Gu Zhen and Gu Shan parted on bad terms, the former leaving in anger.
With a bitter smile and a somewhat bewildered expression, Gu Shan turned to Gu Jiu and asked, “Er jiejie, did I do something wrong?”
Gu Jiu told her: “I’ve said this before – you are you, and Gu Yue is Gu Yue. The mistakes Gu Yue made should not be yours to bear.”
Gu Shan replied weakly, “I just wanted to smooth things over between da jiejie and san jiejie. After all, we’re sisters – why make such a fuss?”
Gu Jiu rolled her eyes in secret. “Si meimei, you don’t seem to realise how serious this matter is. San meimei ruined da jiejie’s marriage prospects. That’s not something you can dismiss with a simple ‘why make a fuss.’
“If it were you – if your solid, promising marriage was deliberately destroyed by someone’s scheme – ask yourself honestly: could you really remain calm and at peace?”
Gu Shan was tongue-tied. “I…I don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t know – because it hasn’t happened to you. Da jiejie managed to restrain her anger even in front of san meimei, and that was already no small feat. And yet you ask her to set aside her hatred and forgive san meimei. Si meimei, by doing this, you’re clearly only considering san meimei, while completely ignoring da jiejie’s feelings.”
On the surface, Gu Shan’s actions seemed well-intentioned. But when examined closely, they were nothing more than taking the side of the guilty and sacrificing the victim in the name of harmony.
For Gu Zhen, the victim, not to have slapped Gu Shan outright, and to merely argue a few words, was already a great courtesy.
Gu Shan frowned slightly. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
“You truly didn’t mean it – but that’s what you did.”
Gu Jiu looked at her seriously and said, “The marriage to Haixi bo fu was an exceptionally rare and fortunate match for da jiejie. If she misses this chance, she may never encounter such a good marriage again. But all of it was ruined by san meimei’s selfishness.
“After learning the truth, da jiejie didn’t raise a knife against san meimei; that was already remarkable restraint. Si meimei, in this matter, you cannot make further demands of da jiejie. If you want reconciliation, you should be persuading san meimei. She is the true culprit. Yet from beginning to end, she hasn’t uttered a single word of apology to da jiejie.
“Don’t forget – da jiejie used to run around on san meimei’s behalf, playing the lackey for her. But when san meimei turned against her, did she ever remember the bond of sisterhood?”
Gu Shan stood there, lost and at a loss. “Er jiejie…did I really do wrong?”
Gu Jiu said sternly, “You care too much about san meimei. You worry about her matters far too much. Why is that?”
Gu Shan lowered her head and whispered, “I don’t know. It just…became a habit. A habit to always care about san meimei’s affairs, a habit to clean up after her.”
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly. “Exactly. Because you and taitai are so used to cleaning up after her, that’s why she dares to act so recklessly.”
“I…I understand now. Da jiejie must be angry with me. Er jiejie, could you perhaps help explain things to her on my behalf?”
Gu Jiu nodded. “I’ll see if the chance comes. Si meimei, you must be busy – I’ll take my leave first.”
“Take care, er jiejie.”
Gu Jiu rose to leave, taking her maid with her.
Just past the courtyard gate, she unexpectedly came across Gu Zhen.
Gu Jiu stepped forward. “In this freezing weather, why isn’t da jiejie back in your room?”
Gu Zhen looked at her, her face cold and pale. “I was waiting here especially for you, er meimei.”
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Does da jiejie have something to say to me?”
Gu Zhen nodded. “Do you have time? Why don’t we take a walk in the garden?”
“Of course.”
The two sisters strolled along the garden path.
A gust of cold wind blew past, and Gu Jiu pulled her cloak tighter.
The wind cut across her face like knives, stinging painfully.
She tugged Gu Zhen into a sheltered spot out of the wind.
Without the gusts, it was much better.
I must be crazy, she thought, standing out here in the freezing cold with da jiejie just to talk.
“Da jiejie, whatever it is, just say it.”
