Chapter 19: New Year's Day
Gu Lan sat in her room, lost in thought. Ever since she noticed Gu Jinzhao's unusual behavior, she had been feeling uneasy. Yesterday, she had spoken to her mother about it, who simply told her to accept things as they came—after all, they still held the upper hand. With careful maneuvering, what was there to fear from a mere Gu Jinzhao?
Comforted by her mother's words, she relaxed. As long as she maintained control over Gu Jinrong, once Madam Ji passed away, the Gu household would belong to her and her mother!
She had invited him to stay up late on New Year's Eve, and he had initially agreed. But then he sent someone to say he wouldn’t be coming. He had always cared deeply for her, his second sister—if she mentioned liking ivory carvings, he would spend most of his time learning the craft just for her! So why had he broken his promise?
Gu Lan knew Gu Jinrong responded better to softness than force. Since he had stood her up, she would wait. She refused to believe her little brother, whom she had controlled since childhood, wouldn’t soften eventually.
When she heard Gu Jinrong had arrived, she secretly thought, As expected, he still cares for his sister. She hurried to welcome him in, offering tea and snacks.
After chatting for a while, Gu Jinrong suddenly asked, "Second Sister, if you heard the line, ‘Chang’e should regret stealing the elixir, facing the blue sea and dark sky night after night,’ how would you feel?"
Gu Lan smiled. "Chang’e stole the elixir, so her punishment is only natural. It’s what she deserves."
But Gu Jinrong felt she didn’t truly understand the poem. Soon, Ziling entered with a plate of delicate pastries. When he noticed the swollen, livid palm marks on her face, he was startled and asked what had happened.
Gu Lan sighed softly. "I didn’t want to trouble you with this… Ziling offended Eldest Sister, who ordered her to be slapped. I tried to stop it, but there was nothing I could do. Ah, well—please don’t confront Eldest Sister like last time. It would only cause more tension between you two." She had deliberately told Ziling not to apply any ointment to reduce the bruising, just so Gu Jinrong could see it.
Gu Jinrong frowned. "...Eldest Sister really shouldn’t have done that. How could she hit her face so harshly?" For some reason, he recalled the expression on Jinzhao’s face when she recited that poem earlier. It didn’t seem like she would act this way. But then again, considering her past temper—quick to scold and punish the maids and servants—it wasn’t entirely unbelievable. He added, "Eldest Sister has a bad temper. Just avoid provoking her."
Gu Lan smiled and served him more food, though her expression faltered briefly before she resumed her cheerful demeanor.
"I know that. But did you hear about how she punished her maid the other day?"
Gu Jinrong nodded. The incident had been quite notable, though he had only heard a brief mention. Still, it was just a maid—why would he pay it much attention?
"That maid had served her for years. Her brother fell seriously ill and had no money for treatment, so she begged Eldest Sister for a loan. But Eldest Sister refused, saying the maid already ate and lived off her—was she now supposed to support her brother’s illness too? The maid, desperate to save her brother, stole a jasper thumb ring Eldest Sister hadn’t worn in ages. But she was caught on the spot..."
Her voice trailed off. Gu Jinrong couldn’t help but press, "What happened then?"Gu Lan said, "Tied up and beaten beyond recognition! She's gone completely mad!" She sighed slowly, "When I heard about this, I thought that girl was usually gentle and kind, always honest and dutiful. This time, she was just too desperate seeing her brother ill. Surely she didn’t deserve to be beaten to death... So I went to intervene," she gave a faint, bitter smile, "but I overestimated myself. Not only did I fail to stop it, I ended up getting Ziling beaten too. It’s all my fault..."
Ziling quickly interjected, "Miss, please don’t say that. If you hadn’t stopped Eldest Miss and begged her to spare Liu Xiang’s life, Liu Xiang might have been beaten to death! Now that she’s just been expelled from the manor and handed over to the authorities, it’s still a better outcome."
After hearing Gu Lan’s words, Gu Jinrong felt half his body turn cold.
"She... is truly so cruel and heartless?"
Gu Lan tugged at him and whispered, "Don’t go ask her about it this time. Last time you questioned that maid, she suspected I was the one who told you. She’s been giving me dirty looks in private, probably resenting me, which is why she had Ziling beaten..." Tears welled up in her eyes, "Poor Liu Xiang. If she hadn’t been trying to save her dying brother, how could she have ended up like this..."
Gu Jinrong immediately stood up and paced the room twice, unsure what to say, his hands trembling with anger: "She really is as vicious as a snake..." Seeing Gu Lan’s worried gaze, he reassured her, "Second Sister, don’t worry. I won’t go ask her again!"
He hated himself for having such an elder sister! And having to pretend to get along with her every day, unable to openly confront her in front of their mother! Maybe he should tell their mother and let her discipline Gu Jinzhao... No, their mother was seriously ill. How could he burden her with Gu Jinzhao’s misdeeds? It would only make her condition worse. Even he was this furious just hearing about it.
Gu Jinrong hurried back to the Tranquil Fragrance Study, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He thought about how today was New Year’s Eve, a time for celebration, yet Gu Jinzhao had nearly beaten her maid to death—just because the girl wanted to save her brother! He sat up again. Last time, he had misunderstood Gu Jinzhao. What about this time? He ought to get to the bottom of it. So before dawn, he sent Qing Xiu to fetch a maid who worked near Paulownia Courtyard.
