SGEIRS -Chapter 556 An Imperial Decree Granting a Marriage

An autumn breeze drifted gently, the weather cool and pleasant.

Gu Jingxi sat by Wanwan’s little bed, holding a book in his hands and reading aloud at an unhurried pace. The more he read, the more spirited he became, his voice full of energy. Meanwhile, Wanwan, lying on the small bed, grew drowsier and drowsier—he yawned, closed his eyes, and soon fell asleep.

When Meng Jinyao entered, she saw this scene and couldn’t help saying, “Husband, stop reading already. Your son’s fallen asleep—if you keep going, you’ll just wake him up.”

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi stopped reading. He glanced at his son lying there with his eyes closed, already fast asleep, and frowned. “This little rascal—he’ll be taking the imperial examinations in just over ten years. How can he sleep so soundly?”

Meng Jinyao froze, then suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief. “Gu Jingxi, don’t tell me you’re deliberately reading to your son so he can study?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Gu Jingxi replied nonchalantly. “Learning has to start early. Being immersed from a young age—only then will he love studying when he grows up. Letting him fall asleep to poetry now, listening more often, will help cultivate a sense of language.”

Meng Jinyao glanced at her son, sleeping soundly, and fell silent. A baby who couldn’t even talk yet—what sense of language could he possibly cultivate?

The wet nurse standing nearby silently sympathized with the young heir. Once again, she felt that being born into a great household wasn’t easy. The young heir was only a few months old, not even able to speak yet, and the marquis was already making him “study.” One could only imagine how high the marquis’s expectations would be once the child reached the age for formal learning. But then again, the marquis himself had been outstanding since childhood—naturally, he hoped his son would surpass him.

Meng Jinyao laughed. “Husband, aren’t you overestimating Wanwan a bit? He’s still so little—even if he listens, he won’t understand what you’re reading.”

Gu Jingxi shook his head gently. “Whether he understands doesn’t matter. What matters is that hearing it often will influence him. Mother said that when I was little, Father used to read books aloud by my side just like this.”

Meng Jinyao was stunned again, then asked, “Did it really work?” As she spoke, she answered herself, “It must have—after all, you became the top scholar in your teens.”

Gu Jingxi replied, “Honestly, I don’t know whether it works or not. Studying has never been difficult for me anyway.”

Meng Jinyao shot him a look. “You might as well just say it’s because of your brain.”

Gu Jingxi laughed. “It does have something to do with intelligence, but what’s more important is being willing to learn. If you’re unwilling, no matter how smart you are, it’s useless. Look at Xiuwen from Eldest Sister-in-law’s family—he used to be lazy and unwilling to study. Whenever I tested him, he could never answer. Now that he’s willing, he’s making rapid progress.”

Meng Jinyao didn’t oppose his approach and only said, “Fine, I won’t interfere with you father and son. If you want to read to him, do it in your spare time and properly nurture him. Whether it works or not—we’ll see in a few years when he begins his studies.”

Gu Jingxi nodded lightly and added, “Speaking of beginning his studies, we should also take these few years to carefully look for a suitable teacher. A teacher for early education doesn’t need great fame, but must suit Wanwan. Choose the right one, and twice the results will come with half the effort.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao smiled helplessly. “Husband, you’re thinking a bit too far ahead. Hiring a teacher is something for several years later. Wanwan won’t begin his studies until he’s four. We’ll talk about the future when it comes. Now that Wanwan’s asleep, come play a couple of games of chess with me.”

Gu Jingxi answered readily, “Alright.”

—

At court that day, Emperor Jingwen issued an imperial decree granting marriage between the Third Prince and the Seventh Princess of An State, with the wedding to be held on an auspicious date.

After the court session ended, everyone offered their congratulations to the Third Prince on winning the beauty’s hand.

Surrounded by the crowd, the Third Prince smiled and thanked them all, whether their congratulations were sincere or not. After exchanging polite words, he excused himself and left.

