Xie shi gave Zhang shi a half-smile. “Dasao truly knows how to play the good person.”
“It’s rare to see dimei showing such concern for Xiao Jiu’s health,” Zhang shi replied with a thinly veiled barb.
Xie shi’s face darkened. “Dasao, mind your words.”
Zhang shi laughed lightly. “Just a jest, don’t take offence.”
Xie shi sneered. “In just half a month, dalang will be married. Congratulations, dasao. You’ll finally be a mother-in-law, and next year you’ll likely have a grandson in your arms.”
The eldest young master, Gu Ban, was set to marry in half a month, just three days after Gu Mei’s wedding.
His bride-to-be was a Zhang family biaomei, a lively and forthright girl.
Zhang shi smiled gently. “Dimei must remember to drink the wedding wine. Oh, and in just over a month it will be Zhen yatou’s wedding, and right after that, Yue’er’s. Zhen yatou’s dowry has been overseen by Xiao Jiu, and I hear it’s nearly all prepared. Has dimei finished preparing Yue’er’s dowry?”
Expressionless, Xie shi replied, “No need for you to worry, dasao. I’ve already prepared my Yue’er’s dowry.”
“Then I’m relieved,” Zhang shi said with a smile. “By the way, Yue’er has been much quieter lately, that’s good. A young lady should be gentle and demure.”
At this, Xie shi laughed. Indeed, Gu Yue had shown much improvement recently. As she had always believed, how could her daughter ever be inferior to Gu Jiu? She had only been muddleheaded for a time. Now that she had awakened, she would surely grow better and better.
Gu Jiu drifted in a haze, unsure of day or night.
In her dreams, it felt as though her soul had left her body, travelling through time and space, ancient buildings melting into modern skyscrapers.
She floated all the way home.
Her room was still kept for her. Her mother polished her photograph, where she was smiling so brightly.
Time swept by. Her brothers married and had children.
Her parents, surrounded by children and grandchildren, wore happy smiles.
Every year on Qingming Festival, they all gathered to visit her grave.
From above, Gu Jiu floated down to look at her own portrait. Her brothers had chosen her favourite photograph; it was just like them to know her so well.
Her brothers grew old, her parents aged, and the Gu family’s third generation came of age. The Gu Group flourished.
Her parents retired early and travelled the world.
Her brothers busied themselves with work and grooming heirs.
No matter how far they lived or how busy they became, on Qingming Festival, they always returned home to visit her grave and talk to her.
Seeing her parents healthy, her brothers’ families happy, her heart was sour and sweet, but she was content.
She smiled, just as radiantly as in the photograph.
In her family’s memory, she was forever twenty, in the prime of life.
A gust of wind carried her away, drifting farther and farther from them.
She felt no regret. Everything was perfect. She was satisfied.
Gu Jiu opened her eyes. Dawn had come.
Had she really slept the whole night?
Her body was limp, sticky with sweat, as if she’d been pulled from water.
How much had she perspired to be soaked through like this?
Qing Mei entered with hot water to wash her down.
When she turned, wringing the towel, she saw Gu Jiu’s eyes open.
“Guniang, you’re awake at last! Heaven be thanked, nubi was nearly scared to death!” Qing Mei cried in relief.
Gu Jiu sat up, and Qing Mei hurried to support her. “Careful, guniang.”
Her body felt strangely light, as though she had lost weight, weak and airy, but her spirit was surprisingly steady.
“How long was I asleep?” she asked.
“Guniang doesn’t remember? The night before last, after your bath, you lay down and never woke. You even burned with fever. The physician said it was brought on by a shock.”
Gu Jiu recalled, yes, she had felt unwell during her bath. She hadn’t expected it to become a fever.
“So I slept for two days and nights?”
Qing Mei nodded anxiously. “Nubi was beside myself. If guniang hadn’t woken soon, nubi was ready to beg laoye to invite a Daoist priestess to perform rites.”
