The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband

The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband – Chapter 62

Translated by: Oinkoink

Proofread by:Silkscreen

Chapter 62 – Meeting

This novel is only hosted on Foxaholic, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized.

A few days before the break of the royal court, Gu Yong who was the Senior Official of the Imperial Censor, was impeached and removed from the capital. Sporadically, the Ministry of Civil Personnel made a mistake during the routine inspection and a series of people were punished, including Pei Yuanshu. This succession of events finally made Ye Huaiyang understand what Chu Sanghuai originally meant by having fun.

He was already tired of the frustration caused by all those failures. When it was inevitable that Chu Jinglan would return to politics, he decided to go along with it and let the people from Chu Jinglan’s faction surface then disposed of them one by one until Chu Jinglan’s wings were clipped completely before finally dealing with the isolated and helpless him (CJL) once again.

But there is one thing that Chu Sanghuai did not expect — Gu Yong was the pawn that is being sacrificed in the plan.

The south gate of Wangdu.

The year is coming to an end and not many people are entering or exiting the city. As it’s snowing heavily, the official road outside the city gate looks so boundless that it’s almost impossible to see the path, let alone the shadow of a human silhouette.

A simple carriage parked leeward by the broken wall. The carriage’s paint was so drab that the original color could not be discerned while the frame and axle were also made of uncostly materials. When the wind blew softly, the carriage swayed from top to bottom. To keep the curtain from getting blown away, the coachman had to grip it hard, appearing extremely dismal.

Dressed in an off-white lined jacket, Gu Yong sat rigidly inside the carriage with both hands folded in his sleeves. The only thing keeping him warm was a palm-sized stove. The small embers in the chamber were glowing faintly red and the heat emitted was not even enough to warm a cup of water up, hence the servant by the side kept puffing and rubbing his hands but he (GY) just stayed serenely reposed, seemingly not the least bit cold.

After a long while, the servant could not help but take the initiative to persuade, “Sir, the weather is really bad and if we delay any longer, I’m afraid we’ll be hindered by the snowstorm later.”

“Just wait a little longer.” With the same unperturbed appearance, Gu Yong blandly spat out those words without opening his eyes. Seeing this, the servant did not speak anymore but merely raised the curtain to take a glance out from time to time, hoping the messenger would appear as soon as possible.

Perhaps the Heavens heard his wish when the clattering sound of hoofbeats coming from the direction of the city gate suddenly resounded closer and gradually became heavier. Not long after, the silhouette of a man and a horse emerged from the blanket of snow, galloping along the icy chips where he soon arrived at the side of the carriage.

“Teacher Gu, this subordinate is late.”

The visitor was a young man. Turning over to dismount from the horse, he cupped his hands to salute toward the carriage’s window. Seeing the muscles flexed under his thin clothes, he must be a martial-arts practitioner. The servant felt somewhat apprehensive looking at his fierce features yet Gu Yong’s expression remained the same as he returned a scholarly bow.

“Troubled little brother to run a trip in this raging snowstorm.” 

Feeling warmth in the heart, a smile appeared on the solemn face of the young man, “Teacher Gu is too polite. It’s an honor for this humble one to deliver the letter for an elder of your virtue and integrity. Several detours were taken merely to prevent being tracked by someone, which caused my delay. Hoping the Teacher is magnanimous enough to forgive this humble one.”

Gu Yong responded in a warm voice, “Little brother exaggerated. It does not matter for this old man to wait a little longer. Safety is the priority and your family’s Lord must not be implicated.”

“This humble one admires Teacher’s righteousness.” Saying this, the young man fished out a letter from his bosom and handed it over to Gu Yong, “This is what the Lord asked to bring for the Teacher. Asking Teacher to burn it immediately after reading it.”

Gu Yong unsealed the envelope for a look, only a few lines of small characters were written on it — Unable to send you off today and will certainly greet you personally in future. Worthy elder brother should settle peacefully in the hometown for the time being and leave the matters of the royal court to this unworthy younger brother.”

Gu Yong seemed rather gratified after browsing it. The creases on his face were squeezed together while his grizzled beard also quivered slightly. He then gathered the letter into a ball and threw it into the fire-stove before turning his head and spoke to the young man, “Please help send a message for this old man, little brother. The current political situation is perilous, so the worthy younger brother should be more cautious. His Third Highness will be entrusted to him then.”

