After Marrying the Villainous Prime Minister in My Brother’s Stead - Chapter 52

52: Manga, Bathing with My Husband—Is That Too Much?

Prime Minister Yan’s Obsession.

Gu Que didn’t take it seriously and told her, “When one person cares for another, does it have to be just about romantic feelings?”

Yan Luo was surprised. “You care about me?”

“Of course I do. Prime Minister Yan, if I didn’t care about you, why would I try to coax you? When you were recovering from your injury, I stayed awake for days—isn’t that caring?” Gu Que argued earnestly. A person might do evil things because they feel lonely, abandoned by the world.

She added, “Prime Minister Yan, I care about you.”

But this care wasn’t the romantic affection between a man and a woman. It was the kind of care between family members.

She simply hoped that Prime Minister Yan would have a smooth political career and become a great Prime Minister.

Even if she couldn’t become a renowned Prime Minister, she could at least live well, surrounded by children and grandchildren, and in her old age, see her descendants thrive—just like the Old Lady Yan.

Gu Que spoke passionately, her eyes shining with a seriousness she had never shown before.

Yan Luo, sharp as ever, naturally didn’t believe that Gu Que had suddenly developed romantic feelings for her. The fact that Gu Que thought the Huo family’s marriage proposal was acceptable proved that she still believed a man was her ultimate destination.

This sudden shift left Yan Luo somewhat baffled.

Had the little girl heard some rumors?

Yan Luo didn’t respond. Instead, she carefully recalled her recent actions. What had she done?

It didn’t seem like she had done anything particularly heinous. Zhao Liwen had his wrist broken and would never be able to write again.

What else?

She had made Wen Fu cry again.

She hadn’t made any more bone china lately—without good bones, she couldn’t create beautiful bone china. Yan Luo gave Gu Que a deep look. Siblings often resembled each other—Gu Yan’s skull would probably make good material. For a moment, she was tempted.

“You’re confessing like this—it’s making me a little embarrassed. Young Master, are you planning to take a concubine?”

Gu Que rolled her eyes. “A concubine? What concubine? I said I care about you—what does that have to do with taking a concubine? Prime Minister Yan, this is your home. From now on, it’ll just be you, me, Qiong Ju, Qing Zhi, and a few others. There won’t be anyone else. What you and I need to do is work hard to maintain this family.”

“Prime Minister Yan, don’t you want to live a peaceful life with me?”

“No. Why would I want to live peacefully with you?” Yan Luo laughed. A little girl who dreamed of marrying a man—would she really stay here forever?

Gu Que’s brain must be broken.

Gu Que said seriously, “Prime Minister Yan, do you hate this court?”

Yan Luo froze. Did she hate this court?

Of course she did. She wanted to slaughter the entire court, from top to bottom, sparing no one.

But she couldn’t tell Gu Que that. The little girl was naive and would probably be so scared she’d pack her bags and flee in the middle of the night.

Yan Luo smirked but didn’t answer. Gu Que grew anxious. “This world is unfair to women in so many ways, but it’s still beautiful. I—I don’t know how to say it. Prime Minister Yan, what I mean is, open your heart and look around. Living is wonderful.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Yan Luo was puzzled.

Gu Que asked, “Prime Minister Yan, do you have someone you love?”

“Yes. They’re all dead.” Yan Luo’s mood was also affected. She had loved her mother, loved her younger brother—but they were all gone, leaving her alone in this world.

Gu Que stared at her. “Don’t you love me?”

Oh-ho. The little girl was taking this seriously. Yan Luo frowned and said, “At birth, human nature is inherently good. When people are born, their hearts are inclined toward kindness.”

Gu Que understood her meaning. The entire dynasty had betrayed her, so she sought revenge.

Gu Que’s eyes flashed with helplessness and confusion. She sat there dazed for a while, unable to refute her, unsure how to even argue.

Was Yan Luo wrong?

