Chapter 17 Jiangnan
When Gu Jinchao emerged from behind the tree, her steps were unsteady, as if she were walking on cotton. Caifu called "Wife" three times, but she didn't hear her.
She practically rushed into her small courtyard, opened the camphor wood chest, haphazardly stuffed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and then grabbed two handfuls of loose silver and stuffed them into her embroidered purse.
"Wife! What are you doing?" Caifu rushed in, panting, and turned pale when she saw the half-full chest of clothes in the camphor wood box.
Cai Fu's regret surged like a tide, her eyes reddened, and she suddenly turned her head to glare at Liu Xiang who was following behind her.
Liu Xiang flinched at her hateful glare, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Caifu strode forward, grabbed Liuxiang's wrist, her voice trembling but filled with fierceness: "Was it you? You were the one who suggested going to the chrysanthemum garden, and you were the one who deliberately slowed down when Madam was eavesdropping! You must have taken bribes from Aunt Song and deliberately led Madam here to hear these things!"
"I didn't!" Liu Xiang panicked, tears welling up in her eyes, and struggled to shake her head. "I just heard the gardener say a few days ago that the chrysanthemums were blooming beautifully, and I wanted to cheer you up. I really didn't take anything from Aunt Song!"
"Still dare to argue!" Caifu was so angry that her hands trembled. If Gu Jinchao hadn't been packing his things, she would have wanted to drag Liuxiang to the madam for a confrontation right away.
But now was not the time to assign blame. She turned and rushed to Gu Jinchao's side, pressing down hard on the lid of the camphor wood chest: "My lady, you mustn't! The journey to Jiangnan is long, not to mention how dangerous it would be for a young lady to travel alone. Yu Wanxue is Chen Qi Gongzi's lawfully wedded fiancée. If you go and someone sees you, saying you've come to cause trouble, what will become of the Gu family's reputation? If Madam finds out, she'll be so worried she'll be breathless! Aunt Song and the others are just counting on you to be furious and deliberately trying to embarrass you!"
Gu Jinchao's hand was still on the edge of the box, the jade pendant on her fingertips digging painfully into her palm, but she seemed not to hear Caifu's words, only murmuring, "I'll go and see... see what kind of person she really is..." Her voice was as light as a breeze, her eyes filled with a stubbornness that had lost its soul.
Caifu's grip on the box lid gradually loosened. She looked into Gu Jinchao's eyes, which had lost their former clarity and were now filled with stubbornness, and heard the repeated phrase "Just go and see" over and over again. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by a hand, making it hard to breathe.
She knew her mistress's temperament all too well; once she made up her mind, not even eight oxen could pull her back. Her earlier attempts to persuade her had exhausted her strength, and seeing Gu Jinzhao's expression now, Caifu finally sighed deeply, her voice full of helplessness: "Fine... if my mistress wants to go, I will accompany her. But you must promise me that you will follow my arrangements on the road and will not act impulsively."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinchao's eyes finally brightened, and he slowly nodded. His hands continued to pack the clothes, but he did so more slowly and less frantically.
Caifu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned around, and began to make efficient arrangements.
Then, Caifu turned to look at Liuxiang, who was still trembling, and her face instantly darkened. She beckoned to two rough-working women, her voice as cold as ice: "Take Liuxiang to the woodshed and lock her up! Give her only coarse food and cold water each day, and forbid her from contacting anyone. We'll deal with her personally when the mistress returns from Jiangnan!"
Liu Xiang was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud, grabbing Cai Fu's skirt and crying, "Sister Cai Fu, I'm really innocent! I didn't harm my wife, please let me go!"
Caifu forcefully shook off her hand, her eyes filled with disappointment and wariness: "Whether you're innocent or not, we'll settle things when Madam returns. If we release you now, what if you go and inform Aunt Song, harming Madam?"
After saying that, she gave the old woman a wink.
Two old women immediately stepped forward, one on each side, and lifted Liuxiang up, dragging her outside.
Liu Xiang's cries gradually faded into the distance, until only the creaking sound of the wooden door of the woodshed closing and the sound of the brass lock locking remained.
The brass lock on the camphor wood chest gleamed coldly. Caifu paused in folding clothes, then couldn't help but look up at Gu Jinchao standing by the window.
