Gu Lan looked up and saw Gu Jinrong returning, dressed in full mourning attire. He brushed aside the maid’s hand and strode toward the main hall. Gu Lan hurried to meet him, grabbing Gu Jinrong’s arm as she choked with emotion: “Brother Rong… you’ve finally returned! Mother, she was last night… last night suddenly…”
Jinrong’s entire body was ice-cold, his tone filled with disbelief: “Second Sister, how exactly did Mother die? How could it be so sudden… I, I didn’t even get to see her one last time.”
Gu Lan said softly: “It was illness. You know about Mother’s condition…”
But Gu Jinchao coolly interrupted: “Gu Lan, shut your mouth!”
Gu Lan cried with tears streaming down her face: “Elder Sister, I know you don’t like me, but at this time you should consider that Mother’s body is not yet cold…”
Jinrong didn’t understand why Gu Jinchao had silenced Gu Lan, but seeing how intensely Gu Lan was crying, he couldn’t contain his grief: “Elder Sister, at a time like this, you shouldn’t…”
Jinchao closed her eyes and laughed coldly. Mother, you should see this—this is my blood brother!
She stood up and looked coldly at Gu Jinrong, saying: “I silenced her because she was speaking nonsense. Mother didn’t die from illness at all, she hanged herself!” She grabbed Gu Jinrong’s collar and pulled him over, saying, “Look carefully! Look closely!”
Upon hearing Gu Jinchao’s words, Gu Lan’s face turned pale. There were none of her people here, and nobody had told her how Lady Ji had died. She had even assumed Lady Ji died from illness. She had been busy mourning and hadn’t even looked at the remains!
Everything here felt strange. Why had Mother disappeared, and how could Lady Ji have hanged herself?
She suddenly felt extremely uneasy!
After what happened last time, Gu Jinrong didn’t dare defy Jinchao. He rushed to the small coffin, saw Lady Ji’s tragic state of death, and stood stunned for a long while before finally breaking down in overwhelming grief. Crying out “Mother,” he embraced Lady Ji’s body and wailed loudly.
Jinchao instructed a nearby matron to pull him away, as the deceased’s body should not be touched by the tears of the living.
Only after being pulled away by the matron did Gu Jinrong regain some composure. He wiped his tears with his sleeve, then immediately grabbed Jinchao’s sleeve and asked through gritted teeth: “Elder Sister, who exactly harmed Mother? You must tell me… I want to avenge her!”
Jinchao truly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She murmured: “Avenge her? Then you should die yourself.”
Gu Jinrong was stunned.
Jinchao stared at him coldly and said: “You’ve always trusted Gu Lan, even when I warned you that she had malicious intentions, you still believed her! It was your trust that killed Mother! You wrote to Gu Lan about Yuping, and Concubine Song used this to bring Yuping here to falsely accuse Mother of killing the original Concubine Yun! Mother took her own life after being humiliated! Tell me, if this isn’t your fault, then whose is it?”
Gu Jinrong couldn’t believe it: “This… I didn’t even know where Yuping was. How could they find her?”
Jinchao slowly uttered a few words: “Li’s Candied Chestnuts, do you remember?”
Gu Jinrong’s face instantly turned ashen. He had mentioned this chestnut shop when corresponding with Gu Lan!
His stiff gaze turned toward Gu Lan as he clenched his trembling hands.
Seeing that he was beginning to believe, Jinchao continued softly: “Mother was so ill that she couldn’t have hanged herself in the usual way. She tied her belt to the bedpost, then wrapped it around her neck, and with one roll she just… Shortly before her death, she asked me to take care of you… Seeing your behavior now, I think Mother’s spirit in heaven must be heartbroken!”
As Gu Jinrong listened to Jinchao’s words, his mind was in complete turmoil.
When Concubine Yun died, he was four or five years old and had already begun to form memories. He knew there was something suspicious about Concubine Yun’s death, as the servants were evasive when they spoke to him about it, but he had never suspected that his mother had killed Concubine Yun. Yuping, who had served him, had previously served Concubine Yun… Gu Lan had found Yuping and falsely accused his mother of harming Concubine Yun.
So that was it! Mother had died because of him!
Because he had mentioned Yuping, allowing Gu Lan to find her and falsely accuse his mother!
“Elder Sister, is this true?” Gu Jinrong clutched Jinchao’s sleeve, his eyes filled with tears.
Jinchao had no desire to touch him at all. She removed his hand and said quietly: “You don’t believe me? Then hurry and say I’m falsely accusing Gu Lan again. Go make a scene in front of Father. See how sorrowfully your Second Sister cries—won’t you help her?”
Gu Jinrong felt both miserable and remorseful. Seeing his Elder Sister avoid his hand, he was utterly devastated.
Would she never forgive him?
It was he who had caused his mother’s death; it was all his fault. If he had listened to his Elder Sister, if he had stopped trusting Gu Lan, would his mother still be alive? She had hanged herself after being humiliated… and died in such a tragic way!
