The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 51

Shuliang could naturally sense what Gu Huaisheng was feeling, but he still said, “Young Master, what are you saying? It takes two people to start an argument.”

Gu Huaisheng wasn’t the type to take scoldings lying down. When Jiang Jingchun started giving him a hard time, he naturally talked back as well.

If neither of them would back down, then they’d naturally keep fighting until they were both exhausted and reduced to tears.

The pain at the base of Gu Huaisheng’s thumb grew sharper, and he couldn’t help but rub it lightly with his finger.

He looked at the bite mark, then lowered his gaze and muttered, “Then what should I do?”

He had always been somewhat oblivious to the intricacies of human relationships, and he had always been aloof to the point it bordered on indifference. Back when his teacher had thrown him out, he hadn’t uttered any conciliatory words. Instead, he simply turned and left. To him, relationships in this world were as light as water. If he didn’t align with someone else, then there was no need to force a relationship between them.

He had long grown accustomed to solving problems this way.

He regretted it… 

Thinking back on those past events now, he truly regretted it.

“Young Master, matters of the heart can’t be judged by right or wrong. Moreover, in this case, you aren’t exactly in the right either. If you really must argue with her… Miss Jiang has always responded better to kindness than to force. Young Master, you’re always speaking to her loudly and angrily. Speak to her gently and coax her a little. Confucius once said, ‘Women and narrow-minded people are hard to behave to.’ Anyway, Miss Jiang acts this way precisely because she feels close to you, which is why she speaks her mind without holding back.”

Was it really because she felt close to him?

For a rare moment, Gu Huaisheng’s eyes showed a trace of confusion.

To be honest, he thought Shuliang’s words weren’t entirely correct. It always felt as if Jiang Jingchun genuinely wanted to quarrel with him and deliberately make things difficult for him.

However, there was one thing Shuliang said that seemed to make sense—why was he always arguing back to her?

Coax her…

That sounded about right.

Jiang Jingchun had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. When met with strength, she would only become stronger. When she lost her temper, she would pay no heed to anything besides her anger. She’d even bite him until he bled without any care.

He wasn’t afraid of feeling pain, but her words—those words she’d said—did hurt him in a way that was far worse.

He might be stubborn, but she was even more so.

When it came to a contest of sheer will, how could he possibly beat her?

After listening to Shuliang’s words, Gu Huaisheng’s expression seemed to relax a bit.

Seeing this, Shuliang pressed on, “Young Master, you agree with me, don’t you? I wasn’t just talking nonsense. I have a little sister who has a similar personality to Miss Jiang. She used to sneak sweets before bed—it wasn’t a good habit. But no matter how much we scolded her, she wouldn’t listen. The harsher we were, the more defiant she became. But later, when I asked my parents to start buying her sweet pastries and spoke to her kindly, she stopped sneaking sweets altogether.

“Young girls are often like this. They don’t like being reprimanded; after all, they’ve already heard enough lectures to last a lifetime.”

Everyone loved to lecture young girls.

It was as if the whole world assumed young women never grow up and thus always treated them as though they lacked maturity. From her childhood to adulthood, a girl would have to hear and abide by countless rules and lectures. Everyone always seemed to think they were superior to her and would always try to impose their ideas on her.

They would lecture her before she married and lecture her more after she married.

Who would like that?

Gu Huaisheng suddenly recalled the time when Jiang Jingchun had asked him, ‘Are you trying to be my husband or my father?’

He pondered…

He wasn’t a foolish man. With just that little nudge, he’d figured out what to do.

He needed to stop standing so high above her and lecturing her. He needed to coax her more.

If she scolded him, he should coax her.

Even if she hit him, he should coax her…

—

After returning to the Gu family residence, Gu Huaisheng was summoned by Madame Gu.

Coincidentally, Gu Huaisheng also had something he wanted to discuss with her, so he headed towards Jinghua Hall, where she resided.

When he arrived, Madame Gu was already waiting in the main hall. Gu Huaisheng discreetly tucked his hands into his sleeves to hide the marks on them.

