Chapter 41: Baopu
With her mother's illness fluctuating, Jinchao became even more vigilant about her mother's diet.
She personally inspected all the meals prepared in the small kitchen, ensuring only mild and nourishing dishes were sent to her mother. Concubine Song, no longer preoccupied with attending to Father, had returned to her mother's sickbed to serve. Jinchao didn’t comment on it openly but privately summoned the maids and matrons from Slanting Cloud Garden, instructing them to report to her whatever Concubine Song said to her mother.
As for the food and drink Concubine Song brought, Mama Xu oversaw it, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
Jinchao herself consulted Liu Daifu for several beneficial medicinal cuisine recipes to prepare for her mother. Her cooking skills were excellent, and though the medicine was bitter and unpleasant to take, transforming it into medicinal cuisine made it much more palatable. Her mother ate more of it, and after a few days, her coughing lessened somewhat.
Only then did Jinchao relax a little.
Mama Xu, however, scolded her for coming every day and urged her to rest: "...Eldest Miss, don’t worry. This servant knows what to do!"
Madam Ji, seeing that Jinchao’s once-rounded chin had grown noticeably thinner and her eyes appeared darker and more sunken, felt even more distressed.
The two of them shooed her back to Paulownia Courtyard.
Jinchao had no choice but to return. She had Qingpu move a reclining chair beneath the veranda so she could sit in the courtyard and enjoy the breeze.
The kitten was now barely able to walk. Its sewing basket was placed under the veranda, and after circling its nest a few times, the kitten wobbled out on short legs, trembling as it made its way to the railing. Its round little body then plopped down, snuggling against a sun-warmed black lacquered pillar.
Yutong and Yuzhu adored this kitten. Usually, the two of them took care of it, so Jinchao hadn’t paid it much attention.
Watching it for a while, Jinchao found it amusing. The kitten lay by the pillar without moving, occasionally lowering its head to lick its paws. Seeing this, Yuzhu took out a handful of dried fish from her pouch to tease it. The kitten stretched its neck to bite, but if it couldn’t reach, it simply gave up and lay back down to doze.
"Miss, look how lazy it is!" Yuzhu laughed. "You should give it a name. That way, when it hears its name, it might not be so lazy anymore."
Jinchao smiled. Naming kittens and puppies was something only young girls did—she wouldn’t... But then she paused. She was only fifteen herself. Propping herself up, she reached out to play with the kitten, which promptly rolled over, exposing its belly for scratches.
Jinchao said, "How about calling it Baopu?"
Yuzhu tilted her head. "That sounds strange. When we name cats, we usually call them Big Yellow or Little White..."
In the Dao De Jing , it is said: Embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, and diminish desires.
Jinchao felt she ought to be more at peace. Her mother’s illness couldn’t be rushed. Unlike this kitten, which basked contentedly in the sun, waiting to be fed.
Caifu approached from the covered corridor.
"Miss, Fifth Madam from the ancestral family, along with the eldest and second young masters, have arrived at our residence. They’re currently in the outer courtyard," she reported softly.
Jinchao thought for a moment. It made sense for Fifth Madam to visit her mother, but what were her two cousins here for?
Caifu added, "Tomorrow is Qingming. I heard the young masters came to invite Master to go to Mount Xicui tomorrow for tomb-sweeping and ancestral rites."According to the ancestral family's customs, they visit the ancestral graves the day after Qingming every year. Although Father has had little contact with the ancestral family in recent years, he still attends the Qingming tomb-sweeping. Otherwise, it would be considered forsaking the ancestors—a grave act of filial impiety.
"This servant also found out that accompanying them is Fifth Madam's younger brother, the heir of Marquis Changxing's household."
Upon hearing about the heir of Marquis Changxing, Jinchao nearly sat up from her reclining chair. "What is he doing here? It's Qingming! Shouldn't he be at his own home?"
Caifu was surprised by her mistress's strong reaction and replied, "This servant doesn’t know either. I only heard this from the attendants."
That little demon king was actually coming to her home!
In the future, Ye Xian would hold immense power at court, yet his temperament was notoriously cruel—killing whomever he pleased without hesitation. If the Gu family offended him in any way, he might very well destroy them all later!
Gu Jinzhao thought it over and over, feeling a headache coming on. In her past life, she had never even met Ye Xian, so she had no idea how she was supposed to deal with him in this lifetime.
She instructed Qingpu to help her freshen up, as Fifth Madam would soon be visiting her mother, and she would certainly have to meet her.
Jinzhao personally selected a water-green satin robe with interlocking branches and a plain white embroidered skirt. She wore no makeup at all, with only two simple silver hairpins inlaid with emerald lotus motifs adorning her hair. The overall effect was extremely subdued. Given her delicate and radiant beauty, brighter attire would have suited her better. Qingpu, who had learned these things from Mama Song, her grandmother's attendant, immediately noticed the mismatch in her mistress's choice. Though she said nothing, she privately took note of the significance the heir of Marquis Changxing held.
A short while later, Moyu came to report—but instead of being summoned to Slanting Cloud Garden, it was to the parlor of Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion.
