Chapter 8: The Steward
Jinchao sat dressed by the window on the large heated kang, leaning against a large backrest pillow, with a soft cushion embroidered with golden threads and cloud-crane patterns beneath her. Soon, she heard light footsteps approaching.
She looked up and saw a dark head bowed low to the ground, the hair tied in a simple bun, clean and unadorned. Qingpu's voice was steady and clear: "This servant Qingpu pays respects to the young miss."
When Jinchao was young and stayed at the Ji family, Qingpu had always stood behind her. Qingpu had trained in martial arts and was taller than most women, with remarkable strength. Whenever Jinchao wanted a bird's nest from a tree or a beautiful string of locust blossoms, Qingpu would climb up effortlessly to fetch them for her. She wasn’t particularly talkative or exceptionally clever, but she was loyal and treated Jinchao with great kindness.
Qingpu must be eighteen this year—long past the usual age for marriage.
Jinchao stepped down from the kang and bent to help her up. Qingpu looked just as she remembered, though much thinner now, her face no longer as pretty, her skin sallow. Jinchao took Qingpu’s hands, startling her—there was a clear distinction between master and servant, so why would the young miss hold her hands?
But Jinchao didn’t let her pull away. Instead, she examined the crisscrossing scars on Qingpu’s palms and asked, "How did this happen?"
Qingpu trembled slightly and replied softly, "This servant split firewood in the small kitchen. Just minor injuries."
Jinchao frowned. She had split firewood before—if it were just that, the scars wouldn’t look like this!
She fixed her gaze on Qingpu’s face and asked, "Did Gu Lan mistreat you?"
Qingpu answered, "Not exactly. It’s just that since this servant knows martial arts, she made me split wood with my hands instead of an axe. But I could manage it. The young miss is of noble stature—this servant’s hands are rough and might hurt you."
Jinchao suddenly remembered the days at the Ji family when Qingpu had taken her climbing trees to catch birds. Later, when another maid reported them, her grandmother punished Qingpu by making her kneel outside for two full days. Jinchao had hidden pine cakes, mung bean pastries, and Filigree Candy in her sleeves to sneak to her. Qingpu had devoured them from her palms, licking up every last crumb.
A pang of sorrow struck Jinchao’s heart, and her voice softened. "Do you resent me for sending you away?"
Qingpu shook her head with a smile. "Back then, the young miss saved this servant’s life. From that moment, this life has belonged to you. Whatever the young miss asks, this servant will do. How could I resent you?"
Yet Jinchao didn’t feel reassured. Though Qingpu was still the same Qingpu, the closeness they once shared was gone. Of course, how could she not hold some resentment? Jinchao only hoped Qingpu’s bitterness would lessen so she could slowly make amends.
After a moment of thought, Jinchao said, "From now on, you’ll return to serve me personally. Your monthly allowance will be that of a second-rank maid, but all other benefits will match a first-rank maid’s… Are you willing?"
Qingpu knelt and kowtowed. "This servant would be overjoyed to serve the young miss again!"
Her father had once been a gardener for the Ji family. Her mother died early, and her father, a drunkard, often found excuses to beat her. Once, he nearly beat her to death, leaving her covered in bruises. It was then that the young Jinchao had saved her—with just a single word. From that day on, Qingpu had remained faithfully by her side.Qingpu's expression shifted slightly, hesitating for a moment before she suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Miss, this servant has been in Cui Xuan Yuan for a year now, and there are some things I can see clearly... You must be careful of the Second Miss."
Jinchao noticed her serious expression but smiled and replied, "I know. Since you've just arrived, you should go rest first."
At the very least, Qingpu was genuinely loyal to her.
After Qingpu left, Jinchao sat quietly on the heated kang, thinking about the maids around her. To secure the outside, one must first settle the inside. If even her own maids weren't loyal, her path ahead would undoubtedly be difficult. Jinchao decided to first clean up the maids around her—Liu Xiang was definitely someone she couldn't keep.
How could she not see what had just happened? Liu Xiang had brought scalding hot water, hot enough to blister the skin—how could that possibly be for washing? Right under her nose, Liu Xiang had dared to act so brazenly, and Caifu, who had been bullied, hadn't even dared to defend herself! How had she ever chosen such a maid in the first place?
Perhaps she needed to investigate Liu Xiang's background more thoroughly. Maybe she should send someone to look into it.
Aside from Liu Xiang, Caifu was actually quite good—with some training, she could be useful. Baiyun wasn't very clever, and the other two girls were still too young...
