DBB – Chapter 15: Seeking the Culprit

By the time Jinchao arrived at Xiexiao Courtyard, she saw that two of the concubines were already there. She immediately instructed the maids to open the windows for ventilation and had the charcoal brazier moved closer to the bed. The others were sent to wait in the east side room, leaving only Xu Mama to tend to her mother.

Before long, Song Yiniang and Aunt arrived together, followed shortly by Gu Lan, Gu Xi, and the others, who all gathered in the west side room.

Finally, Gu Jinrong came rushing in, so hastily that even his page, Qingxiu, could not hold him back.

“Mother!” His eyes were red as he ran straight to the bedside, grabbing his mother’s hand.

For all his usual composure, he was still only an eleven-year-old boy. Faced with his mother’s grave illness, he was utterly shaken.

Xu Mama tried to console him. “Young Master, please wait in the west side room.”

Gu Jinrong stubbornly shook his head. “I want to stay with Mother!”

Jinchao frowned. Her younger brother was being completely unreasonable. She glanced at Qingxiu and Qing’an, giving them a firm look. “Take him to the west side room.”

The two pages exchanged uneasy glances. They had always taken orders only from the Young Master.

Jinchao’s voice turned ice-cold. “If you don’t act now, I will have you both expelled from the Gu family. Do you believe me?”

She had not forgotten how these two had later led Gu Jinrong toward his downfall.

Only then did they pull Gu Jinrong away.

Gu Jinrong glared at her with unmasked resentment, not even bothering to conceal his emotions anymore. “Gu Jinchao, why won’t you let me stay with Mother?! What gives you the right?! What kind of woman is as heartless as you?! Do you even know why people find you so unbearable?!”

He struggled against the pages’ grip, shouting furiously.

Jinchao stepped forward.

“Are you a physician? What use are you standing here? You are only getting in the way. You call me heartless, yet here you are, causing an uproar at Mother’s bedside while she lies unconscious—are you hoping she will see her children at odds with each other? What exactly are your intentions?” Her voice was calm, even, and utterly composed.

Moyu stepped forward to help escort Gu Jinrong out. Jinchao could not even be bothered to look at his face anymore.

The maid brought over the medicine, and Jinchao took the bowl and sipped it first to test the temperature.

Qingpu quickly tried to stop her. “Miss, all medicine has its toxicity—”

Jinchao interrupted, “That doesn’t matter right now. Help me prop Mother up.”

She carefully spooned the medicine to her mother’s lips, but Ji Shi barely swallowed a single drop before coughing it back up. She could not be fed.

Jinchao wiped the corners of her mother’s lips with a silk handkerchief. “Has the doctor not arrived yet?”

Moyu replied, “Physician Liu lives in Qinglian Alley. A carriage was sent for him—it shouldn’t be long now.”

Jinchao had no memory of her mother ever suffering such a severe attack before. But she did remember that Ji Shi had died on the eighteenth of the fourth month in the sixth year of Longqing—next year.

Had she unknowingly altered fate?

Her thoughts raced. If Mother could not survive this, what should she do?

Within less than a quarter of an hour, the physician arrived, carrying his medical kit, and her father followed closely behind.

Gu Dezhao found his eldest daughter seated on a stool, silent, her hands clenched tightly around the fabric of her sleeve, her gaze locked on the screen that separated them from the inner chamber.

“Chao’er, don’t worry. Your mother will be fine.” He reached out, instinctively wanting to pat her head, but then hesitated. She was already of age, and they had never shared such intimate gestures before. His hand stiffened in midair before slowly retreating.

Jinchao looked up at him, seeing his worried expression. She smiled faintly.

If he had truly cared for Mother, would he have allowed Song Yiniang to become his wife less than half a year after Mother’s death in the past? He had not even observed a full mourning period! Even the kitchen servant in her courtyard had mourned his wife for six months before remarrying.

Physician Liu soon stepped out from behind the screen. “Madam suffered a sudden rush of qi, causing her blood flow to reverse. Acupuncture is required to wake her. Once she regains consciousness, the medicine will take effect. However…”

Jinchao understood immediately. No matter how skilled a physician was, acupuncture performed over clothing carried a greater risk of error. Yet at the same time, propriety demanded caution between men and women.

As expected, Gu Dezhao hesitated. “Is there an alternative?”

Physician Liu replied, “I can attempt a medicinal wash, but it may not be as effective and could further weaken Madam’s body.”

Jinchao suggested, “Then let the doctor blindfold himself with gauze. That way, he can still see the acupuncture points while avoiding any impropriety. Would that be acceptable?”

Physician Liu nodded. “As a doctor, my duty is to heal. I understand the concerns.”

Since both his daughter and the physician had spoken, Gu Dezhao no longer objected. He ordered all the maids and servants to leave the inner room and stayed to oversee the procedure himself.

Jinchao, in the meantime, went to the west side room.

Gu Lan was still comforting Jinrong. “You’re almost grown up now—don’t cry like this.”

Gu Jinrong, upon seeing Jinchao enter, wiped his tears quickly. He didn’t want her to see him like this. Composing himself, he stood up and said, “Elder Sister was right to scold me earlier. I shouldn’t have been so reckless.” As he spoke, he held onto Gu Lan’s sleeve.

Jinchao had no time to concern herself with his feelings. She merely nodded. “As long as you don’t hold a grudge.”

