Since she had to wait for Gong Hongxiao and Qiu Niang to pack their luggage, Minglan could only continue keeping Madam company in conversation. Madam Shao, missing her husband, had gone home first, bringing out Xian Jie’er to meet Minglan as a substitute. Zhu Shi also had the wet nurse carry Xian Ge’er out.
Minglan studied the sister and brother pair carefully and couldn’t help but exclaim with feeling: there really was no denying that the children of wealthy landowners grew up well.
Xian Ge’er couldn’t yet speak clearly, making various babbling sounds in the wet nurse’s arms, chubby and pale and thoroughly adorable. Xian Jie’er was only five or six years old, yet she was about the same height as Rong Jie’er. Young as she was, she already carried herself with a delicate and dignified bearing, measured and proper in both speech and manner. Comparing this to Rong Jie’er’s timid cowering from earlier, Minglan couldn’t help but ask: “Is Rong Jie’er taking any medicine?”
Zhu Shi also knew that Rong Jie’er looked rather poorly, and sighed: “She isn’t. We’ve had the physician examine her too, and he says there’s nothing physically wrong — she just needs to lift her spirits and be well looked after.”
Minglan bowed her head in quiet thought. Beside her, Xian Jie’er noticed her expression and said in her childish little voice: “Second Aunt, please don’t worry. Rong Jie’er is just picky with food, and she spaces out all day, but her body is fine. Last month when the seasons changed, back and forth between cold and warm, both Xian Ge’er and I caught a chill, but she was perfectly fine.”
Minglan saw how appropriately she spoke, her manner both adorable and artless, and felt quite fond of her. She smiled and said: “Our Xian Jie’er is truly sensible! Later, once your father has fully recovered, Auntie will have you come visit and play with Rong Jie’er. There’s a brand new little swing in the garden.”
Xian Jie’er’s small face bloomed into a smile like a budding sprout, and she nodded her head vigorously, calling out loudly: “Alright!”
Madam looked at Xian Jie’er with warm affection and sighed gently: “This child’s devotion is truly admirable. Ever since her father fell ill, she has hardly gone out at all — she barely even visits her own family’s garden.”
Minglan’s heart suddenly stirred with compassion. Judging by the long list of famous physicians that Madam Shao had just recounted, Gu Tingyu’s prospects were likely bleak. Even in the modern era, there were incurable illnesses — let alone in this age.
Xian Ge’er couldn’t sit still beside his grandmother. He twisted and wriggled on the kang, trying to lunge toward Minglan. Minglan laughed and took the child into her arms. Zhu Shi startled at that very moment, but then saw Minglan very deftly supporting Xian Ge’er under both arms, settling him onto her lap, tickling his armpits and rubbing his little round belly to play with him. Xian Ge’er burst into delighted laughter, rolling about on the kang.
Madam smiled and said: “Who would have thought you’d have such a way with children.”
“My nephew from my family home is about the same age as Xian Ge’er, and my eldest sister’s little boy is the same age too.” Minglan, with some effort, handed Xian Ge’er back to the wet nurse and pressed her handkerchief against the fine beads of perspiration on her forehead. Zhu Shi took her son back, beaming with joy as she coaxed him to play: “We ought to gather all those little ones together someday — they’d have so much fun.”
Just then, a maidservant lifted the door curtain and stepped in from outside. Seeing Madam, she looked slightly uneasy and said in a low voice: “The young lady says that she was suddenly seized by poetic inspiration this morning and wishes to properly compose several poems, so she won’t be coming to greet Second Madam — she begs to be excused.”
Madam’s expression immediately darkened and she scolded: “Her second sister-in-law rarely comes to visit, and she behaves this way?! How can she be so thoughtless?!”
None of the maidservants in the room dared to respond. After a moment, Madam turned to Minglan with an apologetic smile and said: “Please don’t take offense. Your sister Tingcan has been enlightened by her father since childhood, and has always loved poetry, calligraphy, and painting. She’s been spoiled by your father-in-law as well, and has quite a bit of that bookish person’s lofty airs — once inspiration strikes, she won’t show consideration for anyone’s face.”
