It was true that the White Cloud Temple was very far from the Prime Minister’s residence—meaning a round trip would take at least an entire day. Yet when Qinghuan had fetched that Taoist priest, she had left at daybreak and returned shortly after.

No one noticed this detail. Shen Guiyan didn’t point it out either, only truly prepared her things and planned to go to the White Cloud Temple the next day.

Qinghuan was somewhat nervous. Early in the morning, she came to the main chamber saying, “This servant will prepare the carriage for Young Madam.”

Shen Guiyan shook her head. “No need. Let Baoshan go. My husband will return to the residence this afternoon. You and Biyue should attend to him well.”

Qinghuan pretended not to hear and ran straight outside. Baoshan was about to chase after her and call out when Shen Guiyan caught her sleeve.

After a short while, Qinghuan returned with a panicked expression. “Young Madam, the horses in the residence ate something bad today and cannot make the journey.”

“How can that be?” Baoshan frowned. “When I asked yesterday, they were fine. How could they have gotten an upset stomach in just one night?”

Shen Guiyan calmly looked at the teapot on the table without speaking. Qinghuan glanced at her several times, keeping her head lowered as she said, “That’s what the stable master said. This servant doesn’t know either.”

Baoshan looked at Qinghuan, her expression not pleasant. Shen Guiyan said softly, “Since that’s the case, you should go back and rest to prepare to attend to my husband. I’ll just go another day.”

“Alright.” Qinghuan nodded, breathed a sigh of relief, and left the main chamber.

“Miss,” Baoshan said, “that girl clearly looks suspicious. Why don’t you interrogate her?”

Shen Guiyan looked toward the doorway. “She’s also Chaobei’s woman, isn’t she?”

Baoshan froze and pressed her lips together. Naturally, a chambermaid was half a concubine—also the young master’s woman.

“Regardless of whether the haunting was real or fake, what that Taoist said wasn’t wrong.” Shen Guiyan said. “If Chaobei exclusively favors me, the others will inevitably be dissatisfied. Once there’s dissatisfaction, trouble will arise in this courtyard. It’s better to spread his favors evenly—then there will be no problems.”

“How can this be acceptable?” Baoshan’s eyes widened. “Miss, you’ve finally made some progress in your relationship with the young master. He’s also gone from being idle at the start to now having some accomplishments. Must you still share him with others?”

Shen Guiyan chuckled softly. “I don’t like sharing with others either.”

“But there’s no helping it.”

They weren’t some small, humble household. In great families, three wives and four concubines were all too common. Moreover, Gu Chaobei was that kind of person…

She couldn’t read him clearly and had no confidence.

Baoshan stamped her foot in anger. Looking at her young miss’s expression, she said with distress, “You were born to a good fate. Marrying him was already you being open-minded. Must you continue to suffer such indignities one after another?”

“Don’t be so agitated.” Shen Guiyan said. “Living depends on one’s own mindset. If I don’t feel angry, they can’t anger me. Won’t the days pass just the same?”

“Are you truly not angry?” Baoshan raised an eyebrow.

Shen Guiyan lowered her gaze and responded with a faint “Mm.”

“Since you’re not angry, then this servant will speak plainly. Everyone outside is saying that the young master has frequently not returned to the residence these past few days because he has a new paramour at the Drunken Flower Shade.” Baoshan said indignantly. “I had wanted to hide it from you, but if you’re not angry, then this servant has nothing to worry about. I’ll just tell you everything.”

“Last time when Zhuiyun said the young master was having a candlelit night discussion with the general outside—where was that the case? The two of them clearly went to the Drunken Flower Shade together and spent the entire night in the dancing girl White Fox’s room. That White Fox has a good figure and wonderful dancing skills. People call her the courtesan lady, and she can even write poetry!”

Listening, Shen Guiyan’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

Baoshan carefully observed her expression. Seeing her angry yet unwilling to admit it, she smiled wryly and picked up a water basin. “Ah, saying it out loud makes this servant feel much lighter. I’ll go fetch water and tidy the room now.”

The door opened and closed again. Shen Guiyan sat by the table, slowly opening her eyes.

She wasn’t angry. Being with Gu Chaobei had one advantage—she had never harbored thoughts of spending a lifetime together with him until old age. There would inevitably be other people by his side sooner or later. If by good fortune she could accompany him until old age, that would be a pleasant surprise. If not, she wouldn’t be too disappointed either.

When Gu Chaobei returned from the drill grounds, his body was drenched in sweat. Counting the days, today he should go to Yan’er’s quarters. Just as he was about to head toward the main chamber, Jiang Shi came up to him saying, “Master, the bathing tub and water are all prepared.”

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Gu Chaobei smiled. “Didn’t I just visit your room?”

Jiang Shi froze, glanced at him, and said, “It was the Young Madam who instructed this concubine to prepare it.”

Gu Chaobei frowned. The smile on his face slowly faded. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the main chamber door open.

“Have someone carry the tub into the main chamber.” Shen Guiyan stood at the main chamber entrance, looking at Jiang Shi. “I didn’t leave the residence today, so I’ll personally attend to him myself.”

Jiang Shi was slightly surprised, but Gu Chaobei’s expression turned from cloudy to sunny. He smiled and moved closer, his head full of sweat pressing against Shen Guiyan’s shoulder. “I thought my wife didn’t want me anymore and was pushing me away.”