Gu Zhen’s eyes reddened at once. “They’ve gone too far. Gu Yue, Gu Shan, taitai…none of them have ever thought about my feelings. Just because I am shu-born, am I destined to suffer all this?”
Gu Jiu frowned, at a loss for words.
Gu Zhen seemed only to want someone to confide in. She poured out bitterly, “That marriage was introduced by our eldest aunt from the hou fu. I heard it clearly – Haixi bo furen was very satisfied with me.
“Eldest aunt even said the marriage was almost certain. But in the end… I hate them. I hate them. How dare they treat me this way? If Father hadn’t discovered the truth, Gu Yue would still be living carefree.”
Gu Zhen clenched her teeth, forcing back her tears.
Gu Jiu frowned slightly. “Why are you telling me this, da jiejie?”
Gu Zhen sobbed once, then looked at Gu Jiu and said, “Er meimei, you’re dissatisfied with taitai and san meimei too, aren’t you? San meimei bullies you everywhere, and taitai always makes things difficult for you. Er meimei, we are both victims here.
“In truth, I like you very much. Whatever misunderstandings we had in the past, I hope you won’t hold them against me. From now on, if you ever need anything, just tell me. I will never refuse.”
Gu Jiu arched her brows with a smile and shook her head slightly.
In the past, Gu Zhen had willingly been Gu Yue’s pawn…
In the end, Gu Yue betrayed her and trampled her cruelly underfoot. Now, Gu Zhen wanted to seek another ally, and it seemed that Gu Jiu was the best candidate.
Gu Jiu looked at Gu Zhen with a half-smile. “Da jiejie, you already have Hu yiniang. You don’t need anyone else’s help.”
“That’s not the same. A yiniang is only a yiniang – there are many things she cannot do. But er meimei is different. You’re capable. I think we could–”
Gu Jiu raised her hand to cut her off. “Da jiejie, just because I know about certain matters doesn’t mean I’m willing to get involved. Do you understand?”
Gu Zhen looked a little lost. “But don’t you hate taitai and san meimei?”
“That’s a different matter.”
“It’s not different at all. If you didn’t want to be involved, why would you reveal the truth to Hu yiniang?”
“You misunderstand, da jiejie. I wasn’t the one who passed on the news. If Hu yiniang found out the truth, you should ask her where she heard it from.”
Gu Zhen shook her head repeatedly. “Er meimei, you might fool others with those words, but not me. Yiniang said she heard it from a maid in the Zizhu Yuan. But how could there be such a coincidence in this world?
“From the very beginning, I suspected someone orchestrated everything – created that coincidence on purpose, and deliberately passed the news into yiniang’s ears. The more I thought about it, the more I could only think of er meimei. Among us sisters, only you have that ability.”
“Da jiejie, you overestimate me.” Gu Jiu, of course, would never admit it.
Gu Zhen, still confused, pressed on. “Er meimei, you also want to see san meimei suffer, don’t you? We have the same goal – why can’t we work together?”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly. She could hardly tell Gu Zhen: you are not worthy of my trust, nor fit to cooperate with me. It wasn’t as though she would agree to cooperate with just anyone. Gu Jiu was very selective about her allies. Someone like Gu Zhen? Better forget it.
So she said bluntly: “If da jiejie has nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Don’t go!” Gu Zhen grabbed her hand.
Gu Jiu frowned slightly. “What else do you want to say, da jiejie?”
“You deliberately let yiniang hear the news because you wanted to watch a good show. I’ll cooperate with you. I want Gu Yue to suffer – worse than me. Er meimei, will you help me?”
Gu Jiu turned back and stared at her. “What exactly do you plan to do?”
“I haven’t thought of it yet. But sooner or later, I’ll find the chance.”
Gu Jiu chuckled. “Then talk to me again once you’ve found that chance. Goodbye.”
She shook off Gu Zhen’s hand and left with her maids.
Gu Zhen watched her figure retreating into the distance and stamped her foot. Things were turning out completely different from what she had imagined. What should she do now?