If she saw, she’d just ask more questions.

Gu Huaisheng spoke first. He asked, “Mother, why have you summoned me today?”

He had no idea what she wanted to discuss so suddenly.

Madame Gu had intended to ask about a certain matter, but she didn’t address it directly. If her son truly had such an issue, bluntly bringing it up would hurt his pride. She knew how headstrong he was, and naturally also knew their conversation wouldn’t end well if she did that.

Instead, she started by asking about his visit with Jiang Jingchun to her maiden home earlier that day, to which Gu Huaisheng replied in detail.

After some deliberation, Madame Gu finally broached the main topic, albeit indirectly. “Well… about that matter… Have you been feeling unusually ‘energised’ these past couple of days?”

Gu Huaisheng found this question oddly timed and said with a hint of exasperation, “Mother, considering the food you’ve been giving me, it’d be strange if I don’t feel ‘energised.’ From now on, we’ll take our meals in Cangzhuo Courtyard and not in the main dining hall.”

He really couldn’t bear continuing this.

Madame Gu paused at his response. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual in Gu Huaisheng’s words, and it wasn’t as if it would be a big deal for them to stop having meals together. She let the matter of dining arrangements slide for now. She still wanted to ask more about this topic, though, but for a moment, she wasn’t sure how to.

Well, Madame Gu comforted herself, he was her son, and what was there that a mother couldn’t ask her son about?

With this thought in mind, Madame Gu said, “So, you’re saying there’s no problem… down there?”

Down there? What problem?

Gu Huaisheng glanced at Madame Gu across the table. He noticed her hesitance and the way she seemed to want to say something but held back. It dawned on him what she was implying—did she think he was… ‘incapable’?

Gu Huaisheng was confused about why she would ask such a thing.

He said, “Mother, why would you suddenly ask me this?”

Madame Gu said, “I’m worried about you. How can I not be worried? In the past, you never took in a concubine or anything of the sort. And now, on your wedding night, the two of you didn’t even do what a married couple ought to do. Naturally, I can’t help wondering if you have some health issue you’ve been keeping from me… So, is there a problem or not?”

Hearing this, Gu Huaisheng immediately felt a headache coming on. How did this conversation veer into questioning his physical capability?

Madame Gu was a woman of experience, so she didn’t shy away from the topic. She continued, “Besides, if you’ve got the energy, why didn’t you consummate the marriage? If it’s not an issue with that, is it something more serious? If so, we can call a physician to take a look.”

Gu Huaisheng couldn’t fathom why Madame Gu was so insistent that he was impotent. He rubbed his throbbing temple and said, “You’re overthinking things. I have no such issue. Why won’t you believe me?”

Madame Gu took his insistence as stubbornness and tried to reassure him, “It’s fine, you can tell me. I’m your mother, I won’t tell anyone else…”

However, Gu Huaisheng replied to her in a serious manner, “There’s really nothing wrong with me. Go ahead and tell other people if you want; I don’t care.”

Madame Gu carefully scrutinised his expression. Judging by the way he looked, he didn’t seem to be lying. Could she really have wrongly accused him?

She was still unsure, so she hesitated and said, “That can’t be right. Then why would Jingchun say you can’t perform? I asked her why the two of you didn’t consummate the marriage, and she said it was because… you weren’t up to it.”

Gu Huaisheng froze upon hearing this. His hand, which was massaging his temple, halted.

Jiang Jingchun said he couldn’t perform?

They hadn’t even done anything yet—how could she come to such a conclusion?

Gu Huaisheng no longer wanted to continue this discussion. With a sigh, he said, “It’s not that I can’t do it. Don’t listen to her nonsense.”

How could she go around spreading such rumours?

After coming to understand the source of this misunderstanding, Gu Huaisheng didn’t linger. He stood up and left for his own courtyard.

—

The sky had grown dark, and it was time for dinner. Today, the two of them didn’t go to the main dining hall to eat with Madame Gu and the rest of the family. Going back and forth was inevitably troublesome, so they’d eat their meals in their own courtyard from now on.

