Liu Wan’er was now filled with deep regret. In the heat of the moment, she had let her tongue run wild, forgetting just how illustrious Gu Nanyin’s maternal family was. The difference between them wasn’t merely that of a legitimate daughter versus a concubine-born daughter of a Minister’s household. How could she have been so bewitched as to dare publicly accuse her? Now, hearing the words of this unfamiliar maid by Gu Nanyin’s side, it seemed Gu Nanyin had even climbed onto the high branch of a royal prince’s household. Whether it was true or not, she dared not gamble with her father’s official position.
Liu Wan’er looked at Gu Nanyin with trembling fear, all her earlier arrogance gone. She walked up to Gu Nanyin and spoke in a low, submissive voice, “Miss Gu, this was all my fault. I shouldn’t have wagged my tongue and spoken such baseless words, causing you displeasure. I hope you will be magnanimous and not take today’s matter to heart.”
To humble herself like this before so many noble ladies and daughters of prominent families made Liu Wan’er’s face burn with shame. After today, she would likely become the laughingstock of the entire capital’s aristocratic circles. After all, she was still just a young girl, and at this thought, her eyes reddened.
“Whether to forgive you or not is not for me to decide,” Gu Nanyin said, pulling Qiuzhi in front of her and looking coldly at Liu Wan’er. “Surely Miss Liu doesn’t think she only needs to apologize to me alone?”
Liu Wan’er glanced at Qiuzhi, her hands clenched tightly, filled with both resentment and grievance. Addressing Gu Nanyin, she said, “Even if my status is inferior to yours, I am still a proper mistress. And now you want me to apologize to a maid?” In front of so many people, heaven knew how much mental fortitude it had taken for her to utter that apology. Gu Nanyin was truly pushing her luck.
“Miss, it’s all right. As long as you don’t suffer her slander for no reason, it’s fine. Besides, Miss Liu didn’t actually hit me,” Qiuzhi said, deeply moved that her mistress was standing up for her, but she didn’t want to cause trouble for her mistress because of herself.
Gu Nanyin knew Qiuzhi was thinking of her, but she had always regarded Qiuzhi as family. She looked at Liu Wan’er with bone-chilling coldness in her eyes. “Qiuzhi is my person. Whether she is a maid or a mistress, how dare you lay hands on someone under my protection in broad daylight? Do you think I, Gu Nanyin, am dead? As for you, Miss Liu, whether you are a proper mistress or not has nothing to do with me—I have not the slightest interest. Are you perhaps overestimating yourself? If you hadn’t come looking for trouble today, I wouldn’t have spared you a single glance. Whether to apologize or not is for you to decide.”
Liu Wan’er hadn’t expected Gu Nanyin’s words to be so merciless. She had already apologized, yet Gu Nanyin still refused to let her off. Anger surged through her, and she no longer cared about the Minister’s household. Since she had already lost face, she might as well drag Gu Nanyin down with her. She glared viciously at Gu Nanyin, none of her earlier humility and deference remaining. “What was wrong with what I said earlier? Isn’t Miss Gu a venomous-hearted snake? Ordering servants to beat her concubine-born sister, leaving her bedridden for months. Mistreating the concubine in the household, forcing her to move to the most dilapidated courtyard in the estate—aren’t these ironclad facts? If you dare to do such things, don’t be afraid of others speaking of them. Does Miss Gu think she alone can silence the voices of the world?”Liu Wan’er fired off questions one after another, yet Gu Nanyin’s face showed not the slightest ripple of emotion. What was going on? Could it be that she wasn’t at all angered or ashamed? Wasn’t she afraid that these words would spread and damage her reputation?
Of course, Gu Nanyin was not afraid. She looked at Liu Wan’er, a mocking curve lifting the corner of her mouth. “I had no intention of spreading the family’s disgraceful affairs to invite ridicule, but since Miss Liu has asked today, if I don’t clarify the truth, I fear the rumors will only grow more absurd. By then, with a few more thoughtless people like Miss Liu, it would likely become even more troublesome.”
Seeing Gu Nanyin’s open and unashamed demeanor, Liu Wan’er felt a faint unease in her heart. For a moment, she didn’t even mind Gu Nanyin’s remark about her being thoughtless.
More and more people gathered in the shop, even attracting commoners who couldn’t afford jewelry to crowd at the entrance, drawn by the commotion. Gossip about noble families was the perfect pastime for idle chatter.
Gu Nanyin cleared her throat and raised her voice. “What Miss Liu said about ordering servants to beat my younger half-sister—though crudely phrased—is indeed true. However, Miss Liu should understand that there is always a reason behind such matters. In the depths of winter, when the weather was bitterly cold, my half-sister deliberately sent her maids away and pushed me, her elder sister by the main wife, into the pond. If I hadn’t been fortunate, I would have long since become a ghost beneath the water. Even though I survived by chance, how much suffering did that icy, bone-chilling pond water cause me? I ran a high fever for days before it finally subsided, and my mother worried day and night, unable to eat. As a child, what I fear most is causing my parents distress. Not only was my health damaged, but I also made my mother worry and shed tears for me. Miss Liu earlier spoke of a ‘heart as venomous as a snake or scorpion.’ I’d like to ask, do my sister’s actions deserve those four words?”
Gu Nanyin cast a cold glance at Liu Wan’er and, without waiting for her reply, continued, “For over a decade, I have always treated Gu Qinglian as my own sister. Whatever I had, she, as my half-sister, also received. Even things sent exclusively by my maternal grandparents—if Gu Qinglian liked them, I gave them to her without hesitation. Yet she, while pretending to be close to me on the surface, secretly sought to take my life. I am no saint who repays evil with kindness. I merely had the servants give her a few lashes with a cane. Sparing her life was already an act of utmost benevolence.”
“Who would have thought the daughter of the Minister’s household could be so malicious?”
“Indeed, daring to take a life at such a young age—what will she be capable of in the future?”
The crowd grew livelier, with accusations and disdain for Gu Qinglian frequently heard. Liu Wan’er grew anxious. “You say Qinglian pushed you—do you have any proof?” How could these people be so mindless, believing whatever Gu Nanyin said?
Gu Nanyin looked at Liu Wan’er, a broad smile spreading across her face. “Miss Liu, why do you think the concubine willingly moved to the worst courtyard in the estate? This Minister’s residence is not my personal domain, and the concubine has always been favored. My father listens to her. If she had uttered a single word of unwillingness, what power could I possibly have to force her to change courtyards?”After saying these words, Gu Nanyin unsurprisingly saw Liu Wan’er’s face turn pale: “Since Miss Liu often visits my residence, you should know that what I say is not false. The courtyard where Concubine Yun previously lived was the best in the entire Minister’s Mansion. Even my mother’s Tingzhu Garden, where she resides as the rightful principal wife, could not compare. However, my mother has always been broad-minded and never cared about such external matters, never arguing with the concubine. If it weren’t for the fact that the concubine feared I would reveal that Gu Qinglian pushed me into the water, which would damage Gu Qinglian’s reputation, why would she willingly move to the worst courtyard in the mansion? Moreover, Concubine Yun is, after all, just a concubine. Isn’t Jicao Pavilion perfectly suited to her status?”