Aunt asked, “How is your mother now? Has she regained consciousness?”

Jinchao replied, “The physician is still attending to her. I don’t know yet.”

Not long after, Xu Mama arrived to inform them. “Madam has woken up, but she is too weak to receive visitors today. Physician Liu said it would be best for everyone to wait until tomorrow when she has regained some strength.”

Then she turned to Jinchao. “Miss, please stay behind.”

Jinchao nodded. “Good. Has Physician Liu left yet? I have something to ask him.”

Liu was renowned throughout Yanjing for his medical expertise, and his clinic, the Liu Family Apothecary, was always bustling with patients. Yet he remained approachable and kind.

Though already in his seventies, he was still energetic, his face marked by a benevolent smile.

“Miss Gu wishes to inquire about Madam’s condition?” He shook his head lightly. “It is difficult to say. Madam has always had a weak constitution. If she is cared for properly and avoids unnecessary distress, she may still live for years. But if her condition is not well managed, or if she continues to carry heavy burdens in her heart, then it is uncertain.”

Jinchao nodded. “Thank you, Physician Liu. Please accept this as a token of gratitude.”

She had already instructed the servants to retrieve several jars of Qiulu Bai from the estate’s storage. In her past life, she had dealt with this doctor a few times and knew that, apart from his devotion to medicine, his greatest passion was fine wine. He had no particular fondness for money or material wealth—but he did love wine.

Liu had expected her to offer some conventional gold or silver gift, which he was prepared to refuse. But to his surprise, the Gu family had given him Qiulu Bai.

This was an exceedingly rare type of wine, with the finest batches produced in Jinan. It was crafted by placing shallow trays beneath lush grass-covered cliffs, where the dew that gathered on the leaves was collected and distilled. The result was a wine rich in fragrance and exceptionally smooth.

Physician Liu inhaled its aroma, clearly reluctant to part with it. Instead of handing it to his assistant, he cradled the jar in his own arms and smiled. “Miss Gu, you are very thoughtful.”

He then gave her additional instructions on how to care for her mother and handed her a prescription for further treatment.

After instructing a maid to escort Physician Liu to the chuihua gate, Jinchao turned back toward the inner chamber, intending to check on her mother.

Just as she reached the doorway, she heard voices from within.

Xu Mama gasped in surprise, but Jinchao immediately hushed her. “Say nothing.”

She stood still, listening.

Her mother’s weak voice carried a trace of urgency, while her father’s tone was impatient, dismissive. “Who has bullied Chao’er? You’re the one who plays favorites. You had gold-threaded hair ornaments made but didn’t think to make a set for Lan’er, embarrassing us in front of Aunt…”

He continued coldly, “Pinxiu¹ already exhausts herself tending to you and me, and now she has to manage the household as well. Yet you don’t spare a thought for her daughter.”

Ji Shi’s frail voice struggled to explain. “Lan’er has not yet come of age… I only had them made for Chao’er because she was to attend the Lantern Festival…”

A pause.

“The rubies on them were from the box of jewels you gifted me when we were young… Do you still remember?”

For a moment, Gu Dezhao was silent. Then he replied, “What do you expect me to do? Take them back now?”

Jinchao stood there, the cold night air seeping into her skin, chilling her to the bone. The red glow of lanterns spilled softly over the stone steps. The winter night was silent, void of warmth. If she felt this awful just hearing those words, how must her mother feel?

Jinchao turned away. “Since Mother and Father are still speaking, have all the maids and servants of Xiexiao Courtyard gathered. I have something to address.”

Xu Mama hesitated for only a second before nodding. She could see that, though Miss Gu’s face was set with determination, her posture remained poised—proud, unyielding, like something no one could break. Xu Mama’s throat tightened, but she quickly turned to carry out the order.

The servants were soon assembled in the back courtyard.

It was freezing. Fine snowflakes drifted down, and everyone trembled from the cold.

Jinchao dismissed Qingpu and Liuxiang, instructing them to step aside. Then she swept her gaze over the gathered servants and spoke, her voice sharp as ice.

“When my mother had the gold-threaded hair ornaments made for me, who knew about it?”

She had already considered this carefully.

Unless someone had deliberately leaked the information, how could Gu Lan have used it against her so precisely?

Not only had the ornaments given Gu Lan an excuse to accuse her mother of favoritism, but they had nearly driven Ji Shi to collapse from anger.

If she found out who had betrayed them—there would be no mercy.

Three people stepped forward.

Moyu, Mozhu, and an unfamiliar young maid.

Xu Mama bowed. “I was also present that day, and I swear on my life that neither I, nor Moyu and Mozhu, would ever betray Madam.”

Jinchao trusted Xu Mama’s loyalty. She turned her gaze toward the unfamiliar girl.

The little maid, no older than eleven or twelve, suddenly burst into tears. “Miss… I was only in the room tending the charcoal brazier! I never left Xiexiao Courtyard after that! It wasn’t me! You have to believe me!”

Jinchao studied her carefully.

The girl was trembling, her hands shaking violently from fear.

It wasn’t her.

Someone so timid wouldn’t have the nerve or the cunning to betray them.

If it wasn’t one of her mother’s personal attendants, then…

Who else had been in the room that day?

Liuxiang had been there, serving as well.

Liuxiang—who had close ties with Gu Lan.

Could it have been her who had let it slip?

1. Song Yiniang’s courtesy name. ↩︎