in this household who can hold things together."
Gu Tingye lowered his head in silence. After a while, he smiled again and offered a few more words of consolation, showing deep fraternal affection. After speaking a few sentences, Gu Tingyu began coughing and developed a fever, drifting into a drowsy sleep. Everyone quietly withdrew from the room.
Grand Old Madam looked worried. As she left, she turned to Madam Shao and said, "You probably haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let the maids and servants watch over Yu-ge. Come and join us for the meal."
After a few polite refusals, Madam Shao followed them out. The group headed toward the eastern side courtyard. As they stepped inside, they saw a table laden with food, and a young woman bustling about arranging things.
This woman had an oval face like a lotus seed and wore a rose-purple brocade jacket embroidered with winding lotus patterns. Her hair was styled in a tilted "falling horse" bun, adorned with a gold hairpin featuring a ruby peony design, giving her a charming and amiable appearance. As soon as she saw everyone arrive, her large eyes crinkled into a smile. "Mother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, you’ve finally come! If you’d been any later, I’d have started eating out of hunger!"
Hearing this, Madam Shao’s face lit up with a smile, but Grand Old Madam remained expressionless, not as warm as she was with Madam Shao, and simply said, "Let’s begin the meal. Everyone must be hungry."
Madam Shao pulled the young woman over and introduced her to Minglan: "This is your third sister-in-law, Wei-ge’s wife, from the Chengping Earl Zhu family. She’s always the most enthusiastic. If you ever feel bored in your daily life, go chat with her—she’ll be delighted."
Upon hearing the name "Wei-ge," Minglan nearly choked on her saliva, then remembered that such a thing probably wasn’t called by that name in ancient times. It must refer to the Gu family’s third son, Gu Tingwei, the biological son of Grand Old Madam Qin.
Minglan smiled and nodded but suddenly felt awkward. By age, she was several years younger than Madam Zhu, but by seniority, she was the second sister-in-law. As she pondered how to address her, Madam Zhu approached without hesitation, cheerfully curtsying and saying, "Greetings, Second Sister-in-law. I hope you are well."
Blushing, Minglan could only reply, "And to you, sister-in-law." She then took a pre-prepared pouch from Danju and handed it over. Madam Zhu accepted it naturally and cheerfully, saying, "Being the youngest daughter-in-law has its perks! It’d be even better with more brothers and sisters-in-law!"
Everyone laughed together, and even Grand Old Madam couldn’t help but crack a slight smile.Once the meal was laid out and everyone had taken their seats, Minglan noticed that both Madam Shao and Madam Zhu were still standing, so she conscientiously remained standing as well, intending to serve the dishes. Grand Old Madam quickly waved her hand and said, "You all sit down and eat too. They say there are no formalities between old and young during the first three days of marriage, and our household doesn’t have such rigid rules anyway. Come, sit down." Then, pointing at Gu Tingye, she added, "You go to the outer room. Your third brother is waiting. You two haven’t had a chance to catch up in so long—take this time to chat properly. After breakfast, we’ll proceed with the family introductions."
Gu Tingye bowed in acknowledgment and walked over to Minglan, speaking softly, "I’ll head over first. You… eat well." Though his expression remained neutral, his concern was evident.
Grand Old Madam turned to instruct a maid about something, seemingly unaware, though the corners of her mouth held a faint smile. Madam Shao watched with a gentle smile, feeling a slight pang of bittersweet envy, while Madam Zhu laughed openly and teased, "Second Brother, we won’t eat Second Sister-in-law!"
Gu Tingye cupped his hands slightly toward the ladies with a smile and left the room.
Minglan stood with her head bowed, her face flushed, feeling somewhat flustered—well, well, she could now basically control her blushing. Once she could manage the intensity of it at will, she’d consider herself fully adept.
Minglan lifted her eyelids slightly, stealing a glance around at the ladies. So far, everything seemed perfectly normal: her mother-in-law was amiable and kind, her eldest sister-in-law was dignified and virtuous, her younger sister-in-law was lively and warm, and the atmosphere among the relatives was harmonious and pleasant. If all of this was genuine, then her luck was truly quite good.
However, ever since being buried by that mudslide, Minglan had come to understand one thing: life was always full of surprises. She just wondered what kind of surprise the Ningyuan Marquis Household had in store for her.
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