Chapter 35: Discipline
The next day, as Luo Su was to pay respects to her mother, Jinchao went early to her mother's quarters.
As a new bride, Luo Su wore a lake-blue Hangzhou silk jacket and a pinkish-purple moonlit skirt, with small pearls dangling from her ears and a silver hairpin adorned with lotus patterns in her hair—simple yet elegant.
The three concubines were already waiting at Madam Ji's place. After Luo Su bowed to Madam Ji and raised her head, the moment her face was revealed, the three concubines' expressions changed.
Jinchao sipped her tea with a faint smile. No one had likely expected her to bring back someone who bore such a striking resemblance to Concubine Yun.
Concubine Song was the first to smile. "Our new sister is as lovely as a flower. Even I can't help but adore her."
Madam Ji beckoned Luo Su closer, taking her hand and asking softly, "Last night... was the ceremony completed?"
Luo Su's fair face flushed with shyness, and Mama Xu, standing nearby, answered with a smile, "The auspicious handkerchief was inspected—it was red."
Concubine Song bit her lower lip. No matter how composed she usually was, seeing the man she loved consummate with another young woman was deeply painful.
Madam Ji then instructed Mama Xu, "No contraceptive herbs. Our Concubine Luo might just bring new life to the household."
She then had Moyu fetch the gifts she had prepared—a pair of gold hairpins inlaid with yellow tourmaline, featuring cloud and double-dragon motifs symbolizing fortune and longevity. Madam Ji had always been generous, and she had no shortage of such items. Luo Su thanked her and accepted the gifts, after which the concubines presented theirs in turn. Concubine Song gave a silver-gilded full crown, Concubine Du offered an agate-and-gold hairpin shaped like a Buddha's hand, while Concubine Guo merely presented a pair of jade gourd earrings.
Jinchao glanced at Concubine Guo, who remained composed, unbothered by the modesty of her gift.
Mama Xu brought embroidered stools for the concubines to sit. Concubine Song chatted warmly with Luo Su, "Looking at you, sister, I feel a sense of familiarity. You resemble our former Concubine Yun—it makes me feel especially close to you."
Luo Su replied in a soft, gentle voice, "My mother was the elder sister of the late Concubine Yun. I called her aunt."
Concubine Song then glanced at Jinchao, who had been sitting quietly all this time. "No wonder our Eldest Miss was so confident in arranging for the master to take a concubine."
Ah, now the topic had shifted to her.
Jinchao set down her teacup and replied unhurriedly, "Concubine Song, your words are biased. Father gave his approval—I merely assisted in the selection."
Madam Ji said coolly, "Concubine Song, you must watch your words. Don’t spread talk that could harm Jinchao’s reputation."
Concubine Song's lips twitched. Did Gu Jinzhao's reputation even need further tarnishing? Still, she could only offer an apologetic smile. "This humble one was wrong. My words were inappropriate."
Concubine Du grinned, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes clearly visible. "With a new sister here, Concubine Song must be overjoyed..."
Jinchao shot her a look.
As the weather grew warmer, Jinchao had the maids and elderly servants of Paulownia Courtyard tidy up the place. Extravagant decorations were removed—the white-and-jade-inlaid "Hundred Birds" screen was replaced with a marble partition painted with ink-wash landscapes. The rooms looked much fresher without excessive gold ornaments, now adorned with pale celadon vases and white porcelain jars holding flowers freshly picked from the greenhouse.
Jinchao also wanted to set up a grapevine trellis in the courtyard. She called in gardeners from the outer estate to build the wooden frame, then personally selected grapevines to plant. By spring, the courtyard would be shaded by lush greenery.Yuzhu loved the grapevines the most. She chatted with Jinchao: "When I was little, the neighbor Song Siya's family had grapevines. Every summer, clusters of purple grapes hung from the vines like glass beads. If Siya was in a good mood, she'd share some with us. Her family would pick grapes to sell, and with the money they could buy osmanthus candy... All us kids would drool with envy. Once we secretly climbed over the wall to steal some from Siya's house, and I got bitten on the butt by her dog..."
She recounted these stories with great pride, showing no embarrassment, clearly eager to share her happy memories with Jinchao.
Baiyun stood nearby, too furious to speak—this girl simply had no filter!
But Jinchao liked Yuzhu's straightforward nature and told her with a smile, "When these grapes bear fruit, you can come pick them whenever you want."
Yuzhu cheered with delight and began checking the grapevines daily, eagerly measuring their growth with her fingers before reporting back to Jinchao.
She complained the vines grew too slowly: "I look at them every day, but they never seem to grow. Miss, how long will it take for them to cover the entire trellis...?"
Qingpu lifted the curtain and entered. "Miss, Concubine Luo is here."
Yuzhu stuck out her tongue and retreated with Yutong, while Jinchao straightened her posture before nodding. "Let her in."
