The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 70

That night, the atmosphere was quiet and still, while the moonlight was soft and radiant.

It wasn’t until the hour of the Rat that Cangzhuo Courtyard finally became quiet as well.

Basin after basin of bl00d-soaked water was carried out from the room. The vivid crimson was enough to make one’s heart shudder. Madame Gu hadn’t slept a wink all night. In the end, she couldn’t stare at the bl00d any longer and fainted.

Marquis Gu’s face was dark. He struggled to suppress his emotions and was barely holding himself together. He retreated behind a pillar to wipe away his tears.

Jiang Jingchun wasn’t much better off, either. She was dazed and disoriented, and looked like she had been scared witless.

Finally, after much effort, their household physician emerged from the room.

Jiang Jingchun snapped out of her stupor and hurried forward. 

She asked, “How is he?”

The household physician’s expression was far from reassuring, and Jiang Jingchun’s heart sank along with it.

Marquis Gu stepped forward and anxiously said, “Speak quickly! You’re killing us with suspense!”

The household physician let out a heavy sigh. “He’s still breathing, but his fever won’t break. If it doesn’t come down soon, even if he wakes up, I’m afraid the fever may have damaged his brain. He could become… a fool.”

A fool.

Marquis Gu’s body trembled upon hearing this.

For someone as proud as Gu Huaisheng, losing his wit would be no different from losing his life.

However, Jiang Jingchun no longer cared whether he would end up a fool. All she cared about was whether he would wake up. She grabbed the household physician’s sleeve and asked, “It doesn’t matter if he’s a fool—can he wake up?”

The household physician hesitated. “This… I truly cannot say. If the fever subsides tonight, then there’s hope. But if it doesn’t, there’s a chance he may not wake up at all.”

This answer, though, was as good as no answer at all.

Jiang Jingchun’s face crumpled. Her complexion turned ashen.

The household physician added, “Madame, perhaps you could speak to him. In his current state—hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness, he might still be able to hear you.”

He had done everything he could, but now it all depended on whether Gu Huaisheng could pull through. 

The household physician wanted to offer some comforting words, but the situation was so dire that he didn’t dare give false hope. 

Giving someone hope only to dash it later would be bad.

After saying his piece, the household physician left without lingering further.

Marquis Gu’s face looked grim. His stubble was shadowed in bluish bruises, and his eyes had been red since earlier that evening. He turned to Jiang Jingchun and hoarsely said, “Xiaochun, you should go in and see him. You’re the person he loves most. If you talk to him, he wouldn’t be so heartless as to leave like this…”

Marquis Gu couldn’t stop his voice from cracking as he spoke. He quickly turned away, because he didn’t want Jiang Jingchun to see his vulnerable state.

Jiang Jingchun didn’t have the time to comfort Marquis Gu. She headed straight into the inner chamber.

Gu Huaisheng lay on the bed. His face was pallid in the flickering candlelight, devoid of any trace of bl00d.

It took all of Jiang Jingchun’s courage to approach the bedside.

Gu Huaisheng had been fine just before he left. He’d even promised her that when he returned, he’d take her out to browse the bustling streets together.

How had things come to this?

Jiang Jingchun felt a lump rise in her throat. Outside, the cold wind howled. Its mournful whistle resembled a quiet weep. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and after that, she could no longer hold back her sobs.

If she had known it would come to this, she wouldn’t have sulked. She wouldn’t have fought with him.

Now that his life hung by a thread, all she felt was regret.

She clutched his hand. Her tears fell in heavy drops onto the back of it.

“Wake up, Gu Huaisheng. It’s okay if you become a fool. I won’t dislike you. Just wake up… I won’t make trouble for you anymore. I won’t hold a grudge over the lies you told me. Let’s live our days together properly from now on, alright? If you dare to make me a widow at seventeen, I’ll truly hate you. I won’t even burn incense for you after you’re gone…

“Are you dreaming right now? Am I in your dream? Didn’t you say you liked me? I’m waiting for you outside. Please wake up soon, okay?

“My mother is gone, and my father’s nowhere to be found…”

“Gu Huaisheng, you can’t leave me too…”

She’d caught a cold, and her voice sounded nasal as she spoke. Tears streamed down her face, blocking her already congested nose and making it hard for her to breathe. By the end, her words caught in her throat, and she couldn’t speak anymore.

That night was anything but peaceful for Jiang Jingchun. She stayed by Gu Huaisheng’s bedside the whole time, as she was afraid he might wake up and she wouldn’t be there to see it.

