After the Flower Festival in the second month, the weather gradually turned warmer. The maids and old women had put away their padded jackets. Jin Chao had moved some early spring flowers from her greenhouse, sending several pots of “Green Dragon Lying in Ink Pool” peonies to her mother’s room and a few pots of white camellias to her father. In her courtyard, new leaves sprouted from the grape vines, and wisteria climbed all over a wooden frame along the small pond. Jin Chao placed several orchid plants beneath the wisteria, creating a complementary and interesting display.

Concubine Luo wasn’t familiar with the other concubines and had little to say to them. When Gu De Zhao went to court, she would come to chat with Jin Chao.

Watching Jin Chao arrange these plants, she found it quite amusing and smiled, saying: “…It looks like the retreat of a reclusive scholar.”

Jin Chao was merely passing time and told her: “If you like them, I can move some flowers to your place.”

Concubine Luo’s eyes sparkled: “Those two pale green camellia flowers in your greenhouse are nice.”

Jin Chao instructed her maids to move those two camellia plants to Concubine Luo. The flowers had been sent by her maternal grandmother and had only recently started blooming. She also had a maid bring a plate of elm seed cakes to Concubine Luo, saying, “We picked a basket of elm seeds early this morning and made these cakes with egg and flour. Try something fresh.”

Luo Su smiled as she accepted them: “We had two elm trees at my original home. In spring, my mother would spread a grass mat under the tree, and when the wind blew, the elm seeds would fall like rain. She would make elm seed rice for me to eat…” She turned her head to look at the vibrant red flowers of the begonia nearby, and suddenly her expression became distant.

She was still young and bound to be homesick.

Jin Chao told her: “Father has elm trees planted next to Ju Liu Pavilion. If you want to see the elm seed rain, you can go there.”

By noon, Father was about to return from court, so Luo Su returned to Jing’an Residence.

Jin Chao washed her hands, preparing to take the newly made elm seed cakes to her mother, when she saw Yu Zhu running out from the greenhouse, shouting as she ran: “Miss… come quickly and look, there’s a hole in the corner of the greenhouse!”

A hole in the greenhouse?

Jin Chao was puzzled and followed Yu Zhu into the greenhouse, accompanied by Qing Pu and Bai Yun.

“…This slave just moved those two camellia plants and saw a hole the size of a head behind them,” Yu Zhu said, pointing to the shelf where the camellia plants had been.

Just as Jin Chao was about to bend down to look, Qing Pu stopped her: “I’m afraid something might hurt you. Let this slave look.”

Jin Chao nodded, cautioning her to be careful. Qing Pu slowly approached the flower shelf. For better lighting, the greenhouse windows were covered with Korean paper and a layer of glass, but this corner had no glass. The window paper had a head-sized hole, but nothing else was visible.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from under the flower shelf. Qing Pu was startled and quickly backed away. Jin Chao listened carefully and heard something like a cat’s meow. She stepped forward and reached out to move the flower shelf, but Qing Pu tried to stop her: “Miss, what if it’s a poisonous snake or insect…”

Jin Chao waved her hand dismissively: “It’s fine.” After moving the shelf aside, everyone saw a messy pile of withered grass and cloth strips. A yellow and white kitten was lying in the pile of grass, its tail trembling.

“It’s just a kitten, and it scared Qing Pu,” Bai Yun laughed. Qing Pu was usually calm and quiet, so it was rare to see her frightened.

Everyone laughed along.

Jin Chao said to her: “When you used to go to the farm with Grandmother, you even dared to catch poisonous snakes. Now your courage has diminished.”

Qing Pu’s face reddened slightly; it had been years since she had seen a snake.

“Miss, what should we do with this cat?” Yu Zhu asked.

Jin Chao wasn’t sure: “The mother cat probably found the greenhouse warm and came in to make a nest. Let’s wait and see if she comes back to take it away.”

Yu Zhu whispered: “I heard my grandmother say that if a kitten is seen by humans, the mother cat won’t want it anymore…”

Jin Chao decided to wait and see, not disturbing the kitten and moved the flower shelf back to its original position. However, the mother cat didn’t return all day. The kitten mewed pitifully from hunger, and by noon the next day, its cries had weakened.

Jin Chao thought for a moment, then said to Yu Zhu: “Let’s take it out. Find a basket and line it with several layers of cotton cloth for its bed.”

Yu Zhu had been anxious all day, rushing into the greenhouse whenever she heard the kitten cry, almost desperate to pick it up and pet it. Now, hearing Jin Chao’s words, she was overjoyed and said: “This slave will go right away!” She found a basket in the side room and ran to the greenhouse.

When Lady Tong arrived, she saw the unsteady kitten lapping at cow’s milk in the basket. Yu Zhu was crouching nearby, watching it with arms wrapped around her shoulders.

Jin Chao sat on the kang doing needlework, working on an embroidered handkerchief with a pattern of babies playing with lotus flowers, an assignment from Master Xue.