Luo Su entered, accompanied only by her maid Qingyi. After half a month of recovery, the girl looked much healthier, revealing the faint outlines of a budding beauty.
Qingpu brought a stool, and Luo Su sat down. Jinchao noticed her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying. Composing herself, Jinchao asked, "What's the matter, Concubine Luo? Are you homesick?"
Luo Su shook her head. "I know I wasn't married into the Gu family, so I shouldn't speak of missing home."
Jinchao smiled. "If you wish to visit, it's not impossible. I can arrange for someone to escort you back for a visit."
Luo Su gave a bitter smile. "That's not it... This matter has happened several times now. I considered going to the madam, but knowing she's unwell and shouldn't be troubled with such things, I came to you instead. I have two maids, Haitang and Qiukui, both assigned to me by the attendants' office. As you and Mama Xu instructed, I don't let them serve me with meals or dressing, only having them wait outside. But..."
Jinchao nodded. "Go on."
"Those two maids wait outside... Several times when the master returned from court and came to my quarters, they told him directly that I was still asleep and hadn't risen. Hearing this, the master left. But inside, I wasn't sleeping—I was just embroidering in the inner chamber..." Tears welled up again as she spoke. "Mama Xu heard the master has been visiting Concubine Song often lately and scolded me for it. But how could I possibly control...?"
Seeing her cry so pitifully, Jinchao sighed inwardly—she really was still too young.
She asked Luo Su, "Do you know who you are?"
Luo Su hesitated. "Eldest Miss... I... I am Luo Su, of course..."
Jinchao continued, "You are indeed Luo Su, but you are also a concubine of the Gu family! If two little maids don't know their place, punish them. Why torment yourself with tears and let them grow bolder?""I... I was originally a concubine-born daughter in the Luo family, without even a personal maid. My elder sister had one maid, and she treated that maid very kindly. I thought if I treated them with kindness, they would naturally reciprocate... I truly don't know how to manage maids. Could Eldest Miss advise me on how best to discipline this maid?" Luo Su's expression was cautious.
Jinchao smiled and shook her head: "Do I really need to explain this..." She instructed Qingpu to fetch her an outer garment. "Then come with me."
After dressing, Jinchao led Qingpu, Caifu, Baiyun, and Luo Su with her maid toward the Moon Gate.
Luo Su was surprised: "This... why are we going to the outer courtyard?"
Jinchao replied casually: "To find someone to serve you, of course." She stepped through the Moon Gate and headed straight for the stables. The stable manager, hearing Eldest Miss had arrived, rushed out to greet her: "Eldest Miss, what brings you here?"
It was rare for womenfolk to venture beyond the Moon Gate.
But Jinchao said: "I'm looking for Old Woman Liu and Mother Chen." These two women had previously helped her apprehend Liu Xiang—bold, clever, and fiercely loyal. Any news from the outer courtyard reached Jinchao's ears quickly through the stables.
Seeing Eldest Miss herself had come, the manager didn't dare delay and personally fetched the two women, assuming they'd gained her favor—after all, she respectfully called them "Mother." The two women were both shocked and delighted; Eldest Miss had sought them out, and the manager had never treated them so courteously before.
Jinchao led the two stable women to Tranquil Residence, explaining along the way.
"...From now on, you'll serve Concubine Luo at Tranquil Residence. If anyone disobeys her, handle them as you see fit. Concubine Luo is gentle—if you see anyone bullying her or causing trouble, report it to me directly. Are you willing?"
Old Woman Liu replied respectfully: "We understand. Eldest Miss treats us well, so we'll serve you and Concubine Luo with all our hearts!"
Qingpu suppressed a smile beside them. Her mistress was clever—these stable women were notoriously fierce and strong, even regular guards avoided crossing them. With them attending Concubine Luo, no maid would dare act out.
Concubine Luo observed the two sturdy women, softly calling their names. Seeing their respectful smiles put her somewhat at ease.
Old Woman Liu and Mother Chen were overjoyed. The difference between a stable woman's treatment and an inner courtyard attendant's was like heaven and earth. In the stables, they earned only two silver coins monthly, while inner courtyard attendants received at least five, plus new clothes each winter and summer, and holiday bonuses from their masters.
This chance to serve a mistress was precious—they'd do their best to avoid being sent back.
As Jinchao approached Tranquil Residence's entrance, she spotted Haitang and Qiukui sitting on the winding corridor, cracking melon seeds while chatting.
"Who knows how long our mistress will stay favored..."
"Didn't Concubine Song say it won't be long? Then we'll be promoted to second-rank maids...""I reckon she's just taking advantage of her youth. We're not much worse off than her. Some people just have good fortune... rising straight to Concubine status in one step. Take Shui Ying and Biyue from the master's chambers—they've served him for so many years, yet they still haven't been promoted from Bed Warming Maids to Concubines..."
As they were idly chatting, they suddenly heard a calm voice ask:
"So, you two wish to become Concubines?"
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