Last night’s commotion was considerable. By daybreak, all the concubines knew about the matter. Concubine Luo came specifically to visit but didn’t dare say anything, merely sitting to the side drinking tea. Gu Jin Chao remained by her mother’s side, talking with her.

At Tong Ruo Tower, Concubine Guo heard the news and fell into deep thought for quite some time. Then she went downstairs to chat with Concubine Du, who was sitting in the main hall reciting Buddhist scriptures. She had placed a statue of the Great Compassionate Guanyin in the main hall and had been burning incense and reciting sutras for years.

A maid served tea. Concubine Guo took it in her hands but spoke to Concubine Du: “Shall we go and offer some supportive words? Over the years, the Madam has treated us well. As for harming Concubine Yun, I find it rather unlikely.”

Concubine Du mumbled her scripture recitations, but her mind was on Song Miaohua’s words. She shook her head and said: “Don’t get involved. You’ve always been one to stay out of trouble; don’t fall into it now. Whether it’s the Madam or Concubine Song… are they someone we can compare to?”

Concubine Guo thought about it and agreed. If Concubine Du wouldn’t get involved, how could she speak up? So she paid her customary respects to Lady Ji, then returned to Tong Ruo Tower as if nothing had happened.

Gu De Zhao still hadn’t come.

Lady Ji soon became tired. She hadn’t rested well the night before, and lay with her eyes open, watching the sunlight filtering through the latticed windows. Though extremely tired, she felt no trace of sleepiness. Seeing Jin Chao’s concern, she smiled at her, “I remember what you said last night. Yu Ping’s situation isn’t so simple. I will tell your father about it…”

Jin Chao noticed her mother’s hand constantly pinching the corner of the brocade quilt and knew her heart was far from at ease.

Lady Ji looked at Gu Jin Chao for a long time without shifting her gaze, then released the quilt and reached out to hold her hand tightly, smiling as she said: “My Chao girl has become even more capable than her mother. You resemble your maternal grandmother more… I wonder if you saw your cousin Ji Yao when you last visited your grandmother’s home…”

Grandmother must have told Mother about her wish for Ji Yao to marry her.

Jin Chao said, “I did see him.”

Lady Ji nodded with a smile, “Ji Yao is talented and handsome, and has a gentle and respectful personality… Although you’ve never liked him, he is truly a good match.”

Jin Chao gave a bitter smile: “Mother, what are you saying? If you prefer Cousin Ji Yao so much, I can ask Grandmother to have him come to keep you company.”

Lady Ji laughed and squeezed her hand: “Besides my Jin Chao, I don’t like anyone else.”

At that moment, Madam Xu lifted the curtain and entered the west side room, bowing as she said: “Madam, the Master has arrived.”

Jin Chao looked at the slightly slanting sunset outside the window and felt relieved. Once her mother cleared things up with her father, she wouldn’t feel so anxious.

As she stood up, Gu De Zhao entered. Jin Chao glanced at him—his expression was far from pleasant. She bowed and said: “Father, you are well. It’s rare for you to visit Mother. Mother is gravely ill; please speak with her for a while… it would ease her heart.”

Her father must know what happened last night. She was advising him to be mindful of her mother’s health.

Gu De Zhao couldn’t maintain a stern face toward Jin Chao. He nodded and said: “You and Madam Xu go outside. I want to speak with your mother alone for a while.”

The latticed door of the west side room closed, and Gu Jin Chao walked to the entrance of the main hall, where a maid brought an embroidered stool for her to sit on.

Gu De Zhao looked at Lady Ji for a long time.

She was no longer young, her face waxy, yellow, and gaunt, with crossed blue veins visible on the hand resting on the brocade quilt. Among her black hair, several strands of white were hidden in her small bun. When he first saw her, she had been so delicate and radiant. Where had that Ji Han gone?

How had the years passed so quickly? While Song Miaohua was still young and beautiful, she had aged like this.

