Jinchao’s hands trembled violently as she listened to Xu Mama’s account.
Her mother had died so wretchedly—was it because of something her father said?
What had he said to her yesterday?
She had still been so ill—why couldn’t he show her even a shred of compassion?
She had done so much. She had tried so hard to save her mother.
Why did Gu Jinrong have to tell Gu Lan about Yuping?
Why did her father never believe in her mother?
Why did everyone around her insist on hurting her mother—on hurting her?
A surge of fury swept through her, so intense that it brought with it a sudden, eerie calm.
Jinchao gripped Xu Mama’s hand, slowly forcing back her tears.
She had to act. Her mother must not have died in vain.
She would make sure of that.
Meanwhile, Gu Deshao had just received the news of Ji Shi’s death. He didn’t even have time to be stunned before rushing straight to Xiexiao Courtyard.
Just yesterday, they had spoken—hadn’t she still been all right?
The maid who delivered the message had explained nothing clearly, stammering through the details. She didn’t even know how Ji Shi had died.
He had flown into a rage.
How could the people in Xiexiao Courtyard be so careless—sending such a clueless maid to deliver such news?
When he entered the courtyard, no one came to stop him—but no one greeted him either.
Gu Deshao walked straight into the main hall, his voice stern and sharp:
“Where is she? How did Ji Shi die? Why can’t I find a single maid to give me a proper answer?”
The door to the inner chamber was open. Xu Mama, hearing his voice, quickly stepped out and said:
“Master… Madam is inside… Please, come in.”
Gu Deshao tried to stifle the growing anger in his chest and stepped into the room—only to meet his daughter’s gaze, cold as ice.
He frowned. “What’s the meaning of this…”
But before he could finish, he looked up—and saw Ji Shi’s corpse.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Moments earlier, he had assumed it must have been sudden illness, and had even scolded the maids for their carelessness. But now—faced with this sight—he was completely shaken.
She hadn’t died of illness.
She had hanged herself.
Gu Deshao staggered back a step. His hands were trembling.
Jinchao, however, stepped forward, facing him with a smile that chilled to the bone.
“Father. You’ve finally arrived. Weren’t you about to scold me just now? Why don’t you go ahead? Or… are you also startled by what you see?”
“Mother didn’t die of illness. She took her own life. Tell me—someone as frail as she was, how could she possibly hang herself?”
“She must have tied the sash to the bedpost… slipped it around her neck… and thrown herself down from the bed, using what little strength she had left to choke herself to death.”
Gu Deshao could find no words. He moved forward slowly, then—as if the sight of her body struck him all over again—stumbled back several more steps.
“She… she hanged herself? Why… why would she do something so foolish… this shouldn’t have happened…”
Jinchao’s voice was soft—yet every word pierced like a blade.
“Shouldn’t have happened? Father, after the way you wronged her—what part of this shouldn’t have happened?”
“All these years, Mother did so much for you. And you? You forgot her kindness—fine. But did you have to treat her like this? She was already gravely ill. Couldn’t you have spared her just a little compassion—refrained from saying such cruel things?”
“Or were you only satisfied once she was dead?”
Jinchao could no longer hold it in. As she finished speaking, the tears burst forth again.
Her mother had died like this—how could she not grieve?
But she knew sorrow alone wasn’t enough.
There was still much she had to do.
Her mother must not have died in vain.
Gu Deshao stood frozen, his mind in turmoil.
He had thought… thought Ji Shi was simply making a fuss over her illness.
He had thought she was jealous, that she had harmed Concubine Yun.
He had thought that over the years, she had already changed into someone he no longer recognized.
And he had believed that, no matter what he did, Ji Shi would never truly push back—
That she would always swallow it all quietly, pretending nothing had happened.
He had always known this.
And so, he had allowed himself to keep hurting her.
But he had forgotten—Ji Shi had a fierce spirit.
When pushed to the edge, she would fight back.
This was her rebellion.
Gu Deshao’s composure began to unravel.
He had known, deep down, that she might one day die…
But now that she truly had—right in front of him—he found he could not accept it.
No matter what else… Ji Shi had been by his side for twenty years.
“I… not everything I said was wrong,” he muttered hoarsely, almost in defense.
“She… she harmed Concubine Yun… and she put rhubarb in her own medicine…”
Jinchao looked at him with cold disbelief.
In this moment, she truly felt the urge to slap him—to shake him out of it.
Even with her mother’s body still before him—he dared to say such things?
“Harmed Concubine Yun? Father, if Mother were truly jealous of her, would she have helped you elevate her to concubine in the first place?”
“If she truly meant to harm her, would she have bothered swapping medicine? Would she have waited until Concubine Yun was eight months pregnant to act?”
“You think Mother put rhubarb in her own medicine? Let me tell you—it was I who discovered the rhubarb. One of my maids saw Song Miaohua’s girl conspiring with the pharmacy staff to mix it into Mother’s prescriptions. That’s why I warned her.”
“But of course, she told you instead—and you believed her.”
“You believed Mother had done it. Do you know what that did to her? She kept consuming rhubarb for months. That’s why her condition kept worsening.”
Ji Shi’s death made everything clearer now.
Gu Deshao’s eyes reddened. His lips trembled.
“I… I didn’t…”
“You didn’t know? Or you didn’t mean to?” Jinchao asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Father, she spent twenty years by your side. Do you even know what it means to be faithful to your first wife?”
