Jinchao didn’t continue asking her mother. Instead, after returning to Qingtong Court, she summoned Madam Tong to question her. Madam Tong had come to the Gu family with her mother and was familiar with almost everything that happened in the Gu household.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Tong said: “Actually, Concubine Yun didn’t exactly die from childbirth complications…”

“Not exactly?” Jinchao frowned, wondering what this meant.

Madam Tong nodded: “When Concubine Yun was eight months pregnant, she accidentally consumed labor-inducing medicine. No one understood how this happened, since she had always been taking pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. How could a careless maid have mixed them up? Even after mistakenly taking the labor-inducing medicine, if Concubine Yun had delivered the child smoothly, there wouldn’t have been a problem. At most, she would have needed some postpartum recovery… Unfortunately, she experienced difficult labor and hemorrhaging, and in the end, neither the mother nor the child survived. That’s why this servant says it was sort of a childbirth death, but not exactly.”

Thinking about it, Jinchao also found it strange: “Why would the mansion have labor-inducing medicine?”

Madam Tong continued: “Concubine Yun and her two sisters were all from Jiangnan. The doctor who came to help stabilize her pregnancy was a renowned physician from Hangzhou named Su Qi. The master thought that since people from the north and south had different constitutions, having Su Qi treat Concubine Yun would be better than a doctor from North Zhili. Since it was inconvenient for Su Qi to travel back and forth, he not only left pregnancy-stabilizing medicine but also prepared labor-inducing medicine in advance, to avoid any delay when Concubine Yun went into labor if he couldn’t arrive in time…”

Jinchao tapped her fingers on the table as she thought for a moment, then looked up and asked: “What about the maid who mixed up the medicine?”

Madam Tong’s voice lowered: “The master ordered her beaten to death and her body dragged to the wasteland… Another maid who was close to her wanted to secretly bury her, but when she went to the wasteland, the body had been gnawed beyond recognition by wild dogs… That maid was later married off when she came of age. Since then, no maid in the Gu household has known about this incident.”

Jinchao dismissed Madam Tong and sat on the warm kang bed, holding a hand warmer as she pondered.

Seeing her silent for a long time, Qingpu asked: “Does young miss think there was something suspicious about Concubine Yun’s death?”

Jinchao slowly shook her head: “Not necessarily. This might indeed have been a coincidence.” She was simply habitually suspicious. In her previous life, when she married the Third Master Chen, his three concubines were all difficult to deal with, constantly at each other’s throats. And there were even more people involved in intrigue and scheming in the inner quarters of the First and Second Master Chen’s households. She had seen it all back then.

Jinchao stopped thinking about this matter and smiled as she asked Qingpu: “Aren’t you going to the feast? I saw Baiyun and Caifu had already gone.”

Qingpu shook her head: “This servant doesn’t want to join the crowd… Someone should stay by young Miss’s side.”

Jinchao lay lazily on the large welcoming pillow: “You should go take a look too. It doesn’t matter if no one is by my side, and besides, Yuzhu and Yutong are still outside. You haven’t made many friends among the maids in the Gu household… Take this opportunity to get to know more people.”

Qingpu had a reserved personality and didn’t enjoy socializing.

After thinking about it, not wanting to disregard the young miss’s good intentions, she smiled and said: “Then this servant will go take a look. If there are wedding sweets, I’ll bring some back for you…”

Jinchao nodded and called Yuzhu in to watch the stove fire.

The banquet tables were set up beside the lake pavilion. Qingpu left Qingtong Court and walked along the blue brick path toward the lake pavilion. Just as she reached the outside of Jingfang Study, she saw Gu Jinrong leaving with Qingxiu. She was about to step forward to greet the young master when she noticed that Gu Lan’s maid Ziling was also approaching from another path, coincidentally meeting Gu Jinrong. Qingpu’s footsteps paused.

Ziling seemed to be saying something to Gu Jinrong…

Nearby was an artificial mountain made of Taihu rocks.

Qingpu had trained in footwork, using twenty-jin sandbags tied to her feet while still maintaining light steps. Over time, she had developed the ability to move as lightly as a swallow, able to jump three feet higher than ordinary people.

Wanting to hear what Ziling and the young master were saying, she nimbly climbed up the artificial mountain in a few movements and quietly crouched behind it.

“…Why is Sister Ziling coming from the lake pavilion? Did Second Sister send you a message?” It was the young master asking.

Qingpu’s lips twitched slightly. The young master was never this polite to them.

Ziling replied with a smile: “Doesn’t the young master know? The master has taken a new concubine, and they’re hosting a banquet by the lake pavilion. All the prominent maids and matrons are going.”

Gu Jinrong asked in confusion: “Concubine? I’ve never heard of this.”

Ziling said: “Not just you—we didn’t know about it earlier either! I heard from Madam Zhao that this concubine was found by the eldest young miss from Taihe County near Tongzhou. The new concubine was already engaged, and the couple was mutually in love, just at the point of discussing marriage. But the eldest young miss insisted on having this person, using her power to forcibly separate them and bring her back to the Gu family.”

