Chapter 139 Discovery (Second Update)
Gu Jiao is a very straightforward person; she will openly state what she accepts and what she doesn't accept.
She couldn't resolve the emotional issues from her childhood, so she couldn't live comfortably with Yao Shi yet, but that didn't mean she would abandon Yao Shi.
She still treated Yao as a doctor, and this visit was to treat Yao's illness. Other people were none of her business, and she neither wanted to nor needed to see them.
Granny Fang understood the young lady's temperament and knew that she would not visit Old Madam Gu or anyone else in the mansion. To avoid giving others cause for gossip, Granny Fang simply did not mention the young lady's return to the mansion.
The gatekeeper and the housekeeper, who had been called in charge of housekeeping, had simply asked a doctor to return to the mansion.
Gu Jiao sat in the carriage and entered the inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion.
The first courtyard she saw was Zhengming Courtyard. Granny Fang said that it was the late Madam's courtyard. Even though the late Madam had passed away many years ago, it was still empty. Occasionally, the young master would go there to sit and remember the late Madam.
“The lady’s courtyard is over there,” said Granny Fang, pointing to the end of the path.
"So remote?" Gu Jiao asked.
Granny Fang sighed.
Yes, isn't it biased?
Given the Madam's awkward position in the household, why would Old Madam Gu allow her to live in a courtyard in a prime location?
Aunt Ling's courtyard is close by, closest to Lord Gu's.
In fact, whenever Lord Gu went to Madam Yao's place, he would pass by Aunt Ling's courtyard.
In order to win favor with Consort Ling, Old Madam Gu had to scheme and plot.
Unfortunately, even though Lord Gu passed by Consort Ling's door every day, he never went into her room.
“That’s Aunt Ling’s courtyard,” said Granny Fang, pointing to a courtyard.
Gu Jiao glanced briefly through the car window; the pavilions, terraces, and fallen flowers created a refreshing and elegant atmosphere.
Gu Jiao didn't pay much attention.
She was just a concubine.
It's not worth it.
The carriage stopped in front of Yao's courtyard. Granny Fang went to get a stool for Gu Jiao, and Gu Jiao jumped down with a light leap.
The old woman was startled. Whose young lady was so fierce?
"Is Madam inside?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Ah, yes." Granny Fang came to her senses. "She should be in the warm pavilion right now. Winters in the manor aren't this cold, and the madam isn't used to it, so she stays in the warm pavilion all day."
Gu Jiao went to the warm pavilion with Granny Fang.
The heated room is indeed warmer than outside, but it's also a bit stuffy.
Madam Yao lay on the rattan chair in the warm pavilion with her eyes closed. Hearing the door open, she waved her hand absentmindedly and said weakly, "I already said I'm not eating. You can all leave now."
There was no response for a long time after he finished speaking.
She sensed something was wrong, turned her head to look towards the door, and upon recognizing that familiar figure, her dim eyes instantly brightened again: "Jiaojiao?"
She hurriedly sat up from the wicker chair, nervously and awkwardly tidying her hair and clothes, clearly not wanting to lose face in front of her daughter.
Gu Jiao didn't care about that. She walked over to Madam Yao and asked, "How is Madam?"
Madam Yao glanced at Granny Fang, who pretended not to hear and withdrew. Madam Yao sighed helplessly, "I'm fine. Granny Fang is making a mountain out of a molehill, even summoning you to the manor..."
The Marquis's mansion was no pleasant place. She could bear being looked down upon herself, but she didn't want her daughter to suffer the same injustice.
"Sit down." Madam Yao pulled her daughter's hand and sat her down on the stool.
Gu Jiao took the small basket off her back and placed it on the small round table in front of her. Then she stretched out her hand to Yao Shi and said, "Let me see."
Yao handed her wrist to Gu Jiao, who carefully took her pulse, her expression slightly grave: "Have you not been taking your medicine properly these past few days?"
Ms. Yao said sheepishly, "There were one or two times... I forgot to eat."
"Once or twice?" Gu Jiao asked.
Gu Jiao is very meticulous when it comes to seeing a doctor.
After thinking carefully for a moment, Yao said, "Twice."
"Are you sure there aren't any more?" Gu Jiao looked into her eyes.