Thinking of this, Gu De Zhao couldn’t help but feel sentimental. He had spent so long in Ju Liu Pavilion thinking about his past with Lady Ji and Concubine Yun. But whenever he recalled Concubine Yun’s blood-stained body at her death, her pale and miserable appearance, his anger toward Lady Ji would resurface. No matter how ill she became, he felt an almost malicious sense that Lady Ji had brought it upon herself.

He finally spoke: “You must know about last night’s events. Chao’er intercepted Yu Ping at the side gate; the guards told me.”

Lady Ji looked at his face. Gu De Zhao was nearing forty, yet appeared even more steady and handsome. No wonder Concubine Luo was so devoted to him.

She nodded: “I know. My lord, please sit down to talk.”

Gu De Zhao said coldly: “Sit down? Never mind, I’ll say a few words and leave.”

He kept staring at Lady Ji, still unable to comprehend how she could have harmed Yun Xiang, who had always treated her so well!

“I ask you, did you switch Yun Xiang’s medicine, causing her death?” Gu De Zhao finally asked after looking at her for a long time.

Lady Ji smiled bitterly: “My lord, you’ve believed Concubine Song’s words and think I harmed Yun Xiang?” She took a deep breath. Even though Jin Chao had warned her about this matter, Gu De Zhao’s cold face still made her feel chilled to the bone.

How easily he was swayed by Song Miaohua, how readily he believed Yu Ping’s words. She had been married to him for twenty years—weren’t those twenty years enough for Gu De Zhao to understand what kind of person she was?

“Chao’er has already asked about it. Yu Ping wasn’t someone Song Miaohua met by chance; she went to great lengths to find her to frame me. Otherwise, why would she send her away in the middle of the night… My lord, please think this through clearly.”

Hearing this, Gu De Zhao laughed coldly: “Regardless of how Song Miaohua found this maid, I believe she’s telling the truth. Do you think this is the first time I’ve suspected you? I know others don’t believe you would harm Yun Xiang. But don’t I understand you? You didn’t harm Concubine Song because she didn’t threaten you. But Yun Xiang was different… I… I truly cared for her, and you could see that, which is why you were wary of her!”

Lady Ji, hearing Gu De Zhao’s words, was so angry she had to take a deep breath before continuing: “She grew up serving me from childhood and was utterly loyal to me. How could I possibly want to harm her?”

She had indeed felt uneasy about Gu De Zhao’s affection for Yun Xiang at the time, but would never have harmed her.

Gu De Zhao spoke slowly: “People change. You were afraid. When Rong’er was just born, it was Yun Xiang who always took care of him. You saw how close Rong’er was to Yun Xiang and were displeased, so you punished Yun Xiang by sending her to work in the small kitchen. Only months later did you let her return, but by then you had given Rong’er to Yu Ping to care for. Do you admit this?”

Lady Ji suddenly felt extremely weary. She closed her eyes, then opened them again before explaining: “Any mother would dislike her child being closer to someone else than to herself… I… naturally had my selfish desires. She was good to Chao’er and Rong’er, but I wasn’t particularly pleased to see it. They are my children, and even if I entrusted them to nursemaids, they shouldn’t have been so close to Yun Xiang…”

Besides, at that time, Gu De Zhao’s heart was complete with Yun Xiang—how could she not have noticed?

She was human, and Gu De Zhao’s wife. How could she not be jealous?

Hearing her say this, Gu De Zhao’s tone grew even heavier: “…Those two maids were originally your confidantes. When Concubine Yun died because of Cui Ping, I suspected you then. You were extremely sorrowful, saying you might as well join Yun Xiang. I watched you cry for half a day, yet you wouldn’t even look at Yun Xiang’s remains. I knew what you were thinking! If you were truly so close to her, why didn’t you join her?”

His words were truly venomous! Lady Ji pressed her lips tightly together. Gu De Zhao had suspected her early on!

