Xue Wanyao flushed at Gu Zhuo's disdain, but she was truly unwilling to become a nun…
Biting her red lips until they stung, she raised her eyes to look at Gu Zhuo and said, "I truly do not know how to repay Your Highness's great life-saving grace. I cannot wait for the next life to serve you as a beast of burden; I only wish to offer myself to you in this life to repay your kindness…"
Gu Zhuo refused repeatedly, "You offering yourself is not repaying a debt of gratitude—it's repaying kindness with enmity!"
At the main gate of the Prince of Chu's manor, a noble lady in her thirties, dressed in fine embroidered robes, stepped over the threshold and slowly descended the manor’s high steps.
"You wish to offer yourself to the Prince of Chu?"
"Mother," Gu Zhuo said, looking toward Princess Changping.
Kneeling on the ground, Xue Wanyao hurriedly kowtowed to Princess Changping. "This commoner, Xue Wanyao, pays her respects to Your Highness, the Princess."
Princess Changping smiled faintly. "Raise your head."
Xue Wanyao lifted her head to look at Princess Changping. The Princess scrutinized Xue Wanyao’s face carefully and asked, "Whose daughter are you? What is your age?"
Xue Wanyao replied, "My father is Xue Shen, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. I am the second daughter in the family, and I am seventeen this year."
"Seventeen? That is the same age as my Zhuo’er. When is your birthday?"
"The ninth day of the fourth month."
Princess Changping smiled. "What a coincidence. My Zhuo’er was also born on the ninth day of the fourth month. To think you were born in the same year and month—it’s no wonder you were destined to meet today. Are you truly willing to offer yourself to the Prince of Chu?"
Xue Wanyao nodded. "Yes. Seeing me fall into the water today, His Highness jumped in to save my life. I am moved to tears of gratitude. However, I have no power or influence and nothing else with which to repay him. I can only offer myself to repay His Highness’s great kindness."
Princess Changping asked, "Even if offering yourself means you can only be a concubine?"
Xue Wanyao couldn't help but clench her hands. Her biological mother was a concubine.
Since she was a child, her mother had told her that she must become a proper wife in the future and never a concubine again.
After she was betrothed to the eldest son of the Marquis of Wuding’s household, her mother had been extremely happy, relieved that her daughter would not have to be someone's concubine like her and could instead be a primary wife.
Unfortunately, today Xue Wanyao could only fail her mother's expectations.
From the moment she came to the Prince of Chu's manor, she never imagined that someone of her status could become the Princess of Chu; she had merely hoped for the position of a side consort.
Although both were concubines, the status of a side consort was higher, after all. She hadn't expected to only be a common concubine.
Xue Wanyao nodded and said, "Replying to Your Highness, as long as I can repay the debt, I am willing to be a concubine to His Highness."
Princess Changping gave a soft smile. "What a good child, knowing how to return a favor. Rise. You shall serve as the Prince of Chu's concubine for now. Once you are pregnant, I will request the title of Side Consort of Chu for you."
"Thank you, Princess."
Xue Wanyao performed a formal bow before rising.
"Mother, I don't want any concubine."
Gu Zhuo frowned and rejected the idea outright upon hearing this.
Princess Changping said coldly, "Zhuo’er, you are nearly eighteen. How can it be acceptable that you don't have a single woman serving by your side? You are extremely resistant to the matter of marriage, saying you are still young and unwilling to take a wife. Taking a wife is a major lifelong event; if you feel you are too young and don't want to marry, I will let you have your way for now. But you must at least take a concubine first. The Gu family's bloodline is thin to begin with, having been a single son for three generations. You are the only seedling left now. You should branch out the family line as soon as possible."
"The matter of taking a concubine is settled. Wanyao, you shall stay in the side room of the Prince's Lingfeng Courtyard for now. Did you bring any maidservants with you?"
Xue Wanyao said in a low voice, "I do not have any maids."
Before her wedding, her legal mother, Madam Xue, feared that the Marquis of Wuding's household had too many rules and that the maids who grew up with Wanyao would be useless, so she had dismissed her two original maids.