"Yes, I'm sure." Madam Yao nodded. Once, she had just returned from Bishui Hutong and learned that Gu Yan had been bullied by Gu Chenglin. She rushed to Gu Chenglin's courtyard and made a scene. Perhaps she was too tired from the scene, because she fell asleep in a daze when she got back.
I didn't take my medicine that night.
I overslept the next morning and forgot to take my medicine again.
There were only these two instances; there were no more.
"What's wrong?" Yao asked.
Gu Jiao truthfully said, "Your pulse is not good. If you only forgot twice, then it should not be a problem with the medicine, but rather that you were too stimulated."
Madam Yao had actually sensed it; her illness was clearly almost cured, but that day… she couldn’t control her emotions and almost died together with Gu Chenglin.
If Gu Changqing hadn't taken her dagger, she would have killed Gu Chenglin and then hanged herself.
Come to think of it, the dagger is still in Gu Changqing's hands. He knows his motives, but it's unclear why he hasn't attacked him...
Yao suddenly had many thoughts.
Gu Jiao noticed that she was thinking more deeply than before, and said to her, "Perhaps you have developed drug resistance. I'll switch you to two different medications."
Yao said, "Okay."
Gu Jiao hadn't opened her first-aid kit in a long time. The last time she opened it was when she was stitching up that man, before she had even reached marriageable age.
However, she vaguely remembered that the first-aid kit had been replenished with new antidepressants.
Gu Jiao no longer deliberately hides the small medicine box from Yao Shi. Yao Shi occasionally sees the things inside and feels strange, but she just thinks it's because she's not knowledgeable and never suspects anything.
Gu Jiao found the antidepressants and told Yao how to take them: "You must never forget to take your medicine again."
Yao shook her head and said, "I won't."
She was so angry at the time that she lost her mind, but when she came to her senses later, she felt a wave of fear. If she had really died with Gu Chenglin, she would never have seen her two children again.
Jiaojiao and Yan'er will also become motherless children, just like the three brothers.
How could she do that to her siblings?
Gu Jiao talked with Yao Shi for a while and watched Yao Shi take the medicine. One of the medicines had a calming effect, and Yao Shi soon fell asleep in the rattan chair.
Gu Jiao took a blanket and covered her up.
When the housekeeper heard no more movement inside, she gently pushed open the door and entered. She glanced at the sleeping Madam Yao and asked Gu Jiao in a low voice, "Is Madam asleep?"
Gu Jiao nodded, got up and left the room.
The old woman also came out and closed the door: "Young Miss, how is Madam?"
Gu Jiao said, "Her condition has relapsed, and she's become almost the same as when she was at the villa."
"Is it that serious?" asked the old woman in the room, frightened.
Gu Jiao said, "It's not as serious as it was at the beginning."
The old woman's expression softened slightly, and she sighed, "After Madam returned, her mood wasn't very good, but she kept it to herself until that day when she went to Biyue Alley and learned that the young master had been bullied. Madam completely lost it, ran to the third young master's courtyard and made a scene... Madam even brought a dagger... Madam said at the time, 'Let's all die together, if we're going to die, we'll all die together'... I was really terrified. Luckily, nothing went wrong, otherwise..."
Gu Jiao was unaware of this matter.
Judging from Granny Fang's description, Yao Shi completely lost her mind at that moment.
It's not surprising that Yao wanted to teach Gu Chenglin a lesson, but it's baffling that she wanted to kill Gu Chenglin and perish together with him.
The former is the mother's anger, and the latter is the suicide attempt of a person with depression.
Yao's condition has been stable for so long, with only two interruptions in medication; this shouldn't have happened.
"What has Madam been eating lately?" Gu Jiao began to inquire about Yao's diet in detail.
Granny Fang explained in great detail: "...Ever since Granny Fang's incident, I have been paying extra attention to Madam's diet."
"Is there any breakfast left? Show me the card," Gu Jiao said.
"Yes! Madam doesn't have a good appetite. She only eats a little and then stops. It's all left behind the gauze curtain." Granny Fang went to bring over Madam Yao's breakfast.
Gu Jiao checked them one by one.
The old woman asked, "Is there a problem?"
Gu Jiao shook her head: "No, take me to Madam's bedroom."
"Hey!" Granny Fang led Gu Jiao to Yao's room. Gu Jiao checked every corner, including the incense, soap, rouge, and face powder.
“No problem at all,” she said.
Am I just overthinking things?
