SGEIRS -Chapter 605 Triple Joy at the Door

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Inside the room, the candlelight was warm, and a faint calming incense lingered in the air. Meng Jinyao lay on her side on the bed, her cheek resting on her hand, dark hair spilling across the pillow, breathing softly—clearly asleep.

Wanwan slept in her arms, pursing her little lips, as if dreaming of something delicious.

Gu Jingxi returned from outside and entered the room, only to see the picture of mother and child peacefully asleep together. Looking at their serene faces, the fatigue from a whole day’s work melted away in that moment.

He stepped forward to tuck in their blankets, then planted a kiss on each of their faces. Just as he was about to turn and ask a maid to prepare water for his bath, his gaze met a pair of sleepy apricot-shaped eyes.

Meng Jinyao yawned, gazing at him groggily. “Husband, you’re back?”

Gu Jingxi nodded. “Yes, I just got back. Keep sleeping—I’ll go take a bath.”

Meng Jinyao nodded and tried to rub her eyes, only to find that the hand supporting her cheek had gone numb, unable to move. She frowned in discomfort.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi sat on the edge of the bed, gently helping her lie down properly, and massaged her numb hand.

After a while, the numbness subsided, but her sleepiness was gone. Meng Jinyao asked again, “Have you had dinner, husband?”

“I have,” he replied. “I’ll go bathe first.”

With that, he got up, ready to leave—but his sleeve was gently tugged. He looked down at her, silently asking why.

Next, he heard his wife say meaningfully, “Husband, I haven’t bathed yet.”

Gu Jingxi froze for a moment. His gaze darkened, recalling that when he kissed her earlier, he had caught the faint fragrance of a freshly bathed body. Now, her words were unmistakably teasing.

“You little liar. Lies must be punished.”

Gu Jingxi chuckled lowly, bent down, lifted her into his arms, and tucked the blanket around their son with one hand before carrying her to the bathing room.

When they came out, Meng Jinyao was too exhausted to even move her fingers, lying on the bed and glaring at him as if scolding his lack of restraint.

Meeting her gaze, Gu Jingxi felt slightly guilty. He placed their son in the center of the bed and pulled his wife into his arms, softly coaxing, “Jinyao, don’t be angry. Your husband was wrong.”

Meng Jinyao snorted lightly. “How many times have I heard that from you? Aren’t you always saying the same thing?”

Gu Jingxi was silent—he had no way to argue.

“Fine, I’m too lazy to argue with you,” she said, then shifted the topic. “Early this morning, my second brother came by. Can you guess why?”

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi furrowed his brow, a bad premonition rising. “Did something happen at home?”

Meng Jinyao nodded. “Something did, but Mother has already handled it.”

“What happened?” he pressed.

She sighed lightly, teeth clenched, voice dripping disdain: “That unreliable father of mine actually tried to make a move on my third sister! Shameless—he actually would do something like that.”

Gu Jingxi was dumbfounded. “He wanted to take her as… what, regardless of propriety?”

She shook her head repeatedly. “No, not that shameless. He hasn’t sunk that low. He just wanted to marry her off as a concubine to Minister Jiang from the Ministry of Personnel, a man in his forties, to gain personal advantage. Luckily, Mother discovered his motive, confronted him, even fought him, and he was cowed, never daring to mention it again.”

Gu Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Minister Jiang is old, and he already has nine concubines in the rear court, with plenty of illegitimate children.”

Meng Jinyao continued: “In a couple of days, the provincial exam results will be announced. If my second brother’s name is on the list, we’ll start looking for a marriage match after the palace exam results are out. If not, it’s up to him—marry first or study another three years and marry after making the top rank. If my second brother’s marriage can be settled this year, my third sister can also marry this year or next. That way, Father won’t get any more ideas or try anything foolish.”

Gu Jingxi comforted her: “Don’t worry, Jinyao. After Mother beat him up, he shouldn’t dare do anything rash for a while.”

Meng Jinyao scoffed. “If he had been that ambitious in his youth, he wouldn’t be scheming dirty tricks at his age for his own gain.”

Gu Jingxi held her close, soothing her gently. “Jinyao, don’t be angry. Don’t ruin your health over such people—it’s not worth it.”

Two days later, the provincial exam results were announced.

The Gu household was filled with joy. Three pieces of good news had arrived in one day, and the servants were also rewarded for the family’s happiness. Everyone wore smiles and worked energetically.

The first piece of good news: Gu Xiuyuan passed the provincial exam with a commendable rank after three years of hard study, placing 57th among thousands. In ten days, he could enter the palace exam. Regardless of the palace exam result, he had already stepped halfway into an official career.

The second piece of good news: Gu Xiuwen also passed, ranking even higher than his elder brother—20th place.

The third piece of good news came from the second branch of the family. After seeing the public notice, the servants returned with joyful news. Just as everyone was celebrating, Gu Xiuhong’s wife, Song Yuan, suddenly gagged. The doctor confirmed she had been pregnant for over a month.

In one day, triple joy arrived, and the whole household celebrated.

Madam Zhang wept tears of joy multiple times. Her husband had always been unreliable, so she had pinned all her hopes on her two sons. Now that both had succeeded, the eldest branch was secure. Even if the family eventually split, they would not fare badly.

As for Madam Chen, she had never treated her daughter-in-law harshly but had always disliked her. Learning of her pregnancy, she could soon fulfill her wish of holding a grandchild. She began to see her daughter-in-law favorably and even took off her treasured jade bracelet, placing it on Song Yuan’s wrist. “Song Yuan, you’ve worked hard. If you need anything, just tell me.”

Song Yuan was overwhelmed—her mother-in-law had always disliked her and treated her coldly. Now suddenly showing kindness, even giving her daily-worn jade, left her unaccustomed. She looked at her husband for help.

Gu Xiuhong smiled. “Mother gave it to you; just accept it.”

Song Yuan received it and thanked Madam Chen respectfully: “Daughter-in-law thanks Mother.”

Madam Chen smiled kindly at her still-flat belly. “What’s there to thank me for? Everything I have will eventually belong to you and your husband. Giving it now or later makes no difference.”

Song Yuan realized her mother-in-law’s change of heart was because of the child. Thanks to the baby, her mother-in-law finally accepted her, and her husband no longer needed to feel caught in the middle.

Old Madam Gu was delighted as well, instructing the daughters-in-law to prepare a family feast to celebrate properly.

Madam Zhang, Madam Chen, and Meng Jinyao—the three sisters-in-law—joyfully organized the feast. All three had reasons to celebrate: Madam Zhang’s two sons passed the provincial exam, Madam Chen would soon become a grandmother, and Meng Jinyao rejoiced over her second brother’s 5th-place provincial exam ranking.

As for the top scorer of the provincial exam, it was Shen Yunzhou, heir of Duke Shen, who had already become famous in the capital at just thirteen or fourteen.