CH 11

Liu Yuru slept through the night and woke up still hugging the banknote.

She lay on the bed motionlessly, feeling numb and tranquil, having emptied her brain of all thoughts. 

After the catharsis that came with venting every bit of pain and anger she had bottled up inside, despair and disorientation over her future set in. Her years of perseverance felt so pointless. She had no idea what her next step should be.

No matter how clever or resourceful she was, she was just a fifteen year old girl. Even if she’d undergone the hair-pinning ceremony, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony that girls went through at fifteen, life was long, and a mere fifteen years was far too little time for a person’s mindset to fully mature.

It was possible to know the Four Books and Five Classics¹ well in fifteen years, but it was not sufficient time to forge the ability to face everything in life with serenity and equanimity. 

She didn’t want to fight anymore, so she gave up completely. She simply lay on the bed, not wanting to move, speak, eat or think. 

Not daring to provoke her, Gu Jiusi hightailed it out of the room the moment the servants opened the door. 

He thought for a night, he thought it through: He must not give in to this fate. He had to oppose Gu Langhua! He had to extinguish Liu Yuru’s feelings for him!  

He would rebel by taking action! 

And so he took out some of his secret savings while it was still dark out, changed his clothes, and waited. The second the servants opened the door to his room, he took off sprinting away from home as fast as he could. The speed at which he made his escape took the Gu family’s servants by surprise. They exchanged stunned looks and reported this to Gu langhua. Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou had just woken up when they heard the news. Gu Langhua waved his hand and said, “He ran? Oh well. How’s our daughter-in-law? Is she alright? She didn’t run away, did she?

The housekeeper stared and replied confusedly, “She’s still here.”

Is it okay to care only about your daughter-in-law and not your son? 

Both Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua heaved a sigh of relief upon learning that their daughter-in-law was still here. “Our daughter-in-law’s still here, that’s all that matters. Let Jiusi run if he wants.”

Housekeeper: “…”

…This son must have been adopted. 

Gu Jiusi was unaware of Jiang Rou’s and Gu Langhua’s broad-minded reactions to his escape. He dashed out of the Gu family manor as fast as his legs could take him without daring to stop for breaks, and did not stop until he reached a restaurant that he frequented. He went into a private room and sent runners to deliver letters to Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun. Then, finally feeling somewhat safe, he started to drink some wine.

He waited in the restaurant for Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun. An hour later, the two young masters came running to him with their clothes unkempt. After the door to the room was closed behind them, the three brothers in arms exchanged looks. A short period of silence later, Yang Wenchang cupped his hands together and said, “Congratulations…”

“Knock it off,” said Gu Jiusi. He held his head with an anguished look on his face. “My head feels like it’s about to explode.”

“You exaggerate,” said Chen Xun. He came over to the table and poured a cup of wine. “So you married a woman. Big deal. If Liu Yuru wants the title of ‘Young Mistress Gu’ that badly, just give it to her. We’ll still lark around as we please. Relax.”

“That’s not it,” said Gu Jiusi in a pained voice. “If only she’s a gold digger. The problem is, I found out last night that she isn’t lusting after my money.”

“What’s she after then?” Yang Wenchang asked, perplexed. The three of them had been unanimous in their denunciation of Liu Yuru as a gold digger.

Gu Jiusi looked up and sighed. “Me,” He said with a pitying voice. “She wants me.”

“She wants revenge?” Yang Wenchang said the first thing that popped up in his mind, shocked. “Bit of a high price she paid, if you ask me.”  

“Nope,” said Gu Jiusi seriously. “She’s fallen for me.”

Chen Xun spat out a mouthful of wine in Yang Wenchang’s face, which had been right across from him. 

“My bad. Apologies,” Chen Xun said quickly. “Was too shocked.” 

Yang Wenchang expressionlessly allowed Chen Xun to mop his face. He turned to Gu Jiusi: “I’m shocked, too.” 

“Who wouldn’t be?” Gu Jiusi drank a mouthful of wine. “Love debts are the hardest to pay off. It’s fine if she’s after my wealth, but she wants my heart. I just don’t know what to do.”

“You want her to close her heart to you forever, huh?” Yang Wenchang understood Gu Jiu’s intentions. Gu Jiusi nodded, “Yeah, and the sooner the better. The harder she falls, the harder things will be for me.”

“Piece of cake,” Chen Xun put in eagerly. “It’s easy to kill a woman’s interest.” 

“What should I do?”

Gu Jiusi looked at Chen Xun as the latter smiled meaningfully, “Spend three nights in Spring Wind House. That’d put an end to her feelings, guaranteed.” 

