Just as Minglan had predicted — the more she sat wringing her hands and looking stricken, the more the Marquis Mansion women saw reason for hope and pressed their attacks with renewed force, weeping and accusing and clinging without mercy. But the moment she presented the expression of a pig that feels no fear of boiling water, they found themselves at a loss.
After about five or six days, peace returned to the world.
It was rather like a petty ruffian who had set out to harass a young woman, only meaning to take a small advantage. If the young lady clutched at her collar with wide, glistening eyes and the look of a frightened little rabbit, crying out for help in a delicate voice, the ruffian, thus encouraged, might easily escalate his efforts to a whole new level. But if the young lady flung open her outer garment and looked back at him with a ferocious expression — “Come on then, if you’ve got the nerve. Otherwise you’re no man at all” — she might just find that she had frightened him clean away.
Minglan felt exceedingly pleased with herself, and presented this insight to Gu Tingye with some pride. The man was greatly interested, and immediately closed the windows and barred the door, announcing in the spirit of scientific inquiry that he wished to test this theory in real conditions, helpfully volunteering to tug at her collar himself.
Faced with this outright scoundrel, she could do nothing but flee.
As soon as she had a moment free, Minglan remembered one matter she had been meaning to attend to, and that day walked in person to Kouxiang Courtyard.
Ever since Minglan had punished one of the maidservants for wagging her tongue — twenty strokes of the cane, followed by immediate dismissal — not a soul in Kouxiang Courtyard had dared take Rong Jie’er lightly. As the saying goes, a change in circumstances changes one’s manner, and care for the body changes one’s form. Over the past month or so, Rong Jie’er’s face had rounded out, she had grown somewhat taller, and the shrinking quality in her bearing had lessened considerably.
Minglan looked Rong Jie’er over from head to toe with the care of a conscientious keeper, then turned to Gong Qiu with a satisfied smile. “Rong Jie’er’s color looks much better — you have both been attentive.”
Qiu Niang smiled in a subdued way, her expression carrying a shadow of quiet sadness. Gong Hongxiao was considerably more animated, and immediately said, “Madam speaks too kindly. The young lady is the Master’s first daughter — would anyone in this household dare not give her their full attention?”
Minglan gave her a measured glance, using the bowl lid to push the tea leaves around. “Being the first or the second matters little. The only thing you need to remember is this: whatever the future may hold, Rong Jie’er is always the eldest daughter of this household — a true and proper young mistress, and that is that.”
Rong Jie’er darted a quick glance at Minglan and lowered her head again. Gong Hongxiao hesitated for a moment — Madam was usually perfectly easy to talk to. Why this sudden sharpness today? She gave an awkward little smile and moved obediently to stand to one side.
Minglan continued to smile with warmth, invited the two of them to sit, and asked a few questions about Rong Jie’er’s daily routines — then brought up the matter of her lessons. Both Gong and Qiu froze for a moment and exchanged a glance. Rong Jie’er shifted her small feet with a hint of restlessness.
Qiu Niang looked uneasy but quickly retrieved from the inner room a small embroidery case, bringing out several sample pieces of fabric for Minglan’s inspection. Her voice could not entirely conceal her apprehension. “The time has not been so long… the young lady has only managed this much…”
Minglan took the fabric samples and examined them carefully, then gave a small nod. When Rong Jie’er had first come to Chengyuan, her needlework had reached no further than being able to close up a small tear or two. Now she could already embroider a few lopsided leaves. Embroidery and plain sewing were in fact quite distinct disciplines — and though the progress was modest, it was at least a beginning.
“You need not be so tense. I think this is quite well for now — all things are difficult at the start. Rong Jie’er is not a slow child; as long as you are willing to put in the effort, she will improve.” Minglan smiled reassuringly at Qiu Niang, then added with earnest feeling, “I have seen the robes you made for the Master — truly excellent workmanship. If Rong Jie’er can learn even half of your skill, it will serve her well for her prospects in the future.”
Qiu Niang answered softly, and her color improved visibly.
Then it was Gong Hongxiao’s turn.
When Rong Jie’er had first arrived, Minglan had asked careful questions and learned that the girl recognized barely twenty characters — of which a third she recognized without being able to write, another third she could only identify when grouped together, and would be unreliable when seen individually, and she could recite only the first two lines of “Quiet Night Thought” and the opening line of “Goose” — Minglan had privately thought: rather like her father in this respect. From an educational standpoint, there was, theoretically, a great deal of room for development. So Minglan had looked to Nanny Gong with considerable expectation.
