“Madam,” Lian Qing announced, “the Heir has arrived.”
Zhou Du lay resting upon a couch, turning the pages of a travel journal. She had just bathed; her hair hung half‑dried, tended by two maids one gently warming and drying it with a scented charcoal brazier, the other combing in nourishing oil, caring for her dark tresses like a cascading waterfall.
At the announcement, Zhou Du drew her shawl closer and gave a quiet “mm” making no move to rise.
Gu Yanshan stepped inside and was met at once by a soft, lingering fragrance. He paused, struck. She seemed fond of lotus lotus patterns stitched to her robes, lotus scent clinging to her skin.
Zhou Du glanced up. “You have come. Pray be seated. Lian Qing serve tea.”
Gu Yanshan sipped and spoke with pointed bitterness. “Fine tea is all I am fit to receive. Every other kindness is denied me.”
Zhou Du lifted her eyelids lazily. “To what do I owe these words?”
“To the fact that I only learned today of your great concern for my younger brother!” Gu Yanshan’s anger rose with every word. “You go to such lengths sending your own brother to find him a great scholar as tutor! Yet when I ask for silver, I must give a written note of debt! You lavish care upon them while I am treated like a stranger!”
Zhou Du looked at him in genuine confusion. “Yanchuan and Lijiao are your own brother and sister. Why should you be displeased that I treat them well?”
“And furthermore you sought silver to secure a concubine’s betrothal gifts, not for any urgent necessity. You gave your word freely. A gentleman’s word is his bond. Do you now regret it?”
“Regret?” Gu Yanshan flushed. “I am Heir of Yong Ning! Would I default on such a paltry sum?”
Zhou Du gave a careless “oh.” “That is well.”
“You !” Gu Yanshan choked at her utter indifference.
“Instead of courting them,” he pressed on, “you should seek to please me. I am the Heir, the future Master of this House! They are but children of a concubine! What shall it profit you to favor them?”
He fell silent as Zhou Du regarded him not with agreement, but with a gaze so full of doubt, astonishment, and quiet scorn that it unnerved him.
“Who put such thoughts into your mind?” she asked. “Why do you speak so?”
“What mean you?”
Zhou Du sat upright, her posture straight and serious. The red mark at her brow glowed softly in the candlelight. “Answer my question.”
Her gravity unsettled him. “Is it not true?” he demanded. “There is a difference between the wife‑born and the concubine‑born. I am Master here. You are my wife. You should stand beside me.”
Zhou Du shook her head. “That is wrong. The distinction between wife‑born and concubine‑born exists to uphold custom and ritual. Yet blood is thicker than rank. Kin are bound as limbs to the body one heart, one strength. Only thus does a house prosper.”
“Small minds cling to rank as a weapon whether to oppress or to resent. Either way, it is strife within the family and a laughingstock to all the world.”
To be called small‑minded would ordinarily have enraged Gu Yanshan. Yet her words carried undeniable truth and he found himself unable to reply.
Zhou Du saw his anger and silence and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He was not entirely beyond reason.
“You are their Elder Brother,” she said gently. “As the saying goes: An elder brother stands in his father’s place. Never again speak words that divide this house or wound the bond between siblings.”
Gu Yanshan retorted stubbornly, “You say that only because you have but one brother and no siblings born of concubines!”
Zhou Du laughed. “Who says I have none?”
Gu Yanshan leaned forward, ears pricked expecting secrets of the Zhou family.
Instead she said clearly: “I married you. Therefore your brother and sister are my brother and sister. Do I plan for their future for my own sake?”
Her words were open, honest, and free of all ambiguity yet Gu Yanshan felt his face grow warm.
“You mean… you do all this… to win my favor?”
Zhou Du stared at him, utterly bewildered. How could he twist her words so far astray?
“I ”
“Enough,” Gu Yanshan cut her off. “No need to pretend. I have told you plainly: my heart belongs to my cousin. Do not waste your efforts upon me.”
Zhou Du fell silent. And who was it just now asking me to court him?
“It grows late,” she said. If you have nothing further to say go to your study. Do not stand in my way.
Gu Yanshan took it as a hint, not a dismissal.
“One last time,” he said solemnly. “I gave my word to Qingqing. I shall never share your bed. As my wife, you shall enjoy rank and honor and nothing more.”
Zhou Du yawned. “What I mean is go to your study. I wish to retire.”
“Good that you understand,” Gu Yanshan said, taking it as grace. She saves face, he thought. I shall not expose her.
“Second Brother… when will you come back? I shall miss you terribly.” Lijiao clung to Zhou Du’s hand, gazing up at Gu Yanchuan with tearful eyes. She had never been parted from him before.
“Do not weep. I shall write often.” Gu Yanchuan was awkward with comfort, speaking simply and earnestly. “While I am gone… I leave my sister in your care, Sister‑in‑Law.” He bowed his head in gratitude.
In the short month since Zhou Du had arrived, she had done more for him than anyone ever had. She had increased their monthly allowance so they might live without want. She had ordered clothing and shoes made for them, season by season. Most importantly she had disciplined the servants and cleared the air of laziness and neglect. Now every servant worked honestly; none presumed upon their station.
Zhou Du smiled. “You are too kind, Brother. Lijiao is sweet and good company she cheers me. I do not tend her; she tends me.”
“Travel safely. Do not spare silver along the way. We shall await your return.”
Gu Yanchuan stepped into the carriage Zhou Du had prepared spacious, smooth‑riding, furnished with a bed, a bookcase, and a desk. He might eat, read, or rest in comfort. Before parting, she had placed five hundred taels of silver at his disposal. The servants chosen to accompany him were seasoned travelers skilled cooks, strong swimmers, trained guards every need anticipated.
Her kindness, casually given, burned bright and precious in his heart.
Gu Yanchuan sat quietly for a moment, then opened his book and began to read. Once he had studied only for himself and his sister. Now… perhaps there was something more worth striving for. He would not fail her.