Gu Lan listened in complete panic. How did Gu Jinchao know these things so clearly? How did she know about her correspondence with Gu Jinrong?
Gu Lan’s mind was in chaos. Seeing that Gu Jinrong wouldn’t even look at her, she became flustered and stepped forward to grab him: “Brother Rong, you must believe me! I’ve always been good to Mother… how, how could I possibly harm her?”
Gu Jinrong stared coldly at Gu Lan and said hoarsely: “You harmed my mother.”
Seeing Gu Jinrong’s fierce glare—something she had never seen before—as if he wanted to devour her flesh and drink her blood, Gu Lan cried: “I don’t understand how Mother died either… I don’t know anything! Brother Rong, we have many years of sibling affection…”
Gu Jinrong clenched his teeth, completely ignoring Gu Lan’s words.
“You harmed my mother,” he repeated word by word. A massive feeling of anger and self-blame completely consumed him. Though trembling with suppressed emotion, his tone remained incredibly calm: “Gu Lan, you used me to harm my mother. She was already gravely ill, yet you used me to harm her.”
Gu Lan took a step back, feeling as if Gu Jinrong might pounce on her at any moment. But he didn’t—he just stared at her, motionless and terrified. She moved her pale, dry lips and said: “Brother Rong, listen to your sister…”
He suddenly roared: “What kind of sister are you? Shut up! I only have one Elder Sister!”
Gu Jinrong had never shown such thunderous anger before. Jinchao, kneeling before the coffin burning paper offerings, saw that the matrons standing behind Gu Jinrong were all frightened and shrinking back. She sighed inwardly and turned her head, only to see Gu Jinrong’s face covered in tears.
Was it extreme anger or grief?
Gu Lan left Xie Xiao Courtyard.
Full of anxiety, she rushed to Concubine Song’s Lin Yan Pavilion.
Concubine Song and her maids were all being watched by matrons from the outer courtyard, none of them allowed to leave… Seeing this, Gu Lan felt even more alarmed. These matrons were all from the outer courtyard—how had they come to watch over her mother? No wonder no one had come to tell her about Lady Ji’s situation.
The matrons didn’t make things difficult for her though; they bowed and let her enter.
Song Miaohua was leaning against the large kang bed, gazing absently at the incense burner in front of her.
The fading incense gave off a faint fragrance as she stared expressionlessly.
Gu Lan entered the west side room. Song Miaohua had just washed up after returning from Xie Xiao Courtyard; her hair was neatly combed, but her face was visibly swollen. Gu Lan noticed it immediately and hurried over to ask: “Concubine, what happened to your face? Where is Qiaowei? Why isn’t she here serving you?”
Concubine Song looked up at Gu Lan, who was still unaware of what had happened, and suddenly felt overwhelming grief. With herself in this state, what would happen to her daughter Lan?
She murmured: “Qiaowei, Yuxiang, and the others have all been sent to the outer courtyard kitchen. Now I’m cared for by two newly recruited maids who are playing with string figures in the back.”
Gu Lan couldn’t believe it: “How is that possible? Qiaowei is your trusted servant. Who would punish her?”
Concubine Song looked at the plants outside the window and said softly: “From now on, I will no longer manage the household, and I’ll be even lower than Concubine Du and Concubine Guo. I must copy scriptures here every day and can’t have too many servants… Lan, you must take good care of yourself. From now on, you’ll have to rely on yourself.”
Gu Lan was completely bewildered by what she heard. She quickly sat down beside Concubine Song, took her hand, and asked: “What do you mean? Why would Father take away your authority to manage the household… Could it be because of Lady Ji? I was just about to ask you, why aren’t you keeping vigil at her coffin…” At this point, she remembered Gu Jinrong’s furious expression and felt a bit frightened. “Gu Jinchao knows everything. Did she tell Father, and that’s why…”
Realizing this possibility, Gu Lan’s expression changed dramatically!
No wonder everything seemed so strange to her! Lady Ji had hanged herself because of their slander. If Father understood that her mother had helped instigate this, he certainly wouldn’t let them off easily. Moreover, her mother had added rhubarb to Lady Ji’s medicinal food… if Father knew about that, how could her mother escape punishment?
Song Miaohua looked at her daughter and opened her mouth to say something, but instead burst into tears, hugging Gu Lan without saying a word.
Seeing her mother like this, Gu Lan’s heart turned cold. Her mother’s despair confirmed her worst fears.
After crying for a while, Song Miaohua composed herself pulled Gu Lan close, and said through gritted teeth: “Even so, my daughter Lan cannot be bullied by Gu Jinchao. Remember, in the future, you must marry into a good family as the principal wife. Then we’ll see who dares to be a lackey in front of you!”
Gu Lan also began to cry. Her mother could no longer support her, and now Gu Jinrong had certainly turned against her. How difficult it would be for her alone!
After sitting with Concubine Song for a while, Gu Lan mustered her strength. At this time, she couldn’t leave Lady Ji’s coffin. If Gu Jinchao accused her of being unfilial, she would suffer!