Concubine Song clasped her hands together lightly before slipping them into her sleeves, smiling as she walked over.
Jin Chao stood up, bowed, and said: “Of course, not just me, Sister Xier and Sister Yier have also prepared birthday gifts. You must look at them carefully.”
As they were talking, Shui Ying announced from outside: “Master, the Second Young Lady has arrived.”
Gu Lan entered, followed by servants carrying a screen, draped with a gray cloth that concealed what was inside.
She smiled as she performed her greetings one by one, then said to Jin Chao: “Elder Sister and the two younger sisters came so early, while I overslept.”
Jin Chao merely smiled without speaking. Seeing Jin Chao’s silence, Gu Yi and Gu Xie naturally just bowed without saying anything.
Gu De Zhao sat down and said: “Sister Chao has brought birthday gifts, and I must see them.” He showed no intention of acknowledging Gu Lan.
Gu Jin Chao had Qing Pu hand her the scroll, which she unrolled for her father to see. Cao Zi Heng had selected Master Cao You Xuan’s “Ancient Pines of Cold Mountain.” Gu De Zhao greatly praised it after viewing: “…Cao You Xuan’s pine paintings embody lofty aspirations; his late works are especially magnificent yet simple, with a sparse, elegant, and refreshing style.”
Cao You Xuan, along with Ni Zan from Wuxi and Gu Ying from Kunshan, was considered one of the three great scholars of Jiangnan. Although he served in official positions and possessed great wealth, he inherently valued tranquility and self-cultivation disliked clamor, and was particularly fond of moral philosophy. This aligned perfectly with Gu De Zhao’s inclinations, which is why he greatly appreciated Cao You Xuan’s paintings.
Gu Jin Chao knew her father was deliberately trying to please her, so she just smiled. While the painting suited his taste—thanks to Cao Zi Heng’s selection—in terms of effort, she could be considered the least attentive among the sisters.
When it came to Gu Lan’s gift, she removed the gray cloth, and everyone saw it was a screen embroidered with text. Jin Chao read a few lines and realized Gu Lan had embroidered the first twenty verses of “Dao De Jing.” Gu Yi also noticed and felt somewhat rueful—fortunately, Elder Sister had recommended “The Peng Bird Rhapsody” to her; otherwise, how could her handwritten “Dao De Jing” compare to Gu Lan’s stitch-by-stitch embroidery?
Gu De Zhao was quite moved after seeing it. If nothing else, her sincere intentions were commendable. She had specifically chosen “Dao De Jing” to embroider, clearly aiming to please his preferences.
“It’s embroidered very meticulously. You’ve gone to great trouble,” Gu De Zhao smiled and nodded to Gu Lan.
Gu Lan secretly sighed in relief and winked at Song Miaohua.
Since Gu Yi had recently become engaged, Gu De Zhao had been seeing more of her lately. He smiled and asked: “What does Sister Yier have for Father?”
Gu Yi said softly: “I cannot compare to Elder Sister and Second Sister. I’ve only copied a rhapsody for Father.” She unrolled the mounted scroll, which displayed a neat and graceful small seal script that exuded an ancient simplicity. “It’s ‘The Peng Bird Rhapsody’; your daughter enjoyed reading it.”
Gu De Zhao was delighted upon seeing it and couldn’t help but praise her repeatedly. “Our father-daughter minds think alike. I also admire this ‘Peng Bird Rhapsody.’ Your small seal script is excellent. I remember your regular script was only average, so you must have worked hard to practice small seal script…”
This was his favorite rhapsody. Though it might seem that embroidered text showed more effort than written text, Gu Yi had never excelled at calligraphy, and practicing small seal script demonstrated considerable dedication. Moreover, the “Dao De Jing,” as a Daoist classic, was somewhat diminished by being made into women’s embroidery, though he couldn’t say so since his daughter had created it. Writing it in such a proper and rigorous manner made it suitable for display.
From her father’s expression, it was clear he genuinely appreciated the gift. Seeing him lavish praise on Gu Yi’s calligraphy, Gu Lan’s heart sank slightly.
She had put in the most effort, yet Gu Yi received more praise…
After receiving Gu Xie’s gift and offering a few words of praise, her father took his servants to the outer courtyard to receive guests. Concubine Song immediately recognized that Gu Lan had not truly won Gu De Zhao’s favor or resolved their differences; instead, he had developed a slight distaste for her, which made Concubine Song feel very indignant.
She glanced at Gu Yi’s calligraphy. What “Peng Bird Rhapsody”? Gu Yi had only studied with a primary tutor for a few years and barely knew a few characters. She claimed to love “The Peng Bird Rhapsody”—could she even understand it?
If no one had told her about it, how could she have thought of it?
She looked at Gu Jin Chao, who was calmly drinking tea. Jin Chao looked up and met Concubine Song’s gaze, smiling faintly: “Why is Concubine looking at me as if she wants to devour me alive? I’m quite frightened.”
Gu Lan also realized the truth and her smile faded as she looked at Gu Yi: “Third Sister’s rhapsody was chosen by Elder Sister, wasn’t it? I like it too.”
Jin Chao set down her teacup, pressed Gu Yi’s hand, and said gently to Gu Lan: “To make ‘Dao De Jing’ into embroidery somewhat diminishes its sacred name. Of course, you should appreciate what Sister Yier has written.” She was defending Gu Yi.
Gu Yi felt touched and unconsciously held Jin Chao’s hand.
“Second Lady is visiting Mother right now. I must leave first,” Jin Chao said, then departed from Ju Liu Pavilion with Gu Yi and Gu Xie.
