Chapter 39: Departure
Mama Tong sighed. The young master's words had been too harsh.
She stepped forward and bowed before Jinrong. "Young Master, might this servant speak a word? I once served your mother. Do you still remember?"
Gu Jinrong looked at Mama Tong and nodded in acknowledgment. This was the same Mama Tong who had previously helped his mother manage the Villa before being assigned to serve Gu Jinzhao.
Mama Tong smiled. "Our Eldest Miss has never been one to feign weakness to please others. Her temperament is most like your maternal grandmother's. But just because she doesn’t say it doesn’t mean she doesn’t care… It’s simply that her nature is rather strong-willed."
Jinzhao’s tears had indeed shaken Jinrong far more than any scolding or reprimand could have. He even felt a faint ache in his heart—perhaps the influence of their shared blood. Jinrong’s voice softened slightly. "Mama Tong, I didn’t mean to upset her. It’s just that Eldest Sister sometimes goes too far with her actions. That maid, Liu Xiang—"
Mama Tong interjected, "You must have heard about this from Second Miss. Allow me to tell you what I witnessed."
"Miss Liu Xiang repeatedly stole from our young lady. Out of kindness, the young lady did not punish her. But then Liu Xiang secretly colluded with others to inform Second Miss about the gold filigree hairpiece incident. Second Miss intended to use this to criticize Madam, which ended up aggravating her illness… Only then did Eldest Miss lose her patience and decide to expel the maid. The girl frightened herself into madness—our young lady never ordered anyone to beat her."
Jinrong’s eyes widened. "Colluded with Second Sister?"
Mama Tong continued with a knowing smile. "Your Second Miss is far more cunning than she appears. You’re clever, Young Master. Once you reflect on it, you’ll understand."
Jinrong’s mind was in turmoil. Did that mean… not only had he wrongly accused Eldest Sister, but he had also helped Second Sister upset their mother? How could that be? Second Sister had always been so attentive to their mother, often tending to her!
"But… what about the concubine matter? Didn’t she break up the engagement and force Father into it?"
Mama Tong shook her head. "Concubine Luo’s family is from the Luo household in Taihe County. Her grandfather is the county magistrate there. When he heard our young lady wished to bring his granddaughter into the household, he personally canceled Concubine Luo’s original betrothal. Concubine Luo had never even met her intended… Besides, if the master truly didn’t want a concubine, who could force him? Young Master, you really shouldn’t blame Eldest Miss for this… She did it for your sake."
Jinrong was baffled. "Wasn’t she just doing all this to retaliate against Second Sister?"
Mama Tong patiently explained further. "Young Master, think about it—if it were merely about taking in a concubine, why would Eldest Miss go to the trouble of bringing someone from as far as Taihe? Even if she were angry with Second Miss, there was no need to confront Concubine Song so directly."
"…Consider this—if something were to happen to Madam, and Concubine Song bore a son, wouldn’t she be elevated to the position of the new mistress? At that point, wouldn’t you have a legitimate younger brother? For the sake of her child, Concubine Song would surely take many actions against you."
Jinrong’s expression shifted repeatedly. He was still young and couldn’t fully grasp the intricacies of the situation. But Mama Tong’s words were undeniably reasonable.He hesitated, "But Concubine Song and Second Sister have always treated me well. Even if Concubine Song becomes Father's official wife, she would still—"
Before he could finish, he already felt foolish.
Of course Concubine Song would treat him well—he was the Gu family's only legitimate son. But if she were to bear a son of her own, that would be another matter entirely.
"I... Mama Tong, call Gu Jinzhao out here. I want to ask her face to face if this is true." Gu Jinrong was still wavering.
Mama Tong shook her head with a smile, "After what you've said about Eldest Miss, do you really think she'd want to see you?" She walked to the heated brick bed and picked up the knee pads Jinzhao had just finished, handing them to Jinrong. "Young Master, take these. The young lady made them for you, worried that the spring chill might affect you while you're studying in Daxing."
Gu Jinrong held the soft knee pads, his fingers unconsciously tightening around them.
Had she been making these for him just now? The embroidered magpies and ingots were exquisite, the stitches tight and even, the magpies so lifelike.
...And he had spoken so viciously about her.
Gu Jinrong drew a sharp breath, feeling a chill seep from head to toe.
He glanced once more in the direction Jinzhao had left, then wordlessly walked out of Paulownia Courtyard with heavy steps.
Only then did Mama Tong enter the inner chamber.
"Young Miss, I've explained everything to the Young Master. Your crying performance was perfect just now..."
