After Marrying the Villainous Prime Minister in My Brother’s Stead - Chapter 4

4: Sleeping on the Floor, Her Body Was Very Soft.

Gu Que was knocked unconscious and delivered to the Gu residence.

Yan Luo went to the palace to attend a banquet. Soon, news of Gu Que’s disappearance spread to every noble household, and the scholars attending the Qionglin Banquet also heard the news immediately. Gu Que was a scion of a high-ranking family, and anyone who heard her name would remark that she was the fiancé of Prime Minister Yan.

Not many in the Yongle Marquis household knew of her, but Prime Minister Yan was practically a household name.

When word spread that the young Tanhua Gu had been kidnapped in broad daylight, everyone expressed shock. Everyone knew how ruthless Prime Minister Yan was—could it have been her doing?

Of course, these were merely speculations. No one dared to voice them outright. By the time the banquet began, Prime Minister Yan was nowhere to be seen, leading to further speculation that she had gone to search for the young Tanhua Gu.

Despite the Prime Minister’s absence, the Qionglin Banquet proceeded as usual, with the empress declaring the feast open.

At this time, Prime Minister Yan was not at the Gu residence. Gu Que woke from her stupor, rubbing her sore neck, cursing the other party in her heart—did they have to make the act so convincing?

But when she took in her surroundings, she suddenly panicked. She hurriedly got out of bed, and a maid entered upon hearing the noise.

“Young Tanhua Gu, you’re awake. The Prime Minister said she would come by the hour of Hai (9–11 PM). Please wait a while. If you’re hungry, you may dine first.”

Gu Que was disoriented. After a brief moment of contemplation, the maid spoke first: “The kidnappers took you, and the Prime Minister rescued you.”

Gu Que didn’t quite believe this explanation. She wasn’t a fool—if the Prime Minister had rescued her, why hadn’t she been sent back to the Marquis’s residence? Why bring her here instead?

“Alright, I understand. I’m not hungry,” Gu Que replied softly, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, accentuating her snow-white skin and bright, dark eyes.

The maid, named Leng Mian, was the head guard here, responsible for security. It was she who had abducted the young Tanhua Gu. Seeing the frail and delicate appearance of the young Tanhua, she frowned.

So fragile—would she faint in bed?

After the Prime Minister married, would she end up sleeping alone every night?

Leng Mian said nothing more and had hot tea brought in. The spring chill was still sharp, and the night carried a slight coolness.

The moonlight was pure and bright, the night deep and heavy with dew.

Leng Mian served the tea and returned to the room. The young Tanhua Gu was still sitting on the bed, her back to the edge, her slender frame casting a frail shadow.

The tea was placed on the small table beside the bed with a clink. Gu Que, who had been eating crackers, flinched and instinctively turned around, half a bag of crackers still in her hand. She tentatively asked, “Would you like some?”

Leng Mian didn’t get a clear look at what she was holding. Her cold eyes flashed with disdain before she turned and left.

She didn’t want any. Gu Que finished them herself, stuffing the empty wrapper into her clothes. She tidied her collar in front of the bronze mirror and waited. Soon, she heard voices greeting someone.

“Prime Minister, Prime Minister.”

Gu Que froze as Yan Luo’s figure appeared before her. She wore a dark green, narrow-sleeved jacket, her casual attire simple yet elegant, her demeanor poised and graceful.

“Little Tanhua Gu, you’ll stay the night here.” Yan Luo said.

Gu Que had seen many beautiful women, but Yan Luo’s beauty was beyond description. She stared, captivated, greedily taking in the sight. Yan Luo approached her. “Are you hungry?”

Gu Que shook her head. “No. Where did the Prime Minister come from?”

Yan Luo lied, “From my residence.”

Yan Luo had just returned from killing someone.

The key figure in the imperial examination fraud case was the Duke of Jin.

After the young Tanhua Gu’s disappearance, Yan Luo, feigning concern for her fiancé, borrowed three thousand soldiers from the empress to search the capital for her. Once the troops were mobilized, they immediately surrounded the Duke of Jin’s residence. The Duke of Jin commanded a hundred thousand troops at the Tongzhou camp, twenty li outside the capital. Yan Luo’s move trapped him in his residence—anyone who dared to break out would be killed on sight.

Gu Que, kept in the dark, knew nothing of this. She even followed Yan Luo out to wash her hands and make dumplings.

Yan Luo rolled up her sleeves, revealing arms as fair and tender as lotus roots. She began kneading the dough. Gu Que stood awkwardly to the side, watching her struggle with the dough, wanting to remind her that she had ready-made dumpling wrappers.

But seeing this gentle side of Yan Luo, Gu Que couldn’t bring herself to say it. Yan Luo kneaded the dough unhurriedly. Though it was early spring, the night was chilly, and under the lamplight, beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.

Yan Luo focused entirely on the dough, while Gu Que stared intently at her. This was her elder brother’s wife—a woman of peerless beauty, divine in her grace.

Gu Que smiled faintly. Yan Luo glanced at her and asked, “What are you smiling at?”

Gu Que blushed, her eyes bright under the lamplight. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing slender, fair arms. “Let me help you.”

“Alright.” Yan Luo replied with a soft smile, her eyes carrying a spring breeze, warm and approachable.

Little did anyone know, her hands had just been stained with bl00d.

Yan Luo rolled out the dumpling wrappers with elegant movements, handing one to the young Tanhua Gu with a smile. “You know how to do this too?”

Gu Que knew how to make dumplings because she was a modern girl who had learned from a young age. But her elder brother, Gu Yan, didn’t—men of Great Wei rarely entered the kitchen.