As Jinchao was pondering this, Baiyun came in to announce that Mama Tong had come to see her.
Jinchao perked up—it must be about the inventory ledger. She was indeed eager to know what possessions she had and the extent of her assets.
Today, Mama Tong wore an extra gold hairpin, looking quite cheerful, and carried a blue cloud-patterned ledger in her hand.
"...It took a full day, but we've accounted for all of your belongings, Miss."
Jinchao took the ledger and began reading, unable to suppress her astonishment. She knew she had many possessions in her youth, but she hadn’t expected it to be this much. Antique paintings, household items, vases, gold, silver, and jewelry—counting them all was dizzying.
Twelve gold hairpins of the Five Bats Offering Longevity design, four sets of silver hair ornaments inlaid with gemstones, seven pairs of jade bracelets, two boxes of yellow tourmaline, five boxes of gold and silver floral hairpins... ten pieces of blue-and-white porcelain, four red porcelain items, seven cloisonné pieces, eight white porcelain items...
Item by item, the tally revealed her assets were worth ten thousand taels of silver—equivalent to the Gu family's annual income.
Most of these had been brought back from the Ji family or sent monthly by her maternal grandmother. The Ji family was vast and wealthy, never lacking in such things.
Mama Tong continued with a smile, "The New Year is approaching, and soon after will be the Second Miss's hair-pinning ceremony. You should prepare some gifts for giving and rewarding. This servant has taken the liberty of preparing cloud-patterned silver bullion, a few gold-carved hairpins, Duanshi inkstones, and Chengni inkstones... What do you think?"
In another month, it would be New Year's, a time for visiting relatives and friends, giving gifts, and bestowing rewards. Moreover, though she had already had her hair-pinning ceremony, she hadn’t yet been betrothed—her mother would surely want her to visit more noble families. At the very least, she would need to visit the Ji family, the Earl of Yongyang's household, the Song family in the same neighborhood, the Duke Ding's Fan family in Luoxian Lane, and the ancestral Gu family.
But Mama Tong's words reminded her of something else.
As the New Year approached, her younger brother Gu Jinrong should also be returning.Father thought it wouldn't be good to raise Gu Jinrong solely at home. As the only male heir in the family, everyone doted on him excessively, which might spoil him. So after he turned eight, he was sent to study at Qifang Alley, where two venerable old scholars from the Imperial Academy held classes. Many scions of noble and official families went there to study, including even the heir of Marquis Zhenwei and the two legitimate sons of Duke Dingguo.
Thinking of Gu Jinrong, Jinchao asked Mama Tong, "Since the New Year is approaching, when will the young master return home?"
Mama Tong smiled and replied, "...They say within three to five days. The madam has already ordered the Tranquil Fragrance Study next to Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion to be prepared for the young master's return. I've prepared two inkstones—perhaps the young miss could gift them to him."
Jinchao nodded, saying, "You're very thoughtful." But inwardly she thought inkstones might not be the best gift. Since Jinrong studied at Qifang Alley, he must have seen many fine inkstones. While her Duanshi Inkstones were of excellent quality, they weren't masterpieces by famous artisans.
Truthfully, she didn't know Jinrong well. Before age nine, she had lived with the Ji family, and the siblings only met briefly during holidays like New Year's or Mid-Autumn Festival, exchanging few words. By the time she returned to the Gu household, Jinrong had already moved to Qifang Alley to study, coming home only for New Year's. Looking back, her impression of him was quite vague. She didn't even know what her younger brother liked so she could cater to his preferences.
Jinchao instructed Mama Tong, "Go ask Mama Xu, who serves by Mother's side. She raised the young master and surely knows him well—his likes and dislikes, daily habits. Find out everything."
Mama Tong assented. Then Jinchao thought of Liu Xiang's background and beckoned Mama Tong closer, whispering, "Also... have a trustworthy maid investigate Liu Xiang's origins. Be absolutely discreet."
Mama Tong looked surprised. "...Young miss means..." She caught herself mid-sentence. "This servant speaks out of turn. Your orders will be carried out perfectly, with complete secrecy."
She was quite sensible. Jinchao was rather satisfied with Mama Tong—being Mother's servant earned her some trust automatically. However, as an inner courtyard attendant, Mama Tong might find it inconvenient to investigate matters beyond the household or even in other parts of Shi'an.
Liu Xiang had mentioned having a brother who worked as a laborer for the Yu family...
If they could locate this brother, that would be ideal.
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