Chapter 56: Xiuqu
As April drew to a close, the Chinese flowering crabapples outside the gate were nearly past their bloom. The pink buds had gradually faded into pale blossoms, scattering petals like snow across the stone steps. In contrast, the lotus flowers had just begun to bloom, dotting the lake with white and pink buds.
From the flower hall of Paulownia Courtyard, one could see the withering crabapple blossoms piling up like accumulated snow.
A sparse bamboo curtain had been drawn in the flower hall, where a newly hired tutor was teaching Jinchao the art of zither.
A few days prior, her father had acquired a century-old Cinnabar zither made of aged fir wood from his colleague, Liu Binghu, a vice minister in the Ministry of Revenue. Knowing little about zither music himself, he had sent the instrument to Jinchao and arranged for a renowned master to teach her. Recently, her father had been showering her with gifts—Jinchao understood this as his way of expressing remorse, so she accepted them all without comment.
Her previous zither tutor had been an elderly gentleman known by the name Zixu, who had retired to his hometown before Jinchao came of age. The new tutor, recommended by her father, was a thirty-year-old master from the Yushan School, known as Wangxi.
Though Master Wangxi was skilled, he was overly cautious about propriety between men and women. During lessons, he insisted on having a curtain drawn between them. Even when Jinchao played incorrectly, he never approached to correct her fingering.
Jinchao had begun learning the zither at the age of ten after returning to the Gu family, practicing for three years. Young children couldn’t handle the instrument—their fingers lacked the strength to press the strings firmly enough to produce sound, and pressing too hard would cause pain. Only after calluses formed would the discomfort fade. Having not played for over a year, Jinchao’s calluses had long disappeared. During her first lesson with Master Wangxi, her fingers quickly grew sore from playing, and her performance was halting and uneven.
Upon hearing her play, Master Wangxi muttered discontentedly, "I was told you studied under Master Zixu..."
Jinchao pressed her lips together. Master Zixu was renowned throughout Yanjing, and Cheng Wangxi clearly thought she had disgraced the old master’s reputation.
Today, after playing The Incantation of Pu’an once, Master Wangxi listened to Jinchao’s attempt and couldn’t help but criticize, "I played this for you yesterday. How are you still so unpracticed? You were taught by Master Wangxi—how can you play so poorly?"
Jinchao sensed his impatience. She wondered how her father had managed to hire this man, who clearly had no interest in teaching her. Though he had played the piece the day before, the bamboo curtain had blocked her view of his fingering and string movements—how could she possibly replicate it?
She couldn’t help but suggest, "Master, perhaps you could lift the curtain. Since you’re teaching me, there’s no need for such formality between teacher and student."
Cheng Wangxi, however, firmly disagreed. "No need. I’ll play it again—listen carefully this time."
Jinchao fell silent.
When Master Wangxi left, Jinchao glimpsed him through the edge of the curtain—his hair tied in a Taoist bun, dressed in a blue cloth robe, walking out of Paulownia Courtyard with his zither apprentice.
She instructed Caifu to put the zither away, feeling unsettled.
Qingpu approached with a black-lacquered tray. "Miss, the weather is growing warmer. Have some plum syrup to cool your temper."She then took out a small rolled-up piece of paper the size of a finger from her sleeve and handed it to Jinchao, saying, "This morning, I saw a pigeon land on the Haitang tree branch. Upon closer inspection, I noticed something tied to its leg. When it saw me, it flew down, and after I took the letter, it flew away again."
Jinchao was puzzled. Carrier pigeons were typically used by those in the martial world—how could one have come to her?
She took the paper roll and saw it was sealed with red wax, stamped with the character 'Ye.'
Ye... Could it be Ye Xian?
Jinchao recalled that Marquis Changxing had once suppressed bandits in Sichuan and recruited a motley crew into his army. Some became his guards, while others later distinguished themselves in battle, earning titles and positions. These men eventually served under Ye Xian, who had even once infiltrated the Chen Family at night, leaving marks of three-claw grappling hooks on their courtyard walls.
If Ye Xian was sending her a message this way, could something have happened to Mr. Xiao?
After entering the inner chamber, Jinchao had Qingpu close the door before carefully unrolling the paper. It was indeed from Ye Xian. She had expected urgent news, but instead, he wrote about trivial matters—his pet turtle biting his Koi, his thrush laying a clutch of pale green eggs. The small paper was densely filled with inconsequential chatter, and Jinchao couldn’t help but laugh as she read.
Only at the end did Ye Xian mention that Mr. Xiao had been delayed and wouldn’t arrive for another half-month. He also relayed that Mr. Xiao, upon hearing about Jinchao’s mother’s illness, had sent word that her condition stemmed from frailty and prolonged melancholy. Normally, such an illness shouldn’t relapse so frequently, so they should be wary of any irregularities.
Qingpu had already lit a candle nearby. After reading the note, Jinchao burned it in the flame.
In her past life, when her mother died, she had vomited blood in great gushes, staining her clothes in a horrifying manner. At the time, Jinchao hadn’t suspected foul play, but now, hearing Mr. Xiao’s words, her mother’s illness did seem suspicious...
