Chapter 59: Clarity
Only after confirming Xiuqu's breathing had stabilized did Jinchao step outside. Xue Sixteen immediately knelt beneath the corridor upon seeing her emerge, his voice thick with self-reproach: "Eldest Miss, this was my failure. She rendered great service to you and Madam, yet I caused her such suffering. Had I arrived sooner, perhaps she wouldn't have had to endure this torment..."
Jinchao quickly helped him up—when martial practitioners became stubborn, they were truly unyielding. She reassured him, "How could this be blamed on you? Concubine Song was determined to kill her from the start. Even if you'd gone earlier, her condition wouldn't have improved. Besides, without you, this girl might not have survived at all."
Xue Sixteen shook his head vehemently in denial. His features were upright, exuding an air of integrity, and his gaze now held a trace of respect as he looked at Jinchao: "Her survival is largely thanks to you, Eldest Miss." He recalled what he'd overheard outside—the Eldest Miss calmly directing maids and matrons to clean, bandage, and feed sugar water to the injured girl. Most sheltered young ladies would have been terrified out of their wits at such a gruesome sight, yet she had remained composed.
That the Eldest Miss had gone to such lengths—all for a mere servant. Truthfully, had this maid died in that side courtyard, it would have had little consequence for Gu Jinzhao. Her efforts to save the girl stemmed purely from personal regard.
Xue Sixteen found himself admiring Gu Jinchao all the more.
Jinchao said, "I dare not claim credit. Let's set that aside for now. May I ask—did you notice anything else in that place?"
Xue Sixteen was puzzled. "Well... the side room in Bitao Pavilion was filled with moldy furniture. What exactly were you hoping to find, Eldest Miss?"
If there had been anything there, Qingpu would surely have noticed. Jinchao sighed. "If we want to pin this on Concubine Song, she'll never admit it. Had there been some object left behind in Bitao Pavilion, we might have had some leverage." Then she reconsidered—even if they could prove Concubine Song's involvement, what then? Xiuqu was merely a servant. At worst, Concubine Song would gain a reputation for cruelty among the lower ranks.
It was just like when Liu Xiang had been driven mad and expelled from the household. People might whisper behind closed doors, but none would openly condemn her for it.
Xue Sixteen hesitated before asking, "...Should I return to Bitao Pavilion to investigate further?"
Jinchao shook her head. "That won't be necessary. You've worked late into the night and must be exhausted—please rest for now."
It was already the third watch of the night.
Feeling deeply ashamed before Jinchao, Xue Sixteen clasped his fists and withdrew without another word.
By the second hour of mao time the next morning, Concubine Song was already up. Qiaowei opened the lattice window—the sky outside still held traces of deep blue, and faint insect chirps could be heard. As she combed Song Miaohua's hair, she presented two choices: a pair of white jade ruyi earrings and a pair of sapphire earrings, asking which her mistress preferred.
Concubine Song remembered visiting the Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion two days prior to pay respects to Gu Dezhao. Standing beside him, Concubine Luo had worn white jade ruyi earrings. Young and delicate, her skin fairer than snow, those earrings had accentuated her gentle grace. What man wouldn't adore such a blossoming beauty...
She studied her reflection in the bronze mirror. She was nearing thirty. Though her beauty remained, youth had slipped away. If she didn't devise a way to keep Gu Dezhao by her side, time would only further diminish her hopes for bearing a child.Concubine Song picked up the sapphire earrings.
A stout old woman with a small bun and dressed in coarse blue linen entered through the door. Before she could even speak, she dropped to her knees with a thud beside the screen, her voice trembling with unease. "Concubine, Xiuqu is missing..."
Concubine Song turned her head slightly to glance at the burly woman. The cool gleam of the sapphire earrings cast a chilling light on her profile.
She asked slowly, "What happened? Wasn’t she supposed to be beaten to death and thrown out?"
The old woman tensed immediately. "Well... the usual practice isn’t to kill her outright. Normally, she’d be beaten until she’s covered in blood and then left in the room to die on her own. It’s the way to humiliate a maid who’s made a mistake... That’s what I did too. Under cover of darkness, I and Chen Pozi stuffed Xiuqu into a sack, took her to Bitao Pavilion, and beat her. We thought we’d go back in a few days to clean up, and by then she’d be dead. But... but when I went to check this morning, Xiuqu was gone!"
Concubine Song stood up, her gaze icy as she stared at the woman. "I said to beat her to death and throw her out. Who told you to drag it out for days?"
She paced a few steps before asking, "Did you leave anything behind at Bitao Pavilion?"
The old woman hurriedly replied, "We were very careful, left nothing behind. But Xiuqu was badly injured—she couldn’t even walk. Someone must have rescued her!"
A cold glint flashed in Concubine Song’s eyes. She recalled that when she had just woken up this morning, a young maid had come to report that Mama Tong from Paulownia Courtyard had left the Gu residence overnight, claiming she was going to fetch Liu Daifu. Gu Jinzhao had been summoning Liu Daifu frequently these days, so she hadn’t paid it much mind at the time.
But now that she thought about it, going to fetch someone in the dead of night was highly suspicious!
Still, why would Gu Jinzhao save Xiuqu? She refused to believe Gu Jinzhao was kind-hearted enough to care about the life of a lowly maid! Even if she had wanted to save the girl, how would she have known Xiuqu was in Bitao Pavilion...
