FBC – Chapter 15 Deep Affection Between Husband and Wife

Gu Hua looked around the study.

That night, there had only been a single candle lit on the desk, its light casting a dim glow.

She had been carried in over someone’s shoulder, drunk and caught in a haze of emotion and desire. She hadn’t clearly seen what the study looked like.

It was said that the Duke Yong had been fighting wars since he was eight years old, spending over twenty years on the battlefield. Altogether, he had spent less than two months at the Duke’s residence in Bianjing.

Each time he returned, apart from sleeping and conversing with the Old Madam, he spent the rest of his time in the study.

The study was spacious, furnished entirely with black lacquered red sandalwood. Understated yet luxurious.

Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with books.

Gu Hua’s gaze fell on the enormous, now-empty desk. That night of passionate entanglement replayed vividly in her mind.

A loud boom exploded in her chest, and her ears instantly turned red.

She hurriedly looked away, only to catch sight of a portrait of a woman hanging beside the bookshelf.

Curious, she walked over for a closer look.

The woman in the painting had delicate features, a poised and serene demeanor, and a slender figure like a willow in the wind.

This must be the Duke Yong’s first wife.

A powerful wave of shame surged in Gu Hua’s chest.

They had actually done that in front of the first wife’s portrait…

Panicking, she turned around in a fluster and nearly knocked over the vase beneath the portrait.

She quickly steadied it, and just as she turned back around, Zhou Zhilian pushed the door open, carrying a basket filled with vibrant fruits.

“That’s the Lord’s first wife. But I wasn’t really acquainted with her.”

Zhou Zhilian didn’t notice Gu Hua’s flustered expression and casually explained, placing the fruit basket on the tea table in front of the soft couch with a smile.

Gu Hua calmed herself a little.

Curious, she asked, “Why weren’t you acquainted with her either?”

Zhou Zhilian fetched a white porcelain plate and a pair of scissors, then began clipping the freshly washed grapes one by one.

The deep purple grapes tumbled onto the snowy white porcelain plate, quickly forming a beautiful little mountain of purple.

She muttered as she worked, “When the first wife married in, she was already seriously ill. She lived alone in Ningxiang Courtyard, attended only by maidservants brought from her natal home, and they rarely left her side. Also, her illness couldn’t stand any draft—she hardly ever left the house. Even her visits to the Old Madam could be counted on one hand.”

“Huh? Her illness never improved?”

“Nope. After marrying into the Duke’s residence, she was treated with the best medicine, but she only lasted a year before passing away.”

For some reason, Gu Hua felt a pang of sorrow. “I heard the Lord and his first wife shared deep affection. He must have been devastated when she died?”

The painting was rendered so meticulously—surely the Duke Yong must have truly loved her.

Zhou Zhilian paused, tilting her head in thought. “The Lord didn’t even come back for the wedding. It wasn’t until after she died that he returned to pay his respects. I didn’t see him cry. Deep affection? Where?”

Gu Hua was stunned.

So… they never consummated the marriage?

“Not everyone cries when they’re heartbroken. Especially someone like the Lord—even if his heart was breaking, he’d probably bottle it up inside.”

Gu Hua seemed to be musing aloud as she turned back to the portrait.

Zhou Zhilian pressed her down to sit on the soft couch and stuffed a grape into her mouth.

“The Lord and the first wife knew each other since childhood. The first wife liked him a lot. But the Lord was always away at war, never came back. She waited until she was twenty. That year, the Lord had a great victory driving out the Tartars. The first wife knelt in the palace to beg the emperor, and the marriage was granted. Only then did the Lord wed her under imperial decree.”

Even if it was an arranged marriage by imperial decree, he still didn’t remarry after she died.

That must mean he couldn’t forget her.

Gu Hua slowly chewed the sweet grape, a hint of yearning rising in her heart. “Mutual affection like that really makes people envious.”

No matter how envious she was, in this life, she didn’t want love.

In her past life, it had been unthinkable.

In this life, she was unworthy of it.

She had also grown up in a marquis’ household. Though she had been secretly bullied by her concubine-born sister and her stepmother, on the surface she had never lacked food or clothing. She could read, and she had learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, dancing, and embroidery.

She knew that chastity was priceless for a woman.

