DBB – Chapter 4: Liuxiang
After returning to Qingtong Courtyard, Liuxiang had already arrived and was eagerly waiting for Jinchao to enter. The moment she saw her, she stepped forward with a bright smile, naturally taking Jinchao’s hand. In the process, she subtly nudged Caifu aside, ensuring that the other maid had no choice but to step back and remain silent.
Liuxiang was a year older than Jinchao, now sixteen, and had a charming beauty that set her apart from the other maids. Because Jinchao favored her, she dressed in finer clothes—her hair adorned with a gold-painted hairpin, her peach-red dress embroidered with phoenix-tail patterns, and over it, a floral satin jacket. Her bright, expressive eyes made her look especially refined.
Normally, whenever Jinchao saw her, she would greet her warmly. But today, her expression was unreadable, as still and calm as water. Without acknowledging Liuxiang’s affectionate gesture, she simply took her seat on the heated brick bed by the window and instructed Caifu to brew her some tea.
Liuxiang hesitated, suddenly unsure of herself. Had Miss grown angry with her for taking too long? Jinchao had always hated delays.
When the tea arrived, Liuxiang forced a smile, hoping to ease the tension. “Miss, do you know what I was doing while I was gone for so long?”
Jinchao lifted the lid of her teacup, watching the steam curl up into the cold air. Her voice remained indifferent. “How would I know what you were doing?”
Liuxiang’s smile faltered, and she bit her lip. Was Miss truly upset? She cast a glance at Caifu, feeling embarrassed that she was being questioned in front of a second-rank maid. Lowering her voice slightly, she said, “The matter you asked me to investigate—I have an answer. My brother works as a coachman for the Yu family, and he happened to visit today, bringing me a box of fermented black beans. So, I took the opportunity to ask him about it…”
Jinchao set down her teacup and observed Liuxiang closely. The Gu family was not the most powerful in Shi’an Prefecture, but it was still among the most prestigious. The tea she was drinking—Wan Chun Silver Leaf—was a rare tribute tea from Sichuan. Even she wasn’t sure how her father had managed to acquire it.
She searched her memory, trying to recall what she had originally asked Liuxiang to investigate. From the expectant look on her maid’s face, it was clear she was hoping for praise or a reward.
“What did your brother say?”
Liuxiang eagerly answered, “At first, my brother didn’t know, but the servants have been talking about it because the Yu family’s eldest daughter will soon be of marriageable age. They say that many years ago, the Yu Matriarch and the Chen Matriarch were very close. When the Yu girl was only four years old, they arranged a childhood betrothal between her and Young Master Chen Qi. The betrothal token is said to be a pair of jade pendants given by the Yu Matriarch…”
She paused before adding, “Although the engagement was set, the two families have not been in contact for years. Back then, the Yu and Chen families were of equal standing, but now things have changed. Chen Er Ye is a governor in Shaanxi, and Chen San Ye is a Minister at the Hanlin Academy. Their positions are far above the Yu family’s. I doubt this engagement will hold.”
Jinchao absorbed the information in silence.
Chen San Ye—Chen Yanyun—was none other than Chen Xuanqing’s father. Jinchao’s husband from her past life. She recalled how she had first learned of this engagement—Chen Xuanqing, the seventh son of the Chen family, had always been known as Young Master Chen Qi.
At the flower banquet, not only had she failed to see him, but she had also overheard the gossip about his betrothal.
When she returned home, she had been furious. She had smashed several vases and jewelry boxes in rage, then punished her maids, forcing them to kneel in the snow for an entire afternoon. Even after venting her frustration, she had been unable to let it go. That was when she sent Liuxiang to investigate. And, just as now, Liuxiang had been quick to deliver results.
Jinchao smiled faintly. “Good thing you’re so careful. Otherwise, I might have been heartbroken.” Then, she changed the subject abruptly. “What kind of fermented black beans did your brother bring?”
Liuxiang froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden shift. “Freshly made, but nothing expensive. If you’d like, I can go to my room and bring you half.”
Jinchao waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t care for them. I spent the afternoon at Mother’s and haven’t eaten yet—I’m hungry. Go to the kitchen and bring me some pastries.”
Liuxiang bowed and left, but her mood had soured. She had expected a reward or at least some recognition, yet Miss had only smiled and brushed it off. Now, she was being sent on an errand—one that should have been given to a lower-ranked maid like Caifu. The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
As she stepped outside, Baiyun was just entering the corridor, her face bright with a friendly smile. “Sister Liuxiang, you’re back too!”
