Chapter 12: Eldest Sister

TL: 247reader

TLC: Tygris

Chu Yi was slowly spooning up porridge. Upon hearing this, she looked up at Lady Yan and Duke Chu, then lowered her head again, as timid as a quail.

She had been here for just over a year. Chu Jin’s entry into the household Buddhist temple had occurred soon after her arrival.

It had been during the previous winter.

She was a new arrival and feared meeting the same fate as Chu Jin, so she had remained in her courtyard. Later, she realized that Chu Ying’s fate was even worse.

At least Chu Jin had been able to remain in the capital.  Chu Ying had packed her bags and been sent directly back to Lunan. Although the old Madam was there, she feared that, due to Lady Yan’s instructions, Chu Ying still wasn’t having an easy time.

As far as these matters went, Chu Yi pretended to see and hear nothing. In fact, over the past year or so, she had heard the servants gossiping that the Eldest Miss kept running away, but was caught and brought back every time before she could even reach the threshold.

Originally, the household temple had been a quiet and tranquil place, but now there were about a dozen strong old women guarding it. Not even a fly could buzz in.

Right now, Chu Yi wanted to plug her ears, but it was obviously impossible.

Nanny Chen was a servant in the main courtyard, and she had never been impudent before. Today, she had probably acted like this because she had seen that Chu Yi and Duke Chu were present. But what could she do?

It was not as if she could…

With reddened eyes, Lady Yan waved her hand. “Leave first, and keep a close eye on the servants. See that they keep their mouths shut and don’t gossip.”

Nanny Chen sighed. “This servant takes her leave.”

Duke Chu frowned. Prince Chen had married long ago, yet the Qin family still harbored a grudge over the Prince’s intention to marry Chu Jin. Now, locked up in the household temple, Chu Jin wanted to escape. He didn’t know whether he should be angry or worried.

Finally, he said, “Let’s eat first.”

This time, Duke Chu did not chat with Chu Yi. It was only when the meal was almost over that he said, “Your eldest sister was your mother and mine’s first daughter. Only your eldest brother is senior to her. She has been outstanding since she was young and has a competitive streak.”

Chu Yi listened, then said carefully, “This daughter remembers that Eldest Sister was once the most famous talent in the capital.”

Duke Chu answered, “That’s right. Later, Prince Chen became close to our Duke Chu mansion. On the eve of his request for an imperial marriage decree, Prince Li asked the Emperor to grant him a marriage with your eldest sister first.”

The two princes were only one year apart in age. At the time, Prince Li already had a secondary wife, ^[1]A Cèfēi (侧妃) was lower in rank than a prince’s official Wangfei, but higher in rank than his ordinary concubines. but Prince Chen didn’t. Rumors had spread throughout the capital that he was infatuated with Chu Jin. The news that Prince Chen had challenged Prince Li to a brawl spread throughout the entire capital. He had wanted to ask the Emperor for a marriage decree as well, but Duke Chu had stopped him.

Infighting among the princes would not end well for Chu Jin, no matter the outcome. The ducal couple had discussed matters and finally locked Chu Jin in the household temple.

The Emperor would not want to see his two sons fighting over a woman, and nor would the mothers of Prince Li and Prince Chen. Furthermore, the behavior of the Duke Chu Mansion had also drawn the Emperor’s suspicion.

If Duke Chu hadn’t intervened, Chu Jin would probably have had only two options: either to be executed or to enter the palace as a concubine.

In the end, Chu Jin’s life had been preserved. At court, Duke Chu behaved cautiously. Eventually, Prince Chen married, and the matter could be considered over and done with.

Duke Chu said, “It was fated but not destined; no one is to blame. But your eldest sister has always harbored feelings in her heart. Locked in the household temple, she’s not even aware that Prince Chen has already married. Why don’t you go and  persuade her?”

What could Chu Yi say? She replied, “This daughter is a poor speaker. I can only try my best.”

She hadn’t spoken much to Chu Jin, who had been locked up soon after she’d arrived. She didn’t know if she could persuade her successfully. What if she was the type of person who would run into a wall rather than turn back? How could she convince her otherwise?

Duke Chu said, “It’s late today. Go tomorrow morning.”

Chu Yi nodded obediently, feigning innocence as she comforted Duke Chu and Lady Yan. “Please be at ease, Father and Mother. I think that Eldest Sister misses you, and, as such, wanted to leave. When it comes to important matters, Eldest Sister will surely be clear-headed.”

Lady Yan curled her lips. “I hope so.”

Chu Yi did not stay long after dinner. She was followed out by several maids and serving boys, all carrying things to Yixia Pavilion.

The serving boys were sent by the Duke of Chu, and the maids were naturally from Lady Yan.

Duke Chu was very generous and had things prepared as soon as they had finished their meal. He then had them carried directly to her yard. Chu Yi looked and saw that there were quite a lot of medicinal herbs and enough things to decorate two study rooms.

Chu Yi didn’t know yet what Lady Yan had given her. Upon returning to the courtyard and taking a look, she discovered that one box contained pearls, which she could keep to make jewelry and clothes. The other box contained silver ingots, ten of them altogether, worth ten taels each.

The total value was one hundred taels.

Although Nanny Li knew that she shouldn’t show off, she still couldn’t suppress her joy. Chu Yi had already brought back several boxes at noon. This evening, she had merely gone to pay her respects, and yet so many things had been sent back.