Gong Hongxiao’s face shifted between green and white by turns. Her maidservant Jin Xi came forward slowly, placing a suspiciously thin stack of papers before Minglan. Minglan took one look, and her expression turned. The same familiar characters as before. The same poor brushstrokes. The same mistakes in the same places as always. Not wanting to accept the evidence, Minglan counted through the characters once more — and finally she lost her temper.
“After a full month, she has only learned eleven or twelve new characters?” The final word rose sharply, her voice cooling. “Is it that you have not taught sufficiently, or that the young lady has not been able to take it in?”
Could it really take talent to learn a single character? Gu Tingye’s bloodline could not be this poor.
Nanny Gong forced a smile, trying to smooth things over. “The young lady is quite clever and quick, but she seems to have no interest in study matters, and so…” Rong Jie’er abruptly lifted her face, full of stubborn defiance, as if unwilling to accept this characterization. Gong Hongxiao caught sight of this, stumbled slightly, and continued awkwardly, “It is also my fault for not being attentive enough. The household has been busy lately…”
She was in a genuinely difficult position. She had never had a particularly warm relationship with Rong Jie’er to begin with, and she lacked Qiu Niang’s skill at coaxing with soft words and gentle persuasion. The entire Kouxiang Courtyard was Minglan’s network of eyes and ears — the moment anyone so much as touched a hair on Rong Jie’er’s head, Minglan would know about it immediately.
She could not strike her. She could not coax her. She could not reason with her. It was all too much trouble, and she had allowed herself a moment of laziness. She had not imagined Minglan would come to inspect without warning.
“Oh?” Minglan said evenly. “Busy with what?”
Gong Hongxiao’s bright eyes shifted evasively. She seemed to be weighing her words with difficulty, and bit her lip. “Although I am nothing of significance, at the end of the day these are matters within the Gu household. With so many of the wives in a state of worry and urgency, coming and going all day — I simply cannot settle my heart…”
She could say no more, for Minglan’s gaze was cold and expressionless.
Minglan said nothing at first. She simply gestured to Danju to take Rong Jie’er outside. Then she set down her teacup slowly; the base made a crisp sound against the porcelain tray. Only then did she speak. “Nanny Gong is remarkably well-informed. Even I cannot involve myself in this matter — and here I was, unaware that you were so very ‘unsettled’ on the household’s behalf?”
“You do concern yourself with quite a great deal, don’t you?” Minglan fixed her with a cold, direct look.
Gong Hongxiao paled and rose to her feet in alarm. Beside her, Qiu Niang also stood.
Minglan drew her gaze back slowly, let it rest in turn on each of their faces, and softened her tone. “I am young, and have never raised a child, so I had not thought this far ahead. But just a few days ago I visited the Loyal and Diligent Earl’s household — and there I saw my little niece. She is barely five years old, and the words she speaks and the characters she writes are already quite presentable.”
The thought of Zhuang Jie’er — delicate and precise as a porcelain doll at her young age, speaking clearly and with confidence, poised and open in her manner, answering whatever was asked of her without shyness or arrogance — and then looking at Rong Jie’er, already nearing nine years old. Minglan felt a distinct ache in her head.
According to Hualan’s system of cultivating well-born young ladies, proper foundational education should begin by the age of five. By age ten, a girl should be ready to be presented — needlework, conduct, bearing, and literacy all assessed. By fifteen or so, her marriage prospects should already be taking shape.
When Minglan had heard all this, she had felt an immediate pang of guilt and self-reproach. Rong Jie’er was, after all, not her own child, and she had truly not thought this through so carefully or so far ahead — she had simply assumed that a child still in what amounted to the second year of primary school had no harm in enjoying a little more carefree time, and had completely failed to grasp the gravity of the situation.
Minglan let out a quiet sigh and spoke with genuine feeling. “I am not asking you to produce a young lady accomplished in verse and poetry. But you cannot simply be neglectful — in a household of our standing, we surely cannot have a young lady who cannot read even the primer texts for women. It would be laughable to others.”
She paused and let her voice carry more weight. “Madam placed Rong Jie’er in your care — you must apply yourself more conscientiously. With Rong Jie’er’s progress where it stands right now, you still have the time and energy to concern yourself with other people’s business?”