Still, Mama Xu had risen from her grandmother’s household. If someone had poisoned her mother, how could it have escaped Mama Xu’s notice?
After a moment’s thought, Jinchao said to Qingpu, "Go find Mama Tong and have her summon Liu Daifu. Tell her I’d like another recuperative prescription for Mother."
Qingpu left to carry out the order, and Jinchao stepped outside to bask in the sun. Baopu was lounging on the opposite rooftop, lazily flicking its fluffy tail as it watched her. It had grown into a ball of fur, and just days ago, it had caught a mouse in the side room, leaving it entirely intact.
The sun seemed to have made Baopu drowsy. It stretched, stood up, then leaped onto the nearby locust tree and slid down to its nest for a nap.
Jinchao found it amusing—the cat was aloof and rarely paid anyone any mind.
As she watched the cat, Yuzhu suddenly rushed in, looking frantic. Baiyun was about to scold her when Yuzhu dropped to her knees before Jinchao, eyes brimming with tears. "Miss, you must save Xiuqu!"
Jinchao noticed Yuzhu was clutching a black lacquered box—the candy she had gifted her.
"What’s wrong? Get up and speak properly."
Hearing Jinchao’s gentle tone, Yuzhu felt even worse. She wiped her eyes and said, "I went to see Xiuqu today, wanting to give her a box of candy too... But she wasn’t with Concubine Song anymore. The cleaning maid told me Xiuqu had gone home to visit family..."Jinchao frowned and asked her again, "It's just a trip home to visit family. Why are you so anxious?"
Yuzhu continued sobbing, "You don't understand... Xiuqu's hometown is in Taiping Prefecture, Anhui. How could she possibly go home to visit family? She must have been found out by Concubine Song for leaking secrets and is being punished. It's all my fault... She didn’t want to say anything, but I pushed her..."
Jinchao had Baiyun help her up. "You can't blame yourself entirely. You couldn’t have known this would happen. Don’t be so hard on yourself."
Yuzhu clung to her sleeve, tears still streaming. "Miss, you must help her. Xiuqu is a good person."
Jinchao nodded. "She suffered because of me. Get up first—I won’t stand by and do nothing."
Only then did Yuzhu rise to her feet. She trusted her young miss completely. If Jinchao said she would help, then she would.
But Jinchao herself felt uncertain. If Concubine Song wanted to punish Xiuqu, she could have sent her to the outer kitchen or the stables—the hardest chores. But making someone disappear without a trace? That was an attempt to silence her permanently.
Concubine Song’s heart was truly ruthless! She had no idea how many days had passed. If too much time had gone by, Xiuqu might already be dead.
She wanted to summon Mama Tong but remembered she had already sent her to fetch Liu Daifu. Changing her clothes, she took Baiyun and Caifu to her mother’s quarters. It was past noon, and Madam Ji had already woken from her nap. Unable to sleep at night, she took advantage of the daytime to rest.
"Come sit. I’ve just made a pot of goji berry, red date, and white fungus soup. Have some..." Madam Ji smiled, inviting her to sit, then asked Mama Xu to serve her a bowl. Jinchao took a sip but found it bitter. "Mother, why is this soup bitter?"
Madam Ji chuckled. "I added some medicinal herbs while simmering it. You prefer sweet things... but bitter is good too—better than taking medicine."
Jinchao disliked bitter flavors; she wouldn’t even eat bitter melon in summer. Setting the soup aside, she said, "I actually came to ask Mama Xu about something. You go ahead and drink." Then she motioned for Mama Xu to step outside with her.
Madam Ji shook her head helplessly and finished Jinchao’s portion as well.
Once on the veranda, Mama Xu smiled. "...What did Eldest Miss wish to ask me?"
After a moment’s thought, Jinchao said, "I suspect someone is behind Mother’s illness. Do you personally oversee all her meals?"
Mama Xu nodded. "If not me, then Moyu or Mo Xue supervise everything, even the decoction of medicine. There’s no chance for tampering. If you’re suspicious, I’ll investigate everyone in Slanting Cloud Garden thoroughly. Beyond meals, incense burners and daily utensils could also be tampered with. Back in the Ji family, the two concubines of the old master were jealous of each other. One smeared medicine on the other’s bowl, causing her to miscarry. Such things are hard to guard against." Mama Xu had more experience in these matters.
Jinchao nodded. She was only speculating—after all, her mother’s condition hadn’t worsened—but caution was always wise.
"There’s one more thing I’d like to ask, Mama Xu. If a maid makes a mistake and her mistress wants her to die quietly, how would it be done?" Jinchao lowered her voice slightly.Mama Xu didn't hesitate and said, "The usual method is to find a house to smother someone to death, or more cruelly, to gag them and beat them to death. In any case, it won't disturb others. Even after beating, they won't die immediately—it takes days of pain and starvation to torment them to death."
Jinchao seemed lost in thought before finally saying, "Mother has a team of guards brought from the Ji family. Could you lend them to me, Mama Xu?"
Mama Xu smiled warmly. "Of course, that can be arranged. I'll bring them to you shortly."
Without suspicion or further questions. Indeed, Mama Xu lived up to being someone Grandmother had given to Mother.
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