Chapter 76: Mourning the Deceased
The steward quickly carried out the orders and went to Shian County to purchase funeral supplies. Mother had just undergone the dressing of the corpse, with Moyu changing her into funeral garments before she was carried into the main hall. A seven-star lamp was lit at the head of the dressing bed, and bridge-crossing lanterns were placed all the way from the door to outside Xiexiao Courtyard.
Gu Dezhao remained kneeling numbly before the spirit tablet. No one had reminded him to change into mourning attire, and he stayed by Madam Ji’s corpse without uttering a word.
Jinchao cast a cold glance at her father before returning to her room to change into mourning attire.
Gu Yi and Gu Xi from Yizhu Tower arrived first, followed shortly by Concubine Luo. They also changed into mourning attire. It was only then that Concubine Song arrived, wearing a pale green lilac-patterned jacket, her eyes red and swollen.
As soon as she entered, she threw herself before Madam Ji’s spirit tablet, wailing in grief: "Madam... how could you... how could you leave like this? What am I to do now?"
Hearing Concubine Song’s voice, Gu Dezhao suddenly looked up. In a fit of rage, he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall, gritting his teeth as he hissed, "How dare you show your face here! You killed Xiangjun! It was you! Who asked you to come here and shed crocodile tears?"
Song Miaohua was stunned. How exactly had Madam Ji died? Just the night before, Gu Dezhao had been affectionate toward her, yet now he seemed ready to kill her! Wasn’t she supposed to have died from illness? What did this have to do with her?
Gu Dezhao’s grip was so tight that she struggled to breathe, clawing at his hands as she gasped, "Master... I... I’ve done nothing wrong... Let me... see Madam’s face one last time... Even if I must admit fault, I should at least know what I’m being accused of..."
Gu Dezhao shoved her toward the corpse, his suppressed emotions finally erupting: "Look! Look closely! See for yourself how Xiangjun died!"
Caught off guard, Concubine Song stumbled against the dressing bed, her hand brushing against Madam Ji’s icy corpse. Terrified, she staggered back—only to see the dark purple ligature marks around Madam Ji’s neck... No wonder... She had hanged herself!
Concubine Song immediately dropped to her knees, clutching Gu Dezhao’s sleeve in panic. "Master, this... this can’t be! Madam Ji was so ill she couldn’t even stand... How could she have hanged herself? Someone must have harmed her! I was in the Waterside Pavilion all last night... It must have been someone else..."
Gu Dezhao stared at her delicate, flower-like face, then thought of Madam Ji—barely older than her yet withered and aged—and fury surged within him. He raised his hand and struck her across the face, roaring, "You still dare to blame others! She hanged herself by her own bed! If you hadn’t sent Yu Ping to accuse her of killing Concubine Yun, if you hadn’t framed her for adding rhubarb to her own medicine, she would never have taken her own life!"
Gu Dezhao’s strength was far greater than Jinchao’s. The slap sent Concubine Song sprawling to the ground. Just as Concubine Luo stepped inside and moved to intervene, Jinchao grabbed her hand. "Don’t go over there."
Luo Su glanced warily at the enraged Gu Dezhao and obediently retreated to the side at Jinchao’s words.
Jinchao coldly observed Concubine Song, her hair disheveled and her appearance utterly wretched, before instructing the maids at the door, "...If anyone else arrives, lead them to the reception hall. Do not disturb Father and Concubine Song."The maid acknowledged the order, and Jinchao walked expressionlessly toward the flower hall.
Concubine Song, hearing Gu Dezhao’s words, numbly touched her stinging cheek in a daze. Madam Ji had been humiliated and hanged herself… What did that have to do with her? It was Gu Dezhao himself who had come to confront Madam Ji, and it was Madam Ji who was too weak to endure. She… she had merely added fuel to the fire—except for the rhubarb incident… How could Gu Dezhao have known about the rhubarb?
She clutched at Gu Dezhao’s robe, weeping pitifully. “Master, please calm your anger! This servant summoned Yu Ping… but I truly didn’t know the full truth. I never imagined Madam would be so angered by it. But… but the matter of the rhubarb—this servant is innocent…”
Gu Dezhao looked at Song Miaohua. His fury turned into a cold laugh. “You still dare to speak? Chaojie has told me everything. What a vicious heart you have—colluding with the Affairs Office to harm Xiangjun! Have you been managing the inner household for so long that you’ve learned every filthy, despicable trick?”
Only upon hearing this last sentence did Concubine Song truly panic. Did he mean… to strip her of her power over household affairs?
She muttered in disbelief, “Master, that maid claimed she saw someone from my courtyard meeting privately with the Affairs Office… but she’s the Eldest Miss’s maid! How can her words be trusted? The Eldest Miss must have instructed her maid to frame me…”
Gu Dezhao sneered. “Do you really think I’m so easily fooled? If she wanted to frame you, she would have brought the maid to me immediately. Chaojie only spoke after Xiangjun’s death—clearly, she could endure no more. She tolerated you. Yet you, instead of repenting, still dare to slander Xiangjun and Chaojie! The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate—you, a mere concubine, actually dared to scheme against the rightful wife and her daughter! You have no respect for propriety… I never knew someone as wicked as you existed by my side!”
“From today onward, you will have no say in the inner household. I will never see you again. You will spend the rest of your days in the Waterside Pavilion, fasting and chanting prayers for Xiangjun until you die!”
He viciously shook off Concubine Song’s grip and pointed at the door. “Get out now! Someone like you has no place before Xiangjun’s spirit—get out!”
