Chapter 163: Blocking the Path
No matter how unwilling Gu Lan was, she couldn't defy Madam Feng's wishes.
In the end, she silently rose from the floor and walked out through the door.
Madam Feng sighed and instructed Fuling beside her: "...Later, send a few bolts of silk fabric to Lan Er's quarters, increase her monthly allowance to fifteen taels, and give her my gold longevity hairpin and that red coral bracelet."
Fuling acknowledged the order, and Madam Feng waved her hand, signaling everyone to follow her to the East Side Room.
Though Gu Lan had admitted her mistake, Yu Ming Ying looked at her coldly: "Do you take me for a fool? What status do you have to admit mistakes whenever you please?"
Gu Lan replied calmly: "Ming Ying is right, Lan Er is of lowly status. But I still understand right from wrong. What's done is done—I coveted your tourmaline bracelet and secretly took it. Had I not accidentally dropped it in the lake, I wouldn't have come forward to confess... Now I'll accept whatever punishment Ming Ying deems fit."
Since she was destined to take the blame, she might as well do it properly. Perhaps Madam Feng would still feel some sympathy for her.
Just as Madam Feng led the group to the East Side Room, she walked in smiling and took Yu Ming Ying's hand: "Ming Ying, this is our fault. Lan Er simply liked your things too much, and I've already punished her severely. Coming from a distinguished family and being well-read since childhood, surely you won't dwell on such a trivial matter. If you'd like, tomorrow you may pick anything you fancy from my treasury. Your status is different from Lan Er's—it's beneath you to quarrel with her. I know you've always been magnanimous..."
Yu Ming Ying glanced at Gu Lian, who was cowering behind Second Madam, too timid to step forward, and forced a smile. The Gus called themselves a family of scholars? With the eldest daughter raised like this, even marrying the son of a Grand Secretary wouldn't save her—not even becoming the wife of a proper Marquis's heir would help.
With Madam Feng emphasizing her noble background, Yu Ming Ying couldn't very well press the matter further.
At this moment, Nurse Wen stepped forward and curtsied: "Please don't take offense, Madam. Our Third Young Miss has a quick temper but means no harm. We're also at fault here—leaving things carelessly in the room invited temptation... After all, we're family by marriage. It wouldn't do to let such a small matter ruin our harmony."
Madam Feng's expression finally relaxed. This Nurse Wen was Yu Ming Ying's wet nurse, a servant of considerable standing in the Yu household.
"Nurse Wen speaks wisely," Madam Feng smiled. "Tell us how you wish to punish Lan Er, and I certainly won't interfere."
Yu Ming Ying looked at Gu Lan.
Gu Lan kept her head bowed, tear stains still visible on her face.
"Since I'll be staying with the Gus for some time, let Lan Jie attend to my daily needs," Yu Ming Ying said indifferently. "Just simple tasks like doing my hair or making tea. Nothing too burdensome."
Gu Lan felt her face burn—she was being made to serve as a maid! If others saw this, how could she ever hold her head up again?
Madam Feng's expression eased. Pouring tea and fetching water was actually quite lenient coming from the Yu Third Young Miss. She immediately told Gu Lan: "Hurry up and thank your Ming Ying Jie for her mercy!"
Gu Lan rose and bowed, but it felt like she'd been slapped across the face. Her head buzzed dizzily.She had no backing, not being the legitimate daughter, and was bullied like this by these people! Gu Lian was close to her, yet was willing to push her out to take the blame immediately—what a good sister indeed! Gu Lan bit her lip.
If she didn’t repay Gu Lian for today’s humiliation, she wouldn’t be Gu Lan!
Yu Ming Ying no longer voiced any objections, saying she was tired, and returned to the west courtyard wing room with Mama Wen. Before leaving, she earnestly reminded Gu Lan to go over early the next day.
Madam Feng dismissed everyone else, keeping only Gu Lan and Gu Jinzhao to speak with.
Gu Jinzhao spoke with Madam Feng first. No matter how one looked at it, today’s incident was entirely Gu Lian’s fault. She and Gu Lan had been unjustly implicated. Thinking of Gu Jinzhao’s resolute tone earlier, Madam Feng still felt uneasy and spent a long time persuading her.
Only then did Gu Jinzhao relent: "Grandmother, there’s no need to say more. Chaojie understands your difficulties."
Madam Feng sighed. "Lian jie er is hopeless, making things hard for you and Lan Er. Grandmother has wronged you… If there’s anything you want or wish to do, just tell me. I’ll get you whatever you desire."
Gu Jinzhao shook her head and said softly, "There’s nothing in particular I want… But last time at Yuzhao Fang, I saw a beautiful patterned fabric, though it was too expensive, and I didn’t dare buy it then. Now, I’d like to have it… If Grandmother agrees, I’d like to visit Yuzhao Fang again after Lian jie er’s hair pinning ceremony."
Madam Feng was reluctant to let women leave the household, but considering what had just happened, she relented.
When Gu Jinzhao stepped out, she saw Gu Lan standing in the night, swallowed by the thick shadows.
Gu Lan also looked at her. After a long while, she asked quietly, "Did you enjoy watching me humiliated…? You’re the legitimate daughter, and I’m the illegitimate one. I’ll never catch up to you in this lifetime. If you want to laugh, go ahead…"
But Gu Jinzhao ignored Gu Lan entirely, walking straight back to Beautiful Embroidery Hall with Qingpu and Caifu. She had no desire to speak with Gu Lan, nor was there any need.
The next day was Gu Lian’s hair pinning ceremony, held with great fanfare and without incident.
Gu Jinzhao noticed that Second Master Gu only made a brief appearance before vanishing again. Her father spent the entire day in his study, discussing matters with his advisors.
