Chapter Twenty-Eight: Departure

Even someone as thick-skinned as Qin Muchuan could not help but blush at this moment. He covered his face and coughed a few times. “Understood, I’ll go right away.”

But just as he lifted his foot, a tender, reluctant voice called, “Husband…” It was as sweet and sticky as honey, soft and lingering.

Qin Muchuan took a deep breath. “Qiulan, Father is still waiting for me…”

Gu Qiulan looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Mm, I know.”

Steward Zhao, witnessing the two once again gazing at each other as if there were no one else present, felt both a headache and a surge of relief—truly, the affection between the young master and his wife was growing by leaps and bounds. He had to remind them again, “Young Madam… The Duke has asked that you both come to Snowpine Hall together.”

Snowpine Hall was where the Duke’s study was located; women of the inner residence were generally not permitted there without good reason. Gu Qiulan was curious—what exactly was the Duke planning this time?

Upon arrival, the Duke had already changed into his everyday robes, yet the intimidating aura forged on the battlefield had not lessened in the slightest. Though Gu Qiulan had always been wild and unruly in Yan Prefecture, in the presence of the Duke, she could not help but feel a sense of awe. It reminded her of those days spent in the military camp…

“I don’t know what it is about you, you wretch, that caught His Majesty’s eye, but he’s actually given you a real post.”

The Duke began with a lecture.

The sweetness left in Qin Muchuan’s heart, left behind by Gu Qiulan, was instantly crushed beneath a weighty black stone. He listened gloomily, head bowed, and even Gu Qiulan, feeling the atmosphere, became much more subdued.

“Tell me, do you know the duties of a registrar? Do you know what you are to do in Jiangnan this time?”

“Isn’t it just assisting Uncle Sun with paperwork, copying letters and such? Any scholar could do it. Father, what are you so worried about?”

Gu Qiulan stared at Qin Muchuan in horror. She had always thought her husband’s foolishness rather endearing, but she hadn’t expected such a fearless spirit—how could he speak so offhandedly before the infamous, fearsome Duke?

Truly it was—

The wind mourns and the river chills; Qin Muchuan ventures forth, never to return…

Crack—

The sound of a teacup shattering brought the room to a standstill.

Qin Muchuan was startled and opened his mouth to speak, but the Duke’s roar drowned him out.

“Outrageous! Unfilial son! Wretched child! Even now you’re still so careless! If His Majesty hadn’t appointed you to this seventh-rank post, I’d have wrung your neck by now! Your Uncle Sun is the imperial supervisor of the Jiangnan examinations, and as registrar, you must devote yourself entirely to assisting him! The court’s correspondence with Jiangnan will involve many secrets; you are in charge of this, so you cannot be careless for a moment! A single mistake and it’s a crime worth losing your head for! And you—look at yourself! Listen to that tone! The Ministry of Rites, moreover, supervises the imperial examinations across the realm. Do you know your father-in-law has just been promoted to Minister of Rites? If this examination goes awry, how will you answer to him? You have not a shred of learning, yet you idle about every day! If you weren’t my son, you’d have died by my hand eight hundred times over!”

No wonder he was a seasoned general—his tirade left Qin Muchuan frozen like a wooden figure, unable to move. Gu Qiulan, too, was witnessing for the first time such a close encounter of “the Duke disciplining his son,” and for a while, she was at a loss for words.

The young couple had both shrunk by half a head under the Duke’s thunderous scolding, wishing they could disappear into the corner and never emerge.

“Er… Daughter-in-law!” The Duke saw Gu Qiulan sitting ramrod straight in her chair, hands on her knees, feet planted shoulder-width apart—a perfect soldier’s posture. His tone softened. “Did I frighten you just now…? This is home, no need to be so nervous.”

Gu Qiulan stiffly turned her head. “Yes, General!”

The Duke: “…” He forced a genial fatherly smile. “Daughter-in-law… relax, don’t be so tense. What I said was for Qin Muchuan, not for you. You’re a good child; from now on, I’ll leave this rascal to your care. You must keep him in line.”

