Chapter 97: Ghost Festival
Several maids carried Concubine Song back to her chamber. Gu Dezhao then summoned Gu Lan and Jinchao, saying, "Concubine Song harmed the mistress. I originally intended to send her to Jingmiao Nunnery to live out her remaining days. Accompanying the dim light of oil lamps and ancient Buddha statues might help her atone for some of her sins..."
Before Gu Dezhao could finish, Gu Lan burst into tears: "Father, in her current state, how could Aunt survive at Jingmiao Nunnery?"
Gu Dezhao sighed. "Lan Er, at least let me finish... Given Concubine Song's condition now, she can't go to Jingmiao Nunnery. Behind Tong Ruo Lou, there's a Ting Tao Pavilion nestled among the Huashan pines. Though small, it's secluded. Chaojie, select two or three steady maids and older servants to attend to Concubine Song at Ting Tao Pavilion. Once her confinement period is over, she'll move there... This will serve as her Qing Xiu."
Gu Lan still harbored resentment, but seeing Gu Dezhao's expression, she knew there was no room for negotiation.
...Better to endure this for now and wait for another opportunity. After all, Father is still furious. With this thought, Gu Lan fell silent.
Jinchao hadn't expected Concubine Song to suddenly lose her mind. She had originally planned to send her to Jingmiao Nunnery. Glancing toward the inner chamber, she felt a twinge of suspicion—was Song Miaohua truly mad, or was this an act? If it was real, then so be it. But if she was faking it, she was exceptionally clever. With all her misdeeds exposed, playing the fool was the only way to escape unscathed.
Jinchao agreed to the arrangements, and only then did Gu Dezhao nod before leaving with his maids and stewards.
Jinchao rose and walked into the main hall, kneeling on a prayer cushion and murmuring a few words before offering incense to the Bodhisattva.
Gu Lan followed her out and stood behind her, asking coldly, "Are you telling Madam Ji that you've avenged her?"
Jinchao shook her head and sighed. "I'm merely offering incense to the Bodhisattva. Since this statue was enshrined here, Aunt has never once paid her respects. The Bodhisattva knows whether one's heart is sincere or not." She turned and found Gu Lan staring at her with unprecedented venom in her eyes.
It was only natural. Gu Lan knew it was Gu Jinzhao who had caused the death of Concubine Song's unborn child.
"You killed my unborn sibling and drove my mother to madness... Gu Jinzhao, your heart is truly wicked," Gu Lan whispered. "Don't forget—I still hold leverage over you. No one knows your affairs with Chen Xuanqing better than I do..."
Jinchao replied, "You only see your own suffering, but not how Concubine Song harmed my mother or how you treated me and Jinrong! When you scheme against others, it's justified. But when others retaliate, you act the innocent victim and lash out?"
She smiled faintly. "Gu Lan, that's not how things work."
Gu Lan bit her lip, glaring at Gu Jinzhao in silence for a long while before finally asking in a low voice, "What... exactly did you do?"
Jinchao ignored her and turned to leave.
It would have been quite the spectacle if Gu Lan knew that the medicinal pillow that harmed her aunt was the very one she had personally delivered—and had just been destroyed right before her eyes.
But never mind that now.The next morning, news of the concubine's miscarriage spread throughout the household. However, no one dared to visit her. Gu Dezhao's decision to have her moved to Tingtao Pavilion made his intentions clear—he had no plans to see her again, and who would want to court misfortune by going against that? Gu Yi and Gu Xi did come to speak with Jinchao for a while. With Song Yiniang now truly unable to recover, they were genuinely happy for their elder sister.
Gu Jinzhao invited them to stay for lunch. Later, Mama Xu arrived with several maidservants to see her: "...These women previously served the late madam. They’re the most suitable for keeping an eye on Song Yiniang."
Gu Jinzhao examined each of them carefully—all three appeared steady and reliable. She instructed them to watch Song Miaohua closely. Whether the woman was truly mad or merely pretending, no one could say. But if she could keep up the act indefinitely, then it made no difference to Jinzhao.
Mama Xu also updated her on Gu Lan: "...She requested permission from the master to set up a shrine to Guanyin in her courtyard. Nowadays, she rarely leaves her quarters, spending her days practicing calligraphy, copying scriptures, or doing needlework. She’s been very quiet." Since Gu Lan was still forbidden from visiting Song Yiniang, she had simply retreated into seclusion to recuperate.
Jinchao nodded in acknowledgment. Shortly after, Li Guanshi came to inform her that Gu Dezhao wished to discuss Jinrong’s education with her.
As he was still in mourning, he could not attend classes at Qifang Lane.
Gu Dezhao also summoned Jinrong to ask for his opinion, adding, "...Perhaps we should hire a private tutor. After all, you’ll be taking the provincial examinations in three years—your studies cannot be neglected."
Jinrong replied, "I understand, Father. However, finding a suitable tutor won’t be easy. Those with profound knowledge may not be skilled at teaching, and those who excel at teaching are usually scholars from the Imperial Academy or Hanlin officials..." None of them would come to tutor him privately.
Listening nearby, Gu Jinzhao suggested to Gu Dezhao, "...I’ve heard the Yu family’s private school is excellent. In the last provincial examinations, they produced two successful candidates. Why not send Rong-ge to the Yu family’s school? Their residence is on Sili Lane, so he could commute daily without violating mourning customs."
Jinchao remembered the Yu family because, during the political upheaval months later, they were one of the few prominent families that remained entirely unscathed. Establishing ties with them now would surely prove beneficial in the future.
