The group of guards Ji Shi had brought into the Gu household all hailed from Tongzhou.
In Tongzhou, there was a martial arts hall run by the Xue family. Its master, Old Master Xue, had traveled far and wide in his youth, becoming a formidable martial artist. After returning to Tongzhou, he opened the Xue Martial Hall, dedicated to teaching self-defense and combat skills to boys from poor families. Most of the Ji family’s guards had been selected from this hall—Qingpu included, who had trained under Old Master Xue’s third son.
The Ji family treated these martial hall-trained guards very well, paying them seven taels a month, along with grain and cloth for their families—more than what even second-tier maids earned. After joining the Gu household, their treatment remained the same. For the unmarried ones, Ji Shi would even arrange marriages for them. These guards were between thirty and forty years old, and deeply loyal to her.
The one Xu Mama brought today was the captain of the guards—a towering man with fan-sized hands and a calm demeanor. He was a collateral relative of the Xue family, known as Xue Sixteen. He had a wife and two children in Tongzhou.
Xue Sixteen cupped his fists in greeting to Jinchao but said nothing.
Jinchao knew that these men weren’t sticklers for decorum and didn’t mind the lack of formalities. She asked Baiyun to serve him tea and invited him to sit on a stone stool.
“You’re Old Master Xue’s nephew, and I have a maid trained by his third son. That would make her your martial niece,” Jinchao said with a smile, motioning for Qingpu to come and greet him.
But Xue Sixteen remained standing. He merely nodded at Qingpu and said to Jinchao, “Young Miss need not be so polite. If you have orders, just say the word—I will do all I can to carry them out.”
These guards were loyal to her mother, so they would follow her orders, but that didn’t mean they held her in any particular regard. Ji Shi had earned their loyalty over the course of more than ten years. Jinchao remembered in her past life when she had visited the Yongyang Bo estate—her father had assigned Xue Sixteen and a few guards to accompany her. She had insisted on rowing across the lake with the third young lady of that household. No matter how much the guards and matrons tried to dissuade her, she wouldn’t listen and ended up falling into the water. It was Xue Sixteen who had jumped in and saved her. Yet when they returned home, her father punished every one of them for failing to protect her.
The guards never complained—but they surely resented it.
Jinchao’s decision to save Xiuqu was partly for Yuzhu’s sake. The girl was clever and loyal, and Jinchao didn’t want her friend to suffer for it. Xiuqu had suffered because of their actions. Jinchao couldn’t bear to let it be—after all, she was a faithful servant.
If Song Yiniang had truly decided that Xiuqu should die, it would’ve been easy. Who would investigate the disappearance of a lowly maid? She hadn’t expected Yuzhu to uncover anything. But where was Xiuqu now? Was she even still alive? That remained unknown. The Gu residence had several unused courtyards—whether Xiuqu was hidden in one of them or still within Song Yiniang’s quarters was something only the guards could find out.
Having made up her mind, Jinchao said to Xue Sixteen, “The reason I summoned you today is to ask you to find someone—a twelve-year-old maid. She once helped me but was punished by Song Yiniang for a mistake. She’s now gone missing. I’d like you to search the side courtyards during your rounds. Be thorough. Don’t overlook a single room. See if you can find her.”
Xue Sixteen thought for a moment and asked, “Is it possible the girl fled to avoid punishment?”
Jinchao replied, “The matter is urgent—let’s not get into details. If you find her, you’ll understand. If she’s in one of the side courtyards, bring her to me immediately.”
Xue Sixteen frowned slightly. So this was what the young miss had summoned him for? To find a maid? Still, he said nothing, gave a slight bow, and took his leave.
Watching him walk out with Xu Mama, Caifu whispered, “He doesn’t seem very willing to follow your orders, Miss.”
Jinchao explained, “Martial men are simple in thought. Once you earn their respect, they’ll obey. Right now, I only have command over them because of my mother. How else could the Gu household afford to hire a nephew of Old Master Xue?”
She said no more on the matter.
After a while, Nanny Tong returned and informed her, “Doctor Liu is waiting for you in the flower hall.”
Jinchao nodded and headed toward the hall. On the way, she said, “There are still three jars of Qiulu White* in the storeroom—bring them all for Doctor Liu.”
[*Qiulu White (秋露白) – A kind of medicinal or ceremonial wine, often used as a gift.]
She had called for Doctor Liu to see whether her mother’s food contained anything unsuitable. Xu Mama had already told her that poisoning was out of the question. She had thoroughly searched Xiexiao Courtyard, checked the incense burners, utensils—everything had come up clean. Even her mother’s bedding had been replaced.
Jinchao had Xu Mama write out a list of dishes and ingredients her mother commonly used—just in case anything on it might be harmful to her condition and needed to be removed.
