Gu Yan stood blocking the doorway, stopping Yun Xiangye in her tracks. “When did I say Mother is difficult to care for?”
Yun Xiangye replied, “Don’t think I didn’t hear you just because you whispered earlier. I clearly heard you say, ‘Only women and small-minded people are hard to deal with.’”
Gu Yan took a deep breath. “I was wrong. You can scold or hit me if you wish, but it’s already late at night. Don’t disturb Mother and upset her—it’ll harm her health.”
Yun Xiangye scoffed. “So you do know that anger can harm one’s health. When you were insulting me earlier, why weren’t you afraid I’d get angry and fall ill?”
Gu Yan didn’t argue further, knowing full well he was in the wrong. He murmured softly, “I was wrong.”
Listening to his insincere apology, Yun Xiangye snorted. It was easy for him to admit fault, but his heart wasn’t in it.
Naturally, Yun Xiangye wouldn’t act like a child and run to the Princess to complain late at night. Instead, she walked over to a nearby chest, took out a huanghuali wood abacus, and threw it in front of Gu Yan.
“If you truly know you were wrong, kneel on this abacus… for half an hour!”
Gu Yan first glanced at the huanghuali wood on the floor, then frowned and glared sharply at Yun Xiangye. “Yun Xiangye, my repeated indulgence toward you isn’t meant for you to push your luck and overstep your bounds.”
Yun Xiangye stared back at him. “Will you kneel or not?”
Gu Yan’s brows tightened. “A man’s knees are as precious as gold. We kneel to heaven, earth, the sovereign, and our parents—never to a wife. Ever since coming to Chang’an, you’ve become increasingly unreasonable.”
Tears welled up in Yun Xiangye’s eyes. Who was the unreasonable one here?
For twenty-three years since her birth, she had never left Jiangnan. Though she had lost her parents, she still had relatives, a younger sister, and close friends in Yongxing City.
She had abandoned the embroidery workshop left by her parents, parted with her younger sister, bid farewell to her friends, and followed him to the unfamiliar city of Chang’an—only to be called “unreasonable.”
Yun Xiangye had come to Chang’an with the sincere intention of building a life with Gu Yan. Yet, these past few days, she had endured mockery from maidservants, disdain from her cousin, and now this insult from Gu Yan.
Seeing the tears in Yun Xiangye’s eyes, Gu Yan frowned slightly and stepped forward, reaching out to wipe them away. Yun Xiangye dodged to the side.
Silently shedding tears, Yun Xiangye’s eyes were filled with deep resentment toward Gu Yan.
She should never have married a man from afar. Traveling thousands of miles to marry him had only brought her this outcome.
Seeing her like this, Gu Yan said, “Just half an hour, right? After kneeling for half an hour, you mustn’t cause any more trouble over me hiding my identity from you for three years.”
Yun Xiangye remained silent, tears still falling quietly.
Gu Yan sighed helplessly. He walked over, locked the door to ensure no one could enter, and then knelt on one knee on the abacus. The beads of the abacus dug painfully into his skin.
His voice was cold as he said, “Stop crying. After this, no more tantrums! And I won’t indulge you like this again.”
Only after Gu Yan had knelt for a quarter of an hour did Yun Xiangye wipe away her tears. Looking down at him, she said slowly, “I’m making you kneel this time because you insulted me by saying ‘only women and small-minded people are hard to deal with.’ If you think I’ll forgive you for deceiving me for three years just like that, it’s not that easy.”
Besides, Gu Yan wasn’t even kneeling sincerely—he was only on one knee.
Gu Yan looked up, rose to his feet, and reached out to grab Yun Xiangye’s wrist, pulling her into his embrace.
Gu Yan looked at Yun Xiangye, whose eyes still held tears, and said, “You can’t keep holding one mistake against me and refuse to let it go, especially since it wasn’t even a major fault—I just didn’t tell you about my family background. You’ve been upset for three days now.”
Yun Xiangye gazed into Gu Yan’s eyes. Indeed, when she thought about it, it wasn’t a serious mistake.
If she truly didn’t care about Gu Yan, she should have been delighted—after all, she had gone from being an ordinary commoner to the daughter-in-law of a princess.
Even though Zhuyi and the other three maidservants, as well as Wei Nian, had said she might be demoted from wife to concubine, even being Gu Yan’s concubine would have been a step up for her.
But she cared about Gu Yan, which was why she had grown increasingly angry over these three days.
She was angry that he had no regard for her in his heart, that he never considered her situation, that he didn’t treat her as his wife, that he misunderstood her, and that he defended his cousin…
She couldn’t express this grievance to Gu Yan. Since he had no regard for her in the first place, speaking up would only make him feel smug, while she would become a laughingstock.
