Chapter 16: Punishment
When Jinchao returned to Paulownia Courtyard, her expression was dark, and the servants dared not even breathe loudly, attending to her with utmost caution. When Liu Xiang served tea, the Eldest Miss found it too hot and swept it onto the floor with a flick of her hand, ordering the girl to leave and not attend to her anymore.
Qingpu understood Jinchao's intention: "Does the young mistress suspect Liu Xiang?"
Jinchao nodded. "I sent her away first. I don’t want to wrong her unjustly and make her suspicious. Find Yutong, who is close to her, and also summon Old Woman Li, the cleaner."
However, Yutong couldn’t provide any useful information: "...This servant hasn’t noticed anything unusual about Liu Xiang." Qingpu led her out first, and Jinchao gave her a meaningful glance. Having served her for many years, Qingpu understood—she was to warn Yutong to keep quiet and not speak carelessly.
Old Woman Li, however, immediately knelt down and spoke in detail: "This servant cleans the front courtyard and often sees Liu Xiang leaving the courtyard... But a few days ago, she acted unusually. She went out in the evening, and this servant thought it was on your orders. Yet she returned in less than half an hour, holding something in her hand... Ah, yes! It was a pair of golden hairpins—blue sapphire plum blossom hairpins! But after that, this servant never saw Liu Xiang wear them again."
Jinchao rewarded Old Woman Li with some silver bullion and instructed her to keep silent for now.
She was now seventy to eighty percent certain. To avoid alerting anyone, she didn’t act rashly. Liu Xiang continued to serve her daily, but her heart pounded like a drum. Ever since she overheard the young mistress secretly investigating her background, she had been terrified. She tried her best to perform well, hoping to secure her place, fearing a return to her former life of poverty and abuse at the hands of her father and brother.
Having suffered from poverty since childhood, she was particularly greedy for valuables. She had taken many small trinkets from Jinchao’s belongings, assuming the young mistress wouldn’t notice or care. But that wasn’t enough. Gu Lan had offered her more jewelry and valuables. When she heard about the gold filigree hairpiece, she knew such information could be traded for gold ornaments—and sure enough, Gu Lan gave her a pair of golden hairpins!
Though Gu Jinzhao hadn’t openly suspected her, she no longer favored Liu Xiang as before. Thinking of her hidden treasures, Liu Xiang comforted herself—even if she were hastily married off, those valuables would ensure her a comfortable life.
Jinchao summoned Luo Yongping. Within just a few days of returning, he had gathered all the necessary information and reported respectfully: "Liu Xiang only has an elder brother named Song Da. Her mother died when she was young, and her father passed away two years ago. However, her brother doesn’t work for the Yu family—he’s an idle loafer, addicted to gambling. He gambles recklessly and plays all kinds of games—backgammon, card games, dice—often at the Wanchun Gambling Den. On bad nights, he can lose a hundred taels in one go..."
No wonder Liu Xiang was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled!
Jinchao lifted her teacup and took a sip before asking, "If her brother gambles so heavily without any steady income, how hasn’t he lost everything by now?"
Luo Yongping chuckled. "Strangely enough, Song Da always seems to have money. Even when he’s broke, he somehow produces gold and silver jewelry to pawn!" Jinchao’s eyes flickered with understanding as she looked at him, and Luo Yongping produced the evidence. "This servant redeemed some from the pawnshop—there’s still plenty more."Luo Yongping was indeed an efficient man. Jinchao nodded and instructed Qingpu to summon Mama Tong for identification.
Mama Tong examined the items carefully for a long time before concluding, "Most of these belong to you, Miss. This butterfly-loving-flower hairpin is uniquely yours with its yellow tourmaline inlay... As for the rest, I'm not entirely sure. Ah, this!" She pulled out a pair of red coral earrings. "I've seen Ziling, Second Miss's maid, wear these." Then she pointed to a jasper thumb ring. "This item—I've seen Concubine Du wear it."
Concubine Du? Jinchao recalled Mama Tong's earlier investigation revealing that Liu Xiang had once served under Concubine Du.
Mama Tong was visibly shaken. "These are all your belongings, Miss! No wonder Liu Xiang never came to me for the registry. Without it, stealing would've been much easier. Thank goodness I'm familiar with your things!"
Gu Jinchao nodded. "I initially thought she was only involved with Second Miss, but it turns out she's connected to Concubine Du as well." Raising such a parasite had nearly hollowed her out.
