Xu Jingyi stood waiting for her under the corridor of Wanhua Hall, with two senior maids behind her.
Madam Tong led the way with a red gauze lantern. As Jin Chao and her group approached Wanhua Hall, Xu Jingyi immediately came forward to greet them.
“You’ve finally come…” Xu Jingyi took her hand. “There’s heavy dew outside, let’s talk inside.”
Jin Chao noticed her hand was rather cold, which made her more confused. What exactly had happened? She recalled that on her way here, she had seen lights in the west wing courtyard and heard the Second Madam’s maid instructing others to boil water. But the front courtyard had been completely silent…
After sitting down, Xu Jingyi dismissed everyone else and then said in a low voice: “You’ll never guess what happened… At about a quarter past the second watch, the patrolling matron reached the main gate and heard a woman’s voice from the empty bamboo house nearby. When she opened the door to look… she found a man and woman in a secret meeting. It was our Miss Lan and the Third Young Master Yao! Both were quite alarmed and appeared somewhat disheveled… The patrolling matron hurried to wake up the Old Madam, and now both of them have been summoned to the east wing courtyard.”
Gu Jin Chao’s heart tightened. How could Gu Lan do such a thing? Even if she liked Yao Wen Xiu very much, she couldn’t possibly be so bold.
Xu Jingyi handed her a bowl of pear water and continued: “For such a thing to happen, and right when you’re about to get married! The Old Madam dared not disturb anyone else… she only sent someone to inform me and the Second Madam, asking us to come over and give some advice. So I called for you first.”
Seeing Gu Jin Chao furrowing her brows in silence, she asked: “Tell me now, how deep is the enmity between you and Gu Lan? What kind of person is she? I see her as so gentle and weak, hardly the type who could do such a thing.”
Gu Jin Chao closed her eyes briefly.
She suddenly remembered how Gu Lan had married General Zhu Huaishan in her previous life.
At that time, Concubine Song had just been elevated to the status of wife. General Zhu Huaishan came to visit the Yongyang Marquis’s mansion and was originally supposed to meet the fifth young lady of the Marquis. Gu Lan was in mourning and avoided the banquet. Gu Jin Chao, curious, had secretly followed her, thinking Gu Lan was just going for a walk, but unexpectedly saw her talking with Zhu Huaishan on the path. With her delicate fingers, she pointed at Zhu Huaishan’s sachet and said softly: “What a unique pattern… I’ve never seen anything like it…”
Zhu Huaishan smiled and told her: “It’s a nightshade flower pattern.”
Gu Lan bit her lip and sighed gently: “My mother passed away just a few months ago, which is why I’m avoiding the banquet… When she was alive, she often made various sachets for me. If she had known the nightshade pattern was so beautiful, she would certainly have loved it.”
Zhu Huaishan was the youngest legitimate son of the Prince of Jingjiang and often campaigned with the Prince. He was handsome and upright in character. Having only dealt with men in the military, he had never seen such a pitiful expression from a young woman. Thinking of how she had just lost her mother, he couldn’t help but soften his voice: “If you like it, I’ll give it to you, but don’t tell anyone else.”
Gu Lan thanked him softly as she accepted the sachet, and soon returned to the banquet.
After she returned to the Gu household, Concubine Song discovered the sachet Zhu Huaishan had given her and demanded to know where it came from. The matter escalated and somehow reached Zhu Huaishan’s ears. By then, Gu Lan, unable to bear Concubine Song’s scolding, had attempted to hang herself, only to be discovered and saved by a matron. When Zhu Huaishan learned of this, he was shocked. He had merely given her a sachet; how could it lead to the girl attempting suicide?
He hurriedly spoke to the Princess of Jingjiang, who was puzzled—no matter how inappropriate her son might be, he wouldn’t casually give sachets to young ladies. But Zhu Huaishan insisted it was his initiative. The Princess was furious but quickly arranged for a matchmaker to propose to the Gu family, finally settling the matter.
The mother and daughter had put on quite a show, deceiving everyone who didn’t know the truth. Regardless, Gu Lan had successfully married Zhu Huaishan.
Jin Chao thought for a moment and told Xu Jingyi: “Even if she couldn’t control her feelings, she would know that the main gate is always part of the night patrol route. How could she possibly meet him there secretly? Wouldn’t that make discovery almost certain? There’s only one possibility—she deliberately wanted to be discovered.”
Xu Jingyi nodded: “I think so too… The Old Madam will call for me soon. Wait for me here, and I’ll tell you how this is handled when I return.” She had the maid bring Jin Chao a brocade quilt, letting her sleep here for now.
Jin Chao wrapped herself in the quilt as Xu Jingyi helped her with a pillow. She smiled: “I definitely won’t be able to sleep. You go ahead.”
Only then did Xu Jingyi leave with her maids and servants.
Jin Chao, however, got up from the luohan bed and walked to the corridor to gaze at the lights in the east wing courtyard.
Just as she was about to get married, Gu Lan created this incident. It was worth analyzing… Madam Feng would certainly not let this matter escalate. It would affect the reputation of both the Yao and Gu families and might implicate Jin Chao’s marriage. If there had been no physical intimacy between them, the matter could be forcibly suppressed, but if things had gone too far between them, it wouldn’t be something that could be smoothed over.
No, that’s not right… Jin Chao frowned. She lifted her head and exhaled, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Gu Lan wasn’t that foolish. She wouldn’t lose on both counts. Whatever needed to happen had certainly already happened!
Having reached this conclusion, she felt there was nothing more to see. She returned to her room, lay down on the luohan bed, covered herself with the quilt, and dozed off for a while.
