Gu Lan looked up—Gu Jinrong had returned, dressed in full mourning attire. Brushing the maid’s hand aside, he strode toward the main hall with long, determined steps. Gu Lan hurried to meet him, choking back sobs as she clutched his arm. “Rong-ge’er… thank goodness you’re back! Mother, she… she passed suddenly, just last night…”
Gu Jinrong’s entire body was ice-cold, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Second Sister… how did Mother die? How could it be so sudden? I—I didn’t even get to see her one last time…”
Gu Lan replied softly, “It was her illness… you know how serious it was…”
But before she could finish, Jinchao cut in coldly, “Gu Lan, hold your tongue.”
Tears streamed from Gu Lan’s eyes like pear blossoms in the rain. “Elder Sister, I know you’ve always disliked me, but even now, can’t you have some compassion? Mother’s body is still warm…”
Even Gu Jinrong, not understanding why Jinchao spoke so harshly, couldn’t help but feel upset. Seeing Gu Lan sobbing, his sorrow deepened. “Elder Sister, at a time like this, there’s no need to…”
Jinchao closed her eyes and let out a bitter laugh. Mother… if only you could see this for yourself—this is your own flesh-and-blood son.
She rose to her feet and fixed her gaze on Gu Jinrong. “I stopped her because she was speaking nonsense. Mother did not die of illness. She hanged herself!”
With that, she seized the collar of his mourning robe and dragged him forward. “Look! Look carefully!”
Gu Lan turned pale. No one on her side had told her the truth about Ji Shi’s death. She’d simply assumed it was illness. She’d been too caught up in putting on a show of grief, and hadn’t even looked at the body.
Now, everything felt wrong. Her mother had vanished without explanation. Ji Shi… had hanged herself?
A wave of dread surged through her.
After his last confrontation with Jinchao, Gu Jinrong no longer dared defy her. He dropped to his knees beside the funeral bed, and as his eyes met the horrific evidence of his mother’s final moments, he froze. A long silence passed before he broke down, crying out, “Mother!” and collapsing over her body in anguished sobs.
Jinchao quickly ordered the servants to pull him away—tears must never touch the dead.
Only after being dragged back did Gu Jinrong regain some composure. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he immediately grabbed Jinchao’s robe and clenched his teeth. “Elder Sister… who did this to her? Tell me! I’ll avenge Mother with my own hands!”
Jinchao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Her voice dropped to a murmur. “Avenge her? Then you may as well kill yourself.”
Gu Jinrong froze in place.
Jinchao stared at him coldly. “You always believed Gu Lan. Even when I warned you time and again of her ill intent, you still stood by her. It was your trust that led to Mother’s death! You wrote to Gu Lan about Yuping, and that gave Concubine Song the excuse to summon her and accuse Mother of murdering Concubine Yun! Mother took her life in humiliation! Tell me—if not you, then who else is to blame?”
Gu Jinrong shook his head, stunned. “But… I never knew where Yuping was. How could they have found her?”
Jinchao leaned in, her voice slow and deliberate. “Do you remember the candied chestnuts from Li’s Confectionery?”
All the color drained from Gu Jinrong’s face. That name—he had mentioned that shop only in a letter to Gu Lan.
He turned toward her stiffly, fists trembling.
Seeing the shift in his expression, Jinchao knew he had begun to believe her. But she wasn’t finished.
She added, voice quiet but cutting, “Mother was too weak to even hang herself properly. She tied her sash to the bedpost and looped it around her neck, then rolled her body sideways to tighten the noose… Just before she died, she made me promise to look after you. And now? With what you’ve done… how could she rest in peace?”
Gu Jinrong felt like something exploded in his head.
He had been four or five when Concubine Yun died—old enough to remember. He always knew something about her death had been suspicious, though the servants avoided giving him straight answers. But he had never, ever thought it had anything to do with his mother.
Yuping, who had once served Concubine Yun, later became his own attendant. And now, Gu Lan had summoned her—used her to accuse his mother of murder?
So it was true. His own words, his letter, had led to Mother’s death!
He turned to Jinchao, eyes brimming. “Elder Sister… is this really true?”
Jinchao didn’t want to touch him. She shook off his hand and replied in a low voice, “You still don’t believe me? Go ahead, say I’m slandering Gu Lan again. Go tell Father. See how pitiful your second sister looks when she cries—why don’t you go help her?”
Gu Jinrong was gripped by grief and regret. Seeing Jinchao avoid his touch as if he were filth, his heart shattered.
Would she never forgive him?
It was his fault. He had killed their mother. If only he had listened to Jinchao. If only he hadn’t trusted Gu Lan. Maybe then… Mother wouldn’t have died. She had died so wretchedly—humiliated and alone!
Gu Lan was panicking. How did Gu Jinchao know all this? Even the correspondence between her and Gu Jinrong… How could she know?