Gu Jiu laughed. “I’m all sticky, let’s wash up first.”
“Nubi listens to guniang.”
With Qing Mei’s help, Gu Jiu bathed and changed into fresh cotton underclothes.
After drinking two cups of water and eating a few pastries, she finally felt strength return.
She summoned her four maids and examined their left hands closely.
Earlier, she had already noticed Qing Mei’s hand was swollen while tending her. Clearly, something had happened while she was unconscious.
“Tell me, what happened to your hands?”
The three maids instinctively tried to hide them. Only Wang Yi kept hers in view; her hands were unhurt.
“No use hiding, I’ve seen it. Was it the rod?” Gu Jiu asked.
Qing Zhu admitted softly, “We failed to care for guniang properly. Being struck with the ruler was deserved.”
Gu Jiu’s face hardened. “Was it taitai who ordered this punishment?”
The four maids fell silent.
Her expression darkened.
At last, Wang Yi nodded honestly. “Yes. Taitai gave the order.”
Gu Jiu’s eyes narrowed. Xie shi really would seize any chance to strike.
Then she said gently, “You’ve suffered for me.”
But the maids quickly shook their heads. “Nubi doesn’t feel wronged. It was nubi’s fault for not caring for guniang properly.”
Gu Jiu raised her hand, stopping Qing Mei from continuing.
“That day at Jumeizhai, you must all have been terrified, weren’t you?”
Aside from Wang Yi, the other three maids turned pale. The image of Jumeizhai awash in blood, corpses strewn everywhere, was deeply imprinted in their minds. No matter how they tried, they could not forget it.
These past two days, they had been busy tending to Gu Jiu by day, and plagued by nightmares all through the night. That was how they endured, every one of them had dark circles under their eyes.
Gu Jiu sighed softly. “It is I who dragged you into this.”
“Guniang mustn’t say that. What happened that day, none of us could have foreseen it. It was all an accident.”
Gu Jiu said to her four maids, “Indeed, an accident. So don’t dwell on it. If you can’t sleep at night, I’ll write a prescription to help with rest.”
Qing Mei smiled. “Guniang waking up is better than any prescription.”
Gu Jiu replied, “Sleep is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. I’ll also prepare a balm to reduce swelling and bruises. Apply it to your hands; it works well.”
“Guniang has only just woken. You should lie down and rest more. We can still manage.”
“If you can manage, then so can I. I’ve slept two days and nights straight. I don’t need more bed rest. It’s time to move around, stretch my limbs. Don’t worry about me, the illness has passed. I’m only weak from not having eaten in two days.”
Gu Jiu rose, went to the study, and wrote out two prescriptions, sending Xiao Cui to the storeroom to get the medicine.
Then she called Qing Mei closer. “Has anything happened in the fu these past two days?”
Qing Mei answered, “The hou fu heard that you were ill. Lao furen and the three furen all sent people to visit you, and they delivered many medicinal herbs. Mei guniang even came in person, though at that time you were still unconscious.”
Gu Jiu said, “Mei jiejie is about to be married, yet she still came to see me. I must remember this kindness. As for lao furen and my three tang bomu, I’ll visit the hou fu another day to pay my respects. Anything else?”
Qing Mei shook her head. “Nothing else. Ah, except that san guniang hasn’t gone out these past few days. She hasn’t attended household management lessons at the discussion hall, nor classes at the hou fu’s academy.”
Gu Jiu asked curiously, “Do you know why?”
“They say san guniang has been suffering from the summer malaise. She feels unwell and dislikes going out.”
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow. Back in the northwest, she had never heard of Gu Yue being afflicted with summer malaise. Yet now in the capital, it suddenly appeared.
She asked again, “Any news from outside? Has Erzhuang sent word?”
Qing Mei lowered her voice. “Guniang, laoye hasn’t returned for two days. He’s been eating and sleeping at the yamen, busy without rest. It’s said he was even summoned to the palace and severely scolded by His Majesty.
