The year-end was drawing closer, and the mansion was filled with a festive atmosphere. Paper cuttings had been pasted up, red lanterns hung, and fruits and vegetarian dishes placed before the deity statues.
Each day, Jin Chao would wake up and first pay respects to her father, then spend the morning with her mother, conversing with her aunts and younger sisters. In the afternoon, she would practice needlework, and in the evening, she would read for a while before sleeping.
During these few days, her father had visited her mother only once, and even then had left hurriedly.
Her mother didn’t seem to mind, her expression remaining calm. Jin Chao, however, kept thinking of her childhood when her mother would hold her in her arms and tell stories about her father.
Back then, her mother’s eyes were filled with laughter, her young face glowing: “…When your father had just passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he came to the Ji family to propose marriage. Your aunts deliberately made things difficult for him, asking him to present gifts. He blushed crimson with embarrassment, more shy than a young girl…”
Jin Chao could never imagine what her stern, rigid father looked like as such a shy young man.
It was time for embroidery lessons. She sat in the west side room with the window open, sunlight filtering through the carved begonia lattice onto the black-lacquered huanghuali wood table. On the table sat a bamboo basket, neatly wound with threads of various colors. Jin Chao had stretched a piece of plain silk on a frame to embroider flowers—she was working on a cluster of four-season orchids.
Liu Xiang and Qing Pu stood behind her.
Madam Xue examined her embroidery and marveled, “Young Miss has improved remarkably lately, though this floral pattern is rather uncommon.”
Jin Chao smiled and said, “It’s just a wildflower that grows in the mountains. It’s not common in Beizhili, but quite abundant in the south.”
Madam Xue studied it carefully for a long while, then smiled, “I see that your embroidery style now has the flavor of Shu embroidery—the stitches are precise and delicate, the colors elegant. Look at the edges of these petals and leaves—they seem to have grown naturally.”
Madam Xue specialized in Su embroidery.
Jin Chao thought silently to herself that indeed, she couldn’t hide it from Madam Xue.
Shiye was from Sichuan and excelled at Shu embroidery. Her mother had been a renowned embroiderer in Sichuan who passed all her exceptional skills to her daughter. She had hoped her daughter would become an embroiderer too, but instead, she was sold to Beizhili. Shu embroidery had a more rigorous tradition and wasn’t as widespread as Su or Xiang embroidery. In Beizhili, it was far less common than in Su embroidery. Jin Chao had spent over ten years perfecting her Shu embroidery skills.
However, for a Young Miss previously known for crude needlework to suddenly produce exquisite Shu embroidery would certainly raise suspicions. She had already been careful to make her stitches sparser, leaning more toward the Su embroidery style, but Madam Xue was an expert who immediately spotted the telltale signs.
Jin Chao could only say, “…I saw Mother’s ‘Carp Playing Among Lotus’ screen and found it remarkably intricate, so I’ve been privately practicing to emulate it.”
Her mother had a screen embroidered with ‘Carp Playing Among Lotus’—a masterpiece of Shu embroidery given by the Duke Dinguo’s mansion when she married. The entire household knew of it.
Initially, Madam Xue didn’t like Gu Jin Chao. Jin Chao disliked learning these skills, finding household management and needlework the most boring subjects. She had been cold and distant toward Madam Xue, rarely seeking lessons more than once every half month. Now the Young Miss was much more diligent, and as she learned, Madam Xue discovered that Jin Chao had extraordinary talent—she grasped every stitch technique with minimal instruction, naturally earning Madam Xue’s growing affection.
She smiled and said, “…The Young Miss has exceptional natural talent.”
Qing Pu escorted Madam Xue out while Liu Xiang helped her put away the needles and threads, smiling as she said, “This servant can’t discern the finer points of embroidery, but the flowers the Young Miss embroiders are truly beautiful—they almost seem to release their fragrance.”
Jin Chao merely smiled.
After a while, Madam Tong arrived. Jin Chao set aside her embroidery frame and had Liu Xiang bring tea, inviting Madam Tong to sit on the brocade stool.
A few days earlier, she had asked Madam Tong to inquire about the Young Master’s preferences and learned that he had no particular likes, except for collecting calligraphy from famous masters. She wasn’t sure what brought Madam Tong here today.
After taking a sip of tea and glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, Madam Tong said, “Young Miss, I’ve inquired about Miss Liu Xiang as you instructed.”
So it was about Liu Xiang… Jin Chao immediately perked up.
“Miss Liu Xiang was sold to the mansion by her parents when she was nine years old for twenty taels of silver. After entering the mansion, she first served as a young maid for Concubine Du, but within half a year, she was transferred to the kitchen in the outer courtyard. At fourteen, she was assigned to the tea room, and half a year later, she came to serve you.” Madam Tong summarized, then continued, “I’ve also deliberately investigated other matters. When she was in the outer courtyard kitchen, she didn’t get along well with the other maids. A maid named Qiu Luan told me that Liu Xiang was often absent from her duties without any steward reprimanding her. Everyone was somewhat alienated from her… They also mentioned that she had sticky fingers and once took a fifty-year-old ginseng from the kitchen, for which she was punished.”
