Chapter 16 Instigation

The autumn chill, wrapped in sycamore leaves, gently swept across the windows of the Gu family's inner courtyard, leaving behind a soft rustling sound.

The tung oil charcoal in the stove burned slowly, with sparks occasionally flickering, reflecting off the pastries on the gilded kang table in the room, which still had a soft, moist sheen from being freshly steamed.

Gu Jinchao sat on a small stool by the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a peeled chestnut in his hand. The chestnut kernel on his fingertips was pale yellow, but he didn't put it in his mouth for a long time.

The white porcelain dish was already half full of chestnuts, but she was completely unaware of it. Her gaze was fixed on the sycamore tree in the courtyard outside the window, her eyes vacant.

The old sycamore tree had been planted for over a decade, and now its leaves were covered in autumn frost. When the wind blew, the leaves fell in a rustling sound, accumulating into a thick layer under the tree, like a golden velvet carpet.

Gu Jinchao watched for a long time, but there was no intention to appreciate the autumn scenery. She only felt that the falling leaves made her heart uneasy, just like the thoughts hidden in her heart, which were getting heavier day by day.

Madam Ji leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with a plain brocade cushion, holding a storybook with slightly curled edges in her hands. However, her gaze did not fall on the pages, but instead kept glancing at her daughter.

Looking at Jinzhao's downcast eyes and the unconscious tightening of her fingers around the chestnut kernel, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

In the past two months, from the time when the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom and the courtyard was filled with fragrance, to the time when the osmanthus flowers have withered and the paulownia leaves have fallen, Jinchao has come to her room every day to serve her, serving tea, peeling fruit, and reading stories. He does everything perfectly, but the vibrant energy that used to hang on her brows seems to have been blown away by the autumn wind and can never be found again.

In the past, when talking about the chrysanthemum exhibition outside the city or the roasted chestnuts at the alley entrance, Jinzhao's eyes would light up like they were filled with stars, and her words would be filled with joy. But now, even when she smiles and agrees, the smile doesn't reach her eyes; instead, it seems forced. At night, you can occasionally hear the sound of turning pages in her room, clearly indicating that she is tossing and turning and can't sleep.

"Jin Chao".

Madam Ji put down her storybook, softened her voice, and reached out to hold her daughter's hand. When she touched it and found it slightly cool, she frowned again. "Why are your hands so cold? The heater is right next to you, why don't you come closer to warm them?"

Gu Jinchao suddenly came to her senses and realized that her hand was exposed to the cool breeze, and the chestnut kernel at her fingertips was almost deformed from being squeezed.

She quickly moved closer to the stove, put the chestnuts into a dish, and forced a smile: "Mother, I'm fine. I was just looking at the sycamore leaves in the yard and thinking that if the wind blows for a few more days, all the leaves will fall. I got distracted."

Ji held her hand, his fingertips gently stroking the back of her hand.

How could she possibly believe her daughter's words?

Jin Chao wasn't looking at the paulownia leaves; she was clearly waiting for that person.

"Jin Chao... Seventh Young Master Chen is not your true love." Madam Ji sighed, her voice filled with heartache. "I know you have feelings for him, but what is not yours will never be yours..."

Gu Jinchao's fingertips trembled slightly. Her eyes were lowered, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under them. Her voice was as soft as a leaf being swept by the autumn wind: "Mother, I know... I just can't let go. As soon as I close my eyes, all I can see is his image."

Looking at her daughter's reddened eyes, Madam Ji felt even more pain in her heart.

A month ago, Madam Ji wrote a letter, wanting to take advantage of her good health to arrange a marriage between Yao-ge and Chao-jie.

She has been slow to reply.

But his daughter's feelings for Chen Xuanqing were growing deeper and deeper, and this couldn't go on forever.

She reached out and brushed a sycamore leaf off her daughter's shoulder, and finally hardened her heart and said, "Your maternal grandmother wants to discuss your marriage with Yao-ge'er."

"Me and my cousin?" Gu Jinchao raised his voice, looking at his mother in disbelief.

“How could Grandmother… how could she have such a thought?” She looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with shock, her voice still trembling.

