As soon as those words were spoken, everyone’s expression changed, especially Gu Yuande—he had no appetite left and wanted to rush over at once. Yet with the Old Madam still seated, he dared not leave abruptly.
The Old Madam’s brows furrowed. Rising, she declared, “This concerns the Gu family’s bloodline. I must see for myself.”
At her movement, the others followed, heading toward Qingyi Courtyard.
Xiao Tingyun signaled a maid to take Gu Yannian away, but the boy refused, insisting on staying with Gu Qingzhao. In the end, Gu Qingzhao relented and kept him close.
Before long, they arrived at Qingyi Courtyard. From the gate, they saw maids and servants hurrying back and forth under the veranda.
At the main room’s threshold, before the Old Madam could step inside, Concubine Wan’s maid Su Xin dropped to her knees. “Old Madam, Lord Gu, you must uphold justice for our mistress! The child is gone—it’s such a grievance!” Her voice was loud, choked with sobs.
The Old Madam halted mid-step. “The child… gone? What happened?” She spoke, then entered the inner chamber, Su Xin rising to follow.
On the round table lay a rolled camel-hair mat beside an inkstone and brushes.
Physician Liu was writing out a prescription. Seeing the group enter, he bowed and reported, “Old Madam, Lord Gu—Concubine Wan’s child could not be saved. I will prescribe three months of rest. She may still pregnant again in the future.”
The Old Madam approached the bed, glanced at Concubine Wan, and offered perfunctory comfort: “Rest well. Another child will come.”
Concubine Wan’s face was ashen, lips once rosy now drained of color. She moved her mouth faintly, whispering, “Old Madam… I beg you, give me justice.”
The Old Madam patted her hand, then turned to the attendants and the physician. “What exactly happened?”
Su Xin stepped forward. “Old Madam, please judge clearly. Two hours ago, Third Young Lady delivered a gift for our mistress—this camel-hair mat. Mistress adored it and laid it out immediately. But just half an hour later, she suffered abdominal pain and bleeding. We summoned the doctor at once, but it was too late. Doctor Liu said the mat reeked strongly of musk.”
At this, Gu Yuande’s eyes blazed with fury, snapping toward Xiao Tingyun.
“How could you be so cruel? That child was already four months along—how could you bring yourself to do such a thing?” As he spoke, Gu Yuande swung a slap toward Xiao Tingyun.
Gu Qingzhao rushed forward to stop him, but before she could reach them, Xiao Tingyun had already seized Gu Yuande’s wrist.
“It wasn’t me.” At his accusation, she froze for a heartbeat, then her eyes filled with bottomless disappointment.
Gu Yuande jabbed a finger at the camel-hair mat on the table. “Wasn’t this sent by you?”
Xiao Tingyun nodded. “Yes, I had it delivered. But the musk on it has nothing to do with me.”
Seeing her refusal to admit guilt, Gu Yuande’s voice rose sharply. “If you didn’t tamper with it, then what—Wan’er poisoned herself? Did she kill her own child just to frame you?”
Xiao Tingyun, unversed in the intrigues of the inner quarters, thought for a moment and said, “Then report it to the authorities. Let the Ministry of Justice investigate. If I didn’t do it, the truth will come out.”
Gu Yuande’s shoulders shook with rage. “Report it? You’re doing this on purpose! Family disgrace must not be aired outside. You know I’ll never call the officials.”
Xiao Tingyun could not understand—was preserving appearances more important than the truth?
At that moment, Xiao Hongshuang’s eyes flickered. She stepped forward to soothe him: “Second Brother, don’t be angry. Second Sister-in-law only lost her head for a moment—that’s why she did such a thing.”
Gu Qingzhao let out a cold laugh. “The matter hasn’t even been investigated, and Third Aunt is already rushing to confess on my mother’s behalf?”
Xiao Hongshuang faltered. “That’s not what I meant. I only thought there might be another story behind it. Second Sister-in-law may have her own reasons…”
Gu Qingzhao’s face showed open disgust as she cut her off. “Of course there’s another story. I can prove this has nothing to do with my mother.”
Turning to the Old Madam, she said, “Grandmother, could you summon Sister Lamei from your courtyard?”
No one knew what medicine she was selling in her gourd, but the Old Madam nodded and ordered Lamei to be called.
While they waited, Gu Qingzhao explained: “Grandmother, when Mother returned to the manor today, she brought gifts for every courtyard. Concubine Wan’s gift was a camel-hair mat, and I delivered it myself. But when I passed the small pond, the mat fell by the water and was stained. I remembered that Grandmother’s storeroom held an identical set, which Mother brought back two years ago. Since Grandmother hadn’t used it, I sent that one to Concubine Wan instead, planning to buy a new set later to replace it. At the time, my maid Xiahe was also soaked, so I asked Sister Lamei to accompany me. The mat never left her sight for the entire journey.”
The Old Madam pointed at the mat on the table. “You mean, this is the one from my storeroom?”
Gu Qingzhao nodded. “Yes.”
At that, the faces in the room shifted—those unaware of the truth looked bewildered, while those who knew grew uneasy.
Concubine Wan, lying on the bed, was so alarmed she sat bolt upright. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes wide and fixed, like a corpse suddenly revived.
Soon, Lamei entered. After hearing the matter explained, she repeated the account exactly as Gu Qingzhao had said.
While Lamei was speaking, Gu Yannian slipped free of Gu Qingzhao’s hand and walked to the table. Gu Qingzhao knew he wasn’t a mischievous child, so she paid it no mind.
When Lamei finished, Yannian spoke up: “This kind of musk clinging to a mat would need at least three days of use to affect a pregnancy.” He frowned, then stood on tiptoe to sniff the camel-hair mat. “And this musk is old and moldy. Even if Concubine Wan laid on it for ten years, it wouldn’t cause a miscarriage.”
His words stunned everyone present—not because the musk was spoiled, but because Gu Yannian clearly understood pharmacology and spoke with such authority.
Gu Qingzhao recalled how her younger brother had once taken his own pulse after a nap. She had thought he was merely imitating the old physicians, but now realized he truly knew medicine.
Why hadn’t he spoken up in her past life? Then she remembered—back then he had been wronged, punished by their father, and returned to his quarters without even eating.
Xiao Hongshuang interjected, “Children’s words don’t count.”
Gu Qingzhao didn’t argue. Instead, she took Gu Yannian’s hand and gently squeezed his palm in praise. Then she turned to Doctor Liu. “Last night, Concubine Wan had a fall, didn’t she?”