Her mind was a mess. Seeing Gu Jinrong refusing to even glance at her, she grew desperate. She rushed forward and clung to him. “Rong-ge’er, you must believe me! I’ve always treated Madam well. How… how could I ever harm her?”
Gu Jinrong stared at her coldly, his voice hoarse. “You killed my mother.”
The look in his eyes—one of a rage so deep it could devour flesh and drink blood—was something Gu Lan had never seen before.
She burst into tears. “I don’t even know how Madam died! I swear I know nothing! Rong-ge’er, haven’t we been siblings all these years…”
But Gu Jinrong’s clenched jaw told her he wasn’t listening. Not anymore.
“You killed my mother,” he said again, enunciating each word. A storm of fury and guilt consumed him, shaking him to the core. Yet his voice remained chillingly calm. “Gu Lan, you used me to destroy my own mother. She was still gravely ill—and you used me to bring about her death.”
Gu Lan took a step back. She thought Gu Jinrong might strike her at any moment, but he didn’t. He just stared at her—utterly motionless, terrifying in his stillness.
Her dry, pale lips trembled as she stammered, “Rong-ge’er, please… listen to your sister…”
But he suddenly roared, “What sister? Shut your mouth! I have only one elder sister!”
Gu Jinrong had never erupted in such fury before. From her place before the spirit tablet, where she had been quietly burning paper offerings, Jinchao saw several of the servant women behind him flinch in fear. She let out a quiet sigh and turned her head slightly—only to see tears streaming down his face.
Was it fury that had pushed him to this edge… or sorrow?
Gu Lan fled from Xiexiao Courtyard.
Fear gnawed at her as she ran straight toward Linyan Pavilion.
Outside the courtyard, several older maidservants—none of them familiar—stood watching. Not a single one was her mother’s attendant. Gu Lan’s heart dropped. These women were from the outer quarters. Why were they guarding her mother? No wonder no one had come to inform her of Ji Shi’s true cause of death.
But to her surprise, the servants did not block her. They greeted her with a distant curtsy and let her in.
Inside, Concubine Song sat leaning against the warm brick bed, her eyes blank as she stared at the incense burner before her. The faint scent of burned sandalwood lingered in the air. Her expression was devoid of life.
Gu Lan entered the side room. Concubine Song had just washed up after returning from Xiexiao Courtyard. Her hair had been carefully combed, but her face was swollen and bruised. Gu Lan saw it instantly and rushed to her side. “Mother, what happened to your face? Where’s Qiao Wei? Why isn’t she here serving you?”
Concubine Song slowly lifted her gaze to meet her daughter’s eyes, still unaware of the full truth. At that moment, a surge of grief rose in her chest. If this is what has become of me… what will happen to Lan’er?
She murmured, “Qiao Wei and Yu Xiang have been sent to the outer courtyard kitchen. I’m left with two newly promoted maids, and they’re out back playing pitch-pot.”
Gu Lan stared in disbelief. “How can that be? Qiao Wei is your most trusted maid! Who would punish her?”
Concubine Song looked toward the window, her voice light as wind. “From today on, I no longer oversee the household. I’m not even on equal footing with Concubine Du or Concubine Guo anymore. I’m to copy scriptures daily, and I’m not permitted many servants. Lan’er… you must take care of yourself. From now on, you’ll have to rely on your own strength.”
Gu Lan was utterly stunned. She quickly sat beside her mother, clutching her hand. “What are you saying? Why would Father strip you of your position? Was it because of Madam Ji? I was just about to ask why you weren’t at her altar, but then…” She remembered Gu Jinrong’s outburst and couldn’t help but tremble. “Gu Jinchao knows everything… Did she tell Father too? Is that why—”
The realization struck her like lightning.
No wonder everything had felt off. Ji Shi had hanged herself—because of the accusations they had heaped on her. If Father knew that her mother had added fuel to the fire… he’d never forgive them. And if he discovered that her mother had tampered with Ji Shi’s medicine using rhubarb—
He would never show mercy.
Concubine Song looked at her daughter. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead broke into wrenching sobs. She pulled Gu Lan into her arms and held her tightly, unable to say a word.
Seeing her mother in such despair, Gu Lan felt her heart go cold. If even her mother had collapsed like this, then the truth must be even worse than she feared.
After a long while, Concubine Song quieted down. She took Gu Lan’s hands, her voice choked with bitterness. “Even so, my Lan’er must not let Gu Jinchao trample you. Remember, you must marry into the finest household as a proper wife. Only then… will you have the power to silence them all.”
Tears spilled from Gu Lan’s eyes. With her mother disgraced and Gu Jinrong now against her, how difficult the road ahead would be.
She remained there a while longer, trying to collect herself. But she soon forced her sorrow down—she could not stay away from the mourning hall for too long. If Gu Jinchao seized this chance to brand her as unfilial, it would be yet another blow she couldn’t afford to bear.