Chapter 20: The Ancestral Home
The New Year passed quickly, with several consecutive days of festivities in Shi'an. Friends and relatives gathered for outings, engaging in activities like dice games, card competitions, stick dancing, ball kicking, and storytelling. Father went out with his colleagues—Assistant Director Mu of the Office of the Directorate of Instruction and Vice Minister Zhou of the Imperial Stud. The womenfolk visited familiar relatives. The Gu family resided in Sili Alley, near the residence of Imperial Academy Chancellor Song and the Earl of Yongyang's family.
Mother was close with the Countess of Yongyang, who specially came to visit her. Since Mother was too ill to go out, Concubine Song took Gu Jinzhao and Gu Lan to the residence of the Duke of Dingguo in Luoxian Alley. The Fan family—the maternal relatives of Father's birth mother—had often supported Father in the past, so the two families were quite close.
By the eighth day of the lunar month, it was time to return to the Gu ancestral home.
This time, Father intended to bring Jinchao and the other three daughters along. He instructed them to prepare well in advance and ordered the steward to prepare gifts for the children—golden beans, jeweled golden hairpins, pastries, cured meats, and marinated goose. It had been three years since their last visit to the ancestral home, and Father's relationship with Grandmother had been strained then. After some thought, he also asked the steward to prepare an eggplant-colored cloud-patterned satin jacket embroidered with symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness.
When Jinchao came to pay her respects, she noticed the garment and said to him, "The eggplant color doesn’t match the pattern. Grandmother enjoys Buddhist practices, so dark agarwood-colored plain satin would be more dignified. Also, add two strings of rare agarwood Buddhist beads and have them blessed at the Great Nation Temple."
Father looked at Jinchao with surprise—even he hadn’t known Grandmother followed Buddhism.
Jinchao explained, "...Last time I visited, I saw Grandmother holding prayer beads in her sleeve."
Father nodded approvingly. "...You were only twelve then. It’s remarkable you remember." He then instructed the steward to follow Jinchao’s suggestions.
Of course, Jinchao didn’t tell Father that in her past life, she had interacted with Grandmother frequently. Back then, after marrying into the Chen family, she had enjoyed immense prestige, and even the Gu ancestral family had sought to curry favor with her. Grandmother had given her many gifts.
Concubine Song, who had been watching nearby, smiled and said, "I had no idea our Chaojie was so thoughtful!"
Jinchao remained silent, but Father remarked, "She’s clever—just like her mother."
Concubine Song fell quiet, and Jinchao excused herself with a smile.
When she returned to Slanting Cloud Garden, Mother asked if she had prepared anything. Jinchao didn’t need to—as a junior, she only needed to bring golden beans or silver bullion for younger siblings. She would be the one receiving gifts from others! Still uneasy, Mother recalled that the gold filigree hairpiece she had made for Jinchao had been taken by Gu Lan. After some thought, she had Mama Xu open the storeroom to retrieve a jewelry box, selecting for Jinchao a gold hairpin with an infant-and-lotus pattern inlaid with rubies and sapphires, a gold hairpin with a phoenix-and-cloud design set with yellow tourmaline, a gilded silver hairpin with butterflies among flowers, and a pair of glossy black Moyu bracelets. She also assigned the maid Mo Xue to accompany her.
Jinchao couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the eighteen rubies and sapphires on the hairpin. Now she understood why she owned so many extravagant gold ornaments—Mother, influenced by her own mother, insisted on giving her the finest and most luxurious things. But she wouldn’t wear these out—they were far too ostentatious.
On the eighth day, Jinchao dressed in a water-green embroidered skirt and a moon-white satin jacket with tassel patterns. Finding it too plain, she added an apricot-yellow sash and a slate-blue scented sachet. Satisfied, she boarded the blue-canopied carriage with Qingpu and Mo Xue.After Father separated from the Gu family, he settled in Shi'an. The ancestral Gu family home was also in Shuntian Prefecture, but not in Shi'an—it was located in Daxing County, right under the emperor's feet. The journey by horse-drawn carriage with its green canopy took only an hour, not too far, and this was the same route Father took for morning court sessions.
Jinchao lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. The road was lined with bustling businesses, numerous shops, and taverns, lively and prosperous. As they entered the marketplace, the crowd grew even denser, with people wearing festive headgear, creating a jubilant atmosphere.
Past the marketplace lay Taohuawu (Peach Blossom Hamlet). If they continued straight without turning, they would reach the imperial palace...
Jinchao let the curtain fall.
The carriage stopped at the Chuihua Gate of the ancestral home, where several maids were already waiting with small green-canopied carts for transportation within the inner courtyard. The lead maid bowed to Father and said, "Fourth Master, please follow me this way. Tai Furen is expecting you."
Father nodded and instructed the steward beside him to give each maid a small pouch of silver bullion.
Switching to the smaller cart, Jinchao began recalling details about the ancestral home. Father was the sixth in line, but with only two elder full brothers and one half-brother ahead of him, he was addressed as Fourth Master. She remembered that the eldest and third masters of the Gu family had passed away early, leaving Second Master Gu, currently serving as the Right Assistant Censor, in charge of the household.
The Gu family had been a scholarly lineage for generations, producing imperial scholars almost every era, maintaining their prestige for over a century. The entire Taohuawu area had only one estate—the ancestral home—far surpassing the residence Father had moved into after leaving the family.
