Chapter 38: Confrontation
Gu Lan was overseeing the small kitchen in Cui Xuan Yuan. Her father had been spending more time with Concubine Luo recently, and Concubine Song had grown visibly haggard. Heart aching for her mother, Gu Lan decided to prepare a nourishing soup for her.
Ziling came over and said, "...The young master is here."
Gu Lan took the handkerchief handed by Mu Jin to wipe her hands, instructed the kitchen matron to carefully monitor the heat of the clay pot, and stepped into the corridor of the courtyard. Noticing the lingering redness and swelling on Ziling's face, she frowned and asked, "Didn't you apply the ointment?"
Ziling whispered, "This servant thought... it should be shown to the young master..."
Gu Lan scolded her outright for her foolishness. "He's busy with his studies right now—when would he have time to look at your face? Who do you think you are?" Such petty tricks should never be used again. It wasn’t as if Gu Jinzhao went around slapping Ziling’s face for no reason.
Recalling Qiaowei’s warning that Ziling couldn’t be kept around much longer, Gu Lan felt another wave of irritation. Indeed, she was far less clever than Mu Jin.
She saw Gu Jinrong standing under the corridor in front of the hall. A stool had been brought out by a maid, but he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at a newly planted Japanese red pine in the courtyard. He must be troubled by something, Gu Lan thought. Whenever he was upset, he could never sit still.
When Gu Jinrong saw Gu Lan approaching with a smile, his heart twisted even more bitterly, remembering how he had happily told her just the day before that he could stay home. "Second Sister, I came to tell you... I can’t stay home to study after all."
Gu Lan was stunned. "What? Did Father refuse?"
Gu Jinrong gritted his teeth. "Father had agreed at first. But last night, Gu Jinzhao rushed to see him and made him change his mind!" He then vented his frustration about Gu Jinzhao. "I never interfere with her affairs—why must she meddle in mine?"
Gu Lan smiled faintly, trying to console him. "Perhaps Eldest Miss thinks staying home would inconvenience you... She might be worried it would hinder your studies."
Gu Jinrong scoffed. "She’s worried about my studies? She’s afraid I’ll steal Mother’s affection! She visits Mother every single day, as if she’s the only filial child. Besides, if I leave, won’t it be easier for her to bully you? Someone as selfish as her—how could she possibly care about my studies?"
If Gu Jinrong went to study at Qifang Hutong, it certainly wouldn’t benefit her. Gu Lan sighed. "I wonder who told Eldest Miss... I had hoped that if you stayed, you could keep Mother company and help her recover faster..."
Gu Jinrong paced furiously under the corridor, stewing in anger before finally declaring, "Forget it! I’m going to confront her! The things she’s done lately have gone too far...!" He then called loudly for Qing Xiu and Qing An, preparing to head to Paulownia Courtyard.
Gu Lan couldn’t even stop him. Gu Jinrong had always been reckless with his words—what if he let something slip in front of Gu Jinzhao? She called after him several times, but he had already stormed out of Cui Xuan Yuan. Ziling asked softly, "Miss, isn’t it a good thing if the young master goes to make trouble for Eldest Miss...? Why are you reluctant to let him go?"
"What do you know?" Gu Lan shot her a glare before deflating. Fine, let the siblings tear into each other. If they ended up at odds, all the better.
Jinchao was curled up on the warm heated kang, doing needlework. The past few days had been dreary with rain, and the cold had returned, making it unpleasant to go outside.Mama Tong watched from the side and asked, "What is the Eldest Miss making?"
Jinchao replied, "These are kneepads for Jinrong." Although spring was approaching, the weather remained cold. The young scholars studying in Daxing would surely switch to cotton trousers early, only to feel chilly again when sitting through lectures. These outer kneepads could be worn when cold and removed before going out.
After all, they were siblings by blood. A strained relationship would only sadden their mother. Since Jinrong enjoyed being flattered and catered to, she would indulge him. Jinchao knew her own stubborn and unyielding nature, but Gu Jinrong was the type who responded better to softness than force. This younger brother still needed coaxing—he was, after all, still young.
The kneepads' outer layer was made of dark brown silk, lined with two layers of silk cloth and stuffed with soft cotton. She had embroidered a "Three Firsts in Imperial Examinations" pattern on the silk and was now finishing the edges. She had started working on them half a month earlier; once the edges were done, they would be complete.
Incense burned on the long altar dedicated to the Bodhisattva, thin wisps of pale blue smoke rising gently. The sound of rain outside made the atmosphere even more serene.
Suddenly, noisy voices erupted outside, seemingly belonging to Yuzhu and Yutong.