“My lady, the temperature difference between day and night in Jiangnan is much greater than in the capital. I’ve packed your silver fox-lined cloak, as well as your usual rouge and writing implements, all in a small box.”
As Caifu spoke, she placed a stack of plain-colored ruqun (traditional Chinese dresses) into the bottom of the trunk, her tone full of worry, "When you arrive in Jiangnan, if you see Miss Yu, please don't act impulsively."
Gu Jinchao did not turn around, his gaze fixed on the falling sycamore leaves outside the window, his voice as soft as if carried away by the autumn wind.
"Can."
In a word, it was bland and devoid of emotion.
After tidying up, Caifu locked the camphor wood chest and followed Gu Jinchao to see Madam Ji.
Madam Ji leaned against the sickbed covered with brocade cushions. Although her face was still pale, it was better than a few days ago. When she saw her daughter come in, she quickly beckoned her to sit on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch her cheek: "Jiangnan is beautiful. The autumn scenery is gentler than in the capital. Go there and see the red maple leaves and admire the osmanthus blossoms. It will surely lift your spirits. I've asked the steward to prepare enough money for you. Don't deprive yourself of anything."
Gu Jinchao held his mother's slightly cool hand, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes.
She lied to her mother, saying she was going to relax, but in reality, she was going to Jiangnan to see what the woman Chen Xuanqing was going to marry looked like.
But seeing her mother's frail appearance, she couldn't bring herself to tell her the truth. She could only nod gently and say, "Mother, don't worry. I will take good care of myself and will send you letters on time."
Madam Ji smiled, pulled Caifu aside and instructed her: "When you go to Jiangnan with the young lady, you must take good care of her and make sure she is not cold or hungry. If anything happens, immediately send a servant back to the capital to report the news."
"Yes, Madam, rest assured." Caifu bowed in response, but sighed inwardly.
This trip to Jiangnan is unlikely to be peaceful.
After seeing Gu Jinzhao off, Madam Ji leaned against her sickbed, tapping the small table on the kang with her fingertips, a hint of calculation in her eyes.
She asked her maid to bring her paper and pen and wrote a letter to Madam Ji. In the letter, she said that Gu Jinzhao had gone to Jiangnan to relax and that when she returned, she would ask Yao Ge'er to stay at the Gu family for a few days, using the excuse of "cousins catching up" to give the two of them more opportunities to spend time together.
"Once they get to know each other better, we can bring up marriage again. Chao'er will definitely not be as resistant as before," Madam Ji murmured to herself, thinking that this idea couldn't be better, completely unaware of the turmoil hidden in her daughter's heart.
The next morning, before dawn, Gu Jinzhao, Qingpu, and Caifu boarded a boat to travel south to the south.
On the other side.
The room of Aunt Song was filled with a rich, sweet fragrance, which mixed with the cloying sweetness of the candied fruit on the table, overpowering the crispness of autumn.
Aunt Song held Gu Lan's hand, her fingertips stroking the gold bracelet on her daughter's wrist. Her eyes shone brightly, and her voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Lan'er, look, heaven is on our side! That girl Gu Jinchao actually went to Jiangnan for Chen Xuanqing. That place is far away and the mountains are high and the rivers are long. We can find a chance to make sure she never comes back!"
Gu Lan sat on an embroidered stool to the side, holding a handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus blossoms in her hand, a smug smile on her lips.
She looked up at Aunt Song, her eyes filled with resentment and longing: "Auntie is right! As long as Gu Jinzhao dies in Jiangnan, Madam will be so anxious that her condition will worsen. Then no one will be able to protect Gu Jinrong, and Madam's entire private treasury and land will all be ours, right? I won't have to bear the name of 'illegitimate daughter' anymore and be secretly laughed at!"
“That’s right.” Aunt Song released her daughter’s hand, got up and walked to the window. She lifted a corner of the window screen and looked at the fallen sycamore leaves in the courtyard. Her eyes were sinister. “When the time comes, she will have someone put pressure on your father to make me the legal wife. Why should you worry about not being able to marry well?”
Gu Lan's eyes lit up, and she quickly put down her handkerchief and leaned closer: "Mother, then your daughter will eagerly await your good news?"
The mother and daughter exchanged a smile, their laughter filled with greed and malice, like two phantoms lurking in the shadows, plotting a deadly trap under the cover of autumn.
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