When they found a moment free, Gu Jiu went with Gu Shan to the mourning hall to pay respects to Jia shi.
It was clear that the hou fu had intended from the start to hold a grand funeral for her. They had even invited eminent monks from Baoguo Temple to conduct rites.
Jia shi had left no children behind. No one could mourn for her as a filial son or daughter would, nor smash the ritual basin for her.
Only her husband, Gu Rui, kept vigil before her spirit tablet.
Gu Jiu carried a lit stick of incense forward, bowed three times, then placed it into the censer.
She glanced toward Gu Rui, who sat nearby.
In just a few days, the once-proud the hou fu’s eldest young master looked like neither human nor ghost, his face unshaven, not bothering to clean himself up.
He looked as if he had wasted away a whole size. His complexion was ashen, dark circles ringed his eyes, and bloodshot veins laced his gaze. Who knew how many days it had been since he slept?
Gu Jiu sighed inwardly. “Tang ge, the dead cannot return. You must take care of yourself.”
Hearing her voice, Gu Rui raised his head. “So it’s Xiao Jiu. Thank you for coming to see her. I heard you were in the palace and couldn’t help you. I feel ashamed.”
“Please don’t say such things, tang ge. You must take care of your health. The entire hou fu is hoping you’ll recover your strength. We all are, we only wish you well.”
Gu Jiu looked at him with worry. She truly feared that if he kept exhausting himself like this, he would burn out, collapse, and never wake again.
Gu Rui shook his head faintly. “Thank you for your concern, Xiao Jiu. I’m fine. These past days, I’ve thought over and over about the days I had with Mingyue. It was I who wronged her.”
Gu Jiu frowned. “Why do you say that? From what I saw, you and tangsao were as harmonious as the zither and harp. You treated her with sincerity. How can you say you wronged her?”
Gu Rui gave a bitter smile. “You don’t understand. She wasn’t born frail. She became like that because of me. She suffered much for my sake and her health was ruined. And still, I couldn’t keep her by my side. Her passing must have been agony. I only hate myself for not staying with her at every moment. If I had, perhaps she wouldn’t have…”
He couldn’t finish. His grief was unbearable. He curled into himself, teeth clenched hard, refusing to make a sound before others, as though punishing himself.
In his heart, he blamed himself entirely for Jia shi’s death.
He hated his own uselessness, that he couldn’t save the child, nor preserve his wife’s life.
At last, his strength gave out. He collapsed to the ground, tears falling in silence.
The sight was heartbreaking to Gu Jiu.
Gu Shan began weeping as well. “Er jiejie, look at tang ge, what do we do?”
Gu Jiu crouched down and, with a handkerchief between them, felt Gu Rui’s pulse.
He was utterly spent, his body burning itself out.
What he needed most was sleep, deep, restorative sleep.
This was something she would need to discuss with Mei jiejie before deciding.
Just then, someone barged into the mourning hall.
“Gu Rui, come out! Don’t think you can put on this show of devoted grief and we’ll let you go. Let me tell you, everything you’re doing now is nothing more than what you owe. You killed my sister! If you’re truly sincere, you should pay for her life with yours!”
“That’s right, pay with your life!”
The Jia family had stormed into the hall, ignoring Gu Rui’s condition, forcing him to kneel before the altar.
“Gu Rui, kneel properly! Look at her, my sister died because of you. She’s gone, and you still live. Doesn’t your conscience ache? When you married her, you vowed to protect her for life. Is this what you call protection? If we’d known she’d end up like this, we would never have agreed to the marriage.”
Gu Rui said nothing, enduring their abuse in silence.
Gu Shan tugged at Gu Jiu’s sleeve. “Er jiejie, what do we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch?”
Gu Jiu bit her lip and called Xiao Cui over. “Go fetch Gu si ge, tell him to bring a dozen men here.”
The Jia family had gone too far. With Gu Rui reduced to this state, they were hardly blameless.
