DBB – Chapter 17: Getting Rid of the Traitor

Liuxiang’s hands trembled as she moved. Inside the lady’s dressing case, there were golden hairpins and ornaments. The cabinet to the left held several gold candlesticks. If she only took one, surely the young mistress wouldn’t notice. Just one—just one to set aside for herself.

She crept into the western side chamber, glancing around. No servants were guarding the room. A rush of excitement surged through her—Miss must have gone out! She must have taken everyone with her! No one would see. No one would know!

Her fingers dove into the case, grabbing a handful of trinkets she’d never dared to touch before. She didn’t even stop to examine what they were before stuffing them into her bundle. Then, she pushed against the cabinet door. Locked.

Panic flared. She scratched and clawed at the cabinet, desperate to pry it open. But just as her frustration peaked, the door behind her swung open.

“Liuxiang, you’re back so soon—” Cai Fu’s voice cut off sharply. Then, an audible gasp. “What are you doing?”

Liuxiang spun around, heart pounding. Cai Fu’s gaze had already landed on the green agate beads peeking from her bundle. Her expression darkened with realization. “You’re stealing from the young mistress! Someone, come quickly—she’s stealing!”

Liuxiang lunged toward her, hands outstretched to clamp over Cai Fu’s mouth. But before she could reach her, two robust, broad-shouldered servant women barged in from outside, pinning her to the ground with practiced ease. Within seconds, she was bound tight, a pair of foul-smelling old shoes stuffed into her mouth to silence her.

“Caught red-handed. Anything you have to say for yourself now?” one of the women sneered.

Liuxiang’s eyes bulged. Panic twisted her insides. Why were these women here? They weren’t from Qing Tong Courtyard—these were stable hands! Tough, merciless, and used to breaking unruly colts.

How did things go so wrong?

At that moment, Jinchao was playing chess with her mother. Ji She’s health had improved slightly; she could now sit up against the embroidered pillows.

“They caught her?” Jinchao asked casually, placing a piece on the board.

“Yes,” Tong Mama reported. “Word has spread through the entire household. Shall we bring her in for questioning? Once we have the full account, we can send her to the authorities and let them deal with her as they see fit.”

Ji She sighed, placing a trembling hand over her daughter’s. “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Let her pass the holiday first.”

Jinchao smiled faintly. “Oh, she’ll see the new year, Mother. I won’t let her off that easily.”

She rose, wrapped her cloak around herself, and strode toward Qing Tong Courtyard.

Liuxiang was dragged to the warm pavilion, her face pale and streaked with tears. Qing Pu knelt beside her and firmly pinched the pressure point on her upper lip. Liuxiang jolted awake with a strangled gasp. Before she could move, she was hauled upright.

Seated in the warmth of the pavilion, Jinchao barely looked at her. Other maids and servants gathered, their expressions ranging from curiosity to scorn.

Tong Mama’s voice was calm but sharp. “When did you start stealing from the young mistress?”

Liuxiang shook her head wildly. “No—never! I never stole anything! Miss, please believe me! I swear I didn’t—”

Tong Mama turned back to Jinchao and remarked dryly, “She’s gone mad.”

Jinchao raised an eyebrow. “Already?”

Tong Mama chuckled. “She’s been on edge for days, terrified you’d find something to use against her. Then she had to deal with her wastrel of a brother… and now, well, I suppose it all became too much.”

Jinchao leaned forward slightly, her tone mild. “Such a shame. I went to so much trouble to set the trap, only for her to unravel before I could even tighten the snare.”

Tong Mama turned back to Liuxiang. “Did you collude with the Second Miss to harm the young mistress?”

Liuxiang blinked rapidly. Then, after a long pause, she started shaking her head again. “No—no! I didn’t harm the young mistress! But the Second Miss… she gave me gold! And so did Concubine Du! I swear I never meant any harm—I only wanted the gold!”

Tong Mama spat in disgust. “Greedy wretch.”

Jinchao, however, narrowed her eyes. So, Concubine Du was involved as well? Her fingers traced the rim of her teacup. Interesting.

She asked again, lightly, “Does the Second Miss have much contact with Concubine Du?”

Liuxiang’s pupils contracted. She hesitated, then giggled foolishly. “I don’t know. I only saw the Second Miss’s maid talking to Concubine Du once! Just once!”

