Minglan's predictions were not mistaken. The more she appeared distressed and restless, the more the women of the Marquis' household saw hope, intensifying their tearful complaints and endless pestering. But when she adopted an expression of "a dead pig unafraid of boiling water," they found themselves at a loss.
After about five or six days, peace returned to the world.
It was like a hooligan teasing a young maiden—originally just wanting to take some liberties. If the girl clutched her collar tightly, eyes brimming with tears, crying out like a little white rabbit, the rogue might feel encouraged and escalate his harassment. But if the girl threw open her clothes, revealing a fierce and menacing expression—"Hey kid, if you've got the guts, come at me! If you don't, you're no real man!"—there was a chance she might scare the hooligan away.
Feeling quite pleased with her clever analogy, Minglan proudly shared this insight with Gu Tingye. The man showed great interest, immediately closing the door and windows with academic enthusiasm, proposing to test the theory's effectiveness on the spot—even helpfully tugging at her collar.
Confronted with such a master rogue, she had no choice but to flee in disarray.
Once she had a moment to spare, Minglan remembered an urgent matter. That day, she deliberately walked to Cardamom Scent Courtyard.
Ever since Minglan had punished a gossipy old servant—twenty strokes of the cane followed by immediate expulsion—the entire Cardamom Scent Courtyard no longer dared to look down on Rong Jie'er. They attended to her clothing, food, and daily needs with utmost care. As the saying goes, environment shapes temperament and nourishment builds the body. Within a month, Rong Jie'er's cheeks had filled out, her stature had grown slightly taller, and her timid demeanor had diminished considerably.
Like a dedicated zookeeper, Minglan thoroughly inspected Rong Jie'er from head to toe before smiling contentedly at Gong Hongxiao and Qiu Niang: "Rong Jie'er's complexion looks much better now. You've been attentive."
Qiu Niang offered a wooden smile, her eyes tinged with quiet sorrow, while Gong Hongxiao responded more animatedly: "How could you say that, madam? The young miss is the master's first daughter—how could anyone in this household not be diligent?"
Minglan gave her a faint glance, stirring the tea leaves with the lid: "Which daughter she is doesn't matter. Just remember that no matter what happens in the future, Rong Jie'er will always be the eldest young lady of this household—a genuine mistress."
Rong Jie'er shot a quick glance at Minglan before lowering her head again. Gong Hongxiao paused in surprise—usually the madam was quite approachable, why had she suddenly turned sharp today? She offered an awkward smile and obediently stepped aside.
Minglan smiled gently, inviting both women to sit down. After asking a few more questions about Rong Jie'er's daily routine, she announced she wanted to check the girl's studies. Both Gong and Qiu froze momentarily, exchanging glances, while Rong Jie'er shifted her small feet restlessly.
Though visibly uneasy, Qiu Niang quickly retrieved a small sewing basket from the inner room, presenting several fabric scraps to Minglan. Her voice betrayed anxiety: "It... hasn't been long. The young miss has only learned this much..."
Minglan carefully examined the fabric pieces and nodded slightly. When Rong Jie'er first arrived at Clear Garden, her needlework skills barely extended to stitching small tears. Now she could embroider a few crooked leaves. Sewing and embroidery were actually quite different skills. Though the progress was modest, it at least showed she was getting started."You needn't be so restrained. I think this is quite good already - everything is difficult at the beginning. Rong Jie'er isn't a dull child. As long as you're willing to put in effort, there will always be progress." Minglan smiled reassuringly at Qiu Niang, then added meaningfully, "I've seen the clothes you made for the master - truly excellent craftsmanship. If Rong Jie'er can learn even half of your skill, it will benefit her future prospects."
Qiu Niang responded softly, her complexion looking much better.
Then it was Gong Hongxiao's turn.