Since Liuxiang was Miss’s personal maid, the lower-ranked servants always tried to stay on her good side. Normally, she would have at least acknowledged them with a nod, but today, she walked past Baiyun with a dark expression, not even sparing her a glance.
Inside, Caifu remained standing quietly beside Jinchao.
Jinchao turned to her and spoke in a low voice, “What do you think of Liuxiang?”
Caifu’s heart skipped a beat. Why was Miss asking her this?
Liuxiang was Miss’s personal maid—her opinion hardly mattered. But Miss’s tone was not warm, and the way she had asked the question… Did it mean she was displeased with Liuxiang?
Carefully choosing her words, Caifu answered, “Sister Liuxiang is very skilled at handling people. She is well-liked by you, Miss. She is clever, and unlike most maids, she can even read a little. That is quite rare.”
Her words were carefully neutral, but the underlying meaning was clear. Liuxiang knew how to please Miss, but she was arrogant toward those beneath her.
Jinchao smiled slightly, running her fingers along the rim of her tea cup, feeling the delicate engravings of the floral pattern. Then, she spoke in an almost absent-minded manner, “Fermented black beans are best made in summer. If prepared in winter, the flavor is always lacking.”
Caifu was slightly confused. Did Miss understand the process of making fermented soybeans? Jinchao was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Gu family. These things were just common household food items—why would Miss know about them? And why did she say this to her specifically?
Jinchao said nothing more. In her past life, after she had fallen from grace, she had nothing to do all day. She had learned how to make these things from Shiye, a servant who had once been a poor girl from Sichuan’s Tongchuan region. After being sold off, she had ended up in Baoding Prefecture. Under Shiye’s guidance, Jinchao had developed excellent culinary skills. She had originally been clumsy at embroidery, but after years of practice, she had even become proficient in needlework. These things… after learning them for so long, she had even started to find them enjoyable.
Liuxiang was indeed clever and resourceful. But she was also too quick to abandon loyalty for personal gain. If not for her ability to mimic Jinchao’s handwriting, Chen Xuanqing wouldn’t have been able to frame her so easily in the past. When she was on the verge of being forced to death, Liuxiang had already taken the silver banknotes and a three-courtyard house that Chen Xuanqing had gifted her. After that, she had never visited her again.
Jinchao stared at the snow-covered ground outside, lost in thought. Liuxiang’s brother had entered the Gu estate without her permission. She hadn’t even bothered to report it—she had simply gone to meet him on her own. That meant she had been given far too much freedom. If her brother had only come to deliver fermented black beans, that was one thing. But if he had been sent to gather information, then someone was pulling strings behind the scenes and then this matter was worth investigating further. Liuxiang was not that farsighted. If there was something going on, then someone else must be behind it.
The next day, Jinchao woke up unusually early. As she opened her eyes, she still saw the redwood bed intricately carved with orchids, qilins, and auspicious clouds. She let out a subtle breath of relief. She was beginning to feel more grounded in her new reality. The previous day, she had felt weak and sluggish, as though her body wasn’t entirely under her control. But today, she felt completely different.
Liuxiang helped her wash and dress, putting her in a light red dress embroidered with interwoven lotus petals and wrapping her hair with three gold floral hairpins inlaid with gemstones. Jinchao let her do as she pleased, saying nothing.
Liuxiang asked, “Miss, you woke up so early today. Are you going to visit Madam first?”
Jinchao responded, “I haven’t gone to greet Father in several days—I’ll go today.” Then, seeing Liuxiang take out a pair of gold earrings, she frowned. “Leave the gold earrings. I won’t wear them today.”
In the Gu household, the morning and evening greetings were strictly observed. Every morning, the concubines paid respects to the main wife, and the children greeted their father first, then their mother. However, Jinchao often skipped greeting Father. Whenever she went, Father would lecture her endlessly—he would scold her for not reading The Admonitions for Women and The Precepts for Women. He would insist she spend more time practicing embroidery with her Suzhou embroidery instructor. Jinchao had always hated it.
But today, she had to see Father. She needed to understand the current state of the Gu family. So much time had passed… and there were things she no longer remembered clearly.
Baiyun entered, carrying a large lacquered tray. On it were milk porridge, a plate of crispy fruit pastries, a plate of sweet osmanthus cakes, and a plate of dried bamboo shoots. By now, morning light had begun to filter through the windows. Jinchao only drank the milk porridge before heading toward Juliu Pavilion—her father’s study.