fire
The radiant smiling face and the tearful face before him suddenly merged together.
"Don't say anymore, I'll get you a doctor..."
With her eyes blurred by tears, Tang Qingning panicked completely when she saw her face growing paler and paler. Her hands trembled as she grasped the cold hand.
With her last ounce of strength, Yu Zhu grabbed the edge of her sleeve, her gaze unfocused, her face ashen. "The ledger...I prepared a copy...in..."
Her voice trailed off abruptly, her withered hand fell limply to her side, and the gold bracelet on her wrist struck the footstool with a clang.
Tang Qingning always regarded her as her younger sister.
Yu Zhu had done so much for her that Tang Qingning didn't know how to repay her.
With trembling hands, she dissected the blood-stained jade thumb ring—the words "Wen You" were deeply engraved on the inside of the ring.
He then used all his savings to have her body repaired, bought her a thin coffin, and gave her a proper burial.
Yu Zhu was worthy of her, but she was unworthy of her.
After Yu Zhu's death, she was forced to take clients. During the transition from spring to summer, she happened to meet Sun Gu, whom she considered her benefactor, the current Grand Secretary and Minister of Revenue...
In the summer of the twenty-third year of the Shengyuan era, Sun Gu did not come to the pavilion again. Feng Miaolian once again made her entertain guests, and Tang Qingning closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
In the autumn of that year, Gongsun Li was finally going to die. She had bribed the servants who took care of him, so that she could easily and without leaving a trace take his life, but she always felt that there was someone behind Shen Xiuwen.
This doubt kept Gongsun Li around, waiting for the day he cleared his head so she could ask him clearly and then give him a quick death.
Whether it was because Gongsun Li retained a shred of conscience before his death, he mentioned Sun Gu's name. Tang Qingning, who only learned of this two days later, felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
As winter began, she took the evidence she had collected and struck the grievance drum that stood at Xuanwu Gate, a drum that could reach the ears of the emperor.
Ultimately, the rising of the high hall extinguished her last hope, and all her two years of hard work came to naught.
Her caution at the time led her to keep the jade thumb ring. Although it couldn't be used as evidence in court, it allowed her to set up a trap for Shen Xiuwen...
Night fell, the bright moon hung high, and the stars twinkled.
Gu Yu packed her things away and lit the kindling she had brought. Yunxian Pavilion was a wooden building, but now it had been emptied out, leaving only the cheap silk fabrics used for decoration.
With a bright moon and few stars, and a dry, windless night, it was the perfect night to start a fire.
She exited Yunxian Pavilion through the back door with practiced ease, and turned to meet the gaze of a white-robed young man who was stargazing in a small boat on the lake behind the pavilion.
Damn it, the Eastern Depot's spies are still watching her.
No matter what she did, she couldn't escape the eyes of the Eastern Depot.
The gradually brightening firelight behind him suddenly illuminated the sky, clearly revealing Xu Qiu's face.
Gu Yu stood in the shadows, her face completely obscured by a black hood.
Looking around, she saw no one but Xu Qiu. She immediately turned away and disappeared into the darkness, taking a shortcut towards the Gu residence.
She gave Xu Qiu a great reward, and Xu Qiu decided to turn a blind eye to what she had done.
An eye for an eye, they've settled their score, that's good.
After a while, the agents of the Eastern Depot arrived at the lakeside. The Yunxian Pavilion was engulfed in flames, and the entire city of Shengjing was awakened from its slumber.
“Young master, you sent us to search the surrounding area, but we didn’t find any suspicious people. The Yunxian Pavilion suddenly caught fire, so the thief must have entered the pavilion.”
"It's nothing," Xu Qiu said nonchalantly. "Anyway, we've taken what we were supposed to. This thief probably just wanted some valuables and set the fire to cover his tracks."
"Let it burn. Let the Dali Temple investigate this matter. There's no need to get involved afterward."
The world is full of wonders. Tang Qingning really did come back to life. He couldn't help but wonder how far she could go.
The fifth day of the first lunar month.
Gu Jin had gifts prepared and went to the Shen residence to pay a visit. After all, they were going to be related by marriage, and the two families should visit each other more often.
Gu Yu was pulled up early in the morning to dress up. She had a pearl flower ornament on her forehead, a red gold filigree peony hair ornament on her head, and a pink long coat with a lotus pattern on the ground.
She wore her favorite white fox fur cloak, looking every bit the dignified lady.
The carriage of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion came to a stop in front of the eight-character screen wall of the Shen Mansion, its wheels churning in the cold wind.
Gu Jin went to see the Shen family father and son, while she was to pay her respects to Zhuang Mengdie, the wife of Shen Xiuwen, a second-rank imperial consort, and the granddaughter of the former Grand Secretary.
As far as she knew, Madam Shen only had one child, Shen Changqing, while Shen Xiuwen's two concubines each had a daughter.
