Song Yiniang felt that Gu Jinchao was becoming increasingly overbearing—she simply couldn’t figure out what the girl was scheming.
Why bring her a folding screen for no reason, and insist on placing it in the west wing room?
Her voice turned noticeably cold. “If the young miss insists on placing it in the west wing, then so be it.” She gave no instruction for the old maids to assist, remaining seated on the kang bed sipping her apricot tea, unmoving.
Jinchao paid it no mind. She led Qingpu in directing the servants to carry the screen to the west wing. She personally opened every door in the corridor, inspecting each room one by one. Raising her voice, she called out, “I hope Auntie won’t mind—I have to find the most well-ventilated room!”
Song Yiniang had never seen Jinchao behave with such shameless audacity. The veins on her temple began to throb. Hadn’t this girl always prided herself on decorum? And now she chose to make a scene here? If she hadn’t known Jinchao was scheming something, she might have thought the girl was still the same impulsive, spoiled brat she used to be.
Jinchao found nothing. Xiuqu was not here. Qingpu subtly shook her head. She too had found no traces—not even a drop of blood. If Xiuqu had been killed here, Song Yiniang would certainly have blocked their way.
So Xiuqu wasn’t in Linyan Pavilion after all.
Jinchao casually pointed at one of the rooms. “Let’s put it here.”
The servants quickly moved the screen inside, sending up a cloud of dust. Jinchao brushed the dust off her hands and noticed Song Yiniang now standing in the doorway, watching her closely. She offered a gentle smile. “The screen is set up. I’ll take my leave now. Auntie should rest well. A bowl of sour plum soup would be just the thing to cool the temper in this summer heat.”
With that, she left Linyan Pavilion with Qingpu and the servants in tow.
Qiaowei glanced at the wide-open doors of the west wing, then at the folding screen left inside as if discarded. Seeing Song Yiniang’s face turning livid, she softly muttered, “Auntie, don’t take it to heart. That’s just how the young miss is…”
Song Yiniang clenched her teeth. “She’s being utterly unreasonable!”
She ordered the old maids to shut the doors to the west wing. That screen—she’d sooner burn it than leave it here. Who knew what Gu Jinchao was trying to pull with it!
Back in Qingtong Courtyard, Jinchao sipped some tea. The little maid Yuzhu soon approached with eager eyes.
Jinchao shook her head. “She’s not in Song Yiniang’s quarters. Let’s wait until Guard Xue returns. If she’s not in the side courtyards either, we may have to… search outside.”
If the side courtyards yielded nothing, then Xiuqu was most likely dead—and perhaps her body could be found at Luanfeng Ridge, the desolate ridge where the dead were sometimes discarded.
Yuzhu looked disheartened but knew the young miss had already done everything she could. She also understood that if Xiuqu wasn’t found in the side courtyards, there would be no saving her. Still just a young girl, Yuzhu’s eyes reddened as she said, “If… if they find Xiuqu’s body at Luanfeng Ridge, could we bring her back and seek justice for her? So everyone knows how cruel Song Yiniang truly is…”
Jinchao shook her head. “Song Yiniang already said she sent the girl out of the residence. If the body’s found outside, they’ll say she was murdered or assaulted by ruffians. How could we blame it on her? She might even turn around and accuse us of slander.”
Yuzhu burst into tears. She couldn’t bear the thought that Xiuqu had died because of her.
Nanny Tong gently consoled her, “Don’t cry, child. It’s not hopeless yet. You couldn’t have known Song Yiniang would be so vicious…”
Just then, Yutong entered and announced, “Miss, Guard Xue has returned.”
Night had fallen. It wasn’t proper for Jinchao to meet him in the flower hall, so she invited him to the east secondary room instead. Xue Sixteen, returning from his evening patrol, was still dressed in his dark uniform. He didn’t sit, only cupped his fists and reported:
“This subordinate has inspected all six unused courtyards in the rear compound. Nothing unusual was found.”
A crease formed between Jinchao’s brows. She had been seventy percent certain that Xiuqu would be in one of the side courtyards. After all, she had only gone missing two days ago. To have her killed and the body smuggled out so quickly, without raising a hint of suspicion, would be no easy feat. Song Yiniang didn’t have a private guard like her mother. Her strongest enforcers were a few burly servant women and the scattered underlings of the estate.
Jinchao said, “Could you describe these six courtyards for me?”
Xue Sixteen frowned. His primary duty was security patrol. Helping the young miss at the madam’s request was already going above and beyond. He was sent by the Ji family to protect their safety—not to chase after runaway maids. Scouring the entire rear compound all night was one thing, but staying any longer would delay his patrol duties the next day.
“Young miss, truly, there’s no need to go to such lengths over this girl. She’s likely just run off in a fit of anger. She’ll come back once she’s hungry—there’s no need to search. I have patrol duties tomorrow. If you still wish to look for her, I could assign some of the servants to help?”
Jinchao couldn’t help but feel both annoyed and amused. Still, she didn’t blame him. Though respectful in tone, Xue Sixteen clearly held a trace of contempt for her—a preconceived judgment she couldn’t change.
Helplessly, she replied, “That girl didn’t run away. She accidentally revealed something Song Yiniang said to me. Now Song Yiniang wants her dead to silence her. I’m searching for her because I want to save her.”
Xue Sixteen was stunned. The young miss said… Song Yiniang wants to kill a maid to silence her?
