Liang Chen Mei Jin

Chapter 107: Signs

After returning to Eastern Dwelling, Jinchao had the maids fetch a glass jar. She personally washed the osmanthus flowers, layering them with powdered sugar to preserve them. She then instructed that it be stored in a cool, shaded place.

This jar of osmanthus honey would be left here for her grandmother, whose health had recently declined, as she had been coughing frequently.

She planned to return to the Gu family the day after tomorrow. Not only was there Gu Lan in the household, but also that so-called Taoist master. If she didn’t go back to keep an eye on things, she feared someone might stir up trouble, and her father wouldn’t even notice.

Her concerns were justified. Just two days after she left, Qingxu Taoist Priest began persuading Gu Dezhao to donate silver for the construction of a so-called "Sanqing Pavilion" at the Taoist temple. After hesitating for several days, Gu Dezhao ultimately decided to contribute four thousand taels. When this news reached Mama Xu, she was beside herself with worry—four thousand taels was no small sum, amounting to nearly a third of the Gu family’s annual income! While the master spending money wasn’t unusual, donating such an exorbitant amount was unheard of. A few hundred taels would already be excessive, let alone thousands!

The problem was, Gu Jinchao wasn’t home. As a servant, how could Mama Xu interfere with the master’s affairs? The eldest young master had gone to the Yu family’s clan school, and the Second Miss never concerned herself with such matters. There was no one to advise against it. All she could do was send word to Gu Jinchao, urging her to return as soon as possible.

The journey from Shi’an to Tongzhou took a day, so by the time Gu Jinchao received the letter, it was already the evening of the following day.

After reading it, she was furious. She understood that her father currently lacked emotional grounding, but squandering money like this was unacceptable! Four thousand taels was a staggering amount—how could he just donate it because Qingxu Taoist Priest said so? Many noble families were on good terms with this priest, yet none of them took the lead in such extravagant donations. Her father held no hereditary title, and his official rank was modest—such an act would only draw unnecessary attention!

She informed her grandmother about the donation and prepared to leave the next day.

Ji Wu Shi sighed at the mention of Gu Dezhao: "...I knew he couldn’t handle things properly! Don’t worry too much. Tomorrow, I’ll arrange for someone to escort you back. If you’re short on funds, I have a bank in Shi’an. Just let them know, and you can withdraw what you need..."

Jinchao held her grandmother’s hand and said, "Your silver wasn’t earned effortlessly. Don’t worry—I know what to do." Her grandmother was usually strict about rules, but when it came to her, she was always indulgent.

As Jinchao mentioned making the osmanthus honey for her, Mama Song came in and announced, "...Second Young Master has returned and wishes to see you."

Knowing it was about the Luzhou silk shop in Xianghe, Ji Wu Shi had Ji Yao enter.

Dressed in a slightly worn Hangzhou silk overgown, Ji Yao looked travel-weary, his handsome face lined with fatigue. After paying his respects to his grandmother and exchanging greetings with Jinchao, he said, "...Grandmother, the managers at the Luzhou silk shop are unfit to stay. I’ve punished them and sent them all to Hebei."

Ji Wu Shi frowned. Ji Yao was usually gentle with people—his uncharacteristic severity suggested the managers must have done something egregious.

Realizing they needed to discuss business matters, Jinchao excused herself, not wanting to intrude.Walking along the path, Jinchao could still hear Ji Yao's voice, laced with a chilling undertone: "...They colluded with the bandits in Guizhou, helping a man surnamed Xiao deliver a letter to Prince Rui. Not long ago, they also escorted a shipment of goods. They didn’t know what was inside, and the items had already been transported out... Someone just informed me that it was all weaponry, and they took a thirty percent cut from it. I’ve always warned them—these matters must not be touched. Yet they turned a deaf ear..."

Hearing him mention someone surnamed Xiao, Jinchao’s heart skipped a beat, and her steps slowed involuntarily, eager to hear more about what was going on.

Ji Wu Shi’s voice was equally icy: "We are merchants. The worst thing we can do is get involved in such affairs. Never mind the rest—those managers must never return to Yanjing! And you stay out of this as well. I fear you won’t be able to extricate yourself. Let Manager Ge handle it..."

They stopped discussing the shipment of weapons.

Jinchao felt disappointed but couldn’t bring herself to go back and ask. As she walked slowly along the stone path, a sudden realization struck her.

Prince Rui... She had met Prince Rui in her past life! It was in Chen Yanyun’s study. At the time, she had served tea to Chen Yanyun while Prince Rui was discussing court affairs with him.

She remembered Prince Rui had brought an advisor... and that advisor was surnamed Xiao!

No wonder Mr. Xiao had seemed familiar—she had seen him when he was Prince Rui’s advisor!

But that advisor’s name wasn’t Xiao Qishan. She had heard Prince Rui call him "Xiao You." Qishan must have been his courtesy name. She wondered if Xiao Qishan’s real name was Xiao You.

From what Ji Yao and her grandmother had said, it seemed... Xiao Qishan was already in contact with Prince Rui, collaborating with the Guizhou bandits to transport weapons. What were they planning to do with these supplies?

The thought sent a chill down Jinchao’s spine. Prince Rui and Chen Yanyun belonged to the same faction, both under Zhang Ju Lian’s command. Meanwhile, Ye Xian’s father had been killed by Prince Rui. After Prince Rui’s death, Zhang Ju Lian imposed numerous suppressive measures against the Marquis Changxing’s family, driving Ye Xian’s grandfather, the old Marquis Changxing, to his death.

