Early the next morning, Chen Xuanyue was indeed brought by Madam Song to pay respects to her.

He seemed wary of Madam Song, following far behind her as they entered.

Gu Jin Chao asked if he had eaten breakfast, and Chen Xuanyue shook his head.

Madam Song smiled bitterly: “…Breakfast was steamed buns, black rice porridge, and pickled bamboo shoots. The Ninth Young Master refused to eat. Last night, it was braised pork knuckle, bean sprout salad, and rice. The Ninth Young Master also refused to eat. I discovered him getting up in the middle of the night to fill his stomach with pastries.”

Gu Jin Chao could only ask Chen Xuanyue: “Then what do you want to eat?”

She hadn’t noticed before that he was picky about food!

Chen Xuanyue remained silent, standing in place and looking at her blankly.

Gu Jin Chao had the small kitchen prepare a bowl of noodles. Chen Xuanyue hugged the bowl and quickly finished it. The kitchen sent over a plate of small steamed buns, which Chen Xuanyue didn’t refuse either, eating until he burped. He sat on a stool by the door, holding his stomach and resting.

Gu Jin Chao realized she had truly raised a little dog – once tamed, he refused to eat food from anywhere else!

She smiled bitterly, figuring the child was probably scared of being confined and was now behaving a bit abnormally.

Yu Wanxue came to pay her respects and was startled when she saw Chen Xuanyue crouching by the door. Chen Xuanyue now wore new clothes and was washed clean. With his good looks, as long as he wasn’t acting foolish, he still had the bearing of a young master from a noble family.

Chen Xuanyue glanced at her and then lowered his head. A maid lifted the curtain for Yu Wanxue.

The weather was getting colder, and the charcoal fire had just been lit in the room. Jin Chao was instructing Madam Sun to send silver frost charcoal to various places in the third branch. Chen Xuanyue’s place couldn’t be neglected either. Yu Wanxue bowed to her and had her maid open the basket she had brought: “Mother, I made two belly wraps for the child. Please see if they meet your approval.” She smiled and handed two palm-sized belly wraps to Gu Jin Chao.

One was bright red and the other bright yellow, with kesi silk on the outer layer and Lu silk on the inner layer. They were embroidered with carp and twin lotus.

“The embroidery is beautiful,” The carps looked vivid, and the lotus petals were layered intricately – the needlework was excellent. Gu Jin Chao smiled and had Cai Fu put them away. Then she asked, “You’ve come late today. It’s good to sleep in a bit longer.”

Yu Wanxue was a person who followed rules strictly. There must be a reason for her lateness, and Gu Jin Chao didn’t want to make an issue of it.

Yu Wanxue didn’t know what to say. She smiled bitterly: “I want to apologize to Mother. I slept too late last night and didn’t rise until the sun was already high…”

Gu Jin Chao drank her tea with a faint smile, saying nothing. Young people always find good times too short; she couldn’t very well inquire into that.

“It would be good if you soon bear a son or daughter for the Seventh Young Master. The Seventh Young Master’s older brothers all have children already,” Gu Jin Chao comforted her.

She thought about how, at such a young age, being someone’s mother-in-law was not easy. Her child wasn’t even born yet… and she would soon become a grandmother!

Yu Wanxue paused.

Last night she had waited for Chen Xuanqing most of the night. When he finally returned from the outer courtyard and saw she was still awake, Chen Xuanqing frowned and asked: “…Why didn’t you go to sleep first?”

Yu Wanxue said softly: “How could I sleep without waiting for the Seventh Young Master? Wouldn’t that be failing in my duty as a wife?”

After helping him wash up and change clothes, Yu Wanxue finally heard him say coolly: “Don’t wait next time.”

Hearing his cold voice, Yu Wanxue couldn’t help feeling hurt. He got into bed first and quickly closed his eyes. Yu Wanxue stared at the ceiling, feeling her nose tingle with emotion.

But this was all part of a wife’s duty. What right did she have to question her husband? Yu Wanxue had been deeply educated in the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and would never dare defy her husband.

It was true that Chen Xuanqing treated her with respect and never called for concubines to serve him in bed. After their marital relations, he didn’t call for senior maids to attend them either. But apart from respect, Chen Xuanqing seemed particularly cold. He had been somewhat gentle in the previous days, but especially these last two days…

The deep marital love she had imagined after marriage was nothing but sleeping in the same bed with different dreams.