She didn’t dare to sleep.

She just sat there, watching him.

She also changed the cloth on his forehead several times to help reduce his fever.

The high fever lingered stubbornly at first, but later—whether it was real or just her imagination—Jiang Jingchun felt that the fever had gone down somewhat.

However, he still showed no sign of waking up.

Eventually, she became exhausted and drowsy, but her heart wouldn’t let her relax. Gu Huaisheng hadn’t woken up yet—how could she sleep? She couldn’t do it even if she wanted to.

The long night stretched on, bringing with it a suffocating sense of despair. As dawn began to break and the first light of morning seeped through, the figure on the bed finally stirred.

Jiang Jingchun saw Gu Huaisheng’s fingers twitch slightly. Her eyes widened in an instant, and the red veins in them seemed to stretch even further. She stared fixedly at his hand and saw it move again—twice this time.

She quickly reached out to feel his forehead. It truly felt like the fever had subsided.

Her voice trembled as she spoke, “Gu Huaisheng… are you waking up?”

Her tone, thick with a nasal sound, carried traces of a sob.

Jiang Jingchun waited patiently for a while, and soon enough, Gu Huaisheng opened his eyes.

But all he could do was open them; he didn’t react further for the moment.

Seeing that he’d woken up, Jiang Jingchun’s tears started flowing again. After staying up the entire night and crying so hard before, her eyes were already swollen beyond recognition. By all accounts, she shouldn’t have had the strength to cry anymore. Moreover, his waking up was a joyous occasion—what was there to cry about?

Yet, the ache in her nose wouldn’t go away, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying again.

She had spent the entire night with her eyes wide open. Now, even her cry felt drained of strength. She sat on a small stool beside him and clutched Gu Huaisheng’s hand. She rested her head on the bed as she wept.

When she finally pulled herself together, she lifted her head and saw that Gu Huaisheng’s expression remained blank.

However, a tear glistened at the corner of his eye, and it slid slowly down the side of his face.

The household physician had warned yesterday that even if Gu Huaisheng woke up, there was a chance he might have been reduced to a fool.

That was fine.

Even if he truly became a fool, she wouldn’t mind.

As long as he was alive, then that was enough.

Jiang Jingchun held his hand against her face and said, “Cousin, it’s okay if you’ve turned into a fool. I’ll take care of you. I’ll look after you.”

After a while, a faint chuckle reached Jiang Jingchun’s ears. She was startled. When she looked up at him, she saw that he’d finally shown a reaction. He was looking at her as he said, “Cousin, really? You’ll take care of me? You’ll look after me?”

It hurt to even say this much, and Gu Huaisheng felt as though he had to pour all his strength into those words.

He wasn’t trying to scare Jiang Jingchun—he really was in pain, and he really didn’t have much strength.

Jiang Jingchun looked at him closely. He didn’t look like he had become a fool.

“Were you trying to scare me?”

She was already on the verge of breaking down into tears again, yet he still had the energy to scare her?

She wanted to smack him right then and there, but she was worried she might actually hurt him in his fragile state. As such, she just clenched her fists and held back.

Gu Huaisheng frowned deeply from the pain and said, “I wasn’t trying to scare you. It just hurts too much…”

It really did hurt. His throat was parched as well, and even speaking a single sentence felt like a painful effort.

Just as Jiang Jingchun was about to say something, the household physician arrived.

He’d been called in immediately after Gu Huaisheng had regained consciousness.

The household physician was overjoyed to see that Gu Huaisheng had woken up. He stepped forward to check and found that Gu Huaisheng’s fever had subsided. After the household physician lifted Gu Huaisheng’s eyelids to check, then asked a few questions, he confirmed that Gu Huaisheng hadn’t turned into a fool because of his fever. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.

The household physician said, “Good, very good. Being able to wake up and not end up a fool is already a blessing. Now that you’ve made it through this, everything else will be fine.” 

His excitement made him somewhat unguarded with his words.

However, no one paid his bluntness any mind.

The household physician then explained the precautions for the next few days and the necessary medications to Jiang Jingchun, who listened intently, with Huayun also standing by.

Jiang Jingchun, who had never been so serious in her life, committed the household physician’s instructions to memory, and even recited them, as if they were a school lesson.

After the household physician left, Marquis Gu, Madame Gu, and their youngest son, Gu Huailang, came to visit as well. Seeing Gu Huaisheng awake and well, they were overcome with emotion and wept tears of joy. Even little Gu Huailang, young as he was, couldn’t help crying along with them.