Then, suddenly, her demeanor shifted again. Panic overtook her face. “Miss, please don’t kill me! I never stole your things—it was Cai Fu! And Bai Yun! They did it, not me!”

Cai Fu remained composed, but Bai Yun’s face burned with embarrassment.

Just then, another voice rang out from the doorway—gentle, honeyed.

“What’s going on here?”

Jinchao turned. Gu Lan had arrived. She stood there with Zi Ling at her side, her expression as sweet as ever.

Jinchao smiled to herself. Perfect.

Tong Mama explained smoothly, “This girl was caught stealing from the young mistress. We’re in the middle of questioning her.”

Gu Lan let out a delicate sigh and placed a hand over her chest. “Long Jie, you startled me… Liuxiang has always served you well. If she took a few trinkets, perhaps a simple punishment would suffice? It’s New Year’s, after all. Can’t we be a little lenient?”

Jinchao arched an eyebrow. “Lenient? If you feel sorry for her, why don’t you take her in? You do have a habit of taking people from me.”

Gu Lan’s smile faltered. Before she could respond, Liuxiang suddenly lunged at her, clawing at her arm. “Second Miss, I have no gold left! Give me some! I’ll tell you everything about Eldest Miss! She likes gold too—you should give her gold, and maybe she’ll let you take her place as the legitimate daughter!”

The room fell into stunned silence. Jinchao barely reacted. But the other maids and servants turned to Gu Lan in shock.

Gu Lan had always subtly undermined Jinchao while maintaining an outward show of sisterly affection. Now, however, her carefully crafted image teetered on the brink of collapse. “Liuxiang, what nonsense are you spouting?”

Jinchao had only intended to send a warning, but Liuxiang had outright exposed Gu Lan’s schemes.

Liuxiang only smiled wildly, unaware of the horror unfolding. “I told you about the gold hairpins! You wanted to find fault with Madam! You wanted an excuse to take the hairpins! You were so happy when she almost fell ill! If she died, wouldn’t that have been wonderful for you? Give me gold! Give me gold!”

And she wasn’t done. “You had me keep mentioning Chen Xuanqing to Eldest Miss. You wanted her to fall for him again… You never thought I’d be wary of you. I never told you that she had long since—”

Jinchao cut in sharply, her voice carrying an undeniable authority. “Silence her! She’s raving.”

Qingpu didn’t hesitate—she twisted Liuxiang’s arm behind her back and shoved the filthy cloth back into her mouth, muffling the rest of her incoherent ramblings.

Gu Lan’s face paled. She remained silent for a long moment before forcing a smile. “Elder Sister, your servant is utterly unruly, spouting such baseless accusations.”

Jinchao had anticipated that Liuxiang might reveal something incriminating—but not this much.

She let the moment stretch, allowing the tension to settle in the air before she finally spoke, her tone laced with amusement.

“Well, well.” She tilted her head slightly, her gaze locking onto Gu Lan’s. “Isn’t it curious? Out of everyone here, she only lunged at you, Second Sister. I wonder why that is.”

Her smile deepened, unreadable yet piercing. “Strange, isn’t it? She never once turned on me. Tell me, what does everyone else think?” She cast a slow glance around the room, letting the weight of her words sink in.

The silence thickened, and for the first time, Gu Lan’s carefully composed mask faltered.

Jinchao’s expression remained composed, yet there was an unmistakable sharpness in her tone. “Perhaps you had something on you that caught her attention? A bit of meat, perhaps? A bone?” She chuckled softly. “Otherwise, what could have possibly made her so eager to sink her teeth into you?”

Before Gu Lan could respond, Ziling, ever the loyal shadow, snapped back, “Perhaps the Eldest Miss orchestrated this entire act just to slander my mistress!”

Jinchao’s gaze turned cold as she shifted her attention to Zi Ling. “And who gave you permission to speak here? You entered this room without offering me a proper greeting or using any respectful address. And now you dare talk back? If I don’t punish you, what will stop the other maids and servants from following your disgraceful example?” She turned slightly. “Qing Pu, slap her.”