Besides, Gu Huaisheng had developed a bit of an aversion to the dishes served there; just thinking about them gave him a headache.

When Gu Huaisheng returned to Cangzhuo Courtyard, he found Gu Huailang already there. At some point, he must’ve come over to play with Jiang Jingchun.

The two of them were sitting in the courtyard. Gu Huailang had a toy of some sort in his hands and was playing with it, while Jiang Jingchun sat beside him and quietly watched him. They exchanged a few words every now and then.

When Gu Huaisheng walked in, Gu Huailang called out, “Brother!” 

Meanwhile, Jiang Jingchun’s gaze remained fixed on Gu Huailang. She neither looked at Gu Huaisheng nor said a word.

She acted as if she couldn’t see him at all.

Her expression was calm. She didn’t look angry anymore, but it seemed she’d made up her mind to ignore him.

Gu Huaisheng acknowledged Gu Huailang’s greeting with a brief response, then walked over to them.

He said to Gu Huailang, “It’s time for dinner. You should go back to Mother now.”

Gu Huailang shook his head and asked, “Can’t I stay and eat with you two?”

“Of course you can.”

Before Gu Huaisheng could answer, Jiang Jingchun had spoken up first. She stood and took Gu Huailang’s hand, then led him inside.

Since Jiang Jingchun had already agreed, Gu Huaisheng naturally couldn’t say anything. He pressed his lips together, then followed them into the house.

It was about time for dinner, so the servants soon brought the dishes to the main hall of Cangzhuo Courtyard.

The meal was unusually quiet. At first, Gu Huailang tried to make conversation, but seeing that the other two weren’t in high spirits, he gradually fell silent as well.

It seemed they had quarrelled… Gu Huaisheng looked the same as always, calm and composed, but Jiang Jingchun’s displeasure was written all over her face.

Ever since Gu Huaisheng had returned, Jiang Jingchun’s expression had been blank.

Though Gu Huailang was young, he was perceptive enough to notice the subtle shift in her mood. He kept his head down and focused on eating. Once he finished his meal, he didn’t dare to linger and quickly excused himself. After bidding them farewell, he returned to Jinghua Hall.

The room grew even quieter after he left.

Since the two of them had returned late, it was already late into the night, and the room was now lit by candlelight. Their shadows flickered on the wall and swayed with the unsteady flame.

Gu Huaisheng cleared his throat softly, as if to speak, but before he could, Jiang Jingchun stood up abruptly and walked into another room—their bedchamber.

Whatever he had intended to say was caught in his throat.

Gu Huaisheng knew she was still sulking about what had happened in the carriage. He also knew that pestering her now would only make her angrier. So, he remained silent and didn’t follow her.

Jiang Jingchun had risen early that morning and spent the entire day outside. By nightfall, she was already exhausted. She cleaned up and went to bed before the hour of the Dog.

When Gu Huaisheng returned later in the night, he found Jiang Jingchun already in bed. The lights inside had been extinguished, which left the room pitch black. Only the sliver of moonlight that filtered through the lattice windows provided him with a faint illumination.

Jiang Jingchun’s back was to him, and she was facing the wall. He couldn’t tell whether she was already asleep or not.

Gu Huaisheng sighed softly, then went into the adjoining washroom to clean up before climbing into bed himself.

As he lifted the quilt, he noticed, under the faint moonlight, her shoulders twitch slightly, as if she were shrinking further away.

It was clear she wasn’t asleep.

Moreover, she was still angry.

She must still be upset about their argument in the carriage earlier.

Gu Huaisheng slipped under the blanket and inched closer to Jiang Jingchun. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before she spoke up and said, “Don’t get so close to me.”

Her low reprimand was particularly sharp in the quiet of the night. 

Her voice sounded muffled and heavy, and it was still tinged with anger.

Gu Huaisheng froze at her words. He obediently stayed still without moving closer.

The two remained silent for a moment until Gu Huaisheng broke the quiet. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to quarrel with you today. Can you stop being mad?”

