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Life is a Play, Everything Depends on Acting
Translated by atsam
Edited by atsam
Inside the room, Gu Jiu was nestled in Qing Mei’s bosom. There was a shocking purple bruise on her neck.
The moment Gu Jiu saw Gu daren, tears rolled down her face. She wept silently, her eyes hazy and filled with child-like admiration. Her face was sickly, making her seem very pitiful.
Seeing Gu Jiu, Gu daren was startled. He didn’t care much about this daughter.  Since she fell ill, he hadn’t come to see her much.
But he didn’t expect that in just the two months that he hadn’t seen her, Gu Jiu’s condition had worsened to this extent.
He heard that she was recovering from her illness. But looking at her, it didn’t seem as if she was recovering very well.
Gu daren frowned. His anger towards Gu Jiu had nearly disappeared. But he still had a stern expression on his face.
“What’s going on?”
Gu Jiu motioned for Qing Mei to help her up. She stood and weakly saluted to Gu daren. “Daughter cannot be filial to father in the future. I ask father to forgive me.”
“Nonsense! If you are ill, then carefully recuperate. What suicide are you talking about? Your making trouble unreasonably.” Gu daren said strictly, but his words also carried some fatherly concern.
Gu Jiu laughed desolately, her tears falling drop by drop. This look showed Gu Jiu’s aggrieved helplessness, making people feel incomparably distressed for her. “Daughter isn’t talking nonsense. If daughter doesn’t commit suicide today, I’m afraid I won’t live for many more days.”
Saying this, Gu Jiu picked up her handkerchief and covered her mouth with it, coughing. Her sleeve lifted, exposing her slender arm which wasn’t what a fourteen-year-old little girl would have.
Gu daren frowned tightly, perusing Gu Jiu. Was this his daughter? Why was it that she was said to be recovering but was, in fact, getting weaker? Didn’t the doctor say that it was just a common cold?
Xie shi stood at Gu daren’s side. Seeing this, she hurriedly said, “Er guniang, you cannot make irresponsible remarks! You are still young, don’t think such things. Quickly lie down on the bed and drink the medicine.”
Gu Jiu swept her eyes over the kneeling Tao Hong and said softly, “Replying to taitai, I don’t dare drink the medicine.”
“If you are ill, how can you not drink the medicine? You, child, are so stubborn.” Xie shi’s seemed to be concerned about her but was in fact criticising her for throwing a tantrum, being noisy and unreasonable.
Gu Jiu coughed gently, seeming more and more feeble. She hung her head.
Life was a play. Everything depended on acting skills.
Gu Jiu believed that she had never lost when it came to her acting skills.
She hadn’t lost in her previous life and she wouldn’t in this life.
Since she woke up early that morning, she had been pondering about this matter. How could she allow this matter to conclude with a few words of Xie shi?
“Taitai misunderstood. I am not refusing to drink the medicine, but not daring to drink.”
Xie shi scolded her angrily, “You’re talking nonsense again. The doctor especially wrote a prescription for you, so why don’t you dare drink it? Are you finding fault with the doctor’s medical skills or are you criticising laoye and me for not taking care of you well?”
“I…”
“You’re simply making trouble! The doctor already said that you can recover and live a good life! Take a look, you’re disturbing the entire household and causing worry. Even laoye has been alarmed by you. And you still don’t know your mistake?”
Xie shi questioned her like a gunfire while Gu Jiu wept noiselessly, her appearance both lovely and pitiful. Clearly, she was a pitiful little girl being treated harshly by her stepmother.
Xie shi was furious. This wretched little girl only knows how to cry all day long. Wait for laoye to leave; see how I sort you out.
Gu Jiu weakly looked at Gu daren. “Father!”
This ‘father’ was so desperate, broken-hearted, frightened and anxious. Seeing this, Xie shi’s anger grew. She still dared to pretend. Xie shi opened her mouth to scold her again but to her surprise, Gu daren raised his hand to stop her.
Gu Jiu gazed at Gu daren. Since waking up, she had been thinking about Gu daren’s temperament and how to perform this play to arouse his sympathy.
Gu daren, Gu Zhili was a third-grade government official, currently serving as the provincial governor of Jinzhou.
To be able to occupy such a high position at such a young age, he depended first, on his ability and second, on his ancestors.
Gu daren’s father, Gu Jiu’s paternal grandfather, was also Pingnan hou’s di younger brother of the same mother. Pingnan hou was the eldest di son. Gu Jiu’s grandfather was the second di son.
Later, the brothers divided into separate households. Their residence in the capital was separated by a courtyard wall.