“My cousin and I grew up together, and our relationship has always been purely platonic, like siblings. How could we... how could we possibly talk about marriage?”

Yao Ge'er was her cousin, the eldest son of the Ji family. He was more composed than her since childhood, but he also often said that she was "arrogant and domineering".

When she was a child, she snatched his drawings and scribbled all over them. He frowned and said, "Jin Chao, a woman should be quiet and gentle." In the autumn, she fell down while climbing a tree to pick persimmons. He bandaged her wounds and sighed, "When will you ever behave yourself?"

They were only familiar with each other through playful banter, without any romantic feelings between them. Why would the grandmother suddenly think of putting them together?

Looking at her daughter's flustered appearance, Madam Ji felt a pang of pain in her heart.

She reached out and gently patted Gu Jinchao's hand, her tone full of helplessness: "Your maternal grandmother is doing this for your own good. She's afraid that you'll always be preoccupied with these thoughts and ruin your life. Yao-ge'er is someone she's watched grow up; his character and family background are both reliable. She thinks... she thinks that if you two were a good match, you could have a more stable life in the future."

“Stable?” Gu Jinchao shook her head, her eyes instantly reddening. “But I don’t like my cousin! I only have brotherly feelings for him. How can we be stable if we’re forced together? Besides, my aunt… My aunt has always thought I’m too impulsive and not good enough for my cousin. How could she agree to this?”

She remembered that when she was in the Ji family, her aunt always looked at her with a critical eye. If she hadn't been afraid of her maternal grandmother, she probably would have made things difficult for her.

Moreover, she even privately told the maids and servants, "Jin Chao's personality might make it difficult for her husband's family to like her."

How could an aunt like that be willing to let her become the daughter-in-law of the Ji family?

"Your maternal grandmother will speak to your aunt herself." Madam Ji gently brushed her daughter's reddened eyes with her fingertips, her voice softening, yet carrying an undeniable seriousness, "Jinchao, I'm asking you today, putting everything else aside, if you were really to marry Yao-ge'er, would you be willing?"

Gu Jinchao shook his head vigorously, almost without hesitation: "I don't want to! Mother, you know! My cousin has always thought I was arrogant and domineering, and that I was restless. I also think he's too eccentric. If we're together, we'll only argue every day. How can we get married?"

As she spoke, her nose tingled, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

Her heart belonged to Chen Xuanqing, not to her cousin who always frowned at her.

Seeing her daughter's reddened eyes, Madam Ji reached out and pulled her to her side, gently stroking her hair. Her voice was full of tenderness: "I know my daughter's personality perfectly well. You're spoiled because you're open-minded and don't have those ulterior motives; you're restless because your eyes shine with a light, and you want to see the world outside. Although Yao-ge'er is unrestrained and free-spirited, he's also thoughtful and protective of others..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

How could she not know that her daughter harbored feelings for Chen Xuanqing?

But Chen Xuanqing was already engaged, and continuing like this would only cause her more heartache. Madam Ji's letter was like a lifeline; she knew her daughter might not want to, but she still couldn't help but bring it up.

She feared that if her daughter continued down this path, she would end up with nothing, without even a stable home.

Gu Jinchao leaned against his mother's chest, the faint scent of soap on his mother's clothes brushing against his nose, feeling both wronged and flustered.

Madam Ji looked at her daughter with affection, "Why don't you go for a walk in the yard to clear your head? I'll talk to Mama Xu."

Gu Jinchao nodded, the silver butterfly hairpin in her hair swaying gently with her movements, and tiny pearls hanging down her cheeks. She turned and left with her maid.

The melancholy she had suppressed in her mother's room was now creeping onto her brow as her skirt swayed.

She pulled her sleeves tighter, her fingertips touching the cool brocade. Her heart felt heavy, as if a piece of cotton soaked in autumn dew was pressing down on it.

Her mother was seriously ill, and she dared not disobey, so she could only go along with it for the time being. But the thought of getting engaged to her cousin made her heart feel heavy.

