Gu Lan was in the study, reading a letter from Gu Jinrong.
Jinrong was studying in Qifang Hutong and often wrote to her, sharing amusing anecdotes from his life in Daxing. He would describe his debates on Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism with Master Zhou, who praised his diligence in the subject. Or how he had sneaked off with the young master of the Marquis of Yongyang’s household to watch a cockfight—where the marquis’s son lost ten taels of silver and threw a tantrum at his servant. One of their classmates, the legitimate second son of Assistant Minister Xu from the Court of Judicial Review, was apparently addicted to gambling on jade stones and recently sliced open a fine piece of jadeite.
But since arriving at Qifang Hutong, Jinrong had written very little. This was his first letter in quite some time.
As usual, Jinrong wrote about a number of entertaining matters and also asked how she was getting along with her eldest sister lately, and whether she was doing well.
After reading the letter, Gu Lan finally let out a breath of relief. If he was willing to write to her, it must mean he had already forgiven her. Youths were never good at holding grudges for long.
And yet, she couldn’t feel any joy—not after what her mother had told her.
…Father had already expressed his intent to marry her off to Mu Zhizhai.
Gu Lan turned her gaze toward a cluster of privet blooming beneath the window. The delicate white blossoms, once a fragrance she adored, now seemed overpowering, leaving her stifled and restless.
Mujin, newly assigned as Gu Lan’s personal maid, was meticulous and careful in all things. Noticing her mistress’s unease, she quietly slipped out and returned with a chilled cup of sour plum juice. In a soft voice, she said, “Second Miss, I cooled this with water from the well—it’s very refreshing.”
This girl was far better than Ziling. Gu Lan now felt her mother had made the right choice in sending Ziling away.
She accepted the sour plum juice and took a sip. Her thoughts drifted to her visit earlier that day to pay respects to Madam Ji. She had seen the Third Madam from the Duke of Dingguo’s household there—a rare guest, who had presented Gu Jinchao with a carved red coral bracelet as a greeting gift, while she herself had only received a modest jade bangle of average quality. The Third Madam had chatted with Madam Ji for a long time, and even the two personal maids had been sent to wait under the eaves, not permitted to stay inside and listen.
Technically, the Third Madam of the Fan family was Father’s cousin-in-law. Though his mother had once been a concubine in the ancestral Gu family, this relationship was never openly acknowledged. Still, the two families had maintained close ties. When she came of age, the Fan family had sent gifts, even if they hadn’t come in person.
Ordinarily, the Third Madam wouldn’t visit the Gu household without a reason.
After a long silence, Gu Lan finally asked,
“Mujin, have you found out why the Third Madam came?”
Mujin quickly replied,
“She later met with the Master in the flower hall. According to the maids serving tea, she came to propose a marriage for the Third Miss—someone from her maternal family, the Du family of Wuqing. The Master was quite pleased and even summoned Concubine Du to speak with him. It seems he intends to settle the match soon.”
The Mu family had just sent a proposal, and now the Fan family was stirring the pot as well! The thought of marriage proposals irritated her deeply, and she stopped asking questions.
Instead, she picked up Jinrong’s letter and went to see Song Yiniang. Every letter between her and Jinrong had to be read by her mother first.
Meanwhile, Jinchao had heard about the matter as well. She asked Nanny Tong to look into the Du family of Wuqing. Nanny Tong reported back that two generations ago, the Du family had produced a jinshi who served as Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Works. But since then, no further accomplishments had been made. The second master of the Du family had passed the juren exam, but the rest of the family had merely coasted on ancestral prestige. The Third Madam of the Fan family was the legitimate eldest daughter of that very second master.
The young man in question was Du Huai, grandson of the Du family’s fourth master, fifteen by nominal age, who had passed the prefectural examination the year before. The Du family was already in decline, and the fourth branch was an unremarkable one at that. It wasn’t considered a strong match. However, Father valued academic ambition above all, and since Du Huai had qualified as a xiucai and earned admission to the Imperial Academy on merit rather than relying on inherited privilege, Father’s impression of him improved greatly. He considered the proposal quite favorable.
Jinchao herself had no particular impression of the Du family of Wuqing. She was familiar only with high-ranking officials at court or those connected to the Chen family. Still, to earn a xiucai degree without family backing showed he had some real ambition.
When Jinchao went to pay respects to her mother, Madam Ji was speaking with Gu Yi.
Gu Xi sat to the side, cheeks slightly flushed. She tugged at Jinchao’s sleeve and asked in a hushed voice,
“Third Sister is only thirteen—are they really going to betroth her already?”
Girls typically began receiving marriage proposals at twelve. Their own family’s situation was unusual. No one dared to propose to Gu Jinchao; Gu Lan rejected all suitors as beneath her. Neither wanted to end up as someone’s concubine. So both had reached adulthood unmarried—creating a false impression for Gu Xi.
Jinchao felt a pang of sympathy. Gu Xi had been raised under Madam Ji’s name. Concubine Guo never dared get too close, afraid of displeasing Madam Ji. She sent gifts during holidays, but otherwise kept her distance. Madam Ji, on the other hand, had no energy to devote to the girl. Both Gu Yi and Gu Xi had been raised by their nurses. With so many things the maids couldn’t—or wouldn’t—explain, they were left in the dark.
Madam Ji smiled at Jinchao, a silent greeting, then resumed speaking with Gu Yi.