“Also, Erzhuang has been released from the yamen, but Jumeizhai has not reopened. They’ll need to wait a while longer before resuming business.”
Gu Jiu asked, “Any word from Gu si ge?”
Qing Mei shook her head. “Gu si shaoye hasn’t sent any message.”
Gu Jiu lowered her voice. “What about Xie Mao?”
The maids had not seen Gu Jiu kill Xie Mao, but they had seen the killer disguised as a footman carry his corpse out of the chamber. That sight was one they could never forget in this lifetime.
As to who killed him, they dared not ask.
Qing Mei whispered, “Still no word.”
Gu Jiu was surprised. Two days had passed already. With the Jinwuwei involved, how had Xie Mao’s corpse not been confirmed yet?
Hadn’t his family noticed his absence?
Hadn’t the Eastern Palace reacted?
Something was strange.
The Jinwuwei couldn’t possibly be so inept. Could it be that someone was interfering, deliberately delaying their investigation?
At this thought, Fang shaojian’s figure surfaced in her mind.
Gu Jiu looked out the window. Was Fang shaojian dead or alive? Could he handle the aftermath properly?
In the Eastern Palace, within just a few days, the Crown Prince had grown even thinner.
He was discussing urgent matters with his officials.
The Eastern Palace guards had been slain at a cloth shop in the southern part of the city. The shopkeeper and the clerks were all dead.
There were no witnesses left alive.
Word on the street was that ‘bandits’ had entered the capital.
Of course, from the court to the imperial clan, no one believed such a story.
Bandits? In the capital? Nonsense. Clearly, someone had been driven to desperation.
The so-called bandits were just a cover to deceive the common folk, to muddy the truth.
The Crown Prince’s chamberlain, Xu daren, looked at the Crown Prince. “Your Highness, a decision must be made. The Eastern Palace guards were slaughtered at the southern cloth shop: this is certainly an attempt to plot against you. We must seize this chance to suppress our enemies.”
The Crown Prince’s face was pale. “There’s still no word from Xie daren. Perhaps we should wait a little longer.”
Xu daren shook his head. “We cannot wait. At such a time, if Xie daren has not appeared, it means he is almost certainly dead. Didn’t they say an unidentified corpse was found at the cloth shop? Most likely, it was him.”
The Crown Prince’s lips trembled. “Could it be… Xie daren truly met with misfortune? Then it is gu who brought his doom.”
“To give his loyalty to Your Highness, even in death, Xie daren would rest in peace.”
Xu daren’s voice was devoid of emotion, his tone cold and unfeeling.
The Crown Prince fell silent for a while, then said, “If we make a show of the Eastern Palace guards’ deaths, gu fears it may backfire. Fuhuang has been in a violent temper of late. If he suspects gu is causing disturbances while in mourning, in a fit of rage, he may depose gu.”
“Your Highness, mind your words.” Xu daren frowned slightly. “You have done nothing wrong. Why would His Majesty depose you? Do not frighten yourself. Moreover, chen believes there are certain people around Your Highness who also ought to be purged.”
The Crown Prince’s expression changed slightly.
Xu daren’s attitude was uncharacteristically firm. “If Your Highness cannot make a timely decision, then weichen dares to act once on Your Highness’s behalf.
“While the case of the slaughtered Crown Prince’s guards remains unsolved, and all other princes are under suspicion, we must muddy the waters. If this is handled well, Your Highness will certainly benefit from it.”
The Crown Prince asked, “Can the others truly be dragged into these troubled waters?”
“Rest assured, Your Highness. Chen will spare no effort to see it done.”
“Then I must trouble you, Xu daren.”
“It is chen’s duty to share Your Highness’s burdens.”
After leaving Bowang Garden, Xu daren encountered the Crown Princess, Sun shi, on a garden path.
