Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool
Chapter 372 - 209: Marry Those Young Masters? Dream On! I’d Rather Die Than Marry
Gu Gaoxu put down his bowl and chopsticks. After chewing and swallowing a few more bites, he said, "Father, I have to disagree. Food is the most important thing to the people. When you’re hungry, you have to eat. Filling your belly is the only thing that matters."
Gu Gaoxu said, "Father, you don’t know this, but the factory Brother Lu and I partnered on is making a ton of money. I’ll pay you back for the silver taels I took from the Yan Mansion before, with interest."
Gu Gaoxu was being smug, hoping for a word of praise from his father.
King Yan, Gu Di, didn’t seem to care about such things, his expression remaining placid.
’Money is a worldly possession.’ King Yan, Gu Di, was no short-sighted man.
King Yan, Gu Di, changed the subject. "A few days ago, the Emperor sent word that the Empress’s health has improved significantly. She’s eating more than she used to."
Lu Yuan said, "A good diet is better than any medicine. The Empress’s health is a blessing to all her subjects."
"Lord Lu, your medical skills are superb. I was wondering if you could examine the Crown Prince, Gu Gaochi. He is overweight and often ill. He is in dire need of a skilled physician’s care," King Yan asked, his tone sounding like a humble request.
As a master of medicine, Lu Yuan knew perfectly well what was wrong with the Crown Prince of Yan, Gu Gaochi.
Gu Gaochi wasn’t just fat; he was unhealthily bloated. Obesity often leads to other illnesses, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
’Of course, I can’t explain it in such detail,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’Even if I did, no one here would understand.’
’Take the term ’diabetes,’ for instance. Here, they call it the ’disease of the rich.’ Only wealthy households could possibly contract it. Common folk can barely afford to eat, so how could they ever suffer from a rich man’s disease?’
Hearing his father’s words, Gu Gaoxu glanced up at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan said, "King Yan, as for the Crown Prince’s condition, I’ll need to diagnose him by taking his pulse before I can prescribe a course of treatment."
King Yan beamed. "Of course."
After the meal, Gu Gaoxu pulled Lu Yuan aside. "Brother Lu, about my older brother’s build... I figure he just eats too much. If he lost some weight, he’d be fine, right?"
Lu Yuan replied, "More or less. If he slims down, his health problems should disappear. But let me give you a piece of advice: just focus on being the second son of King Yan for now. It would be a fine future to become a carefree, wealthy prince!"
Lu Yuan patted Gu Gaoxu’s chest, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
Gu Gaoxu rubbed the back of his head. He thought for a few seconds before catching up to Lu Yuan and complaining, "Brother Lu, the way you talk now... you’re starting to sound a bit like that old man in the Imperial Capital."
"Hey, don’t say things like that! Are you trying to get me killed?" Lu Yuan shot back. "I’m off. Time to go back to my luxurious private villa."
Gu Gaoxu said, "I’m not going. My new wife is waiting for me at home."
Lu Yuan teased, "I knew it. You’re a henpecked husband."
"Afraid? That’s not fear, that’s love!" Gu Gaoxu and Lu Yuan walked off in opposite directions, their figures growing smaller in the distance.
Lu Yuan wrapped his right arm around Su Liyan from behind, pulling her into his embrace.
Startled by the sudden movement, Su Liyan let out a soft cry of surprise.
The captivating cry drew the attention of passersby, who stopped to see what was going on.
Su Liyan balled her fists and playfully pounded on Lu Yuan’s chest. "Yuan, what are you doing in front of all these people?"
Lu Yuan pressed his cheek against hers. "Now *this* is what I call affection. Come on, I’m just hugging my own wife. I’m not breaking any laws, so what’s there to be scared of?"
With his arm still around Su Liyan, Lu Yuan stepped into the luxurious private villa gifted to him by King Yan.
The confidants who had arrived at the villa ahead of them shouted in unison, "Master Nephew! Young Madam!"
Just inside the Mansion Gate, eight beautiful women stood in two rows. All were dressed in peach-pink cotton robes. They bowed in unison and called out, "Master! Madam!"
Although these women had never met Lu Yuan, they could guess his and Su Liyan’s identities from hearing others call out "Master Nephew" and "Young Madam". They were all quite clever.
Su Liyan was a little flustered and unsure how to react to being called "Madam" by these eight women.
"There’s no need for such formalities," Lu Yuan said, remaining perfectly calm as he led Su Liyan through the crowd.
