Chapter 271: Resentment
Only after the two had walked far away did Gu Lian pull Zhou Shi aside and ask, "Mother, what should we do now?"
Zhou Shi's expression darkened unpredictably. She hadn't expected Third Master Chen to be so protective of Gu Jinzhao. And... the two must have known each other long before!
Why would Third Master Chen help Gu Dezhao? As the Minister of Revenue, he had no reason to concern himself with the trivial matters of a mere official. But what if... he was doing it for Gu Jinzhao? If so, all the things that had puzzled Zhou Shi suddenly made sense.
If Third Master Chen hadn’t known Gu Jinzhao before, why would he marry her? Clearly, he had been acquainted with her long ago... perhaps... perhaps even when the Yao family had first spread the word that Third Master Chen intended to marry Gu Lian, only for the proposal to ultimately go to Gu Jinzhao—Third Master Chen might have been involved in all of it!
Seeing her mother’s grim expression, Gu Lian added angrily, "I don’t think Gu Jinzhao has any intention of helping us... she’s utterly ungrateful. Maybe I should go talk to her myself. Didn’t you say you still have Grandmother’s letter? I’ll take it to her. If she refuses to relent, we’ll write to Grandmother and ask her to come. She wouldn’t dare defy Grandmother’s wishes!"
Zhou Shi sighed, realizing that bringing Gu Lian along had been a mistake. She shot her daughter a glare and said, "Don’t you dare go looking for Gu Jinzhao without my permission!"
Gu Lian, anxious about her father suffering in the prison of the Court of Judicial Review, pressed on, "Then what should we do? We can’t just watch Father get demoted. The fourth branch will lord it over us after this..."
Zhou Shi frowned. "I didn’t expect Third Master Chen to be so decisive. Gu Jinzhao must have told him all sorts of unsavory things about our family—that’s why he treated us this way... Of course, we can’t just let this go. Otherwise, when your father gets out, he’ll blame us to death. We’ll go see her again tomorrow when Third Master Chen isn’t around. And you must listen to me—no acting on your own."
Gu Lian nodded half-heartedly, already plotting in her mind.
Gu Jinzhao had a restless night as well, tossing and turning before turning to gaze at Third Master Chen’s sleeping face, sighing quietly to herself.
The candlelight outside the bed curtains cast a soft glow on his features.
Unable to sleep, Gu Jinzhao considered sitting up to read, but she didn’t want to wake him. Instead, she lay there staring at the canopy, lost in thought.
She turned over once more, only to feel Third Master Chen stir awake—likely sensing her restlessness. Instinctively, he shifted closer and pulled her into his arms.
In the past, whenever Gu Jinzhao struggled to sleep at night, he would hold her like this, and she would eventually drift off peacefully. But after she became pregnant, they had started sleeping under separate blankets—unless they unconsciously tangled together in their sleep. On mornings when she woke up in his embrace, she could sometimes feel the tension in his body. Occasionally, if she nuzzled against him, she’d notice how rigid he became. Third Master Chen had once pinned her down with half-lidded eyes and warned in a low voice, "Men are dangerous when they first wake up—their minds aren’t fully clear, and they’re capable of anything..."
After that, Gu Jinzhao made sure not to accidentally roll over to his side in her sleep.
Before she could react, Third Master Chen had already wrapped his arms around her, his hand resting firmly on her.Gu Jinzhao sighed quietly to herself, noticing the slightly open collar of his robe... The wound had already healed, but it left behind a dark brown scar that looked quite ghastly. She reached out and gently touched the scar, then closed her eyes, preparing to sleep. After all, she had to rise early the next day.
She didn’t know that after she closed her eyes, Third Master Chen opened his. He stared at the wall for a long time before slowly shutting his eyes again.
By October, the weather had turned completely cold.
The thin summer garments had long been packed away, and the bamboo mats had been replaced with soft cushions. A rain had fallen the night before, making the air even chillier.
Now that the first three months of her pregnancy had passed, Gu Jinzhao felt it would be better to continue paying her daily respects to Madam Chen. Though no one would gossip about her, skipping the morning and evening greetings might make others think she was being overly delicate. So after Third Master Chen left, she got up, and her maids came in to help her wash and dress.
Qingpu brought in a pot of Ink Chrysanthemums in full bloom, filling the room with a faint, elusive scent of wormwood.
Gu Jinzhao asked, "Have the Ink Chrysanthemums already bloomed?" They usually flowered later than other wormwood varieties, so they shouldn’t have opened yet.
Qingpu smiled and replied, "Perhaps the cold came early this year. Many of the wormwood flowers in the greenhouse have already bloomed."
Seeing Qingpu so relaxed, even more at ease than usual, Gu Jinzhao felt a little relieved.
Qingpu’s marriage had already been arranged. Gu Jinzhao had originally hoped to find someone within the Chen Family, but after much deliberation, no suitable match had turned up. She had initially thought Lin Yuanshan was a good candidate, only to learn that he already had a betrothal back in his hometown—an oral agreement his father had made years ago with the daughter of a scholar.
Once Gu Jinzhao confirmed his engagement, she didn’t send anyone to inquire further, lest others catch wind of it. Besides, Lin Yuanshan had never shown any romantic interest in Qingpu—he had only been kind to her because she reminded him of his mother.
Gu Jinzhao wanted Qingpu to marry someone who truly cared for her. Family background didn’t matter as long as the man had good character.
Since Lin Yuanshan wasn’t an option, Gu Jinzhao turned her hopes to her own dowry attendants—people she knew well and trusted.
