Chapter 34: The Inside Story
Jinchao didn't continue questioning her mother. Instead, after returning to Paulownia Courtyard, she summoned Mama Tong for answers. Mama Tong was an old servant who had followed her mother to the Gu family and knew almost everything about the household.
Mama Tong thought for a while before speaking. "Actually, Concubine Yun didn’t exactly die from a difficult childbirth..."
"Not exactly?" Jinchao frowned. What kind of explanation was that?
Mama Tong nodded. "At the time, Concubine Yun was eight months pregnant when she accidentally consumed a labor-inducing decoction. No one understood how such a mistake could have happened—she had always been given medicine to stabilize her pregnancy. If she had simply gone into labor and delivered the child safely, it wouldn’t have been a problem. At most, she would have needed some postnatal recuperation... But then she suffered a hemorrhage during the difficult birth, and in the end, neither she nor the child survived. That’s why I say it was both a death from difficult childbirth and not entirely so."
Jinchao found this suspicious. "Why would there even be a labor-inducing decoction in the household?"
Mama Tong continued, "Concubine Yun and her two sisters were all from the south. The physician attending to her pregnancy was a renowned doctor from Hangzhou named Su Qi. The master thought that since southern and northern women had different constitutions, Su Qi would be better suited to care for Concubine Yun than physicians from the northern regions. Since it was inconvenient for Su Qi to travel back and forth, he not only left stabilizing medicine but also prepared labor-inducing medicine in advance, in case he couldn’t arrive in time when Concubine Yun went into labor..."
Jinchao tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought, then looked up and asked, "What happened to the maid who mixed up the medicine?"
Mama Tong lowered her voice. "The master ordered her beaten to death with clubs, and her body was later discarded in the mass graves... Another maid who was close to her wanted to secretly bury her, but when she went to the graves, she found the body had already been torn apart by wild dogs... That maid was later married off when she came of age. After that, no maids in the Gu family knew about this matter anymore."
Jinchao dismissed Mama Tong and sat on the heated kang, hugging a hand warmer in contemplation.
Qingpu, seeing her remain silent for a long time, asked, "Does the young mistress suspect there was something amiss about Concubine Yun’s death?"
Jinchao shook her head slowly. "Not necessarily. It might truly have been a coincidence." She was just habitually suspicious. In her past life, after marrying Third Master Chen, she had seen how his three concubines were anything but easy to deal with—they were constantly at each other’s throats. And then there were the eldest and second masters of the Chen Family, whose inner households were filled with even more scheming and intrigue. She had witnessed it all back then.
Jinchao set the matter aside and smiled at Qingpu. "Aren’t you going to join the wine feast? I saw Baiyun and Caifu have already gone."
Qingpu shook her head. "This servant won’t join the bustle... Someone should always stay by the young mistress’s side."
Jinchao lazily reclined against a large pillow. "Go and take a look. It doesn’t matter whether I have someone with me or not—Yuzhu and Yutong are still outside anyway. You’ve never been close to any maids in the Gu family... Take this chance to mingle and get to know more people."
Qingpu was introverted and didn’t enjoy socializing.
After some thought, she didn’t want to reject her mistress’s kindness and smiled. "Then this servant will go take a look. If I get any wedding sweets, I’ll bring some back for you..."
Jinchao nodded and called Yuzhu in to tend to the brazier.The banquet was set up by the lakeside pavilion. Qingpu left Paulownia Courtyard and walked along the brick-paved path toward the pavilion. Just as she reached the outside of Tranquil Fragrance Study, she saw Gu Jinrong coming out with Qing Xiu. She was about to step forward to greet the eldest young master when she noticed Ziling, Gu Lan's maid, coincidentally approaching from another path and running into Jinrong. Qingpu's footsteps paused momentarily.
Ziling seemed to be saying something to Jinrong...
Beside them stood an artificial hill piled with Taihu rocks.
Qingpu had once trained in footwork, binding twenty-pound iron sandbags to her feet while maintaining light steps. Over time, she had developed agility like a swallow, leaping three feet higher than an ordinary person could.
Wanting to hear what Ziling and the young master were discussing, she nimbly scaled the rockery in a few moves and quietly crouched behind it.
"...Sister Ziling, why are you coming from the lakeside pavilion? Did Second Miss send you with a message?" It was the young master's voice.
The corner of Qingpu's mouth twitched—the young master had never been this polite to them.
Ziling replied with a smile, "Hasn't Young Master heard? The master has taken a new concubine, and a banquet is being held by the pavilion. All the prominent maids and matrons are required to attend."
Jinrong frowned in confusion. "A concubine? I haven't heard anything about this."
"Not just you—none of us knew beforehand!" Ziling said. "According to Nanny Zhao, this concubine was brought back by Eldest Miss from Taihe County near Tongzhou. The woman was already betrothed to someone she loved, and they were preparing for marriage. But Eldest Miss insisted on having her, using her influence to forcibly separate the couple and bring her back to the Gu family."
Jinrong had no idea Jinzhao had done such things in Tongzhou—he had been too busy discussing Eight-legged essays with his cousins.
