The steward received the orders and hurriedly went to Shi’an County to purchase funeral supplies. Mother had just gone through the minor encoffining, with Mo Yu changing her into burial clothes before moving her to the main hall. Seven-star lamps were lit at the head of the minor encoffining bed, and bridge-crossing lamps lined the way from the doorway outside Xie Xiao Courtyard.

Gu Dezhao still knelt numbly before the spirit tablet. No one asked him to change into mourning clothes. He kept watch over Lady Ji’s body without saying a word.

Jin Chao gave her father a cold glance before returning to her room to change into mourning clothes.

Gu Yi and Gu Xi from Yizhu Tower arrived first, with Concubine Luo following shortly after. They all changed into mourning attire. By then, Concubine Song had arrived, wearing a light blue lilac-patterned jacket, her eyes red and swollen.

As soon as she arrived, she rushed to Lady Ji’s spirit tablet, crying most sorrowfully: “Madam… how… how could you, what am I to do now!”

Gu Dezhao heard Concubine Song’s voice and suddenly raised his head. In a rage, he grabbed Concubine Song’s neck and pushed her against the wall, gritting his teeth: “You dare show your face! You harmed Xiang Jun! You harmed her! Who wants you here crying crocodile tears!”

Song Miaohua was suddenly bewildered. How exactly did Lady Ji die? How could Gu Dezhao be showing her affection one moment, then wanting to kill her the next morning? Wasn’t Lady Ji supposed to have died from illness? What did it have to do with her?

Gu Dezhao’s grip was very tight. She uncomfortably grabbed his hand, struggling to say: “Master… I haven’t… haven’t done anything. Let me look at Madam’s face… Even if I must admit fault, I need to know what I’ve done wrong…”

Gu Dezhao pushed her to Lady Ji’s corpse, his suppressed emotions finding an outlet: “You… look carefully! Look closely! See how Xiang Jun died!”

Concubine Song unexpectedly collided with the encoffining bed, her hand touching Lady Ji’s corpse—ice cold. Frightened, she stepped back, then saw the purple bruise mark around Lady Ji’s neck… No wonder, no wonder… She had hanged herself!

Song Miaohua quickly knelt and grabbed Gu Dezhao’s sleeve, shocked and terrified: “Master, this, this is impossible… Lady Ji was so gravely ill, she couldn’t even stand… How could she have hanged herself? Someone must have harmed her! I was at Lin Yan Pavilion all night and never left… It must be someone else…”

Gu Dezhao looked at her flower-like face, then thought of Lady Ji—not much older but withered and aged. Anger surged in his heart. He raised his hand and slapped her face, furiously saying: “You still want to claim someone killed her! She hanged herself at the bedhead. If you hadn’t brought Yu Ping to say she killed Concubine Yun if you hadn’t falsely accused her of putting Da Huang in her own medicine, how would she have hanged herself!”

Gu Dezhao’s strength was certainly not comparable to Jin Chao’s. Concubine Song was slapped to the ground. Concubine Luo, who had just entered, saw this and wanted to intervene, but was held back by Jin Chao. “Don’t go over.”

Concubine Luo cautiously looked at the enraged Gu Dezhao and obediently retreated to the side, following Jin Chao’s words.

Jin Chao coldly glanced at Concubine Song, whose hair was disheveled and who looked utterly miserable, then instructed the maid standing at the door: “…If others come, lead them to the flower hall. Do not disturb Father and Concubine Song.”

The maid agreed, and Jin Chao, expressionless, headed toward the flower hall.

Song Miaohua, hearing Gu Dezhao’s words, dazedly held her numb cheek. Lady Ji had killed herself after being humiliated… What did that have to do with her? It was Gu Dezhao himself who went to question Lady Ji, and it was Lady Ji who was too weak to endure. She… at most she had added fuel to the fire, except for the Da Huang matter… How did Gu Dezhao know about the Da Huang?

She pulled at Gu Dezhao’s robe, crying most pitifully: “Master, please calm your anger. I brought Yu Ping over… not knowing what the truth was, never expecting Madam would be angered by this. But… but regarding the Da Huang matter, I am truly innocent…”

Gu Dezhao looked at Song Miaohua and laughed bitterly in extreme anger: “You still dare to say this? Chao told me everything. How vicious your heart is, even conspiring with people from the dispensary to harm Xiang Jun! Have you been managing the inner courtyard so long that you’ve learned all manner of dirty, despicable tricks?”

Concubine Song, hearing the last sentence, finally became truly frightened. Did he mean to take away her authority over household affairs?

Song Miaohua mumbled: “Master, that maid said she saw someone from my courtyard meeting privately with the dispensary… but that was Young Miss’s maid. How can she be trusted? Young Miss instructed her maid to harm me…”

Gu Dezhao coldly said: “Do you think I’m easily fooled? If she wanted to frame you, she would have brought the maid to me immediately. Chao only spoke after Xiang Jun died she could no longer endure it… She had tolerated you. Yet you, instead of repenting, further slandered Xiang Jun and Chao! The difference between first wife and concubine—you, a mere concubine, actually framed the legitimate wife and daughter, truly disregarding all rules… I didn’t realize I had someone so vicious by my side!”

“From today onward, you will no longer manage the inner courtyard affairs. I will never see you again. You can stay in Lin Yan Pavilion, praying and fasting for Xiang Jun until you die!”