Minglan smiled and gently waved her hand: “I have long heard of younger sister’s literary talent and cultured grace — she is spoken of as a celebrated subject among the young ladies of the capital. And besides, we are family — when would we not have another chance to meet? It’s no matter at all.” As someone who could only compose doggerel verse, Minglan had great admiration for this classic excuse.
Madam did not wish to dwell on this topic. After all, at this age still being unmarried, no amount of celebrated reputation could really blossom further. Refusing to see one’s own eldest sister-in-law for the sake of composing two poems made no sense anywhere one might tell it. However, from this very incident, it seemed that this seventh young lady, Tingcan, must be quite favored in the eyes of old Marquis Gu.
After sending Xian Jie’er back to her room, Zhu Shi began recounting all manner of charming stories about Xian Ge’er, drawing peals of laughter from everyone. Madam would occasionally bring up Gu Tingye and Gu Tingwei’s childhood mischief, wearing an expression full of fond affection, while Minglan listened with great interest. These two — mother-in-law and daughter-in-law — seemed very eager to draw Minglan into talking more about Gu Tingye. But unfortunately, Comrade Yao Yiyi was an excellent legal professional who had long been tested by confidentiality protocols. She was well-versed in the art of deflection, and the conversation drifted completely off course — all the way to Flower-Fruit Mountain.
“…I eat it all the time and never thought much of it. I had no idea there was so much to it.” Zhu Shi didn’t know quite how it happened, but she found herself somehow pulled by Minglan into a discussion of seven varieties of river shrimp and sixteen different ways to prepare them. She pressed her cheeks in her hands with a soft exclamation: “Stir-fried with loofah can actually improve one’s complexion?”
“Remember — the vein along the back of the shrimp must absolutely be removed, and the shrimp must be coated in starch before going into the oil.” Minglan had always felt she owed a debt to her previous body. She hadn’t even properly cared for it before letting it drown in a mudslide — odds were the remains were never even recovered. Since coming to the ancient era, the pursuit she had thrown herself into most passionately was the cultivation of good health. Being good to a man might get you taken for granted by a concubine; being good to your maidservants might get you crawled over in bed; being good to your sisters might get you betrayed. When she thought it through, only being good to her own body was truly fortunate and without any loss.
Zhu Shi looked at Minglan’s bright and vivid face — fair and smooth as jade porcelain, tinged with the faint color of a lotus flower, her full and tender skin looking as though it had been pressed out of water, her eyes luminous and glowing. Setting aside outward beauty, in sheer complexion and vitality alone, she surpassed her own younger sisters-in-law of the same age by more than a little. This only made her find Minglan more persuasive, and she couldn’t help but ask to learn in earnest.
“My grandmother always said that a woman’s life is one of weariness,” Minglan sighed softly. “Bearing and raising children, managing the household, troubles on every side — which part isn’t a source of worry? Each time you give birth, you injure your body once. And after the birth, there’s still the worry of the child — making sure they grow up safely, that they study and improve… Alas, they say women age faster than men. With all that, how could one not age?”
“Isn’t that the truth!” Zhu Shi immediately felt a surge of anxiety. Men fear poverty, women fear aging. In truth, she was only twenty at this point, but standing beside Minglan, she already felt like someone’s grandmother. Ancient women had a rather bleak existence — bearing children through their early twenties, then essentially fading by their thirties. By forty, one might already have grandchildren, and life was basically reduced to Buddhist devotion and self-cultivation to pass the days.
Madam, watching the two of them drift further and further afield in conversation — Zhu Shi had nearly forgotten what she was supposed to be saying — couldn’t help but frown slightly. But since it was only the first day, she restrained whatever thoughts stirred within her, simply listening to the two of them talk with a smile, occasionally laughing and scolding them good-naturedly with the authority of an elder. The room remained quite harmonious. By the time Hongxiao and Qiu Niang had finished packing the trunks, it was nearly the end of the third quarter of the morning hours. Madam smiled and said: “It’s already this late — if I don’t have you stay for a meal before you go, people would blame me for being an ungenerous mother-in-law.”
