Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 60 - Commandery Princess Gaoyang

The second day.

It was the Qixi Festival.

The liveliness continued from day to night.

On the Yi-Luo River, one painted pleasure boat after another cruised slowly. Occasionally, a woman with a graceful figure would lightly strum the strings of a zither at the bow, and the beautiful music would follow the river's waves and lap against the banks.

The streets were a surging sea of people. Hawkers shouted loudly, and there were also performers and acrobats gathered on the streets.

The brothels had their doors wide open, and crowds often gathered at the entrances. Even if one didn't have the money to go inside and spend, watching those beautiful prostitutes twist their graceful figures from outside was also a kind of enjoyment. Of course, the truly famous prostitutes had mostly received invitations to the Pine Garden's Qixi gathering.

The performance there was the main event. If they could be noticed by a noble, perhaps they could escape this lowly status.

At this moment, Song Yan was sitting in a carriage heading to the Pine Garden. The axles creaked, like his state of mind—disordered and complex. In his mind, the words Luo Yuheng had spoken to him last night constantly replayed:

— Next spring, you can participate in the imperial examinations.

— I've heard the Emperor has said that most live-in son-in-laws are forced by circumstances, and there are not a few talented ones among them. If they cannot be used by the court, it would be a great loss. Therefore, the Emperor has ordered that starting from next year's Spring Examination, even live-in son-in-laws will be qualified to participate in the imperial examinations.

— Heh heh, that muddle-headed and incompetent brother of mine has finally did something human.

Was it sudden?

A little.

He felt that this decree seemed a bit too flippant. The most important thing was that he had just accepted two thousand taels of silver to help Old Zhao and Old Lu design the law questions, and in the blink of an eye, he was told he could participate in the imperial examinations.

Song Yan was not particularly keen on official titles, but he knew very well that to achieve the goals in his heart, it was absolutely impossible without sufficient power and influence.

Those few from the Ningping County Song family—whether it was Song Zhen, Song Yun, or even Yang Miaoqing and Song Hongtao—Song Yan had enough confidence to deal with them.

But what about the others?

Dealing with Song Zhen and Yang Miaoqing would inevitably provoke the Yang family.

To deal with Song Zhe, he would certainly have to confront Song Jincheng.

One is an aristocratic family that has existed for several hundred years, the other is the Minister of Personnel. Perhaps he can create things like hand grenades... but who can guarantee that a behemoth like the Yang family couldn't cultivate masters who could withstand hand grenades?

Even Yang Miaoqing had a Seventh-Rank martial artist as a guard. For an existence like the Yang family, it probably wouldn't be strange to have Grandmaster-level experts within the clan.

Perhaps it's time to climb a little higher.

Inside the carriage, only Gu Banxia was by Song Yan's side. Even if Luo Yuheng didn't respect the rules of etiquette, she still had to consider the influence a little. Therefore, this time, Song Yan did not ride with Luo Yuheng and Luo Tianyi.

Seeing Song Yan's brow tightly furrowed, Gu Banxia held the Young Master-in-law's hand.

She probably thought that Song Yan was feeling some stage fright, appearing at this kind of occasion for the first time, and perhaps also feeling a little insecure because of his status as a live-in son-in-law. Song Yan knew she had misunderstood, but he just smiled and didn't explain too much.

About a quarter of an hour passed, and the carriage stopped.

As the largest garden in the several surrounding prefectures, the Pine Garden occupied an extremely large area. From the outside, one could only see the tall surrounding walls, nothing particularly special. Looking up, the two large characters 'Pine Garden' on the plaque were vigorous and powerful, clearly from the hand of a great master.

The Qixi gathering had not yet begun. Near the entrance, one could already see many carriages, most of them parked crookedly.

After all, this era had not yet established all sorts of detailed rules like modern society, nor were there things like parking spaces…

If I opened a parking lot here and charged a parking fee, I could probably make a lot of money.

With this thought in his mind, Song Yan couldn't help but laugh. Perhaps because he had lived too many hard days in his two lives, he was always a little more sensitive to money.

At the vermilion main gate stood a beautiful woman in palace attire. Around twenty years of age, yet she was already a married woman.

Beside her was a man. Who else could it be but Fang Jun, who likes to exchange handmaidens with others? Thus, the identity of the woman in palace attire was also clear. It must be Commandery Princess Gaoyang.

He wondered if this Commandery Princess Gaoyang would be like that Princess Gaoyang from the Tang Dynasty and put a green hat on this Fang Jun. Thinking this, he couldn't help but take a couple more glances.

A single glance revealed her full and curvaceous figure. A beige Cloud Brocade long dress wrapped around her graceful body. The collar was slightly open, revealing a small patch of snow-like skin. Her full bosom was faintly visible under the fabric. A silk ribbon was tied at her waist, outlining the lines of mature charm, as if telling of the allure precipitated by the years.

