Chapter Nine: Jinrong
As the New Year approached, the household grew increasingly festive. Paper cuttings adorned the walls, red lanterns were hung, and offerings of fruits and vegetarian dishes were placed before the deities.
Each day, Jinchao would wake and first pay respects to her father, then spend the morning with her mother, chatting with the concubines and younger sisters. In the afternoons, she practiced needlework, and in the evenings, she read before retiring to bed.
Over these past few days, her father had visited her mother only once, and even then, he left in haste.
Her mother seemed indifferent, her expression calm and detached. Yet Jinchao couldn’t help but recall her childhood, when her mother would hold her close and share stories about her father.
Back then, her mother’s eyes had sparkled with joy, her youthful face radiant. “...When your father first passed the imperial examinations and came to the Ji family to propose, your aunts deliberately teased him, demanding gifts and making him blush so fiercely he looked shyer than a young maiden...”
Jinchao had always struggled to imagine her stern and rigid father as a bashful young man.
Now, during her embroidery lessons, she sat in the western chamber with the window open. Sunlight streamed through the Haitang-patterned lattice, casting its glow onto the small black-lacquered huanghuali table. A bamboo basket sat atop it, neatly filled with spools of colored thread. Jinchao was embroidering a cluster of seasonal orchids onto a plain silk canvas.
Liu Xiang and Qingpu stood behind her.
Master Xue examined her work with admiration. “The Eldest Miss has made remarkable progress lately, though this design is rather uncommon.”
Jinchao smiled. “It’s just a wildflower rarely seen in the northern regions, though it’s plentiful in the south.”
Master Xue studied it carefully before remarking, “Your embroidery now carries the essence of Shu-style needlework—precise, delicate stitches with understated elegance. Look at the edges of these petals and leaves, so natural they seem untouched by human hands.”
Master Xue specialized in Su-style embroidery.
Jinchao thought to herself, As expected, I couldn’t fool Master Xue.
Shiye was from Sichuan and excelled in Shu-style embroidery. Her mother, a renowned embroiderer in the region, had passed down her skills to her daughter, intending for her to follow in her footsteps. But Shiye had been sold and brought north. Shu-style embroidery was more rigorously preserved and less widespread than Su or Xiang styles, making it a rarity in the north. Jinchao had spent over a decade honing her Shu-style craftsmanship.
Still, for a young lady once known for her clumsy needlework to suddenly produce such refined Shu-style embroidery would undoubtedly raise suspicions. She had deliberately loosened her stitches to mimic the Su style, but Master Xue, an expert in the craft, had spotted the difference at a glance.
Jinchao had no choice but to explain, “...I was inspired by the Koi Playing Among Lotus screen in Mother’s quarters. Its exquisite craftsmanship moved me to study it in private.”
Her mother owned a Shu-style embroidered screen of koi frolicking among lotus flowers, a masterpiece gifted by the Duke Dingguo’s household during her wedding—a piece well-known throughout the estate.
Master Xue had not initially held much fondness for Gu Jinzhao. The young miss had shown little interest in needlework, dismissing it as tedious, and had treated Master Xue with indifference, often going weeks without requesting a lesson. But now, the Eldest Miss had become diligent. Through these lessons, Master Xue discovered Jinchao’s exceptional talent—she grasped every stitch technique with ease—and naturally grew fond of her.
With a smile, Master Xue said, “...The Eldest Miss is truly gifted.”Qingpu saw Master Xue off, while Liu Xiang helped her put away the embroidery supplies, smiling as she said, "This servant may not know much about embroidery, but the flowers the young lady stitched look so lifelike, it's as if one could smell their fragrance."
Jinchao merely smiled in response.
A short while later, Mama Tong arrived. Jinchao set aside the small embroidery frame in her hands and instructed Liu Xiang to first fetch tea, inviting Mama Tong to sit on the brocade stool.
A few days prior, Jinchao had asked Mama Tong to inquire about the eldest young master's preferences. The response was that he didn’t have any particular favorites but enjoyed collecting famous calligraphy works. She wondered what had brought Mama Tong to see her today.
Mama Tong took a sip of tea first, glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, and said, "This servant has looked into the matter the young lady asked Liu Xiang about."
So it was about Liu Xiang… Jinchao immediately perked up.
"Miss Liu Xiang was sold into the household by her parents at the age of nine for twenty taels of silver. After entering the residence, she first served as a junior maid under Concubine Du. Within half a year, she was transferred to the outer courtyard’s kitchen. At fourteen, she was assigned to the tea room, and half a year later, she came to serve you." Mama Tong gave a brief account before continuing, "This servant also made extra inquiries. Back when she was in the outer courtyard’s kitchen, she didn’t get along with several maids. A maid named Qiuluan told me that Liu Xiang was often absent from her duties, yet no steward reprimanded her. The others resented her for it… They also said she had sticky fingers—once she took a fifty-year-old ginseng from the kitchen and was punished for it."