Seeing this, the Second Prince followed him and said with a smile, “The Seventh Princess of An State is breathtakingly beautiful, a rare beauty indeed. Congratulations, Third Brother.”

“Thank you, Second Brother,” the Third Prince replied.

The Second Prince continued, “Earlier, Father said that you, Third Sister, and Fourth Brother would accompany the Third Prince of An State and the Seventh Princess on their outings. With my two younger brothers being so outstanding, I thought perhaps one of you would catch the Seventh Princess’s eye. Turns out my guess was right.”

At this moment, the Fourth Prince also caught up.

Seeing him, the Second Prince said half-seriously, half-jokingly, “Such a fine young lady as the Seventh Princess—Fourth Brother, you were unwell back then and couldn’t accompany her on the outing. I wonder if you regret missing out on a fair chance to compete.”

His words were cleverly phrased, subtly implying to the Third Prince that the Fourth Prince had no intention of marrying the An State princess and had deliberately feigned illness, leaving the Third Prince to shoulder the responsibility alone.

However, the Third Prince and Fourth Prince had been summoned together to the imperial study before the outing, and it had already been decided then that the Third Prince would marry the Seventh Princess. The Second Prince’s attempt at sowing discord failed.

The Fourth Prince said gently, “Second Brother, I already said before that I have no interest in marriage. How could I regret it? With my frail body, it’s uncertain whether I’ll even live to reach adulthood—I shouldn’t delay a young lady’s life.”

Hearing this, the Second Prince’s expression paused. Looking at the Fourth Prince’s sickly appearance—frail and constantly ill, treating medicine as food—the scent of herbs wafting from him whenever the autumn wind blew—it was true that from childhood till now, he had never been able to stop taking medicine. He had fallen ill countless times, yet never died. His life was surprisingly resilient.

The Second Prince said, “Fourth Brother, you mustn’t say such nonsense again. You’ll surely live to a hundred years.”

The Fourth Prince covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly twice, then sighed lightly. “My life is merely being sustained by expensive medicines. Luckily, I was born into the imperial family—if I were from an ordinary household, how could they afford my treatments? I would’ve probably died at two or three years old.”

The Second Prince comforted him. “Fourth Brother, don’t think too much or be overly pessimistic. Follow the physicians’ instructions—your health will gradually improve.”

“It’s been so many years. If it could improve, it would have long ago,” the Fourth Prince said, sighing again. “Enough, let’s not talk about this. Third Brother is engaged now, and I haven’t yet congratulated him. Allow me to do so here—congratulations, Third Brother.”

The Third Prince smiled and thanked him. “Thank you, Fourth Brother.”

Over on the other side, Qi Yunwen noticed the princes not far away and quietly asked the friend beside him, “Yaoling, you’ve shaved your beard again—was it because you heard that the Seventh Princess and the Third Prince’s good news was approaching?”

Gu Jingxi shot him a sharp look. “Mobei, are you so bored after eating your fill? Always thinking about such nonsense. With that time, why don’t you solve a few more cases instead?”

Qi Yunwen shrugged nonchalantly and laughed. “Cases must be handled, of course. But after meals and tea, one has to have some gossip to pass the time. I’m quite interested in your gossip—if it were someone else’s, I might not even care.”

Gu Jingxi halted his steps, smiling without warmth. “No matter. Soon enough, I’ll make sure you won’t have time for gossip.”

Qi Yunwen choked on his words and said, “Gu Yaoling, I’m warning you—don’t abuse your power for personal revenge.”

“How could I?” Gu Jingxi’s smile deepened. “The more capable one is, the more work one should do. Assistant Minister Qi is so outstanding—he ought to shoulder more responsibilities. Don’t you agree?”

Qi Yunwen’s face stiffened. Watching Gu Jingxi stride away, he lightly slapped his own mouth in regret. He really shouldn’t have run his mouth—now he was in for even more work.