Held in his embrace, Gu Huairou fell into a peaceful sleep. In her heart full of despair, a tiny glimmer of hope finally appeared.
The Prime Minister truly was a good man.
When she woke up the next day, the room was empty. Gu Huairou pressed her lips together, rummaged through drawers and boxes to find needle and thread, and carefully began embroidering a handkerchief.
When Taohua came by, she saw that Gu Huairou wasn’t crying or making a fuss. Though her head was still covered with a black veil, she seemed to have regained some spirit.
“What are you embroidering this for?” Taohua asked curiously, looking at the item in her hands. “Do you want to give it to the lord?”
Gu Huairou nodded, speaking softly, “The lord has been so good to me. I don’t have much to give him any more, so I thought I’d embroider some mandarin ducks among bamboo and brocade.”
Taohua pressed her lips together, recalling Xu Yangui’s words from yesterday. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Life isn’t easy for women. When men treat us even a little bit kindly, we become so grateful that we completely forget about the times they weren’t good to us.”
Slightly startled, Gu Huairou looked up at her. “Isn’t that how everyone is? Life must go on. We can’t just remain stubborn, can we?”
“But what if, and I’m just saying what if, you can’t rely on a man? Have you ever thought about how you’d live your life then?”
Live on her own? Gu Huairou laughed mirthlessly. “The customs in Zhao might be different from Da Wei. In Zhao, women can even become emperors, and social norms are more open. But Da Wei is a man’s world. Once a woman is abandoned, even her natal family will despise her. The only options are to live in humiliation or to end it all quickly. There’s never been a third path.”
Taohua frowned. “Then why don’t you come with me to Zhao? You could start a small business to support yourself. That’s better than living a loveless life under a man’s foot for your entire life. If you meet someone suitable, you could even remarry.”
Gu Huairou paused, then said, pressing her lips together, “The Prime Minister treats me very well. Why should I leave?”
Taohua laughed dryly. “I meant in the future, if…”
“Has the lady guessed the lord’s intentions again?” Gu Huairou put down the handkerchief and looked at her nervously. “Is there a reason he’s being good to me? Will he disappoint me again in the future?”
“No, no,” Taohua quickly shook her head. “Don’t overthink it. I was just asking casually. Can’t you feel whether the lord is truly good to you or not?”
Gu Huairou was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I always feel that the Prime Minister during the day is different from the one at night. During the day, he’s like an ice mountain, difficult to approach. But at night, he’s unbelievably gentle, making me…”
Making her truly fond of him, warming her entire heart.
Taohua was stunned. She turned her head and covered her eyes with her hand, muttering, “I was wondering how someone like Shen Zaiye could make all the women in this courtyard like him so much. Turns out it’s all Xu Yangui’s doing.”
“What did you say, my lady?”
“Nothing,” Taohua turned back with a smile, handing her a bottle of medicine. “This skin-smoothing lotion was just delivered by the doctor from Xuanhu Hall. He says it’s miraculous. Use it for a while and see if it has any effect.”
“Thank you, my lady.” Gu Huairou bowed as she accepted it, her fingers gently caressing the bottle, like a hopeful young girl.
Xu Yangui is quite the troublemaker, Taohua sighed softly as she bid farewell and walked out.
Qingtai, who had been out gathering information, returned and whispered in her ear, “Lianyi’s family is all here. They know about her death but seem calm. They’re already preparing for the funeral. I tried to probe, but they’re tight-lipped and won’t say anything.”
“Based on your intuition, are they unwilling to speak, or is there simply nothing to say?” Taohua asked.
Qingtai frowned, thinking for a moment before saying, “Maybe there’s nothing to say. That family does seem to be just honest country folk.”
“Then they must be unwilling to speak,” Taohua clapped her hands. “Let’s go trick them into talking.”
Qingtai was taken aback, stomping her foot in frustration. “If you don’t trust me, my lady, why did you ask?”
“Because you usually choose the wrong option,” Taohua said with a smile. “Choosing the opposite of what you pick is sure to be correct!”
Qingtai: “…”
After returning to Zhengchun Pavilion to make some arrangements, Taohua was grinning mischievously when Manager Li from the kitchen and Steward Qian from the mansion came to see her together.
“Lady Jiang,” Manager Li smiled, placing a stack of accounts on her table respectfully. “The lord intends that kitchen purchases no longer need to be reported to the madam. Just informing you will suffice.”
Taohua nodded. This was within her expectations, given that he had offended Mei Zhaoxue and couldn’t continue working under her.
“These are the accounts for the mansion’s external expenses,” Steward Qian also placed some ledgers on the table, lowering his head. “They should be managed by the madam, but the lord is considerate of her and wants you to share some of her burdens.”
External expenses included Shen Zaiye’s social engagements, gift-giving, and purchases for when the concubines returned to their natal homes. While this account was easy to manage, it was also significant. For Shen Zaiye to hand it directly to her, wouldn’t Mei Zhaoxue be furious?
“If you have any difficulties, my lady, please don’t hesitate to ask this servant,” Steward Qian bowed. “I’ll help in any way I can.”
