Chapter 265: Thoughts
When Gu Jinzhao spoke like this, Third Master Chen naturally took it seriously. He told her, "My advisors are managed by Jiang Yan, and the guards by Chen Yi. Why don't we call them over so you can ask if there are any suitable candidates?"
Gu Jinzhao felt this would make too big a deal out of it and shook her head. "No need. I'll let you know if I find someone suitable."
Third Master Chen nodded. "Alright, you decide. Just tell me who you think is good."
The next day, Luo Yongping indeed delivered the register. There were a few suitable candidates, but they lived too far away. If Qingpu married one of them, she wouldn’t be able to stay by her side anymore. Gu Jinzhao mainly limited her choices to those within the Chen Family.
Luo Yongping had grown even heavier than before. His concubine, whom he had taken last year, had given birth to a son. Having a child in middle age, his face was all smiles.
Gu Jinzhao didn’t interfere in such matters—as long as he managed his business well, that was enough. She casually asked about his sons. His eldest was already helping out in the shop, while the youngest was still nursing. Speaking of it, he seemed a little embarrassed.
Since Luo Yongping rarely visited, he took the opportunity to discuss with her whether they should open a silk shop in Wanping and whether they should sell Luzhou silk, Zezhou handkerchiefs, or Linqing fabrics.
Gu Jinzhao had long been aware of Luo Yongping’s shrewd business acumen. After careful consideration, she decided to open a Linqing fabric shop.
Before leaving, Luo Yongping said, "...Mr. Cao asked me to bring you a letter. He said to reply after you’ve read it."
He then took out a letter from his sleeve, its seal secured with wax.
Gu Jinzhao rarely corresponded with Cao Ziheng. After all, as an inner household woman, it wasn’t appropriate for her to inquire too much about court affairs.
She accepted the letter and had Xiuqu escort Luo Yongping out.
Chen Xi came to pay her respects and, with great seriousness, touched her belly. She did this every day, trying to determine if her little brother had grown any bigger.
Gu Jinzhao had someone bring the red date and Fuling cakes she had made that morning for Chen Xi to eat. Chen Xi sat beside her, nibbling on the pastries while telling her about learning "The Gull Forgets the Scheme" that day and what she had eaten for lunch at Madam Chen’s place. Then she asked, "...Mother, I just saw a chubby man leaving. I don’t think I’ve seen him before?"
Gu Jinzhao replied, "He’s one of my attendants who helps manage my shops."
Chen Xi made an understanding sound. "Second Aunt has a rice shop, two sundry goods stores, and a secondhand clothes shop. For my birthday last time, Second Aunt had two outfits made for me. Is it that kind of shop?"
Gu Jinzhao smiled and nodded. "Yes, I also have a few silk shops. In Baodi, there’s a shop that sells sweets..."
Chen Xi’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed her hand. "Mother, you have a shop that sells sweets? What kinds? I love sweets!"
Gu Jinzhao told her, "There’s lotus root thread candy, amber candy, rose candy, sesame candy, scallion candy... Next time, I’ll have them pack some of each for you."
Chen Xi grinned, revealing a pair of adorable little fangs.
Caifu came in to announce that the Seventh Young Master had arrived.
Since Zhou Yixuan had claimed to have a private relationship with him, Gu Jinzhao hadn’t seen him until now.
Chen Xuanqing brought several boxes of pastries for Chen Xi and first paid his respects to Gu Jinzhao. "Mother, I hope you’re well. I originally came to see Xi Jie'er, but I didn’t expect her to be here with you. I hope I’m not disturbing you."
Gu Jinzhao naturally said it was no trouble, but she wondered what was up with Chen Xuanqing this time. Could he still be bothered by the matter with Zhou Yixuan?She should probably explain. Just a few days ago, their relationship had finally eased a bit, but now it had turned icy again.
After all, he was Third Master Chen's legitimate eldest son. He would be calling her 'mother' for decades to come.
A maid brought over a stool. Chen Xuanqing opened the box and fed Chen Xi some pastries. Chen Xi took a small piece of mung bean cake herself, climbed onto the heated bed, and offered it to Jinchao, asking eagerly, "Is it good?"
Her fingers still carried the scent of red dates. Gu Jinzhao said 'delicious' and then reminded her, "Don't eat too much. You've already had several pieces of Fuling cake earlier."
Chen Xi nodded with a smile and chatted with Chen Xuanqing for a while.
Chen Xuanqing was extremely gentle with his little sister, feeding her nearly half of the mung bean cake before finally packing up when she said she was full.
Gu Jinzhao turned to An Momo and said, "Momo, take Xi Jie'er for a walk outside. She's eaten so many pastries—she might get indigestion."
An Momo agreed and led Chen Xi to play in the small garden at the back.
As Chen Xuanqing stood to leave, Gu Jinzhao finally spoke up, "Wait, sit down for a moment. There's something I want to discuss with you."
Chen Xuanqing replied indifferently, "If Mother has something to say, go ahead."
Gu Jinzhao glanced around—only Caifu was in the inner room. She then explained to Chen Xuanqing, "That day, I had Qingpu follow you. You noticed, didn’t you? You must have thought I was the one who reported to Mother. But the truth is, I had Qingpu keep an eye on Xuan Jie'er because she had said some improper things in my presence. I was worried she might do something inappropriate..."
"Why are you explaining this to me?!" Chen Xuanqing suddenly interrupted, his voice sharp.