Doctor Liu examined the list carefully. After double-checking, he said, “Madam is of naturally weak constitution, with cold in her spleen and stomach, as well as blood and qi deficiency. Her meals should include mild and nourishing ingredients—nothing cold in nature. Everything listed here fits those criteria. Nothing appears inappropriate.”
Jinchao was puzzled. If everything had been ruled out—then was what Mr. Xiao said even true?
She asked again, “Then why does my mother’s condition fluctuate so often? Isn’t that unusual?”
Doctor Liu looked uneasy. “That’s hard to say. If her heart is weighed down with too much grief and depression, it could certainly worsen her symptoms…”
There truly was nothing out of place to be found. Asking Doctor Liu further would only make things difficult for him, so Jinchao thanked him and had Nanny Tong bring the jars of Qiulu White to escort him out of the residence. In her own heart, she reviewed everything her mother ate and used on a daily basis—there truly didn’t seem to be anything wrong… But then again, Mr. Xiao had never personally examined her mother’s condition; his conclusion could very well be biased.
Jinchao thought she might pay a visit to Song Yiniang that evening to investigate whether Xiuqu might still be there.
That afternoon, Master Xue would come to instruct her in Su embroidery. Jinchao presented to him the Antique Still Life Motif she had recently finished mounting. This piece was done in Su embroidery. Whereas Shu embroidery was known for its vivid realism—especially in birds, beasts, and flowers, with dense and uniform stitches—Su embroidery was less literal and leaned more toward evocative elegance.
The four-panel screen she had embroidered featured treasured tripods, vases, high pedestals, and similar objects. The colors were delicate and refined. Master Xue examined it with glowing praise. Jinchao had originally excelled only in Shu embroidery, but now her Su embroidery was equally accomplished. The techniques, after all, shared common foundations—her progress came naturally with dedicated effort.
That evening, after dining with her mother, Jinchao had a few attendants carry the four-panel screen to Linyan Pavilion.
Her father had not summoned Song Yiniang for over a month, nor had he visited her. If he wasn’t with Concubine Luo, then he was sleeping alone in Juyliu Pavilion. These days, aside from overseeing the household accounts, Song Yiniang spent most of her time at Linyan Pavilion.
Song Yiniang had apricot tea served. “The apricots have just ripened for early summer—still tinged with green. I had some picked and brewed into apricot tea, with several pieces of rock sugar added. I know the young miss likes things sweet.”
Jinchao glanced at the pale yellow tea, took a small sip, and casually set the cup aside on the small table beside her.
“I came to visit Auntie—and to bring you a little gift.” She motioned for the servants to carry in the four-panel screen. “I started this during Lan-jie’s coming-of-age ceremony. It took over a month to complete. I realized I’ve never given you anything before, so I thought I’d bring this as a token of goodwill.”
Song Yiniang’s smile faltered for a moment. Why bring up Gu Lan’s coming-of-age ceremony all of a sudden…? When the screen was brought in, she finally stood and looked it over. “It’s truly exquisite. The young miss’s embroidery now surpasses Lan-jie’s by far! I’ve always found flower and bird motifs too gaudy—this antique still life theme is much more to my taste.” She turned to two old servant women nearby. “Take the screen to the side room and store it there. Be careful not to damage it.”
Jinchao, however, smiled faintly. “Is Auntie displeased with my embroidery? Why store it away in a side room? I noticed you don’t have a screen in your west secondary chamber—this one would fit nicely.”
The side room was where miscellaneous items were stored. Clearly, Song Yiniang wasn’t taking the gift seriously.
But Jinchao understood her well—Song Yiniang was innately cautious, overly so to the point of paranoia. For someone to suddenly bring her a gift without apparent reason—she’d be suspicious of the motive. The more earnestly Jinchao asked her to use it, the more she would refuse.
Song Yiniang’s smile stiffened further as she tried to explain, “You don’t know, young miss—this room gets terribly stuffy in summer. I have to keep the doors open for ventilation. If I put a screen in the west room, it would block the breeze and make it worse.”
Jinchao found this explanation laughable. Linyan Pavilion is built over a lake—it’s the coolest place in the entire residence. But she didn’t press further. Instead, she nodded mildly. “In that case, I won’t insist. But the screen is made from sandalwood and unglazed—it mustn’t be exposed to damp. You can’t store it in the side room. I think the western wing rooms are quite dry—they’d be more suitable.”
Besides the main hall, east wing, and servant quarters, all of which were occupied, the western wing of Linyan Pavilion was rarely used. It was shaded by tall locust trees, their canopy casting heavy shade. Servants and maids seldom passed through there.
If Xiuqu was being held here, Jinchao thought, the west wing would be the most likely place.