They were worried that Gu Huaisheng might be too fatigued, so they didn’t stay long. Once they confirmed he was fine, they all withdrew, leaving only Jiang Jingchun in the room.

Gu Huaisheng looked at Jiang Jingchun. He knew she hadn’t slept a wink all night, so he said, “Cousin, come up onto the bed and get some rest.”

Jiang Jingchun was hesitant to. She shook her head and said, “I’m afraid I’ll kick you.”

After all the effort it had taken for him to wake up, she wouldn’t dare risk touching him. 

In her eyes, he seemed so fragile now, as if the slightest touch might undo all their efforts.

Gu Huaisheng laughed upon hearing her response. He endured the pain he felt and said, “Don’t be afraid. If even a sword couldn’t kill me, how could one kick from you finish me off?”

He extended a hand toward her. “Come on, climb up. Just be gentle, and it’ll be fine.”

Jiang Jingchun, who had stayed awake all night, looked utterly worn out. Gu Huaisheng couldn’t rest easy seeing this. 

He worried that if she didn’t sleep soon, she might collapse from exhaustion herself.

Seeing him, Jiang Jingchun said no more. She took off her outer garment, kicked off her shoes, then climbed onto the bed. She was afraid of touching Gu Huaisheng and hurting him, so she shrank to one side of the bed before finally allowing herself to relax. She hadn’t slept at night, so she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep soon after touching the bed.

Gu Huaisheng wanted to pull her into his arms but didn’t have the strength. Instead, he reached out and grasped her hand, and found solace in that contact.

He had heard everything Jiang Jingchun had said the day before.

It felt like he had walked through the gates of hell and sank into a vast, void-like dream. The dream was blurry, and he couldn’t wake from it. Her sobbing had echoed in his ears from time to time. She had said she wouldn’t dislike him, even if he became a fool.

But no, that wouldn’t do…

Yes, that wouldn’t do.

How could a fool love her?

He didn’t want that. 

He didn’t want to become a fool. 

And he couldn’t leave her a widow, either.

His cousin was kind, gentle, and adorable. He couldn’t bear to leave her behind.

With these thoughts driving him, he had managed to pull through.

He’d never found it so hard to endure and pull through before. Looking back now, he couldn’t think of any other suffering, which he’d endured, that was more gruelling than this one. 

Fortunately, it was all over now. That void-like dream hadn’t managed to trap him, in the end.

As he held her hand, he was overcome with the feeling that he’d survived a great calamity.

The snowfall, which had persisted for days, finally lightened. Outside, the skies cleared, the snowflakes danced lightly in the air. Within the room, Gu Huaisheng’s breathing grew steadily calmer as he, too, drifted to sleep.

The only sound left in the room, after that, was the gentle rhythm of their interwoven breaths.

—

Wang Shun learned that Zhao Jinhe had eventually brought the man into the palace.

However, even after waiting at home for days, no word came from the palace.

More days passed, but still nothing…

It seemed that when Qian Zhi was taken into the palace that day, the emperor had been performing sacrificial rituals in Xiangdian Hall. Naturally, Wang Shun assumed that the empress dowager had spoken in his favour once again. That, coupled with the current situation on the northern frontier, made it seem likely that even with a witness, the emperor had chosen to spare him at this critical time.

Wang Shun did not dwell on it but became increasingly certain that his days were numbered.

Moreover, he had nearly killed Gu Huaisheng this time. The Gu family undoubtedly knew he was behind it, even if the assassins that day were all death soldiers and would leave no direct evidence that’d prove his involvement.

How could Marquis Gu continue spending his days leisurely fishing for those little fish after his son had almost lost his life?

If Marquis Gu joined forces with Secretariat Elder Song and Jiang Nan, Wang would struggle to hold them off, and he knew it.

Moreover, the two million taels of silver needed for rebuilding Tianlu Terrace hadn’t been approved. If he didn’t have the funds to keep feeding his men, they might not remain as obedient.

For now, he was merely living day by day and stealing whatever time he could.

That evening, Wang Shun sent word to Song Xuanjing and Jiang Jinghui. He summoned them to the Wang residence.

Every three years, the Ministry of Personnel would hold the capital evaluation, which was also referred to as the great evaluation. During this, the ministry must decide on the retention, dismissal, promotion, or demotion of all officials.

The upcoming capital evaluation would be held at the end of the first month.

Wang Shun had called Song Xuanjing and Jiang Jinghui over for this matter.