Now, it had to be said: in recent days, as the upheaval from the Marquis Mansion played out, Qiu Niang had remained largely composed — perhaps because of her own disillusionment, a certain quietness had settled over her. But Gong Hongxiao had been bustling in and out in a state of great animated energy. It was high time she was brought to attention.
Gong Hongxiao’s face had gone the color of ash; cold sweat beaded at her brow. This time, she found herself absolutely unable to produce a single word in her own defense. Her knees gave way beneath her, and she sank down — kneeling, one apology after another, admitting straightforwardly that she had been negligent.
Having vented a fair amount of the frustration she had been accumulating, Minglan gave a few more instructions, then rose to take her leave and return to her own courtyard. Just at the door of Kouxiang Courtyard, however, she found Nanny Hua standing there, with Rong Jie’er beside her.
Rong Jie’er lifted the side of her face slightly to look at Minglan, biting her lower lip. Minglan waited. But she said nothing in the end, and turned and ran away. Nanny Hua watched the child’s retreating figure with a quiet sigh, then turned to curtsy toward Minglan.
“Madam, please do not take it to heart. The young lady… ” She could not find the right words either. “I have watched her since she entered this household. All these years… poor child. But she is not foolish — she knows that you are truly kind to her.”
Minglan gave a rueful smile. In truth, she was not especially kind to that child — she merely feared bearing responsibility, and so she had delegated everything, while she herself fulfilled only the obligation of periodic oversight. At times she even felt a certain relief that Rong Jie’er continued to keep her at a distance and remain on guard. If the girl were to come and try to grow close to her — what then would she do with that?
Children in this era matured early. A girl of this age understood most things already. And what was more, the child’s own mother was alive and well. Had Minglan gone rushing in to perform warm and nurturing motherly affection, the child would only have assumed she harbored some interest in displacing her mother’s position.
Minglan exhaled a long, helpless breath.
Her capacity for maternal feeling was not abundant to begin with — and much of it had been spent in advance on Hualan and Hai Shi’s children over the years. Those small, chubby, lovable little ones — who called her sweetly, came to wrap their soft arms around her neck, and launched themselves at her with the warm fragrance of milk still about them to press kisses to her cheek. Every time Minglan thought of them, her heart dissolved into softness; she adored them entirely. As for Rong Jie’er, full of sharp corners and edges — Minglan could only confess to herself that she lacked the capacity to engage, and that her current life was already full to the brim with its own demanding challenges without adding further difficulties of her own choosing. She would do her duty by the child and see to her proper care. That would have to be enough.
She could not bring herself to feel warmth toward this child. She could not help it. Affection was not like running water — one could not simply turn on the tap.
Well. She was indeed a selfish person.
Self-reflection concluded, wayward concubines properly chastened, her husband’s illegitimate daughter checked in on — life went on. Though the Marquis Mansion women had largely ceased their pestering, the situation outside continued to grow more serious.
The messengers who came to make demands grew less and less polite, and their frequency increased. By the end of the fifth month, the Court of Judicial Review simply summoned the relevant parties to the appropriate government offices for formal questioning. After Gu Tingyang and Gu Tingdi were questioned and released, they returned home looking white and hollow.
On the second day of the sixth month, Liu Zhengjie personally led a squad of Imperial Guards and had the Fourth Master and Gu Tingbing’s father and son taken away. The Fourth Elder’s wife and Bing’er the Second went immediately to challenge the Fifth Branch’s brothers and sister-in-law, demanding to know what had been said during questioning — had they pushed all the blame onto the Fourth Branch’s head? The women grew increasingly agitated as they spoke; accusations turned to screaming, and screaming gave way to flying fists and feet. The scene grew quite violent.
By report, in the chaos, someone’s fingernails raked open Gu Tingyang’s face, leaving a trail of blood that made him unfit to be seen in public for some time — he was currently hiding at home to let the wound heal. The Fifth Master had half of his beard torn out by the roots.
Upon hearing this news, Gu Tingye only curled one corner of his lips in a cold, contemptuous smile and said nothing.
Two days later, Gu Tingwei was also taken away.
One day after that, the Marquis Mansion sent someone to summon Gu Tingye and Minglan. The one who came was a senior attendant from Madam Shao’s personal service.