By the afternoon, Second Madam’s carriage arrived in Wanping.
Jin Chao went to the screen wall to welcome her and led her to meet Old Lady Chen.
Second Madam brought her personal maid and servant woman. She not only presented the wedding invitation for Gu Lian but also brought tea leaves and pastries as gifts for Old Lady Chen.
Old Lady Chen received Second Madam in the flower hall. After accepting the invitation, she examined it carefully before handing it to Madam Zheng to put away, then inquired about Gu Lian’s marriage: “…Your family’s Fourth Miss is marrying the Third Young Master of Grand Secretary Yao?”
Second Madam, being accustomed to formal situations, was not intimidated by Old Lady Chen’s status. She smiled and nodded: “Third Young Master Yao and our Lian are old acquaintances. This match was arranged before Lian even turned fifteen… Originally, Jin Chao’s grandmother was to come personally, but her health has been poor lately. That’s why I came instead. Fortunately, Chao came to the screen wall to receive me. The Chen family residence is so large and elegant that without someone guiding me, I would likely have gotten lost.”
Gu Jin Chao was sitting beside Old Lady Chen, peeling pine nuts for her to eat. The gold-rimmed small plate was already piled high with pine nuts.
Old Lady Chen enjoyed eating walnuts, pine nuts, and other dried fruits.
Old Lady Chen took Jin Chao’s hand and smiled: “Her? She would get lost without someone guiding her too. Last time at Xianyu Pavilion when watching a play, she and her maid nearly got lost in the Peach Blossom Hollow… It was the Third Master who found and brought her back.” Her gaze toward Jin Chao held no blame, she was merely teasing her.
Jin Chao explained: “I had already found my way out. Third Master just happened to meet me on the way back…”
That time, she had only wanted to look at the distant mountains from Peach Blossom Hollow, staying a bit longer than intended, yet somehow it was described as getting lost.
Old Lady Chen pointed at Gu Jin Chao with a smile: “Did she always try to justify herself like this at her maiden home?”
Second Madam’s smile became somewhat awkward.
In the Gu household, Jin Chao would never have spoken this way. Madam Feng’s rules were strict. She wouldn’t tolerate daughters-in-law or granddaughters talking back, even in jest. Only Gu Lian could be coquettish and please Madam Feng. Jin Chao wouldn’t have dared.
Old Lady Chen continued: “When you didn’t return for nearly half an hour, Third Master was anxious. He had Chen Yi go to Heyuan Tower to fetch guards, planning to search all of Peach Blossom Hollow. It quite frightened me…”
She remembered that when Third Master Chen found her that day, he hadn’t said anything. And when they returned, Old Lady Chen hadn’t questioned further…
Had he called people from Heyuan Tower? No wonder she had noticed guards all around at the time.
As Second Madam listened to Jin Chao and Old Lady Chen’s conversation, she took the opportunity to observe Jin Chao.
Jin Chao wore a purple-violet jacket with gold thread necklace patterns, a light blue belt, and a fresh green jade pendant hanging from it, with a snow-white embroidered skirt. The purple tourmaline earrings she wore were as large as a fingernail, flawless and translucent, clearly valuable. In her hair was a pair of golden hairpins in the shape of paired birds, set with rare emeralds, each uniform in size… Jin Chao had never favored flashy attire, yet every item she wore was a thousand times more precious than pure gold…
Second Madam recalled when she first entered the Chen residence, seeing Jin Chao surrounded by dozens of maids and servant women, presenting an impressive sight.
After marrying Third Master Chen, she had indeed become the Chen family’s treasure. A young wife to an older husband. Naturally, they would cherish and protect her. Look at Old Lady Chen – she couldn’t even speak a harsh word to Jin Chao. Was there any mother-in-law in the world who didn’t discipline her daughter-in-law?
When Second Madam first married into the Gu family, Madam Feng spent a whole year setting rules for her.
If Gu Lian had married into this family instead… she would have enjoyed such good fortune!