The parlor was already set with a table, tea, fruits, and pastries. Fifth Madam and Concubine Luo were chatting, while Concubine Guo and Concubine Du sat nearby. Father, meanwhile, was speaking with Eldest Cousin Gu Jin Xiao, but neither Ye Xian nor Gu Jinxian were present.
"Here comes our Chaojie! Come sit by your Fifth Aunt!" Fifth Madam Ye Shi greeted Jinzhao warmly, beckoning her to sit beside her.
Jinzhao curtsied to Ye Shi, then paid her respects to her father and addressed Gu Jin Xiao as "Eldest Cousin."
"Eldest Sister, you’ve finally arrived. We were just talking about you," Gu Lan said with a smile, taking her hand affectionately. "Were you hiding in your room being lazy?"
The corner of Jinzhao's lips twitched. Did Gu Lan not feel uncomfortable clinging to her like this? She feigned warmth in return, covering Gu Lan's hand with her own, and replied with a smile, "Not laziness—Second Sister knows that Mother has been unwell lately, and I’ve been busy attending to her."
Since she had arrived late, Gu Lan's words might lead Ye Shi to think she had been neglectful.
...Though Gu Lan was indeed quick—Gu Xi and Gu Yi hadn’t even arrived yet.
Ye Shi didn’t mind at all. Instead, she inquired with concern about Madam Ji's condition: "...During the New Year, your grandmother was worried and asked me to visit when I had time. When I heard two days ago that your mother’s illness had worsened, I hurried to prepare gifts and come. Has she improved at all?"
Jinzhao nodded. "She’s been much better recently, staying lucid every day and eating well."
Luo Su interjected softly, "It’s all thanks to Eldest Miss’s tireless care. Otherwise, Madam wouldn’t have recovered so quickly."Gu Lan's expression darkened momentarily, but she quickly continued, "Every time I visit Mother, I see Eldest Sister and Concubine Song attending to her. It's truly not easy. If I weren't so inept at serving others, I'd wish to wait upon Mother day and night myself..."
Fifth Madam hurriedly responded, "Your intentions are enough... these things don't matter."
Gu Lan stood up to offer fresh cherries to Ye Shi: "...Fifth Aunt should try some too. These cherries from Linggu Temple in Nanjing are the juiciest and sweetest."
Ye Shi thanked her and accepted. Seizing the opportunity, Gu Lan sat beside her and asked casually, "I heard Cousin Jinxian came with you this time, but I wonder where he's gone..."
Ye Shi smiled, "That boy can never sit still. He went with his uncle to offer incense at Ciguang Temple in Shi'an County."
Jinchao found this puzzling—did Ye Xian actually believe in Buddhism? His actions hardly seemed like those of a devout Buddhist.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Gu Lan voiced the question: "Does Uncle also enjoy Buddhist teachings? I often read sutras at home and might be able to discuss a line or two with him."
Ye Shi shook her head with a laugh, "...He detests such things, saying all supernatural beliefs are untrustworthy. He won't even attend our family's Qingming tomb-sweeping, no matter how much I scold him. When he returns this time, his father will surely reprimand him. It was Gu Jinxian who insisted on dragging his uncle along—he'd heard Ciguang Temple keeps monkeys and was dying to see them."
Jinchao frowned slightly at this. Skipping Qingming ancestral rites only warranted a scolding from Marquis Changxing? Wasn't he afraid of censure by imperial censors... Unless the Emperor showed particular leniency toward the Changxing household, and this heir was especially doted upon by the entire marquisate. No wonder he'd grown so arrogant and unrestrained.
Gu Lan stuck out her tongue, "I only read more sutras because they bring peace of mind... Does Uncle like monkeys then?"
"Not those. When it comes to animals... he prefers keeping hairless creatures. There are two large turtles and a school of Koi in our celadon fish tank. If I hadn't stopped him, he would've bought several Bamboo Pit Vipers from the market too..."
Gu Lan looked puzzled, "Isn't Bamboo Pit Viper a type of tea..."
Ye Shi found her confusion endearing and laughed heartily, "Tea? They're emerald-green venomous snakes!"
Everyone joined in the laughter, but Jinchao deliberately studied Gu Lan. Today she wore a goose-yellow kesi short jacket with persimmon calyx patterns, layered green moonlit skirts that rippled like water in the breeze, her hair pinned with gilded silver hairpins, and jade rabbit earrings. The ensemble made her delicate face appear jade-like yet softly feminine.
An extremely deliberate outfit.
A faint smile touched Jinchao's lips—if her suspicions proved correct, this would be interesting.
Ye Shi continued about Ye Xian's turtles: "...bought from a peddler. One even had characters carved on its shell—Ye Xian's favorite. He scoured his grandfather's books to decipher the meaning. That turtle follows him during walks by the river, moving slowly. We all find it marvelous..."
Laughter rose again. Jinchao mused that the sinister, suspicious sycophant of later years had once been a youth who kept turtles—perhaps not so terrifying after all. Ye Xian was only sixteen now, his family still prosperous and untroubled. Those dark deeds were beyond him yet.
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