Gu Jin Chao walked out the door. Gu Lan was standing under the plum blossom tree in the courtyard, with her maid Zi Ling helping her pick red plum blossoms from the branches.
Seeing Gu Jin Chao come out, Gu Lan approached her: “…The red plum blossoms in Mother’s courtyard are the best. I’m picking some to put in a plum vase at home. Eldest Sister has been ill for so long, and I’ve been learning embroidery with the teacher and haven’t visited you. Please come to my place for some pastries as an apology.”
Gu Jin Chao said lightly: “It’s all right. I know you’re thoughtful.”
Gu Lan pressed her lips together but quickly smiled again.
Cui Xuan Court was quite far from Qing Tong Court, and right next to it was Tong Ruo Tower where the two concubines lived. They passed by a lake, and went up a stone path planted with many green bamboos and various flowers and trees. Cui Xuan Court was a three-section, five-beam courtyard with east and west wing rooms, backyard side rooms, and a corner planted with four-season begonias. In another corner, a trellis had been set up with honeysuckle flowers growing on it.
After Jin Chao sat down, Zi Ling brought out rice dumplings—four dumplings placed on a white porcelain plate painted with light red peonies. The fillings of rose essence, bamboo pith, and other ingredients were visible. There were also yellow cakes and white sugar pear pastries among other desserts.
Gu Lan personally set out silver chopsticks and blue-and-white bowls for Jin Chao. She said to Zi Ling: “I want to have a private conversation with Eldest Sister. You may go first and close the door.”
After the two little maids in the room also left, Gu Lan put away her smile and said: “…I always feel you’re hiding something in your heart and not smiling as often as before. If Eldest Sister has anything troubling her, you can tell me…”
Gu Jin Chao raised her eyebrows slightly. She used to think Gu Lan was her good sister and told her everything. Gu Lan knew absolutely everything about her and Chen Xuan Qing. In her previous life, Gu Lan probably understood her better than she understood herself.
Gu Jin Chao knew Gu Lan would likely be suspicious. She used to be very close with her, but now she really couldn’t act that intimate anymore. Besides, Gu Jin Chao couldn’t possibly display the personality she had at fifteen—she couldn’t pretend to be her former self.
She might as well cover it up.
Having made up her mind, she sighed and said softly: “Chen Xuan Qing… he’s already betrothed to another woman! I only learned this news at the Marquis’s flower gathering a few days ago. I was truly upset. What’s worse, Mother’s illness hasn’t improved. I’ve been so worried that I can’t sleep day or night, concerned about both Xuan Qing and Mother…”
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Gu Lan, whose expression remained calm.
Gu Lan also sighed, holding her hand and saying: “Eldest Sister truly has deep feelings for Chen Seventh Young Master. He’s already betrothed… what does Eldest Sister plan to do?”
Since she wasn’t surprised, that meant she already knew Chen Xuan Qing was betrothed? Gu Jin Chao glanced at Liu Xiang beside her.
Gu Lan smiled again and said: “It’s just an engagement—as long as the bride hasn’t entered his household, the betrothal doesn’t really count! There’s only one Chen Seventh Young Master, and he’s the one Eldest Sister loves. Don’t be swayed by others’ words!”
Gu Jin Chao smiled: “There’s no need for Second Sister to remind me, that’s obvious.” Since Gu Lan wanted her to continue pursuing Chen Xuan Qing, she had to at least pretend to do so now; that way, Gu Lan would lower her guard.
Encouraging her to like someone who could never possibly like her back—Gu Lan was truly calculating. Back then, didn’t she righteously believe that Chen Xuan Qing could only love her? Thinking about it now was both pitiful and laughable!
Gu Lan’s smile faltered for a moment. She picked up a white sugar pear pastry for Jin Chao and said intimately: “Eldest Sister, try this.”
The white sugar pear pastry had a sweet taste with the fresh fragrance of pear. It melted in her mouth and was very much to her liking.