“Yes…” Gu Qiulan replied. She was a good child… Heavens! If the Duke ever learned of her exploits in Yan Prefecture… Gu Qiulan sat even straighter.

“Look at that!” the Duke bellowed again. “See how you’ve frightened your wife!”

Qin Muchuan was utterly at a loss—Me? I’m the one who scared her? He was about to protest, but the Duke’s glare silenced him. He bowed his head and whispered to Gu Qiulan, “Qiulan, snap out of it!”

“Ah… I’m here, husband, I’m here.” Gu Qiulan took a deep breath to steady herself and asked gently, “Father, did you summon us today to give instructions for our journey to Jiangnan?”

“Exactly!” The Duke’s rage had mostly subsided after his outburst. He told Qin Muchuan, “You’ll depart tomorrow. Let your wife accompany you—one more person to watch over you, so you don’t get into trouble again.” Then, to Gu Qiulan, he instructed, “Daughter-in-law, don’t be afraid of anything. If this scoundrel does anything out of line, write to me at once!”

Gu Qiulan assented with a gentle smile.

The two remained in Snowpine Hall for more than half an hour before finally making their escape.

Gu Qiulan was drenched in sweat; Qin Muchuan reached out to wipe her brow and said softly, “My father’s always like this—he mostly yells at me. Sorry you had to get dragged into it.”

Gu Qiulan clasped his hand, guiding it from her forehead to her lips. “Husband… you really have it rough.”

Qin Muchuan was filled with emotion, wishing he could embrace Gu Qiulan right then—after all these years, under his father’s bombardment, it was rare to have someone truly on his side! Marriage, indeed, was a wonderful thing!

“But the Duke truly does care for you,” Gu Qiulan remarked, recalling the letters the Duke had given Qin Muchuan, detailing the backgrounds of the Jiangnan officials—whom to befriend, whom to watch—an unusual level of detail for a man of war.

Qin Muchuan looked a bit embarrassed as he touched the letters tucked into his robe and smiled. “That’s true—a tiger, after all, won’t eat its own cubs! This time, I’ll show the old man I’m more than just a good-for-nothing gambler and bird fancier!”

“Husband, you’re amazing!” Gu Qiulan beamed.

“Uh… I haven’t done anything yet,” Qin Muchuan scratched his head, a bit sheepish.

“You’re amazing even when you do nothing! The most amazing!” Gu Qiulan declared.

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

Gu Qiulan seized his arm in a tight embrace and nodded vigorously. “Mm!”

The Imperial Palace.

Consort Sun was overjoyed to learn her brother had been appointed as the imperial supervisor of the Jiangnan examinations. But upon hearing that the Emperor had assigned that boy from the Duke Qin’s household to serve as Secretary under Lord Sun, her brows furrowed.

She’d heard recently that her nephew, Sun Ruosi, had offended Consort Zhou’s brother, and the young master from the Duke’s house was sworn brothers with Sun Ruosi. She had thought Consort Zhou would surely meddle, yet surprisingly, the boy still secured a solid post. Consort Zhou wasn’t known for such magnanimity—had her pillow talk failed to sway the Emperor?

Still, Consort Sun was quietly delighted when the eunuchs outside announced the Emperor’s arrival in ever-louder tones.

“Your humble consort welcomes Your Majesty. May Your Majesty have ten thousand years of peace.”

“No need for such formality, my love.”

The Emperor had come to inform Consort Sun in person of her brother’s promotion. She thanked him again on her brother’s behalf. “This Jiangnan examination is a matter of great importance for the court. My brother bears a heavy burden—if he were alone…”

The Emperor, understanding her worries, sipped his tea and said, “You need not fret. Every official chosen to go to Jiangnan was selected after much deliberation.”

Qin Muchuan was also the result of much deliberation…? Consort Sun was deeply suspicious.

The Emperor only smiled enigmatically.

—That young man from the Qin family might be unremarkable in scholarship, but in the gambling dens, he seemed to win every time, and he certainly possessed a sharp wit. Cheating in the imperial examinations had always been hard to eradicate; perhaps sending someone like him would prove useful after all.