He violently shook off Song Miaohua’s hand, pointing to the door: “Get out now! Xiang Jun’s spirit cannot tolerate someone like you. Get out quickly!”

Song Miaohua was shocked and frightened. She didn’t understand why, after just one night, everything had turned upside down. She was about to lose her authority over household affairs—who would protect her daughter Lan? Wouldn’t Gu Jin Chao bully Gu Lan to death?

Unwilling to give up, she tried to continue pulling at Gu Dezhao, crying most pitifully: “Master, it’s all my fault! But… but even if I’m wrong, I shouldn’t be treated this way…”

Gu Dezhao now found even looking at her distasteful. He kicked her, saying harshly: “If you don’t leave, I’ll have the guards throw you back. Then see if you have any face left to live!”

Song Miaohua stared wide-eyed, her lips trembling. After a long while, she finally understood it was all real. Seeing Gu Dezhao’s cold demeanor, their affection, and her years of serving him—all meant nothing! With Lady Ji’s death, she had lost everything! With Gu Dezhao treating her this way, the Song family certainly wouldn’t help her…

Song Miaohua slowly got up from the ground and staggered toward the exit. She had always been meticulously groomed, but now her hair was disheveled, her face swollen, and tears washed away her makeup into a mess. Passing maids glanced at her, but no one helped her, not even acknowledging her. These were all maids from Xie Xiao Courtyard—Lady Ji’s people.

The commotion from the main hall could be faintly heard in the flower hall. Jin Chao stood up and said to the crying Gu Yi and Gu Xi: “You should go pay your respects too. When Gu Lan comes, remember to have her change into full mourning attire.”

Gu Yi nodded and said softly: “Elder Sister, don’t worry, we understand.”

Gu Jin Chao wanted to smile at Gu Yi, but though she moved her lips, she couldn’t bring herself to smile. She could only turn and walk out of the flower hall, meeting Concubine Song in the covered corridor.

“Why is Concubine in such a miserable state?” Jin Chao looked at her and said flatly.

Song Miaohua raised her head to look at Gu Jin Chao. She felt intense resentment, but beyond that was deep exhaustion—so exhausted she had no strength to speak. “I’m already like this… what more do you want?”

Jin Chao sneered: “Like this? What is this? Does this compare to even one-tenth of my mother’s suffering? Do you think this is the end? No, no. Taking away your authority over household affairs, confining you—what does that amount to? What matters is Gu Lan. She doesn’t want to marry Mu Zhidai, so be it. I must find her a truly good family to marry into.”

Marrying Mu Zhidai would have been Gu Lan’s good fortune! But now, if she still let Gu Lan marry Mu Zhidai, it would be like overeating!

Song Miaohua couldn’t immediately understand Gu Jin Chao’s meaning. What was she saying? Not wanting Gu Lan to marry Mu Zhidai?

Could she be so kind-hearted?

Song Miaohua coldly looked at her, her voice low but filled with unresigned anger: “Lady Ji died by hanging herself! Her weakness has nothing to do with me! What I’ve lost… I… I will take it back!”

Jin Chao moved closer to her, her voice soft and slow: “Take back? Concubine thinks too simply. Let me tell you, as long as I’m here, you and Gu Lan will never rise again. What you did to my mother, I will return to you a thousandfold.”

After speaking, she turned and went to the spirit tablet. Father wasn’t functioning now; she had to manage everything.

Madam Xu had the funeral notices written at the accounting office and dispatched guards to deliver them at full gallop to Seven Direction Hutong in Daxing, arriving within just a few hours.

Gu Jin Rong received Lady Ji’s funeral notice and collapsed to the ground in shock and grief.

When a parent dies while a child is away, the child must rush home for the funeral.

Gu Jin Rong didn’t care about anything else. He requested leave from Master Zhou, changed into mourning clothes, put on a mourning hat, and traveled a hundred li per day rushing home. Avoiding bustling market towns, he arrived at the family gate, his legs weak as he dismounted. He had returned in just a few hours on a journey that normally took half a day.

By now it was dark, with white flowers everywhere outside the gate as people began coming and going to pay their respects.

Steward Li had been waiting at the gate. Seeing Gu Jin Rong, he hurriedly came forward to support him inside. The house was covered in white mourning cloth. The maids were all dressed plainly with pieces of hemp cloth sewn on their chests. Gu Jin Rong dazedly grabbed Steward Li and asked: “How did Mother die? She was fine when I left, how could she suddenly be dead?”

He was trembling with fear, tears streaming down his face.

Steward Li could say nothing, only consoling him: “…Please restrain your grief. I’ll take you to Madam’s spirit hall.”

Gu Jin Chao had been kneeling before the spirit tablet burning paper for half the day, with the two concubines kneeling behind her. Gu Lan had also come to pay respects, immediately throwing herself before the spirit tablet crying loudly without even looking at the deceased. Gu Jin Chao couldn’t be bothered with her.

Gu Dezhao had gradually recovered from Lady Ji’s death, at least enough to receive those coming to pay respects. Yet he paid no attention to the wailing Gu Lan. His heart was full of hatred for Concubine Song, so he didn’t even want to look at Gu Lan.

Gu Lan, after crying for a while and seeing no one paying attention, retreated to kneel at the side. She secretly wondered why she hadn’t seen her mother—hadn’t she come early? Just as she was thinking about whether to go to Lin Yan Pavilion to check, she heard a commotion at the entrance.