After the seventh day of mourning came the major encoffining ceremony. Before this ceremony, Ji’s family’s two uncles rushed from Tongzhou to pay their respects. Ji’s burial site was chosen at West Emerald Mountain, and Daoist Chen was invited to divine the appropriate burial date, which was set for the seventeenth day of the fifth month. Before the funeral procession, they needed to express gratitude to mourners and host a banquet for relatives and friends who came to attend the funeral.
These matters couldn’t be handled by the Second Madam, so Madam Xu managed them in Jin Chao’s name. Gu Jin Rong, wearing a light blue direct robe with hemp cloth sewn to the chest, appeared haggard as he attended the banquet to thank relatives and friends. Jin Chao observed him for a while and noted that although Gu Jin Rong looked haggard, he wasn’t completely dejected.
…That was good, at least.
Jin Chao glanced at her father amidst the banquet, watching him walk alone toward Xiexiao Court.
The memorial hall had been dismantled, and all of her mother’s belongings had been removed and burned, as she had died violently. The brocade quilt, large pillows, and curtains were all gone. The room felt empty. Jin Chao sat on the large kang bed by the window, looking at the black lacquered furniture, watching as rays of sunlight filtered through the latticed window and gradually disappeared at an angle.
Had her mother also waited like this day after day? How similar it was to her days in the side courtyard in her previous life.
Jin Chao looked at her own hands, feeling inevitably despondent. She had thought that by being reborn, her mother wouldn’t die, yet her mother had still died. During these days, she had been so busy that she even felt she had begun to forget her mother’s death.
Jin Chao sighed, rising to walk to the inner chamber. Even the blue-glazed white porcelain plum vase that had been placed on the small table had been removed—that was her mother’s favorite vase. Nothing remained at the bedside except for a sachet with knotted cords still hanging on the bedpost. Jin Chao untied the sachet and held it in her hand; this was the one from New Year’s Eve when she had eaten two golden beans to pray for her mother’s blessing.
She took one last look at the inner chamber where her mother had lived and suddenly felt a heaviness in her heart.
Her mother’s death was partly her responsibility. She had known all along that Concubine Song harbored ill intentions, yet she had allowed her to harm her mother. Seeing how her mother had died, she felt not only resentment toward Jin Rong and her father but also anger at her powerlessness…
Jin Chao took a deep breath and closed the door to the inner chamber. She would avenge her mother slowly. If she couldn’t protect her mother while she was alive, she would at least properly punish those who had caused her death!
Jin Chao walked out of Xiexiao Court and happened to see her mother’s favorite Chloranthus spicatus flowers blooming by the lakeside pavilion. The jade-like slender flowers were hidden among the leaves, giving off a faint fragrance. She walked forward to look at them. When she was little and her mother came to the Ji family to visit her, she would always pick these flowers, string them together, and place them in her room to spread their fragrance.
Jin Chao’s lips curved into a slight smile. As long as she was still alive, the memories of her mother would not die; it was as if her mother hadn’t died.
She still missed her, thinking of the things they used to do together. Since her mother could not be brought back to life, she had to live on—not just live, but live well, vividly.
As she gazed at the flowers, lost in thought, someone unexpectedly pulled her back.
Jin Chao suddenly caught a faint scent of medicine.
Her mother also had a faint medicinal scent, very similar and gentle.
She turned around in shock to see Ye Xian standing behind her, his hand pulling at her sleeve, that medicinal scent faintly detectable from him.
She immediately stepped back, looking at Ye Xian in confusion. This was the inner courtyard of the Gu family. He was a distant relative and a male—how could he enter so casually! And he had pulled at her!
Ye Xian released her sleeve and said with a frown, “What are you doing by this lake? Are you thinking of jumping in to end it all?”
Jin Chao pressed her lips together, feeling somewhat amused, and curtseyed, “What brings Cousin Uncle here?”
She glanced behind Ye Xian and noticed he had brought his page boy, which relieved her. If others had seen them meeting alone in the inner courtyard… that would have been difficult to explain!
Ye Xian had been bored at the banquet and thought of finding Gu Jin Chao to clarify matters regarding Master Xiao. Unable to find her at the banquet, he had brought his page boy to the inner courtyard. At this time, the front courtyard was busy, and no one was watching the ornamental gate. Unexpectedly, upon entering, he saw Gu Jin Chao standing by the lake and thought she might be contemplating something drastic…
…After all, her mother had just died.
But judging by her demeanor, he had misunderstood.
Ye Xian tucked his hands into his sleeves and said to her, “I just came to tell you… Master Xiao arrived in Zhending yesterday. If you wish to see him, that would be possible… Your mother’s death was somewhat unusual, so having Master Xiao take a look might be good.”
Jin Chao shook her head and said, “It was troublesome for Master Xiao to come, but it’s not necessary now… Nevertheless, thank you, Cousin Uncle.” She curtseyed, intending to take her leave.
Ye Xian spoke lazily, “He was planning to come to Yanjing anyway to consult with my grandfather about some matters, so it’s not troublesome.” Changing the subject, Ye Xian curiously asked her, “If you weren’t thinking of jumping into the lake, what were you doing standing there just now?”
Jin Chao was slightly taken aback. She looked up at Ye Xian’s face—jade-like and beautiful, with delicate features. He always wore similar moon-white lan robes; such people typically had stubborn personalities. Remembering what Ye Xian had done in her previous life, she couldn’t help but think it better to keep her distance from him… Back then, Ye Xian had been feared by everyone, with ruthless methods. Those who carelessly offended him often met with dire consequences—death being the lighter punishment.
