Gu Jin Chao could only nod vaguely.
Zhou Yi Xuan asked curiously, “Isn’t he coming in to pay his respects to you?”
“He came to see your Third Uncle about some matters and is in a hurry,” Gu Jin Chao said with a smile. “He’s already of age, so there’s no need to be restricted by such formalities.”
“Then I…” Zhou Yi Xuan hesitated, “Third Aunt, I should go back to take my medicine. I’ll visit you again tomorrow.” With that, she got off the luohan bed, lifted her skirt, and eagerly rushed out. From a distance, her voice calling Chen Xuan Qing could be heard.
Gu Jin Chao sighed deeply. How troublesome this child was.
She instructed Qing Pu: “Follow the young miss and watch her from a distance, lest she does something improper.”
Qing Pu nodded and left.
Chen Xuan Qing had planned to leave after dropping off the items, but unexpectedly, his cousin’s sister chased after him, calling him “Seventh Cousin Brother.” He stopped to wait for her and asked what she wanted.
Zhou Yi Xuan’s face flushed slightly as she stammered, “I wanted to thank you. That copy of Zhao Mengfu’s ‘Songxue Zhai Collection’ is written very smoothly. The maid who attends to me says my calligraphy has improved… I wonder if Cousin would like something in return, I have several fine inkstones.”
Chen Xuan Qing smiled and shook his head, “No need for such courtesy. I heard from Grandmother that you’ve been unwell recently. Are you feeling better?”
When Zhou Yi Xuan heard his concern for her, her heart pounded like a drum. “Mmm… I’ve taken a few doses of medicine,” Since her illness was fabricated, how could there be any improvement? Zhou Yi Xuan quickly smiled, “I heard that Seventh Cousin’s marriage is approaching. The last time I saw Miss Yu, she was extremely beautiful. Has Seventh Cousin met her yet?”
Marriage… Grandmother had mentioned it once, but he hadn’t paid attention.
Chen Xuan Qing frowned. He knew he had a marriage arrangement, set since childhood. Yet he didn’t know the two families had already reached the stage of discussing wedding plans… His hands clasped behind his back tightened, and his voice was faint: “Miss Yu has already visited?”
He seemed somewhat displeased… Zhou Yi Xuan nodded, “It was the day Maternal Grandmother invited everyone to watch the opera. Weren’t you there?”
“I had some business at the Hanlin Academy.” Chen Xuan Qing said, “Cousin, you should head back now. The autumn wind is getting colder, be careful not to catch another chill.”
A nearby ginkgo tree already had yellowing leaves; the weather was indeed not as warm as in previous days.
He turned and walked along the stone path. Zhou Yi Xuan stood dumbfounded for a moment, but then a smile crept onto her lips. It seemed that Seventh Cousin didn’t particularly like Miss Yu either.
…
Qing Pu watched for a long while before returning to report the conversation to Gu Jin Chao.
Since there was no improper behavior, Gu Jin Chao decided not to interfere. She only instructed Qing Pu not to mention this matter to others.
In the afternoon, Chen Third Master returned, bringing a basket of female crabs.
“Nine rounds and ten points, it’s just the right time to eat female crabs. Let’s have the kitchen steam them for us later.” Chen Third Master handed the crabs to Madam Sun.
Madam Sun took them to the small kitchen.
Chen Third Master looked at the little shoes Jin Chao was making and found them amusing: “They’re only as long as one of my fingers… won’t they be too small?”
Jin Chao was just making preparations; she wasn’t sure either. Although her feet weren’t large, Chen Third Master had big feet, so would the child have big feet too? But children’s shoes were usually about this size.
“If they don’t fit, we can alter them later,” Gu Jin Chao put the items in the basket, and Xiu Qu took them away.
Chen Third Master laughed at her, “Silly, clothes can be altered if they don’t fit, but how do you alter shoes?”
Jin Chao had no response. By dinnertime, the servants brought in the steamed crabs.
Smelling the crab aroma, Jin Chao felt her appetite surge. She loved rivers and seafood. She asked Chen Third Master, “Were the crabs a gift to you?” while reaching with her chopsticks to take a crab.
Chen Third Master’s chopsticks firmly trapped hers: “They were sent by an old subordinate from Suzhou. We’ve distributed them to each household.”
Gu Jin Chao was puzzled as to why Chen Third Master had caught her chopsticks…
Seeing her confused expression, Chen Third Master explained, “I’ll peel it for you.” He put down his chopsticks and carefully peeled the crab for her.
Madam Sun, standing nearby, quickly said, “Third Master, the Madam is with child now and shouldn’t eat things like crab.”
Chen Yan Yun suddenly remembered that crabs are cold in nature: “I completely forgot about that… Make a list of foods the Madam shouldn’t eat and give it to me.” He had specifically arranged for these because he knew she liked them and her appetite had been poor lately.
Chen Third Master asked the maids to remove the crabs. Gu Jin Chao said, “I can’t eat them, but you should. There’s no need to waste them.”
Chen Third Master smiled and shook his head: “No need. If you smell the aroma later, you’ll want to eat them even more.”
Pregnancy was already difficult; he didn’t want to make it worse for her.
After the crabs were taken away, a dish of braised beef was promptly served.
At this moment, Lü Luo from Old Madam Chen’s quarters came over, saying that Old Madam Chen requested their presence.
What could be so urgent? It was already dark…
Gu Jin Chao changed into a long-lined jacket, wrapped herself in a warm cloak, and went with Chen Third Master to Old Madam Chen’s place.