Qingpu stepped out from behind the screen and lifted the curtain. Squinting at the group approaching along the corridor, she turned to Jinchao and said, "Miss, the young master has come with his two page boys. They barged in directly—the maids couldn't stop them..."
Jinchao sighed. "He must be here to question me about his studies. Let him in."
"Gu Jinzhao! Are you in there?" Gu Jinrong shouted as he entered the East Side Room, his page boy closing the umbrella and waiting outside.
Jinchao stood and reached for a cloak nearby, but Jinrong had already walked past the screen. He wore a stone-blue Straight Robe, his hair slightly damp at the ends. His handsome face was clouded with anger as he glared at her.
Unfazed, Jinchao moved to drape the cloak over him. "You came all this way in the rain..."
Jinrong slapped her hand away. "I don't need your fake concern!"
She withdrew her hand, smiling. "Then put it on yourself. If you catch a cold, you won't be able to leave for Daxing."
"Who said I'm going to Daxing?" Jinrong glared. "Why do you meddle in my affairs? Why did you have to go running to Father? Are you afraid Mother won't dote on you as much if I'm around? Or that I'll get in the way of you scheming against Second Sister?"
His voice rose with each question, startling Mama Tong and Qingpu. Baiyun and Caifu didn't dare even breathe.
Jinchao set down the cloak and studied him quietly for a long moment before asking, "Do you truly believe that? That I'm such a person?"
Jinrong sneered. "If you're not, then what kind of person are you? You drove Liu Xiang mad and expelled her from the manor. When Ziling pleaded for her, you ordered Qingpu to beat her. You even forced Father to take a concubine. If you're not that kind of person, then am I? Is Second Sister? These are your deeds—I have no say in them. But stay out of my affairs! I'll study wherever I please. I don't need your interference!"
Jinchao's heart turned ice-cold.
Yet she laughed again. "Who told you all this?"Gu Jinrong continued, "Don't tell me it's Second Sister framing you again! I'm telling you, I've verified these matters with people in the household! How could you think that way of Second Sister? She genuinely cares for you and often advises me not to clash with you, saying Mother would be upset. For Mother and Second Sister's sake, I've held back countless times. You... do you really think everyone is as malicious as you?"
Jinchao glanced at Gu Jinrong before sitting back on the heated kang and picking up the knee pads she had just made.
"So someone told you first, and then you went to investigate?" she continued. "If Gu Lan truly wanted harmony between us, would she have told you these things? Would she have casually mentioned them for you to look into?"
"If Gu Lan had your best interests at heart, would she keep you at home studying?" Jinchao's voice was calm and light, but in the surrounding silence, it carried with unusual clarity.
"She wants to hinder your studies, to turn you into a useless young master in the end. And why would I compete with you for Mother's favor? You've always been her favorite. While you grew up by her side, I was far away with the Ji family..."
"As for you accusing me of framing Gu Lan—as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Gu family, why would I frame her? What could I possibly want from her? Who is framing whom—have you even figured that out? On the way from Tranquil Residence to Cui Xuan Yuan, would Ziling have passed by Tranquil Fragrance Study? No, she was waiting there for you all along."
Gu Jinrong had expected Jinchao to glare at him fiercely as before or scold him, but she did neither.
She didn't even look at him.
Outside the window, the rain pattered softly. The lattice window was open, revealing the newly built grapevine trellis in the courtyard. Jinchao turned to gaze outside, her gentle profile as serene as still water.
Gu Jinrong's anger suddenly dissipated. He carefully considered every word Jinchao had said—in truth, her arguments made sense... His face paled. How could this be? Second Sister had always been so kind and affectionate toward him. She couldn't possibly be scheming against him!
"You're just trying to frame Second Sister," Gu Jinrong said weakly. "Do you have any proof?"
Jinchao replied, "I'm your own blood sister... Why would I harm you..." Her voice trailed off.
Only when she turned her head did Gu Jinrong realize why she hadn't looked at him—she was crying.
He froze in shock. He had never seen Gu Jinzhao cry before.
He had always thought Jinchao incapable of tears—who could make someone so domineering and arrogant cry?
He remembered when Jinchao was ten, insisting on playing on the swing with them. When Gu Lan fell off the swing and burst into tears, their father and several concubines took turns comforting her, while he went to fetch Filigree Candy to cheer her up. Jinchao had stood to the side, watching them coldly, before turning and walking away alone. They searched for her for a long time before finally finding her in a side room of one of the courtyards. Their father scolded her for wandering off, but she just stared back stubbornly, her dark eyes wide open, as if she hadn't been the one hiding in that dilapidated courtyard all night.
"You..." Gu Jinrong wanted to say something—he even wanted to wipe away her tears.
"I'm tired. Young Master, please see yourself out." She rose and walked toward the inner chamber, with Qingpu following behind.
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