‘His Third Highness’ was what the group of old courtiers used to address Chu Jinglan and since he said so, that person seemed to be a former minister of Chu Jinglan too.

“This humble one will bear it in mind and convey it to my Lord.” The young man took a step back then bowed respectfully, “Forgive this humble one for not being able to send Teacher off. May Teacher have a safe journey.”

Gu Yong smiled and nodded his head before lowering the curtain. The coachman swung the long whip where the carriage finally swayed and set off slowly.

The road ahead was still bedazzled by the snowstorm while the surface of the road was frozen and difficult to navigate. Even though the horse’s hooves were wrapped in homespun clothes, they would still slip. Fortunately, they came across two clear rows of snow ruts, which were most likely made by someone who passed by not too long ago before they went far. The coachman sped the horses away with joy when the carriage finally stabilized a little.

Curiously, the servant looked out and reported to Gu Yong soon after, “Sir, there is a carriage parked under the tree in front.”

Gu Yong replied, “Since we made use of other people’s path, we should thank them. Do slow down a little when we pass by.”

Following the order, the coachman gripped the reins tighter before slowing the carriage down gradually and stopped precisely next to the other carriage. Gu Yong was about to thank the owner through the curtain when he inadvertently caught sight and stared fixedly at the antlers emblem on the wheels. As he was dazed, the curtain of the opposite carriage was also lifted up, revealing a stern and familiar face.

“Elder Gu.”

 
Just two simple words almost made Gu Yong tears come up from his aged eyes. Instantly bowing profoundly, he spoke with a trembled voice, “Old Minister — pays respect to Wangye!”

Since the return of Chu Jinglan to the royal court, he was unable to meet him after many requests of appointment due to the many eyes and ears of the court or the public. Even when a plan was plotted out, it was that Lord who acted as the middleman passing on the messages. He did not expect he would actually meet Chu Jinglan just when he was about to leave here, so how could he not feel excited?

“It is needless to be over courteous. This King is here to see you off today.” Though Chu Jinglan’s expression was indifferent, his words were like a burst of warm breeze that dispersed the hovering coldness around him.

Gu Yong was momentarily overjoyed and a little apprehensive, he couldn’t help but spoke anxiously, “Wangye, this old minister is now a felon. You shouldn’t come to see …”

“This King will feel uneasy if not meeting Elder Gu even once.” Chu Jinglan looked at him with a clear and brightly radiant gaze, “This King will always bear in mind the sacrifices that you’ve made. The mountains and rivers are distant*, this King only wishes you would take care of yourself.”

[T/N: 水远山长 (Shuǐ yuǎn shān cháng) – metaphor for a long and difficult road/journey]

“This old minister already feels content with these words of Wangye. Merely hopes to live till the day the Yellow River is clear and the sea is calm*, and seeing Wangye’s great cause accomplished then this old minister will have no more regrets!”

[T/N: 海清河晏 (Hǎi qīnghé yàn) – Metaphorically means world peace]

The meaning of the words was obvious yet Chu Jinglan did not respond, merely cupping his hands to give him his regards.

Until that moment, not knowing how many more courtiers like Gu Yong will be sacrificed for the overall greater cause.

Gu Yong knew how heavy his innermost being is, so he didn’t speak any more. After kowtowing again, he bid him farewell and resolutely embarked on the journey home. The reason why he was so determined to leave is because he knew sooner or later they will meet again and when that day comes, everything will be different then. 

The carriage gradually moved further away and its tracks were soon obscured by the heavy snow. The green curtain on the side dropped quietly too while the silver bells tied at the corners of the carriage shook out melodious sounds, which were supposedly pleasing to the ears yet unexpectedly it mingled with the sound of soft coughs. Chu Jinglan turned around immediately and tightened the cloak of the person beside him.

“I told you not to come along. What’s to be done if your cold becomes more serious?”

A small fair face brimming with a thin smile lifted from within his arms, “Originally, I was here to pick my Elder Brother up and by chance also stand-in as your cover, so how could I not come?”

As it turned out, Ye Huaili happened to schedule his return to Wangdu today for vacation.