Yet Ye Xian was also extremely talented. His father had already passed away, and his grandfather had also died. He alone had supported the entire Marquis Changxing family, bringing them unlimited prosperity and flourishing. Such a person she was even more unwilling to offend.
Besides, Ye Xian had helped her greatly regarding her mother’s illness.
Jin Chao smiled, “I was just looking at these flowers. No flower blooms for a hundred days. While they’re still blooming beautifully, I thought I’d stop to appreciate them.”
Jin Chao curtseyed again and left. Ye Xian remained in place, thinking for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said to the page boy behind him, “Go back and send a pot of cactus to the Gu family’s First Miss. She complains that flowers don’t bloom long enough—that plant is easy to care for and lives a long time.”
The page boy was stunned—cactus was brought from the Western Regions, and only the Marquis Changxing Mansion in Willow Leaf Alley had a few plants. It was extremely rare! Before he could say anything to the young master, Ye Xian had already walked toward the outer courtyard.
The page boy obediently followed. If sending a gift made the young master happy, he would be willing to turn the entire Marquis Changxing Mansion upside down!
Jin Chao did not take this matter to heart.
After her mother’s burial, she had to deal with matters in Xiexiao Court. Besides thoroughly cleaning inside and out, her mother’s two personal maids, Mo Yu, and Mo Xue, had reached the age to be released from service and marry. Jin Chao had Madam Tong find good matches for them. Mo Yu was matched with the eldest son of Manager Ji from her mother’s estate farm, while Mo Xue was matched with the nephew of Luo Yongping, who had become a Xiucai scholar last year and whose family owned several acres of fertile land. Jin Chao gave each of them a two-courtyard house and a hundred taels of silver as a dowry.
Mo Yu and Mo Xue left the Gu family with tear-reddened eyes; they had been raised under Ji’s patronage. However, they were marrying men who served under Ji, so these people naturally would not mistreat them, as they had been Ji’s maids.
Madam Xu was elderly and naturally moved to Jin Chao’s Qingtong Court. Madam Tong managed the affairs of Qingtong Court, while Madam Xu focused on the trivial matters of the inner courtyard, which didn’t conflict. The other young maids and old women were assigned by the accounting office.
At this time, Madam Ji Wu was also supposed to return to Tongzhou with the First Aunt and Madam Liu, having been delayed in Shi’an for so long. The matters in Tongzhou were piling up like mountains, waiting for Grandmother to return and make decisions. Before leaving, Grandmother repeatedly invited Jin Chao to come stay in Tongzhou.
“…The sleeping lotuses by your courtyard are blooming again. You mustn’t miss seeing them.”
Jin Chao smiled and agreed, sending Grandmother off to the carriage. After her mother’s death, Grandmother appeared much more fatigued, seeming to have aged several years.
Nothing is more sorrowful than white-haired people sending off black-haired ones. Jin Chao understood her grandmother. Although she didn’t express it outwardly, having loved her mother so dearly, how could she not be grief-stricken?
Meanwhile, Gu Lan was very happy to hear that Concubine Song was pregnant and frequently visited Lingyan Pavilion, bringing various tonics.
Concubine Song, served by two young maids who had just kept their hair, was very uncomfortable. Gu Lan left her maid Ban Lian to serve Song Miaohua. On this day, she brought some items over and touched Concubine Song’s belly, smiling as she said, “You’re going to give me a little brother.”
Song Miaohua couldn’t help but feel dejected upon hearing this. Despite her pregnancy, Gu Dezhao had never come to see her. She said to Gu Lan, “You should visit me less often in the future to avoid displeasing your father. Do you still speak with Gu Jin Rong nowadays?”
Gu Lan shook her head and told Song Miaohua, “Don’t worry. Father already dislikes me anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I come to see you. Gu Jin Rong spends all day cooped up in his study copying the Diamond Sutra… He’s not going to Seven Direction Alley to study. He’s still angry now, so seeking him out would only invite embarrassment…”
With Ji having just died, the entire Gu household was still busy. Gu Dezhao had found a teacher to teach Gu Lan the Guange calligraphy style, so Gu Lan rarely left her courtyard for days. She knew that because of her mother’s affairs, her father was even more reluctant to see her.
Gu Lan wasn’t alarmed. After all, her mother was carrying a child. With Ji dead, she no longer had to marry Mu Zhizhai, which made her feel more relaxed. At this point, nothing could be remedied, so it was better to wait for her mother to give birth to the child before making any plans. There would always be a solution then.
Gu Jin Rong was someone who needed coaxing. Once his anger subsided, she could comfort him, cry a little, and hopefully smooth things over.
Looking at her daughter’s expression, Song Miaohua thought for a moment but still didn’t tell her about how Gu Dezhao never came to see her.
After a while, Ban Lian brought up the cordyceps pigeon soup she had prepared. Song Miaohua accepted it and looked at it for a long time before asking Gu Lan, “Did you bring the cordyceps?”
Gu Lan nodded and said, “Your constitution is weak for this pregnancy, so you need proper nourishment.”
She continued, “Though you’ve lost your power now, it’s not important. You’re carrying Father’s child, and you’ve managed the inner courtyard for so long that the stewards still wouldn’t dare slight you. These items were obtained from the accounting office’s manager… Father didn’t provide these things, seemingly not wanting to give them to you. However, during her lifetime, Ji’s family sent many precious nourishing herbs that are still in the outer courtyard’s storeroom untouched—they weren’t entered into the household registers, so he took them to pay respects to you.”
Concubine Song nodded. The manager from the accounting office had always been loyal to her. Glancing at Ban Lian standing nearby, Song Miaohua said to Gu Lan, “…Find out about Qiao Wei’s situation. I would still prefer her to serve me.”
Gu Lan smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll ask the attendants’ office manager tomorrow.”