Minglan thought it over and agreed readily. But when eating, she still couldn’t help feeling a twinge of unease in her heart — there wasn’t poison in the food, was there?
After the meal and a cup of tea, Minglan judged that the time was about right and rose to take her leave. The carriage had long since been readied outside. She, her people, and all the trunks loaded onto the carriage, which rumbled along toward Cheng Garden, arriving in no time at all. After descending from the carriage, Minglan had Liao Yong’s wife help with unloading the trunks and luggage, then personally led Rong Jie’er and their party onto several blue-canopied soft sedan chairs heading toward the inner courtyard. They alighted only after reaching the inner ceremonial gate.
As they walked further inside, Hongxiao thought the garden’s scenery was quite lovely — flowers and birds, pavilions and terraces, small bridges over flowing water. Though not lavishly grand, its elegant refinement surpassed many places, and she was quite envious. Meanwhile, Qiu Niang noticed that all the maidservants and servant women they passed spoke in low, quiet voices. When the mistress passed by, they would step to one side and stand respectfully. After they entered the side hall of Jia Xi Residence, as they were shown to their seats and served tea, she observed that several maidservants came and went with composure and proper bearing, not a single one stealing a glance at them.
She couldn’t help but feel quietly astonished: they all said the new Madam was young, yet her management of the household was so accomplished. She felt genuinely glad for Gu Tingye — the new Madam was better than the previous one in every respect. Thinking this, she then felt a new surge of resentment, fearing that Gu Tingye would no longer have any use for her.
After Minglan settled into the main seat, she took a shallow sip of tea and felt deeply that today’s workload had been excessive. Such mental and physical exertion was truly at odds with a harmonious life. Resolved to make quick work of matters and get back to her afternoon nap, she set down her teacup and turned to speak: “Cuiwei, has the room been prepared?”
“Madam, you’ve asked so many times already.” Cuiwei who stood beside her stepped forward with a smile, “The rooms and the staff are all ready. Even the hot water has been boiled. We’re only waiting for the young lady, Yiniang Gong, and Miss Qiu — the moment you all arrive, you can wash up and rest right away.”
Qiu Niang quickly rose and offered her thanks. Hongxiao was a beat slower, then also rose and smiled: “Thank you for your trouble, elder sister.”
Qiu Niang glanced at Minglan, and said with trepidation: “I am nothing but a servant — it is already more than I deserve to serve the master and Madam. How could I possibly accept this? Madam is too generous — this truly overwhelms me. Just being able to serve the master and Madam, I would be content to sleep anywhere.”
Minglan gave a light wave of her hand: “You are a long-standing attendant in the master’s service. Having a few junior maidservants attend to you is nothing to be overwhelmed about. Besides, this is also a matter of the household’s dignity.” Her tone was gentle yet brooking no refusal. Qiu Niang expressed her gratitude a thousand times over and sat back down.
Minglan paused, then smiled at Rong Jie’er, who was seated in the lower position: “You must all be tired today, so I’ll keep this brief. This household has a simple number of people, and with you all here, it’ll be livelier. Rong Jie’er, I originally planned to give you the Kou Xiang Courtyard — but let me ask you first: would you prefer your own separate courtyard, or would you rather stay close to me?” After all, she was still young. Minglan herself hadn’t been given a separate courtyard until she was past ten years old.
Rong Jie’er still had her head bowed. Her thin little body didn’t move, and she said nothing. After a long while without a word from her, Qiu Niang grew anxious and went over to gently pull at her: “Answer quickly — Madam is speaking to you.” Rong Jie’er suddenly raised her head, darted a quick glance at Minglan — her gaze full of wariness and hostility — then lowered it again and simply refused to speak.
