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Gu Jiu wanted to copy scriptures for her late mother and so, closed the door to her yard and declined to meet visitors.
Gu Zhen and Gu Lin came to her twice but were sent back without seeing her.
“Da guniang, wu guniang, please forgive me. My gunaing said that she wants to concentrate on copying scriptures right now. When she returns from Tianmen Temple at the end of the month, she will invite da guniang and wu guniang to visit and chat.”
Qing Mei bowed slightly, neither servile nor overbearing.
Gu Lin frowned. “Before er jiejie gets better, how can she copy scriptures like this?”
“Many thanks for wu guniang’s concern. My guniang is taking Doctor Chen’s medicine and her body can handle this fairly well.”
Gu Lin said again, “Er jiejieshould also take care of her body properly. Let me go in, I want to talk to er jiejie personally.”
Qing Mei stood at the door. “My guniang appreciates wu guniang’s kind intentions. But it’s inconvenient to meet my guniang now. I request wu guniang to return.”
Gu Lin was dissatisfied but had no way to deal with Qing Mei.
Gu Zhen asked, “I heard that er meimei will go to Tianmen Temple with san ge on the fifteenth of this month, burn incense and copy scriptures before Buddha for taitai.”
Qing Mei bowed and nodded. “Yes.”
“Er meimei is so filial, I wonder if there is any way to help her now.”
Qing Mei said, “My guniang is thankful for da guniang’s kind intentions.”
Gu Zhen smiled. “It seems that we cannot see er meimei today. No matter, since er meimei wants to concentrate on copying scriptures, it’s inconvenient for us to disturb her. Wu meimei, let’s go. We’ll come back another day to meet er meimei.”
Gu Lin hesitated but nodded. “I will listen to da jiejie.”
Both of them left and separated at the back garden.
Gu Zhen went to see Gu Shan.
Gu Lin went to see her birth mother, Bai yiniang.
“Yiniang, er jiejie refused to see me.”
“Did you say something wrong earlier to make your er jiejie unhappy?”
Bai yiniang was warm, soft and gentle, making it easy for people to like her.
Gu Lin shook her head. “Daughter never said anything wrong. I don’t know why er jiejie refuses to see me.”
Bai yiniang frowned, pondering. “Perhaps it’s as Qing Mei said. Er guniang needs to concentrate and copy scriptures, be wholehearted and sincere and so cannot be disturbed by others.”
Was it so?
Bai yiniang held Gu Lin’s hand. “Go and do your needlework. I will go to see the madam.”
Gu Lin was puzzled.
Bai yiniang said again, “I have to buy a table of food and wine to serve laoye to drink tonight.”
“Will father come over tonight?”
Gu Lin was pleasantly surprised.
Bai yiniang smiled. “Taitai is worried about er guniang’s affairs. I will go talk to her for a while to share her worries. If taitai is happy, laoye will naturally come over.”
Gu Lin didn’t really understand.
Bai yiniang didn’t explain. She got up and left the courtyard with her servants.
Zhilanyuan.
Gu Jiu had changed into the servants’ clothes, preparing to go out.
She asked Qing Mei, “Has everyone been sent away?”
Qing Mei nodded. “Everyone has been sent away. Does guniang have to go out?”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Don’t worry. Gege and Su biaoge will accompany me, so I will be fine. Qing Zhu, you will stay in this yard as my substitute. Do you have any problem with this?”
Qing Zhu had changed into Gu Jiu’s clothing, looking nervous and uneasy.
Once Gu Jiu left, she would impersonate Gu Jiu and lie on the bed.
“Guniang, is this really all right? If someone finds out, what should I do?”
Gu Jiu appeased her. “Don’t be afraid. Do as I explained. It’s impossible for you to be discovered. I am going out with Qing Mei, I will certainly be back within two shichen. ”
Qing Zhu nodded nervously. “Guniang must return soon!”
Gu Jiu, followed by Qing Mei, quietly left Zhilanyuan.
Choosing an unmanned, remote alley, they exited the provincial governor’s fu through the back door.
At the gate, a cart was stationed.
Gu Jiu climbed on to the cart directly.
Gu Ting and Su Zheng had been waiting inside.
“Meimei, you’ve finally come. I was worrying about whether you had run into some trouble and couldn’t get out of the fu.”
Gu Jiu said, “Da jiejie and wu meimei paid me a visit. It took some time to send them away. We can set off immediately, now.”
Gu Ting nodded.
Li Chuan waved his whip. “Jia!”
“Moo!”
The old bull called out and pulled the cart, running towards the south of the city.
The cart was very stable but the speed was very slow.