Perhaps they were still strangers, and things would get better with time. Yu Wanxue could only comfort herself this way. She couldn’t possibly cry to her mother-in-law just because her husband was too cold toward her!

Besides, although Gu Jin Chao was her mother-in-law, she was still young, and Yu Wanxue found it difficult to bring up such matters.

It was still better than marrying a promiscuous, lecherous husband and having a mother-in-law who made life difficult for her daughter-in-law! Yu Wanxue could only console herself this way. Unable to sleep last night, she had finished the belly wraps overnight, planning to come to talk with her mother-in-law the next day.

After chatting for a while, they took Chen Xuanyue to pay respects to Old Madam Chen.

Chen Xuanyue now seemed quite well-behaved, which pleased Old Madam Chen.

By noon, Jin Chao let Madam Song take him back; he still had to learn to read in the afternoon. Madam Song asked about Chen Xuanyue’s refusal to eat, and Gu Jin Chao said: “He just doesn’t feel safe, that’s all. If he still doesn’t eat, don’t remove the dining table with the food. When he gets hungry, he’ll eat it himself.”

Madam Song nodded and sighed: “One wonders what kind of life the Ninth Young Master had before…”

She didn’t find Chen Xuanyue troublesome, just pitiful.

Gu Jin Chao returned to Osmanthus Hall in the afternoon.

By this time, she was already preparing for Qing Pu’s wedding.

She had the three-courtyard house in Four Fish Alley cleaned thoroughly and hung with red lanterns, planning to have Qing Pu move in the next day. When the time came, Hu Jin would come to marry her.

After returning from Old Madam Chen’s, the maids were already helping Qing Pu pack her things.

The bedding and gauze curtains from her kang bed had been put away. Several flower vases that Gu Jin Chao had given her remained untouched, while the maids helped her pack things from her dressing table. In the small boxes on the dressing table… there were gold, silver, and silk flower ornaments, filling an entire box. The little maids helping to pack were all envious, examining them from all angles and asking: “This gold hairpin with the Buddha’s hand carnelian is so beautiful, Sister Qing Pu never wears it!”

Several wrapped bundles were already piled on the table.

Qing Pu smiled. When the mistress rewarded her, she kept the gifts; otherwise, the mistress would be unhappy. Since she didn’t like using them herself, she considered them all representations of the mistress’s kindness to her. Thinking about leaving Gu Jin Chao, she felt very reluctant…

Gu Jin Chao specifically went to the back chamber, startling Qing Pu: “Mistress, the back chamber isn’t clean… Why have you come here?”

All the maids hurriedly greeted her.

Gu Jin Chao saw her eyes were slightly red and said gently: “I came to help you look. What’s all this about clean or not clean?”

Qing Pu had accompanied her through the most difficult times and was her most valued maid. She should marry with full honors.

Seeing that things were almost packed, Jin Chao told Qing Pu: “…In a while, you’ll take a carriage to Four Fish Alley. Xiu Qu will go with you to your wedding. In Four Fish Alley, I’ve already had Manager Luo arrange everything. He’s also responsible for all the wedding preparations, and will make sure everything is handled properly.”

If Xiu Qu left, Gu Jin Chao would only have Cai Fu as a senior maid. Qing Pu shook her head repeatedly: “Mistress, I alone am enough. You don’t have enough people serving you as it is…”

Gu Jin Chao smiled and said: “How can you get married without someone accompanying you? Just focus on your wedding and don’t worry about these things… When you and Hu Jin come to see me in the future, you’ll be someone’s wife.”

By then, others would address Qing Pu as Hu Jin’s wife.

Qing Pu pursed her lips and smiled, but her eyes grew redder. She took a deep breath: “Rest assured, Mistress, I will come back to pay my respects to you.”

In the afternoon, the servants helped Qing Pu move her things to the screen wall. Xiu Qu accompanied Qing Pu as she left.

Gu Jin Chao planned to give Qing Pu eighty taels of silver as a dowry supplement, plus some furniture, beds, bedding, and other items as dowry. The total of twelve loads of dowry was quite substantial in the countryside.

Cai Fu returned after seeing Qing Pu off. Gu Jin Chao teased her: “When it’s time for you to marry, we’ll do the same!”

In another two years, Cai Fu would also be sent out.