She had found four new dowry maids for her.
The service contracts of those dowry maids were all in the hands of her legal mother, so naturally, they had not followed her here.
Princess Changping said, "Then tomorrow, I will find four maids to take care of you."
"Thank you, Princess."
Princess Changping looked at the wet wedding dress Xue Wanyao was still wearing and said, "Go inside quickly to bathe and change your clothes, then drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold."
Xue Wanyao looked at Princess Changping gratefully and said, "Thank you, Princess. It’s just… I didn't bring any clean clothes with me. I'll have to go to the street to buy a ready-made outfit."
Princess Changping let out a light laugh. "No need. I have many unworn clothes sitting idle in my trunks, all made of fine fabric. I'll have a maid bring some to you. Jingxin, lead Concubine Xue to Lingfeng Courtyard to bathe first."
"Yes." A senior maid around thirty or forty years old standing beside Princess Changping walked to Xue Wanyao's side. "Concubine Xue, please follow me."
Hearing the title "Concubine Xue," Xue Wanyao was filled with a thousand emotions, yet she was helpless. To go from being the primary wife of the first branch of the Marquis of Wuding's household to a prince's concubine…
Wanyao thought that it was still better than going to a Taoist temple to become a nun.
Gu Zhuo frowned and looked at Princess Changping. "Mother, I simply don't want to take a concubine."
Princess Changping said, "Such a beautiful girl is becoming your concubine, and you still don't want it? Tonight, you must share a room with her."
"Mother!"
Princess Changping said, "This matter is not up for discussion. You must share a room with her today. You have avoided women and have no children to this day. How will I face your father who died early after I pass away? I might as well go find your father now, so I don't leave behind a reputation for failing to raise my son properly…"
Hearing Princess Changping mention his father, Gu Zhuo was helpless and could only agree. "Stop nagging. I will share a room with that woman surnamed Xue today."
Share a room… just being in the same room is also considered sharing a room.
Inside Lingfeng Courtyard.
Xue Wanyao followed the maid Jingxin inside. Her gaze swept over the spacious courtyard, which featured a small lotus pond with koi swimming in it, adding a touch of elegance to the scene.
Once inside the bathhouse of Lingfeng Courtyard, Jingxin intended to order the maids of the courtyard to serve Xue Wanyao.
Only then did she suddenly remember that there were no maids at all in her young Prince's courtyard.
Jingxin had the menservants bring hot water and leave it at the door.
"Concubine Xue, there are no maids in Lingfeng Courtyard. If you don't mind, let me serve you in your bath."
"I shall trouble you then, Auntie Jingxin."
The February weather was still very cold, and wearing a soaked wedding dress made Xue Wanyao feel a bone-chilling cold. Only after entering the hot spring pool did the warmth finally return, dispelling the chill and exhaustion.
After Xue Wanyao finished her bath, the Princess's clothes arrived just in time. It was a lotus-root pink Cloud-brocade Ruqun, which fit Xue Wanyao perfectly.
After Auntie Jingxin dried Xue Wanyao's hair, she styled it into a bun. "Like a hibiscus rising from clear water, Concubine Xue is truly beautiful. Today, you will surely make our young Prince break his distance from women."
Hearing Auntie Jingxin's words, Xue Wanyao’s cheeks turned slightly red with shyness. As she followed Jingxin into Gu Zhuo's bedroom, she could even less hide her nervousness.
Gu Zhuo's bedroom was clearly the residence of a young man. There were not many decorations in the room, except for a sword encrusted with gems hanging by the bed.
Auntie Jingxin assisted Xue Wanyao to sit on the edge of Gu Zhuo's bed and said, "Concubine, please wait here for the Prince's arrival. I shall take my leave now."
"Very well."
After Jingxin went out, Xue Wanyao's fingers unconsciously picked at her nails; her heart was full of tension.
Outside, the sky grew darker and darker, and the room turned dim. Just as Xue Wanyao was about to lose sight of everything in the room, she heard the footsteps of a young man coming from outside.
"Your Highness, Concubine Xue is waiting for you inside…"