His brows furrowed deeply. "Separating a couple? Why would she do that?"
Ziling shook her head. "This servant doesn't know either. I only heard it from Nanny Zhao... Concubine Song hasn't slept well for several nights because of this. I suspect Eldest Miss might be displeased with how favored Concubine Song is and wanted to stir up trouble for her. You know how she's been at odds with Second Miss lately... With Eldest Miss's willful temperament, the master would never have agreed under normal circumstances, but who could stand against her insistence..."
Behind the rockery, Qingpu was stunned. How dare Ziling slander their mistress like this in front of the young master!
Jinrong was even more shocked. "A young lady of the inner chambers... how could she... how could she help Father take a concubine!"
As someone who studied the classics, he believed women should adhere to propriety, obeying their fathers and husbands. He had never encountered anyone as unruly as Gu Jinzhao. This was sheer willfulness—just because she disliked someone, she would arrange for her father to take a concubine? What kind of reasoning was that? And to cruelly tear apart a loving couple... In all his years, he had never met such an overbearing noblewoman as Jinzhao!
Ziling stopped there, saying no more. She curtsied and said, "This servant is merely speculating. Please don't take it too seriously, and don't mention that I told you this, or I'll be in trouble... Second Miss has tasks waiting, so I'll take my leave now."
Jinrong nodded for her to withdraw, then sighed heavily. "This elder sister of mine... truly brings me shame! Sometimes... I really... I almost wish I didn't have such a sister!"
Qing Xiu chimed in, "Don't dwell on it, Young Master... Eldest Miss has always been this way."After the master and servant finished speaking, they proceeded along the brick-paved path toward the Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion.
Qingpu stood behind the rockery, waiting for them to leave, her fists clenched tightly. She was usually not one to be easily agitated, but today, Ziling and the eldest young master had filled her with anger. No one understood better than her how difficult her mistress's life had been recently—constantly considering the madame and the eldest young master, only to be slandered like this. As the young lady's own younger brother, the eldest young master had believed Ziling's words without hesitation, even saying things like "I don’t want such a sister"...
She decided not to attend the banquet and turned back to Paulownia Courtyard.
Jinzhao was surprised to see her return so early. "Why are you back so soon..."
Qingpu took a deep breath and recounted what had just happened. "...Ziling came from the lakeside pavilion near Tranquil Residence. There’s no way she would pass by Tranquil Fragrance Study on her way back to Cui Xuan Yuan. She must have been waiting there for the eldest young master all along!"
Jinzhao actually laughed after hearing this. "Ziling isn’t that clever—those words were taught to her by Gu Lan. I found it strange. Even if Jinrong and I aren’t close, after hearing so many rumors outside, he wouldn’t despise me to this extent. So someone has been adding fuel to the fire behind my back. Today, you happened to overhear it, but there must have been countless times when no one did. Who knows what else they’ve said—that I’m utterly heartless and inhuman..."
Qingpu hesitated. "Shouldn’t you explain to the eldest young master..."
Jinzhao sighed. "Explain what? To compete for Concubine Song’s favor, I tried to arrange a concubine for Father. Afraid he wouldn’t agree, I even went to Taihe County to bring Luo Su back, going so far as to break off her original engagement. What she said is all true—I did these things, and I was indeed wrong... What can I even explain?"
Qingpu knew this was the case... but, but she felt her mistress wasn’t wrong! Yet she was too inarticulate to express it clearly.
Yuzhu, who had been tending to the stove nearby, listened intently. She blinked and said, "Because Qingpu-jie is with you, miss."
Jinzhao glanced at Yuzhu. Despite her young age, the girl was sharp. She smiled bitterly. "You think I’m not wrong because you’re on my side. Gu Jinrong thinks everything I do is wrong because his heart leans toward Gu Lan and Concubine Song. Do you understand now?"
What she had done was only to protect herself and her mother—nothing more. Qingpu, who was with her every day, knew full well her difficulties. If she hadn’t brought Luo Su back and allowed Concubine Song to remain favored, things would have become much harder once she bore a son. But Gu Jinrong was wholeheartedly devoted to Gu Lan and Concubine Song, believing that Gu Jinzhao was constantly scheming against them.
If someone truly dislikes you, then no matter what you do, it will always be wrong.
The matter was as simple as that.
Jinzhao recalled her past life—when she had made pastries for Chen Xuanqing, she was scolded for being shameless when she gave them to him. Yet when other young ladies did the same, he would gently praise them for their kindness, and the other young men would even tease him about it.
Qingpu watched Jinzhao quietly. She gazed out the window, her expression calm, but there was an indescribable... loneliness about her.Jinchao said, "Once he sees Gu Lan's true colors, no explanation will be needed. He'll understand naturally."
"But what if Second Miss and the others continue speaking against you in front of the Eldest Young Master?" Qingpu asked her.
Jinchao shook her head. "The academy will reopen right after the ninth of February. Gu Jinrong will definitely leave before then. It's better to wait until Jinrong departs first—he's always getting in the way in the inner courtyard."
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