Later, Ye Xian made a comeback—no one knew how—and three months after the Marquis Changxing’s death, he became the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. From then on, the Ye family gradually recovered. By the time Ye Xian held military power as the Minister of War, Zhang Ju Lian had passed away, and the Ye, Chen, and Prince Rui factions formed a three-way balance of power.

If Ye Xian hated the Chen family, it was only to a moderate degree—not enough to want to destroy them. His true hatred was reserved for Prince Rui. He orchestrated Prince Rui’s downfall, ensuring his entire family was executed. Prince Rui himself was personally sentenced to death by lingchi (slow slicing), and it was said he took exactly four thousand cuts before dying...

In other words, Mr. Xiao had betrayed the Marquis Changxing’s family and pledged allegiance to Prince Rui. Why would Xiao Qishan betray the Ye family?

Jinchao had a vague suspicion, and she was about sixty percent certain. No wonder Ye Xian’s personality had changed so drastically later—his master’s betrayal had led to the deaths of his father and grandfather. The hatred in his heart must have been unbearable...

Qingpu noticed Jinchao had been silent the entire way, lost in thought. She whispered, "Eldest Miss, are you thinking about Master’s affairs? Please don’t worry too much. We’ll find a way..."Jinchao smiled and shook her head. It was already early August. On the thirteenth of September, Emperor Muzong would pass away, and the court would plunge into turmoil. The storm of bloodshed was about to sweep over them. Compared to that, what did four thousand taels matter? She wasn’t sure if she should help Ye Xian—after all, what was their relationship? Xiao Qishan was his master. Why would Ye Xian listen to her?

From the perspective of her past life, her father usually avoided befriending officials, so he had no clear factional affiliations. While this was disadvantageous in normal times, it became a blessing amid such chaos. Thus, in the end, though her father never received a promotion, he also avoided any major disasters.

If they played it safe this time, the Gu family should remain unharmed. The only uncertainty was what to do about Ye Xian’s situation.

Jinchao gazed at a holly tree before her, lost in thought.

...

Ji Yao had just finished discussing the Luzhou silk business with Ji Wu Shi and was preparing to take his leave. Ji Wu Shi urged him to stay a little longer, instructing Mama Song to close the door before personally pouring tea for him.

This was always how Ji Wu Shi acted when she had something serious to discuss.

Recalling his recent trip to the Xianghe Villa with Gu Jinzhao, Ji Yao guessed this was likely the topic and remained silent.

Ji Wu Shi noticed his pursed lips, the stubborn resistance in his expression, and chuckled. "...When you were little and didn’t like sweet things, yet I insisted on feeding you bird’s nest, you wore this exact same expression. How is it that even now, grown as you are, you still can’t hide your emotions? Dealing with others like this will only bring you trouble."

Ji Yao said nothing.

Ji Wu Shi sighed. "Be honest—do you truly dislike your cousin? I suspect what you dislike isn’t her, but this old woman instead! You think I’ve always opposed you—forcing you to eat what you dislike, pushing you into managing the family business despite your reluctance. And now, when I urge you to propose to your cousin, you resent it even more..."

Ji Yao murmured, "Grandmother is overthinking it. That’s not the case."

Ji Wu Shi smiled. "...I’ve lived long enough to see through people. Do you really think you can hide such thoughts from me?"

Ji Yao had always resisted marrying Gu Jinzhao. Even when he realized she wasn’t so bad, he still couldn’t accept the match. He had assumed it was because he disliked her, but now he wondered if it wasn’t also his own resentment and unwillingness...

Ji Wu Shi looked in the direction Gu Jinzhao had left, her heart aching.

"I’ve wronged her..." she whispered. "Your aunt was raised by your great-grandmother and turned out that way. I thought if I doted on Chaojie a little more, she’d grow stronger. Instead, I only harmed her... Asking you to marry her was selfish of me—an old woman’s wish to have someone protect my granddaughter, to keep her from being bullied. But I never considered your feelings..."

Her voice nearly broke. "Chaojie’s mother is dead—murdered by her own concubine. You don’t know this, but in the Gu household, she had no one close to her. Her younger brother treats her like an enemy, and her father is utterly unreasonable... She’s still in mourning, yet she has to manage her mother’s dowry, and she’s still an unmarried girl..."Ji Yao looked at Ji Wu Shi, feeling somewhat surprised. He had never seen her speak to him in such a manner before. Nor had he expected Gu Jinzhao to be living such a difficult life. He had always assumed she was thriving in the Gu family—with her temperament, who would dare to bully her?

Suddenly, he recalled Gu Jinzhao smiling at him and saying, "I know you don’t like me. There’s no need to force yourself to help me..." Her tone had been self-deprecating and distant.

Ji Yao fell silent. At the time, he hadn’t wanted to help her, nor had he thought she was struggling. In fact, he had even harbored a bit of schadenfreude. He never imagined Gu Jinzhao’s life in the Gu family was so harsh, and yet he had treated her that way. Thinking of the elegant white lotus embroidered on her sleeve, he felt an inexplicable pang of tenderness in his heart.

Ji Wu Shi continued, "Your grandmother doesn’t have many years left. This is her only wish—that you protect Chaojie properly... Let me ask you one more time today: are you willing?"

After a long hesitation, Ji Yao finally said, "Give me some time to think..."

PS:

Thank you to readers 738155, Murong Xueyuan, and Chang Lvke for the pink votes, and to sunflower889 for the Scented Sachet

This chapter was written early but took forever to edit and post—so frustrating!