She often ate white sugar pear pastries at her grandmother’s house when she was young and especially liked them. She always felt the flavor wasn’t right elsewhere and hadn’t eaten them for more than ten years. Wait! Jin Chao’s heart stirred slightly. Although Gu Lan learned needlework and music, she didn’t learn household management. This white sugar pear pastry must have been made by a maid…
Gu Jin Chao suddenly thought of Qing Pu. When Qing Pu was at her grandmother’s house, she often made white sugar pear pastries for the young Jin Chao, and the taste was identical to this one.
Qing Pu was a maid Jin Chao had brought back from the Ji family.
Speaking of why Jin Chao was fostered in the Gu family, it had to do with Gu Jin Chao’s father.
Gu De Zhao was a firm believer in Daoism. Daoists from the Yanqing Daoist Temple often visited his home. Among them was a Daoist master named Qing Xu, who was highly skilled in divination and physiognomy. Gu De Zhao regarded him as an honored guest, and the two had an extremely good private relationship.
When Gu Jin Chao was just born, her father was only twenty-two and had just gotten his first daughter. Naturally, he loved her like a treasure and asked Daoist Master Qing Xu to cast a divination for her. Master Qing Xu said she had a fire destiny and divined the ‘Zhen’ hexagram. Her father had a wood destiny, and if Jin Chao stayed with him before the age of eight, their elements might have affected each other negatively. The ‘Zhen’ hexagram indicated obstruction, which could affect his official career.
Her father believed this completely and, after consulting with Jin Chao’s mother, sent her to be raised at her maternal grandmother’s house, bringing her back only at age nine.
Jin Chao spent all her time before age nine at the Ji family.
When she turned nine and was to return to the Gu family, her grandmother, being concerned, personally selected a kind, intelligent, and steady maid from those who served her—that is, Qing Pu—to accompany her back to the Gu family.
Jin Chao originally treated Qing Pu very well, but Qing Pu wasn’t as clever at pleasing people as Liu Xiang and was silent and reserved. Gu Jin Chao inevitably found her temperament dull and didn’t like her. Moreover, regarding Chen Xuan Qing, while others feared her and naturally said positive things, Qing Pu repeatedly tried to dissuade her. Jin Chao really disliked her and, out of annoyance, sent her to the kitchen in the outer courtyard, never wanting to see her again.
Thinking of Qing Pu, Jin Chao sighed lightly.
She looked up at Gu Lan and said with a smile: “I wonder whose handiwork this white sugar pear pastry is. It would be troublesome for you to make it three times a day and send it to me. Why not just give me this maid directly? That would save me from thinking about it every day.”
The maid who made the white sugar pear pastry was Qing Pu!
Gu Lan was startled. Didn’t Gu Jin Chao dislike Qing Pu? Why did she suddenly want her back? When she had initially taken Qing Pu, she had ulterior motives. How could she now return her to Gu Jin Chao? She feared this maid might find an opportunity to be used by Gu Jin Chao again.
Gu Jin Chao slowly closed the tea lid and said: “Could it be that the Second Sister is very fond of this maid? Since she’s placed in the small kitchen, she shouldn’t be personally serving Second Sister, right?” She smiled and patted her hand, saying, “If Second Sister feels reluctant to let her go, I’ll have Liu Xiang bring you that pair of black jade bracelets. Didn’t you like those jade bracelets?”
Gu Lan’s expression turned unpleasant, but she only hesitantly said: “…It’s just that this person originally served Eldest Sister. Her name is Qing Pu. I noticed her pastry skills were good, so I brought her back. If Eldest Sister takes her back and then gets angry with her again, what should we do?”
Jin Chao thought to herself, so it really is Qing Pu, and directly asked Gu Lan for the person.
“If I take her back, I just won’t keep her close. Where is she now?”
As the eldest legitimate daughter, directly asking for a servant, Gu Lan had no reason to refuse. Since she had this status, she might as well make good use of it.
Gu Lan usually regarded herself as the Gu family’s legitimate daughter and always maintained the bearing of one in front of others. Gu Jin Chao directly asking her for a maid felt like a slap in the face, making her expression difficult to recover.