Gu Jinrong didn’t know that Jinchao had done such things in Tongzhou; he had been busy discussing essay composition with his cousins.

He frowned deeply: “Separate a couple? Why would she do such a thing?”

Ziling shook her head: “This servant doesn’t know. I only heard it from Madam Zhao… Concubine Song hasn’t slept well for several nights because of this. This servant guesses that perhaps the eldest young miss was unhappy seeing Concubine Song so favored and wanted to upset her. You know she and the second young miss have had conflicts recently… The eldest young miss is arrogant. Originally, the master was determined not to agree, but how could he resist the eldest young miss…”

Listening from behind the artificial mountain, Qingpu was dumbfounded. This Ziling was slandering her young miss in front of the young master!

Gu Jinrong was even more surprised: “She’s an unmarried lady… how… how could she help her father take a concubine!”

Having read the classics, he believed that women should adhere strictly to propriety, obeying their fathers and husbands. He had never seen anyone as unruly as Gu Jinchao. This was too willful—just because she disliked someone, she would arrange for her father to take a concubine? What kind of reasoning was that… and to forcibly separate a loving couple? In all his years, he had never seen a noble lady as domineering as Gu Jinchao!

Ziling stopped there, saying no more. She bowed and said: “This servant is only speculating. Please don’t take it seriously, and please don’t mention that this servant told you this, or this servant will suffer… The second young miss has tasks for me, so this servant will return now.”

Gu Jinrong nodded, allowing her to leave, then sighed heavily: “My elder sister… truly makes me lose face! Sometimes… I… I almost wish I didn’t have such a sister!”

Qingxiu agreed: “Please don’t mind… The eldest young miss has always been like this!”

After their conversation, the master and servant walked along the blue brick path toward Juliu Pavilion.

Qingpu waited behind the artificial mountain until they left, her fists clenched tightly. Usually not one to show much emotion, today she was filled with anger because of Ziling and the young master. She knew better than anyone how difficult things had been for her young miss lately, who considered Madam Ji and the young master in everything she did, yet still faced such slander. Being the young miss’s brother, the young master didn’t doubt Ziling at all and even said things like “wishing he didn’t have such a sister”…

She decided not to go to the banquet and turned back toward Qingtong Court.

Jinchao was surprised to see her return so early: “Why did you come back so soon…”

Qingpu took a deep breath and told Jinchao everything that had just happened. “…Ziling was coming from the lake pavilion near Jing’an Residence. To return to Cuixuan Court from Jing’an Residence, one would never pass by Jingfang Study. I suspect Miss Ziling had been waiting there for the young master!”

After listening, Jinchao smiled: “Ziling isn’t that clever. These words were taught to her by Gu Lan. I find it strange that even though Jinrong doesn’t interact much with me and hears many rumors outside, he shouldn’t be so antipathetic toward me. It turns out someone has been exaggerating things behind my back. Today you happened to hear it, but there must have been many times when no one heard. They’ve probably said I have no conscience or humanity…”

Qingpu hesitated: “Do you want to explain things to the young master…”

Jinchao sighed: “Explain what? That I wanted to arrange a concubine for father to take away Concubine Song’s favor? I was afraid he wouldn’t agree, so I specifically went to Taihe County to bring back Luo Su, not hesitating to break off her previous engagement. What she said is true—I did all these things, and I was indeed wrong… How can I explain?”

Qingpu knew this was true… but, she felt that her young miss had done nothing wrong! Yet she was too inarticulate to express this clearly.

Yuzhu, who had been watching the stove fire, was also listening attentively. She blinked and said: “Because Sister Qingpu is following the young miss.”

Jinchao glanced at Yuzhu. Despite her young age, the maid was quite clever. She smiled bitterly and said: “You feel I’ve done nothing wrong because you’re with me. Gu Jinrong thinks everything I do is wrong because his heart is with Gu Lan and Concubine Song. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

What she had done was only to protect herself and her mother, with no other intention. Qingpu, being with her every day, understood her difficulties. If she hadn’t brought Luo Su back, allowing Concubine Song to continue enjoying favor, things would have become difficult once she bore a son. But Gu Jinrong was wholeheartedly on Gu Lan and Concubine Song’s side, thinking that Gu Jinchao was always trying to make things difficult for them, harboring ill intentions.

If someone truly dislikes a person, then whatever that person does is wrong.

It was really that simple.

Jinchao recalled her previous life when she had made pastries for Chen Xuanqing. When she gave them to him, she was scolded for being shameless. But if other young ladies had given him the same, he would have gently praised their kindness, and the young men around would have teased him a bit.

Qingpu silently looked at Jinchao, who was gazing out the window. Her expression was calm, but there was a special… indescribable loneliness about her.

Jinchao said: “Once he sees Gu Lan’s true face, no explanation will be needed. He will naturally understand.”

“What if the second young miss and others continue to speak ill of you to the young master?” Qingpu asked her.

Jinchao shook her head: “After the ninth day of the second month, the academy will open, and Gu Jinrong will certainly leave before then. It’s better to wait until Jinrong leaves—he’s always in the way in the inner quarters.”