After Marrying the Villainous Prime Minister in My Brother’s Stead - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Cold or Not, I Feel a Bit Cold.

“Sleep apart?” Yan Luo’s tone carried a hint of incomprehension. The young man’s expression was gloomy, not at all like someone concerned about her health. Yan Luo shook her head and said, “We consummated the marriage yesterday, and today you want to sleep apart? By tomorrow, the entire capital will be gossiping about our marital discord.”

“Huh?” Gu Que was a bit confused.

Yan Luo explained to her, “How many pairs of eyes are watching our marriage? Even His Majesty bestowed gifts upon us. If we sleep in separate rooms and the Emperor asks about it, how will you explain?”

Gu Que froze for a moment. In this world, imperial authority was supreme. If the Emperor found out, simply saying the Prime Minister was in poor health wouldn’t be enough.

She hesitated, unsure what to do. Yan Luo made the decision for her: “It’s time to sleep.”

The plan to sleep separately had failed. Gu Que looked at Yan Luo’s gentle face, her heart softening. She could only nod and say, “Alright.”

Yan Luo took two steps, but Gu Que suddenly spoke up: “It’s still early. How about I make you some milk tea? Would you like that?”

Milk tea again? Yan Luo turned back to look at her. Under the lamplight, the young man’s waist was slender, his posture soft, his face fair and clean. His eyes, fixed on her, were especially clear. She asked in confusion, “Won’t milk tea taste too gamey?”

“How could it be gamey?” Gu Que didn’t understand. Remembering the milk tea from Mongolia, she quickly explained, “The milk tea I make is brewed with tea, sugar, and milk. It’s different.”

“Tea, sugar, milk…” Yan Luo chuckled and shook her head. “I can’t imagine it. Show me how you make it.”

This was exactly what Gu Que wanted to hear. She immediately went to fetch an outer robe and said, “I’ll have someone bring in a small stove.”

Tonight, she could definitely muddle through again.

The chefs in the small kitchen had all gone back to rest, leaving only a cook dozing by the fire. She was a lifelong servant of the Gu family, having followed the young master out of the household.

Upon receiving the order, the cook watched as the small tea stove was carried into the bridal chamber. The young master stood to one side, while the Prime Minister sat nearby—it looked incredibly cozy.

Yan Luo eyed the black tea and brown sugar in Gu Que’s hands. “Drinking too much of this will make it hard to sleep at night.”

Gu Que smiled. Even better—they could just chat instead.

After the cook delivered the items, she withdrew. Water boiled in the small stove, but it hadn’t yet reached a rolling boil. Gu Que added some more charcoal and crouched on the floor, her back to Yan Luo.

Yan Luo stared at the young man’s back, her eyes growing increasingly complex.

Gu Que’s figure wasn’t large. Usually, she wore loose robes with wide sleeves, making her frame indistinct—only the fluttering cuffs were visible.

But now, crouched down, her slender back was apparent, and the skin at the nape of her neck was snow-white.

Soon, the water in the stove boiled. Gu Que added the black tea. At that moment, Tinglan brought in a plate of something.

Early that morning, the young master had ordered it prepared. Tinglan delivered it and quickly left without lingering.

Yan Luo looked at the round, colorful little things on the plate and asked curiously, “What’s this?”

“Taro balls. They’re colored with vegetables and fruits. They’re cold now, but once the milk tea is ready, you can eat them together.” Gu Que stood up, rubbing her neck, and turned to smile at Yan Luo.

The usually decisive Prime Minister now seemed like a child, full of curiosity about new things. But she didn’t voice her questions—she just listened quietly.

Once the black tea had boiled, Gu Que added a bowl of prepared milk and asked, “Do you like it sweet?”

“Yes, you can add more sugar.” Yan Luo replied.

Gu Que obliged, adding twice the usual amount of brown sugar. She simmered it over low heat, stirring slowly as it cooked.

Yan Luo’s gaze remained fixed on the back of Gu Que’s neck. The young man was fair and clean, like an untainted snow lotus on a high mountain. She wondered: How could someone so pure exist in a noble household?

Noble households were rife with scheming and intrigue. Even those with literary talent were calculating in their dealings with others. Gu Que was different. From their first meeting to their marriage, she had been utterly clean—never speaking out of turn, only mentioning good things and never the bad.

Why was she so pure?

Yan Luo stared for a long time until Gu Que poured the tea from the stove into a cup. A sieve-like utensil filtered out the leaves, leaving a grayish liquid in the cup.

Then, Gu Que added the taro balls to the milk tea, stirring slowly.

Yan Luo watched those hands—neatly trimmed nails, clean and tidy.

“Prime Minister?” Gu Que called softly, placing a bowl of milk tea with taro balls in front of her. “This is all very healthy.”

“Healthy?” Yan Luo examined the bowl. “The young master’s culinary skills are exceptional.”

After this praise, she scooped up a red taro ball and tasted it. A sweet flavor bloomed on her tongue, along with the fragrance of roses. “The red color comes from roses?”

“Yes, the taste is refreshing.” Gu Que replied. In the Marquis’s household, ordinary roses were nothing special. But in the modern world, no milk tea shop would use roses to color taro balls.

Yan Luo ate the taro ball, her deep eyes calm. “Tomorrow, when we host guests, we’ll serve this. It’s unique and fresh.”

Gu Que looked at the Prime Minister’s smiling face, her heart at ease. “If the Prime Minister likes it, that’s good. There’s also grass jelly—we can try that tomorrow.”

