Chapter 214: Cui Shi
Jinchao was speaking with Mama Wang, recording the dowry left by Jiang Shi into the ledger.
Jiang Shi’s dowry was actually not very substantial.
Jiang Shi’s maiden name was Wanqing, originally the daughter of the Jiang family in Baoding. The Jiang family of Baoding had been farmers and scholars for generations, producing one Minister of Rites. Jiang Shi’s grandfather had once been the emperor’s tutor and was posthumously honored as Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, with a memorial archway bestowed upon his death. Though the family was well-off, they could not be considered truly wealthy.
"Jade and jewelry items are stored in the west side of the back annex. You’ll keep the keys on your person. As for these three shopfronts and two villas—are there any dowry servants overseeing them?" Jinchao asked Mama Wang.
Mama Wang smiled and replied, "The late Third Madam had three families of dowry servants. If you’d like to see them, I can summon them for you."
Jinchao frowned. As the new mistress, they should have come to pay their respects to her on their own initiative. It seemed they didn’t take her seriously at all. In her past life, it had been the same... but back then, she hadn’t bothered with Jiang Shi’s dowry at all. Madam Chen had deemed her too immature at the time and managed the dowry herself.
Jinchao took a sip of water and smiled. "Then I’ll trouble you, Mama Wang. Please summon these people for me."
Mama Wang assented and added, "The late Third Madam’s belongings here amount to at least five thousand taels... The two villas included in the dowry—one is a thousand acres of mountainous land, and the other is six hundred acres of farmland, both located in Baoding County. The three shops all deal in spices, mainly Sichuan peppercorns, Guangxi star anise, and Gansu pepper... They bring in nearly a thousand taels of silver annually." Mama Wang deliberately spoke slowly. "The accounts are quite complex, and the sums involved are large. If you find it difficult to understand, I can call the shopkeepers over for you to question."
In her eyes, Gu Jinzhao came from a modest background and had never dealt with such substantial sums of money.
On the day the dowry was brought over, she had gone to inspect it. Ninety crates of dowry were lavishly displayed—superficially generous. But the villas and land holdings were meager, and given that the Gu family wasn’t particularly wealthy, putting up such a front was already an effort.
Jinchao found it both amusing and exasperating. She currently had nearly thirty thousand taels in assets, with monthly income exceeding a thousand taels. Yet Mama Wang spoke to her as if she’d never seen money before. It was quite entertaining. Mama Wang, having spent years confined to the inner household, inevitably had a narrow perspective. In her past life, when she later learned the extent of her own dowry, she had been shocked too. She could only say to Mama Wang, "In that case, summon them all to report to me."
Mama Wang’s face brightened, and she bowed before taking her leave.
It had been nearly half a month since Jinchao’s marriage, and summer was in full swing in the Northern Metropolitan Region.
Outside, a strong wind began to blow, shaking the towering trees of Osmanthus Hall. The sky quickly darkened, and soon heavy rain poured down.
The West Side Room grew dim, and Yuzhu promptly brought over candles to light.
Jinchao sat on the Arhat bed, having just picked up the cloak she was making for the Third Master. She had only started it yesterday and had just finished the decorative border this morning when Mama Wang arrived to report, leaving no time to finish the hem. Hearing the storm outside, she thought she probably wouldn’t be able to go pay her respects to Madam Chen. Jinchao called Caifu over and said, "Tell the kitchen to serve lunch in the East Side Room. Keep the dishes light."Today was the first day of the seventh month, and Third Master Chen was resting at home. She would also have to eat lighter meals. Jinchao preferred stronger flavors, just like Ji Wu Shi, while Third Master Chen favored steamed and boiled dishes like Madam Chen. In recent years, he had begun practicing Buddhism and became even more particular about his diet.
Caifu acknowledged and left.
Yuzhu had grown quite a bit taller, her once chubby cheeks now slender, blossoming into a bright little beauty. She carefully held a candle close to Jinchao.
Gu Jinzhao couldn’t help but laugh at her. "Just put it on the heated bed table."
Yuzhu smiled. "If I hold it closer, you can see better."
Jinchao, however, glanced outside at the heavy rain, feeling a little worried. Third Master Chen was meeting with Sixth Master Chen in the study in the front courtyard... She wondered if there were any umbrellas in the study. Even if he came through the covered corridor, he would still get wet for a stretch.
Jinchao placed her cloak in the sewing basket and instructed Xiangfei, who was standing nearby, to fetch an oiled paper umbrella. She personally took the umbrella and headed toward the covered corridor. Xiuqu hurried after her. "Madam, let me do it!"
Jinchao waved her back. She hadn’t brought an umbrella herself—no need to get soaked.
After passing through the covered corridor and a stretch of bluestone path, she reached the main hall. The large tree outside sheltered most of the rain, making the hall seem particularly tranquil. Faint voices came from the side room, and a servant named Shuyan, who guarded the door for Third Master Chen, quickly bowed upon seeing her. "The rain is so heavy, Madam. Why have you come... I’ll announce your arrival."
Jinchao glanced around the hall. The main room was furnished with six Grand Preceptor’s chairs, an incense burner, and a plaque inscribed with "A Beautiful Spring Scene" hanging above... She didn’t remember seeing it there last time—when had he moved it?
Shuyan came out and invited her inside.
Third Master Chen stood behind the desk, with two men standing before him. He beckoned her over and asked gently, "Why did you come in such heavy rain?"