Shen Guiyan smiled faintly, taking a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. “What should be given to others, this concubine will give. But what should be kept for myself, this concubine won’t easily yield to others. After all, as the principal wife, I should be the one attending to my husband.”

Gu Chaobei touched her face without any propriety. “My wife speaks correctly.”

The servants truly went in and carried the bathing tub into the main chamber. Qinghuan followed, frowning as she emerged. She exchanged glances with Jiang Shi—both pairs of eyes filled with unwillingness.

It seemed this Young Madam wasn’t so easy to deal with. Even when they wanted her to soften, she still knew to guard her own portion and not yield it. By rights, the master had been sleeping in each room these past few days—shouldn’t she be angry and jealous, refusing to let him into the main chamber? Who knew she would be so magnanimous?

Baoshan looked at Gu Chaobei’s very pleased face and muttered while finding clean clothes to hang on the screen.

How strange—enduring it actually made one’s situation much better.

When the civil examination results were announced, somehow through the process, Gu Chaodong didn’t win first place but secured the position of third place, earning an audience before the Emperor.

With the Sixth Prince’s death, many officials in the court had changed positions, so no one paid attention to the fact that he had once become Vice Minister of Justice only to be dismissed. Prime Minister Gu’s network was vast after all, and he secured for him the position of Vice Minister of Revenue—an extremely lucrative post.

The Empress had recently stopped interfering in court affairs from behind the curtain. She seemed much more compliant in the inner palace. The Emperor took this opportunity to implement new policies, eliminate the corruption of old policies, and vigorously crack down on corrupt officials in the capital.

Gu Chaobei seized this opportunity once again.

Since ancient times, officials protected one another. Investigating corruption had always been the most difficult task. After the Emperor personally ordered the execution of several corrupt minor officials, there were no more results. Among the major officials in the capital, no one could be identified, and common people on the streets communicated only with their eyes.

When Shen Guiyan went to the school, she happened to see the little girl with twin buns crying in a corner.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Guiyan went over and took her into her arms.

The little girl cried with tears streaming down. “Mother said I can’t come to school next year. This year’s tuition was paid by the master, and next year we can’t continue to be indebted. Thinking that I won’t be able to play eagle catching chicks with Shitou and the others makes me so sad…”

Gently patting her back, Shen Guiyan softly comforted her. “The tuition doesn’t matter. It’s fine not to pay it. You can continue coming.”

“But…” The little girl said pitifully, “The fields our family rented finally had a harvest, but it was all taken by the tax collector. Next year I have to help Mother sell wild fruits, so I won’t have time to come.”

Tax collection?

If she remembered correctly, the court’s tax levy was less than twenty percent. How could it all have been taken away?

“Are you out of class?” Shen Guiyan asked softly.

The little girl nodded then shook her head. “I didn’t attend class today. They’re all inside. I… I’m too embarrassed to go in.”

“Then…” Shen Guiyan smiled. “Will you take me to see your home?”

The little girl looked at her with wide eyes. “My home is very small and there’s no place to receive guests. What would you go there for, Madam?”

Baoshan poked her head out from behind and smiled. “Madam is willing to help your family. Won’t you hurry and lead the way?”

The little girl froze, then immediately became spirited. “Really?”

“Mm.” Shen Guiyan nodded.

With a cheer, the little girl pulled Shen Guiyan outside. “My mother says only high officials can manage the affairs of high officials. Minor officials cannot speak about high officials, and common people can’t even speak about minor officials. Madam, you’re dressed better than those people, so you can speak to them.”

Speak?

This word was cleverly used. Shen Guiyan couldn’t help but nod lightly. The students taught by Master Zhou were truly each more clever than the last.

The little girl with twin buns was called Sixi. Before her family suffered disaster, they had been a scholarly family, so despite being poor now, they still sent their daughter to school.

Carrying Sixi into the carriage, they traveled all the way to the countryside at the city’s edge. Sixi pointed to two acres of land in the distance. “That’s it.”

Shen Guiyan had the carriage stop.

This year the nation’s fortune was unfavorable, with natural disasters everywhere. It wasn’t noticeable within the capital city, but once outside the city suburbs into the farmlands, it became visible.

It was the perfect time for autumn harvest. The farmers had mostly carried their grain to the tax collectors. After paying rent on what remained, there was hardly anything left—not nearly enough to eat. The rice in the fields looked listless, and many women were gleaning.

“Mother!” Sixi called out and ran toward a woman in blue clothes who was gleaning in the fields.

Shen Guiyan followed behind.

The woman caught her daughter and set her down, saying in a low voice, “I told you not to run around. Hurry and help pick.”

“Alright.” Sixi crouched down and gathered grains of rice one by one. After a while, she finally reacted, stood up, and tugged at her mother’s clothes. “There’s a guest here.”

The woman in blue clothes froze and quickly looked up to see Shen Guiyan, dressed in fine silk, bowing to her.

“This is?”

“This young woman is surnamed Shen.” Shen Guiyan said softly. “I followed the little girl back to take a look. I heard she can no longer attend school.”

The woman wiped her hands on her waist, put the rice grains into a cloth bag, and smiled with difficulty. “Thank you for making this trip.”

Seeing that this woman also spoke clearly and politely, Shen Guiyan simply asked directly, “Madam, could you tell this young woman how much the harvest from this field was? And how much was submitted to the officials?”