Hearing this, Jinchao frowned. "She lives within the household and has no ailments. What would she need ginseng for?"
Mama Tong shook her head. "This servant found it odd too. Perhaps she was getting it for someone else."
Jinchao hadn’t known that Liu Xiang had once served under Concubine Du. However, given the haste and the need for secrecy, Mama Tong had only managed to scratch the surface, which wasn’t particularly useful. Jinchao thought she might need to send someone outside to investigate further.
Mama Tong then brought up the matter of the eldest young master. "…He’s returning this afternoon. The calligraphy pieces you asked this servant to prepare are ready—one by Master Shitian and another by Zhizhi Shanren. Both have been mounted on rosewood frames and will be delivered to the Tranquil Fragrance Study this afternoon."
Jinchao shook her head. "No need to send them. I’ll take them over myself."
Mama Tong acknowledged the instruction.
Qingpu entered the room. Her complexion had improved significantly over the past few days, no longer as sallow and sickly as before. She walked lightly to the window and closed it, saying, "The wind is strong. The young lady has only recently recovered from illness and mustn’t be exposed to drafts."
Jinchao glanced at Qingpu. There was no wind outside.
Mama Tong remarked to Qingpu, "…It’s best that you’ve returned to serve the young lady. Having grown up with her, you’re naturally more attentive than others."
Jinchao spoke up for her. "That’s only to be expected."
After Mama Tong took her leave, Jinchao turned to Qingpu. "Just now, I found the sunlight warm and pleasant. A light breeze wouldn’t have hurt."
Qingpu hesitated slightly, her fingers brushing against the gilded bracelet on her wrist. She lowered her voice. "…Walls have ears."
Was she implying someone was eavesdropping outside?
Jinchao looked at the gilded bracelet and recognized it as one Liu Xiang had once worn. She recalled how, on the day Qingpu first came to see her, she had been dressed plainly, without even a simple silver hairpin. Jinchao said, "There’s a pair of white jade bracelets on my dressing table. Take them for yourself. Gilded ones look rather vulgar."
Qingpu quickly replied, "Those belong to the young lady. How could this servant take them?"Jinchao recalled that Qingpu had always been like this since childhood. Whatever she believed belonged to the young mistress was the young mistress's, and no one could take it away.
She didn’t force her, thinking to herself that she would have Mama Tong send some suitable jewelry to Qingpu’s room later.
The eldest young master was returning and would surely visit their mother first. Jinchao thought it better to go to her mother’s quarters in advance and wait. She had Qingpu help her change into a snow-blue skirt embroidered with intertwining branches, but finding the color too plain, she added a deep purple satin jacket adorned with cranes and deer among spring blossoms.
After settling in her mother’s room, she soon saw Gu Xi and Gu Yi arrive as well. Concubine Guo and Concubine Du came together, while Concubine Song had been attending to their mother all along.
Concubine Song helped their mother take her medicine, then fed her a salted plum to ease the bitterness before supporting her to lean against a large bolster.
"It’s been over half a year since I last saw Rong’er. I wonder if he’s grown taller," Madam Ji said with a smile.
Concubine Du chimed in, "Children change day by day, and the eldest young master is at that age where he shoots up like bamboo after rain."
Gu Jinrong was twelve this year by nominal age.
Jinchao pressed her mother’s hand and teased, "Now that little brother is back, don’t forget to dote on me too."
A faint smile appeared on Madam Ji’s delicate face. "Still acting like a child, aren’t you? You and Jinrong aren’t close, but you should spend more time together..."
Just then, Pinmei entered. "...The eldest young master’s carriage has stopped outside the manor. He went to see the master first. I reckon he’ll be here within half an hour." The joy on their mother’s face was unmistakable to Jinchao.
Though it was said to be half an hour, the wait wasn’t long at all. Jinchao hadn’t even finished her cup of Ten Thousand Springs Silver Leaf tea when a maid announced his arrival. Before Madam Ji could speak, a clear voice rang out.
"Mother!"
A tall, slender youth strode briskly from behind the screen. His features were delicate and fair, and he wore a stone-blue Hangzhou silk straight robe. A shorter page boy followed behind him, carrying several red-lacquered boxes.
As Jinchao watched Gu Jinrong approach, she noted how much he resembled their father—he was already nearly as tall as her.
Mama Xu hurriedly brought a stool for Jinrong, who, flushed from his haste, stopped at his mother’s bedside. He first greeted the concubines and Jinchao, while his two younger sisters paid their respects to him in turn.
It seemed his tutor had taught him well. Despite not having seen his seriously ill mother for over half a year, he still remembered his manners.
Unlike Jinchao, Jinrong had grown up by their mother’s side and was far more attached to her.
Jinchao noticed his gaze merely skimmed over her face as he uttered a perfunctory, "Elder sister, I hope you are well," before ignoring her completely. It seemed the two siblings had never been close... She couldn’t recall how their relationship had been before, but it must have been distant.
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