Supported by Lian Qing, Zhou Du rose and spoke with calm composure. “Father, I pray do not be angry. My husband meant only to observe propriety this day. Yet it would be improper to pay tea to an aunt before one’s own mother.”
“Rather let us bring forth Mother’s memorial tablet, that I may offer tea to her in all reverence.”
At her words, Gu Wu’s anger melted instantly. He cast a sharp, warning glare at Gu Yanshan, then beamed at Zhou Du. “Wise! Most thoughtful! You see what none other perceived.”
When the rites were done, Zhou Du paid her respects to the remaining elders and received their gifts.
Lady Song pressed a pair of white jade bracelets upon her wrists. The jade was fine, yet beside Zhou Du’s own pair red gold set with carved white jade lotuses they seemed instantly dull and plain.
Lady Song laughed nervously and turned the conversation. “Madam Heir is indeed all that rumor says gracious, poised, and noble beyond compare. I pray you will henceforth guide and instruct our humble Qingqing.”
Zhou Du smiled in silence. Flattery to bind me, she thought.
Song Qingqing was drawn forward by her aunt. Zhou Du regarded her calmly from head to toe, then spoke into the hush that had fallen over the room. “Aunt speaks too highly. We are one household now. Harmony matters above all let us speak no more of instruction and station.”
Her words were generous and courteous. Yet to Gu Yanshan, they sounded like something else entirely.
“Father!” he cried. “You promised once the wedding rites were done, we should choose a day for Qingqing to enter this house! The Emperor’s decree is sealed; she is mine. I shall not keep her waiting!”
Gu Wu, seated calmly, shot to his feet in a towering rage. “You ungrateful fool! You have scarce taken a wife and already you would bring a concubine into her home? You would shame your bride before all the world? I shall beat you to death!”
Gu Yanshan had already suffered many blows. Thin and pale, he looked as though another beating might indeed kill him. Relatives and servants rushed forward to hold the Marquis back.
“Lord Marquis she is all your late wife left to you! Would you strike her only child? How could you answer to her memory?”
Song Qingqing burst into tears. “Uncle, do not strike him! I shall not wed him! It is all my fault…!”
Gu Yanshan lifted his chin defiantly and comforted her. “Qingqing fault lies not with us! We have done nothing wrong! It is they who are unjust!”
Zhou Du surveyed the uproar and sighed. She drew a sharp breath and spoke clearly. “Silence!”
Her face was cold, her voice ringing with authority sharp, steady, and unyielding. The room fell instantly still.
Gu Wu composed himself. “Du’er, fear not. I shall see right done. This insolent boy shall have his place.”
“I thank you, Father,” Zhou Du said calmly. “Yet my husband speaks truly. Lady Song is his noble concubine by imperial decree. She shall cross this threshold in time. To choose a day and make preparations is a duty I must fulfill.”
Gu Yanshan and Song Qingqing stared, stunned that she should speak in their favor.
Zhou Du continued. “Lady Song is not only his cousin, but the one he holds most dear. She must not be slighted. Therefore the date must not be too soon. Let it be celebrated with proper honor.”
Gu Yanshan nodded, pleased. She is willful and proud, he thought, yet she upholds my dignity before others. She acts with sense. Perhaps she is not so terrible after all.
“I have consulted the almanac,” Zhou Du said. “The twenty‑second day of the sixth month is most auspicious. What say you, Father? And you, Husband?”
The twenty‑second of the sixth month three months hence.
Gu Yanshan found it acceptable. Not too long to wait.
Gu Wu, for his part, would not gainsay his daughter‑in‑law. “Wise and thoughtful. Let it be done as you see fit.”
The crisis passed. Zhou Du went on to greet the younger generation and exchange gifts.
“Thank you, Sister‑in‑Law.”
Knowing Gu Yanchuan loved his studies, Zhou Du had given him a set of the finest writing implements. As he received the gift, Zhou Du noticed the worn edge of his cuffs. His clothes were clean and neat, yet the fabric was old and out of fashion. He lacked nothing in food and shelter yet the household servants cared little for him.
Gu Yanchuan had a younger sister, Gu Lijiao, six years old. Their mother had died giving birth to her. With no birth mother to protect them, and the late mistress long gone, and Gu Wu ever busy at his post, the two children clung to each other. No wonder the servants were careless.
Gu Yanchuan did not entrust the gift to a servant. He bowed his head slightly, his fingers brushing the rich brocade wrapping fabric alone worth months of his meager allowance. Yet what most stirred him was the faint, delicate scent of lotus rising from the box the very scent that clung to her.
The gift burned in his hands, and he felt suddenly unworthy. No one noticed his agitation; he was a shadow in this house.
To the young ladies of the household, Zhou Du had given fine jewels and rare silks. Seeing such generosity, all regarded her with fresh respect. Truly, the great houses bred their daughters well.
After breakfast, Zhou Du walked through the manor to clear her head and learn her new home.
“Brother Yanshan… why did you spend the entire night in her chamber? Did you… did you…?” A soft, tearful voice drifted toward her, trembling with anxiety.
Gu Yanshan spoke quickly, eager to reassure her. “Qingqing nothing happened, I swear it! I remained there only to preserve appearances. She is, after all, the Emperor’s choice. I humbled her by failing to come and that was lesson enough. I would not shame her further.”
Zhou Du nearly laughed aloud. So he did care about his own dignity. He had not told Song Qingqing he had been struck senseless.
Song Qingqing turned and caught sight of Zhou Du’s party. Her eyes widened. She suddenly threw her arms around Gu Yanshan.
“Brother Yanshan… seeing your wife today, I feel so small and unworthy. She is so beautiful… and so noble…”
Gu Yanshan, flattered and pleased by her embrace, patted her comfortingly. “Foolish girl. You may lack her beauty and her rank but in my heart there is only you. We have known each other since childhood. Nothing can compare to that.”
The words were meant to be tender yet they were clumsy and cruel. Song Qingqing’s pitiful smile faltered.
Zhou Du could hold back no longer. She laughed a bright, clear sound. Gu Yanshan turned and saw her standing there, watching them with undisguised amusement.
Before all eyes, Gu Yanshan hastily set Song Qingqing upright and stepped back.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded, stiff with embarrassment.
His tone was sharp and cold utterly different from the voice he used with his cousin. Zhou Du paid him no mind.
“Forgive the intrusion,” she said pleasantly. “I was merely passing. Pray continue. Yet I would advise you the lady wears thin robes, and you yourself are still weak from illness. Do not linger by the water’s edge.”
Gu Yanshan’s jaw tightened. No man likes being told he is frail. But he remembered all too well what happened the last time he crossed her and swallowed his retort in silence.