When Rong Jie'er first arrived, Minglan had carefully inquired and learned that the girl only recognized about twenty to thirty characters. Among these, she could recognize but not write one-third, could recognize another third when they appeared together but wasn't confident when they appeared separately. As for poetry, she only knew the first two lines of "Quiet Night Thoughts" and the first line of "The Goose" (Minglan thought to herself: quite like her father's style). From an educational theory perspective, there should be considerable room for development in cultural education under such circumstances, so Minglan looked at Teacher Gong with anticipation.
Gong Hongxiao's face alternated between pale and flushed. Her maid Jinxi slowly handed over a "thin" stack of papers. When Minglan took them and looked, her expression immediately darkened - the characters were still the familiar ones, the strokes were still poorly written, and even the wrong characters were mistaken in the same places as before. Unwilling to give up, Minglan carefully counted the characters again, finally unable to suppress her anger.
"It's been a whole month, and she's only learned eleven or twelve new characters, hmm?" The last word was drawn out with a cold tone. "Is it that you haven't taught enough, or that the young lady hasn't been able to learn?"
Does it take three days to recognize one character? Gu Tingye's genes aren't that poor, are they?
Concubine Gong forced a smile, trying to gloss things over: "The young lady is clever and quick-witted, but she seems to have no interest in scholarly pursuits, so..." Rong Jie'er suddenly looked up, her face full of stubborn defiance as if protesting. Seeing this, Gong Hongxiao paused awkwardly, "It's also my fault for not putting my heart into teaching. The household has been so busy lately..."
She was in a difficult position. She had never been particularly close to Rong Jie'er to begin with, and couldn't bring herself to coax gently like Qiu Niang. Moreover, the entire Kouxiang Courtyard was filled with Minglan's eyes and ears - if she so much as laid a finger on Rong Jie'er, Minglan would know immediately.
Unable to punish, incapable of coaxing, and unsuccessful in persuading, she found it troublesome and had been slacking off. Little did she expect Minglan would suddenly come to check.
Minglan said indifferently: "Oh? Busy with what?"
Gong Hongxiao's pretty eyes darted about as if struggling for words, biting her lip as she said: "Although I'm insignificant, this is after all the Gu family's affair. Now all the ladies and madams are either anxious or panicked, coming and going all day long. My heart... I just can't set it at ease..."
She couldn't continue because Minglan's gaze was icy cold.
Minglan didn't speak at first, only gesturing for Danju to take Rong Jie'er out first. She slowly put down her teacup, the clear sound of the base clicking against the saucer, before saying: "Concubine Gong is indeed sharp-eared and clear-eyed. Even I can't intervene in this matter. I didn't know you were so 'unable to set your heart at ease'?"
"You're concerning yourself with quite a lot, aren't you?!" Minglan stared at her coldly.
Gong Hongxiao stood up in alarm. Seeing this, Qiu Niang beside her also stood up.Minglan gently withdrew her gaze, letting it sweep across the faces of Gong Hongxiao and Qiu Niang before softening her tone: "I'm young and have never raised a child myself, so I hadn't considered these matters deeply. But a few days ago, when I visited Zhongqin Bo's residence, I saw my little niece—barely over five years old—already writing respectable characters and speaking with remarkable poise!"
Thinking of that young niece, delicate as a porcelain doll, speaking clearly and confidently, answering questions without shyness or arrogance, then comparing her to Rong Jie'er who was nearly nine, Minglan felt a headache coming on.
According to Hualan's upbringing plan, young ladies from respectable families should begin their enlightenment education around age five. By ten, they should be presentable for evaluation (in embroidery, speech, demeanor, and education), and by fifteen, their marriages should be settled.
Hearing this, Minglan had felt both guilty and ashamed, realizing that since Rong Jie'er wasn't her biological daughter, she hadn't planned so far ahead. She'd thought a second-grade child could enjoy a couple more carefree years, completely underestimating the urgency of the situation.