Eventually, she found a suitable match: Hu Jin, the eldest son of Hu Yongchang, the steward of the Villa in Xuanwu that her father had given her as part of her dowry. When Gu Jinzhao first married into the Chen Family, Hu Yongchang had brought his family to pay their respects, and Hu Jin had seen Qingpu then. After a matchmaker broached the idea, he thought it was a good match. When he heard that Qingpu had delayed marriage to serve her mistress, his last reservation disappeared.
Gu Jinzhao planned to meet Hu Jin in person. If he was suitable, she would finalize the marriage.
She had discussed it with Qingpu, who had been hesitant at first but seemed to be gradually accepting the idea.
After eating a bowl of white porridge cooked with chicken broth, Jinzhao went early to pay her respects to Madam Chen.
Madam Chen was delighted and urged her to eat two more glutinous rice balls stuffed with sesame.
Remembering that Zhou Shi and Gu Lian were still there, Gu Jinzhao didn’t linger and soon returned to Osmanthus Hall. A maid came to report that the breakfast sent to the west wing had barely been touched and that they had asked to be informed as soon as Gu Jinzhao returned.
Frowning, Gu Jinzhao said, "Just continue sending meals as usual. Don’t bother with anything else."If it was said they were unwilling to give up, it would be more accurate to say Madam Feng was unwilling. Given her temperament, she would never allow the Feng family to be demoted.
Chen Xi came over with An Momo to pay her respects. The little girl was skipping along cheerfully. Gu Jinzhao quickly had her sit down and asked with a smile, "Our Xi Jie'er seems so happy today. Did your teacher praise you?"
Chen Xi shook her head and took her hand. "Teacher is on leave today. Seventh Brother is coming later to teach me the qin! He hasn’t visited me much lately… Yesterday afternoon, I ran into him at Grandmother’s place and had to beg him for a long time before he agreed!"
Gu Jinzhao found this odd and asked, "Does your Seventh Brother no longer go to Sandalwood Mountain Courtyard to pay his respects in the mornings?"
Chen Xi replied in her soft voice, "Seventh Brother said the Imperial Academy is very busy now. He has to leave early. I haven’t seen him in the mornings lately…"
No wonder she hadn’t seen Chen Xuanqing much recently either.
Gu Jinzhao took Chen Xi to the greenhouse to look at wormwood and moved two pots of Green Peonies to her room. An Momo then came over and said, "Seventh Young Master has arrived and is waiting for you in the backyard…"
Chen Xi stood up from among the flowers. Gu Jinzhao plucked a stray leaf from her skirt and smiled. "Go ahead and practice the qin."
Gu Jinzhao couldn’t help but feel Chen Xuanqing was avoiding her… Normally, it was fine if they didn’t cross paths. But when he came to teach Chen Xi the qin, he should have paid his respects to her… Still, Gu Jinzhao wouldn’t dwell on it. Let him be.
Jinchao cut a bundle of wormwood and had a maid deliver it to Third Master Chen’s study before returning to the western side room.
Zhou Shi and Gu Lian were already waiting for her.
Gu Lian held a food box and placed three plates of pastries on the table, smiling. "…These are snacks I brought back from the capital, specially for you, Second Sister. See if they suit your taste. If you like them, I’ll send more later."
Gu Jinzhao sat leisurely on the Arhat bed. The heated bed table held a plate of Cloud Hemp Leaf Fruit Cake, a plate of Yellow Cake, and a plate of jackfruit.
She glanced at Gu Lian and asked with a smile, "Lian Jie'er is being so kind to me now?"
Gu Lian forced a smile. "Second Sister, please forgive my past ignorance… I’ve been thinking of you since I heard about your pregnancy."
Zhou Shi picked up a piece of Cloud Hemp Leaf Fruit Cake and took a bite. "I had no appetite this morning and didn’t eat much, but this tastes quite sweet." She then urged Gu Jinzhao to try some. "Lian Jie'er brought these pastries back—even her grandmother hasn’t tasted them yet. She specifically brought them for you. Let bygones be bygones. Try them and see how you like them…"
Gu Jinzhao took a bite of the Cloud Hemp Leaf Fruit Cake but didn’t eat more. "I had a big breakfast and don’t have much appetite now." She smiled faintly. "Aunt, if you have something to say, you’d better say it quickly. I was planning to show you around the Chen Family later."
Gu Lian exchanged a glance with Zhou Shi before taking a letter from her sleeve and handing it to Gu Jinzhao. "…This is from Grandmother."
Gu Jinzhao opened and read it.
After a long pause, she set the letter aside and took a sip of tea.
Unable to hold back, Gu Lian frowned. "Second Sister, do you understand Grandmother’s meaning?"Jinchao raised her head to look at her: "What does it matter whether I understand or not?" She had already guessed the contents of the letter, and it turned out exactly as she had suspected. Madam Feng's usual approach was to command and coerce her, even going so far as to say, "If she still doesn't agree, I'll personally go to her doorstep to plead."
"Grandmother is getting old and shouldn't overexert herself. You should go back and advise her—every family has its ups and downs. With this lesson, Second Uncle will surely learn to be more cautious in his words and actions. If he's reinstated now, what will others think? Won't the Gu family face criticism then?" Gu Jinzhao said calmly. She had been polite enough, but if Madam Feng pushed too hard, she couldn't be blamed.
Who should have been the first to help when Gu Deyuan got into trouble? Wasn't it the Yao family?
Yet the Yao family hadn't lifted a finger. Why wasn't Madam Feng pressuring Gu Lian instead of her? She was merely a daughter from a different branch of the family! It was simply because Madam Feng couldn't accept it—she felt that since so much dowry had been spent to marry her into the Chen family, she ought to prove her worth to avoid wasting it.
If Gu Lian truly cared so much, she should have gone to beg Yao Ping long ago instead of coming here to question her.
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