“You never even understood her nature—and still you dared to speak with such certainty.”
Gu Deshao clenched his fists tightly.
He looked at Ji Shi’s frail, twisted form, curled beside the bedpost.
She hadn’t been short—but after so much illness, she had wasted away into almost nothing.
Now, curled up like this, she was just a small, hollow shell.
“…I wronged her,” Gu Deshao finally whispered hoarsely.
Jinchao cut him off, voice sharp through her tears:
“Of course you did!”
She sobbed.
“I had already made arrangements with the heir of the Marquis of Changxing—he was going to send the physician, Master Xiao, to treat Mother. He was almost here…”
“And at such a time—you… you drove her to this…”
So that was why the Marquis’s heir had come to her… it was all for her mother’s sake.
When Gu Deshao heard her words, he couldn’t help but say,
“…You should have told me sooner…”
Jinchao bit her lip hard, hatred surging in her chest.
“Oh? And if I had, would you not have misunderstood Mother? Would you not have said those things? Would she still be alive then?”
Her voice rose with each sentence, accusations cutting deep.
Gu Deshao opened his mouth, but no words came. He stood there in stunned silence.
His fists clenched tightly. His face had turned ashen.
“If… if saying these things will make you feel better, then go ahead.”
“What’s the use of saying it?” Jinchao’s voice cracked with grief. “Are you truly remorseful? Will you mourn her? Do you feel even a shred of pain for her?”
She began to sob again, clutching the sleeve of his robe.
“Give her back to me! Give my mother back to me! She was the only one in this house who ever truly loved me. You and Jinrong both prefer Lan-jie. No one cares about me. I only had one mother—give her back to me!”
Hearing these words, Gu Deshao finally couldn’t hold back his tears.
“Chao’er… don’t say that. I’m your father—how could I not care for you?”
Jinchao shook her head, her gaze hollow.
“When Lan-jie slandered me behind my back, you only punished her by having her copy scriptures. I didn’t grow up by your side. You’ve never once spoken gently to me.”
“The way things are between me and Lan-jie now… you had a hand in all of it. You failed as a husband—and as a father too!”
The words were harsh—borderline unfilial.
But Gu Deshao didn’t even notice. He stood there, stunned, face pale and frozen.
After saying her piece, Jinchao didn’t want to look at him any longer. She took a deep breath, turned, and walked out of the inner chamber.
Outside, the rain had passed. The sky was a clear blue.
She slowly calmed herself.
There was still much to be done—her mother’s funeral needed someone to take charge.
And if she didn’t step forward, who would?
But most important of all: Mother cannot have died in vain.
Someone had to be held accountable.
Justice had to be served.
Xu Mama stood quietly nearby. Seeing that Jinchao remained silent, she said nothing either.
Jinchao turned toward her and asked,
“Have you sent word to the concubines and the younger sisters about my mother’s death?”
Xu Mama shook her head.
“No, not yet. I feared the news would spread too soon, so at the moment only Moyu and I know. I sent all the other maids and servants to the back to keep them busy.”
Jinchao nodded.
“That’s good. Now send the maids to inform each of the concubines. They have to be told eventually.”
She paused in thought.
“Also, send for Guard Xue from the outer courtyard and have him ride to Tongzhou to inform my grandmother. Then send someone to Qifang Hutong to bring Jinrong back.”
“I haven’t married yet. It wouldn’t be proper for me to oversee Mother’s funeral myself. Go to the ancestral home and invite Second Madam Gu to come manage the arrangements.”
Xu Mama looked at Jinchao—though her eyes were still red and her face worn, she had at least regained her composure and was giving clear instructions.
“Yes, I’ll go at once,” she replied.
The maids from Xiexiao Courtyard scattered in all directions to notify the various residences.
At that moment, Song Miaohua and Gu Lan were having breakfast together when the maid arrived. The news shocked them so much that Song Miaohua dropped her bowl of lotus seed and barley porridge.
“The Madam has passed? What happened?” she asked, stunned.
The maid had been working in the back courtyard and only knew the basics.
“I was busy in the rear gardens. I truly don’t know the details. Concubine, you should go see for yourself… The courtyard is in an uproar—I should be going back quickly.”
Gu Lan was also startled by the news of Ji Shi’s death. But after the initial shock, a wave of relief washed over her.
Now that Madam Ji was gone, she finally had a reason not to marry the young master of the Mu family.
Still, her death felt strange. Her health had been weak, yes, but not so much that she seemed near death…
Gu Lan was about to ask her mother something, but noticed that Song Miaohua looked visibly shaken. She gently tugged her sleeve and whispered,
“Mother, you don’t seem pleased. Isn’t this… a good thing?”
Song Miaohua let out a long breath.
“Perhaps so, but I can’t shake this unease. Her death is too strange… I don’t even know how it happened.”
She glanced at Gu Lan’s lilac skirt with a ruyi pattern and added,
“Hurry and change into something more plain. I’ll go to Xiexiao Courtyard first—you follow once you’ve changed.”
Gu Lan dared not delay. She turned and rushed back to Cuixuan Courtyard to change her clothes.
Juju’s Ramblings
One down, one to go. Jinchao finally said everything that needed to be said to Gu Deshao. Now all that’s left is to give Jinrong the wake-up call he so desperately needs.