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The child had been born, and Marquis Gu’s acupoints had finally been unsealed by the dark guards.
"I... I'll settle the score with you later!" Marquis Gu glared coldly at the two dark guards of Gu Yan and hurriedly walked towards Yao shi's room.
At this moment, Yao shi was not in her own room as it had been converted into a delivery room and needed cleaning. She was resting in Gu Jiao's east room.
She was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.
Physician Liu had returned to the medical hall, and Grannie Fang was giving the little one a bath.
"Where is the Madame?" Marquis Gu asked Yuya'er, who was tidying up the room.
"She's in the east room." Yuya'er replied.
Marquis Gu hurried to the east room. The little one had already finished bathing and was wrapped up in swaddling clothes by Grannie Fang.
Marquis Gu looked at the little one, and his heart skipped a beat, but the first thing he asked was still about Yao shi, "How is the Madame?"
Grannie Fang moved aside while holding the little one and revealed the bed behind her. She said in a small voice, "Madame has rested."
"How is she?" Marquis Gu asked with concern as he approached the bed. He tightly held Yao shi's hand and said, "Is the Madame alright?"
Grannie Fang sighed. Marquis Gu might be a bit muddled at times, but when it came to his wife, he was truly caring. She said, "Madame is fine, Lord Marquis. Would you like to see the baby?"
Hearing that Yao shi was fine, Marquis Gu's heart, which had been hanging all night, finally settled down. He looked at the swaddling clothes in Grannie Fang's arms and couldn't contain his excitement. "Is it a son or a daughter?"
Grannie Fang smiled and said, "Congratulations, Lord Marquis. It's a little son."
……
Gu Jiao sorted out all the medical supplies, disposing of what could be destroyed and burying what couldn't. Afterward, she also inspected the little medicine chest.
The little medicine chest didn't seem as damaged as when she first arrived in this world.
While she was regaining her strength, the little medicine chest seemed to be slowly recovering as well.
Gu Jiao had actually speculated that the little medicine chest might not be a product of three-dimensional space. It might come from a higher dimension, or else there was no way to explain how it followed her here. It might even be the one that brought her here through brainwaves.
She saw it as three-dimensional because she herself was a three-dimensional being, and she could only perceive this dimension.
But perhaps the little medicine chest wasn’t what she was actually seeing at all. Maybe there was a wall to its left or a cabinet to its right, but due to the difference in dimensions, she couldn't see or touch them.
Gu Jiao tapped the little medicine chest, saying, "But if you're a product of a higher-dimensional space, why do you have a three-dimensional shell? Are you also a defective item, banished to our time and space by your owner?"
A gentle breeze passed by, and the little medicine chest remained silent.
Gu Jiao finished packing everything up, and a faint hint of dawn appeared in the sky. The courtyard, which had been busy all night, fell into a brief silence.
Gu Jiao felt a bit tired but couldn't quite fall asleep. She went to sit on the swing in the front yard.
Not long after she sat down, Xiao Heng walked over with his cane.
"Did you just wake up or you haven't slept yet?" Gu Jiao asked, but in the next moment, she realized her words were unnecessary. He hadn't even changed his clothes, clearly having spent the night without sleep.
Xiao Heng sat down beside her and handed her a bright little orange fruit, saying, "Congratulations to Physician Gu on becoming a big sister."
Gu Jiao peeled the orange and gave him half, "Congratulations to Lord Xiao for becoming an older brother-in-law."
Both of them laughed, and the weariness of the night seemed to dissipate in each other's smiles.
Gu Jiao divided the orange evenly, six slices for each of them. They ate their oranges, and when Gu Jiao had only one slice left, she didn't eat it but instead placed it in Xiao Heng's hand, "Also, congratulations to Lord Xiao on your promotion."
Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, "Oh, my promotion gift is just a slice of orange."
Gu Jiao said, "My gift for being a big sister is also just an orange."
Xiao Heng added, "Then my gift for being a brother-in-law is just half an orange."
Gu Jiao: “...”
Why was she even engaging in a verbal battle with a scholar?
Xiao Heng chuckled softly and looked at the slice of orange in his hand, completely peeled and clean. He was a little reluctant to eat it.
"How about..." He had just started to speak when he felt a sudden weight on his right shoulder.
Gu Jiao had fallen asleep, resting her head on his shoulder.
The golden morning light tore through the darkness, broke through the clouds, and gently bathed the quiet courtyard.
Xiao Heng finished eating the last slice of orange and raised his hand to shield her eyes from the light.
"Guye, young..." Yuya'er tiptoed out from the main room, intending to call them to have something to eat. However, she saw Xiao Heng placing his index finger against his lips, signaling her to not make a sound.
Yuya'er quickly covered her mouth!
Xiao Heng continued to shield Gu Jiao from the glaring light, and his arm began to numb.
Yuya'er mentally turned into a flustered groundhog.
Ah ah ahh!
What an extraordinary gentleman Guye is!
This is just too sweet!
Young miss, you should quickly accept Guye's affection!!!