“Let’s try it.” Yan Luo agreed readily.

The sweet milk tea and taro balls suited her taste perfectly.

Yan Luo’s manners were refined, her tea-drinking posture elegant—especially the way she chewed. Gu Que stole glances at her, thinking perhaps her own experience was too limited. The Gu family’s children were all unruly, and she had no chance to observe noblewomen outside, which was why the Prime Minister’s elegance stood out so much.

She wolfed down the taro balls without any grace, while Yan Luo across from her ate slowly and methodically. Gu Que finished first, with Yan Luo only halfway done. Since it was still early, Gu Que called the maids to clear away the stove.

The bridal chamber was filled with the cloyingly sweet aroma of milk tea. Gu Que took out a bottle of perfume and spritzed it lightly—a faint jasmine scent.

Once the smell had mostly dissipated, Yan Luo finally finished eating. She was full and wide awake. Seeing Gu Que standing to the side, she asked, “Young master, is the medical book you mentioned earlier still around?”

Gu Que brightened and pointed toward the study. “It’s in the study. I’ll go get it.”

This meant no sleeping—they’d be reading instead!

Yan Luo nodded gently. “Thank you for your trouble, young master.”

Gu Que scampered off to the study to “fetch the book.”

Once Gu Que was gone, Yan Luo walked to the dressing table, opened a box, and gazed at its contents with deep eyes. She ran her fingers along the smooth inner wall and smiled faintly.

She glanced around the room—there was no place to display it. The Gu residence had two studies, one to the south and one to the north. The southern study belonged to the young master, while the northern one was hers.

The northern study was quite far from the bridal chamber, so it couldn’t be moved there now. She had no choice but to stash the box under the dressing table, ensuring it wouldn’t be easily spotted.

After hiding the box, Gu Que returned, holding a white book.

The layout of the pages was unlike anything Yan Luo had ever seen—a white cover with black text and red diagrams. She touched the cover—it was smooth.

Gu Que explained, “I bought this at a high price from a holy physician. It contains diagrams of the human skeletal structure. I don’t understand it, but you can see if it makes sense to you.”

The cover was pristine, as if it had never been opened. Yan Luo, thirsty for knowledge, didn’t care about such details. What did it matter if it was a lie?

Weren’t human relationships built on lies?

Yan Luo opened the book, squinting slightly at the tiny text. “I can’t read these characters.”

“They’re simplified Chinese—” Gu Que suddenly stopped. “If you need it urgently tonight, how about I translate it for you in a few days?”

“No need. I’ll manage on my own. Which country’s script is this?” Yan Luo was curious. She had seen the writing of the nations surrounding Great Wei, but this was clearly different.

She studied it carefully. The characters bore some resemblance to Great Wei’s script. With some effort, she could slowly decipher them.

“Young master, are you tired?” Yan Luo asked absentmindedly.

Gu Que seemed to understand her meaning and immediately said, “I’ll go to bed first. I’ll sleep on the inside. Prime Minister, don’t stay up too late.”

Yan Luo’s attention was entirely on the book. She nodded repeatedly. “Alright.”

Gu Que was so excited she nearly jumped for joy. After the intense stress of the past two days, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. A happy mood was conducive to sleep.

Lying on the Simmons mattress, she rolled over, making sure to stay on the inner side so she wouldn’t tug at the outer blankets. The lamp at the bedside was still lit—the dragon-and-phoenix candles had long since burned out, and the maids had already cleared them away. Gu Que got up again to extinguish the lamp.

In the pitch darkness, even if the Prime Minister came in, she wouldn’t relight it.

Gu Que nestled comfortably into bed, feeling as if she were sinking into clouds. Remembering that Yan Luo was sensitive to cold, she shifted outward to warm the bed for her.

After two days of tension, she felt an unprecedented lightness and soon fell asleep.

Gu Que had been in this world for over a year but was still exploring it. She had thought about returning, but no matter how many times she woke from dreams hoping to be back, the ancient furnishings always dashed her hopes.

Here, she lived under immense pressure—especially after taking her brother’s place in the imperial exams and marrying his fiancée. It was all too much.

Gu Que muddled through these thoughts until she unknowingly drifted off. The bed was warm, but then the other side suddenly dipped. She was too sleepy to open her eyes, but when her fingers brushed against a cold wrist, she woke up.

Everything was pitch black. She couldn’t see a thing, but she gripped that icy wrist and didn’t let go. A cold aura drew closer, gradually enveloping her.

It was freezing. A phrase from Leng Mian flashed through her mind: Can’t you warm her up?

Acting on instinct, she moved closer, mumbling, “Are you cold?”

Yan Luo, who had just closed her eyes, trembled slightly. It had been so long since anyone had asked her if she was cold.

She looked at the shadowy figure in the dark. “No.”

Gu Que suddenly stopped moving. She even let go of Yan Luo’s wrist and scooted further inward, no longer offering to warm her hands.

Yan Luo was momentarily stunned. She reached out, touching Gu Que’s shoulder. The skeletal diagram flashed in her mind as her palm slid down the arm to the waist.

When her palm pressed against Gu Que’s waist, the young man shuddered and moved even further away.

In the darkness, she couldn’t see Gu Que’s face. Yan Luo felt a pang of regret—the young man’s flustered expression must have been amusing.

She thought for a moment, then withdrew her hand and said, “Young master, I’m a bit cold.”

Half-asleep, Gu Que heard the word “cold” and stirred awake. She turned over, groping in the dark until she found the other’s wrist. “Let’s switch places. My side is warm.”