As she passed through the five-bay hall, her eyes glanced at the Xuande incense burner and Jun kiln washer displayed on the multi-treasure pavilion, which exuded an air of refined elegance.
Madam Shen, Zhuang Mengdie, was entertaining the ladies in the warm pavilion in the back garden when she saw Gu Yu arrive. She immediately waved to her, saying, "Ayu, last time I saw you, I told you I wanted you to meet the other girls in my household. Look at them, they are a year or two younger than you, but their temperaments are not as calm as yours."
This second-rank imperial consort wore a kingfisher feather crown and a crimson silk robe with long sleeves, and her wrist was adorned with a lustrous eighteen-bead tourmaline rosary.
She turned her head and glanced at the two concubine's daughters on either side. Shen Changyue immediately smiled and moved closer, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Shen Changxue echoed, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Gu Yu blushed instantly, her eyes and brows showing embarrassment.
Zhuang Mengdie reached out and pulled Gu Yu's hand, making her sit down beside her. "From now on, we're all family, so we should help each other out."
"Aunt Zhuang, I know," Gu Yu replied softly, her head lowered.
"I heard that you spent a lot of money to buy food for those refugees last time, is that true?" Shen Changyue asked.
She had heard many rumors about Gu Yu, some good and some bad. Gu Yu, who had been quiet for seventeen years, suddenly became famous in Shengjing in the twenty-fourth year of Shengyuan.
Shen Changyue was full of curiosity about her.
"That's true, but I was just following my brother's instructions and doing things for him."
After Gu Yu finished speaking, she lowered her head and smiled shyly, her earlobes casting shimmering shadows on her neck.
"I heard that Aunt Zhuang also donated her own grain to set up a soup kitchen in Dongjiang Rice Lane for a month. Aunt Zhuang is a heroine who understands the greater good and cares for the people."
"Haha, how can I resist your praise? I'm only doing this for my master." Zhuang Mengdie patted her hand with satisfaction. "You've done well. A wife at home should be this understanding and righteous so that her husband can have a good reputation in the court."
Zhuang Mengdie liked this daughter-in-law very much. She came from a good family, was beautiful, had learned proper manners and etiquette, and was quick-witted. She could be a good helpmate to her son.
"...The fire at Yunxian Pavilion was a really good one." Shen Changyue laughed. "Sister-in-law, you've heard about it too, right? My brother used to love going there. Now that he's gone and the building is gone, he'll definitely settle down now."
Gu Yu's previously rosy complexion instantly drained of color. "I've heard..."
"Moon, why are you bringing this up? It's all in the past. Changqing was invited by those good-for-nothing friends; it wasn't like he wanted to go."
The usually kind Madam Shen now appeared fierce but was actually weak inside. "Ayu, don't think so much. Changqing is just young and immature. He will settle down after he gets married."
"Can those women outside be brought back to the mansion?"
She also mentioned that Shen Changqing had declined Gu Yu's invitations several times, making excuses for him by saying that he was too busy with household affairs.
Gu Yu merely twitched the corner of her mouth, then remembered another matter, "When I passed by the front hall just now, I saw that Uncle Shen's calligraphy of Linjiangxian was quite good. I wonder if I could ask for it to study. Just hanging it in the study would make the whole room feel elegant and refined."
Madam Shen raised her delicate eyebrows slightly. "It's just a piece of calligraphy. If you like it, I'll have someone take it down for you."
He then instructed his maid to take it down and give it to Gu Yu. Gu Yu was delighted to receive the calligraphy and treasured it dearly.
"Thank you, Aunt Zhuang. Uncle Shen has beautiful handwriting; every character has a unique style. I wonder if I could improve my calligraphy someday if I tried to imitate his style..."
Seeing that she kept praising Shen Xiuwen as if she were praising her, Zhuang Mengdie's eyes and brows were filled with a smug smile.
She chatted with Gu Yu for a few more minutes before letting Gu Yu leave.
Because Shen Changqing was receiving guests in the front hall, Gu Yu only saw him briefly when saying goodbye. However, judging from his expression, he was the same as usual and did not seem angry.
It must have been the letter that Qiuju wrote for her that had an effect.
As soon as Gu Yu's carriage left the entrance of Shenfu Street, she heard the sound of a gong for cleaning the road behind her.
She lifted the blue curtain of the carriage and saw a palanquin carried by four men land. One of them was white-faced and beardless, wearing a bright red robe with a brocade python pattern. The python's head was raised and its tongue was sticking out. Its four claws were stepping on the waves of the river. The cat's-eye stone inlaid in the jade belt gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
“Brother, look,” she said, “that official’s robes are so impressive; I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
Gu Jin's gaze suddenly sharpened.
How could he not know about this patched robe?
In the twenty-fourth year of the Shengyuan era, only Xu Shanhai, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was granted the privilege of wearing a robe with a python pattern.
Because in the case of Consort Jia's poisoning, Xu Shanhai shielded the young emperor from the poisoned wine with his own body, vomiting three liters of blood and hanging by a thread, in exchange for his current power over the court.