Xiao Heng waited until Gu Jiao had completely fallen asleep before he gently cradled her in his arms. One hand wrapped around her back, and the other beneath her knees, he lifted her horizontally and walked towards the west room.
Little Jing Kong had already woken up and gone to find his younger sibling.
Xiao Heng placed Gu Jiao on his bed.
Even though they had already shared a bed before, this was the first time she was sleeping in his own room.
The feeling was quite novel, and it inexplicably stirred his emotions.
His movements were gentle, as if she were a fragile treasure.
Little Jing Kong had finished checking on his younger brother and returned. He felt somewhat disappointed because his younger brother only knew how to sleep and wasn't any fun to play with.
When he arrived at the bed, he found Gu Jiao sleeping on his and his brother-in-law's bed.
"Huh?" His eyes widened, and a gleam of excitement returned to his eyes. Without a second thought, he kicked off his shoes and exclaimed, "I want to sleep too!"
He hadn't even jumped onto the bed when Xiao Heng picked him up.
His little arms and legs flailed in mid-air, "Put me down! Put me down! I want to sleep!"
He wanted to sleep with JiaoJiao!
"You have to go to school." Xiao Heng carried him out without a trace of politeness.
Little Jing Kong was beside himself with frustration!
Waaah!
Why do kids have to go to school?!
Xiao Heng, despite not having slept all night, still went to the Hanlin Academy. After all, he had just been promoted yesterday, so taking a day off today wouldn't be easily justifiable. Besides, he wasn't very tired and could manage.
"I'll give you a ride." Liu Quan said. "You can at least take a nap in the carriage."
Xiao Heng didn't refuse.
It was still early in the morning, and Liu Quan drove the carriage slowly.
Halfway through the journey, Liu Quan suddenly stopped the carriage and remained motionless for a long time.
Xiao Heng opened his eyes and asked Liu Quan, "Uncle Liu, what's going on?"
"Well..." Liu Quan craned his neck to see before saying, "It seems like a noble's carriage is approaching."
That was how it was in the capital. When officials were on the road, those of lower ranks had to yield the right of way. Not only their carriage but also many other carriages on the road were making way. Some officials had even started moving their carriages into the side alleys.
"Whose carriage is it?" Xiao Heng asked.
"You don’t know? It's the newly appointed Junior Cabinet Elder!" A nearby scholar who was watching the commotion chimed in.
Xiao Liulang was riding in an old carriage, which made it seem like his status wasn’t very high.
In fact, that was indeed the case. In the imperial capital, where a brick falling from a roof could kill three Marquises, the position of a fifth-rank Reader-in-Waiting wasn't all that significant.
But a Cabinet Elder was different.
They were the Emperor's close officials.
However, the other party also added the word "junior" before the title Cabinet Elder.
"May I ask which Junior Cabinet Elder this is?" Liu Quan asked the scholar.
Liu Quan was quite knowledgeable about the official positions in the capital. If this really was just a Junior Cabinet Elder, they probably still had a lower rank than his family’s Liulang, and it would be reasonable for them not to give way.
The scholar replied, "Who else could it be but An Junwang of the Zhuang Family? He's been in the Hanlin Academy for only four months and has already been promoted to the cabinet. He truly deserves the title of the capital's most talented scholar!"
The capital's most talented scholar? Who bestowed him that title?
If the person who placed second on the imperial examination was considered the "most talented," then what should be said about Xiao Liulang, who achieved the top ranking?
However, Xiao Heng's focus wasn't on the title of "the capital's most talented scholar." When Princess Xinyang had mentioned An Junwang's promotion to the cabinet yesterday, she had told him he was appointed as a seventh-rank Secretariat of the cabinet. But now, the common people were calling him a Junior Cabinet Elder.
"Cabinet Elder" wasn’t an official position but a respectful title for several Grand Secretaries of the cabinet. However, not every Grand Secretary of the cabinet was entitled to be addressed as "Cabinet Elder." Only the Chief Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Palace, and the two Associate Grand Secretaries of the Jianji Palace and the Wenhua Palace had the qualification to be referred to as "Cabinet Elder."
As for the Grand Secretaries of the Wuying Palace, Wenyuan Pavilion, and East Pavilion they were commonly referred to as "Junior Cabinet Elders."
Princess Xinyang's information was unlikely to be incorrect. An Junwang's official position was certainly the seventh-rank Secretariat. Above the Secretariat, there were the sixth-rank Chief Secretariat, fifth-rank Learning Chiefs, fourth-rank Cabinet Chiefs, and third-rank Attendant Academicians. None of these officials were qualified to be addressed as "Junior Cabinet Elders."
An Junwang's title of "Junior Cabinet Elder" most likely stemmed from his family background and status.
In simpler terms, as the grandson of Grand Preceptor Zhuang, his entry into the cabinet was with the intention of eventually taking charge of the cabinet.
Being called a "Junior Cabinet Elder" was more of a preemptive acknowledgment, as there would come a day when he ascended to the rank of "Cabinet Elder."
References
1. — a figurative expression used to emphasize how dangerous or precarious a situation can be. It implies that even a minor accident or mishap could have severe consequences.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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