Reborn Ill Spoil My Little Drama Queen - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: The Book Restorer
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Translation by: Weebsread👹
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Inside the study of Fengyun Courtyard, Gu Yunci gathered several thick treatises, preparing to pack them for his return to Chongwen Academy.
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He had just finished tying up an ancient bamboo scroll with a fine cord when a faint fragrance drifted in behind him. Soft arms slipped around his waist, and a warm body pressed against his back.
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“Husband…”
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Su Miaoyao rested her chin on his shoulder, her voice still heavy with the haze of sleep.
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She pouted, grumbling, “You’re leaving again? Once you go back to the Academy, you’ll disappear for months. I’ll be stuck here all alone in the courtyard—it’s so boring.”
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Gu Yunci paused, not turning around. “The Academy term is starting. Of course I have to return. That’s just how it is.”
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Su Miaoyao slipped around to face him, her almond eyes still dewy from sleep, blinking rapidly, the rims already tinged red as her voice grew plaintive.
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“Husband, why don’t… why don’t you take me with you?”
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With that soft, syrupy tone and pitiful look, she could have melted any man’s heart.
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But Gu Yunci had long since grown immune to her wiles.
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He sighed, rubbing his brow, and explained patiently, “Do you know what kind of place Chongwen Academy is? The rules are strict—women are absolutely forbidden. How could I possibly bring you inside?”
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“That’s not a problem!” Su Miaoyao blurted out eagerly. “I can dress as a boy! I’ll be your little page, serve you tea, make your bed—I promise, I’ll play the part so well, no one would ever suspect a thing!”
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Her wild idea made Gu Yunci laugh despite himself.
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“My dear wife, do you take the Academy for a place where a girl with no Adam’s apple can just stroll in? You’d be tossed out by the gatekeepers before you even made it through the door.”
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With her idea flatly rejected, Su Miaoyao refused to give up. She clung to his arm, rocking it back and forth, her whines growing more insistent.
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“I don’t care, I don’t care! Husband, you’re the cleverest—if anyone can make it work, it’s you! Please, please, just take me with you…”
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She shook him so hard his vision blurred. But as Gu Yunci looked at her, a thought flashed through his mind—a memory of the Academy’s library tower.
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That place housed countless rare and precious texts, but after years of neglect, many ancient books had grown moldy or had been eaten away by bookworms, desperately in need of repair.
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An idea began to take shape.
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“All right, all right, stop shaking me.” Gu Yunci raised a hand to halt her.
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Su Miaoyao instantly stilled, gazing up at him with hopeful, shining eyes.
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“There may be a way,” he said slowly.
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“The library tower at the Academy is full of old books in dire need of restoration. If I put in a word with the headmaster, perhaps I could get you in as a ‘book restorer.’ That would give you a legitimate reason to be there. There are a few spare rooms in the back courtyard—you could stay there.”
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“Really?” Su Miaoyao’s eyes sparkled. She was about to cheer, but Gu Yunci quickly gestured for her to hold her excitement.
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“This isn’t some easy errand,” he warned, his tone intentionally grave. “The library’s always damp and cold, sunlight barely ever reaches inside. The piles of moldy old books stink, and you’ll have to endure that stench while picking out worm-eaten pages, then painstakingly copy and mend the damaged scrolls, stroke by stroke. It’s tedious, exhausting work—by the end of the day, your back will be aching.”
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He fixed her with a look. “You, pampered as you are, I bet you won’t last a single day before you’re begging to go home.”
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To his surprise, Su Miaoyao didn’t back down at all. She straightened her back, her eyes shining with determination.
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“I’m not afraid! As long as I get to see you every day, I’d gladly sweep floors or haul water if you asked!”
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Confronted with her resolve, Gu Yunci nodded.
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“Since you’re so set on it, I’ll take you to try. But fair warning—if you can’t take it, don’t come crying to me.”
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“Just wait and see, Husband!”
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Half an hour later, a carriage draped in blue curtains rolled to a stop outside the gates of Chongwen Academy.
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Gu Yunci stepped down first, then turned to help Su Miaoyao out of the carriage.
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“Wait here and don’t wander off. I’ll be back soon,” he instructed quietly.
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“Mm. Hurry back,” Su Miaoyao replied obediently, lifting a corner of the curtain to watch his figure disappear through the Academy gates.
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Gu Yunci straightened his scholar’s robes and, following memory, made his way through the lecture halls toward the headmaster’s study deep within the Academy.
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Outside the headmaster’s quarters, ancient pines stood tall and proud. The slate path was swept spotless.
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An elderly steward, hair white as snow, was sweeping dust from the corridor with a well-worn broom.
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Gu Yunci didn’t approach the door immediately. Instead, he stopped a few paces from the steward, folded his hands respectfully, and bowed his head in a scholar’s salute, waiting quietly.
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He stood in silence until the old steward finished sweeping, straightened up, and only then did Gu Yunci step forward to offer a proper student’s bow.
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“Greetings, elder. I am Gu Yunci, a student. I have urgent business and request an audience with the headmaster.”
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His voice was humble and gentle, with not a trace of the Marquis’s heir’s usual pride.
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The old steward looked him over and recognized him at once—the young lord whose reputation had lately soared within the Academy.
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To see someone of such status show such respect to a lowly servant made the steward secretly approve, and the lines on his face softened.
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“Please wait here a moment, Young Master Gu.”
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Setting aside his broom, the steward went to the door, knocked softly, and, receiving permission from within, slipped inside to announce the visitor.
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Gu Yunci returned to his place and waited quietly, eyes fixed on the ground before him, making no attempt to peer around.
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Inside the study, Headmaster Cui Daoheng was sitting across a desk from a young lady guest.
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On a low table nearby, a clay stove simmered water, the purple clay teapot bubbling gently.
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That guest was none other than Fang Jinshu, the legitimate daughter of Minister of Rites, Fang Tingzhi.
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She had come on her father’s behalf, bringing several rare inksticks for her teacher, Cui Daoheng, to examine.
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Cui Daoheng accepted the inksticks, stroking his beard with a smile as he inquired after Minister Fang’s health.
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Fang Jinshu answered respectfully, her every word and movement the very image of a noble lady’s grace.
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At that moment, the steward appeared at the door, cleared his throat gently, and reported in a low voice, “Headmaster, the Marquis’s heir, Gu Yunci, is waiting outside for an audience.”