“My lady, why don’t we go and take a look at the chrysanthemum garden in the west corner?” Liu Xiang, the maid beside her, noticed that her brows were slightly furrowed and her steps were slow, so she suggested in a low voice, “When I passed by yesterday, I saw that those ‘black chrysanthemums’ were in full bloom. The purple-black petals set off the yellow stamens. They were very beautiful.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinchao paused, his gaze turning towards the west corner.

She nodded gently, her voice slightly hoarse: "Alright, let's go take a look."

The group walked westward along the corridor. The autumn wind swirled the sycamore leaves, making a soft, rustling sound as they rolled on the bluestone slabs of the corridor, which conveniently masked the footsteps of Gu Jinchao and his companions.

They walked to the pomegranate tree at the corner.

The old pomegranate tree's leaves were half yellow, and two withered pomegranates hung on its bare branches. It was a secluded spot in the mansion, and the voices of Aunt Song and Gu Lan came from the moon gate behind the tree, low and hushed, yet carrying a hint of resentment they couldn't hide.

Gu Jinchao paused, instinctively wanting to turn around and walk back.

She has always disliked eavesdropping on other people's whispers, feeling it was beneath her dignity.

Before she could take a step, Liu Xiang beside her suddenly stopped, a complex light flashing in her eyes, her voice barely audible: "Miss, why don't we listen to what they're saying?"

Gu Jinchao frowned, about to refuse, when Caifu stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "Madam, think about it—Aunt Song always loves to compete with Madam in front of Master, and Miss Gu Lan always tries to find opportunities to compete with you. They chose to talk in a secluded place, so it can't be anything good. Let's listen quietly. If they're just talking about everyday things, we can pretend we didn't hear anything; but if they're plotting against you or trying to harm Madam, we can be prepared. It's better than being kept in the dark."

Cai Fu's words made perfect sense, and Gu Jinzhao lowered his eyes and thought about it.

With her mother seriously ill, there was already undercurrent of unrest in the household. Aunt Song had always valued Gu Lan, and she might really take advantage of her mother's illness to sabotage the household affairs.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly, pulling Liuxiang and Caifu to hide behind the pomegranate tree, using the thick trunk to conceal themselves.

The conversation behind the tree continued, with Aunt Song's voice neither too loud nor too soft: "...Lan'er, Chen Xuanqing is already engaged. Let's see how arrogant that Ji family can be now."

Gu Lan quickly added, "Mother, I've noticed that my eldest sister looks extremely haggard these past few days. If it were me, I wouldn't care about any engagement; I'd fight for it!"

"Try to fight for it?" Aunt Song scoffed. "What's so great about Gu Jinchao? She only caught Chen Xuanqing's eye because Ji Shi is the legal wife. Now that Chen Xuanqing is already engaged, what makes her think she can fight for it?"

Gu Lan's voice rose even louder: "But why should eldest sister just give in like that? What kind of woman did she lose to? Is she willing to accept it? Isn't she curious?"

"So what if she's curious?" Aunt Song's voice was full of disdain. "Can she compete with Yu Wanxue from the Yu family of Jiangnan?"

Gu Lan suddenly raised her hand to straighten the silver embroidery on her cuffs, her voice clearer than before, as if she wanted to deliberately drift into Gu Jinchao's ears: "Speaking of which, it's a pity we're not in Jiangnan and can't see Miss Yu's appearance. However, I heard from the servant of Seventh Young Master Chen that Seventh Young Master Chen is going to Jiangnan next month to deliver a birthday gift to Miss Yu."

As she spoke, she paused deliberately, then raised her voice slightly, "If anyone could go to Jiangnan, they could see for themselves what kind of person Miss Yu really is."

Aunt Song coughed softly, her eyes glancing almost imperceptibly into the depths of the shadows.

“Isn’t that right?” she said slowly. “But going to Jiangnan isn’t difficult. The Gu family already has an old house in Suzhou. If anyone wants to go there to relax, they just need to tell Madam, and who can stop them?”

These words were like a fine needle, gently pricking Gu Jinchao's heart.

Yu Wanxue?

Chen Xuanqing's betrothed?