Seeing his calm expression, Jinchao suddenly felt her worry had been unnecessary. "I was afraid you didn’t have an umbrella here."
Third Master Chen chuckled. "A little rain won’t hurt."
Only after approaching did she notice the two men opposite him. One wore a Hangzhou silk robe patterned with bamboo leaves, bearing some resemblance to Madam Chen, though his features were somewhat delicate—thin brows, thin lips, and a clean face. He glanced at her but said nothing. The other wore a brocade robe embroidered with gold-threaded floral patterns, handsome and smiling warmly. They were Fourth Master Chen and Sixth Master Chen.
Sixth Master Chen grinned and greeted, "Third Sister-in-law." Then he looked at her again and added, "Your hair is beautifully styled..."
Third Master Chen’s smile faded as he quietly told her to wait inside. When he lifted his head, Sixth Master Chen saw the sternness in his gaze and quickly explained, "Third Sister-in-law’s maid is skilled—her hair is done well." When Chen Yanyun remained silent, he grew uneasy and forced a smile. "Third Brother, you know I speak without thinking..."
Only then did Chen Yanyun give a faint hum, knowing his brother was habitually careless with words. He then asked, "What do you plan to do about Cui Shi?"
"What else can I do..." Sixth Master Chen muttered. "Just let it be... She’s already dead anyway..."
Chen Yanyun smiled. "Let it be? She was carrying your child—two lives lost. And you just want to let it be?"Sixth Master Chen continued, "You... even though you're a minister, you can't drag your own brother to court, can you?"
"Court?" Chen Yanyun snapped coldly. "You think I wouldn't? The Chen Family's reputation built over generations—you've squandered it all. And now you dare threaten me with court? If I say you deserve beheading, then it's beheading. Do you think the magistrate would dare sentence you to mere exile?"
Jinchao, listening from inside, was startled. She had never seen Chen Yanyun this furious before!
Sixth Master Chen was inherently dissolute, and no one could rein him in. Jinchao remembered Madam Chen telling her how he had once returned from disreputable places, only to be beaten so severely by the old master that he couldn't even crawl. Bruised and swollen, he had wept, "Second Brother and Third Brother love studying, but I don't care for anything except this one indulgence. Please, for the sake of me being your son, spare my life..." The old master had beaten him half to death in rage, and it took three months for him to recover.
Yet once healed, Sixth Master Chen returned to his old ways—a born libertine.
As for that Cui Shi mentioned by Third Master Chen... Jinchao did recall her. The affair had escalated dramatically. Sixth Master Chen had kept a mistress outside, the daughter of a widow. The entire Chen Family opposed him taking Cui Shi as a concubine, and eventually, his interest waned, and he stopped visiting her. Cui Shi sent word that she was carrying his child and begged him to see her, threatening to dash her head against a wall if he refused, preferring death to living in disgrace.
Sixth Master Chen had reportedly sneered, "Let her die. Who’s stopping her?"
He had seen too many women's theatrics—tears, tantrums, suicide threats—none of it moved him anymore.
Unexpectedly, Cui Shi did die... and horribly at that. The four-month-old child in her womb perished with her.
The scandal spread far and wide, inevitably tarnishing the Chen Family's reputation. Later, Sixth Master Chen was forced to spend half a year in a temple, atoning for the mother and child's deaths.
Jinchao continued listening to the commotion in the study. After Chen Yanyun's outburst, Sixth Master Chen fell silent.
It was Fourth Master who finally spoke. "Third Brother, Old Sixth is at fault... but now that the woman is gone..."
After a long pause, Chen Yanyun said, "Once the rain stops, take him to apologize to Cui Shi's family with generous gifts. Since she died violently, arrange for monks from Bao Xiang Temple to perform rites for her soul. We’ll deal with the rest afterward." Fourth Master assented and left the study with Sixth Master Chen.
Only then did Jinchao emerge. Chen Yanyun stood silently, gazing at the heavy rain outside the window. Hearing her approach, he sighed and asked, "You heard everything just now?"
Jinchao nodded softly. Third Master Chen picked up the oiled paper umbrella she had brought. "Let’s have lunch first."
Holding the umbrella, he shielded her shoulders from the rain as they walked. The flagstone path was littered with broken branches and fallen leaves. Glancing down, Jinchao noticed his black boots moving with steady, elegant steps. When they reached the covered corridor and he closed the umbrella, she saw that half his shoulder was soaked...
Third Master Chen naturally took her hand, leading her toward the main quarters. As she looked up at his tall figure, she suddenly felt as though someone was sheltering her from the storm.
Unable to resist, she asked, "How do you plan to handle this matter?"Third Master Chen didn’t want her to concern herself with these matters. Shaking his head, he said, “We’ll see when he returns… Don’t trouble yourself with this.” His anger wasn’t solely because Sixth Master Chen had driven Cui Shi to her death. Rather, it was that after doing wrong, he shamelessly acted as if he knew his family wouldn’t abandon him—showing no remorse at all, simply waiting for others to clean up his mess… Who on earth had spoiled him into developing such a temperament!
By the time they reached the main house, the meal had already been laid out in the East Side Room—indeed, all the dishes were light and mild.
Outside, the rain grew heavier, and thunder and lightning began to crash.
(PS: The author went to grab tickets == so this chapter was written in a hurry. Uploading first—will revise shortly~~)
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