To make up for the damage his earlier words had caused, Gu Yuande did not hesitate to drag Gu Qingzhao down with him. He wanted to prove that Gu Qingzhao’s intention to donate those items was insincere, merely an act of defiance. He insisted his own remarks were nothing more than a quarrel between father and daughter.
Yet, to Gu Yuande’s surprise, before Gu Qingzhao could even explain herself, Eunuch Su gave a soft laugh and shook his head. “My lord, the Third Young Lady already sent word half an hour ago. She said that some things had long been stored in the Fourth Young Lady’s warehouse. Now she has gone to retrieve them, intending to donate them to the Cien Treasury.”
“In other words, even if the Duke hadn’t stopped her today, Third Miss would have donated these things anyway.”
As for why the Gu family’s Third Miss’s belongings ended up in Fourth Miss’s storeroom, Su Baozhong neither knew nor cared. Affairs between the young ladies of the inner residence were none of his concern. His duty was simply to deliver the items back; if the Empress Dowager were pleased, his errand would be considered a success.
Gu Qingzhao looked calmly at Gu Yuande, her expression free of any hint of triumph. He did not know that before she went to Tangliwu, she had already sent Guizhi to inform her grandmother. She understood perfectly well that these things would ignite her father’s fury. Just as well—she had wanted an opportunity to prod the Empress Dowager, so she seized the chance to send the items away. In any case, she had no desire to keep things that Gu Qingjin had already used.
Hearing Su Baozhong’s words, Gu Yuande turned to Gu Qingzhao in astonishment. How had she thought of donating to the Cien Treasury? And she had given away so much?
While Gu Yuande was still dazed, Gu Qingzhao had already instructed Eunuch Su’s men to register the items. Apart from one chest of trinkets she especially loved, she donated everything else to the Cien Treasury. Once the registration was complete, both sides signed and sealed the documents, and the goods were ready to be taken away.
Gu Yuande no longer bothered to puzzle over her intentions; he busied himself with flattering Eunuch Su. Only after the household officials departed did he finally breathe out in relief. He shot Gu Qingzhao a glare, about to scold her, when a messenger from Tangliwu arrived: Fourth Miss had awakened, and the child was unharmed.
At that, Gu Yuande’s anger eased. Relieved, he immediately set off to see Gu Qingjin.
By now it was nearly noon, and the main kitchen had sent over the midday meal. As the maids and old servants laid out the dishes, Gu Qingzhao quietly instructed Guizhi, “Go find out whether there’s any stir over at Qingyi Courtyard, with Concubine Wan.”
By the time Gu Qingzhao finished her lunch, Guizhi had returned.
Inside the room, Cuīliǔ and Chūnlán were attending her. Guizhi hesitated, then said, “Sister Cuīliǔ, one of my girlfriends really likes the embroidery pattern on your shoes. Could I ask you for it on her behalf?”
Cuīliǔ laughed. “Of course, that’s no problem. Just go to my place and take it.”
Guizhi coaxed her further: “Good sister, could you fetch it for me now? I’ll deliver it to her right away—she’s terribly impatient.”
Cuīliǔ glanced at Gu Qingzhao, saw her nod, and went off to fetch it.
Only after Cuīliǔ had left did Guizhi lower her voice: “Miss, I’ve made inquiries. Nothing unusual at Qingyi Courtyard today. This morning the Duke even visited Concubine Wan and had breakfast with her.”
Gu Qingzhao gave a quiet “Mm.” It seemed Concubine Wan was preparing to use the same tricks as in her previous life. She asked Guizhi, “How did you think to send Cuīliǔ away?”
Guizhi smiled sheepishly. “When you gave me the order just now, Sister Cuīliǔ was standing nearby. You deliberately pulled me aside, clearly not wanting her to know.”
Chūnlán teased from the side: “And why didn’t you send me away too?”
Guizhi widened her eyes in surprise and replied earnestly, “Sister Chūnlán is practically the steward of Xiyun Pavilion. What matter could ever be hidden from you? If even you grew disloyal, then Xiyun Pavilion would have no one faithful left.”
Though still childish, the little maid’s words were strikingly clear—more perceptive than many of the older servants.
Before long, Cuīliǔ returned with the embroidery pattern. Guizhi took it and hurried out to deliver it to her friend.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the cracks of the window lattice. Reclining against a soft pillow, Gu Qingzhao asked Chūnlán, “Is the main courtyard all prepared?”
Chūnlán’s face lit up—her mistress rarely showed such concern for Madam and the Third Young Master. She quickly replied, “Everything is ready. Now that Third Young Master has returned, he won’t need to live at the Valley of the Divine Physician anymore. At last, Miss and Madam can be reunited.”
As Chūnlán spoke, she kept watching Gu Qingzhao’s expression. Seeing that her mistress was not displeased, she felt much relieved. For years, Miss had been distant from Madam and the Third Young Master. At first they tried to persuade her, but she could not bear even a word of counsel. Eventually, they dared not advise her at all.
In truth, Gu Qingzhao had barely heard what Chūnlán said. Her mind was filled with memories of her mother’s and younger brother’s deaths in her previous life, her chest tightening with an inexplicable ache.
Her brother, Gu Yannian, was seven years younger than her—a child born seven months premature, silent even at birth. The physician declared him frail, unlikely to live past three years. From then on, her mother took him to reside permanently at the Valley of the Divine Physician. For eight years, she brought him home only once or twice a year, most often at New Year. From the moment her brother was born, her mother no longer had the strength to care for her. She remembered when she was nine, longing for her mother and going to the valley to see her. That day her mother was coughing, and she went to the kitchen to fetch water. In the process, she spilled a little of her medicine. For that small mistake, her mother punished her to kneel at the doorway. After that, she never went to the valley again.
Her closeness to Xiao Hongshuang had a reason she never wished to admit—Hongshuang resembled her mother by six or seven parts. As a child, torn between love and resentment for her mother, she sought comfort in Hongshuang instead.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingzhao sighed. Having lived through death and rebirth, she had come to terms with it all. In her past life, her mother and brother had died because of her. In this life, she would protect them no matter what.
“Chūnlán, help me change. I want to go to the gate to welcome Mother and my brother.”
A complex look crossed Gu Qingzhao’s face. Had her mother and brother returned? She could no longer recall when they had entered the household in her previous life. She rose and made her way toward the main courtyard.
The Gu residence was a grand five-hall, three-lane mansion, bestowed by the founding emperor himself. The main courtyard lay at its center, home to Gu Yuande and Xiao Tingyun. In recent years, Madam Xiao had seldom been home, but Gu Yuande often resided there.
Gu Qingzhao walked at a steady pace, even with a trace of eagerness. Yet when she reached the courtyard, it did not seem like her mother’s return.
Chūnlán pushed open the gate. As Gu Qingzhao stepped inside, her eyes immediately reddened at the sight of the two-hundred-year-old crabapple tree in the yard.
In the last five years of her previous life, “Mother” had hidden herself in the main courtyard, refusing to see anyone. Gu Qingzhao had thought it was grief for her brother, that she had lost all spirit—even abandoning her daughter. Resentful, she had not gone to her. But in truth, during those five years her mother had lain in a cold coffin. The main courtyard had become the place where Xiao Hongshuang and Gu Yuande carried on their affair.
Gu Qingzhao drew a deep breath and stepped inside. No sooner had she entered than a harsh voice rang out: “Today’s actions were reckless beyond measure. Kneel and confess your guilt at once!”