GTEMP[QT] - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Although Yuan Susu was just a cousin, due to the support of Lady Yuan, the wife of Marquis Ningyuan, her position in the marquis's mansion was higher than the three illegitimate daughters who were not favored by Lady Yuan. Therefore, she sat not far from Lady Yuan and could clearly hear the conversation between Marquis Ningyuan and Gu Wenjing.

When Yuan Susu heard that Gu Wenjing was going to marry the eldest legitimate daughter of Minister Cheng, she instinctively tightened the handkerchief in her hand, feeling a stronger sense of urgency in her heart.

Yuan Susu's parents passed away early, and she had been dependent on others since childhood. Even though her aunt treated her well, she knew that she was like a rootless duckweed. And for a woman, the second rebirth is when she gets married. How could she willingly marry a son of an ordinary official, as her aunt said?

After experiencing the wealth and power of the Ningyuan marquisate, Yuan Susu was unwilling to marry too lowly. She knew that her best choice was her cousin Gu Wenjing, the legitimate eldest son of the marquis, with a promising future as the heir of the marquisate. If she married him, the glory her aunt enjoys now would be her future glory.

So even though Yuan Susu knew about her cousin's engagement, she made every effort to seduce and entice him, hoping that he would fall in love with her and break off the engagement for her.

But what she didn't expect was that in the four years she had lived in the marquis's mansion, her cousin had always treated her like a little girl in the first three years. And when she finally grew up, her cousin was busy studying and preparing for the imperial examination and had no mind to pay attention to her.

And when the examination is over, her cousin is about to marry the daughter of the Cheng family, and by then, she would have no other way but to become a concubine.

No matter how much she resented it and calculated, it was all useless if Gu Wenjing didn't respond to her advances.

With the approaching examination, in order for him to study well, the Marquis Ningyuan and Lady Yuan exempted him from the morning greetings. Yuan Susu had no chance to see him at all. Even if she tried to bribe someone to deliver the hand-fan cover she made, it was all blocked by Gu Wenjing.

The examination arrived as scheduled, and Gu Wenjing entered the examination room with the essential items prepared personally by Lady Yuan. He spent a difficult few days in the examination shed.

The conditions in the examination room were poor, and there was an accident.

It rained last night, and the examination shed leaked, soaking Gu Wenjing's quilt. He was freezing and sneezing. Fortunately, it was already the last night, and he had finished answering the test papers and covered them with oiled cloth to prevent them from getting wet.

But when he finally came out of the examination room, he looked like a pickled vegetable taken out of a jar, listless and even running a fever.

Qing Yan hurriedly supported him and asked, "Young Master, how do you feel?"

Gu Wenjing sneezed, rubbed his temples, and didn't say anything. He was helped onto a carriage by Qing Yan and hurried back to the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion.

Seeing his appearance, not only Lady Yuan but even Marquis Ningyuan was startled. They immediately called for the resident physician in the mansion to treat him.

Gu Wenjing didn't pay much attention to his fever and cold.

He had a good constitution, and even by just drinking hot water, he could bring down the fever. What he couldn't bear now was the smell on his body.

He wrinkled his brow and smelled the odor on his body, quickly waving his hand and saying, "Mother, I want to take a bath! I feel like I'm going to stink to death!"

Lady Yuan always doted on her son, but she couldn't indulge him in this situation. She persuaded him in a gentle voice, "Wenjing, let Doctor Zhang examine you first before you take a bath. I have already instructed someone to prepare the water."

When Gu Wenjing was about to say something, Doctor Zhang had already arrived, so he remained silent and let Doctor Zhang take his pulse.

"The young master has caught a cold and has a damp and cold condition in his body. He is also too exhausted and running a slight fever. But the young master has a good constitution. After drinking a few doses of medicine and resting for a few days, he will be fine."

Once he received Doctor Zhang's permission, Gu Wenjing was allowed to bathe and change clothes. After taking a bath, he immediately felt much more relaxed. He then ate several bowls of nourishing Rouge Rice Porridge with some side dishes. After rinsing his mouth, he lay down and fell asleep.

The environment in the examination room was too poor, and he couldn't sleep well. Now, lying on his luxurious bed, he slept deeply. Vaguely, he heard someone calling him to wake up and take medicine. He opened his eyes half-heartedly and drank a bowl of bitter medicinal juice before continuing to sleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept when Gu Wenjing woke up, and the sun was high in the sky.

Upon hearing his movement, Qing Yan came in with a bowl of shredded chicken noodles and said, "Young Master, you're awake. Have a bowl of noodles to fill your stomach!"

Gu Wenjing asked, "Did I sleep until the next day?" When he returned from the examination room, the sun was setting, and now it was noon. He must have slept from the evening of the previous day to noon of the next day.

Qing Yan replied, "It's the next day. Marquis and Lady knew that you were sleeping deeply and didn't want to disturb you. Lady instructed the kitchen to prepare food for you, so you can have it now that you're awake."

Gu Wenjing quickly finished a bowl of shredded chicken noodles to fill his stomach and didn't eat any more. After all, it would soon be lunchtime, and he wanted to have a proper meal.

After washing up, he changed his clothes and went to the front yard to see Marquis Ningyuan.

Marquis Ningyuan first showed concern for him and then said, "Write down your answers and have your teacher review them." The teacher he found for his son was a renowned scholar who had coached several successful imperial examination candidates.

Gu Wenjing nodded in agreement and left the front yard to pay respects to Lady Yuan in the backyard.

When he arrived, there were four beautiful young girls beside Lady Yuan—his three half-sisters and Yuan Susu.

Upon seeing him paying respects, Lady Yuan immediately smiled sincerely, pulled him closer, and asked with concern, "My child, have you rested well? What did you eat after waking up? Are you hungry now?" Without waiting for Gu Wenjing's reply, she instructed the senior maid beside her, "Quickly bring two plates of chestnut cakes, Wenjing's favorite!"

Gu Wenjing didn't refuse and sat down with a smile, saying, "Thank you, Mother, for caring about me. I'm doing well! It's just that I had bad luck during the exam. The examination shed leaked during the rain. Fortunately, you had prepared well and provided me with oiled cloth. Otherwise, the rain might have ruined my papers, and I would have wasted this year's exam. I would have to endure it again in three years."

Lady Yuan didn't mention the results of the provincial examination to avoid putting too much pressure on him. Now that Gu Wenjing took the initiative to bring it up, his words showed his confidence in achieving a good ranking. Immediately, someone chimed in with interest, "Big brother is so intelligent and diligent in his studies. There's no reason he wouldn't succeed!"

The one speaking was the second illegitimate daughter, who was different from the timid eldest daughter and the young third daughter. The second daughter had a lively personality, a sweet mouth, and some credibility in Lady Yuan's eyes.

At this moment, Yuan Susu also spoke, "What the second sister said is true. Cousin is such a remarkable person, and he's willing to work hard. He's bound to succeed in the examination. Perhaps he'll even bring back the top honors in the palace examination. Aunt will be the mother of the champion in the future!"