He was both Emperor Shengyuan's most trusted confidant and a powerful inner minister.
"It's Xu Shanhai, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial." Gu Jin lowered the carriage curtain in a deep voice.
"Minister Shen is truly favored by the Emperor, for he actually sent Chief Secretary Xu to personally come and inquire after him." Her tone was both amused and naive.
“His personal visit to the Shen residence to deliver the imperial decree is by no means a good omen.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “If Shen Xiuwen is implicated in the case of selling official positions, Ayu, your marriage to Shen Changqing should be called off.”
"I leave it to my elder brother to decide." Gu Yu lowered her head and furrowed her brows.
Guan Yiyun was taken away by the Eastern Depot after returning from the Shen residence. If the two had communicated beforehand and Shen Xiuwen could have saved Guan Yiyun's life, Guan Yiyun might not have betrayed Shen Xiuwen.
The Eastern Depot raided Xianyun Pavilion, so it must be because there was evidence there. Is that evidence the same as what Yuzhu got?
What if Shen Xiuwen wasn't among the officials implicated in those accounts?
At 3:45 PM, at the southern end of Chongwenfang, under the elm tree at the back gate of an ordinary resident's courtyard, a small car with a blue canopy was parked silently.
A middle-aged man wearing a square scarf and dressed as a doctor hurriedly knocked on the side gate while carrying a medicine box.
"The man the young lady desires will 'die of illness' at midnight tonight."
The man slid a wooden plaque from his sleeve, engraved with the number "Geng Zi Qi San". "Last night, a female prisoner in the imperial prison who had contracted tuberculosis passed away. Her figure was similar to the person you wanted, and the coroner has been arranged to be Zhou Yiren."
Gu Yu handed over the heavy brocade bag—it contained 1,500 taels of silver notes.
The man counted the silver notes and added, "It's just that Zhou's right hand is badly injured, so even if she's rescued, she won't be able to write."
Zhou Yiren was originally the most beautiful courtesan in Yunxian Pavilion. She was exceptional in poetry and painting, and her beauty was so stunning that she attracted countless princes and nobles. She was known as the most beautiful woman in Shengjing.
However, she is now in prison, her right fingernails have been pulled out, her fingers are injured, and she has scars on her face. Those who once admired her have all disappeared like the tide.
Unexpectedly, a young lady from a wealthy family was willing to spend money to bribe officials to rescue her.
"It's alright," Gu Yu said softly. "It's good that they came out alive."
At midnight, the watchman's clapper struck three times, and the hearse carrying the corpse creaked out of the side gate of the imperial prison.
The gatekeeper lifted the straw mat and took a look—the woman's face was covered with purple spots, and all the nails on her right hand were missing, which perfectly matched the "consumption and ulceration" recorded in the file.
He waved his hand dismissively, and the driver immediately whipped the rickshaw and disappeared into the night.
The body was eventually transported to a mass grave, while the real Zhou Yiren had already been drugged and smuggled out of the imperial prison by hiding her in a secret compartment of a waterwheel.
When she woke up in the small courtyard that Gu Yu had rented.
Fine snowflakes drifted outside the window. Zhou Yiren stared blankly at the beautiful stranger, who held a bamboo brush in her delicate hand and practiced calligraphy stroke by stroke.
She reached out and touched her cheek, which had been treated with medicine, and suddenly realized that she was not dreaming, nor had she gone to the underworld; she was still alive.
"Who are you?"
Gu Yu looked up at her when she saw that she had woken up.
Through the layers of beaded curtains, she looked into Zhou Yiren's stunned eyes, as if she were looking at someone else through her.
She had admirers, she had hoped for the best, and she had humbly begged for the mercy of those in power, but all of that was just wishful thinking on her part.
She can only rely on herself, and it has always been so.
"It doesn't matter who I am, I'm the one who saved you." Gu Yu put the pen she was holding on the pen rack next to her. "But I don't ask for anything else."
"I saved you because you were kind to me in the past. If it weren't for that favor, I wouldn't have wasted money on such troublesome things."
Zhou Yiren had once been Tang Qingning's teacher in poetry and literature, and had also helped her find an excuse to conceal her whereabouts when Tang Qingning escaped from Yunxiange to report the case.
She was the only sign of kindness she sensed in the pavilion besides Yuzhu, so it was only natural for her to save her.
Moreover, Zhou Yiren has an amazing skill: she can imitate a person's handwriting so perfectly that it's almost identical. However, her right hand is now ruined, and she needs to rest.
Zhou Yiren looked at Gu Yu with unease and said, "I don't know you, young lady, and I don't know what favor I have done for you. However, you have done me a great favor. Although I am a courtesan, I cannot pretend that nothing happened. I hope I can do something for you."
But my right hand can no longer write poetry, and my only admirable asset, my appearance, has been ruined. I truly cannot understand what I can do for you to repay your kindness.
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