Cai Fu smiled: “I would rather marry someone within the Chen family, even an ordinary servant… to avoid parting from you.”

Cai Fu was the most beautiful and intelligent maid by her side, always seeing things. Gu Jin Chao just smiled without speaking. With Qing Pu marrying out, she would inevitably have fewer senior maids. She planned to promote Yu Zhu to the senior maid.

It’s just that though Yu Zhu was clever, she was too lively.

Gu Jin Chao instructed Cai Fu: “Guide Yu Zhu more in the future. With some training, this girl can handle important responsibilities.”

Cai Fu nodded: “Don’t worry, this girl has become much more patient now that she’s taking care of your flower room.”

Shortly after, Madam Tong brought in the September account books for her to review.

Gu Jin Chao looked at the account books for a while, then instructed the maids to prepare her bedding, planning to move to the east side room.

…

Chen Third Master left the Cabinet, and Jiang Yan immediately draped a large cloak over him.

The Zhejiang tax silver calculation showed a deficit, frightening the Zhejiang Administration Commissioner into rushing to the capital overnight to report. They had discussed it all day today without concluding.

Chen Third Master descended the steps, with his carriage waiting nearby.

“Master Chen.” Someone suddenly called from behind. Chen Third Master gathered his cloak and turned to see the newly appointed Cabinet Elder Fan Hui.

Fan Hui was a few years older than him but still quite young with an unstable foundation. He was average-looking, though with a fair complexion that made him appear scholarly and weak. He smiled and cupped his hands to Chen Third Master: “Master Chen, please stay. I would like to invite you for a drink. Would Master Chen honor me with your presence?”

Chen Third Master smiled slightly: “It’s already too late. Does Master Fan wish to have a drink with me because there’s something to discuss?”

Fan Hui quickly waved his hands, moved closer, and said in a low voice, seemingly finding it difficult to express: “I’ve just arrived at the Cabinet and am unfamiliar with various aspects… I wanted to seek Master Chen’s guidance on some issues. I am sincerely seeking instruction, please enlighten me.”

Another figure emerged from the Cabinet, and an attendant quickly draped a cloak over him. He walked out from the shadow of the eaves, smiling and saying: “Jiuheng, you’re still here after all this time?” Wearing a crane-patterned right-lapel round-collar robe, of medium height, with narrow, bright eyes – it was Zhang Julian.

Fan Hui was about to speak when Chen Third Master smilingly interrupted: “Master Fan wanted to invite me for a drink.”

“Oh,” Zhang Julian smiled, looking at Fan Hui, “Doesn’t Master Fan know that our Chen Third Master doesn’t drink?”

Fan Hui’s face paled. He hurriedly smiled and agreed: “I just found out today. I’ve offended Master Chen!”

Chen Third Master said: “How can that be considered an offense? Next time, Master Fan can invite me for tea instead.”

Fan Hui said he definitely would. Chen Third Master then bid farewell to Zhang Julian and got into his carriage.

Once in the carriage, Chen Third Master’s smile immediately faded. Jiang Yan tensed and quickly asked: “Third Master, what’s wrong?”

Chen Third Master said coolly: “That Fan Hui is the Marquis of Changxing’s man.”

Jiang Yan was very surprised. How did Chen Third Master know?

Chen Third Master gave him a hint: “Why would he, a fellow Cabinet Elder, seek my guidance on matters for no reason!”

After hearing this, Jiang Yan realized something was amiss, and upon further reflection, he vaguely understood.

Fan Hui speaking privately with Chen Third Master, seen by Zhang Julian, might make Zhang suspect Chen Third Master of forming factions behind his back, thus causing wariness. When Fan Hui became a Cabinet Elder, they thought he was just lucky, but now thinking about it…

If the Marquis of Changxing’s forces wanted to get their people selected, what would they do?

They would never openly or secretly support their people but instead would damage the reputation of their opponents. Ji Qiuping’s nephew became involved with the Marquis of Changxing, preventing Ji Qiuping from entering the Cabinet, so the person who came in now was truly the Marquis of Changxing’s man.

Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment before asking: “Then do you think Master Zhang knows?”

Chen Third Master closed his eyes to rest: “He doesn’t know. If he knew, he wouldn’t allow Fan Hui to remain in the Cabinet.”

Although he was part of the Marquis of Changxing’s forces, Fan Hui had little influence and posed no threat. He just needed to think carefully about how to make good use of this person.