If Gu Rui had truly been a scoundrel, betraying Jia shi, Gu Jiu would have had no objection to the Jia family humiliating him like this.
But he was not. As far as she knew, since their marriage, he hadn’t even taken a concubine or a bed-servant, there had only ever been Jia shi.
During her difficult pregnancy, Gu Rui had done everything he could to protect her.
Her death stemmed partly from her frail body, but even more from her despair and depression. She had lost the will to live.
With her condition, medicine had no effect. Only her own determination to survive could have saved her.
And when she haemorrhaged, there was no way to give her a blood transfusion.
That she had survived as long as she did was due to Hu taiyi’s utmost skill.
Had Jia shi followed the doctor’s orders, taken her medicine, and nourished herself properly, she would eventually have recovered.
But alas…
Gu Shan whispered, “Tang ge is so pitiful.”
Meanwhile, the Jia family kept shoving Gu Rui, hurling cruel words.
His face grew darker and darker, utter despair written all over him, as though he wished only for death.
If he hadn’t been the hou fu’s eldest di grandson, burdened with carrying on the family line, the Jia family’s goading might well have driven him to take his own life.
“Enough!” Gu Jiu could no longer hold back.
“Do you mean to drive him to his death? Leave a shred of mercy, there’s no good in pushing him over the edge. If you succeed in killing him, do you think you’ll gain anything? If you’re not afraid of the hou fu’s revenge, then go ahead and continue. Let’s see, if you really force the hou fu‘s eldest di grandson to die, how many of you Jia family members can pay with your lives in return.”
“Who are you? What right do you have to criticise how we act? You’re just a little girl, get lost.”
Gu Jiu gave a cold laugh. “Idiot.”
“Who are you calling cursing? Say it clearly, who exactly did you just insult?” The Jia family member jabbed a finger so close it nearly touched Gu Jiu’s nose.
Gu Jiu stood her ground without flinching. She bet ten taels of silver that Gu si ge should have arrived by now.
“Stop!”
That single word, stop, sounded like heavenly music.
Gu Jiu’s heart loosened at once. She had won her bet. Gu Yu was indeed reliable. He rushed in with men at his side.
And not just Gu Yu.
Several of the hou fu’s other brothers, upon hearing that the Jia family had once again barged into the mourning hall to torment Gu Rui, were outraged and also came hurrying from the outer court.
“Causing a scene on our hou fu’s grounds, did you think we had no men here?”
“Get your filthy hands off her! Daring to point at my Xiao Jiu meimei, are you tired of living?”
The brothers of the hou fu, backed by their guards, shoved the Jia family back, driving them out of the mourning hall.
Both sides clashed with words, neither backing down. Just a spark more, and fists would be flying.
“Bring out Gu Rui! We of the Jia family will only speak to him. All unrelated people, get lost.”
“Gu Rui, come out! Coward! You killed my sister, you’ll pay with your life!”
From within, Gu Rui rose from the ground and silently walked toward the hall’s entrance.
Gu Jiu’s face was full of worry. “Tang ge, don’t go.”
Gu Rui only shook his head, silent. “I must give them an explanation. Otherwise, they won’t stop.”
Gu Jiu grew anxious, trying to persuade him: “What kind of explanation? Do you really mean to fulfill their wishes and throw your life away?
“Do you think your death will resolve anything? Impossible. If you live, the hou fu and the Jia family might one day still be relatives, exchanging visits during the New Year and holidays.
“But if you die, the hou fu and the Jia family will become mortal enemies. Forcing the eldest di grandson to his death, would the hou fu ever endure such humiliation? Unless the Jia family was wiped out, that hatred would never be dissolved. Tang ge, think carefully!”
She was terrified that Gu Rui, in his grief, might actually yield to the Jia family’s wishes and take his own life.
So she laid out the consequences, hoping to wake him from his despair and make him think rationally.
Gu Rui’s brows furrowed deeply, sorrow written across his face. “I’ve come to realise that even death is not mine to choose.”