Mama Tong frowned slightly and whispered, "Miss, do you think Concubine Du and Concubine Song might be colluding..."
"Possibly." Jinchao had considered this too. If the two concubines had already joined forces, dealing with them would be far more difficult.
"...Though we can't confirm their involvement yet, we can't keep Liu Xiang any longer!" Mama Tong made a decisive gesture.
"Removing her without alerting those two won't be easy right now." Jinchao pondered. "If we could catch her red-handed while stealing, I'd have grounds to expel her from the manor."
Luo Yongping clasped his hands respectfully. "Eldest Miss, the Wanchun Gambling Den is owned by the Ji family. Previously, when Song Da gambled there, he used your name, claiming his sister was your most favored maid. Within a ten-mile radius, no one dared cross him. Out of respect for you, the den suppressed his losses... Otherwise, he would've lost far more."
Having lived through countless scandals in her past life, Jinchao knew how easily gambling dens could manipulate outcomes.
She smiled faintly. "Tell them to stop suppressing it. Since Song Da loves gambling so much, let him lose more."
"This servant will arrange it immediately." Luo Yongping withdrew with a bow.
Days later, Liu Xiang came to beg for leave, her eyes red with urgency. "Miss, please grant me leave to return home. My brother is bedridden, and I wish to see him."
Jinchao was pruning excess buds from her wintersweet plant and replied, "It's the New Year—don't let your brother suffer. Go ahead."
Liu Xiang hastily packed a few gold trinkets and silver bullion from her room and left. Her home was in Qingping Alley, where a skeletal old dog wagged its tail at her approach, only to be kicked aside.
Entering the inner chamber, she found the rosewood bed, cabinets, and furniture gone. A gaunt man in coarse linen lay curled on a wooden plank under a thin quilt, his broken leg dangling limply, blood soaking the fabric. Spotting her, he immediately cursed, "You wretched girl! I called for you, and you ignored me! Had to wait till my leg was broken, didn't you?"Liu Xiang's tears fell instantly: "Have you no sense? The trip there and back takes a whole day! And you still scold me in this state! Where's the money? The furniture? Where did it all go? Tell me, where did you take everything?"
Song Da shrugged carelessly: "I gambled, of course I pawned it first! Damned if I know why, but my luck's been cursed lately—lost over a thousand taels already. Did you bring any silver? Get me a physician first, and I'll use the rest to win it back!"
Liu Xiang trembled with rage. Gambling... Even in this state, he still wanted to gamble!
"I didn't bring much silver now. How much do you still owe the gambling den?"
Song Da thought for a moment: "Four hundred taels... Hell if I remember clearly! Don't you serve that Eldest Miss? She's the Ji family's cousin, isn't she? Go beg her to clear my debt! Hurry up and go!"
Four hundred taels... Liu Xiang turned ice-cold. Four hundred taels—with Mama Tong managing Paulownia Courtyard now, even if they beat her to death, she couldn't produce four hundred taels!
"You want to drag this before Eldest Miss? If she finds out you've been gambling, neither of us will survive!" Liu Xiang glared at him fiercely. He was her only brother—the Song family line couldn't end here. No matter what, she had to save him. Gritting her teeth, she turned and walked into the yard, heading for a brick beneath the jujube tree.
Song Da grinned strangely: "You hid gold there, didn't you?"
Liu Xiang's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Song Da continued: "You sneaky bitch, hiding things behind my back. I dug it up long ago and spent it! Hah, long gone—bought Hong Tao a pearl shirt and a five-tael gold filigree hairpiece..."
Gold filigree hairpiece! That damned hairpiece again!
Liu Xiang's expression twisted savagely. She sprang to her brother's bedside, seized his throat, and shrieked: "Give me back my gold! I saved for so many years! So many years!..." Her voice gradually weakened, tears streaming down.
Gone. All the gold and silver were gone. She had nothing left.
Song Da said: "You don't have any, but Eldest Miss does. Go take hers—let me win it back first..."
Liu Xiang's eyes suddenly brightened: "Yes... yes, Eldest Miss has gold. Second Miss too. I need to go back for the gold first. I need to go back." She snatched up her bundle and bolted from the room, leaving Song Da pounding the bed in fury. "Get me a damned bone-setter first, you little bitch! Leaving me to die..."
A skeletal old dog wagged its tail as it entered, circling Song Da and licking his face.
"Damn mutt! Skipped meals and still not dead!" Song Da dodged the dog's rough tongue. "Piss off! Nothing for you!"
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