Yun Xiangye wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand, pushed Gu Yan away, and returned to the bed.
Yun Xiangye thought that if it weren’t for Nuonuo, she probably wouldn’t have been willing to stay by Gu Yan’s side, feeling so heartbroken and angry.
Since Gu Yan had no regard for her in his heart, why should she still care about him?
Gu Yan looked at Yun Xiangye’s back as she turned away from him, sighed softly, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
The next day, when Yun Xiangye woke up, Gu Yan was already gone from her side.
Not long after Yun Xiangye got up, she heard Nuonuo crying.
It seemed that upon waking up and seeing Nanny Cao instead of her, Nuonuo was throwing a tantrum.
Yun Xiangye hurriedly opened the door and took Nuonuo into her arms. Looking at the little face that somewhat resembled Gu Yan’s, she gently comforted Nuonuo for a while. After freshening up, she went to the Linlang Restaurant.
Both the waiter and the accountant at the restaurant had been replaced.
Yun Xiangye handed the new menu she had prepared at the mansion to the accountant. The chefs at Linlang Restaurant were quite skilled, but they lacked signature dishes, so Yun Xiangye had to rely on offering good quality at affordable prices.
Food is the most important thing for the people. Yun Xiangye believed that when running a restaurant, the most crucial aspect was the quality of the dishes, followed by portion size. Large portions alone wouldn’t suffice if the food wasn’t tasty, nor would small portions be acceptable even if the food was delicious. Both had to be balanced.
After discussing portion sizes with the chefs, Yun Xiangye had lunch and returned to the princess’s mansion.
Not long after returning to Qingfeng Garden, Yun Xiangye accompanied Nuonuo for her afternoon nap. Once Nuonuo was sound asleep, she heard Run’er whisper, “Miss, the maidservant from the princess’s side has asked you to accompany Her Highness into the palace.”
Hearing that she had to go to the palace again, Yun Xiangye quickly changed her clothes and went out.
The princess’s sedan chair was already waiting for her at the main gate. Seeing Xie Zhixuan at the entrance, Yun Xiangye bowed and said, “Mother, I’m late.”
Xie Zhixuan replied, “You’re not late. I mentioned earlier that Qingfeng Garden is short of four senior maidservants. Over the past few years, I haven’t been strict with the maidservants in the mansion, so selecting senior maidservants from within might not be reliable. I’ll take you to the Palace Affairs Bureau to pick a few palace maids to serve you, and we can also bring your cousin out of the palace.”
Upon hearing that her cousin could leave the palace, Yun Xiangye was overjoyed. “Thank you, Mother.”
Yun Xiangye boarded the sedan chair behind Xie Zhixuan’s, and after about two quarters of an hour, they arrived at the palace gate.
Xie Zhixuan led Yun Xiangye to the Fengyi Palace, where the empress resided.
Yun Xiangye entered and, upon seeing Empress Wei seated high above, promptly bowed and said, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Empress Wei chuckled lightly, “No need for such formalities. What brings you to the palace today, sister?”
Xie Zhixuan smiled and replied, “You know how busy I usually am with the pharmacy, and I haven’t been strict in managing the household. The estate is short of a few senior maids, and I thought it would be more convenient to select them from the Palace Attendants Bureau rather than looking outside the palace. So today, I’ve come to ask for your help.”
Empress Wei smiled and said, “Summon Palace Attendant Li and have her select a dozen capable and diligent palace maids.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Xie Zhixuan then addressed Empress Wei again, “Sister-in-law, there’s another matter. Xiangye’s cousin serves in the Eastern Palace and will turn twenty-five this coming March. I’d like her to be allowed to leave the palace before the New Year, so the two cousins can spend a reunion together outside the palace.”
Empress Wei smiled and said, “That’s only right. Xiangye’s cousin is, after all, Yan’er’s cousin as well. I’ll issue an edict immediately, granting Xiangye’s cousin permission to leave the palace. Xiangye, what is your cousin’s name?”
Yun Xiangye replied, “Ye Wanhe, a senior maid in the Eastern Palace.”
Empress Wei said, “Wanhe is your cousin? That child has exceptional embroidery skills and is sensible, well-mannered, and attentive. When the Crown Prince was moving to the Eastern Palace, I spent a long time selecting her from the Palace Attendants Bureau. In the blink of an eye, she’s already reached the age to leave the palace. I’ll issue an edict immediately, allowing Wanhe to leave before the New Year.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiangye quickly knelt and expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”