The maid was a sweeper from the stables. Terrified at being summoned by the young master, her hands and feet shook uncontrollably.
Gu Jinrong asked her directly, "...Do you know what really happened with Liu Xiang being beaten and expelled?"
The little maid’s voice trembled, "This servant doesn’t know much... I heard from the stable matron that Liu Xiang’s brother was sick, so she stole... stole the young lady’s gold and was caught..."
Gu Jinrong’s heart grew colder. He pressed on, "And then?"
The maid was on the verge of tears, "I... I don’t know. Liu Xiang was raving mad, how could she explain anything... Anyway, she was driven out."
Gu Jinrong continued, "How did Liu Xiang go mad? Was it from the beating?"The little maid knew even less. As a mere sweeper, it was a great favor for the old matron to speak a few words to her. Oh yes... the sausages! She vaguely remembered tasting a slice of those incredibly fragrant sausages and recalled the matron's boastful words, which she now parroted: "They were beaten... Miss Qingpu hits really hard! The stable matron helped too, and the young mistress even rewarded them with sausages and braised goose!"
Hearing this, Gu Jinrong understood everything, his heart turning completely cold. So she truly was that kind of person... How laughable that he'd ever thought Gu Jinzhao might be different!
He had Qing Xiu give the girl a few coins, which she happily carried away. Standing by his study window, he gazed at the brightly lit lanterns, his heart shrouded in disappointment and bitter anger.
Jinchao returned to Paulownia Courtyard at mao hour (5-7 AM) and rose after sleeping for less than two hours. It was now the first day of the new year, and the longevity lantern under her eaves still burned brightly. Caifu reported, "...I watched it all night—it stayed lit the whole time," her cheeks flushed red from the cold wind.
Keeping watch over the longevity lantern had clearly been no easy task. Jinchao praised her with a smile and rewarded her with a pair of gold earrings. Flustered by the praise, Caifu stumbled over her words: "This... this servant only wished for the young mistress's safety and long life..." The longevity lantern was lit for blessings.
These days, observing her mistress's actions, Caifu found herself growing increasingly fond of the Eldest Miss—so kind and approachable, yet composed and resourceful in handling matters. Staying up all night to tend the lantern felt like a joyful duty.
It was now the sixth year of Longqing.
For New Year's Day, it was only fitting to dress festively. Qingpu selected a pale red satin jacket embroidered with cranes and paired it with a usually reserved lotus-patterned gold hairpin studded with gems. Gazing at her mistress's reflection, Qingpu marveled—even without rouge, her lips were naturally rosy, her skin like jade, and her emerald eyes shimmered with such radiance that one could easily become entranced.
Noticing Qingpu's prolonged hesitation with the earrings, Jinchao teased, "Why the daze?"
Blushing, Qingpu regained her composure: "The young mistress is so beautiful—this servant was momentarily spellbound."
Jinchao merely smiled without reply; she truly paid little mind to her appearance.
At chen hour (7-9 AM), cooked offerings of three sacrificial animals were placed before ancestral tablets, while fruits and vegetarian dishes were arranged before deity statues, accompanied by spirit money and gold foil ingots. The father led the entire household in worship. After honoring ancestors, the children knelt to pay respects to their parents. Once rituals concluded, Gu Xi tugged Gu Yi along to find Jinchao, wanting to make festive noisemakers together.
Their father chuckled, "You've never sought out Chaojie for such games before."
Gu Xi whispered, "Eldest Sister is skillful—hers will surely be lovely!"
Gu Lan stood beside their father, her face moon-pale against the blue gold-woven satin jacket. Seeing Gu Xi clutch Jinchao's sleeve, she found it peculiar.
Timid Gu Xi normally only dared approach Gu Yi, yet now she was holding Gu Jinzhao's sleeve.
With a smile, Gu Lan asked Gu Xi, "Second Sister hasn't made noisemakers in ages either. Would Xi Jie'er like me to join?"
As the youngest and most bashful, Gu Xi often became the target of everyone's playful teasing."Of course, Second Sister can come..." After saying this, she noticed Gu Lan's expression had changed, and even her father's smile had faded. She grew nervous again, unsure if she had said something wrong.
Jinchao patted her hand reassuringly and said with a smile, "If Second Sister is coming, she'd better hurry, or we won't wait for her!" Then she took leave of their father, and the three of them returned to Paulownia Courtyard to make festive ornaments. Using black-gold paper, they crafted butterflies, moths, and grasshoppers—some as large as fists, others as small as coins—adorning their hair with them for a lively celebration. Jinchao covered Gu Xi's twin buns with the ornaments, making her giggle brightly.
Gu Yi, usually quiet, also watched them with a faint smile. The trio made many more to distribute among the maids and matrons in the courtyards. After a while, Gu Xi tugged at Jinchao's sleeve and asked, "Second Sister said she was coming, so why hasn't she arrived yet? Did I say something wrong earlier...?"
Jinchao shook her head. "Perhaps something else came up... Don't overthink it."
OpenNovel