Gu Jin Chao naturally understood Gu Lan. She was most competitive and never willing to fall behind Jin Chao in anything.
But Gu Jin Chao was the Gu family’s eldest legitimate daughter, not Gu Lan.
Jin Chao acted as if she wasn’t using her position to pressure Gu Lan at all and said with a smile: “Coming to Second Sister’s place really improves my mood. Please send Qing Pu to me later.” She then said to Liu Xiang, “Go see if Qing Pu needs any help. I can return with Bai Yun.”
After returning to Qing Tong Court, Gu Jin Chao called Cai Fu in and told her that a new maid was coming: “…The former Qing Pu, I’ve taken her back. Take Yu Tong and Yu Zhu to help prepare a room in the servants’ quarters. Open my storeroom and find a pair of begonia-carved silver spoons and several plum vases to decorate her room nicely. You decide where to place everything.”
After Cai Fu agreed and took the two little maids to prepare, her mind was racing. A few days ago, the Young Lady had Bai Yun inquire about Qing Pu, and today she had already requested her return. She wondered what the Young Lady was planning. And now she was being asked to prepare a room… Sister Liu Xiang had gone somewhere too. The Young Lady had been treating her well these days—did this mean she was going to be given important duties?
Cai Fu felt somewhat uneasy. It hadn’t been easy for her to work her way up to a second-rank maid, but the Young Lady had never paid much attention to her before. Maids of this rank, when they reached a certain age, could be casually matched with a servant or guard by their masters, or even given to some steward as a secondary concubine. But first-rank maids by the Young Lady’s side were different. If the master was willing, they could be matched with good families, or continue to serve their master loyally, sharing in her glory.
Her palms began to sweat slightly as she thought that this matter must be handled very properly.
Gu Jin Chao then called for Madam Tong. Madam Tong was the housekeeper of Qing Tong Court, selected by her mother years ago from one of their farms. She was efficient in her work and had a knack for training young maids, earning everyone’s respect. Originally, a housekeeper ranked above a head maid, but the former Jin Chao trusted Liu Xiang more. Many of Madam Tong’s responsibilities, such as supervising maids and arranging the Young Lady’s daily affairs, had been taken over by Liu Xiang.
Madam Tong no longer lived in Qing Tong Court. She was at Qing Lian Residence helping manage some newly arrived eight and nine-year-old little maids in the inner courtyard. Hearing from Bai Yun that the Young Lady wanted to see her, she couldn’t help asking all the way: “Does the Young Lady have important business?” or “How has the Young Lady been recently? And the Madam?”
Since Madam Tong had previously been a housekeeper, Bai Yun was quite respectful toward her and patiently replied: “Everyone is fine. I don’t know what business the Young Lady has.”
Madam Tong could see that Bai Yun didn’t seem very eager to talk with her, so she stopped asking. When they arrived at Qing Tong Court, Jin Chao was already waiting for her in the eastern secondary room.
Jin Chao first looked up at her. Madam Tong appeared to be in her forties, with a complexion darker than the women of the inner courtyard. She wore a pair of small pure gold ear studs and no other ornaments.
After Madam Tong paid her respects, Jin Chao said: “…I called for you today to ask if the court’s registry book is with you?”
These words made both Bai Yun and Madam Tong’s hearts skip a beat.
The court’s registry book recorded everything under the Young Lady’s account—things given by the manor, brought from the Ji family, or gifts from others. The registry book had always been kept by the housekeeper. Miss Liu Xiang had never taken the registry book, and the items in the court hadn’t been accounted for in a long time.
If anyone were to be held responsible, it would be Madam Tong. Although she no longer had actual power as a housekeeper, she still held the title. While this situation wasn’t really her fault—Miss Liu Xiang had found the registry book troublesome and never retrieved it from her—if she pushed the responsibility onto Miss Liu Xiang, the Young Lady would likely rebuke her for not showing favoritism to her maid.
Madam Tong could only kneel down and say: “Please punish me, Young Lady. It was my negligence. The registry book is with me, but it hasn’t been updated for a very long time.”