She was jealous of Yun Xiang, jealous that she died so young that Gu De Zhao would remember her for a lifetime. She didn’t want to see Yun Xiang in death; she admitted all this. After Yun Xiang became pregnant, she wasn’t as close to her as before. But… she would never harm her! After all, they still had a mistress-servant relationship, and after all, she was carrying Gu De Zhao’s child…

“If you truly don’t believe me, there’s nothing more I can say…” Lady Ji said softly.

Gu De Zhao laughed coldly: “Your personality has always been disagreeable. Don’t always act as if you’re the wronged one. Even if we don’t speak of Yun Xiang’s death… how could your illness relapse three or four times? Wasn’t it something you created yourself? You wanted to compete with Concubine Song for favor, so you put rhubarb in your own medicine and even incited Chao’er to make trouble for her… Concubine Song has been managing the inner household for you, which is already quite difficult. Why do you always go against her?”

“You always say you elevated concubines for me. After elevating them, you come to play the victim. Let me ask you, these concubines, including Yun Xiang—did I ask for them to be elevated? You claim the reputation of being virtuous while also being the wronged party. You’ve taken all the advantages.”

Lady Ji looked up at him, but her eyes were blurry with tears, unable to see clearly.

She couldn’t even see this man anymore!

She had been married to Gu De Zhao for twenty years. Five years earlier, when she couldn’t bear children, she had sought medical help everywhere. Just as she became pregnant with Jin Chao, he had taken a fancy to Song Miaohua. Could she have refused to help him take Song Miaohua as a concubine? He had gone to the Song family for a banquet and was seen walking with their third daughter in the corridor, with Song Miaohua not bringing a single maid—if that wasn’t an affair, what was it? He wasn’t afraid of ruining Song Miaohua’s reputation, but she feared it would harm his reputation and affect his official career.

While still pregnant with Jin Chao, she helped arrange his marriage and set up Song Miaohua’s courtyard.

Seeing that the two-chamber attendants serving Gu De Zhao weren’t having an easy time, especially with his particular fondness for the maid surnamed Du, she had elevated her to concubine status to avoid complications if she became pregnant.

She had done so much for him… did he think she only did it to gain a reputation for virtue?

Lady Ji felt she should be deeply grieved, yet strangely, she felt nothing at all. Her hands just trembled too much to grasp the quilt, and a pressure in her chest made it hard to breathe. She closed her eyes, and tears slid from the corners of her eyes into her temples, feeling extremely cold.

It seemed that nothing she could say would matter anymore—no sentiment. Gu De Zhao had been with her for twenty years, yet he misunderstood her so completely.

Lady Ji murmured: “Although I no longer trusted Yun Xiang, I didn’t harm her… And the rhubarb wasn’t something I put in my medicine; it was Concubine Song’s doing… I just never thought to tell you about it… Why won’t you believe me?”

Gu De Zhao sighed: “For me to believe you, do you think you’re trustworthy? All these years I’ve been distancing myself from you, not only because of Concubine Yun’s death but also because of your personality. If your illness had truly attacked, you would have died several times over. You know yourself how strange this illness is… Don’t use your illness to compete for a favor; it makes me despise you even more.”

It took Lady Ji a long time to recover her senses. Upon hearing his final words, she merely smiled.

Using her illness to compete for a favor? How could he think such a thing?

She had spent her youth on this man, while Gu De Zhao had one concubine after another.

Lady Ji turned her head to look at the half-open latticed door, where a cluster of poppies was in full bloom outside.

Year after year, the flowers are similar; year after year, people change.

Gu De Zhao finally said coldly: “Concubine Yun is dead after all. If you still have any conscience, you should feel remorse every night!”

With his hands behind his back, he looked at Lady Ji silently. “The affection between us as husband and wife is gone forever. Ji Han, you should focus on recovering from your illness and not cause any more trouble… Actually, in my study, I’ve written several divorce papers, but in the end, I burned them all. If not for you, then for Chao’er. She will eventually marry…”

Gu De Zhao left Xie Xiao Courtyard.

Lady Ji stared blankly at the flowers outside the window. The sunlight slanted in, yet she couldn’t feel a hint of warmth.