Perhaps her own moral compass was skewed, making her think Yan Luo wasn’t wrong.

“Prime Minister Yan, evil people should be punished, but the innocent shouldn’t be harmed.”

Yan Luo asked, “What counts as innocent? If I’m the evil one, even if you didn’t participate in my crimes, you still benefited from the wealth and status my evil deeds brought you. In that case, are you still innocent?”

Gu Que was stunned. “If that’s the case, then no one in the world is innocent.”

“There are no innocent people. Young Master, are you starting to feel afraid of me? I’ll give you a chance—let’s divorce.” Yan Luo chuckled. Gu Que was still too naive.

What she wanted was nothing more than to have the Great Wei Dynasty buried alongside her mother and brother.

Gu Que shook her head. “No divorce. Never divorce.”

She pressed a hand to her chest, where it ached—not for the entire dynasty, but for Yan Luo.

Yan Luo was beautiful, gentle. She shouldn’t have become the villainous Prime Minister described in the great scholars’ writings.

Yan Luo didn’t argue further. There was no point. Gu Que came from a different world. Without experiencing the cruelty of humanity, how could she understand the true depths of evil?

She glanced at Gu Que. “I’m going to the study.”

Gu Que nodded without looking up or at her.

Yan Luo smiled as she stepped over the threshold. After a few steps, her smile faded. Zhi Zhi didn’t dare approach—the Prime Minister radiated coldness.

Zhi Zhi stopped in her tracks, terrified. She glanced at Ting Lan.

Ting Lan shook her head. She didn’t know what had happened either. She peeked at the young master, who looked dejected and upset.

They had argued.

Back in the study, the advisors had been waiting for a long time—not just one, but three or five of them, gathered together discussing the Duke of Wei’s affairs.

“The Duke of Wei has had a streak of bad luck this year.”

“Rumors outside say he’s cursed his sons.”

“There might be some truth to that. But he has many sons. I heard he plans to appoint a new heir.”

“A crippled hand means he can’t serve in court. Such an heir is useless—of course he’d want to appoint a new one.”

“The curse is nonsense. Look at his two sons—aren’t they both wastrels? They brought it on themselves. Can’t blame their old man.”

When Yan Luo entered, the others followed her inside to continue the discussion. Yan Luo’s expression was dark, and they exchanged glances, careful not to provoke the Prime Minister further.

Meanwhile, Gu Que sat in the room for a long time, her heart still feeling hollow. Remembering something, she went online to contact the Great Scholar.

Gu Que: Why did that Prime Minister massacre the entire dynasty?

The Great Scholar didn’t respond.

Gu Que sighed. Yan Luo’s words today implied that there were evil people in the dynasty, and others beneath them enjoyed the wealth and status their evil deeds brought.

She only had a vague understanding of court affairs and couldn’t piece it together. But one thing was clear: the Third Master had died, and the Third Madam had gone mad.

Could it be related to that?

Gu Que let out a long sigh. Her breathing gradually steadied. Life had to go on—she would take it slow.

She called Ting Lan over. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”

Ting Lan agreed. The young master was going to cook—the argument would surely pass.

Gu Que prepared a table full of dishes and sent someone to the study to invite Yan Luo back for dinner.

Yan Luo didn’t put on airs. She set down her brush and returned to eat.

Zhi Zhi and Ting Lan both sighed in relief. Zhi Zhi pulled Ting Lan aside to whisper, “The Prime Minister was so scary earlier.”

Ting Lan said, “My young master was also in low spirits.”

“Why were they upset?” Zhi Zhi wondered. In the past, the two had gotten along so well. How could they have argued? The young master was so gentle and knew how to coax people. Could it be that this time, he hadn’t given in to the Prime Minister?

She complained, “They say men should yield to women. Why is your young master still arguing with the Prime Minister?”

Ting Lan was equally confused. “I don’t know either. Let’s go back and see.”