Hongxiao, seeing the awkward situation, quickly smoothed things over: “Madam, please don’t be displeased. Rong Jie’er has been like this since entering the household. She doesn’t speak much with us either in normal times, though she is fully aware of what goes on in her heart.”
“And what is your opinion, then?” Minglan looked at Hongxiao, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
“How would I dare to decide for Madam? But then again…” Gong Hongxiao had long since formed her own plans. She smiled right away and said: “The young lady is still small and doesn’t fully understand things. Living alone in her own courtyard would be a bit too isolated. And moreover, she hasn’t seen the master in many years — a father and daughter share a bond, it is the nature of flesh and blood. I think it would be more appropriate for Rong Jie’er to remain close to Madam.”
Minglan thought for a moment. Nothing particular showed on her expression — she merely gave a slight nod of her head. Seeing this, Hongxiao immediately broke into a delighted smile, and before Minglan could even open her mouth, she quickly continued: “…There is also one more thing. I hope Madam will forgive me for being forward. After all, Rong Jie’er was entrusted to my care by Madam — I dare not be negligent with what has been entrusted to me, so it would not do for me to be separated from Rong Jie’er…”
As she spoke, she stole glances at Minglan’s expression. Beside her, Cuiwei had already stopped smiling; the look she turned on Hongxiao was somewhat cold.
Hearing this, Minglan couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh: “So you also want to stay close to me? But you are already a Yiniang — Cheng Garden is spacious, it’s not as if there’s no room. I had originally planned to give you your own separate courtyard.”
Hongxiao put on a timid and demure look: “How could I not know Madam’s good intentions? Only, it would not do to let personal comfort and indulgence get in the way of important matters.”
Listening to her speak with such clarity and logic — it was obvious she had rehearsed all of this inwardly more than a few times — Minglan found it quite admirable. But she was not afraid. In this world, every argument is shaped by whoever is speaking, especially in household affairs, where both sides always have their reasons. Gong Hongxiao might have a whole basket full of reasons for wanting to move in, but Minglan had her own share of arguments. And furthermore, she was the mistress, whose authority superseded everything.
She simply did not believe that assigning a concubine her own separate courtyard would give anyone grounds to find fault with her.
— “This is not appropriate.”
Just as Minglan was about to speak, a low, steady male voice sounded from one side — every woman, large and small, in the side hall turned her head. Gu Tingye was seen walking in slowly through the side door, still wearing his crimson court robes.
“The master has returned.” Minglan rose with gentle grace — her movements measured and proper — which drew a deep sidelong glance from Gu Tingye, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. After he sat down beside her, Minglan personally poured him a bowl of tea and smiled: “Rong Jie’er has come home. I was just discussing the living arrangements with Yiniang Gong.”
Gong Hongxiao, Qiu Niang, and Rong Jie’er all rose from their seats and paid their respects to Gu Tingye together. After the formalities, Rong Jie’er raised her head and stared blankly at her father. Qiu Niang’s eyes reddened, and the glimmer of tears showed in them as she gazed at Gu Tingye with great emotion, her eyes brimming with tender concern — unwilling to shift her gaze away at all. Hongxiao first gave a start, then turned a soft and gentle look toward Gu Tingye, her delicate face curved in a shallow smile.
Gu Tingye seemed long accustomed to this kind of gaze and paid it no mind, simply looking quietly at Rong Jie’er. Rong Jie’er shrank her neck and bowed her head again. Gu Tingye’s expression darkened further, yet he still said nothing.
Minglan inwardly pursed her lips: would you just say something already!
“Second Young…Second Master.” Qiu Niang held back her tears for quite a while before she could no longer restrain herself. Her voice trembled: “Is your health well? All these years with no one to attend to you — have you been faring all right out there?”