Her cloud-like black hair was coiled up, with a few stray strands falling by her fair neck, further accentuating the skin of her neck to be as warm and moist as suet jade. Her features were like a painting, and as her eyes moved, they seemed to hold rippling autumn waters, creating radiance with every glance. Her curled eyelashes were like two small fans, fanning up endless charm.

Sure enough, for someone to be named Gaoyang, her looks would naturally not be bad.

Seeing Luo Yuheng, Gaoyang hurriedly walked over and took Luo Yuheng's hand.

"Aunt, you've finally come. You've made Gaoyang wait for so long."

In terms of seniority, Luo Yuheng was Commandery Princess Gaoyang's aunt. One could see that the relationship between the two was very close.

The normally elegant and noble Commandery Princess would also show a bit of charming coyness in front of Luo Yuheng. Because she was already a married woman, Gaoyang just nodded towards Song Yan, Luo Tianshu, and Luo Tianquan.

The matter of greeting the male guests was naturally Fang Jun's responsibility. In his heart, he might have looked down on the Luo family members a little, but he was, after all, the legitimate grandson of an aristocratic family. He had the proper upbringing, at least on the surface, he wouldn't let people find any fault. After exchanging greetings one by one, he invited everyone inside.

Following behind, his gaze inadvertently swept over Commandery Princess Gaoyang. Perhaps because her dress was tight and her figure was full, looking from behind, he could actually clearly see a V-shaped line.

The inside of the garden was also extremely luxurious. Small bridges over flowing water, numerous rockeries, and lush groves. In the center was an extremely large hall, where a hundred or so people had already gathered. Those who could receive an invitation from the Provincial Governor's wife were mostly of noble status.

Song Yan even saw Cui Shi'an, but Cui Shi'an's appearance was somewhat strange, as if he had been beaten up, his face black and blue.

There was another acquaintance, and that was Song Yun.

This Qixi gathering was nominally held by the Provincial Governor's wife, but in reality, it was Commandery Princess Gaoyang who was managing it. She pulled Luo Yuheng to sit in the main seat. Even Song Yan, Luo Tianshu, and Luo Tianquan were seated in the front row, which was considered a place of honor. He was clearly the legitimate son, yet Song Yan's seat was actually higher than his. Seeing this, Song Yun's expression was a bit embarrassed.

After taking their seats, Song Yan briefly glanced around. The scene was mostly filled with the wives of nobles, young masters and misses. There were also some elderly men, mostly academic officials like the Education Commissioner. This kind of gathering would often have a session for reciting poetry, and these academic officials would often serve as the judges.

Sitting on the other side of Commandery Princess Gaoyang was the wife of the Provincial Governor of Song Prefecture. She was a little older than Luo Yuheng, but her charm still remained.

But her relationship with Luo Yuheng didn't seem to be very good. Her words always seemed to carry barbs.

Song Yan was a little suspicious, and Gu Banxia explained in a low voice.

“That Fang Hai once wanted to seek marriage with the Grand Princess. Although the Grand Princess had no interest in Fang Hai, the Provincial Governor's wife was quite dissatisfied, so she targets her in every way."

Song Yan let out an 'oh' in his heart. This probably counted as a love rival.

The Provincial Governor's wife's surname was Jiang, and her given name was Miaojun. She also came from a large household.

"So this is Tianxuan's husband? His looks are quite handsome."

Somehow, the topic shifted to Song Yan. Just because of her conflict with Luo Yuheng, that Jiang Miaojun was naturally not going to be polite when commenting on Song Yan. She couldn't go too far with Luo Yuheng, an imperial relative, but a mere live-in son-in-law, she naturally didn't take him seriously.

"A man, in the end, still needs to have ability. Either be a general who campaigns on the battlefield, or be a high official who governs a region. Being a live-in son-in-law, what prospects are there?"

"What's more, Tianxuan's status is noble. I heard this Song Yan was born of a concubine, was imprisoned in the Duke's mansion since he was young, and doesn't even recognize many characters. He's really a bit unworthy of Tianxuan."

The things Yang Shi had done were pretty much known to everyone. Now, almost none of the ladies in Song Prefecture's high society associated with Yang Shi anymore, for fear that others would think they were the same kind of woman as Yang Shi.

"For such a person, there are actually rumors of him being a 'lucky star'. Truly laughable."

It sounded like she was feeling sorry for Luo Tianxuan, but it was clearly mockery.

Luo Yuheng's face darkened. Luo Tianshu, Luo Tianquan, Gu Banxia, their faces also looked very ugly. Luo Tianyi's face was as cold as frost. Her fingers subconsciously reached for her waist, and only when she felt nothing did she remember that she hadn't brought her sword tonight. Otherwise, she would have at the very least given this old hag a few strikes.