Gu Jiu felt her heart ache for him. “Tang ge, the dead cannot return, but the living must go on living well. If tangsao’s spirit still lingers above, she would never want to see you torment yourself like this. Seeing you in such a state would break her heart. She would hate herself for not being able to stay by your side.”
“Really?” Gu Rui asked blankly.
Gu Jiu nodded firmly. “Truly. Every word I said is true. Tang ge, you must not lose yourself to grief.”
Suddenly, Gu Rui laughed. He turned, picked up Jia shi’s spirit tablet, and strode outside.
“Everyone, shut up!” With the spirit tablet raised high, he bellowed with fury.
Both sides immediately fell quiet.
Even the chanting of the monks grew hushed.
Gu Jiu’s eyes swept toward the abbot conducting the rituals in the courtyard. Everything just now had been seen, she could only hope the monk would keep his mouth shut and not spread tales.
Gu Rui’s gaze swept coldly across everyone’s faces.
Then he declared in a voice that struck like iron: “Jia shi was my wife. In life, she was mine. In death, she is my ghost. If any of you dare cause trouble again at her mourning hall, I will see to it that she never enters the hou fu’s ancestral shrine. If her spirit in heaven resents it, the blame will lie solely with your Jia family.”
The Jia family froze, stunned. They had never imagined Gu Rui would go this far.
“Gu Rui, are you even human?”
“If you dare bar my sister’s spirit tablet from your shrine, don’t blame me for what comes next!”
Gu Rui sneered. “These past days, have you shown me any courtesy? I’ve said it: if you dare cause more trouble, I will discard her spirit tablet like trash, to be trampled under ten thousand feet.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“And why wouldn’t I?” Gu Rui’s expression was ice-cold. “You would dare drive me to death, so why should I not dare throw away Jia shi’s tablet for all to trample?”
“You, you vicious-hearted fiend! I knew you were no good. My sister marrying you was her curse for eight lifetimes.”
“Gu Rui, may you die a wretched death.”
“Gu Rui, you will burn in hell. My sister will wait for you in the underworld and watch your downfall.”
Gu Rui’s face was grim, silent. The hand holding the spirit tablet slowly lowered, as if in the next instant it would crash to the ground and be trampled.
The Jia family seethed with hatred, but they dared not risk seeing Jia shi’s tablet destroyed.
“Gu Rui… you’re ruthless. We’re leaving.”
“Just like that, they’re leaving? That’s letting Gu Rui off far too lightly.”
“Let them go! What, do you really want to stand by and watch Gu Rui throw away her memorial tablet? The Gu family might not care, but we of the Jia family cannot ignore it.”
At last, the Jia family departed, this time completely. It seemed they would not come to the hou fu to make trouble again.
All the Gu family’s eyes turned toward Gu Rui.
None of them could have imagined that he would threaten the Jia family with Jia shi’s memorial tablet.
More than a few people secretly thought: so much for the great love between da shaoye and his wife, was it all a lie? Otherwise, how could da shaoye bear to discard her tablet, trampled beneath countless feet?
Clearly, there must be some hidden truth behind her death.
The Jia family’s scene only proved it wasn’t simple.
But Gu Rui cared nothing for others’ stares, nor for their gossip.
Holding Jia shi’s tablet tightly in both arms, he returned to the mourning hall and placed it carefully back where it belonged.
He leaned against the coffin, stroking it with his hands, tears shimmering in his eyes.
In a low murmur he whispered, “Forgive me for using such a desperate measure, for wielding your memorial tablet as a weapon against them. You always loved peace and quiet, but they came to make noise day after day. I feared they would disturb your rest. At least now, they’ve finally been driven away. You won’t blame me, will you? If you’re angry… then just take me with you, would you?”
The mourning hall remained utterly still, save for the droning chants of the monks performing rites of deliverance.
Gu Rui pressed his head to the coffin, motionless.