Though Jinchao had caught Zi Ling’s slip of the tongue, Gu Lan knew her maid had only spoken out of loyalty. She stepped forward, voice sharper than before. “Eldest Sister, I have been patient with you out of respect, but don’t push me too far. If I must, I’ll take this to Father—he will be the one to decide what’s fair!”

Jinchao studied her sister’s delicate, beautiful face, and a storm of emotions surged within her. She thought of their father’s favoritism, of how her younger brother had always chosen Gu Lan’s side over hers. Bitterness, both old and new, welled up all at once. Without hesitation, she nodded slightly at Qing Pu.

Qing Pu seized Zi Ling’s arm effortlessly. The girl shrieked and struggled, but against Qing Pu’s strength, it was useless. A series of crisp, resounding slaps echoed through the pavilion, and within moments, Zi Ling’s face was swollen and red.

“Our Qing Pu has rough hands,” Jinchao remarked casually. “I imagine that must hurt quite a bit.”

Gu Lan still wore a smile, but her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Each slap rang out loud and clear, each one feeling as though it had landed on her own face instead.

Jinchao finally turned to her sister, meeting her gaze head-on. Slowly, deliberately, she spoke. “Second Sister, I’ll say this plainly—whatever it is you want from this household, I am willing to let it go. Possessions mean little to me. But you must not touch my mother, and you must not anger her. Anything else, I can overlook. But if anything happens to her—if she suffers because of someone’s schemes—I swear, those responsible will pay with their lives. Gu Lan, you would do well to remember that.”

Gu Lan maintained her soft, practiced smile, but deep inside, her heart was racing. She couldn’t understand—was this truly the same Gu Jinchao she had toyed with so easily before? The arrogant, foolish girl who had once been at her mercy? No… The person standing before her now exuded sharpness, a cold and unyielding presence that made her hands tremble.

Still, she forced a light laugh. “Eldest Sister, I don’t understand what you mean. What could I possibly want from this family? You should clarify, or others might think you’re deliberately accusing me of something…” She smoothed her sleeves. “Since you’ve already decided how to deal with Liuxiang, I won’t interfere. I’ll take my leave.”

There was no point in staying any longer. Every moment here only brought her more humiliation. She had suffered enough for one day.

Gu Lan turned swiftly and left. Zi Ling scrambled to her feet, shooting Qing Pu a venomous glare before hurrying after her mistress.

Once they were gone, Tong Mama beamed, practically grinning from ear to ear. “Qing Pu, that was impressive!”

Qing Pu, ever humble, lowered her head. “It was nothing. Handling ordinary people like her is easy.”

Jinchao chuckled. “Don’t be modest. Back at Grandmother’s estate, you could take on four of her guards at once.”

“Miss, what should we do with Liuxiang now?” one of the burly servant women asked, still gripping the disgraced maid’s arms tightly.

Jinchao’s expression cooled. “Do whatever you want with her—just make sure I never see her again.” A pause. “And don’t let her die.”

The two women exchanged pleased glances. “Understood, Miss!” They straightened their backs as they dragged Liuxiang away, a newfound sense of loyalty in their step.

Jinchao then turned to Tong Mama. “Prepare a gift for them—fifty large copper coins, two marinated geese, and a string of cured sausages. They should have a proper New Year’s feast.”

Qing Pu helped steady Jinchao as they returned to her chambers. “Miss, you must be tired. Get some rest. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.”

Jinchao looked up at the lanterns swaying beneath the eaves and let out a quiet sigh. “Yes… New Year’s Eve.” The first one she would experience since her rebirth.

As Gu Lan and Zi Ling walked through the snow-covered courtyard, Zi Ling noticed her mistress’s hand trembling violently. Her expression remained composed, but her body betrayed her.

“Miss, are you alright?” Zi Ling asked cautiously.

Gu Lan’s gaze remained fixed ahead, her voice urgent. “We need to go to Mother. Quickly.”

Zi Ling hesitated. “Miss, it’s quite late… The Madam is likely asleep.”

“You fool!” Gu Lan snapped, her temper finally breaking. “We’re going to see Concubine Song! Didn’t you see the way Gu Jinchao looked at me? Is she even the same person anymore?”

Zi Ling didn’t fully understand, but she knew better than to argue. Without another word, she quickened her pace, following her mistress through the snowy courtyard.