Hearing this, Jin Chao frowned, “Living in the mansion without any illness, what would she need ginseng for?”
Madam Tong shook her head, “This servant also found it strange. Perhaps she was taking it for someone else.”
Jin Chao hadn’t known that Liu Xiang had once served Concubine Du. However, given the rushed nature of the investigation and the need for discretion, Madam Tong had only scratched the surface, which wasn’t particularly useful. Jin Chao thought she might need to find someone to investigate outside the mansion.
Madam Tong brought up the Young Master, “…He’s returning this afternoon. This servant has prepared the calligraphy pieces you requested—one by Master Shitian and one by Zhizhi Shanren. Both have been mounted in sandalwood frames and will be delivered to Jing Fang Study this afternoon.”
Jin Chao shook her head, “No need to deliver them. I’ll take them myself.”
Madam Tong acknowledged her instruction.
Qing Pu entered with light steps. In the past few days, her complexion had become much more vibrant, no longer sallow and sickly as before. She walked gracefully to the window and closed it, saying, “The wind is strong. Young Miss has only recently recovered from illness and shouldn’t be exposed to drafts.”
Jin Chao glanced at Qing Pu—there was no wind outside.
Madam Tong said to Qing Pu, “…It’s best that Miss Qing Pu has returned to serve the Young Miss. Someone who has served since childhood is always more attentive than others.”
Jin Chao responded on her behalf, “That’s certainly true.”
After Madam Tong took her leave, Jin Chao spoke to Qing Pu, “I was just thinking how warm the sunlight felt, and the gentle breeze wasn’t bothersome.”
Qing Pu hesitated for a moment, her fingers toying with the gilt bracelet on her wrist. She said softly, “…Walls have ears.”
Was she saying someone was eavesdropping outside?
Jin Chao looked at the gilt bracelet, recognizing it as the one Liu Xiang used to wear, and recalled how when Qing Pu first came to see her, she was dressed plainly without even a simple silver hairpin. She said, “I have a pair of white jade bracelets on my dressing table. Take them to wear instead—gilt looks vulgar.”
Qing Pu hurriedly replied, “Those are the Young Miss’s possessions. How could this servant accept them?”
Jin Chao remembered that Qing Pu had always been like this since childhood. Once she decided something belonged to the Young Miss, it was the Young Miss’s, and no one else could claim it.
She didn’t press her, but secretly thought of having Madam Tong deliver some suitable ornaments to Qing Pu’s room later.
Since the Young Master was returning and would certainly visit Mother first, Jin Chao thought she should go to her mother’s quarters to wait. She had Qing Pu help her change into a snow-cyan color pleated skirt embroidered with intertwining branch patterns. Feeling the color was too plain, she also wore a satin jacket in the “crane-and-deer-together” purple eggplant color.
After she had been seated at her mother’s for a while, she saw Gu Xi and Gu Yi arrive as well. Concubine Guo and Concubine Du came together, while Concubine Song had been attending to her mother all along.
Concubine Song helped her mother take her medicine, followed by a salted preserved plum to remove the bitter taste, then assisted her to lean against the large welcoming pillow.
“It’s been almost half a year since I’ve seen Rong’er. I wonder if he’s grown taller,” Ji said with a smile.
Concubine Du remarked, “Children change every day. The Young Master is at the age of rapid growth—he’ll shoot up like a bamboo sprout in the wind.”
Gu Jin Rong was now twelve years old by traditional counting.
Jin Chao held her mother’s hand and teased, “When my brother returns, you won’t dote on me anymore.”
A faint smile appeared on Ji’s beautiful face, “You’re still like a child. You and Jin Rong aren’t close—you should spend more time together…”
Just then, Pin Mei entered, “…The Young Master’s carriage has stopped outside the mansion gate. He went to see the Master first, and this servant estimates he should be here in half an hour.” Jin Chao could see the joy on her mother’s face.
Although she said half an hour, they didn’t wait long. Jin Chao hadn’t even finished her cup of Ten Thousand Springs silver leaf tea when she heard a maid announcing someone. Before Ji could speak, a clear voice rang out.
“Mother!”
A tall youth quickly walked out from behind the screen. He had delicate, fair features and wore a dark blue Hangzhou silk straight robe. A shorter page boy followed behind him, carrying several red-lacquered boxes.
Looking at Gu Jin Rong as he approached, Jin Chao thought to herself that he resembled their father and was nearly as tall as she was.
Madam Xu hurriedly brought a stool for Gu Jin Rong. Having walked quickly, his face was slightly flushed, but he stopped properly at his mother’s bedside. He first greeted the concubines and Jin Chao, and his two younger sisters paid their respects to him.
It seemed his teachers had taught him well. Despite not having seen his seriously ill mother for almost half a year, he still knew to observe proper etiquette.
Unlike Jin Chao, Gu Jin Rong had grown up by his mother’s side and was much more attached to her than Jin Chao was.
Jin Chao noticed that his gaze merely swept across her face as he said coolly, “Greetings, Elder Sister,” and then never looked at her again. It seemed the relationship between the siblings was not good… She didn’t remember what her relationship with her brother had been like before, but it was certainly distant.