Gu Jiusi fell silent. 

Spring Wind House was Yangzhou’s most famous pleasure house, a place Gu Jiusi used to frequent. He used to go there to keep Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun company. Personally, he didn’t like this sort of place very much. Gambling dens and restaurants were more to his taste.

Of the four carnal pleasures—food, wine, women and gambling— he delighted in them all save for women. 

His deep pockets meant excellent treatment wherever he went. Back when Spring Wind House held an auction for their top courtesan’s first night, he spent a fortune on her to celebrate Yang Wenchang’s birthday, and thus made a reputation for himself in the red-light district.

What could be more devastating for a woman than to have her husband visit a brothel the day after their wedding?

What could piss off Gu Langhua more than him going to a brothel the day after his wedding?

Gu Jiusi only had to consider it briefly before he nodded his head and said to Chen Xun: ”Aight, to Spring Wind House it is!” 

After saying that, Gu Jiusi went happily to Spring Wind House together with Chen Xun and Yang Wenchang.

When they arrived at Spring Wind House, the manager brought the ladies out, ordered them to line up in rows, then walked right up to Gu Jiusi and said respectfully, “Your preferences, Sir? Our girls have their own niches ranging from singing, dancing, zither playing, poetry to arrow tossing…If you would tell me your likes, I’ll be able to recommend some girls.”

Gu Jiusi thought about it seriously, raised his head and said, “Do any of your ladies know how to play leaf cards²?”

“Huh?” said the stunned manager reflexively.   

”How about those who can gamble?” Gu Jiusi pressed on.

Manager: “…” 

Is he here for the ladies or to gamble? 

Gu Jiusi was, after all, a prized customer, so the manager quickly gathered girls who enjoyed playing cards, drinking and gambling. Overjoyed, Gu Jiusi immediately ordered gambling tables to be set up, and began gambling happily against a backdrop of song and music.

While Gu Jiusi found a place to have fun, Liu Yuru lay on the bed without moving an inch.

She knew that Gu Jiusi had left. She did not care to ask where he’d gone. Neither did she wish to ask herself about what to do next. Now that things had come to this point, she no longer had the desire to plan ahead.

As for rules and propriety, she no longer had the energy to think about those. 

She was like a turtle hiding inside its shell, unwilling to face the changes made to this world. 

Noticing that Liu Yuru was taking unusually long to get up, Yinhong came into the room to take a look. Fear gripped Yinhong when she saw an unnaturally still Liu Yuru staring numbly at a corner of her bed. “Miss?” Yinhong said as she carefully gave Liu Yuru a little shake. 

Liu Yuru said nothing. Yinhong closed the door, speedily crossed over to the bedside, and said to Liu Yuru: “What’s the matter with you, Miss? Are you feeling ill?”

“Please say something, Miss,” Yinhong pulled her hand and said anxiously, “What happened between you and Young Master last night? Why are you still in your wedding robes? The two of you…” 

Yinhong stopped, stared, and whispered: “…didn’t consummate your marriage?” 

Liu Yuru looked down. “Miss,” said Yinhong anxiously upon seeing her response. “Please answer me. You’re scaring me.” 

“Yinhong…”Liu Yuru said in a dry, raspy voice. “He wants to divorce me…” 

“What?!” Yinhong gasped in surprise. She watched as Liu Yuru curled up on the bed, covered her face with a hand and said hoarsely, “He said he doesn’t like me and will love someone else in the future. He wants to be good to that person and intends to divorce me eventually.”

“He wants me to be prepared in advance…”

“Yinhong…”Liu Yuru shuddered slightly. “What should I do…? What should I do?” 

What would happen to her life if he divorced her?

What would happen to her mother if she was unfavoured in the Gu family? 

Her mother personally oversaw her dowry preparations. She brought so much money over. Without the Gu family’s support, her mother would be in for a rough time should Liu Xuan and Zhang Yue’er get their act together and retaliate. How, then, would her mother survive?

Liu Yuru despaired when she thought of these and her future.

Yinhong also panicked. She stared at Liu Yuru for a good while in silence before finally saying, “Miss, Young Master…he must have been pulling your leg! Please cheer up. His family proposed the match. Lady Gu’s so nice and is fond of you. She’ll do something about him, I’m sure. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be sad, okay? Young Master Gu doesn’t yet know how good you are. Once he’s acquainted with your goodness, he’ll be too busy pampering you to even think of divorcing you.”