Gu Tingye was absorbed in thought and had nearly given a casual reply, when he suddenly remembered Minglan sitting beside him. He raised his eyes to look at her — her expression held little trace of displeasure; she simply held her teacup and frowned slightly. He immediately felt that Qiu Niang was behaving with impropriety. He then turned a displeased look on Qiu Niang. Seeing that Gu Tingye had not only failed to respond but was looking at her with a cold gaze, Qiu Niang felt a chill in her heart.
Minglan gave no reaction, but Cuiwei beside her had seen it all clearly. She stepped forward one pace and spoke with respectful clarity: “Miss Qiu Niang, please forgive me for speaking out of turn. Both the master and Madam are present here — how can you speak so freely?” Her face was polite, but inwardly she was quite indignant — this one was also a shameless creature! She had just been saying she was a servant, and yet did servants randomly speak up in the presence of their master?
Qiu Niang trembled with mortification and looked helplessly toward Gu Tingye, but saw that he was looking steadily at the new Madam. Her heart turned bitter. She said over and over: “It is all my fault — I haven’t seen the master in many years and lost my composure for a moment.”
“Just now the master said ‘this is not appropriate’ — what exactly was he referring to?” Minglan summoned her strength against drowsiness and asked with composed politeness.
Gu Tingye’s gaze swept over the several figures standing with lowered heads below. With Qiu Niang’s interruption, he felt his own decision grow all the firmer. He said coolly: “I have thought it over carefully. It would be best for all of them to go and live in Kou Xiang Courtyard.”
These words fell like a stone into a lake, startling the women gathered below. Hongxiao’s color went white, and she was the first unable to hold back, on the verge of speaking. Gu Tingye raised one long arm slightly, his gaze cool and sharp, a wordless air of authority rising from him — no one dared speak.
In a low, steady voice he said: “You need not say anything. My decision is made. If anyone objects, you are welcome to ask Madam’s opinion.” Though the words were addressed to everyone, his gaze rested solely on Gong Hongxiao, with a hint of quiet contempt.
Hongxiao suddenly went cold all over. Recalling past events, she immediately bowed her head and stood properly, making no further protest.
Qiu Niang’s frame trembled like a leaf in the wind, her eyes brimming with yet more tears, her voice quivering as she murmured: “How could this be right… how am I to live anywhere else? How then am I to serve the master and Madam, to fetch water, to do needlework, to keep the night watch…”
Hearing those last two words, several dark lines appeared on Minglan’s forehead — Miss Qiu, you have gone straight to the point, have you not!
Toward Qiu Niang, the warmth in Gu Tingye’s eyes deepened somewhat: “You have always been careful and considerate, very good at looking after people…” He glanced at Rong Jie’er, then continued: “With you going over to look after Rong Jie’er, I can rest easy.”
With these words spoken, Hongxiao’s shoulders stiffened, her head bowing even lower. Qiu Niang’s pale face flushed a deep red. She cast a shy glance at Gu Tingye, her eyes full of deep and devoted feeling, then quietly accepted the arrangement.
Minglan could not help but cut a glance at Gu Tingye: who would have thought this fellow was so skilled with words — framed that way, even if Qiu Niang were unwilling, she had no choice. She could hardly say “she only knew how to serve men, not how to look after children,” could she.
And so the matter was settled. Cuiwei bowed her head, suppressing the joy welling up in her heart, and went over very attentively to help the three of them arrange their relocation. After Gu Tingye watched them depart, and before Minglan could even open her mouth, he turned and mentioned that he was going to the outer study to find Advisor Gongsun, then left in a hurry.
Minglan decided to set aside her questions for later. She went back to her room to wash up, then crashed headlong into bed to meet with the Duke of Zhou. Having been up and continuously busy since the middle of the night until early afternoon, thoroughly exhausted in mind and body, Minglan fell asleep very quickly. When she woke, it was nearly the end of the afternoon hours — she gave a great start: she had actually slept a full hour.