“Is Miss starting to keep a cat?” Lady Tong examined the kitten and said: “But why choose such a young kitten? This slave could find you a white Persian cat instead.”

Jin Chao smiled, “We found it in the greenhouse yesterday, so I thought we might as well keep it.” She had no desire to spend time tending to a precious cat. She put down her small embroidery frame and asked Lady Tong what matter brought her here.

Lady Tong’s expression turned serious: “This slave has heard that last night, Madam couldn’t sleep at all and was coughing severely… I fear her condition has worsened again.”

Jin Chao looked up in surprise, gripping the needle tightly in her hand. Today was the fourth day of the third month… In her previous life, her mother had died just over a month later!

She had thought her mother’s condition had improved considerably. Hadn’t Doctor Liu said that with proper care she could still have several years? How had her condition deteriorated so quickly? She quickly asked Lady Tong: “Has Doctor Liu been called to examine her?”

Lady Tong replied: “Madam asked the young ladies to keep it secret. If this slave hadn’t gotten information from the sweeping woman, we wouldn’t even know… There’s no way she would make a fuss by inviting Doctor Liu.”

Jin Chao bit her lip. Qing Pu suddenly cried out: “Miss, quickly release your hand!”

She had gripped her hand so tightly that the embroidery needle had pierced her flesh, but Jin Chao hadn’t felt any pain. Lady Tong was also startled and hurriedly pried open the Miss’s hand, letting Qing Pu remove the needle. Blood immediately welled up.

Yu Tong and Yu Zhu ran out to find medicine to stop the bleeding, but Jin Chao took a piece of cloth nearby and wiped the blood, telling them to come back: “It’s just a small wound, no need for medicine. Lady Tong, go inform my father now and send a carriage to fetch Doctor Liu. Qing Pu, come with me to my mother.”

As she stood up, she felt a chill in her heart. It was all her fault… She had thought her mother was no longer in serious condition and hadn’t paid enough attention to her illness these past few months. Would her mother still die on the eighteenth of the fourth month? Would she have to watch helplessly again?

Absolutely not!

Lady Tong didn’t hesitate and immediately went to Ju Liu Pavilion. Jin Chao, accompanied by Qing Pu, went to see Ji Shi.

Before they even entered the room, they could hear Ji Shi’s suppressed, hoarse coughing. Jin Chao remembered that when she visited yesterday, her mother had pretended to be fine and accompanied her for an hour. Who knew how much suffering she had endured?

Mo Yu was standing in the corridor but didn’t have time to stop Gu Jin Chao from rushing in.

Passing through the curtains, Jin Chao saw Ji Shi bent over the edge of the bed, coughing severely. Madame Xu beside her was patting her back.

After Ji Shi caught her breath, she saw her daughter silently watching her and softly asked Madame Xu to bring a stool for Jin Chao.

“I just didn’t want to worry you needlessly… I cannot be cured,” Ji Shi explained with a faint smile.

Jin Chao felt a lump in her throat and pressed her lips together tightly, afraid she might cry.

Shortly after, several concubines arrived upon hearing the news. They expressed their concern, helped serve hot tea, prepare medicine, and massage Ji Shi’s back, finally helping her feel somewhat relieved. After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Doctor Liu arrives with her father, carrying his medicine box.

Gu De Zhao approached Ji Shi’s bedside and first asked the concubines to leave before gesturing for Doctor Liu to take her pulse. Ji Shi didn’t want to look at him, but Gu De Zhao kept staring at her, then slowly said to Jin Chao: “You should step outside too.”

Jin Chao glanced at Doctor Liu. The old man stroked his beard and nodded to her, so she bowed and withdrew.

“The honorable Madam suffers from anxiety and melancholy, which has developed into illness. Combined with recent poor diet, spleen deficiency, and stomach coldness, this has caused her condition to relapse,” Doctor Liu told Gu De Zhao. “The honorable Madam is weak, and I dare not prescribe strong medicine now. If her illness worsens further, this old man will be at a loss… I can only prescribe some tonics and recommend attention to a nourishing and gentle diet.”

Gu De Zhao was silent for a moment; her illness had become so severe. He thanked Doctor Liu and asked him to leave first, then quietly faced Ji Shi for a long time before asking: “You still don’t like me taking concubines, do you…”

Ji Shi closed her eyes and smiled: “Whether I like it or not… does it matter?”

“Although Luo Su was brought back by Jin Chao, I know it was your idea. I thought you agreed…” Gu De Zhao sighed heavily, “Actually, I don’t like this personality of yours, saying one thing while thinking another, as if I’ve wronged you.”

After saying this, he strode out of the inner chamber.

Ji Shi opened her eyes and looked in the direction he had left… When he first took Concubine Song Miao Hua, she hadn’t objected. Later, she helped him elevate Concubine Du, Concubine Guo, and Concubine Yun, without a word of complaint. These matters… she knew clearly that her willingness had never been a factor. She thought this was being virtuous—helping him manage the household, helping him expand the family, helping him marry beautiful women.

What more did he want from her?