Ye Huaiyang had long known about this but by coincidence, she fell ill after returning from East Phoenix Palace a few days ago. Perhaps she knelt too long on those cold jade tiles, in addition to the stimulated sweating as well as the mingling of heat and chilly air led to her catching a cold. Chu Jinglan had been eyeing her taking the medicine three times a day, contrarily it didn’t bring any effect as she was still coughing even after a few days.

She insisted on coming to pick Ye Huaili up and Chu Jinglan was unable to stop her. He could only instruct Yue’ya to help her wear thicker clothes and let people move the heating stove, blanket and other things into the carriage before allowing her to leave the mansion. But the snowstorm was really too intense that a slight breathing in would bring in ice shard-filled cold air which caused her throat to itch from its frostiness, making it all the more difficult for her to cease the coughings.

Chu Jinglan raised his hand to fetch a teacup that Ye Huaiyang drank a few mouthfuls of warm water which somewhat temporarily suppressed the coughing intent before she raised her voice to the person outside, “Ci Yuan, go ahead for a lookout.”

According to the projected time, Ye Huaili should have already arrived yet he might have been held back by the heavy snow halfway. In this freezing cold weather, though the official road was deserted, delay was inevitable.

Ci Yuan knew what she meant. Just as he raised the horse whip to rush ahead, a cloud of overcast shadow suddenly appeared amidst the snow and ice. He stared into the distance for a moment then joyfully reported, “Young Miss, Eldest Young Master is here!”

Her face lit up suddenly. Ye Huaiyang hurriedly pushed the door to get off the carriage only to see a carriage with the same emblem, ladened in frosty snow and thick curtains of green mantle coming from the official road at constant speed. The carriage got more and more closer under her sight of expectation until it slowly stopped in front of her. The force of the wind that came with the carriage had not abated, a mixture of ice chips and snow seeds stung her face painfully. She covered her face slightly for a while. When she opened her eyes again, that handsome and tall figure had already gotten off the carriage walking towards her.

“Elder Brother!”

Ye Huaiyang pounced forward happily, completely exposing the charming demeanor of a young girl. Ye Huaili also spread his arms to welcome her into his bosom. Clad in icy armor, her eyebrows were covered in frosty snow and revealed a breath of gentleness.

“The weather is so cold. Why didn’t you stay home comfortably but came to pick me up?”

“Because I miss you.” Ye Huaiyang smiled sweetly, looking very cute. Seeing that, Ye Huaili’s heart seemingly fell into a pile of fluffiness with soft resonating beats.

Their quarrel was so harsh last time that he even left without saying goodbye. He thought Ye Huaiyang would not come to pick him up again this time but eventually, she didn’t hold the least bit of grudge as she even smiled and said she missed him. As if she had not suffered any grievances, so how could he not feel any heartache?

Ye Huaili sighed secretly, restraining the fluctuation of his emotions as he enfolded his arms slowly to hug Ye Huaiyang until he inadvertently raised his head and saw the figure standing upright in front of him. His face froze abruptly and the tenderness that was filling his heart were completely subdued.

Why is he here?

Standing erect, both men did not move and a subtle spark burst out when their eyes met in midair. Seemingly sensing something, Ye Huaiyang raised her small face to look at them with an inexplicably anxiousness.

“Elder Brother, let’s go back to the clan home together. Uncle and aunt are still waiting…”

“No need.” Ye Huaili interrupted her coldly, “I still have to report to the Ministry of War, you go back with him.”

After saying that, he loosened his hands and rapidly walked towards his carriage. Wanting to pull him, Ye Huaiyang staggered from the force and accidentally inhaled a big mouthful of cold air that caused her to instantly bend over and cough.

Hearing her relentless coughs, Ye Huaili immediately halted in his tracks. When he turned around, he saw Chu Jinglan’s sudden big strides forward to catch the delicate body that seemingly lost balance and almost fell to the ground. Cupping her face up, she was already covered with cold sweat.

“Yang’er?”

Ye Huaiyang opened her mouth but she was unable to say a word. Her throat seemed to have stuck together with bursts of pain. Ye Huaili immediately strode back. Noticing her hand was full of dense sweat when he just grabbed it, in a flash, the cold hard mask on his face completely broke into pieces.

“Get in the carriage and go back to the city!”

 

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