For their father’s birthday, the Fifth Master Gu from the ancestral family had come to the dinner, and the Second Lady had also come to visit their mother. When Jin Chao arrived at Xie Xiao Court, the Second Lady was talking with her mother. Seeing her and her two sisters approach, Mother hurriedly asked them to pay their respects to the Second Lady.
Second Lady smiled as she asked them to rise, then rewarded each with a gift contained in sandalwood boxes. “When you last visited the Venerable Lady, I didn’t give you welcome gifts. Now I must make up for it.”
Jin Chao accepted hers with thanks. Gu Yi and Gu Xie also expressed their gratitude. Second Lady pulled Gu Yi close: “I heard you’re engaged to the sixth young master of the Du family from Wuqing. That young master is handsome and talented, studies well, and will certainly have a promising future…”
Lady Ji also smiled and said: “I think it’s good too. Sister Yier is already engaged, but I don’t know when our Sister Lan will be…” She held Jin Chao’s hand, smiling somewhat sadly.
Jin Chao felt her heart tighten and gripped her mother’s hand in return. After stopping the use of rhubarb, she didn’t cough as much, but her health hadn’t improved significantly.
“Sister Chao is as beautiful as a flower; naturally, there’s nothing to worry about,” Second Lady consoled Lady Ji. “I’ll also keep an eye out for suitable matches for our Sister Chao.”
Jin Chao smiled and said: “I’d rather stay with Mother forever and not marry.”
Speaking of marriage, for some reason, she thought of Chen Xuan Qing’s cold face.
Lady Ji sighed and said: “You still talk as if you haven’t grown up.”
Concubine Song returned to Lin Yan Pavilion with a gloomy expression. Qiao Wei was waiting for her under the covered corridor. Seeing her approach, she bowed and said: “Concubine… the person has been found.”
Concubine Song looked up in surprise—they had found her! She had merely asked Qiao Wei to try searching, thinking the maid might have died, married elsewhere, or changed her name after marriage—who could know? Yet somehow, they had found her.
She took a deep breath to suppress her excitement and said: “Come in and tell me.”
Once inside, Qiao Wei closed the door and explained how she had found Yu Ping.
“Shuntian Prefecture has only three Li’s sugar-roasted chestnut shops. I inquired carefully; they’re all established businesses that have been open for over ten years. I searched around them and found her near one of these shops. Maids’ names are usually given by their masters, and when they return home, they typically revert to their original names. But Yu Ping was different—her parents died early, and after she returned, her brother sold her again to be the wife of an elderly widower, and she still went by the name Yu Ping.”
“That widower was originally a peddler selling fermented rice drink in the area, known to everyone as he traveled the streets. Later, he became acquainted with the son of the local county secretary, became prosperous, and had enough money to buy Yu Ping as his wife. After Yu Ping bore him a daughter, he bought a fourteen-year-old girl as his concubine. The man has a terrible temper and frequently beats and scolds Yu Ping and the young concubine. That’s why everyone in that area knows Yu Ping—just one inquiry revealed her whereabouts. When I arrived, Yu Ping was being beaten and scolded for some trivial matter. I gave him twenty taels of silver before he would allow Yu Ping to return with me.”
Concubine Song nodded repeatedly: “This was well done… Where is she now?”
Qiao Wei smiled: “I asked her to wash up, and Yu Xiang is bringing her to see you. By my calculation, they should arrive soon.”
Sure enough, Yu Xiang soon brought Yu Ping. Yu Ping was not yet thirty but looked as worn as a forty-year-old. Upon seeing Concubine Song, she immediately performed a deep bow, expressing her gratitude for the rescue, speaking somewhat incoherently.
Concubine Song put down her teacup, stood up, and examined her carefully. She did look familiar, but Concubine Song couldn’t quite remember Yu Ping’s appearance clearly. She asked: “You used to serve Concubine Yun. Do you remember what Concubine Yun liked to eat?”
Yu Ping nodded hurriedly, wiping her tears: “I remember… Concubine Yun liked osmanthus sugar cookies and milk with poria cocos cream.”
After hearing this, Song Miaohua was certain—this person truly was someone who had served Concubine Yun years ago!
She continued: “When you came, Qiao Wei should have explained everything clearly. Are you willing to come forward and expose Lady Ji?”
Yu Ping hesitated slightly.
Song Miaohua frowned.
Qiao Wei noticed and spoke up: “We discussed this thoroughly on our way here. If you expose the Lady, we’ll help you obtain a divorce letter from your husband. You can take your daughter back to your family home and won’t have to suffer his abuse anymore.”
Yu Ping tucked a strand of hair that had fallen loose and asked quietly: “Will… will he give it? He knows the county secretary’s son…”
Qiao Wei smiled: “This is the household of Imperial Physician Gu. Your husband merely knows the son of a minor county secretary—how would he dare disobey us! We’ll also give you several dozen taels of silver to buy some farmland in your hometown. You’ll manage well enough.”
Yu Ping quietly added: “Actually, regarding what happened back then… I was only speculating. After all, someone besides the Lady could have sneaked in. When I told Old Zhang about it, I only presented it as speculation. Who would have thought that once she mentioned it, it truly became a case of the Lady harming the Concubine…”
Song Miaohua sat down again and smiled: “That’s not the right way to think about it. Consider this: you were originally Concubine Yun’s maid, so you should seek justice for her. Otherwise, wouldn’t her death and that of her unborn child be too tragic? In your midnight dreams, haven’t you ever seen Concubine Yun returning to find you, child in arms?”
Yu Ping shuddered slightly. Song Miaohua said no more, picking up her teacup and continuing to drink.
She would come around eventually.