Chapter 157: The Note
It was just past noon when they returned to the Gu residence. Gu Jinrong came over to mooch a meal, saying he wanted to eat the rose dew dumplings she made.
Only after finishing the dumplings did he reluctantly leave. In the afternoon, he had arranged to play cuju with Gu Jinxian in the courtyard: "...He doesn't like studying, and our eldest cousin dislikes physical activity, so he always drags me along for these things," Gu Jinrong said. "I'll come back again in the evening."
Jinchao smiled. "If you keep coming, you'll eat me out of house and home. Go have dinner with Grandmother tonight—she's been missing you for days." Gu Jinxian used to keep company with Ye Xian, but now Ye Xian had no time for him.
Gu Jinzhao recalled how, in her past life, Gu Jinxian had risen to become Minister of Justice. In this life, since the Marquis Changxing's household hadn't encountered disaster and the Gu family wouldn't target Fifth Madam—and Fifth Madam hadn't died with her unborn child—he wouldn't walk the same path of aiding the wicked as before... but neither would he ever become Minister of Justice again.
Gu Jinrong then said, "Grandmother just called me over to talk yesterday... Didn't you just have me change my book boy? She wanted to assign two maids to serve me, but I refused, saying I didn’t need them. She didn’t press further, but she did send one of her own matrons over, claiming she’d take care of my daily needs."
Madam Feng, relatively speaking, still placed great importance on Gu Jinrong, so of course she would plant spies around him.
Gu Jinzhao asked him, "What do you think of this matron?"
Gu Jinrong thought for a moment. "She’s diligent enough, but she often finds excuses to talk to me and sneaks into my study... I don’t much like her, so I’ve had her manage the kitchen instead. I keep the study locked now. Still, I really don’t want her serving me—she’s always getting in the way."
Jinchao said, "Since Grandmother assigned her to you, you can’t just send her back. But once someone is given to you, they’re yours to command. Reward her often, and keep her in line with both kindness and firmness—she’ll learn to obey." She instructed Qingpu to fetch a pair of gold cloud-patterned bracelets and told Gu Jinrong, "Give these to her and make sure she wears them every day."
Gu Jinrong took the bracelets but looked puzzled. "Eldest Miss, why are you giving her gold bracelets?"
Jinchao smiled faintly. "A lowly matron like her has never seen such fine things. Wealth moves hearts. We’re not dismissing her service—we just want her to serve you wholeheartedly and nothing else. With these bracelets on her, she’ll be reminded every time she looks at them."
Moreover, when Madam Feng saw the gold bracelets, she would surely suspect the matron had been bribed by Gu Jinrong. Even if that weren’t the case, it would sow distrust. After all, the matron was serving Gu Jinrong now, not under Madam Feng’s direct watch.
Finally understanding, Gu Jinrong said, "Don’t worry, Eldest Miss, I’ve got it. If she really reports everything to Grandmother, so be it—I walk straight and fear no shadows. Let her spy all she wants! But Grandmother being so wary of me is a bit much..."
After exchanging a few more words with him, Jinchao sent him off to play cuju with Gu Jinxian.
She yawned, suddenly feeling drowsy, and called for Qingpu. "...Light the brazier. I want to nap for a while."
Qingpu’s hands were clenched tightly. She leaned down and whispered to Gu Jinzhao, "Eldest Miss, don’t sleep yet. I couldn’t bring this out earlier with the young master here. Look at this..." She pulled a rolled-up slip of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Gu Jinzhao.The paper had grown sticky from sweat. Gu Jinchao unfolded it to find a note no more than an inch long, bearing only the four characters "Director of Granary Affairs" written in the neat, standardized Academy Style Calligraphy commonly used by scholars. She closed the note, her drowsiness instantly vanishing. She asked Qingpu, "Where did you get this?"
Qingpu first went to close the lattice window in the western chamber before returning to speak with Jinchao. "...This morning when we left Dezhong Lane, just after you boarded the carriage, a man shoved this note into my hand and said, 'For your young mistress.' He was tall and rugged-looking, and clearly skilled in martial arts..."
Jinchao found the description familiar. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Was he wearing a blue short coat and black cloth shoes?"
Qingpu nodded, then suddenly realized, "Right! He looked like that carriage driver we saw at the silk shop!"
So it was Hu Rong, Third Master Chen's carriage driver!
Hu Rong was illiterate—he couldn't possibly have written this note. Besides, he didn't even know her.
The handwriting showed nothing remarkable, yet the brushstrokes were powerful and vigorous, the kind that took over a decade to master. Third Master Chen must have written it and had Hu Rong deliver it. But what did these four characters mean? Why would he send her such a note?
Jinchao fell into deep thought.
The Director of Granary Affairs was the official in charge of the granary section under the Ministry of Revenue. Her father worked in the Ministry of Revenue, overseeing precisely this granary department.
Third Master Chen was the Minister of Revenue—her father's superior's superior.
Yet none of this made sense. She and Third Master Chen had only met once. Why would he send her these four characters?
Had he seen her there that day?