But fate played tricks, and in the end, it was Jin Chao who married, not Gu Lian. Gu Lian was to marry Yao Wen Xiu, whose status was vastly inferior to Third Master Chen’s, and who had also had that affair with Gu Lan. Now Gu Lan carried his ill-begotten child…
Thinking of this, Second Madam was so resentful that her fingernails nearly dug into her flesh.
Jin Chao then spoke to Old Lady Chen about her return visit: “…I’ve already discussed it with the Third Master. My third sister is also turning fifteen soon, and I want to return to prepare for her. I’ll come back after Lian’s wedding.”
Old Lady Chen agreed: “It’s good for you to visit your father.” She beckoned Madam Zheng over and listed many items for Jin Chao to take back: Wanping duck pears, walnuts, and torreya nuts from Shaanxi, and upon hearing that Madam Feng liked abalone with bone, she ordered three boxes of it.
Shortly after, Madam Qin, Madam Wang, and Madam Ge also came to meet Second Madam.
Coincidentally today, the Fourth Household’s Eighth Young Master and Twelfth Young Master returned from their separate residence. The teacher there had lost his elderly mother and needed to return home for the funeral, likely not returning to Wanping for three years.
Upon their return, they immediately came to pay respects to Old Lady Chen.
Chen Xuan An was Madam Wang’s son and resembled her, yet he wasn’t particularly close to her. He merely addressed her as “Mother,” and though Madam Wang looked at him twice, she said nothing. The illegitimate sons Chen Xuan Ping and Chen Rong were born from the same concubine, with similar features, and he was still quite young.
Gu Jin Chao couldn’t help but look toward Madam Wang again.
She was curious about the Fourth Household’s relationships, as she vaguely remembered that Fourth Master Chen had fallen out with Chen Xuan Qing in her previous life.
Fourth Master Chen was truly strange… Gu Jin Chao recalled that after Old Lady Chen’s death, the Chen family had divided their property. At that time, Chen Xuan Qing hadn’t yet secured his position as Vice Minister of the Board of Revenue. Due to the family division, Chen Xuan Qing and Fourth Master Chen became sworn enemies, yet Fourth Master Chen, with Grand Secretary Zhang’s support, became Junior Guardian of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. After Zhang Ju Lian’s death, Ye Xian personally investigated his associates, executing many people. Chen Yan Wen was one of those investigated…
The pity was that she had fallen on hard times then and didn’t know more. Otherwise, she could now fully explain these matters.
When it was time for the evening meal, Old Lady Chen had it served in the flower hall. The hall was next to the lotus pond, cooler than the resting chamber. After dinner, before darkness fell, Jin Chao took Second Madam for a stroll along the lotus pond’s corridor to chat.
From ahead came the sound of children talking, seemingly several of them, shouting and clamoring.
Second Madam remarked: “With such a lotus pond, children should never play here without servants watching them.”
Lotus ponds were heavy with yin energy, and there was fear of water ghosts luring children in. Generally, children weren’t allowed near without accompaniment.
Gu Jin Chao first had her maid set up a small stool, asking Second Madam to wait there. “…Let me go check first, to prevent any accidents.” After informing the Second Madam, Jin Chao took Qing Pu and went around the corridor, only to see a pavilion ahead with several children playing.
Several servant women were with them.
She felt relieved.
Then came a child’s clear voice: “You said you could recite the ‘Three Character Classic.’ Let’s hear you recite it for us.”
Judging by the back view, the speaker should be Chen Xuan An, the legitimate eldest son of the Fourth Household.
Another voice said: “Teacher Liu had a lifetime of scholarly reputation. Even when teaching at the Hanlin Academy, he was a great scholar. How could he have produced a student like you?”
This voice was familiar to Jin Chao. It should be Chen Xuan Xin, Third Master Chen’s illegitimate son.
A very weak voice stammered in response: “I… I do know it, I just can’t remember now.”