The room was lit with candles, casting a golden glow on the side of Buddha’s face. Old Madam Chen was kneeling on a cushion reciting sutras. Hearing the two arrive, she asked her maid to bring stools. Chen Third Master, seeing his mother’s serious expression, knew something unpleasant had happened.
After the three were seated, the maid brought tea but served Gu Jin Chao a sweet red bean soup instead.
“Yi Xuan came to speak with me tonight,” Old Madam Chen sighed. “I’m truly angry. Do you know what she said?”
Chen Third Master frowned slightly. If Zhou Yi Xuan had spoken with his mother, why did she need to call them over?
Could it involve the third branch of the family?
Gu Jin Chao’s heart skipped a beat. Had Zhou Yi Xuan done the same foolish thing as in her previous life?
Chen Third Master said, “Mother, I’ve watched Yi Xuan grow up. Please tell us what happened.”
Old Madam Chen, still counting her prayer beads, said softly, “This child… has no self-respect! She came today saying she likes her Seventh Cousin and even gave him her calligraphy. She said her Seventh Cousin doesn’t like Miss Yu and asked if the engagement could be broken off…” She closed her eyes as she spoke.
In her previous life, Chen Xuan Qing was already married, and Zhou Yi Xuan had caused a commotion by wanting to become Chen Xuan Qing’s concubine… Now she was only talking about breaking off the engagement. Gu Jin Chao felt relieved. Fortunately, Zhou Yi Xuan didn’t say anything like “If the engagement can’t be broken, I’m willing to be Chen Xuan Qing’s concubine.” Otherwise, Old Madam Chen would have been even more furious.
After hearing this, Chen Third Master was silent for a moment. The room suddenly felt cold. He asked, “Yi Xuan said she gave her calligraphy to Chen Xuan Qing?”
Old Madam Chen sighed heavily: “That’s why I asked you to come… Even if Yi Xuan is confused, she hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony yet. Chen Xuan Qing has a scholarly title and understands propriety. How could he not understand such a basic matter? How will he manage the household in the future? If Chen Xuan Qing hadn’t shown any interest, would Yi Xuan come to me to talk about breaking engagements? You should question him when you go back, find out exactly what happened.”
Chen Xuan Qing was the most upright among the brothers, not even having personal maids to attend to him. Now, just as he was about to be engaged to Yu Wan Xue, this scandal with his cousin’s sister emerged. It was utterly inappropriate.
Chen Yan Yun frowned deeply and asked Old Madam Chen, “Is Yi Xuan still at your place now?”
Old Madam Chen nodded: “With such an incident, how could I let her go back? I scolded her thoroughly and confined her to the side room with Madam Zheng watching over her. She’s still crying now.”
Listening carefully, women’s sobbing could indeed be heard from the Western side.
“I’ll summon Chen Xuan Qing immediately and get to the bottom of this.” Chen Yan Yun stood up and gave a few instructions to Shu Yan waiting outside.
Gu Jin Chao held Old Madam Chen’s hand, comforting her: “Mother, don’t be upset. Fortunately, this matter hasn’t spread outside. Once we clarify and resolve it, all will be well. I think Yi Xuan is just young and naive, acting on impulse. She might not truly have feelings for him.”
In her previous life, the scandal had been bigger than now; at least all the branches of the Chen family knew about it. Later, Zhou Yi Xuan could only be married off to a distant place.
Old Madam Chen gripped her hand in return: “You’re already with child, yet still have to worry about these matters… Ah, I’m upset with Yi Xuan, but I’m furious with Chen Xuan Qing. When he arrives, we’ll clarify everything. If he’s curious about matters between men and women, he could find a couple of female servants; why must he converse with Yi Xuan…”
Old Madam Chen shook her head again, “Never mind, it’s useless to say these things now… If you feel tired, you should go back and rest, lest you strain yourself.”
Gu Jin Chao shook her head: “It’s fine. I napped longer in the afternoon, so I’m not sleepy now.”
She understood Old Madam Chen’s concerns. If Jiang Shi were still alive, she would have been responsible for Chen Xuan Qing’s affairs. At a certain age, he should understand matters of intimacy, and someone should have arranged for female servants to attend to him.
Now that she was managing the third branch’s household affairs, she couldn’t avoid these matters.
Soon after, Chen Xuan Qing arrived, wearing a plain blue straight robe, his features refined and elegant. Still unaware of what had happened, he greeted them with some confusion and asked, “Father… why did you summon me?”
This was between father and son, so Old Madam Chen and Jin Chao remained silent, watching from the side.
Seeing his grandmother and Gu Jin Chao’s serious expressions, while his father maintained a calm demeanor, Chen Xuan Qing felt uneasy.
Chen Yan Yun first asked him, “Have you met privately with your cousin’s sister?”
Why was Zhou Yi Xuan being mentioned? Chen Xuan Qing thought for a moment before answering, “Twice. Once when I came to pay respects to Grandmother, she returned my copy of ‘Bai Xiangshan Collection,’ and another time was a chance encounter…”
“Where was this chance encounter?” Chen Third Master continued.
Chen Xuan Qing paused, “Today I went to Mother’s place to see you. You weren’t there, so I left, and I met cousin on the way.”
“Did anyone see these meetings?”
Chen Third Master’s questions became increasingly pointed. Chen Xuan Qing sensed something was amiss—perhaps rumors about him and Zhou Yi Xuan had spread… This time he thought longer before answering carefully: “The first time was in Grandmother’s courtyard; the cleaning servants saw us. The second time…” He raised his head and glanced at Gu Jin Chao.