“I’ve neglected your matters for too long. I feel guilty about that. If you think this match is suitable, I’ll speak with your father and make it official…”
Though usually composed, Gu Yi was still just a girl. Her face turned crimson.
“Mother… I… I don’t really know…”
She had never even heard of this person before and had no idea what he was like.
Madam Ji had once been her age—she understood the girl’s anxiety. She glanced at Xu Mama and said,
“Why don’t we ask Xu Mama to tell the Third Madam that her nephew should visit and greet your father formally? If you’d like to see him, you can hide behind the curtains…”
Gu Yi bit her lip, too embarrassed to reply. Her face was so red it looked as if it might drip blood. How could she do something so shameful?
Jinchao smiled.
“I think it’s perfect timing. The Third Madam is still in the guest quarters. Let’s go talk to her now.”
Gu Xi nodded eagerly.
“…Let Third Sister have a look!” She was young and easily excited by such “fun.”
Gu Yi said nothing more. Xu Mama passed along the message, and three days later, the young man—Du Huai—arrived at the Gu residence to pay his respects.
Father arranged to meet him in the main hall.
On the day of the visit, all three daughters were crammed behind the curtain, whispering and nudging one another. Seeing them, Gu Deshao gave a wry smile.
“If you’re going to watch, at least hide properly behind the drapes…”
Jinchao felt somewhat helpless—she had been dragged over by Gu Xi. Xu Mama stood silently nearby with a smile; she was there on Madam Ji’s behalf to observe. Gu Xi, meanwhile, was the most excited of the group. It was rare to see her in such high spirits, so Jinchao said nothing about how improper it all was. After all, no one could see them.
Du Huai’s visiting card was quickly submitted. Seeing him refer to himself as a humble nephew of a younger generation (geng zhi), Gu Deshao gave an approving nod… such propriety showed good upbringing.
When the boy entered, he had no servant or page with him. He wore a neatly pressed lake-blue zhiduo, with a white jade pendant carved in a double-fish pattern at his waist. Tall and striking, he had refined features and a calm, respectful demeanor. After bowing to Gu Deshao, they discussed classical essays and were soon speaking on the Spring and Autumn Annals. Du Huai’s answers were not dazzling, but they were measured and sincere—he did not indulge in empty rhetoric. That pleased Father even more.
Watching from behind the curtain, Gu Yi found herself moved. The match was soon confirmed. An auspicious date was chosen, their birth charts exchanged, and the Third Madam of the Fan family was invited to a banquet. With that, Gu Yi was formally engaged to Du Huai.
At that very moment, Song Yiniang was sewing a jacket for Gu Lan, stitching banana leaf patterns into the sleeve cuffs, when she heard someone mention that Du Huai was quite handsome and had a solid scholarly reputation.
She responded coolly,
“There are more than three thousand students enrolled at the Imperial Academy. At each palace examination, only a few dozen make it into the Hanlin Academy as shujishi. Many of those students remain unchosen well into their fifties. It’s hardly anything remarkable. Better to have his second uncle purchase a minor post and slowly work his way up. With the Duke of Dingguo’s household as his backer, there’s no need to worry about future advancement.”
Gu Lan, who had been feeling some bitterness after hearing about Du Huai, now felt somewhat relieved. Compared to Mu Zhizhai, the one proposed for her, Du Huai was clearly far more presentable despite having a lesser background. Still, her mother’s words put things into perspective. She had already resolved not to marry Mu Zhizhai. As for Du Huai—there was no telling how his future would unfold. If Gu Yi were to spend years supporting him, her youth would slip away with little reward. So much for wealth and splendor.
Song Yiniang concluded with faint contempt,
“He’s suitable enough—for Gu Yi.”
Just then, Yuxiang came in and bowed softly.
“Yiniang, the woman who escorted Miss Ziling to Shulu County in Baoding has returned. She says she has urgent news and would like to see you.”
Could there have been some problem with Ziling’s marriage? Song Yiniang frowned but decided to let the woman in.
Mama Chen had just returned from Baoding, looking travel-worn, her coiled hair askew. She bowed loudly but had a sharp gleam in her eyes.
“What’s the urgency?” Song Yiniang asked.
Mama Chen smiled and began, “Well, quite the coincidence. On my way to escort Miss Ziling to Shulu, I ran into an old acquaintance—a woman who used to do odd jobs at our estate. She’s since retired and returned to the countryside, but it was she who recognized me. Her son now works on the Song family’s farmland. She chatted with me for a long while…”
Song Yiniang nodded, signaling her to continue—none of this sounded particularly important.
Mama Chen leaned forward. “That woman… she used to serve Concubine Yun.”
Song Yiniang paused mid-stitch. Gu Lan, hearing the name Concubine Yun, immediately tensed and glanced toward Mama Chen.
Song Yiniang waved at Qiaowei to clear the sewing from the table and leaned in.
“What exactly did this woman say that made you rush back to tell me?”
Mama Chen saw that she had piqued interest and continued with renewed energy.
“She only did cleaning work for Concubine Yun—nothing notable. But she told me that one of the two personal maids who served Concubine Yun had confided in her. She said Cuiping was wrongly accused. The medicine had not been mishandled by mistake. Someone had deliberately set out to harm Concubine Yun…”
“You’ll never guess who she said it was—Madam Ji Shi.”