Danju cheerfully attended to Minglan as she dressed and combed her hair, saying as she worked: “Just a short while ago, elder sister Cuiwei came to report. Everything in Kou Xiang Courtyard has been put in order — the trunks and luggage all settled properly. Elder sister Cuiwei arranged the staff and has had them attend to the ladies so they can rest first. She says Madam needn’t worry — all is well.”
Minglan tapped Danju’s forehead: “You foolish girl — it should be Madam He Youchang now. No matter how many times I teach you, you never learn!”
Danju was in high spirits and didn’t talk back, just kept smiling her simple smile. Minglan gave a quiet inner sigh, knowing that she had been anxious about this matter for the past several days — afraid that the concubine who came would be troublesome, and afraid that Minglan would be mistreated. At least now, there was no need for them to be right there causing offence.
After tidying herself up, Minglan drank a cup of lightly brewed tea, its fragrance lingering between her lips and teeth. In her moment of pleasant mood, she felt all the more keenly that today had not been easy. She set aside the account books for now and called Danju to bring paper and brush, planning to sketch out a new embroidery pattern.
Danju glanced at the sewing basket set to one side, which held several garments of white damask inner robes being made for Gu Tingye, and couldn’t help but say: “Madam, you’d better finish those few pieces first — how many days has this been dragging on now.”
Minglan lightly tapped Danju’s nose with the ink-tipped brush and smiled: “You silly girl, you don’t understand.” She had just been struck by a sudden inspiration.
“Madam is getting more and more mischievous!” Danju gave an indignant little cry, stomped her feet in aggrieved vexation, and covered her nose as she turned away to wash her face.
When Gu Tingye came in, he saw Minglan bent over the table in deep concentration. He deliberately lightened his footsteps and walked up close, where he saw that on the white paper, meticulously rendered in fine brushwork, were two mongrel dogs fighting over a meaty bone — the bone in particular drawn to be impressively plump and thick with meat.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Minglan was so startled she nearly leaped up. She turned to see the man raising one sword-like eyebrow in question. Feeling suddenly guilty, she casually covered the drawing with her hand and laughed awkwardly: “Just drawing for amusement — no particular meaning.”
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan’s expression, and suspicion began to stir within him. He lifted the drawing paper with one hand and studied it carefully. An expression of thoughtful deliberation spread across his face, and the look he fixed on Minglan gradually filled with indignation.
Feeling the heat of that gaze, Minglan’s scalp tingled. She let out a foolish and hollow laugh, trying to ingratiate herself as she moved toward him. Gu Tingye declined to sit. Minglan had no choice but to stand on tiptoe and help him change out of his court robes and loosen his hair crown. Gu Tingye shot her a glare, then lay back sideways on the bed, looking at Minglan with a sidelong gaze: “Go ahead and keep drawing.”
Minglan had no such courage. She very self-consciously took a seat at the table, picked up the account book, and began checking the income and expenditure from the previous day’s banquet. Gu Tingye looked at her quietly, then suddenly said: “Today at the Marquis’s residence… did things go smoothly?”
Minglan knew what he meant and smiled pleasantly: “It was only the first visit — how could anything have gone wrong? But…I did eat a meal there.” She looked worried: “Surely nothing will come of it?”
Gu Tingye stared blankly for a moment, then laughed and scolded her: “Only worrying now — if something were going to happen, there’s nothing to be done about it!”
Seeing his mood had improved somewhat, Minglan clutched her account book to her chest, laughed a somewhat silly, beguiling laugh, and carefully asked: “Rong Jie’er and the others have moved over there. Cuiwei will manage things well. I was thinking that going forward I’d have Madam Hua keep watch over that side — what do you think?” After observing for this period of time, Madam Hua was fairly capable, and importantly, she had been sent by the main branch.
“You decide.” Gu Tingye’s expression was indifferent.
Minglan knew it was best not to ask, but the curiosity gnawing at her was unbearable, like a cat scratching at her heart. She finally could not hold herself back and opened her mouth: “You…” She said only that one word before stopping short — how should she even ask?
