Daily Life of a Powerful Official Supporting His Wife

Chapter 21

When Xie Junling resigned from the Hanlin Academy, he met Gu Feiran and Shen Yun on the road. Shen Yun was the newly promoted runner-up in the imperial examination and was appointed as a seventh-rank reviewer in the Hanlin Academy. He was ranked below Xie Junling, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, and was considered his subordinate.

Xie Junling hadn't had a deep impression of Gu Feiran; he was a lowly scholar-official, and they rarely met. But judging by his close relationship with Shen Yun, he knew he was a capable man. And since Shen Yun was so attentive and attentive to him, he must have a powerful family in the court.

As soon as Gu Feiran saw Xie Junling, he felt like they were old friends. He mentioned the names of the adults in his family. It turned out that he was the young master of the second branch of the Gu family. His grandfather was the Minister of Revenue, which was in charge of the family. No wonder Shen Yun also flattered him and asked for a future for him.

Gu Feiran wanted to invite Xie Junling for a drink and said, "If it's convenient for Master Xie, could you sit down with us and chat about some nice things?"

Xie Junling had no habit of socializing after leaving his job. He didn't like drinking, so he bowed and declined: "No, my wife is waiting for me at home, so it's not convenient for me to go out for a drink with you adults. Let's meet again next time when we are free!"

Gu Feiran thought of Li Jiao's instructions. He knew that tricking Xie Junling into coming here was a big deal, so he advised, "It's just that the lady at home is waiting. Just let the servants go and report it. It's rare that all the masters are here. It would be a big disappointment if we don't have a drink!"

Having said that, Xie Junling had no intention of distancing himself from Shen Yunyilu. He simply nodded and said, "Then I, Xie, will have a drink. I hope you all will bear with my poor alcohol tolerance."

That's right! Everyone was very happy to see Xie Junling also being dragged into the water.

They had originally booked a restaurant outside, but it was full, so Gu Feiran suggested going to the Gu Mansion for a drink. Shen Yun and the others were all eager to try it when they thought about going to the Shangshu Mansion for a drink.

How could Xie Junling not see through these people's little tricks? He gave a wry smile and thought, "Just treat it as a visit. Since you're here, don't spoil the fun. If it's not pleasant, the worst that can happen is that you won't join in next time."

He was used to being a good person and followed Gu Feiran to the Gu Mansion. Unexpectedly, the plan went so smoothly. Gu Feiran actually tricked Xie Junling into the Gu Mansion. Gu Feiran couldn't help but applaud his own cleverness.

After three rounds of drinks, Xie Junling felt unwell and, under the pretext of using the restroom, wanted to get some fresh air. He asked Gu Feiran for directions to the bathroom. Gu Feiran gave him a wink and sent a servant to lead him to the inner courtyard. Xie Junling naturally had no idea that this was the path to the inner courtyard, nor that he had stepped into a trap set by Li Jiao and Gu Feiran.

Gu Feiran thought that after he had been drinking Xie Junling for so long, he finally had to go to the toilet! He quickly sent the little maid to inform Li Jiao so that she would not miss her important event.

Everything was arranged properly. At this moment, Shen Yun also stood up, frowned and said, "Brother Gu, I'm sorry, but people have three urgent matters. I'm going to look for Master Xie."

Why does he always come with a bunch of trouble? Before, I asked him to pee, but he wouldn't pee, and he only made things worse!
Gu Feiran also caught up with Shen Yun to prevent him from going astray by following Xie Junling.

Xie Junling, leading the way, glanced at the nearby buildings. The colorful canvas hanging from the eaves didn't seem quite like the outer courtyard. Cautious, he said to the servant leading the way, "Sir, please wait a moment. I've suddenly remembered something and would like to return to the banquet hall."

He turned and left, leaving the steward speechless. Hadn't Master Gu previously told him to take adults who needed to use the restroom to the backyard? What was he supposed to do now?
When Xie Junling was returning, he happened to bump into Shen Yun. Shen Yun was in a hurry, so Xie Junling pointed him in the right direction and said, "The steward is still waiting ahead. Sir Shen, go ask for directions."