His handsome face was tense with anger—his earlier calm had clearly been feigned. He stared straight at Gu Jinzhao, his distrust evident. "If you weren’t guilty, why bother explaining? It’s not like it matters now—I’ve already been branded as having an affair with my cousin. What’s the point of saying all this?"
Gu Jinzhao was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the usually composed Chen Xuanqing to lose his temper like this.
Why was he so furious? This matter had nothing to do with her.
"There’s no need to get so worked up. I just don’t want you freezing me out forever. After all, we’re both part of the Third Household. And I don’t like being misunderstood either." Gu Jinzhao frowned. "As for what happened between you and Xuan Jie'er, I didn’t speak up for you at the time because I thought it would be hard to clarify. But you and she are cousins by marriage—if she wasn’t careful about boundaries, you should have been. Couldn’t you tell there was something off about her words and actions?"
Chen Xuanqing took a deep breath before replying calmly, "I was too impulsive just now. My apologies."
"If this has nothing to do with you, then there’s no need to say more... You’re my stepmother. I’ll treat you as I always have—it won’t be a problem."
Gu Jinzhao could tell he still didn’t fully believe her, but she had said her piece. Whether he accepted it or not was up to him.
"...I’ve said all I needed to. You may leave now." With that, Gu Jinzhao picked up the account book she had been reading earlier, signaling the end of the conversation.
The evening sunlight cast a silken sheen over her jet-black hair, her skin as pale and soft as snow.
Gu Jinzhao’s beauty was truly breathtaking.
Chen Xuanqing watched her for a long moment, standing silently. The pastries he had bought for Xi Jie'er still sat on the heated bed table—the same ones she had just fed to Gu Jinzhao. Everything in the fading light seemed tinged with loneliness and melancholy. Yet, despite it all, he couldn’t deny the faint stirring in his heart.No matter how angry or indifferent he tried to appear, he couldn't hide the feeling... the impulse to approach her, treat her gently, and have a proper conversation with her.
"If it wasn't you who said it... how would Grandmother know what I discussed with Zhou Yixuan?" Chen Xuanqing said.
Gu Jinzhao looked up and sighed, "It was Xuan'er who went and told her herself. She was just being foolish."
"Just like you?" Chen Xuanqing suddenly asked.
Gu Jinzhao frowned. What did that mean? What was he implying about her?
"Then I'll take my leave... My misunderstanding of you had its reasons. Perhaps I overestimated my own importance." He gave a self-deprecating smile. "My apologies, Mother."
With that, he turned and left.
Gu Jinzhao watched Chen Xuanqing depart, finding his behavior somewhat odd. Still, it was good to have cleared things up, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Granny Sun entered to discuss dinner arrangements with Gu Jinzhao.
Caifu quietly slipped out of the western chamber. Chen Xuanqing was walking so fast she had to jog to catch up.
"Seventh Young Master, this servant has something to say to you..."
Chen Xuanqing stopped and frowned upon seeing Gu Jinzhao's maid. "What is it?"
Caifu knew stopping him so abruptly was improper, but she couldn't help it. After hesitating, she curtsied and said, "Just one thing... Madam has already let go of the past. She married into the Chen Family because of Third Master, no other reason. So you should let go too."
"Have I not let go?" A faint smile touched his lips. "What exactly do you mean?"
Caifu smiled bitterly. "This servant dares not speak out of turn... I'll take my leave now."
She quickly retreated. Chen Xuanqing's hands trembled; he clenched them tightly to control himself.
Caifu had noticed... If this continued, everyone would see it. He himself realized he wasn't normal—after all, he wasn't completely ignorant. Closing his eyes briefly, he reopened them with much more composure.
Now far from Osmanthus Hall, he stood silently watching ginkgo leaves fall in the autumn wind.
Deep down, he knew it probably wasn't Gu Jinzhao. If she truly wanted to harm him, the matter would have been blown out of proportion. He always valued his reputation, strictly adhering to propriety and avoiding indulgence. To destroy someone's self-respect, wouldn't targeting their most cherished aspect be the quickest method?
Yet only Grandmother and Father knew of this incident, and it was quickly contained.
...Truthfully, he just wanted any emotion to suppress himself—it didn't matter what, hatred for her would have been best.
But try as he might, he simply couldn't bring himself to hate her anymore.
When Chen Xuanqing first recognized his feelings, he was terrified. Since childhood, he'd never stepped out of line, nor allowed his thoughts to stray. When cousins began discussing women, he found such topics vulgar and refused to join in. Never did he imagine he'd develop thoughts a hundred times more horrifying... How could he not panic!
If only he'd liked Gu Jinzhao when she liked him, and married her then. His heart wouldn't be in such tangled turmoil now...
Instead, he only realized he might... somewhat like her after she'd already turned away.Back then, how he had humiliated Gu Jinzhao now seemed utterly ridiculous... Although Gu Jinzhao had been bold and unrestrained at the time, she had genuinely liked him. But just as Gu Jin had said about Zhou Yixuan today, 'It was nothing but foolishness.'
With just one sentence, she had completely dismissed her past.
...From now on, he would keep his distance from Gu Jinzhao.
Chen Xuanqing calmed himself and continued walking toward the outer courtyard.
PS: I rewrote this chapter today and still wasn’t entirely satisfied. But the outline was already set, making it quite challenging... Well, take it as it is for now, sigh.
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