In the end, Madam Yao served as Gu Lian’s hairpin ceremony assistant.
Gu Jinzhao was also busy all day for Gu Lian’s ceremony. By the time she woke the next morning, it was already mid-morning. Dressed in a winter coat by Caifu, she murmured to Qingpu, "…You should have woken me earlier."
Qingpu had already drawn the bed curtains embroidered with intertwining branches and ice-silk threads and scooped water with a peony-patterned silver ladle before smiling. "…You haven’t slept well these past few days. I lit some calming incense so you could rest longer."
She really hadn’t slept much lately.
Seeing Caifu holding a goose-yellow winter coat with four auspicious ruyi patterns, Jinzhao thought for a moment and asked her to switch to a white winter coat with pale purple bamboo leaf motifs and a deep indigo Xiang skirt. She tied her hair into a neat bun, adorned with a string of white hosta flowers of varying sizes.
Mama Xu had gone to the east courtyard early to fetch the tally tokens. By noon, Jinzhao set off for the front courtyard accompanied only by Qingpu and Caifu, with four guards assigned by Madam Feng following her. Once outside the Gu residence, the carriage slowly made its way toward Dezhong Fang.Luo Yongping had already prepared a carriage for her at the back door of the Su-Hang silk shop. Once Jinchao boarded, she instructed him, "...I'll be gone for half an hour. If those guards come looking, have Caifu change into clothes similar to mine and sit inside."
Luo Yongping acknowledged, "Rest assured, I'll keep watch. Nothing will go wrong."
Gu Jinzhao only brought Qingpu with her as the carriage set off swiftly toward Lanxi Lane with a crack of the coachman's whip.
Lanxi Lane wasn't as bustling as Dezhong Lane or Yuzhao Lane—just a clean little market paved with bluestone, with few passersby. To the left was the official road leading to Wanping, while straight ahead lay the outer city of the capital. The coachman stopped the carriage outside a small shop selling mutton and hot wine, then handed the shopkeeper a two-tael silver ingot, instructing him not to accept any more customers afterward. The shopkeeper eagerly agreed—two taels was nearly half his usual earnings for the same period.
Jinzhao rubbed the note Third Master Chen had given her between her fingers and quietly instructed the coachman, "Wait here and stop the carriage when it comes. Invite Third Master to have some mutton soup, then give him this. Understand?"
If Third Master Chen saw the note, he would likely guess it was someone from the Gu family seeking to meet him.
If he wasn't willing to help or didn't want to get involved, he wouldn't agree to come.
The coachman Luo Yongping had found was sharp-witted and immediately complied, tucking the note into the sleeve of his brown cotton jacket before sitting on the stone platform outside the shop to wait.
As the shop gradually emptied, Jinzhao finally stepped out of the carriage and entered. Inside, the windows were open, revealing four clean wooden tables set with bowls, chopsticks, and a dish of sesame oil. Jinzhao took a seat by the window and asked the shopkeeper for a pot of hot tea.
A carriage with blue curtains rolled along the bluestone road.
"Wang Xuanfan is too troublesome..." Jiang Yan muttered under his breath.
Chen Yanyun sat in the carriage, eyes closed as he massaged his temples.
The disaster relief funds for Shanxi were under the Ministry of Revenue's jurisdiction, so naturally, he would decide their allocation. Yet Wang Xuanfan, the Minister of Works, was meddling under the pretext of dike repairs and river dredging, insisting on borrowing the funds first. Senior officials at court were already displeased with the delay in releasing the relief silver, and Wang Xuanfan's provocations only made the Ministry of Revenue's position more awkward. Though Wang Xuanfan's actions were brazen, they played right into Zhang Julian's hands.
Chen Yanyun remained silent for a while before opening his eyes to ask Jiang Yan, "Has Vice Minister Gu submitted any memorials?"
Jiang Yan was momentarily taken aback. "You mean Vice Minister Gu of the Granaries?" Why would such a minor official catch Lord Chen's attention? Chen Yi weighed his words carefully. "This official hasn't seen any memorials from Vice Minister Gu. Is there something important about him...? Should I look into it when we return?"
The granaries were set to open on the twenty-fourth. If no memorial was submitted by then, even his life might be at risk.
Chen Yanyun smiled faintly. "Never mind."
He shouldn't have interfered in the first place.They couldn't back down from Wang Xuanfan's matter. Otherwise, with Wang Xuanfan having successfully punished Yuan Zhongru, Zhang Julian would also view him in a new light. Chen Yanyun rubbed the Kynam Agarwood Beads on his left hand and instructed Jiang Yan: "...The Ministry of Works should have allocated special treasury funds for dredging the river channels. Yet he wants to use the Ministry of Revenue's silver without even submitting a memorial. We still need to help him—go back and have Vice Minister Luo of the Ministry of Works' Sichuan Bureau submit a memorial. Since he's been crying poverty, spread word about how he diverted official silver last month to purchase a thousand acres of fertile land. No need to formally impeach him—just make sure Lord Zhang's nephew at the Censorate hears about it..."
Zhang Julian detested corrupt officials the most. Wang Xuanfan had secretly bought those thousand acres in Xianghe precisely because he feared the news would get out.
Jiang Yan acknowledged the order.
Chen Yanyun closed his eyes to rest again, but the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
Jiang Yan, nearly thrown off balance, immediately lifted the curtain and snapped at Hu Rong: "Why have you stopped the carriage? The Third Master was just resting—"
Hu Rong was equally annoyed.
He'd been driving two fine horses at a brisk pace when suddenly a short man in a yellowish-brown cotton jacket darted into their path. Had he not reined in quickly, the man would've been trampled.
Hu Rong cursed at once: "Looking to die, are you? With the road so wide open, you had to charge right here! If I'd been heartless, I'd have run you over—believe it!"
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