"Okay!" Shen Yun didn't care about that and followed the steward forward. The steward didn't know which adult he was going to take, but since someone wanted to go, he went. His job was done.

When Xie Junling returned the same way, he bumped into Gu Feiran. Gu Feiran was stunned for a second and asked him, "Did you finish the job so quickly?"

"Hmm?" Xie Junling was confused. "Where's Lord Shen? Did they go on some business together?"

"Oh, Master Shen went to the toilet."

Gu Feiran finally reacted. He slapped his forehead and broke out in a cold sweat: "Something bad has happened!"

After saying that, he left Xie Junling and ran towards the inner courtyard, hoping to be in time.

Xie Junling felt that Gu Feiran was baffling. Seeing that it was getting late, he didn't want to stay here any longer, so he found an excuse that he was drunk and left first.

On the other hand, although it was winter, Li Jiao wore a thin floral shirt with a chest-length skirt underneath. If it got wet, her skin would be faintly visible. The skirt was so tight around her waist that it was almost completely breathable. When she saw the steward step aside, she knew someone had come.

Li Jiao rubbed her cold arms and stared at the cold lake before her, thinking that if she just jumped down, Xie Junling would save her. He had seen her whole body, and that man would have to marry her even if he didn't want to.

Li Jiao took a deep breath. Seeing the figure ahead tumbling, she gritted her teeth and jumped down. With a splash, she fell into the water. In the dark, Meihua dragged the person who had come, begging him to come and save her.

Shen Yun had originally intended to go to the toilet, but who knew he'd see a woman jumping into the lake late at night? Panicking, he tried to escape, but Meihua grabbed him tightly.

Li Jiao waited underwater for a while, guessing that Xie Junling might not know how to swim.

She came ashore again, looked at a pair of men's black boots in front of her, covered her wet face and burst into tears: "Who are you?! Why did you, a stranger, come to the Gu family's inner courtyard?! I wanted to stroll around the courtyard, but the road was slippery and I fell into the icy lake! Now that you have seen my body, my innocence is at risk. I'm afraid I'd rather die! Meihua! Call my grandfather, I must make this man give me an explanation in front of my grandfather!"

After saying these harsh words, Li Jiao raised her tearful face and was stunned when she saw the person coming. "Why is it you?"

She recognized Shen Yun; he was the runner-up that day, but not the number one, Xie Junling! Li Jiao's mind was buzzing, and she didn't know what to do.

The beauty under the moon was weeping bitterly, and Shen Yun's heart melted at the sight. Gu Feiran, who had hurried over, saw them. He gritted his teeth and said, "I have let the young lady down. I will explain this to the Minister and will definitely take responsibility for her!"

He spoke sincerely, but he was just attracted by Li Jiao's beauty and was tempted by her.

Li Jiao thought about Shen Yun's official rank, which was lower than Xie Junling's! Could it be that she would be suppressed by a country woman like Lu Baoer in the future?

The Shen Yun incident had caused quite a stir, but now that things had come to this, Lord Gu decided that rather than letting Qi Xiulin find out later and cause trouble for the marriage, it would be better to marry Li Jiao to Shen Yun and then reluctantly choose a legitimate granddaughter from the second house to marry Qi Xiulin as his successor. This way, he could keep his students and also secure a runner-up, a win-win situation.

Mrs. Gu was a very astute person. Seeing Li Jiao dressed like that, she knew she was doing it on purpose. She could have wanted someone else, but a seventh-rank position in the Imperial Academy. This girl had lost her mind.

So when she closed the door, Mrs. Gu raised her hand and slapped Li Jiao for the first time, angrily scolding: "You are so stupid! You really disappoint your grandmother!"

Li Jiao felt the most aggrieved tonight. She gritted her teeth, covered her face, and dared not even scream. She only thought of Xie Junling, and she hated him. Perhaps because the person she couldn't have became her white moonlight, she was jealous and resentful of Lu Baoer again!
How could she have such a good reputation?! A country girl could win the heart of such a handsome man!
(End of this chapter)