Gu Jiu stepped forward and called softly, “Tang ge? Tang ge?”
No response.
Gu Yu came over and nudged him. “Gu—”
But at the lightest push, Gu Rui’s body crumpled, collapsing to the floor.
Everyone gasped in alarm.
“Tang ge, are you all right?”
“Quick! Someone, come!”
The mourning hall dissolved into chaos, everyone fearing the worst. Could it be that Gu Rui had truly followed Jia shi in death?
Gu Jiu steadied herself, seized his wrist, and felt for a pulse.
“He’s alive, he’s alive! Quickly, carry him out, back to his room, and summon the taiyi!”
“Yes, yes, call for the taiyi at once!”
“Thank heaven, da shaoye still lives.”
In truth, driving out the Jia family had consumed the last of Gu Rui’s strength. Days of torment had hollowed him out, body and spirit alike. After whispering his words to Jia shi at the coffin, he could endure no longer and fainted.
He was exhausted, body weary, heart weary.
Carried back to his chambers, he was examined by the taiyi, who prescribed medicine.
Gu Mei rushed in, eyes red with tears. She asked anxiously, “How is da ge? Why would he suddenly collapse?”
The taiyi shook his head. “Da guniang is mistaken. Da shaoye’s health has long been poor. After so many days of strain, his vitality is depleted, his essence and blood consumed. Add grief too great for any man to bear, and his body has reached its limits. That he lasted until now is already a miracle. I’ve written a prescription. Administer it carefully. In the coming days, he must rest well, eat well, drink well, and recover his spirit. Above all, do not let him worry further, else it will shorten his years.”
Gu Mei’s face drained of colour, her heart tightening with fear.
Once the physician departed, she went to see Gu Rui.
So gaunt, with his face overgrown and unkempt, reduced to such disarray, she couldn’t help but burst into tears.
The maids too wept.
How pitiful, that the eldest di grandson of the hou fu had been reduced to such a state. No wonder people whispered that Jia shi had been a vixen who had stolen away da shaoye’s very soul. With her death, his spirit too had died.
After crying, Gu Mei instructed the servants to take the utmost care of him. But there were still many guests outside waiting. She could not simply remain here, indulging her grief.
Wiping her tears and washing her face, Gu Mei composed herself and departed.
Under the eaves, Gu Jiu was waiting. Seeing her, she asked gently, “Mei jiejie, is tang ge all right?”
Gu Mei shook her head. “Thank you, Xiao Jiu meimei. Today has troubled you greatly. You’ve toiled all morning, so I had a table set in the side hall, go share the meal with Zhen meimei and the others.”
“Thank you, Mei jiejie. And please don’t worry too much about tang ge, he will recover.”
Gu Mei gave a bitter smile. “My brother’s feelings for his wife were no ordinary ones. I don’t know how long it will take him to walk free of this shadow.”
“He will,” Gu Jiu comforted her. Time is the best medicine for grief. One day, Gu Rui would rise again and begin anew.
The two of them walked together toward the outer gate.
Gu Jiu said, “Mei jiejie, about the kitchen, I took it upon myself to hire outside cooks and helpers. I hope you don’t mind.”
Gu Mei took her hand. “Xiao Jiu, I was just about to thank you. It was the perfect solution to rein in those arrogant old servants.
“This hou fu has been standing for many years, and plenty of the older servants, having once served the old houye and lao furen, carry themselves with intolerable pride. They look down their noses at us younger masters.
“You cannot imagine how hard it is to get them to do anything. It’s as if they are the masters and we are the servants, having to beg them to work. But today, your method struck them hard, and now we can finally get things done.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “It was just a quick idea, so long as you don’t find me troublesome.”
“You worry too much. As for those kitchen folk, you needn’t show them any face. If they want to make a fuss, let them. Once Grandmother returns, I will see to it myself; those who take wages yet shirk their duties will all be dismissed.”
Gu Jiu silently nodded. Yes, that was exactly how it should be.
Leave a Reply