When the two arrived, Wang Shun got straight to the point. He said, “At the end of this month, the triennial great evaluation will take place. The Ministry of Personnel will be extremely busy this month.”

Indeed, as the minister of personnel, Jiang Nan had been swamped with work since last month—the last month of the previous year. Jiang Jinghui often saw him returning home very late.

They didn’t understand why Wang Shun had suddenly brought up this matter, though. Could it be that his reason for summoning them was related to this?

Wang Shun didn’t beat around the bush any longer and directly revealed his plan. He said to Song Xuanjing, “Can you persuade your grandfather to ask Jiang Nan to secure an official position for Song Xuan’an?”

As the minister of personnel, Jiang Nan would have no trouble intervening in such matters. However, Song Xuan’an hadn’t even passed the imperial examinations, so appointing him to an official position would clearly be improper.

Song Xuanjing was somewhat confused by Wang Shun’s intentions. He asked, “What do you mean, Master?”

“Make Jiang Nan derelict in his duties,” Wang Shun said.

After these words, he looked at Song Xuanjing and continued, “As long as Jiang Nan arranges an official position for Song Xuan’an, you can then steal some items from the Song family and have Xiaohui plant them in Jiang Nan’s room. That way, we’ll have evidence of bribery.”

If Song Xuanjing could persuade Secretariat Elder Song to approach Jiang Nan and discreetly secure an official position for Song Xuan’an, they could then fabricate some evidence. Then, Jiang Nan wouldn’t be able to deny the accusations of dereliction of duty and bribery that’d be levied against him.

Both Song Xuanjing and Jiang Jinghui understood Wang Shun’s plan.

The two of them stayed silent for a moment. Then, Song Xuanjing eventually spoke first. He said, “There’s a sixty percent chance I can convince him.”

Secretariat Elder Song had already been considering the possibility of purchasing a sinecure official position for Song Xuan’an.

Song Xuanjing would have been eighty percent confident, but after the incident where he had beaten Song Xuan’an, Elder Secretary Song harbored some anger against him, which reduced his confidence by twenty percent.

Hearing this, Wang Shun said, “It’s fine. That old man is a muddle-headed fool who can’t see things clearly. He still thinks it’s like the old days when you could just secure an official position at will. If you bring it up, he’ll probably listen to some extent. Besides, Song Xuan’an is now looking for a betrothal. Having an official position would make him sound like a better suitor.”

Enemies would understand each other best.

Wang Shun had known Secretariat Elder Song for many years. He was well aware of what kind of person Secretariat Elder Song was.

With the Song family side less of a concern, Wang Shun turned his attention to Jiang Jinghui. He asked her, “Xiaohui, can you handle your task when the time comes?”

Although Wang Shun was asking, there was a hint of probing in his eyes.

What if Jiang Jinghui still had lingering feelings for the Jiang family…?

Upon hearing Wang Shun’s question, Jiang Jinghui snapped out of her thoughts. She lowered her head and nodded, then replied, “I understand. When the time comes, I will follow your instructions.”

Hadn’t she returned precisely for this day? Now that things had come to this, she wouldn’t hesitate.

After assigning the tasks to the two of them, Wang Shun sent them on their way. After all, they might arouse suspicions if they returned too late.

After they left, a man hurried in from outside. Wang Shun looked up and saw it was Xiao Lun.

Behind him was a middle-aged woman whom Wang Shun didn’t recognise.

However, he quickly guessed her identity.

She must be the person who knew the truth of what had happened back then.

Xiao Lun entered the room and brought with him a chill from the outside. The woman who followed behind him appeared somewhat timid.

Upon seeing Wang Shun, the woman respectfully bowed, though her gesture seemed a bit awkward.

Wang Shun had no time to worry about such details. He pointed at the woman and asked Xiao Lun, “Who is this?”

Xiao Lun clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and replied, “She is the woman who once served Cen Yin.”

He had followed the name ‘Cen Yin’ and his investigation had become much easier because of that. He traced the clues and found the maid who’d once taken care of CEn Yin.

He had found her in a small village outside the capital and rushed her back to the Wang residence to meet Wang Shun with her.

Wang Shun looked at the woman. His emotions stirred. He asked her, “Where is Cen Yin now? Is she still alive? And where is her daughter?”

With her head lowered, the woman replied, “Cen Yin is already dead…”

Wang Shun’s eyelids twitched. “Dead? How did she die? What happened back then? Tell me everything in detail.”

Cen Yin was dead. Did that mean his granddaughter was also dead?

She was the last who remained of A-Yu’s bloodline.