“…I’ve brought Li Fu to be your attendant, but have you chosen someone for your sponsor and hairpin ceremony yet?” Lady Li asked Gu Lan.
Gu Lan looked at Li Fu first and complimented her: “This is my first time meeting Second Miss Li. You’re truly beautiful!”
Li Fu smiled with pursed lips but didn’t speak.
“Father selected my elder sister as my sponsor,” Gu Lan said, glancing at Gu Jin Chao who was drinking tea, her tone completely calm.
“He chose Miss Gu?” Lady Li seemed surprised.
Jin Chao nearly choked. She thought silently, *Keep talking about your business, but must you prevent me from enjoying my tea in peace…*
She looked up to see that both Lady Wen and Lady Li had withdrawn their smiles. They thought her character made her unfit to be Gu Lan’s sponsor.
This was father’s decision, and she didn’t even want to do it!
Jin Chao set down her teacup and said indifferently: “If Lan’er doesn’t want me, I can speak to Father about finding someone else.”
Gu Lan’s expression turned somewhat pitiful: “Elder Sister, please don’t misunderstand. I never meant I didn’t want you as my sponsor. Please don’t take it the wrong way…” Her expression was timid as if she feared Jin Chao might swallow her whole.
Before Concubine Song could speak, Lady Wen’s face darkened. She placed her hand over Gu Lan’s to comfort her and said to Jin Chao: “Please understand, First Miss. Our Lan’er meant nothing by it. She simply doesn’t express herself well. She has no other intentions.”
Jin Chao smiled at Lady Wen: “How could I hold a grudge against Lan’er?” She affectionately put her arm around Gu Lan’s shoulders and said: “I was only joking. Lan’er and I have always been the closest of sisters. Isn’t that right?” She winked at Gu Lan.
Gu Lan’s entire body stiffened. She found Jin Chao’s hand on her shoulder extremely uncomfortable, but couldn’t make a scene in front of others, so she reluctantly nodded.
Jin Chao withdrew her hand, lifted the tea lid, and gently blew on the tea before taking a small sip, the picture of elegance.
Surprised by Jin Chao’s quick change in demeanor, Gu Lan and Lady Wen were momentarily speechless.
Just then, Bai Yun walked along the corridor, first paying respects to the ladies and the concubine, then addressing Jin Chao: “First Miss! Lady Ji has arrived!”
Jin Chao put down her teacup with delight: “Grandmother came personally? How did she find the time to visit?”
Bai Yun explained: “Lady Ji came specifically to bring congratulatory gifts for Second Miss. She said she would also see you and the Madam. She’s in the Madam’s courtyard now!”
“Lady Ji? The Lady of the Ji family from Tongzhou?” Lady Li interjected with surprise.
Bai Yun nodded in response: “Indeed. Our First Miss’s maternal family is the Ji family of Tongzhou.”
The expressions of both ladies inevitably changed.
They had never paid much attention to the Gu family affairs. Although they knew there was still a Madam in the Gu household, in their eyes, Madam was practically dead, and Concubine Song was just waiting to be elevated to proper status.
Who would have thought… the Gu family Madam was from the Ji family of Tongzhou? No wonder Concubine Song never mentioned it to them!
If that Madam was from the Ji family of Tongzhou, then Concubine Song’s chances of being promoted were considerably diminished…
Jin Chao said to Gu Lan: “Since Grandmother has personally come to bring you congratulatory gifts, you must go see her!” Then she turned to the two ladies with a smile: “If you’d like, why not come along with me to meet her?”
Both women were naturally willing.
Even if Jin Chao hadn’t suggested it, Lady Wen and Lady Li would have found a way to go see her.
Being acquainted with Lady Ji would make future business dealings much more convenient. The Ji family was among the wealthiest in Yanjing, with countless businesses, fields, properties, and transportation routes connecting north and south. Their shipping business alone earned tens of thousands of silver taels annually!
Concubine Song’s expression darkened, but she couldn’t openly prevent the two ladies from meeting Lady Ji. She only sent her maid Qiao Wei to accompany them, saying she feared the ladies might be uncomfortable and needed someone to attend to them on the way.
At the entrance to Xie Xiao Courtyard, Housekeeper Xu stood waiting with her hands down under the corridor, informing Jin Chao that her mother was having a private conversation with her grandmother inside, while Mo Yu and Mo Mei were waiting outside. She instructed Mo Yu to escort the two ladies to the western side room to wait.
Grandmother hadn’t seen Mother for a long time, so naturally they had much to discuss.
As the group headed toward the western side room, they noticed ten or more maids and servants standing in the corridor, along with three solemn-faced stewards. All stood facing the door with hands lowered, not a single whisper among them.
Lady Wen quietly asked Mo Yu: “Miss, does your Madam have so many maids and servants attending her?”
Mo Yu smiled: “Madam misunderstands. These are Lady Ji’s attendants.”
Lady Wen couldn’t help but admire them: “…Judging by their dress and bearing, they are no ordinary servants.”
She was secretly amazed that Lady Ji’s attendants included stewards! They had entered the inner courtyard with her without any reservation, which meant they must be indentured servants who had signed lifetime contracts. She’d heard that Lady Ji had absolute authority in the Ji family, and it certainly seemed true.
Lady Li glanced at Lady Wen.
They waited in the side room for barely half an hour before Mother and Grandmother finished their conversation. Housekeeper Xu personally came to invite them over.
Jin Chao first introduced Concubine Song’s two sisters to her grandmother. Ji Wu Shi wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, merely nodding with a slight smile as acknowledgment.