So accommodating? Taohua was surprised. Didn’t she remember that Steward Qian had always worked for the madam?
Though suspicious, she still had to accept graciously on the surface, politely asking Qingtai to see the two men out.
“Why do I have a feeling that things are about to change in this mansion?” Qingtai said as she returned, looking at the account books in Taohua’s hands. “The lord dotes on you. Whatever you want, he gives you.”
Taohua chuckled, flicking Qingtai’s forehead. “This is called mutual assistance. I’m doing work for him, so what’s strange about him lending a hand? Have you arranged everything?”
“It’s all arranged,” Qingtai nodded. “But are you sure this has something to do with the madam? What if we’re wrong…”
“A woman should trust her intuition,” Taohua said confidently. However, a moment later, she hunched her shoulders and laughed dryly. “Even if my intuition is wrong, it doesn’t matter. The fire won’t reach us anyway.”
That makes sense! Qingtai nodded, quickly going out to continue her tasks.
Late summer was the time when many of the women in the household returned to their natal homes for visits. When everyone heard that the external accounts had fallen into Jiang Taohua’s hands, they rushed to curry favor with her.
“Lady Jiang’s favor with the lord is truly enviable,” Gu Qingying said, covering her mouth. “It’s the first time I’ve seen the lord willing to let a concubine manage the accounts. Isn’t this embarrassing for the madam?”
“The lord is just concerned for the madam,” Taohua smiled at her. “It doesn’t matter whose hands the accounts are in. The gifts for everyone’s homecoming visits will be prepared properly according to rank.”
That’s what she said, but inevitably, the gifts would vary based on the closeness of relationships, giving more to some and less to others. Returning home was a matter of face, so everyone naturally wanted more and more valuable gifts.
Nangong Qin hadn’t spoken yet, but Taohua turned to her with a smile and said, “Lady Nangong, you’re the second one to return home, right?”
“Yes,” Nangong Qin nodded. “I’ll trouble you to take extra care.”
“It’s no trouble,” Taohua said. “You’ve suffered quite a bit of grievance lately. The Lord intends to compensate you well.”
What lord’s intention? It was her intention! Gu Qingying had figured it out. She was the first to return home, but Taohua didn’t ask about her, instead jumping to talk about compensating Nangong Qin. This meant she wouldn’t be treated well.
“What are you doing, my lady?” Gu forced a smile. “We’re all sisters here. You shouldn’t show favoritism.”
Taohua turned to look at her and smiled. “What are you afraid of, Lady Gu? You still have the madam to help supplement your gifts.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and Gu Qingying quickly said, “I’m not very close with the madam. How would she help supplement my gifts? You’re overthinking, my lady.”
“You’ll become closer if you interact more,” Taohua stood up. “I need to organize the accounts. If you have no other business, you may leave now.”
Gu Qingying became anxious and followed behind her, saying, “Don’t misunderstand, my lady. Recently, it’s just that the madam often asks me to go talk with her, but we don’t say much.”
“I’m not misunderstanding anything,” Taohua looked at her innocently. “You’re free to go wherever you want and say whatever you like. What right do I have to interfere?”
Qingtai came up to block Gu Qingying, and Jiang Taohua went directly into the inner room. Gu Qingying stood outside, frowning and twisting her handkerchief for a good while before turning to find Nangong Qin.
“What should I do? It seems Lady Jiang has a grudge against me?”
Nangong Qin didn’t look at her and walked straight ahead. “You had already sided with Lady Jiang before. Why did you go curry favor with the madam? Those who try to stand on two boats inevitably fall into the water.”
“Oh, I just thought having more connections meant more opportunities,” Gu Qingying said. “Who knew Lady Jiang would be so petty? Please, go and put in a good word for me.”
“I can’t help with this,” Nangong Qin said. “Look at the lord’s heart. It’s biased towards Lady Jiang. Even though she can’t bear children, he’s still entrusted her with the accounts. Do you still think the madam is more reliable?”
“But…” Gu Qingying paused, lowering her head to think. It did seem to make sense. Lady Jiang had power and influence even though she couldn’t bear children. If she were to become the official wife in the future, they could give their children to her to raise, instantly making them legitimate heirs.
Her eyes brightened, and Gu Qingying turned to walk back.
“Lady Gu,” Qingtai was still blocking the door. “My lady needs to rest.”
“I have important information to tell the lady!” Gu Qingying said. “It’s about the madam!”
Taohua lifted the curtain, as if she had been waiting for her all along, and smiled slightly at her. “Come in and tell me.”
Qingtai stepped aside, and Gu Qingying, startled for a moment, then lifted her skirts and ran in, her face full of flattery. “There’s something big I forgot to tell you, my lady.”
“It’s not too late to say it now,” Taohua sat down and looked at her. “Please, speak freely.”
“A few evenings ago, when I went to Linghan Courtyard, I saw Lianyi,” Gu Qingying said mysteriously. “The madam later explained that she was questioning the maid for offending her, but I calculated the time, and it seems Lianyi went to Linghan Courtyard before the incident in the garden.”
(End of Chapter)