When the cart stopped, Jinchao was helped down by Qingpu. Looking around, she saw high whitewashed walls on either side, with a narrow brick path leading to a small courtyard. Despite the harsh winter, bamboo surrounded the area, rustling softly. The lintel was partially obscured by the branches of a Haitang tree, but the characters "Yan Xiu" were still visible. Nearby, an artificial hill was layered with snow, while koi swam in the pond below—evidence of hot springs beneath the ground.
The maids led their party inside, where four young women in emerald vine-patterned jackets and skirts stood by the door, bowing in greeting. Passing through the hallway, they arrived at the banquet and rest area. Before even entering, they heard a clear, melodious laugh, like a nightingale's song.
"Grandmother, you promised me this box of bone-in abalone rolls—you can't go back on your word..."
The maid announced from outside, "Tai Furen, Third Master has arrived."
After a pause, an elderly woman's steady voice replied, "Please, come in."
Stepping past an eight-panel rosewood screen inlaid with white jade depicting birds greeting spring, Jinchao saw a lacquered daybed by the window. Sitting on it was a woman around sixty, dressed in a dark red kesi jacket with auspicious symbols, a lotus-and-Buddha gold hairpin adorning her hair. Her kind, smiling face was familiar—this was her grandmother, Madam Feng.
Jinchao and the others paid their respects to Madam Feng, who then presented each of them with gifts.
Seated around her were female relatives, including a girl of fourteen or fifteen clinging to her hand, playfully coaxing.
Father's expression darkened momentarily.
Madam Feng quickly said, "Duanxiu, please escort Fourth Master's daughters and concubines to the East Side Room for refreshments and rest."
Only Father was left behind, evidently for a private conversation. Jinchao glanced at the gift box the steward was holding and thought there shouldn't be any issues.The one who responded was a lady with a peony bun, dressed in a bright red brocade jacket with ruyi patterns, her phoenix eyes slender and her skin delicate—this was Second Madam Gu. She led them to the East Side Room to rest and took Concubine Song’s hand, saying, “I haven’t met you before—you must be the legitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, right?”
She didn’t mention her status as a concubine. It seemed everyone here was shrewd.
Concubine Song smiled and replied, “Indeed. If I’m not mistaken, you must be Second Madam. Truly elegant and dignified. Allow me to introduce you—this is the eldest legitimate daughter of our Fourth Master, Chaojie.” Hearing herself mentioned, Jinchao curtsied to Second Madam.
Second Madam looked at her with some surprise but quickly regained her composure and handed her an embroidered box.
Concubine Song continued, “And this is the second daughter, Lan Er.” Second Madam regarded Lan Er with warmth, praised her a few words, and also gave her a gift.
Gu Lan was always charming in front of elders. Jinchao mused to herself that this was a skill others couldn’t easily replicate.
After introducing Gu Xi and Gu Yi, Second Madam introduced her own eldest legitimate daughter, Gu Jin Hua, who had been married for several years and was now visiting home. According to the Gu family’s tradition, the names of legitimate eldest daughters followed the generational naming order, hence the shared character ‘Jin’ in their names. Gu Jin Hua regarded Gu Jinchao with more affection than Lan Er, taking her hand to chat and warmly gifting her a pair of white jade cloud-patterned earrings.
The one who had earlier clung to Madam Feng’s hand, acting coquettish, was Second Madam’s younger daughter, Gu Lian, a delicate and pretty fourteen-year-old. However, she seemed spoiled, merely giving a perfunctory acknowledgment before turning back to whisper jokes with the girl beside her.
Concubine Song naturally wouldn’t comment on Gu Lian’s lack of manners, instead praising her with a smile, “Lian jie er is lively and spirited, unlike Lan Er, whom I’ve disciplined into being too reserved.”
Gu Lan also chimed in, “I find Lian jie er quite delightful!”
Second Madam’s eyes crinkled with a smile, her fondness for Gu Lan growing. She then introduced Gu Wuye’s two illegitimate daughters and Gu Jin Hua’s sister-in-law from her husband’s family. Jinchao gave each of them a pouch of Golden Beans.
“Fifth Madam is currently at the opera stage. We’ll all go watch the performance later, and I’ll introduce you to her then,” Second Madam said to Concubine Song.
Gu Wuye had earned the title of Tong Jinshi, but thanks to Fifth Madam’s influence, he had secured the position of Assistant Commander of the Imperial Guards. Concubine Song seemed to have heard of Fifth Madam’s reputation and asked softly, “Is she the legitimate daughter of Marquis Changxing…?”
Second Madam gave a slight nod.
Concubine Song’s demeanor grew cautious. Generally, a woman’s status was tied to her husband’s family, but the legitimate daughter of Marquis Changxing was an exception. Gu Wuye was merely an illegitimate son, yet by marrying the marquis’s daughter, he had risen in status through his wife’s influence, securing a fourth-rank official position!
In recent years, Marquis Changxing had led military campaigns for the emperor, quelling numerous rebellions and earning illustrious merits. Favored by the emperor, even his wife had been granted the title of second-rank noblewoman. Compared to the Gu ancestral family, Marquis Changxing’s household was far more illustrious. While Second Master Gu might at most catch the emperor’s eye during an audience, Marquis Changxing could enter the palace at will, riding and shooting with the emperor. Among military officials, Marquis Changxing stood unrivaled, basking in boundless glory.
OpenNovel