Minglan sighed meaningfully: "I'm not expecting you to produce some poetic genius, but you can't neglect her entirely either. In families like ours, it would be embarrassing if a young lady couldn't even read 'Admonitions for Women' and 'Boudoir Instructions'! We'd become a laughingstock!"Pausing briefly, Minglan emphasized: 'The Grand Old Madam entrusted Rong Jie'er to your care—you should be more diligent!" With Rong Jie'er's studies in this state, how do you still find time to meddle in other affairs?!"Lately, with troubles occurring in the侯府, Qiu Niang had remained relatively quiet (perhaps due to romantic disappointment), but Hongxiao had been bustling about conspicuously." It was indeed time to rein her in.
Gong Hongxiao turned ashen, cold sweat beading on her forehead. This reprimand left her utterly speechless. Her knees buckled, and she knelt, repeatedly admitting her negligence.
Minglan felt somewhat vindicated, releasing some of the frustration she'd accumulated recently. After giving final instructions, she rose to return to her courtyard. At the entrance of Kouxiang Garden, she spotted Flower Mama standing with Rong Jie'er.
The young girl glanced sideways at Minglan, biting her small lip. Minglan waited, but Rong Jie'er ultimately said nothing, turning instead to run away. Flower Mama watched her retreating figure and sighed softly before curtsying to Minglan.
"Madam, please don't take it to heart. The young miss..." She hesitated, unsure how to continue. "I've watched her since she entered the household. All these years...Sigh, she's a pitiful child, but she's not foolish. She knows you genuinely care for her."
Minglan smiled bitterly—in truth, she hadn't treated the girl particularly well. Mostly, she feared responsibility, delegating duties while only fulfilling supervisory obligations. Sometimes she even felt grateful that Rong Jie'er maintained her distance and wariness. If the child had truly tried to get close to her, how would she have responded?
Children matured early in these times. Most eight or nine-year-old girls already understood much, especially when their birth mother remained alive and well. If Minglan had aggressively displayed maternal warmth, it might have seemed she was eager to replace the girl's mother.
Minglan exhaled a long, helpless sigh.Her maternal love had never been abundant, and over the years it had already been spent in advance on Hualan and Hai Shi's children. Those plump, adorable little ones would sweetly call out to her, softly wrap their arms around her neck, and tumble toward her with milky scents to kiss her cheeks. Whenever Minglan thought of them, her heart would soften with overwhelming fondness. As for Rong Jie'er, who was all sharp edges, Minglan felt incapable of connecting with her. Reflecting that her life was already filled with enough thrilling challenges, she saw no need to seek out additional difficulties. Her only aim was to care for the girl properly and maintain a clear conscience.
She couldn't help her inability to grow fond of this child. Emotions weren't like tap water—they couldn't be turned on at will or summoned upon demand.
Very well, she admitted she was a selfish person.
Having finished her self-reflection, disciplined the concubine, and shown concern for her husband's illegitimate daughter, life had to go on. Although the Marquis' estate had largely ceased its pestering, the situation was growing increasingly severe.
The interrogators grew ruder, and their visits more frequent. By the end of May, the Court of Judicial Review had directly transferred the suspects to the relevant authorities for questioning. After being interrogated, Gu Tingyang and Gu Tingdi were released, their faces pale and ashen.
On the second day of June, Liu Zhengjie personally led a team of imperial guards to take away Fourth Old Master and his son Gu Tingbing. Fourth Old Madam, along with the First Wife of Gu Tingxuan and the Second Wife of Gu Tingbing, went to confront the two brothers from the fifth branch, demanding to know what they had said during their interrogations and whether they had shifted all the blame onto the fourth branch. The women grew increasingly agitated, soon erupting into curses, and the argument escalated into physical violence, creating a tremendous uproar.
In the chaos, it was said that Gu Tingyang's face was scratched by someone's fingernails, drawing blood. He was unable to appear in public for some time and was currently recuperating at home. Additionally, Fifth Old Master had half of his beard torn out.
When Gu Tingye heard this news, he merely curved his lips into a mocking smile and said nothing.
Two days later, Gu Tingwei was also taken away.
The following day, the Marquis' estate sent someone to summon Gu Tingye and his wife. The messenger was a matron from Madam Shao's household.
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