Lady Wen smiled and flattered Ji Wu Shi: “…I’ve long heard of your reputation, but only today have I had the honor of meeting you!”
Lady Li’s lips curled into a cold smile, but she said nothing.
Ji Shi lay on the large kang bed, covered with a brocade quilt embroidered with cloud and wild goose patterns. Her constitution was weak, and though early summer had arrived, she couldn’t keep warm. At night, she still needed heated hand warmers. Unable to rise easily, she simply smiled and greeted the two ladies.
Gu Lan stood behind, watching her two aunts expressionlessly. Then she heard Ji Wu Shi speak: “This child Lan’er, after not seeing me for just a year, acts as if she doesn’t recognize me…”
Ji Wu Shi smiled at her, but her gaze was piercing.
She was reproaching her for not greeting the two women, showing a lack of manners.
Jin Chao tugged at her, urging her to step forward and pay respects to Grandmother. Gu Lan was extremely reluctant—Ji Wu Shi was only Jin Chao’s grandmother, what did that have to do with her? She didn’t care to call her anything!
Her voice was almost through gritted teeth: “…Grandmother, I hope you’re well.”
“Lan’er grows more beautiful by the day. She’s about to have her coming-of-age ceremony, shouldn’t she be betrothed soon?” Ji Wu Shi smiled and asked Mother.
Mother smiled: “She’s not yet engaged. Perhaps you might know of someone suitable for our Lan’er?”
Gu Lan said softly: “Mother, don’t worry. Father will make his own decisions about my marriage. How could we trouble Grandmother with this? Besides, Elder Sister’s marriage hasn’t been arranged yet. I think day and night about Elder Sister marrying first, and only then will I marry. Otherwise, wouldn’t I be disrespecting Elder Sister? If Grandmother is concerned about my marriage, she might better keep an eye out for Elder Sister. Her situation is more urgent than mine…”
Ji Wu Shi’s face darkened. Was Gu Lan mocking Jin Chao for not having good marriage prospects and being unable to marry?
Jin Chao didn’t want Ji Wu Shi to quibble with Gu Lan. It was just a minor verbal advantage, which didn’t matter. She feared it would ruin Grandmother’s good mood in visiting them. So she smiled and held Ji Wu Shi’s hand, saying: “Don’t worry. If I don’t marry in the future, I’ll just live with you!”
Ji Wu Shi smiled at her: “What nonsense are you talking about? How could a girl not marry…”
After speaking, Ji Wu Shi turned her head and coldly stared at Gu Lan again.
Gu Lan felt her scalp tingle under that gaze. Ji Wu Shi was naturally stern, and when she appeared intimidating like this, no inner courtyard madam could compare.
A moment later, Ji Wu Shi turned her gaze away and smiled again: “I am your grandmother, of course, I’m concerned about your marriage. It wouldn’t be good if some dull-witted, foolish person were to marry you.” She beckoned Housekeeper Song over, “Go, tell Steward Zhu to bring in the gifts I’ve prepared for Lan’er.”
Gu Lan’s heart skipped a beat… What did Ji Wu Shi mean? Did she know about the Mu family’s marriage proposal? How did she find out?
She looked at Ji Shi, who certainly must know about it. The two of them had been talking for so long inside—were they discussing her?
While Gu Lan was pondering this, four servants carried in two loads of items.
The first load contained a foot-tall jade Buddha carved from emerald jade. The second load held various gold-plated hairpins and gem-inlaid silver ornaments. The two loads of gifts were worth no less than a thousand taels, making Lady Wen and Lady Li stare in amazement. They had never seen such extravagant coming-of-age gifts!
Such a large emerald jade Buddha, and of such fine quality—even if made into bracelets, it would be top-grade, let alone a Buddha statue!
And those ornaments, each exquisitely crafted, shimmering brilliantly in their brocade boxes, were dazzling to the eye.
Lady Wen smiled at Gu Lan: “Your grandmother treats you so well. Look how many coming-of-age gifts she has given you.”
Ji Wu Shi said: “It’s not much. I’ve noticed you usually dress simply, so I wanted to give you more adornments. You often recite scriptures and worship Buddha, so may Buddha bless you. It would be best if you could do more good deeds.”
Looking at the gifts, Gu Lan felt extremely uncomfortable. These things weren’t gifts to her; they were being forced upon her!
And what did those words mean? Was she paying off a beggar? Or mocking her for her vicious heart?
Ji Wu Shi observed their expressions and felt that Gu Lan’s nature was indeed too narrow-minded. If it had been her, she would have accepted the gifts graciously and thanked her with a smile. She turned to speak with Jin Chao: “Now that I’ve seen your mother and given your sister her coming-of-age gifts, I should return home. After all, I can’t be away from household affairs for too long. If you miss this old woman, you must come visit me.”
Jin Chao looked at her grandmother with great affection, winked at her, and said: “Then I’d have to go to Tongzhou every day!”
Both Ji Wu Shi and Mother laughed.
Lady Li and Lady Wen naturally had to take their leave. Walking with Gu Lan on the stone path, Lady Wen continued: “Your grandmother truly treats you well, sending so many gifts. You should be filial to her in return!”
Gu Lan, already full of anger, felt even more irritated hearing Lady Wen speak this way. She couldn’t help giving Lady Wen a cold look. This aunt of hers might be warm and friendly, but she was rather brainless…
Fortunately, Lady Wen was talking to herself and didn’t notice Gu Lan’s expression.