Gu Jiao then asked, "Does Madam have close relationships with anyone?"
Granny Fang shook her head: "No, Madam never leaves the courtyard when she's at home. Whenever she goes out, it's to visit the eldest young lady and the young master. The Marquis used to come often, but recently there's been a lot of work at the Ministry of Works, and he hasn't been back to the manor for several days in a row."
Gu Jiao touched her chin.
Granny Fang was still shaken by the poisoning incident involving Madam Yao in the manor: "Young Miss, do you suspect that Madam was... harmed?"
Gu Jiao pondered for a moment and said, "Based on the current investigation, there is no relevant evidence."
As soon as the words were spoken, a cold wind blew by, carrying a few snowflakes and a faint, elusive fragrance.
Gu Jiao looked in the direction the fragrance was coming from: "What's on the other side of the wall?"
Granny Fang said "Oh," and then said, "It's the flower room. When the weather is nice, the door to the flower room is open, and the whole courtyard can smell the fragrance of flowers. It snowed yesterday, and we were afraid that the flowers inside would freeze to death, so we locked the door."
Gu Jiao said calmly, "I'll go take a look at the greenhouse."
Granny Fang hesitated.
"What's wrong?" Gu Jiao asked.
The old nanny hesitated, "The flower room belongs to the old lady, and ordinary people can't just go in. How about I go and call the second young lady over, and have her bring the eldest young lady in with her..."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Jiao had already climbed over the wall.
Granny Fang: "..."
Songheyuan.
Old Madam Gu leaned against the daybed, sighing intermittently.
She's been in a bad mood lately because her precious grandson is still locked up in the ancestral hall.
It's freezing cold, and there was such a heavy snowfall last night that the ancestral hall has long since turned into an ice cave.
It's pitiful that her grandson has never suffered like this since he was a child.
She sent someone to ambush Gu Changqing early in the morning, demanding that he release the person.
Gu Changqing did release them, but only Gu Chengfeng.
Madam Gu was so angry that her head ached, and she only felt better after using some incense that Aunt Ling had sent her.
But she still felt suffocated.
“They’ve grown up, become independent, and no longer respect their grandmother.”
"How could that be? The young master was just trying to discipline the two young masters," the maid who was massaging her legs said ingratiatingly.
The old lady could speak to the young master, but they, as servants, could not.
Madam Gu continued, "No matter how you look at it, the first one to blame is their father! Of all the people he could have married, he had to bring home a jinx! He's useless himself, and his children are useless too! He's even bullying his first wife's son! I think they're plotting a rebellion!"
"Please calm down," the maid said.
Madam Gu snorted, "How can you lose a child just by giving birth? If their mother were here, this kind of thing would never have happened."
The servants dared not speak; they could only listen with gritted teeth.
Old Madam Gu gritted her teeth and said, "A girl raised in the countryside has no manners! She's rude by nature!"
The maidservant lowered her head even further. Having overheard so many secrets, would she be silenced...?
"Don't let her fall into my hands, or I'll teach her a lesson!" Old Madam Gu became increasingly angry as she spoke. "Where is Yao Shi? Bring her here!"
He's been back at the manor for so long, and he's been claiming illness in his room every day, never coming to her to observe proper etiquette.
The trusted nanny beside her advised, "Why bother arguing with her? You won't get a single word out of her with a stick!"
This is the truth. It's not that Madam Gu didn't set rules for Yao Shi, but no matter how much Madam Gu tormented her, she was like a soulless wooden doll. Madam Gu felt like she was punching cotton.
In the end, whether Madam Yao felt wronged or not, the old lady didn't know, but she was certainly furious.
"Have the peonies in the greenhouse bloomed yet?" the confidante asked silently to the little maid who was massaging Madam Gu's legs.
The maidservant said, "It's open! I went to see it this morning, and it's blooming beautifully!"
Madam Gu loved flowers, especially peonies, and Gu Jinyu's love for peonies was influenced by Madam Gu.
Unfortunately, peonies are seasonal, so in order to make them bloom in winter, Madam Gu spared no expense in building a heated greenhouse with a glazed tile roof.
The maidservant continued, "I'll go and fetch a few basins for the old lady."
Madam Gu waved her hand: "It's so cold, won't it freeze to death if we take it out? Never mind, I'll go see it myself."
(End of this chapter)
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