Concubine Song tapped her fingers against the black-lacquered tabletop, her gaze suddenly falling on the painted marble screen in the inner chamber.
Yesterday, Gu Jinzhao had sent her this screen as a gift. She had even insisted on not placing it in the side room, making a fuss about opening all the unused west wing rooms to inspect them before finally putting the screen inside. Had she suspected Xiuqu was hidden here and used this as an excuse to search?
How clever of her!
Concubine Song snorted coldly.
The old woman who had come to report asked cautiously, "Concubine, what should we do now? Should we go demand Xiuqu back?"
Concubine Song shot her a look. These old women had brute strength but were utterly dull-witted!
"Has anyone asked about Xiuqu’s whereabouts these past few days?"
The old woman thought for a moment before answering, "Only a young maid named Yuzhu from Paulownia Courtyard asked. I followed your instructions and said Xiuqu had gone home to visit family. Xiuqu didn’t have any close friends among the maids—even Qiuhua, who shared a room with her, didn’t ask..."
Concubine Song relaxed slightly. It was good that no one else had inquired. She said, "Right now, we’re at odds with Gu Jinzhao, and everyone knows we don’t get along. If the maids from her courtyard speak ill of us, we can simply say it’s slander. From now on, if anyone asks about Xiuqu, say the maid has gone missing—no one has seen her. Keep Waterside Pavilion completely out of it, understand?"The old woman quickly nodded in agreement. Concubine Song punished her and Chen Pozi by docking three months' wages as penalty, then considered the matter settled.
Although Xiuqu was her maid and had disappeared under her watch, who would dare to criticize her? If Gu Jinzhao thought she could use a mere maid to deal with her, that would be laughable.
Concubine Song returned to her dressing table, where Qiaowei helped pin up her hair with the gilded plum blossom hairpin.
Glancing at the hairpin, Concubine Song asked Qiaowei, "How is that matter progressing?"
Qiaowei replied obediently, "Rest assured, I've arranged everything properly without any mistakes."
Concubine Song said indifferently, "We must be cautious when dealing with the Eldest Miss. Her mother was a tight-lipped woman who never liked to argue or fight. Though she was shrewd in all matters, she was never a threat. But the Eldest Miss is ruthless and clever... truly difficult to handle..."
Qiaowei said, "No matter how difficult, you can still manage her."
Meanwhile, in Paulownia Courtyard, Jinchao had not slept all night. With a life at stake, Liu Daifu had immediately packed his medical kit and followed Mama Tong to the Gu residence, arriving by the hour of the Ox. After bandaging Xiuqu's wounds and brewing medicine to feed her, Xiuqu's complexion finally regained some color.
Mama Tong, exhausted from running around all night—especially given her age—was urged by Jinchao to rest first. Jinchao personally escorted Liu Daifu out through the festooned gate and offered him a hundred taels of silver. Liu Daifu repeatedly declined, saying, "The jars of Autumn Dew White Wine you gave me are already worth several hundred taels..."
Jinchao didn't press further but instructed the kitchen steward to send some roasted geese and chickens to Liu Daifu.
She had Caifu prepare a side room specifically for Xiuqu, and Qingpu carried her inside. The maids kept watch all night, and Xiuqu didn't wake until the hour of the Dragon.
When she opened her eyes and saw Yuzhu, she froze for a moment before bursting into tears. Qingpu, who had prepared plain porridge in advance, fed her. Having gone days without proper food—only having had pear syrup earlier—Xiuqu devoured the porridge ravenously. Jinchao sighed in relief; such an appetite suggested no serious internal injuries.
After finishing the porridge, Xiuqu seemed to notice the crowd around her and nervously clutched the edge of the blanket.
Yuzhu took her hand and reassured her, "Don’t worry, this is the Eldest Miss’s Paulownia Courtyard. No one dares to harm you here! Our Qingpu rescued you from Bitao Pavilion last night. You were badly hurt—how do you feel now?"
Xiuqu was stunned. She looked at the Eldest Miss and her personal maids, then whispered, "...Did the Eldest Miss save me?"
Yuzhu grew emotional again. "Yes, the Eldest Miss saved you. And it’s my fault too—if not for me... you wouldn’t have been beaten by Concubine Song..."
Still struggling to speak, Xiuqu wept as she recounted, "They threw a sack over me, threw me to the ground, kicked me, whipped me... I kept crying out in pain, so they stuffed my mouth with shoes and socks. They even stabbed me with scissors... I don’t know what I did wrong. I begged for mercy, pleaded with Concubine Song to spare me, but she... she never even showed up..."
"I was so scared, in so much pain... I thought I would die there..." Xiuqu’s eyes were filled with the terror of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
Yuzhu quickly comforted her, "It’s alright now, no one will beat you anymore! They wouldn’t dare come here to hurt you!"Xiuqu wiped her tears and said, "Yuzhu, could you help me up... I want to kowtow to the Eldest Miss."
Jinchao stepped forward to support her and said softly, "Saving you was the right thing to do, there's no need to kowtow. You're badly injured now, let's talk about other things after you've recovered..." She then instructed Yuzhu and Yutong to take good care of her.
Xiuqu had been implicated because of her affairs, and since she could save Xiuqu, it was only natural to do so. Once Xiuqu recovered, whether she wanted to leave the household or seek another position, she wouldn't force her either way.
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