The young boys all laughed, and Chen Xuan Xin swung a sachet in his hand: “If you recite it, I’ll return this to you. If you can’t…” he drawled lazily, “I’ll throw it into the lotus pond, and you’ll never find it again!”
Jin Chao had never seen this side of Chen Xuan Xin before. In front of elders, Chen Xuan Xin was always respectful and sensible.
How had he started threatening others? She wondered who he was speaking to.
Gu Jin Chao frowned and softened her footsteps as she approached.
Only then did she see clearly that the boy surrounded by the three youths was Chen Xuan Yue, the future Governor-General of Gansu.
He was still wearing that jacket with sleeves too short, looking helpless and very nervous: “…I… I do know it, I just forgot.”
Chen Xuan An raised an eyebrow and asked: “Is that what your nanny taught you to say? No matter what anyone asks, just say you forgot?”
Chen Xuan Yue looked up at him nervously, sniffled, and remained silent.
That was exactly what his nanny had taught him. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t recite or if he didn’t listen when the teacher lectured. When his mother checked his studies, he should just say he knew it but had temporarily forgotten. His mother never questioned further and would even have servants bring him sweets and melon seeds as rewards.
Backed against a pillar, with the cold air from the lotus pond, his body began to tremble.
Chen Xuan Xin grinned: “Then don’t blame me, Ninth Brother. This sachet is going to feed the fish!”
Chen Xuan An held Chen Xuan Xin’s hand, smiling gently: “Ninth Brother, don’t listen to Eleventh Brother’s nonsense. Just tell us, is this sachet from one of your room’s maids? If you do, we won’t make you recite the ‘Three Character Classic.’ We won’t make things difficult for you, right?”
Chen Xuan Xin added: “I heard that Elder Brother has already taken in two of his serving maids. Don’t think our Ninth Brother is foolish just because no one will marry him… In the future, he can also take maids as concubines! Just say a word to Second Aunt, and he can have as many as he wants.”
Gu Jin Chao’s mouth twitched. Third Master Chen had said Chen Xuan Xin had Sixth Master Chen’s temperament. She hadn’t believed it before… but here he was, so young, yet already knowing about bedding maids and concubines. What would he be like when he grew up?
Seeing Chen Xuan Yue’s pitiful state, she felt sorry for him. A simple-minded illegitimate son – wasn’t he someone everyone could bully?
So she stepped forward with a smile: “What are you all playing here?”
The boys turned to see her and were stunned. They hurriedly bowed, addressing her as “Third Aunt” or “Mother.” The servant women were also somewhat alarmed and curtseyed to her.
Jin Chao smiled slightly: “I just heard you talking about the ‘Three Character Classic’ and a sachet. What’s going on?”
The children looked at each other. If they told her about this, wouldn’t it reach Old Lady Chen’s or Third Uncle’s ears the next day?
Then they would be in trouble!
Chen Xuan An stepped forward and said: “Third Aunt, we were walking by the lotus pond and met Ninth Brother. We saw he had an exquisite sachet and wanted to borrow it to look at. As for the ‘Three Character Classic,’ we were just testing Ninth Brother’s learning!”
After their explanation, Jin Chao smiled: “…If you’ve seen it, please return the sachet to Ninth Young Master. The lotus pond is cold; be careful not to catch a chill. You’d better go play in the flower hall…”
It was better to turn a blind eye and let it go, given the indirect relationship.
Chen Xuan An had no choice but to return the sachet to Chen Xuan Yue, and the boys then took their leave.
Only then did Jin Chao see the servant woman attending to Chen Xuan Yue hurry over, her face wreathed in smiles: “Ninth Young Master, how did you end up here! You had this servant searching everywhere!”
Faced with his attending servant, Chen Xuan Yue stepped back, appearing somewhat frightened.
The servant woman then noticed Jin Chao and hurriedly bowed to her. “Disturbing Third Madam’s peace, this servant will take him away…” With that, she pulled Chen Xuan Yue away without stopping.
Chen Xuan Yue looked back at Jin Chao, as if wanting to say something, but was quickly dragged away by the servant woman.