Seeing his awkwardness holding Chang Suo, Gu Jin Chao said, “He’s quite heavy. Why don’t you hand him back to me?”

She reached out to take Chang Suo, but the child thought his mother wanted to play peekaboo with him. He giggled and hid his head behind Chen Xuan Qing’s back.

Chen Xuan Qing could only awkwardly support the child’s body, afraid he might fall.

“You should carry children less,” Old Madam Chen cautioned Gu Jin Chao. “Now that you’re with child again, you must be more careful.”

Chen Xuan Qing couldn’t help but press his lips tightly together.

Apart from Gu Jin Chao and Third Master Chen, no one else had known about this. Everyone immediately offered their congratulations to Jin Chao. Gu Jin Chao thought the child was coming too quickly; she was already exhausted taking care of one. How would she manage another?

After the evening meal, Second Master Chen stayed behind to speak with Old Madam Chen.

Third Master Chen left first, carrying the sleeping child, with Gu Jin Chao following behind. Upon returning to Osmanthus Hall, the wet nurse removed Chang Suo’s little jacket and carried him to the warm room to sleep. Third Master Chen sat on the luohan bed reading a book.

Gu Jin Chao, attended by her maids, washed her face and hands with a hot towel and changed her clothes before coming out.

When she emerged, Third Master Chen motioned for her to sit across from him and closed his book.

“There are some household matters where I shouldn’t interfere directly, so I must speak through you. I think it’s time to find a concubine for Chen Xuan Qing.”

Why would he suddenly think of getting a concubine for Chen Xuan Qing?

Since it was Third Master Chen’s idea, Gu Jin Chao didn’t feel she should object. She nodded and asked, “That’s fine. It would be good for the Seventh Young Master to have someone attending to him. Do you have someone in mind?”

“I’m not familiar with the maids in his household. But there were originally two chamber attendants. Perhaps one could be elevated to concubine status,” Third Master Chen said casually.

Gu Jin Chao acknowledged his suggestion but felt hesitant inside. Could this be because of her…?

She hesitated, then after a moment of silence said, “Seventh Young Master has been a county magistrate for a year now, and has broadened his outlook somewhat. It’s good for him to gain more experience like this. His spirit seems better than before. Those previous matters were just youthful indiscretions…”

Hearing this, Third Master Chen asked, “Are you afraid I’ll misunderstand?”

Gu Jin Chao shook her head: “It’s not that I fear you’ll misunderstand. I just want to be clear.”

Third Master Chen spoke softly: “Jin Chao, do you want to hear the truth?”

What truth?

Third Master Chen continued: “In my heart, I don’t like you speaking with him, but it’s not because I don’t trust you…” He paused momentarily, reaching out to hold Jin Chao’s hand. “Sometimes I’m not as composed as I appear. I don’t like other men looking at you too much. I also feel jealousy…”

He presented himself as tolerant and broad-minded, but he was still only human.

“So it’s impossible for me not to be wary about you and Chen Xuan Qing. Do you understand?” Chen Yan Yun looked into Gu Jin Chao’s eyes, with a hint of a sigh.

Gu Jin Chao merely sighed in response.

Of course, she understood. Everyone has selfish thoughts and emotions. Third Master Chen wasn’t a deity… and in some ways, intelligent people tend to be more sensitive. Gu Jin Chao wrapped her arms around Third Master Chen’s neck and lay against his chest, quietly listening to his heartbeat.

“Yan Yun…” she murmured.

“Hmm?” Chen Yan Yun raised his hand, the prayer beads sliding into his sleeve. He simply placed his hand on Jin Chao’s back, gently caressing it.

She wore a satin jacket with a Hangzhou silk surface. The diamond pattern was smooth and somewhat thin, and he could feel the bones of her spine beneath.

“I probably like you more than I realized,” Gu Jin Chao said softly. “I can’t imagine what I would be like without you…”

She had always looked down on women who lived dependent on men.

Her mother had been somewhat like that, living a lonely life in the inner compound, fighting over one man, and gradually becoming dependent on him. She had adjusted her preferences to suit his, losing her own identity.

When Gu Jin Chao was young, she had witnessed her uncle’s concubines fighting among themselves. At the time, she had disdainfully thought that even if she married, she would never be like that. She had been utterly selfish, thinking it was enough just to live well for herself.

Only when she truly came to depend on him completely did she realize things weren’t so simple?

“I’ve also wondered… what your life was like when you lived with Madam Jiang,” Gu Jin Chao revealed a slight smile. “You must have held her like this and talked with her, or worried that she wasn’t wearing enough clothes, or picked out dishes she liked. Mother says a woman shouldn’t be jealous, that it’s one of the seven grounds for divorce. But who can truly control their feelings?”

Gu Jin Chao had certainly thought about these things.

A man like Chen Yan Yun—who wouldn’t love him? She didn’t believe that Madam Jiang hadn’t been sincere towards him, or that his concubines hadn’t been sincere.

The more she lived with him, the more she realized how easy it was to like and depend on this man.

Chen Yan Yun was surprised to hear Gu Jin Chao speak this way.

“Jin Chao…”

“I haven’t finished yet,” Gu Jin Chao smiled. “I won’t say these improper things again, so listen to me finish. Sometimes I wish I had been born ten years earlier, so I could have liked you from the beginning. I want to know what you were like when you were young, and what you were like in your prime. You see, all these experiences belong to Sister Jiang. She accompanied you and surely loved you for more than ten years. Do you think I might be jealous of her?”

