Living for Yourself

Each of the concubines had maids to attend her. In that respect, the Marquis's Residence had its own arrangements: every concubine had one personal maid, two maids for cleaning and two older servants for heavy chores.

When Gu Wanning arrived, she saw that the courtyard gate was already open and walked straight in.

She had thought it was still early, but she found the servants in First Concubine's courtyard all whispering under the covered walkway.

"What are you doing?" Gu Wanning couldn't help asking.

"Madam is here, Madam is here—"

"Why are you shouting? Where is your mistress?" Gu Wanning asked First Concubine's personal maid. "Zisu, why are you crying?"

Zisu's eyes were red and swollen. It was clear she had been crying for a long time.

Zisu stepped forward and bowed. "Concubine is ill, and I'm worried," she said in a low voice.

"Ill? Since when? What illness does she have?"

Just yesterday morning, First Concubine had gone to the garden to help her with the work.

At the time, Fourth Concubine had been pestering First Concubine to make cloud cakes, which were delicious but troublesome to prepare.

First Concubine had smiled and agreed, her complexion rosy and her smile gentle. How had there been even the slightest sign of illness?

Zisu hesitated, not daring to answer, as though there were something she couldn't bring herself to say.

Seeing this, Gu Wanning singled out the cleaning maids. "You two, speak!"

The cleaning maids were even more afraid of her. They knelt on the ground, trembling. "We don't know. Perhaps... perhaps it was because she got caught in the rain last night..."

"Why was First Concubine out in the rain? Did you fail to attend her properly?" By now, Gu Wanning had become quite adept at judging how stern to be as the mistress of the household.

"Madam—" a weak voice called out.

First Concubine had come out at some point. She was terribly weak, though, and could barely stand even while holding on to the door. An unnatural flush colored her face.

"A fever?" Gu Wanning hurried over and felt her forehead. Sure enough, it was burning hot.

"Send for Third Concubine," she said sharply. "Just say I want to see her. Don't say anything else."

First Concubine's illness had come on suddenly, and judging by Zisu's reaction, there was probably more to it, so Gu Wanning had no intention of making a great commotion.

"Yes. I'll go, I'll go—" Zisu ran out.

"Madam, I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm fine," First Concubine said hoarsely. Her eyes were clouded with confusion, and she was so dazed that she looked completely unable to hold herself up.

Gu Wanning went over and, together with the maid, helped her to bed.

First Concubine stared at the bed canopy, still lost in that strange confusion.

Seeing that her lips were cracked and dry, Gu Wanning had the maid feed her a few sips of warm water.

First Concubine was like a puppet on strings, utterly drained of spirit and doing whatever she was told.

Seeing her like this, Gu Wanning had a faint suspicion.

What had kept First Concubine going was her so-called love.

Or rather, her one-sided infatuation.

Now that she was like this, had there been news of that man?

What news could have hurt First Concubine so badly?

Could it be that he... he'd died a glorious death...?

Gu Wanning didn't dare speak rashly and could only probe carefully. "My eldest brother came to see me before. He knows a lot of people. If there's any news you want to ask about, I could ask him to help?"

First Concubine looked so sickly and as though she had nothing left to live for. It really was frightening.

First Concubine shook her head weakly. "Madam, I'm fine."

She refused to say anything else.

Seeing this, Gu Wanning knew she didn't want to talk about it, so she couldn't press her further.

All right, then. No matter what, as long as nothing happened to her.

She had been out in the rain last night... Had First Concubine been in the rain too, while Gu Wanning was?

Third Concubine arrived quickly and took First Concubine's pulse. She said First Concubine had merely caught a chill, needed plenty of rest, and was in no serious danger.

Gu Wanning asked, "Don't you need to write a prescription?"

Third Concubine shook her head. "Madam, all medicines contain some poison. The chill isn't severe; she'll recover in a few days."

This wasn't severe?

Gu Wanning remembered that Xu Weibei, that living ancestor, was still there. If she stayed too long, she might arouse his suspicions, which wouldn't be good for First Concubine.

So she asked Third Concubine to help look after First Concubine.

"I will. Madam, go back and attend to the Marquis. I'll see you out."

Once they were outside, Third Concubine quietly said to Gu Wanning, "Acute distress has struck her heart. This is an illness of the heart, and only medicine for the heart can cure it."

Gu Wanning's head ached. All she could say was, "Please take extra care of her. If you need anything, have someone ask the steward to open the storeroom and fetch it. Just say I gave the order."

Xu Weibei even knew she had accepted Second Concubine's silver. Could he also know that First Concubine had given her heart to someone?

At that thought, Gu Wanning didn't dare linger and hurried back.

Chapter 31: Living for Yourself

After Gu Wanning returned, however, she found that she seemed to have overthought things.

Although Xu Weibei was there and even stayed to eat with her, he didn't say a single word about First Concubine.

He was more concerned about the corn and asked Gu Wanning when she would have someone take down the cover.

"There shouldn't be any rain these next few days," Xu Weibei said.

"Then let's have it taken down. Sorry to trouble you again, Marquis." Gu Wanning eagerly ladled Xu Weibei a bowl of rice congee.

Xu Weibei was already full, but when he saw this, he drank the bowl of congee too.

After the meal, Xu Weibei went to the outer study, and Fourth Concubine came in weeping.

"Madam, please see whether we should find a physician from outside. With Eldest Sister like this, I'm really worried about her."

"Find one, then. Tell the steward to have someone take the Marquis's calling card and invite a physician."

Xu Weibei didn't seem to care much about the women in the inner residence.

That was for the best.

They brought in a physician from outside as well. What he said was much the same as Third Concubine's assessment, though he prescribed medicine for the chill.

First Concubine refused to take it, however.

Fourth Concubine was so anxious she kept crying. "Eldest Sister, you were perfectly fine. What's happened to you?"

First Concubine stared at the bed canopy without speaking, looking as though she had nothing left to live for.

"Think of your mother!" Fourth Concubine said. "If anything happens to you, what will she do?"