Concubine Song was both shocked and terrified. She couldn’t understand how, in just one night, everything had turned upside down. From now on, she would lose her authority over the household—who would protect her Lan Er? Without her, wouldn’t Gu Lan be bullied to death by Gu Jinzhao?
Desperate, she tried to cling to Gu Dezhao again, her weeping wretched and messy. “Master, it’s all this servant’s fault! But… but even if I’ve erred, I shouldn’t be treated like this…”
Gu Dezhao couldn’t even stand the sight of her now. He kicked her away, his voice sharp with fury. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll have the guards drag you out. Let’s see if you can still hold your head up after that!”
Concubine Song’s eyes widened in shock, her lips trembling. It took her a long moment to realize this was truly happening. Staring at Gu Dezhao’s icy expression, she understood—all their years of affection, all her years of serving him, meant nothing! With Madam Ji’s death, she had lost everything! If Gu Dezhao treated her like this, the Song family would surely abandon her too…
Song Miaohua slowly picked herself up from the ground, staggering as she walked away. Once meticulously groomed, she now had disheveled hair, a swollen cheek, and tear-streaked makeup. The passing maids glanced at her, but none offered a hand—no one even acknowledged her. These were all maids from Xiexiao Courtyard—Madam Ji’s people.The commotion in the main hall could faintly be heard in the flower hall. Jinchao stood up at this moment and said to the weeping Gu Yi and Gu Xi, "You should go pay your respects too. When Gu Lan arrives, make sure she changes into complete mourning attire."
Gu Yi nodded and replied softly, "Eldest Sister, rest assured. We understand."
Gu Jinzhao wanted to smile at Gu Yi, but though she tried to curve her lips, she simply couldn't muster a smile. She could only turn and walk out of the flower hall, meeting Concubine Song on the covered corridor.
"Auntie, why do you look so disheveled?" Jinchao regarded her coolly.
Song Miaohua lifted her head to look at Gu Jinzhao. She felt a surge of resentment in her heart, but beyond that was an overwhelming exhaustion—so deep she lacked even the strength to speak. "I'm already like this... What more do you want?"
Jinchao sneered. "Like this? What does this amount to? Is it even a tenth of the suffering my mother endured? Do you think this is the end? No, no. Stripping you of your power over household affairs and confining you—what does that even matter? What truly matters is Gu Lan. If she doesn’t want to marry Mu Zhizhai, then so be it. I’ll make sure to find her an exceptionally good family to marry into."
Marrying Mu Zhizhai would have been Gu Lan’s good fortune! But now, if she still allowed Gu Lan to marry him, she’d be a fool!
Song Miaohua couldn’t immediately grasp Gu Jinzhao’s meaning. What was she saying? That she wouldn’t let Gu Lan marry Mu Zhizhai?
Since when was she so kind-hearted?
Song Miaohua glared at her coldly, her voice low but brimming with indignant fury: "Madam Ji hanged herself! Her own weakness killed her—what does that have to do with me? Everything I’ve lost... I... I’ll take it all back!"
Jinchao stepped closer, her voice soft and deliberate: "Take it back? Auntie, you’re thinking too simply. Let me tell you—as long as I’m here, you and Gu Lan will never rise again. What you did to my mother, I’ll repay you a hundredfold."
With that, she turned and headed to the mourning hall. Her father was in no state to handle things now; it was up to her to manage everything.
Mama Xu had the Affairs Office draft the funeral announcement and dispatched guards to deliver it posthaste to Qifang Lane in Daxing. It arrived within a few hours.
When Gu Jinrong received the announcement of Madam Ji’s death, he collapsed to the ground in shock and grief.
When parents pass away, children living elsewhere must rush home for the funeral.
Without delay, Gu Jinrong requested leave from Mr. Zhou, changed into mourning attire, donned a mourning cap, and traveled a hundred miles a day to return home. Avoiding bustling towns, he arrived at the doorstep barely able to stand after dismounting. A journey that should have taken most of the day, he completed in mere hours.
By then, night had fallen. The entrance was draped in white, and mourners had already begun coming and going.
Li Guanshi had been waiting at the gate. Seeing Gu Jinrong, he hurried forward to support him inside. The entire household was draped in white silk fabrics, and the maids were dressed plainly with hemp cloth sewn onto their chests. Gu Jinrong clutched Li Guanshi’s arm in confusion and asked, "How could Mother have died? She was fine when I left—how could she have died so suddenly?"
His hands trembled with fear, tears streaming down his face.
Li Guanshi could say nothing, only offering comfort: "...Please, restrain your grief. Let me take you to the madam’s mourning hall."
Gu Jinzhao had already knelt before the coffin for hours, burning paper offerings. The two concubines knelt behind her. Gu Lan had also come to pay respects, but the moment she arrived, she threw herself before the coffin, wailing, without even glancing at the deceased’s face. Gu Jinzhao couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her.Gu Dezhao had gradually recovered from Madam Ji's death, at least enough to receive those who came to offer condolences. Yet he paid no attention to Gu Lan, who was weeping before the spirit tablet. His heart was filled with resentment toward Song Yiniang, so much so that he couldn't even bear to look at Gu Lan.
After crying for a while with no one acknowledging her, Gu Lan retreated to the side and knelt down. She grumbled inwardly—why hadn't she seen her mother yet? She should have arrived long ago... Just as she was considering whether to go to the Waterside Pavilion to check, she heard a commotion at the entrance.
PS:
I know everyone's upset with me. The previous chapter was auto-posted at 1 AM. Not asking for anything, just please don't scold me (I don’t even dare check the comments section anymore). I’m feeling pretty down too. Tomorrow I have three classes, including organic chemistry—completely swamped. Off to finish my lab report now~~
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