Jinchao continued, “Do you know what happened during Second Miss’s coming-of-age ceremony?”
Xue Sixteen thought for a moment. “This subordinate has heard some rumors—something about you catching Second Miss and Madam Li speaking in secret…”
That story had spread beyond the residence. The Gu household had long been tightly controlled by Song Yiniang, and the servants had been afraid to speak. But once the rumors reached the outside world, everyone in the household came to know.
Jinchao gave a slight smile and continued, “You’ve always been loyal to my mother, so I’m willing to share this with you. That day, I didn’t just happen to catch them speaking in secret—I had already received word beforehand and brought Madam Wen with me to eavesdrop.”
Her voice dropped as she leaned in slightly, speaking softly: “And the one who gave me that information… was that maid. Now I ask you, Guard Xue—if she can still be saved, please save her. I can’t let someone die because of me.”
Xue Sixteen’s face was filled with astonishment. His impression of the young miss had remained that of a spoiled and headstrong girl who’d always been at the mercy of others’ schemes. He had no idea she was now so calculating, so shrewd. Because of this incident, Song Yiniang had not been summoned by the master again, and the Second Miss had been confined to her room to copy scripture. The guards had quietly rejoiced on Madam Ji’s behalf—but now it seemed all of this had been orchestrated by the young miss herself!
A pang of guilt struck Xue Sixteen. He had assumed the young miss was simply using them for errands without purpose. To think she had been trying to save a maid who had once helped her… He cupped his fists deeply. “It was my error. I misunderstood your intentions, young miss. Please forgive me. Among the six courtyards, there is one that borders Linyan Pavilion. I did go in to check, but it appeared empty. Of the remaining five, I searched four. One had a paulownia wood gate locked with an iron padlock, so I didn’t go in.”
Jinchao couldn’t help rising to her feet. “Why didn’t you go in if it was locked?”
Caught off guard by her sudden shift in tone, Xue Sixteen explained, “I thought… if the gate was locked from the outside, it couldn’t be hiding anything inside, so I didn’t force it open…”
Jinchao sighed. “That’s precisely what it means to cover up the truth! Doesn’t that courtyard have a rear entrance?”
Realization dawned on Xue Sixteen, and his face changed drastically. He immediately knelt before her. “I nearly ruined your plans, young miss. Please punish me!”
Jinchao quickly helped him up. “There’s no point in saying that now. What matters is that you go check whether she’s inside.”
Thinking that if Xiuqu really was there, it would be inappropriate for Xue Sixteen to bring her back alone, Jinchao called Qingpu to accompany him to the courtyard.
Xue Sixteen dared not delay any longer. With Qingpu beside him, he rushed toward the locked courtyard.
Jinchao, meanwhile, ordered Baiyun to go to the kitchen and prepare hot water. She herself entered the room to fetch hemostatic powder and clean cotton cloth.
Two quarters of an hour later, Xue Sixteen and Qingpu returned. Standing under the eaves, Jinchao saw through the dim evening light that Qingpu was cradling something beneath a cloak—it was shaped like a person. She knew then that they had found Xiuqu after all, and that she must be gravely injured.
Yuzhu darted forward like a startled rabbit, desperate to see how Xiuqu was doing, but Nanny Tong grabbed her just in time. “Now’s not the time. One wrong move and it could cost her life!”
Qingpu rushed ahead of Xue Sixteen and almost broke into a run beneath the eaves. Once inside the east secondary chamber, Jinchao quickly had her lay the girl down on the kang bed. Qingpu spoke as she unfastened the cloak, “We slipped in through the back. She was in the side room of Bitao Pavilion, covered in injuries. Thankfully, none of her internal organs were damaged. But she’s weak, and she’s lost a lot of blood. She passed out long ago…”
As the cloak was unwrapped, Jinchao finally saw the state of Xiuqu. Her uniform—clearly that of a third-tier maid—was torn and bloodstained, just as Qingpu had said. Whip marks and cuts crisscrossed her body, her skin slick with dried blood. Her face was ghostly pale, her breath shallow as if she could die at any moment.
Only Qingpu and Caifu remained composed; the other maids were so frightened their hands trembled at the sight.
Jinchao steeled herself and gave calm instructions. “Caifu, wipe away the blood with warm water. Qingpu, apply the hemostatic medicine and start wrapping the wounds. If any are too deep, don’t try to stop the bleeding or bandage them just yet. Nanny Tong, go immediately and bring Doctor Liu here.”
Nanny Tong accepted the order, then hesitated. “Miss, leaving the estate at this hour will surely alert Song Yiniang. Shall we try to keep it from her?”
Jinchao let out a cold laugh. “No need. Even if she finds out, what could she possibly do?”
Nanny Tong took her leave at once. Seeing Xiuqu trembling from the cold, Jinchao sent Yuzhu to the storeroom to find a brazier and light it. Summer had already begun, and the braziers had long since been packed away.
With Qingpu overwhelmed, Jinchao personally helped apply the medicine to Xiuqu’s wounds.
After a flurry of care, her injuries were cleaned and dressed. Baiyun brought a bowl of stewed pear syrup. Though still semi-conscious, Xiuqu managed to swallow some of it with effort. Yuzhu placed the brazier close and gently laid a thin silk quilt over her frail body.
Not long after, Xiuqu’s breathing became steady and less labored.
Xue Sixteen remained standing outside the door.