Liu Yuru silently lay on the bed, unmoving. As for whether Yinhong’s words were just words of comfort or were true, she had a clear answer in her heart.

She’d already cried and no longer wished to cry. She hadn’t the faintest idea what she could and should do for her future.

Yinhong tried to coax her to eat, but Liu Yuru stayed as still as ever as if she’d completely given up. Yinhong sighed and said, “Even if you don’t eat, you should get up to serve Lady Gu and Master Gu their tea. You’re new here. Your manners have to be up to par, else we’ll be laughed at.” 

Liu Yuru lowered her eyes.

“Just tell them that I’m ill.” 

She sighed. “I’m so…so tired.”

Not daring to press the issue, Yinhong left with Liu Yuru’s words. Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua exchanged a look when they heard the news. Yinhong stood to one side without moving. Gu Langhua felt a little awkward. He coughed lightly and said, “Let Yuru rest since she’s feeling unwell. I’ve sent Jiusi on an errand, which is why he left in the morning. Tell Yuru not to worry about his absence.” 

Just as he finished talking, a servant dashed in and said breathlessly, “Master, bad news! Young Master’s gone to Spring Wind House!” 

Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou: “…” 

Gu Langhua looked absolutely appalled. Jiang Rou coughed unnaturally and turned her head away. Yinhong discreetly clenched her fists.

Visiting a brothel on the second day of marriage…This…this is too absurd, even for a playboy like Young Master!

Gu Langhua did not say a word when he recovered from this news. He decisively picked up a rod and made to leave angrily, intending to go out and beat Gu Jiusi. Jiang Rou placed a hand on Gu Langhua and stopped him. “You can’t keep beating him for the rest of his life,” she said softly. “He’s married now. Surely you can’t carry on disciplining him as you would a child.”

“That little whelp! If I don’t discipline him, won’t he think he can fly?!” Gu Langhua bellowed furiously.  Jiang Rou pulled him down into a seat and said with a smile, “Let me handle this. Calm down. For the past two years, you’ve not skimped on the beatings, but have they worked on him? He’s all over the place, but he wouldn’t fool around. He visited the brothel because he’s angry at you. It’s one thing to beat him while he’s still unmarried, but another now that he is. If you haul him back and beat him, how do you expect him and Yuru to get along in the days to come?”

Hearing these words, Gu Langhua hesitated. Jiang Rou explained, “He’s prejudiced against this marriage to begin with. He thinks that we are in cahoots with Yuru, that we schemed against him. If you stand up for Yuru this time, what do you think Jiusi’s gonna think of Yuru? Things get messy when uninvolved parties interfere in a couple’s conflicts. It is easy to catch him and beat him up, but in doing so you’ll sow seeds of resentment between Yuru and Jiusi.”

Gu Langhua let out a breath, turned his head to Jiang Rou and said, “I’ll leave him to you then. I’d like to see how you’ll handle him.”

“That won’t be up to us,” Jiang Rou said with a smile. “It’ll depend on Yuru.”

Gu Langhua fell silent. 

Jiang Rou stood up and turned to look at Yinhong. Yinhong expected Jiang Rou to take Gu Jiusi to task, yet she said, “Is your lady well enough to see anyone?” 

Yinhong started. “Since she can’t come to see me,” said Jiang Rou. “I’ll go see her instead.” 

As she said this, Jiang Rou instructed a servant to call for a physician and stepped out of the room.

By the time Yinhong reacted, Jiang Rou was already by the entrance to Liu Yuru’s room. Not daring to speak up, Yinhong trailed behind the heels of Jiang Rou and entered the room with her. 

Liu Yuru was sleeping. Afraid of waking Liu Yuru up, Jiang Rou quietly entered the room with her servants behind her. Inside, she watched Liu Yuru as she slept with her body curled up and her back facing them. She was still wearing her wedding robes.

Immediately realising what had happened, she sighed and went next to Liu Yuru. 

Liu Yuru sensed that someone was behind her. She opened her eyes and turned her head around slowly. Jiang Rou looked down at her with a gentle expression. 

“Yuru,” she said with concern. “I came to see you since I heard you aren’t feeling well. Are you feeling better?” 

Four Books and Five Classics¹: the most eminent books on Confucianism written before 300 BC. The Four Books are Chinese classic texts explaining the core tenets of Confucianism, the Five Classics are a corpus of five classic ancient Chinese books that are part of the traditional Confucian canon.

Leaf cards² (叶子牌 yezipai): an ancient chinese card game dating back to the Tang Dynasty, and is allegedly one of the earliest predecessors of mahjong.