Was he trying to tell her something with these words, or was he using her as a messenger to communicate with her father?
Jinchao thought the latter more likely—after all, Third Master Chen had no reason to send such a note to her personally.
Qingpu asked softly, "Young Mistress, who is this person? Why would he send us such a note?"
Jinchao murmured, "I wish I knew..."
She had Qingpu help her change clothes, intending to visit her father in the front courtyard. She knew little about Ministry of Revenue affairs, but if Third Master Chen had something urgent to convey to her father, she needed to speak with him.
As it happened, Gu Dezhao wasn't required at the yamen that day and was playing weiqi in his study with Fifth Master Gu, Gu Dexiu.
When a servant announced Jinchao's arrival, Dezhao called her in. She curtsied to greet both him and Dexiu.
Dezhao beckoned her over. "You've come at the right time. Look at this game—your uncle has me completely cornered..."
Jinchao smiled. "Father, you know very well how poor my weiqi skills are. I need to speak with you about something important. May we talk privately?"
After excusing himself from Dexiu, Dezhao followed her out of the study. Jinchao rarely sought him out unless it was for serious matters, so he asked solemnly, "...What did you need to discuss?"
Jinchao hesitated. She didn't know if Third Master Chen could be trusted. If this was misinformation that led her father into a trap, the consequences would be dire. So she approached the matter differently: "Father, who is the current Director of Granary Affairs working with you? How well do you know this person?"Gu Dezhao chuckled, "Why are you asking about this? The former Director of Granary Affairs was from Liangxiang in Fangshan. He even sent gifts when you came of age. But now he's been transferred to the Department of Measurement, serving as its director. The position of Director of Granary Affairs is currently vacant."
After all, her father was a proper sixth-rank official. Matters he deemed inappropriate to discuss with Gu Jinzhao, a sheltered woman, he would tactfully avoid.
Gu Jinzhao smiled helplessly, tugging at his sleeve to lead him to the main hall for a brief rest, instructing Shui Ying to serve tea.
Her expression grew serious. "Father, this is urgent. Please tell me in detail about this Director of Granary Affairs. What were his duties under you? Why was he suddenly transferred to the Department of Measurement... Do you find anything unusual about him?"
Gu Dezhao gave his eldest daughter a strange look but, out of trust, slowly replied, "He was in charge of granaries—one in the capital and two in Daxing. Now that famine has struck Shanxi, these grains are to be transported there for relief. He was to accompany the imperial envoy to Shanxi, hence the transfer to the Department of Measurement. If there's anything unusual, it's that he's claimed illness and skipped the ministry for several days... Chaojie, why are you asking about this? Did someone say something to you?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinzhao frowned in deep thought. "During these days he claimed illness, did you visit him?"
Gu Dezhao shook his head with a smile. "There are twelve clerks, twenty-three scribes, one accountant, and four custodians in the granary department. If I visited every sick subordinate, I'd never have time! But the famine in Shanxi is severe. Official Yuan has submitted several memorials. He wouldn’t be so reckless. Since I wasn’t worried about him, I didn’t visit..."
Hearing the name "Official Yuan," Gu Jinzhao asked, "...Is it Yuan Zhongru?"
Gu Dezhao nodded. "The very same Yuan Zhongru, the once-celebrated top scholar."
Gu Jinzhao had heard of him in her past life. He and Third Master Chen were scholars of the same imperial examination. Back then, Third Master Chen, still young, had earned Second Place, while Yuan Zhongru, then thirty, was the emperor's personally appointed top scholar. He later rose to become the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi and was close with Fan Chuan... Now, most of Fan Chuan's faction had been executed or exiled, with few survivors. Yuan Zhongru had survived by being prudent and knowing when to retreat.
If this matter involved Yuan Zhongru... Gu Jinzhao's heart skipped a beat. In her past life, Yuan Zhongru had ultimately died. While reporting to the capital, he was impeached by censors for embezzlement, imprisoned, and died of illness within months—rumored to be the plague, with no one even collecting his body...
After a moment's thought, she said to Gu Dezhao, "Perhaps you should check on his condition. If it delays famine relief in Shanxi, it would be troublesome... You might bear some responsibility then..."
Gu Dezhao hesitated, finding his daughter rather odd today. Why was she asking about court affairs?Jinchao knew her father still had doubts, but explaining the origin of the note would not only confuse Gu Dezhao—even she found it baffling... So she said to him, "You know I have an accountant, Mr. Cao, who once served as an advisor to the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. I heard from him today when I went out. He used to know this Director of Granary Affairs and found the man quite extraordinary. Why don’t you go and see for yourself first... If there’s really something amiss, you can come back and tell me..."
Gu Dezhao hesitated for a moment before replying to Gu Jinzhao, "Since it’s you who suggested it, I’ll go take a look. But you must arrange for me to meet this Mr. Cao another day." This Mr. Cao—how could he casually discuss court matters with Jinchao? What use was it for her to know such trivialities?
Gu Jinzhao nodded in agreement. Watching her father harness the carriage and leave, she finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
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