Jinzhao sighed, "Though I expected he'd come to make a scene and planned to clarify things, hearing him speak so thoughtlessly was truly disheartening. If the Gu family were left in his hands, its future would be precarious... I'm genuinely chilled to the bone."
It was hard to say how much of it Jinrong had believed. After all, he and Gu Lan had over a decade of shared affection. While her words might have shaken him somewhat, they wouldn't completely awaken him. With Jinrong's temperament, only a harsh blow could truly rouse him.
"Explaining those matters to the Young Master is for the best, lest he always listens to Second Miss," Mama Tong nodded. "What about his studies? Will you still let him hire a tutor at home?"
Jinzhao replied, "If he believes me—even partially—he won't want to stay home anymore... We'll see his reaction tomorrow after he pays respects to Father."
She wasn't blameless in this either. Her younger brother needed coaxing to stay happy and was easily influenced by others. She should have warned him about Gu Lan earlier, but Jinrong might not have listened to her. Mama Tong's words, however, might carry some weight.
The next day, Jinzhao went early to pay respects to her father and deliberately discussed Jinrong's studies and Eight-legged essays with him. Her father nodded repeatedly—whatever else might be said, his daughter was far more learned than other noble ladies, speaking with clear reasoning.
Their conversation lasted longer than expected, and they happened to meet Jinrong when he came to pay his respects.
When Jinrong entered and saw Jinzhao there, he froze momentarily. But Jinzhao acted as if she hadn't seen him, offering no greeting. After taking her leave from her father, she walked out of Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion.
Again, without so much as a glance in his direction...
Jinrong's heart clenched. She must have been utterly heartbroken to not even look at him, to not speak a word—completely indifferent to him now.Thinking back to yesterday when she turned her head, her glistening cheeks streaked with tears, her gaze filled with utter disappointment, he felt as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.
Gu Dezhao was discussing his studies with him: "...Your elder sister just told me that if you don’t want to be too far from home, there’s the Helu Academy in Shi’an. Although it’s not as good as Mr. Zhou’s teachings in Qifang Hutong, the main lecturer is retired Imperial Academy scholar Master Fan..."
This time, Gu Jinrong interrupted his father, resolutely saying, "I still think Qifang Hutong is better. I won’t go to Helu Academy."
...
Not long after Jinchao returned to Paulownia Courtyard, Mama Tong came to report: "The young lady guessed correctly. The eldest young master is packing his belongings to leave for Daxing."
Jinchao sighed in relief. He was finally willing to go study in Qifang Hutong. That meant her words to him yesterday had some effect.
She instructed Mama Tong: "Send a few boxes of pastries and some inkstones to Paulownia Courtyard as a farewell gift for him."
Mama Tong asked in confusion, "Aren’t you going to see him off?"
Jinchao shook her head. "No need. It might not be appropriate if I go."
Gu Jinrong didn’t leave the Gu family until the fifth day of the second month. After several days of continuous rain in Shi’an, the sky finally cleared. The servants had already prepared the horses and were waiting by the inner screen wall. Gu Lan, Gu Xi, Gu Yi, and Concubine Song all came to see him off, stopping at the festooned gate, but Gu Lan personally escorted him to the screen wall.
He was dressed in a brand-new bamboo-green Hangzhou silk straight robe. After searching around, he still didn’t see Gu Jinchao and hesitated for a moment in front of the small green-curtained carriage.
"Jinrong, are you waiting for your elder sister?" Gu Lan said. "It’s already so late. She probably won’t come."
Gu Jinrong instinctively replied, "Perhaps she’s busy with something."
Gu Lan was taken aback, then smiled faintly.
She had felt that Jinrong had been acting strangely these past few days but couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. It seemed he wasn’t as close to her as before...
That day, Jinrong had gone to see Jinchao, and it was said they had a huge argument. But now, there were none of her people left in Paulownia Courtyard—from the ranked maids down to the lowly servants, every one of them kept their mouths tightly shut. Jinrong hadn’t come to ask her about it either, so she still didn’t know what exactly had been said that day...
Thinking of this, she softened her voice and said, "If you don’t leave now, you won’t reach Daxing by noon. Did you take the writing supplies I prepared for you?"
Jinrong nodded, then looked carefully at Gu Lan... Her smile was gentle and serene, no different from how he remembered her. Did she really want to drive a wedge between him and Jinchao? Did she truly want him to become a useless rich young man?
Yet he wasn’t entirely sure. Despite his doubts, he still unconsciously softened toward her and said, "Then I’ll be off. Take care of yourself, Second Sister."
Gu Lan nodded.
The carriage creaked as it passed through the gate.
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