She held him tightly, which surprised Third Master Chen. But more than that, he felt joy.

He leaned close to Gu Jin Chao’s ear and said softly: “Jin Chao, you never say such things…”

That was because she had long passed the age where she could express her feelings intensely. She was accustomed to hiding all her emotions and expressing them in gentler ways. It wasn’t from suppression, just habit.

He kissed her earlobe, his voice full of pleasure.

“I never knew these things. If you’d asked, I could have told you about my past… Though I wasn’t as composed then as I am now. When I first earned the title of second-place graduate, I was very happy. I dragged my second brother to the wine shop to drink, and was caught by my father…”

Gu Jin Chao felt a tingling sensation when he kissed her, a warmth that spread to her heart.

His body grew increasingly tense. Sitting in Chen Yan Yun’s lap, she quickly became aware of his arousal.

His hands gripping her waist inevitably tightened, pulling her closer to him.

The feeling there became even more intense.

Gu Jin Chao couldn’t help but feel her body soften, losing strength, which allowed him to grasp her hands and turn her over, pressing her down.

“Later, Father called us in for a lecture. I was punished with copying the Dao De Jing ten times…”

Gu Jin Chao murmured her acknowledgment, thinking about how busy they had been lately. They’d had little time for intimacy, mostly just him holding her as they slept. Though he often became aroused, he had been considerate of her exhaustion and hadn’t touched her. A man his age naturally had strong desires, while she was still young and sometimes found it difficult to satisfy him…

After some thought, Gu Jin Chao didn’t refuse him. Third Master Chen knew his mind and wouldn’t disregard her needs.

Third Master Chen still had the presence of mind to talk with her, patiently arousing her while slowly telling her about his past—things he had done and been punished for, times he had been ridiculed. He shared all his unflattering stories with Gu Jin Chao, making her both laugh and cry.

They shared quite a while of tenderness.

The suspicions between them faded considerably.

The next day, Yu Wan Xue came to pay respects, accompanied by Chen Xuan Qing.

Gu Jin Chao had just risen, and Third Master Chen had already left half an hour before.

He had instructed the small kitchen to prepare fish and meat porridge for her, with two plates of fresh, crisp mixed vegetables, and a plate of thin-skinned soup dumplings.

Gu Jin Chao felt that he had delayed her with their dalliance and wasn’t grateful to him. Hearing that Chen Xuan Qing had also come, she naturally ordered: “Have them wait in the main hall for a while!” Then, thinking Chen Xuan Qing might have come to see Chen Xi, she called for Madam Sun, “…go invite the Fourth Young Lady to come.”

She hadn’t yet arranged her hair and couldn’t properly receive them. Pressed for time, she had her maid style a simple round bun.

Chen Xi had seen Chen Xuan Qing the previous night but hadn’t been able to speak with him much.

So today, upon seeing her seventh brother, she happily rushed toward him, only to be restrained by her attending matron: “Fourth Young Lady! Fourth Young Lady! You must pay your respects properly…” This was a reminder that Chen Xi was older now and needed to mind her behavior; she could no longer throw herself into her brother’s arms.

Chen Xi looked disappointed and reluctantly performed a formal greeting.

Chen Xuan Qing came forward to pay respects to Gu Jin Chao, having a maid present a brocade box. He said it was a gift for Gu Jin Chao. Opening it, she found an unpolished purple jade stone about half the size of her palm. Purple jade wasn’t particularly valuable, but it carried auspicious meanings of warding off evil, so Gu Jin Chao accepted it.

Chen Xuan Qing said, “I thought for a long time about what gift would be appropriate, but nothing seemed quite right. So I decided on this raw jade. You can have it carved into whatever shape you prefer.”

For Chen Xi, he had brought an exquisite bracelet carved with lotus patterns, which Chen Xi loved.

Yu Wan Xue sat to the side, smiling as she watched Chen Xi question her brother.

Gu Jin Chao, however, remembered Third Master Chen’s mention of taking a concubine and glanced at Yu Wan Xue. This matter should properly be handled by Yu Wan Xue.

When Chen Xi led Chen Xuan Qing away to see the flowers she was growing in the warm room, Gu Jin Chao explained the situation to Yu Wan Xue. After hearing it, Yu Wan Xue paused for a long while before nodding: “Yes, I understand. I’ll select a suitable concubine for the Seventh Young Master when I return.”

There was no question of willingness; someone in Chen Xuan Qing’s position needed to take concubines.

Otherwise, how could he continue the family line when he was away from home year-round?

Gu Jin Chao dared not interfere in Chen Xuan Qing’s affairs. Given his temperament, when he truly had a concubine, he wouldn’t neglect her. Perhaps having a concubine to keep Yu Wan Xue company in conversation might even be a good thing.

After Yu Wan Xue stayed for lunch, she returned home, deep in thought.

A maid from Old Madam Chen’s household came with a message, saying Old Madam Chen wanted to see her to discuss something.

Gu Jin Chao changed into a satin jacket with white fox fur cuffs and went to Old Madam Chen’s quarters.

Old Madam Chen’s face rarely lacked a smile, but now she pointed to a stool for her to sit on and dismissed all the attending maids and old women.

It seemed there truly was a serious matter!

“…I’ve called you here regarding Second Master’s affairs,” Old Madam Chen began.

Gu Jin Chao was puzzled. Why would Old Madam Chen discuss Second Master Chen’s affairs with her rather than with Madam Qin? As both from another branch of the family and a junior, how could she properly comment?

But she quickly realized this must be something that couldn’t be shared with Madam Qin.