“I know a little.” Gu Que said modestly.

Yan Luo watched with interest as those fair hands cradled the wrapper, placed the filling on top, and deftly pinched it shut.

After observing for a moment, the light in her eyes suddenly turned cold. She lowered her gaze and said casually, “When I saw you at eight years old, you were very short. You’ve grown much taller now.”

Eight years old?

They had met?

Gu Que was stunned. Had she and Prime Minister Yan met before? It must have been the original owner’s memory. She stole a glance at Yan Luo, whose eyes shimmered like a spring breeze. At the same time, the lamplight in the kitchen flickered. Gu Que’s eyelashes fluttered as she replied, “I don’t remember.”

Yan Luo said nothing more, speeding up her rolling. She was quite skilled at kitchen tasks.

The two worked well together. Once the dumplings were wrapped, the cook had already boiled the water, and Yan Luo proceeded to cook them.

During this time, she didn’t speak to Gu Que again, and Gu Que stood silently to the side, her gaze never leaving her.

After Yan Luo dropped the dumplings into the pot, she turned to look at Gu Que, who stood there dumbly. For some reason, she found it inexplicably endearing.

With a smile in her eyes, Yan Luo called out, “Little Tanhua Gu.”

Hearing the Prime Minister address her, Gu Que snapped out of her daze, straightened her expression, and smiled faintly, trying to steady her emotions. “Prime Minister.”

They stood close, barely an arm’s length apart. Gu Que could see clearly—every movement of hers exuded ease, devoid of dominance, malice, or the imposing air of a Prime Minister.

A beautiful and gentle wife—who wouldn’t love that?

Gu Que smiled. Yan Luo reminded her, “Do you want to wash your hands?”

“Yes.” Gu Que nodded, following the cook out to wash her hands. Yan Luo watched the pot of dumplings.

By the time Gu Que returned, the dumplings had already been scooped out and placed on a plate, plump and round, their bellies proudly inflated.

Outside, the rooms were lit, their lights connecting like a string of pearls. Leng Mian carried the food box as the two returned to the bedroom.

The bedroom had only one bed. Gu Que asked where she would sleep tonight. Yan Luo set the dumplings on the dining table and glanced at her. “I’ll take the bed. You’ll sleep on the floor.”

Gu Que felt like all the rules she’d heard had become mere formalities. For an unmarried man and woman to share a room was considered damaging to the woman’s reputation. But she was the “man” in this scenario, and if the Prime Minister didn’t care, neither would she.

After some thought, she acquiesced.

Once settled, the two sat down to eat the dumplings. The filling had been prepared in advance by the cook, its flavor just right—peanuts, sesame, greens, and pork. Gu Que ate eight or nine before she was full. The Prime Minister also set down her chopsticks and instructed Leng Mian, “Take the young Tanhua Gu to freshen up.”

The bathing room was next door, so Gu Que didn’t need an escort. She declined the offer and went alone, locking the door from the inside to ensure no one could enter.

Leng Mian snorted softly outside the door and approached the Prime Minister. “Prime Minister, the young Tanhua Gu has a significant problem.”

Yan Luo was playing with the lipstick set, trying unsuccessfully to open it. Faced with the delicate “copper tubes,” she was at a loss.

“What problem?”

Leng Mian replied, “When I carried her today, her body was very soft.”

Yan Luo was surprised. “You touched her?”

“No, I was afraid I’d crush her bones if I used too much force, so I didn’t dare touch her,” Leng Mian said, her tone full of disdain.

Yan Luo asked, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I suspect the young Tanhua Gu is a woman. Only a woman’s body is that soft. If you don’t believe me, strip her clothes off later and see for yourself.”

“We’re not married yet. Why would she undress for me?” Yan Luo rubbed her forehead and put the lipstick back in its box. She looked at Leng Mian with a hint of helplessness. “Even if she is a woman, you must swallow those words and never speak of them again.”

Leng Mian realized the gravity of the situation and immediately agreed. “Understood.”

Yan Luo closed the lipstick box and instructed the maids to prepare the bed, laying thick bedding on the floor in front of the couch to ensure no one would catch cold.

When Gu Que emerged, a makeshift bed had been laid out on the floor. She glanced at it but said nothing, simply crawling in.

Yan Luo went to bathe after her. When she returned, her slightly damp hair cascaded over her shoulders, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint pink. Her slender figure, clad in sleeping robes, was illuminated by the dim candlelight, her eyes sparkling, her gentle features accentuated by a woman’s delicate softness.

She glanced at Gu Que, who was bundled up like a dumpling on the floor, then drew the bed curtains and carefully climbed into bed.

The night passed without incident. Before dawn, Yan Luo rose first. Gu Que, hearing the noise, also got up. She had slept in her clothes, so there was no need to dress.

She looked at the Prime Minister, who had changed into white sleeping robes. The soft fabric clung to her body, hinting at her curves. Gu Que’s cheeks flushed.

Her future sister-in-law was quite liberal—letting her see things she shouldn’t have before they were even married.

Yan Luo went to the bathing room to wash up. Gu Que took the opportunity to straighten her clothes and tie up her hair. Then, after Yan Luo returned, she entered to freshen up.

When she came out, Yan Luo was sitting at the dressing table, applying makeup. The lipstick set Gu Que had gifted her the day before was placed on the table.

As soon as Gu Que steadied herself, Yan Luo spoke. “Little Tanhua Gu, do you know how to paint eyebrows?”

Paint eyebrows?

The ancient equivalent of bedroom play?

The Prime Minister really knew how to have fun.

They weren’t even married yet, and she was already playing like this. Once they were wed, would things escalate even further?