Jiang Jingchun immediately replied, “I’m not mad.”

Why would she be mad?

With her face buried under the blanket, Jiang Jingchun muttered, “You were absolutely right. Both Song Xuan’an and I are foolish beyond saving. Marrying someone like me must be torture for you. Is it that you’re planning to join us in being foolish too? You have nothing to apologise for—you’re just too right.”

She couldn’t understand what gave him the right to sit on his high horse and criticise other people. If he found her so foolish, why did he insist on marrying her in the first place? What was the point of a marriage of mutual disdain?

She claimed she wasn’t angry, but ever since they returned, she’d been holding onto a simmering resentment.

Gu Huaisheng’s apology now wasn’t out of guilt or genuine regret. He was just very adept at bending and yielding when the situation called for it. She knew him well enough to understand this. He was just attempting to brush past the matter easily by just uttering a couple of soft words.

He was clever, no doubt.

Logically speaking, after she lashed out at him, he should revert to his usual self soon enough. This act wouldn’t last. 

Worst case, they’d just spend the night awake and bicker until dawn. If he dared reach out again, she’d bite his fingers for good measure.

She’d already thought of how to retaliate next, but what Gu Huaisheng said caught her completely off guard.

“I won’t call him foolish anymore, alright?”

Didn’t she always insist that he stop badmouthing Song Xuan’an? Fine, he wouldn’t say another word about him. If she cared so much about protecting him, then what else could he do?

Even if he were seething with jealousy, what would it achieve? Every argument only pushed her further away and deepened her resentment towards him. 

Gu Huaisheng’s cool, resonant voice carried a slight huskiness as it drifted into Jiang Jingchun’s ears in the still night. 

She felt him edge a little closer to her. He said again, “I’m sorry. I really won’t bring him up again.”

This time, there was no aloof condescension in his tone, and he made no demands that she stop seeing Song Xuan’an. He only promised that he’d drop the subject entirely.

He wouldn’t position himself as the one ‘breaking up a pair of lovebirds’ anymore. It only made him look foolish and pathetic.

Gu Huaisheng’s voice, which was usually as clear as jade, sounded like it might break at any moment. He really sounded like he was going to cry. He said, “Can you not be angry at me anymore?”

His voice trembled slightly, and when it reached Jiang Jingchun’s ears, she almost doubted her hearing.

She turned her head in suspicion. When she turned, she caught sight of his face under the moonlight and thought she saw tears glistening in Gu Huaisheng’s eyes.

In her entire life, she had only seen him teary three times.

The first time was over a year ago, when his teacher had been beheaded. She had gone to find him and saw his reddened eyes. The second was when she came to see him at the examination compound. Tonight was the third time.

Jiang Jingchun could hardly believe it. Could he really be crying over just a few words? This was Gu Huaisheng, after all. Even when she had bitten his hand to the point of drawing bl00d, he had only frowned. The things she just said weren’t even that harsh, were they?

She felt she must have been mistaken.

But those watery eyes seemed to hold some strange magic that compelled her to reach out and touch his eyes.

To her surprise, her fingertips did touch tears.

Her warm fingers brushed across his eyes, and Gu Huaisheng let out a low chuckle. To Jiang Jingchun, that laugh carried a faint bitterness. By the time she realised and tried to withdraw her hand, it was too late.

He caught her wrist. His cold fingers pressed against her skin as he guided her palm to cover his eyes.

The wetness on her palm was unmistakable.

Even Gu Huaisheng himself didn’t know why he was like this. Maybe it was because she always scolded him, always defended another man in front of him. However, he couldn’t be angry, so that frustration turned into tears.

He thought he probably resembled a jealous, resentful woman right now.

Really.

He must.

This inexplicable sensation was so fitting, and he never expected such a term to apply to him. He never knew that he could be such a pathetic and laughable person.

Gu Huaisheng said, “You don’t like me calling you ‘Wife,’ so I won’t call you that anymore. Cousin, please don’t be angry with me anymore.”