’I can’t believe King Yan gifted me twenty maids,’ Lu Yuan mused. ’Every one of them is as beautiful as a flower. Out in the world, they’d be fought over by countless men.’
"Master, Madam, allow me to lead the way," one of the maids said, stepping forward with a smile.
"Alright," Lu Yuan replied, then asked, "What is your name? And where are you from?"
"My name is Xiaotao, Master. I’m a local from Yandu." Xiaotao’s reply was poised and articulate, a clear sign of professional training.
With Xiaotao leading them, Lu Yuan and Su Liyan toured the entire villa. It was immense, even larger than the Zhao Mansion in Taiping City.
Along the way, any other maids they encountered would bow and greet them with, "Master, Madam."
This luxurious villa and its twenty maids were clearly an expensive gift from King Yan.
Lu Yuan and Su Liyan sat in the main hall, looking at the twenty maids he had summoned.
Lu Yuan spoke up, "What talents do you all possess?"
Su Liyan leaned over and whispered to him, "Yuan, aren’t our expectations a little high?"
’The first thing he asks is what talents they have? Who has ever heard of a talented performer working as a maid?’
Xiaotao, who stood at the front, replied, "To answer the Master, we are versed in the four arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—as well as singing and dancing."
"Good," Lu Yuan said. "Perform a dance for us."
A moment later, the twenty maids returned, having prepared their instruments and changed into performance costumes. They split into two groups, some playing music while the others danced and sang.
’This is far beyond what I expected,’ Su Liyan thought in amazement. ’These maids are genuinely talented.’
Watching them with envy, Su Liyan whispered, "Yuan, they’re incredible! Their hips are so flexible. Look how effortlessly they do backbends and splits."
Lu Yuan said, "But are any of them as lithe as my wife’s serpent waist?"
"Yuan, stop being so shameless," Su Liyan said, before pleading, "I want to learn these skills from them."
Having grown up in the countryside, Su Liyan had never been exposed to performance, let alone the four arts. Now that she had the opportunity, she was naturally eager to learn.
When the performance concluded, Lu Yuan saw the captivated look on his wife’s face and gave an order. "You don’t seem to have many other chores, so from now on, your main duty will be to teach the Madam your skills."
"Yes, Master!" the maids replied with a bow.
「The next day.」
Lu Yuan left early in the morning for the Yan Mansion. He needed to find Gu Gaoxu to discuss their factory’s profits.
Su Liyan remained at the villa, eagerly asking the maids to begin her lessons.
Inside the Yan Mansion, Gu Gaoxu didn’t say a word about the factory’s profits. Instead, he asked with a wicked grin, "Brother Lu, you came all the way to Yandu... have you forgotten someone?"
"Who?" ’Do I even know anyone else in Yandu?’ Lu Yuan wondered.
"Brother Lu, you’re truly heartless! My young aunt, Gu Ziye!" Gu Gaoxu clicked his tongue and shook his head in mock disappointment.
Only then did Lu Yuan remember. When they had parted ways last time, Gu Ziye was supposed to return to Yandu with King Yan. He had been here for two days and hadn’t seen the young woman at all.
’If Gu Ziye knew I was in Yandu, there’s no way she’d be able to stay away this long.’
"Don’t even get me started," Gu Gaoxu said. "Yue’Er was only in Yandu for a few days before the Court’s Jinyi Guard came and took her back."
"Why?" Lu Yuan pressed.
Gu Gaoxu continued, "When I was detained in the Imperial Capital by that gang of stinking Daoists from the Celestial Dynasty Palace and the Music Priests, I happened to hear that the old Emperor is trying to marry Yue’Er off to a rich and powerful husband."
"Yue’Er is twenty now. It’s about time for her to marry," Lu Yuan remarked.
"Ha! And guess what? She’s refusing for all she’s worth, yelling that she’s too young and doesn’t want to get married. I can’t figure out why the old Emperor is suddenly so desperate to marry her off, either." Gu Gaoxu took a sip of tea, sighing at the faithlessness of the world.
"Faithless? Who are you talking about?"
"Heh, Brother Lu. Are you really that clueless, or are you just playing dumb?"
"Er..."
「In the Imperial Capital!」
The Thirteenth Princess, Gu Ziye, with her doll-like face and touch of baby fat, was throwing a tantrum in her room. "Go away! All of you, just go away and don’t bother me!" she screamed, smashing things. "Marry one of those pampered young lords? In your dreams! I’d rather die than marry any of them!"