Speaking of which, Gu Jiu could be regarded as the descendant of the marquisate. Gu daren himself had grown up in the marquis fu and was experienced and knowledgeable. He was quite aware about the matters of the rear-court.
Therefore, when Gu Jiu showed a frightened expression, his emotions were affected.
“Er guniang, you just said that it isn’t that you don’t want to drink but you don’t dare to drink the medicine. Why?”
“Laoye…” Xie shi said anxiously. Gu daren waved his hand, stopping her from speaking. He even sat on the chair before the desk, ready to pay close attention to Gu Jiu’s explanation.
Gu Jiu had a blessed body and simple movements made her weary causing her to pant. Her weak look proved that when she said she didn’t dare to drink the medicine, this matter really had an inside story.
Gu Jiu held the handkerchief, wiping her tears. “Replying to father, this servant Tao Hong was fully responsible for preparing the medicine and feeding it to me. Daughter drank the medicine often but felt tired soon after. After waking up, the body felt heavy once again and the heart felt flustered and weak. My chest ached and I found it hard to breathe.
“Initially, daughter thought that since my body was weak, I couldn’t withstand the force of the medicine. But after all this time, daughter can’t even get out of bed. Daughter also spoke to the doctor who said that daughter only has the common cold. Then why is my illness becoming more and more serious? Daughter didn’t want to cause trouble and was unwilling to doubt the people beside me but today… today…”
Gu Jiu sobbed without a sound.
Gu daren asked, “What happened today?”
“Today daughter came to know that I am known as the di daughter of the provincial governor’s fu but in the minds of some black-hearted people, I’m not even as good as a slave! They want daughter to die sooner. If I die, they don’t have to wait upon this master day and night. They can relax and easily find a new master.”
“Where did this come from?”
Gu Jiu wiped her tears, pointing at the cover filled with medicinal ingredients. “If it weren’t for me seeing with my own eyes, daughter wouldn’t dare to believe that such a malicious person could exist. They are all eager to see daughter die.”
Xie shi interrupted, “Er guniang, you cannot talk irresponsibly. In this fu, everything is clear and orderly from top to bottom. All abide by their duty. Where did these black-hearted people come from? Who dares to look forward to your death?”
Gu Jiu said softly, “Taitai is busy managing the affairs of the household all day, it is unavoidable that you would be somewhat negligent towards the matters of Zhilanyuan. Seeing that taitai doesn’t show interest in Zhilanyuan, naturally those black-hearted slaves have become disloyal.”
“Laoye, listen to her words. She is criticising me, her mother, for not being concerned about her enough! Laoye knows clearly that qieshen works hard daily to teach and discipline the children and has never slackened.”
Xie shi held her handkerchief, drying her eyes, with the appearance of being wronged and hurt.
Gu Jiu said lightly, “Taitai misunderstood. It is because taitai works hard day and night, becoming tired and thin, that I don’t dare to disturb you with my trifling matters. If I distract taitai, I would have sinned.”
Xie shi wanted to reply but Gu daren was disinclined to listen to her. He raised his hand to stop her from speaking. “Bring that cover to me.”
The housekeeper Gu Quan stepped forward to bring the cover. Gu daren said with an unsmiling face, “Open it!”
When the cover was opened, it was filled with medicinal ingredients which were mouldy and had gone bad. Instantly, Gu daren’s complexion became heavy.
Qing Mei knelt at once. “Laoye, please give justice to my guniang. Today, nubi was ordered to get medicinal ingredients from the storehouse to prepare medicine for guniang. The old slave in the storehouse threw these ingredients to nubi.
“Nubi wanted to argue but the old slave said that Tao Hong usually took such medicinal ingredients to prepare medicine for guniang. Anyway, people won’t die if they eat this; why would she give nubi anything different? Nubi was incapable and could only bring these ingredients back.”
“You’re saying nonsense!” Tao Hong suddenly shouted. “Laoye is wise, nubi has never taken mouldy medicinal ingredients to prepare medicine for guniang.”
However, Qing Mei said, “If nubi has said any false words, then I must be struck by lightning.”
Tao Hong’s face was ashen. Pointing at Qing Mei, she said, “Why are you harming me? I understood! You resent me for replacing your position. You’re retaliating against me! You and I are irreconcilable!”
Tao Hong pounced on Qing Mei. Qing Mei shouted exaggeratedly.
“Stop her!” Gu daren said angrily. The servants rushed forward to control and restrain her, conveniently blocking her mouth. Gu daren slapped the desk. This was too outrageous.
His own daughter, even if he didn’t pay much attention to her, he wouldn’t allow her subordinates to insult her like this.
And this slave called Tao Hong was simply immoral and lawless. She even dared to hit someone in front of him. One could only imagine how unbridled and rampant she was usually.