The two curious onlookers tiptoed back. Voices occasionally drifted from the room—the young master introducing the dishes, but no sound from the Prime Minister.

Zhi Zhi peeked in, and Ting Lan craned her neck to look.

But there was nothing unusual. The two ate as if they’d never argued, treating each other with respect. The young master picked out fish bones, and the Prime Minister ate them.

“So weird,” Zhi Zhi muttered.

Ting Lan nodded. “I agree.”

“Whatever. I’m going to eat.” Zhi Zhi couldn’t make sense of it and stomped off.

Ting Lan stayed at her post, waiting for orders.

After dinner, Yan Luo went for a walk to aid digestion. Gu Que trailed after her like a puppy. Normally, unless Yan Luo threatened her, Gu Que wouldn’t budge.

Today, she was unusually obedient.

Yan Luo didn’t call her out on it, simply holding her hand as they walked together.

Gu Que didn’t refuse. Instead, she gripped Yan Luo’s hand and started talking about winter.

“If you’re afraid of the cold, we can move to the warm residence. It’s cozy there in winter.”

“With a husband like you, how could I ever be cold?” Yan Luo teased as usual.

Gu Que glared at her, annoyed. “Don’t you think you’re being too dia (affectionately clingy)?”

The garden was lush and green, not yet withered by autumn’s chill. Walking through it, breathing in the beauty of nature, Gu Que gradually felt more at ease.

Yan Luo asked, “What’s dia?”

“It means… deliberately acting cute.” Gu Que wanted to cover her eyes.

If she had blocked her vision and only listened to those words, she would’ve imagined the speaker as a delicate, soft-spoken girl. Something felt off. “Prime Minister, where’s your usual aura?”

Yan Luo understood the term “aura”—it appeared in novels. She said, “Why would I need an aura at home? If I were too fierce, you might pack up and run off to find Li Niang. I have to coax you, so I have to act cute on purpose.”

Gu Que was speechless. Even the most unreasonable statements sounded logical coming from Yan Luo.

After their walk, Yan Luo didn’t return to the study. Instead, she pulled Gu Que into reading novels together. She was all smiles, as if the earlier disagreement had never happened.

Gu Que had a headache from her antics. Yan Luo came up with another mischievous idea: “Are there books where the novel’s scenes are drawn out?”

“Manga?” Gu Que shuddered. “Wow, you’re so smart. You even understand the concept of extending one example to many.”

Yan Luo’s lips curved. “So they exist?”

Gu Que realized she’d slipped up and quickly covered her mouth, blinking innocently. “No.”

“What’s manga? Since you’ve read so many books, why don’t you draw some for me?” Yan Luo was suddenly inspired and dragged her toward the study, earnestly talking about a wife accompanying her husband in scholarly pursuits and the joys of a couple’s private moments in the study.

Gu Que refused outright, even kicking off her shoes and scrambling onto the bed. “I’m not going. I’d rather die than go. Stop being a pervert.”

Yan Luo stood by the bed, staring at her. “You don’t like me anymore.”

Gu Que internally groaned: I never liked you in the first place. I just care about you.

But what came out was: “I like you. You’re so perfect—who wouldn’t like you?”

Yan Luo didn’t answer, instead recalling lines from novels. “What do you like about me?”

“You…” Gu Que huddled in the corner, clutching the blanket and looking at Yan Luo. “Novels are novels. You can’t compare them to real life.”

Yan Luo refused to back down. She took off her outer robe and climbed onto the bed. Gu Que reminded her, “You haven’t bathed yet.”

“You haven’t either. How about… we bathe together?” Yan Luo paused mid-motion, her gaze like a paintbrush tracing every inch of Gu Que’s body before settling on her chest.

“You… you lecherous woman…” Gu Que muttered, remembering the Great Scholar’s assessment of Yan Luo—pah! A downright fraud.

Yan Luo asked, “Is it too much for me to bathe with my husband?”