Even Commandery Princess Gaoyang's expression was a bit embarrassed. Her brow furrowed tightly, and she shot an apologetic look towards Song Yan.

My hand is so itchy, I really want to slap her across the face. Luo Yuheng took a deep breath and desperately held it in.

"What lucky star? Don't spread these messy things. Yan'er is just well-versed in the way of medicine. Tianxuan's lung disease has just improved a bit after using Yan'er's medicine, that's all."

The talk of supernatural forces was something that the vast majority of people in this era believed in their hearts, but was absolutely forbidden on the surface. If it were to spread, it would be detrimental to Song Yan's reputation.

He can even cure consumption?

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression was strange: Even if you want to make up a reason to support your son-in-law, you could at least find a better one.

That consumption is something even the Divine Physician Sun Shuji can't cure. Could it be that Song Yan's medical skills are even more formidable than Sun Shuji's?

How old is he?

Especially Song Yun, who curled his lip in disdain. Song Yan? He knows jack shit about medicine.

Just then, a young master in his twenties stood up, waving a folding fan.

"I never thought that Brother Song would be proficient in the way of medicine at such a young age. Coincidentally, I am feeling a bit unwell today. Why don't I ask Brother Song to take a look and see what illness it is?"

His words carried a hint of provocation, as if he really disliked Song Yan.

Gu Banxia sighed: "This is the son of the Song Prefecture Sima, Wu Hongwen. His name is Wu Chen. The one who once proposed to the Second Young Miss, and was so scared that he claimed to have twenty-eight lovers in the brothel and a preference for married women, that's him."

Song Yan suddenly understood. Does this count as a love rival? He finally understood why this person's gaze towards him was so full of hostility.

Seeing that Wu Chen had walked up and had even extended his arm, revealing his wrist, Song Yan shook his head.

That Wu Chen immediately snorted: "What's the matter? You don't even dare to take my pulse?"

The Qixi gathering had not yet begun. Originally, the many young masters and misses were gathered in small groups, whispering about something. At this moment, sensing the commotion here, they all turned their gazes over.

Those gazes held mockery and curiosity. There were probably not a few who wanted to see a joke, especially Fang Jun, Song Yun, and the others, the smiles on their faces deepening.

"'Brother Wu, tonight is the Qixi gathering. Why don't you ask Brother Song for a diagnosis on another day? Don't make things difficult for Brother Song," Fang Jun said with a chuckle.

On the surface, he seemed to be making excuses for Song Yan, but his words were full of ridicule.

"I appreciate Brother Fang's kind intentions." Song Yan smiled: "But there's no need for another day."

Fang Jun's expression was a bit embarrassed. Although he was ridiculing him, this kind of tit-for-tat response really didn't give him any face.

The expressions of the surrounding crowd were also strange. Who would have thought that a live-in son-in-law would actually have such courage.

Song Yan ignored the gazes of the surrounding crowd and glanced at Wu Chen.

"There's no need to take your pulse. Recently, have you been feeling mentally and physically fatigued, with an aversion to cold, dribbling after urination, frequent urination at night, lethargy and night sweats..."

With every word Song Yan uttered, Wu Chen's expression changed a little. His eyes, at first disdainful, quickly became solemn, and by the end, they were filled with shock.

Not a single thing was wrong.

He even felt that some symptoms he hadn't clearly noticed before, now that Song Yan mentioned them, seemed to be true upon careful recollection.

The crowd, which had originally been waiting to see a joke, all had strange expressions. No way, could it be that this Song Yan really knows medicine? Without even taking his pulse, he could accurately state Wu Chen's symptoms?

Song Yun and Fang Jun, in particular, had faces full of disbelief.

Wu Chen's originally straight back was now bent. He respectfully cupped his fists towards Song Yan.

"Brother Song, I wonder, what exactly is this illness of mine?"

"Ai."

Song Yan sighed with a troubled expression:

"This... it's better if I don't say, right?"

Originally, when Song Yan had accurately stated his symptoms, Wu Chen already felt a bit of panic in his heart. Now, seeing Song Yan's attitude, he became even more afraid.

Could it be some incurable disease? With this thought, he felt uncomfortable all over, and his head felt like it was being pricked by needles. His heart grew even more panicked, and he hurriedly grabbed Song Yan's hand.

“Brother Song, you must save me."

Song Yan pulled his hand away with some disgust. Being grabbed by a man gave him goosebumps all over; that feeling was really a bit too terrible.

Then he beckoned to Wu Chen. After he leaned his head over, he said in a low voice:

"You have..."

"Kidney deficiency!”