Back at Zhilan Yuan, Qing Mei finally asked curiously, “Why won’t guniang cooperate with da guniang?”
Gu Jiu put down her book and smiled softly. “Why cooperate when there’s no benefit?”
Qing Mei and Qing Zhu both looked bewildered.
Gu Jiu explained, “Da jiejie and Hu yiniang only want to use me to strike at san meimei, but they’re unwilling to pay any price themselves. I’m not a fool – why would I let myself become their knife? They want to borrow my hand to kill, but unfortunately, they’ve chosen the wrong person.”
Qing Zhu nodded repeatedly. “Da guniang is awful, wanting to take advantage of you. Guniang refusing her was the right choice.”
Qing Mei added, “Da guniang and san guniang really have become mortal enemies.”
Gu Jiu sneered. “When Gu Yue destroyed someone’s marriage prospects, she should have known this day would come. If Haixi bo fu simply didn’t like da jiejie, she could only resign herself to the disappointment. But it was Gu Yue’s scheming that made them reject the match. If da jiejie could forgive her for that, then that would be the real miracle.”
“Guniang is right. San guniang is too vicious. Ruining someone’s marriage – heaven will strike her with thunder for that.”
The days passed in their usual routine.
In the mornings, Gu Jiu went to the council hall to learn household management from Zhang shi.
Several others were added to the lessons: Gu Zhen, Gu Shan, Gu Lin – even Gu Jun came. It was a rare opportunity, and they had to cherish it.
Gu Yue also showed up, but since she was still recovering from her injuries, sitting too long might hinder her healing. So she only stayed a short while before leaving.
Gu Jiu watched as the pozi gave their reports, and observed how Zhang shi managed them, how she dealt with their schemes.
Each pozi was a seasoned veteran. Any carelessness on the part of the mistress of the house, and they would seize the loophole. At best, they would skim profits; at worst, they would tarnish the family’s reputation and plant seeds of disaster.
Household management was really about managing these stewardesses – making sure they followed instructions strictly. Reward where reward was due, punishment where punishment was due.
Zhang shi handled matters with decisiveness and efficiency.
Watching her stern rebukes, the way she pointed out mistakes without hesitation, Gu Jiu secretly nodded.
It was just like managing a company. No matter how good a company was, without strong management, it would collapse sooner or later.
Gu Jiu carefully observed each stewardess, making her own judgment about their reports first, and then comparing it with Zhang shi’s judgment to verify her reasoning.
In this way, Gu Jiu’s progress was astonishingly fast.
“Xiao Jiu, take a look at this account book for your da bomu. See if there’s anything wrong with it.”
Gu Jiu gladly took the account book and picked up the abacus to start calculating.
The pozi looked a little nervous. Gu Jiu’s reputation for being almost divinely skilled at accounting had long spread throughout the entire household, even to the hou fu.
If the account book landed in Gu Jiu’s hands, what chance did anyone have?
There weren’t many entries in this ledger, so Gu Jiu finished quickly.
“Reporting to da bomu, the figures in this book are correct. However, there are obvious traces of falsification.”
“Oh?” Zhang shi became interested. “You’re saying this wretched woman cooked the accounts?”
Gu Jiu nodded. “I casually flipped through the earlier ledgers and noticed that for sewing materials and fabrics, the price of the same goods has risen by thirty percent compared to the beginning of this year, and by sixty percent compared to this same time last year.
“Thinking carefully, this whole year I’ve not heard of any major fluctuations in prices in the capital, nor have I heard that silk production in Jiangnan decreased. Logically, prices couldn’t have risen this much.
“Moreover, I’ve also heard that this winter is not as cold as last year’s, yet sewing materials have risen by sixty percent compared to last year. That makes no sense. Still, the one who did the accounts was very careful, raising the prices gradually so it was hard to detect the falsification.”
As soon as Gu Jiu finished speaking, the old servant fell to her knees with a thud.