Just as she was struggling with this, Gu Tingye himself began to speak. His gaze drifted to the carved sandalwood bed canopy painted with pomegranates, as if he were speaking to himself: “Rong Jie’er has a stubborn temperament. She once broke a large water cistern with a stone — was that when she was four? Or five?”
Minglan was utterly astonished: Sima smashing a vat with light!
“If in the future she were to watch our children with her own eyes, she would surely suffer all the more.” Gu Tingye’s gaze was deep and contemplative. “I will inevitably love the children you bear more than I love her — that is a foregone conclusion. Then why put on pretenses?”
Minglan looked at Gu Tingye in astonishment: my friend, you are being remarkably candid.
“In the future… find her a good match.” Gu Tingye sighed softly. “Reading, understanding propriety, managing a household — whatever you can teach her, teach her; what you cannot, let it be. So long as she can acquire Qiu Niang’s abilities — a little needlework, some accounting — she’ll be able to get by at her husband’s family in the future.”
Minglan sat still at the edge of the bed, her eyes wide open, staring at the man’s handsome profile for a long while.
Gu Tingye truly was a clever man. Rong Jie’er’s birth was unclear — she was neither the eldest nor the legitimate nor the favored daughter. A daughter like this posed no real threat to the principal wife. So long as the principal wife had a clear head and was not entirely without goodness of heart, she would basically not make things difficult for the girl. When the girl came of age, a dowry could be added and she could be sent off — earning a good reputation and requiring little effort.
If Gu Tingye were to single-mindedly shield and dote upon Rong Jie’er, it would only stoke the displeasure of the principal wife. And if the principal wife truly wished to make things difficult for a child, most men could not protect the child fully — Gu Tingye knew this from personal experience.
As the main branch’s senior maidservant within the Marquis’s household, Qiu Niang’s personal capabilities were undeniably exceptional — in truth, she was likely superior to the daughters of ordinary families. So long as Rong Jie’er could learn these skills from Qiu Niang, and be gradually steeped in the bearing of a noble household, she would carry herself very well in any company.
And besides, if one’s expectations were set too high, it might end up harming her.
But all of this rested upon one prerequisite. Minglan narrowed her eyes at the man — how could he be so certain that she had a clear head and was not entirely without goodness of heart? What if she turned out to be quite cruel?
Minglan gritted her teeth inwardly, and a wicked thought suddenly arose — she very much wanted to play the role of a vicious stepmother just to show him.
“…This way, Qiu Niang will also have something to rely on.” Gu Tingye added one more soft half-sentence. From beginning to end, he had not once mentioned Gong Hongxiao.
Did he want to register Rong Jie’er under Qiu Niang’s name? Then why hadn’t he directly elevated Qiu Niang to the rank of Yiniang just now? And what about Hongxiao? Minglan turned the question over in her mind at length, and only then did she think to look at the other end of it. When she chewed slowly over Gu Tingye’s words again, she suddenly understood something. A wave of inexplicable delight washed over her, and she bowed her head cheerfully and went back to reading the accounts.
Gu Tingye vaguely sensed Minglan’s delight. He glared over at her with a ferocious look, lightly pinched her cheek, and made every effort to maintain a stern expression as he scolded: “What are you so pleased about?! Tell me — you don’t want Qiu Niang here, do you?”
Minglan quickly cupped her own little face in her hands and dodged away, saying with great righteousness: “You’re right, I don’t want someone I’ve barely met to see me without my clothes on.” The uses of a bed attendant were rather extensive, after all.
“Is that the only reason?” Gu Tingye’s eyebrows arched with displeasure.
“Naturally.” Minglan was entirely matter-of-fact. She even pointed toward Gu Tingye’s nose and teased him with a grin: “My husband has been seen by her from the time he was small — I, for one, have not.”