The Yu family’s patriarch had once served as a Lecturer of the Imperial Academy and had been a tutor to the founding emperor, securing his descendants’ prosperity. Though his sons did not hold high-ranking positions, they enjoyed good reputations within the Hanlin Academy, and the family maintained impeccable discipline. His grandsons were also promising, unlike the Earl of Yongyang’s third son, who had a notorious reputation.
The Gu and Yu families exchanged visits during festivals, maintaining cordial relations as neighbors. If Gu Dezhao made the request, the Yu patriarch would likely agree—scholarly families naturally valued magnanimity.
With this in mind, sending Jinrong to the Yu family’s school seemed ideal. The only concern was whether Gu Dezhao would need to make the request in person.
After much deliberation, Gu Dezhao visited the Yu patriarch the following day, bringing tea, lychees, and longan candies as gifts. The matter of Jinrong’s education was settled—he would begin attending the Yu family’s school the following month. The patriarch even gifted Jinrong several renowned calligraphy manuals, urging him to study them diligently.A few days later, Mama Xu came to report to Jinchao: "...Concubine Song no longer recognizes anyone now and often has fits of madness, crying for her child. The servants can't detect anything amiss—it seems she's truly lost her mind."
Jinchao went to the Waterside Pavilion to see for herself. Half a month after the miscarriage, they had gradually stopped giving Concubine Song her medicine, and her complexion had finally improved slightly. Yet she clung stubbornly to a bolster in her arms, calling it her 'Xiuer,' and would whisper intimately to it as if it were her child.
If this madness was feigned, it would be truly terrifying.
The servant woman Dou reported, "The concubine had chosen Xiuer as the child's milk name... No one is allowed to touch that bolster she holds. She's still in her confinement period and should be resting properly, but she refuses to let anyone near her—whether to bathe her or feed her. She's terrified of anyone approaching..."
Concubine Song remained in confinement. In another half month, she would be moved to the Listening Waves Pavilion.
"Let her be," Jinchao said coolly. She had spared Concubine Song's life and even assigned servants to care for her—that was already more than enough kindness.
Gu Jinchao returned to Paulownia Courtyard and never set foot in the Waterside Pavilion again.
Concubine Song's miscarriage occurred at the end of June, and soon it was the fifteenth day of July—the Ghost Festival.
With a recent death in the family, it was customary to visit the new grave, honor the ancestors, and hold a grand Taoist ritual at the temple to guide the departed souls. In the days leading up to the festival, the county of Shi'an bustled with vendors selling spirit offerings, lotus lanterns, oil cakes, stuffed pastries, milk cakes, and festive rice cakes. Mama Xu took charge of these preparations, sending people early to purchase paper clothes and ritual items to avoid last-minute chaos. On the eve of the festival, after preparing wine and offerings, Gu Dezhao took Jinchao and the others to pay respects at Madam Ji's new grave.
Madam Ji was buried in the Gu family cemetery, near three boxwood trees arranged in a triangular formation.
Gu Dezhao made the first offering. Gu Jinchao knelt before her mother's grave, then stood by the boxwood trees and gazed toward Mount Xicui in the distance—its rolling hills lush and vibrant in the late summer.
Gu Lan, Gu Jinrong, and the others took turns paying their respects. After the ceremony, Gu Dezhao instructed Jinchao and the rest to return first. "...I have business to attend to in Pingxing and will return this afternoon. Chaojie, prepare the ancestral offerings at home."
Jinchao acknowledged the order but found her father's behavior odd. The next day, a servant from Gu Dezhao's household came to report: "...The master went to Yanqing Taoist Temple in Pingxing. A Taoist assembly was being held, and he attended a session." After a pause, the servant added in a hushed tone, "The master has invited Qingxu Taoist Priest back with him."
Only then did Jinchao understand why her father had been vague. This Qingxu Taoist Priest from Yanqing Taoist Temple was the same person who had once claimed Jinchao's presence would hinder Gu Dezhao's career. After Jinchao returned to the Gu household, her father's interactions with the priest had gradually dwindled.
...She couldn't fathom why he had invited the priest back now.
After some thought, Jinchao instructed Caifu to summon Bi Yi.
Bi Yi, who attended to Gu Dezhao's study and meals, told Jinchao: "...The priest discussed Taoist teachings with the master, who found them deeply enlightening. They talked late into the night, though I couldn't understand much. I only caught a phrase the priest mentioned—something about 'the five colors and five flavors'..."
The five colors and five flavors... Jinchao immediately recognized it—a passage from the Tao Te Ching.The five colors blind the eyes, the five tones deafen the ears, the five flavors dull the taste, galloping and hunting madden the mind, and rare treasures hinder one's conduct. Therefore, the sage attends to the belly, not the eye. He rejects the latter and chooses the former.
This passage generally means that one should not indulge in pleasures.
Gu Jinzhao pondered carefully and couldn't help but gasp in realization! How had she not thought of this before!
Her mother's death and the incident with Concubine Song had dealt too heavy a blow to her father. Now he wasn't visiting any of his concubines and had begun seeking solace in faith. Had it been any other Taoist priest, Jinzhao wouldn't have thought much of it—as long as her father could find comfort and ease his heart, why should she interfere? But the mere thought that it was this Qingxu Taoist Priest made her feel uneasy.
After all, this was the man who, with just one sentence, had kept her at the Ji family for nine years before she could return.
PS:
Thanks to Meiyan Kongkong for the little pink heart~~
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