“Taitai, spare me, spare me! I must have lost my senses to have done such a vile, animal-like thing. I beg taitai to give me another chance, I will truly repent.”
Smack!
Zhang shi slammed her palm on the table. “Shut your mouth! To think I valued you so highly, and this is how you repay me. Falsifying accounts, deceiving your superiors, embezzling the household’s money – you must have a death wish.
“Someone, drag her out for a proper interrogation. Also, hand this account book to the stewards and have them check exactly how much silver has been embezzled.”
Hearing this, the servant collapsed on the ground like a puddle of mud. Soon, attendants came and dragged her away.
Seeing Zhang shi handle the matter so decisively, Gu Jiu nodded secretly in approval.
Managing a household must be done with decisiveness. Procrastination only gives servants the wrong signal. They’ll think their master is indecisive, and naturally grow more audacious and reckless.
Moreover, as head of the household, one must be able to distinguish which words from servants are true and which are lies.
If a servant deceives others for a long time without being found out, then the mistress is doomed, while the servant will only grow bolder – until they commit a fatal mistake that drags the whole household down.
In short, there are endless subtleties to learn in managing affairs.
Gu Zhen, Gu Shan, Gu Lin and Gu Jun – this was the first time the four of them saw Gu Jiu doing accounts, and they were all stunned.
Gu Jiu’s calculations were fast and precise, like watching a living painting of beauty, pleasing to the eye.
Gu Lin bit her lip and whispered to Gu Shan, “Si jiejie, when did er jiejie learn to do accounts?”
Gu Shan shook her head. “I don’t know either.”
She was nearly dumbfounded. Why did er jiejie always bring surprises?
Zhang shi beamed. “Xiao Jiu is very good. You girls should learn from her and practice diligently in private. Managing the household isn’t just about assigning chores to the servant women – it’s about plugging loopholes, rewarding and punishing clearly.
“For servants who commit major mistakes, especially those who embezzle silver, they must never be tolerated or indulged. Your indulgence will only make their appetites grow larger, insatiable.”
“Yes! Thank you for your teaching, da bomu (Mother).”
Zhang shi nodded, ready to proceed to the next matter.
At this moment, a maid came in to report: “Taitai, the hou fu has sent over a pozi.”
“Quickly, invite her in. It’s winter, don’t let her freeze.”
The one who came was Du mama, the personal maid who had accompanied the eldest madam, Wei shi as part of her dowry when she married into the hou fu.
Du mama entered the hall, bowed, and said, “Greetings to taitai, greetings to the guniang. The plum blossoms in the hou fu have bloomed. Lao furen is delighted and wishes to hold a Plum Blossom Banquet, inviting the guniang to come tomorrow.
“Lao furen also said the guniang should bring their luggage and stay at the hou fu. Stay a few days, enjoy yourselves. Lao furen loves having the guniang gathered around her, chatting.”
Zhang shi broke into a smile. “The plum blossoms at the hou fu have bloomed?”
“They have indeed.”
“How wonderful. Go back and tell lao furen, tomorrow the young ladies will go, and the young masters as well. After so much studying, they should also have a bit of relaxation.”
Du mama bowed in assent.
Zhang shi asked again, “Who else has the hou fu invited to the banquet?”
“The usual noble families they’re close with have been invited. Tomorrow the hou fu will be very lively. Da taitai and er taitai are also invited for drinks.”
Zhang shi laughed. “I certainly won’t be polite with lao furen. Tomorrow I’ll go and claim a drink.”
Du mama smiled. “Lao furen was just thinking of you today, saying that without you by her side, it feels rather lonely.”
Zhang shi laughed heartily. “That lao furen must be saying I’m noisy. Tomorrow I’ll go sit by her side and chatter away – let’s see if she still complains of noise.”
Du mama chuckled. “That would be wonderful. Lao furen will surely be pleased.”
Zhang shi then asked Shaoyang to escort Du mama out and prepared to resume unfinished matters.
But it was destined not to be a peaceful day. Trouble flared up again at Gu laoyezi’s quarters.
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