A suspicious flush crept across Gu Tingye’s face — one couldn’t tell if it was anger or indignation, whether he was annoyed at being seen or at his wife being more annoying still. He just turned away sulkily, his back to Minglan. Seeing that he had truly taken offense, Minglan dared not tease him further. She burrowed up against his back, squirming and wriggling like a little fish, trying to win his favor. After quite a bit of coaxing, Gu Tingye finally rolled back over with a cold face to lie down.
Minglan quickly engaged him in conversation: “The matters at court — have you worked them all out with Advisor Gongsun?”
“Mm.” The man gave a half-dead grunt.
“Nothing too troublesome, I hope?”
Gu Tingye paused for a moment, then said slowly: “…Today at court, someone submitted a memorial impeaching Lao Geng. They accused him of willfully cultivating connections with the powerful, corrupting the moral code, and seeking personal gain. The Emperor reprimanded Lao Geng on the spot.” He paused. “Just before the new year, at the northern frontier, Lao Geng had led from the front and was wounded — those injuries still haven’t fully healed.” His tone held a note of rueful feeling. He continued: “I know well enough that the Emperor’s purpose is also well-intentioned — merely issuing a measured warning. But that Lao Geng!”
“Oh,” Minglan responded, several beats behind.
She had heard some wind of this matter.
When stripped of its surface, there was nothing at all surprising about it. Comrade Lao Geng had committed errors very common among those who entered the glittering capital during a period of relative peace: a lifetime of loyal, honest, diligent service, and then — failing to withstand the temptation of sugar-coated cannonballs when he finally reached the splendid world. Gu Tingye, born of a noble house, had seven aunts and eight cousins’ worth of relatives and old acquaintances — there was nothing to be done about that. Even so, he still did his best to dodge and keep a low profile. Yet here was a military commander of humble origins from the borders of Shu — somehow he had made himself resemble a teahouse club for folk singers, his gate busy with visitors at all hours. Was he not deliberately providing the censors and remonstrating officials with ample material for their writing?
“One can’t entirely blame Lao Geng.” Gu Tingye couldn’t resist saying a word or two for that ill-fated comrade. “He had no intention of cultivating connections with the powerful. Most of it was relatives of his army brothers showing up at his door — how could he have withstood that onslaught?” Alas, nearly every noble family in the capital had relatives of some branch or other serving in the military.
“What do you think?” After offering his defense, Gu Tingye, as was his habit, turned to ask Minglan.
In truth, Minglan had little sympathy for Comrade Lao Geng, but she knew she shouldn’t say so plainly.
She glanced at Gu Tingye’s expression, set down the account book in her hand, and weighed her words: “In the outer courtyard, there is Chief Steward Hao and Chief Steward Pan. In the inner courtyard, there is Liao Yong’s wife and Wang Gui’s wife. Below them, there are several sub-stewards and a whole contingent of servant women and maidservants.”
Gu Tingye furrowed his brow slightly, signaling that he did not understand. Minglan smiled and continued: “In my view, if all these people were deeply and unshakably loyal to one another in a web of mutual devotion — loyal as gold, deep as the sea — then I as the mistress of this household would have nothing left to do.”
Every person in authority throughout history has preferred those beneath them to be loyal in a direct line, not to cultivate crosswise bonds among themselves. Gu Tingye naturally understood this principle. It was simply that in his heart, he had not yet fully made the transition from thinking of someone as “the eighth prince” to thinking of him as “the sovereign.”
Gu Tingye could not quite hold his straight face, and let out a burst of laughter. Seeing that his composure was already broken, he scooped Minglan up like catching a small pig and dragged her onto the bed, pulling her into his arms and laughing loudly as he gave her a thorough and vigorous tousle.
Laughter rang out, carrying faintly to the courtyard gate. Qiu Niang’s face immediately went pale. Danju’s smile was very polite — and very hollow. She smiled and said: “Miss Qiu Niang, if you have urgent business, I’ll go in right now to announce you.”
“No — no — it’s nothing urgent. I’ll be going back now.” Qiu Niang waved her hands repeatedly and stumbled out of Jia Xi Residence.