She also knew the values of propriety and virtue.

If word ever spread that she had taken the initiative to crawl into a man’s bed, the resulting scandal could drown her in spittle.

If she could find proof that she and Gu Wanru had been swapped at birth, would that mother of hers—descended from the prestigious Wang family of Langya, who prized the three obediences and four virtues and reputation above all—still be willing to acknowledge her?

Would she say she wasn’t worthy of being a daughter of the illustrious Wang clan?

“Envious? I’m not. He married a sickly woman, and the Lord still came and went alone. Might as well not have married at all.”

Zhou Zhilian’s indifferent tone snapped Gu Hua back from her thoughts.

Gu Hua felt this gossip was going a bit too far—speaking ill of the Lord behind his back was a crime.

She quickly stood up. “Where’s the manuscript the first madam left behind? I’ll take a look.”

Zhou Zhilian put her hands on her hips and pointed at her. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch manuscripts before your hand heals? Sit back down!”

With that, she ran over to the bookshelf, bent down, and pulled a few books from the bottom shelf. Carrying them in her arms, she picked up the fruit basket with one hand and pointed at the grape-filled plate.

“You hold the grapes. We’re going to the side room to read storybooks.”

Gu Hua: …

The whole day, the two girls leaned against the soft couch by the window, basking in the warm early autumn sun, nibbling on fruit and snacks, and reading storybooks in complete leisure.

From time to time, they chirped and chattered, discussing the tales.

They got indignant on the heroine’s behalf, sighed over the tragic love between the male and female leads.

Gu Hua had never experienced such lazy and blissful days before.

She liked days like this, though they also filled her with melancholy.

They felt too unreal.

Unknowingly, evening came. After sharing dinner, it was time for Gu Hua to leave.

The clear sky from earlier had suddenly turned gloomy. Lightning flashed between the thick clouds, followed by the muffled rumble of thunder.

It had been sunny all day, and now it was going to rain at night?

Zhou Zhilian handed her an oil-paper umbrella. “Looks like it’s about to pour. Come again tomorrow. I’ll have them find more new storybooks for us.”

“Mm.” Gu Hua smiled at her, but her mood had dimmed.

Walking out of Wenhan Pavilion, her steps slowed—she had no desire to return to Jinxiu Pavilion.

Just then, she overheard two old servant women whispering nearby and perked up her ears.

To her dismay, they were talking about her, even pointing at her as they gossiped.

“That’s the one. Couldn’t seduce the young master, so now she’s targeting the Lord. Shameless.”

“I heard her mother came from a merchant family. Trash like that—naturally low-born.”

“Exactly. Look at her swaying hips when she walks—total slut, just like a vixen.”

Gu Hua trembled with rage.

These words could only have come from Gu Wanru.

She had only been in the residence for a month. Most people didn’t even know her, let alone the fact that Concubine Pei had merchant roots, or that she had supposedly failed to seduce the young master.

It was the same in her past life.

She had been forcibly made a concubine room servant, tormented by Mu An and her elder sister, harassed by the other concubines and maids.

Meanwhile, the people of the household, ignorant of the truth, pointed fingers, even cursed her to her face.

They said she shamelessly stole her elder sister’s man. Said she brought disgrace to the Duke’s household.

Gu Wanru played the villain while still pretending to be the good one.

Gu Hua took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

The sunset was fading, dusk was falling, and servants and attendants bustled through the corridors, lighting the lanterns one by one.

The early autumn air turned sharply cold. A gust of wind swept in, and then came the sudden, pounding rain.

Gu Hua quickly opened her oil-paper umbrella, tightened her cloak, and continued walking slowly.

She hoped… that Mu An wouldn’t be lying in wait for her tonight.

She had narrowly escaped last night. If it happened again, would she be as lucky?

By the time she dragged herself back to Jinxiu Pavilion, the sky was pitch-black and the rain had worsened.

Cautiously, she peeked into the courtyard. The sound of rain was so loud, she couldn’t hear anything from the main room.

With rain this heavy, Mu An probably wouldn’t come.

Gu Hua ran toward her room. Just as she opened her door, the door to the main room suddenly creaked open.

Startled, she jumped.

Instinctively, she shrank back into the room.