There was no way.
Five years ago, the Qingping Racecourse in the northwest set up by the imperial court was poisoned by the allied forces of Xiliang and Beirong at the water source.
The excellent horses of a hundred thousand breeds within the racecourse suffered severe casualties overnight.
Since then, there was a great shortage of horses for everyone from the imperial court to the common people in Great Zhou.
In the Court of Imperial Stud which was in charge of Qingping Racecourse, over a hundred officials from top to bottom were either beheaded or exiled.
Due to the accident at the Qingping Racecourse, the strength of the cavalry in the military decreased greatly.
Great Zhou’s army had no choice but to change from offence to defence, entering a passive state.
In order to remedy this situation, the imperial court launched a series of policies collectively called ‘Horse Policy’.
Two key policies were:
First, the common people weren’t allowed to privately trade horses. All horse trading had to go through the horse market under the imperial court. Offenders were collared as criminals and exiled for ten thousand li.
Second, there were restrictions on horse ownership for aristocratic lords and officials. If the set number was exceeded, the surplus horses had to be sold to the imperial court.
Hence, such a great provincial governor’s fu had only four horses just for Gu daren and Xie shi travel.
Gu Jiu could only take bullock carts if she wanted to go out.
Everything about the bullock cart was good except for its slow speed.
Gu Ting and Su Zheng sat atop the cart dressed in a low-key manner.
Gu Jiu sat inside the cart and changed into men’s clothes with Qing Mei’s help.
Gu Jiu raised the curtain of the cart and asked, showing her head, “How is it?”
Gu Ting looked at Gu Jiu who was dressed in men’s clothes in a stunned manner. “I didn’t expect that meimei would look especially heroic while wearing men’s clothes!”
“Really?” Gu Jiu was worried that she couldn’t pull off the men’s clothes with her small physique.
Gu Ting nodded repeatedly.
Su Zheng also said, “Biaomei wearing these clothes is unexpectedly suitable.”
Gu Jiu felt relieved. She was wearing Gu Ting’s clothes from a few years ago. The size was appropriate for her but they looked luxurious, now low-key enough.
She said, “It’s good that it’s suitable. Have we reached the medicine shop yet?”
“Almost. Meimei, sit properly.”
Gu Ting nodded and went back inside the cart.
A cup of tea later, the cart stopped in front of Xu Clan’s medicine shop.
Gu Jiu jumped out of the carriage and Qing Mei almost shouted in fright.
Gu Jiu donned the mannerism of a rich son of an official and entered the medicine shop with Su Zheng and Gu Ting, these two ‘manservants’, following her.
Seeing them, the shopkeeper personally greeted them. “Is Gongzi looking for medicines or for treatment?”
Gu Jiu looked around and said, deliberately deepening her voice to sound like a male’s, “Looking for a doctor.”
The shopkeeper said, “The doctor who is working today is Wang…”
“I’m looking for Doctor Xu.”
Gu Jiu firmly interrupted the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was surprised, hurriedly saying, “Doctor Xu is not examining anyone today.”
Gu Jiu took out a prescription and showed it to the shopkeeper. The prescription had Doctor Xu’s signature and seal.
The shopkeeper wanted to take a closer look but Gu Jiu quickly took the prescription away.
“Doctor Xu has been treating me all this time so I don’t want any other doctor to see me. I ask the shopkeeper to accommodate.”
The shopkeeper hesitated. Seeing Gu Jiu’s grand clothing, he nodded and said, “Young master, please wait. This lowly one will go and invite Doctor Xu at once.”
Gu Ting secretly gave her a thumbs-up, saying quietly, “Meimei is amazing!”
Gu Jiu coughed lightly and said, “Gege, don’t talk nonsense.”
Gu Ting nodded. “I understand.”
Soon, Doctor Xu came out from the back room. “Who wants to see this old man?”
“It’s me!” Gu Jiu sized the man up, as if she were looking indifferently at a commodity.
“You are…” Doctor Xu was unhappy. This young master didn’t seem to understand the least bit of etiquette. How could he look at others like this?
Gu Jiu stepped forward, with a smile at the corner of her mouth, her words piercing like a knife. “Doctor Xu seems to be a little forgetful. Recently, my life almost ended in your hands. Did you forget so soon?”
Doctor Xu suddenly realised, recognising Gu Jiu. “You are Gu…”
“Doctor Xu must speak cautiously. There are a lot of people milling about here, it’s not a place to have a proper conversation.”
Gu Jiu looked at him with a smile.
Doctor Xu’s expression was indescribably guilty. He said nervously, “Please come inside and talk.”