In the main hall of the east wing courtyard, Madam Feng had been awakened in the middle of the night. Her hair was hastily tied in a simple style, and she wore a Hangzhou silk jacket.
The night brought the faint sounds of crickets and frogs. The pine oil lamp casts a dim yellow glow, making the Buddha image hanging in the hall appear indistinct.
Yao Wen Xiu stood with a pale, handsome face, his hand tightly holding Gu Lan’s.
Madam Feng felt a stabbing pain in her heart and a surge of anger that had nowhere to go.
She asked Fuling to first take the Third Young Master Yao to rest in the east side room. However, Yao Wen Xiu looked down at Gu Lan. She was still wearing that pink cherry blossom patterned jacket, slightly disheveled at the shoulders, revealing the red Lu silk of her undergarments. Her neck was snow-white and slender, stunningly beautiful. Yet her eyes were red and swollen as she silently wept… Even when Gu Lian was upset, she would cling to him and cry incessantly until he agreed to her demands. But Gu Lan’s manner made him feel genuine pity from the bottom of his heart. How could this mistreated concubine-born daughter continue to live in the Gu household after such an incident?
He couldn’t help but blame himself for his impulsiveness. How could he lose control just because she was slightly forward?
Yao Wen Xiu looked up at Madam Feng and said: “Old Madam, please don’t make things difficult for her. I’ll take responsibility for everything.”
Madam Feng wanted nothing more than to kill this little bastard! If he were her grandson, she would have slapped him by now! He was utterly shameless. A scholar who was engaged to Miss Lian, yet secretly involved with Gu Lan…
What a disgrace! How could her Gu family produce someone as shameless as Gu Lan?
She pointed to the door: “You get out first!”
Yao Wen Xiu was stunned. Madam Feng had always spoken to him with kindness and pleasure… He hesitated for a moment before following Fuling out.
Madam Feng pointed at Gu Lan and shouted harshly: “Kneel! Explain everything clearly!”
The voice frightened even Nurse Xu, who had served her for many years.
Gu Lan raised her head, tears flowing down her cheeks: “It’s all my fault. I had a secret connection with Young Master Yao… He asked me to meet him tonight. I thought we would just talk. Grandmother, it’s all my fault. Just say the word, and I’ll return to my room to hang myself, so as not to bring shame to the Gu family…”
Madam Feng exploded in rage: “You worthless thing, haven’t you caused enough trouble? Do you still want to go back and hang yourself? Do you want the whole world to know about your shameful affairs?”
She had already arranged a marriage with the Zhao family. If Gu Lan suddenly committed suicide now, what would people think? What had Gu Lan done that drove her to suicide?
Gu Jin Chao was about to marry into the Chen family. What if this incident affected the marriage with the Chen family?
Madam Feng truly wanted to strangle Gu Lan. Just when everything in the Gu family was going smoothly, this worthless creature had to stir up trouble!
She took a breath, and Nurse Xu immediately brought up a bowl of ginseng soup.
Xu Jingyi and the Second Madam arrived quickly.
Madam Feng redirected her anger toward Xu Jingyi: “Your fourth branch… how did you produce such a creature? How did you raise her?”
Xu Jingyi had just arrived and hadn’t even sat down for a cup of tea when Madam Feng greeted her with these words. She looked up and realized that Madam Feng was about to be driven mad by Gu Lan. But why this misplaced anger? She was not one to submit meekly.
Xu Jingyi hurriedly said: “Mother is right. It’s my fault for not watching over Miss Lan properly, allowing her to act recklessly as she pleased.”
Madam Feng choked again, thinking that dealing with Xu Jingyi was too exhausting. Now was not the time to focus on Xu Jingyi. She immediately pointed at Gu Lan and asked: “You are her mother. How should this matter be handled? You need to explain first.”
The Second Madam, however, had been coldly staring at Gu Lan since she entered.
Now she slowly walked up to Gu Lan and asked: “You and Yao Wen Xiu… have you been physically intimate?”
Gu Lan wept: “It’s all my fault. I’ve wronged Miss Lian. Second Aunt, please let me go back and hang myself…”
The Second Madam sneered: “How has Miss Lian treated you, yet you don’t think of her at all? The first time you saw Yao Wen Xiu, you knew he was your sister’s betrothed. Yet you had such filthy thoughts, coveting your own sister’s future husband…” The Second Madam raised her hand and slapped her hard across the face.
Gu Lan’s head was knocked to the side, and clear finger marks quickly appeared on her delicate white face.
She had anticipated how these people would treat her, so she wasn’t anxious at all.
How had Gu Lian treated her? Summoning her when needed and dismissing her when not, and when Yu Mingying discovered stolen items, she immediately pushed the blame onto her.
She just wanted to get revenge on Gu Lian. What could these people do about it?
What choice did she have? If she didn’t do something, Madam Feng would marry her off to some poor scholar’s son!
Gu Jin Chao was about to get married, and this matter certainly couldn’t be exposed. It would affect the Gu family, and Jin Chao’s marriage would be ruined. If it were just a minor issue, Madam Feng would suppress it, so it had to be serious enough that it couldn’t be covered up. For instance, if she and Yao Wen Xiu had done something that couldn’t be undone… Madam Feng would have no choice but to let her marry Yao Wen Xiu.
Gu Lan suddenly recalled being in the dilapidated bamboo house earlier, pinned down by Yao Wen Xiu on a bamboo mat, the sudden pain below… She looked up and saw only the sky’s light filtering through the glazed tiles, surrounded by broken-down furnishings. She felt utterly humiliated…
Others had bridal chambers with candles and flowers, but what did she have?
Yet she had to endure it all. Small sacrifices prevent greater chaos—she knew this in her heart.