“Chen pays respects to niangniang.”
“No need for formality! Have matters been settled?”
Xu daren nodded. “His Highness has already agreed to entrust weichen with full authority over this case. In addition, regarding the identity of that nameless corpse, soon it can no longer be concealed.”
The Crown Princess smiled lightly. “No need to hide it further. Announce it.”
“That would be like dropping water into a pan of hot oil; it will explode.” Xu daren reminded her in a low voice.
The Crown Princess chuckled. “That is precisely the effect bengong wants. Even if we are to perish, we must drag a few down with us. We cannot have the Eastern Palace drowning in storm and sorrow while the other wang fu indulge in song and dance. His Highness may be able to endure it, but bengong cannot.”
Xu daren, stroking his beard, secretly nodded. “Niangniang should spend more time persuading the Crown Prince. At this stage, he cannot continue to hesitate.”
The Crown Princess sighed bitterly. “Does Xu daren not know His Highness’s nature? He is always indecisive when faced with matters. When muhou was alive, he could rely on her. Now that she is gone, he has no pillar to lean on, and his weakness has only worsened.”
Hearing this, Xu daren sighed softly. “Niangniang bears much hardship.”
“Both you and I act for His Highness’s future, for the lives of everyone in the Eastern Palace.”
“Yes, all of us are working for His Highness’s future.”
Xu daren took his leave.
The Crown Princess hesitated for a moment, then went straight to Bowang Garden to visit the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince’s face was full of worry. Recently, troubles had come one after another.
First, Fang shaojian was wanted throughout the capital. Then Xie Mao led men to arrest him.
Fang shaojian could not be found, yet Xie Mao ended up dead.
Did all this mean his position as Crown Prince was at its end?
The Crown Prince brooded, his brows knit tight.
When the Crown Princess arrived, he asked, “Why have you come?”
“Chenqie was worried, so I came to see Your Highness. Have you been drinking again?”
The Crown Prince gave a bitter smile. “What else can ease sorrow but Du Kang’s wine? At this point, my only reliance is the cup in my hand.”
The Crown Princess frowned in displeasure. “Why must Your Highness abandon yourself like this?”
The Crown Prince smiled faintly. “The days are numbered. Gu has toiled half a lifetime, endured decades of suffering. Now I only wish to indulge myself a little. Is that wrong?”
The Crown Princess asked, “Why does Your Highness believe your days are numbered? Has someone been whispering in your ear?”
The Crown Prince waved his hand. “Do not be suspicious. No one has spoken ill in my ear. Gu has a premonition, I may not survive more than three years.”
“Nonsense!”
The Crown Prince froze, stunned that the Crown Princess dared to rebuke him.
She said angrily, “Everyone knows Your Highness is in a difficult position. All the more reason not to abandon yourself now. You must rally your spirit, exhaust every effort, and plan for the future.”
“Exhaust every effort, plan for the future? Heh… what use is that?”
“If you do not try, how will you know it is useless?”
The Crown Prince shook his head. “It is useless. Fuhuang despises me. Sooner or later, he will depose me.”
“Not necessarily,” the Crown Princess said firmly.
The Crown Prince looked at her in puzzlement.
She parted her lips, wanting to tell him that Fang shaojian was still alive, hiding within the capital.
But when the words reached her mouth, she swallowed them back.
She suddenly realised that the Crown Prince was no longer trustworthy.
With his defeatist mindset, always expecting to be deposed, if he knew that Fang shaojian lived and had killed Xie Mao, how would he react?
Would he look at her with disgust?
Would he curse her as a venomous woman, scolding her for meddling in state affairs?
Nothing was certain.
So the Crown Princess drew back. She decided to keep the truth hidden.
If the Crown Prince wished to waste away, then let him.
Because the Eastern Palace had not only the Crown Prince, but also the Imperial Grandson.
If handled properly, the Imperial Grandson might yet have a chance at the throne.
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