Chu Yi said, “First, put the pearls in the storeroom, and put the silver in the money box. On another day, go exchange half for silver notes, and take twenty taels to be traded for small change. Put the jewelry I brought back this morning in the jewelry box.”

That morning, the steward had shown them two sets of head ornaments, two pairs of bracelets, and eight pieces of jewelry. Lady Lin had made the decision to remove a pair of bracelets and two not-so-good-looking hairpins, and then bought the rest.

After some time had passed, these pearls could be sent as a return gift. Whether Lady Lin needed them or not, it was proper etiquette.

There were several boxes of study decor. Chu Yi opened one box and found a beautiful celadon vase nestled in straw. She opened another to find a jade ruyi. ^[2]A Ruyi (如意) is a curved scepter, generally decorated with auspicious designs. They were popular as gifts and status symbols among the wealthy and politically powerful.

In addition, there were pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, all of them excellent items. ^[3]Traditional Chinese ink comes in the form of sticks or bars. The inkstone is a palette used to grind the ink with water into a usable state; they could also be beautifully decorated works of art in and of themselves.

Out of concern that it might rain overnight, all of these were moved into the warehouse. Although they only took up a small space, Chu Yi still felt satisfied.

With this satisfaction, Chu Yi slept well all night, and when she opened her eyes again, the next day had dawned.

Upon waking, Chu Yi felt a chill. When she asked, she found out that it was raining. As Xiazhi combed her hair, Nanny Li said, “It’s a good thing we put everything in the storeroom last night; otherwise, they would have been exposed to the rain all night.”

Glancing out the window, Chu Yi saw a green haze. This was the first spring rain of the year. The drizzle was as fine as silk, even the sound of the raindrops inaudible.

She smiled and said, “The rain isn’t heavy. Let’s go and pay our respects first.”

The last time she’d gone to pay respects, she’d been walking through the night. Now, though it was bright, all she could see was the sunlight filtered through the clouds.

Chu Yi walked in front, with Yunxia holding an umbrella up behind her. She felt she would be fine without the umbrella, but she was always fearful of falling ill here. For the sake of her life, she needed to be cautious.

On the way, Chu Yi met Chu Xin and Concubine Zhao.

Concubine Zhao was very polite. She first greeted Chu Xin as “Third Miss” and then tugged at Chu Xin’s arm. Chu Xin then reluctantly called out, “Third Elder Sister”.

Chu Yi nodded and said a few words to Concubine Zhao, pretending not to see Chu Xin’s unfriendly expression at the side.

She didn’t care about Chu Xin. She was now heading out as a representative of the Duke’s Mansion. If Chu Xin wanted to do anything, she was unlikely to get past Lady Yan.

The more Chu Xin made things difficult for her, the more immature and childish she appeared in the eyes of Duke Chu, so there was no need to pay attention to her.

Chu Xin was extremely unwilling. She was able to see Chu Yi every day when they paid respects. Once, her sister had been invisible, but now she was living a prosperous life.

Then, taking a look at herself, in what way was her life prosperous?

Since Concubine Zhao refused to make her new clothes, she had no choice but to have her maids keep an eye on Chu Yi. She only dared to wear what Chu Yi had already worn yesterday. It wasn’t that she was afraid of being outshone by another if she wore the same outfit, it was only… only that she didn’t want to wear the same outfit.

If Chu Xin hadn’t asked a maid to keep an eye on her, she wouldn’t have known that Chu Yi had gone out again yesterday. After returning, Songbai, who served their father, had taken a lot of boxes to Yixia Pavilion. Chu Yi must have been overjoyed.

She had never been able to see so many good things before.

Chu Xin didn’t know what Lady Yan and Duke Chu were thinking. Chu Yi had no mother to teach her, and was crude and dull. Apart from being one year older than herself, what other advantage did she have? Whatever Chu Yi could do, she could do too.

Still thinking about this, she arrived at the main courtyard. After entering, she waited for a while and then paid her respects.

Lady Yan hadn’t slept well last night, and her eyes were shadowed. She wasn’t in the best of spirits at the moment. She just asked a few casual questions, then waved her hand and said, “If there’s nothing else, then you may leave.”

Chu Xin stood up and said, “Mother, this daughter has something to say.”

Lady Yan’s eyebrows tightened. “Speak.”

Concubine Zhao was unable to stop her. She could only watch Chu Xin say, “Mother, I’ve seen Third Elder Sister and Elder Sister-in-law go out these past few days. I’m also a daughter of the Duke’s Mansion, and I’m willing to share their burdens.”

Lady Yan’s brows tightened further. During Chu Yi’s two excursions, as she had learned from Lady Lin, Chu Yi had performed very well.

She had defended her two elder sisters and the Duke’s Mansion with her words, but she hadn’t tried to attract attention. Although she had some shortcomings, this was already a rare level of proficiency for a thirteen year old girl.

Her heart was sincere; great wisdom knew when to appear foolish.

Chu Xin’s personality was somewhat similar to Chu Jin’s, but she lacked smarts.

If it had been Chu Xin there yesterday, she would probably have said to Miss Qin, “If my eldest sister hadn’t gone to the household temple, then your elder sister would never even have gotten an opportunity.”

Lady Yan’s head ached. “Let’s talk about this later. Everyone may leave. Yi’er.”

Her meaning was that Chu Yi would stay to dine.

Before Chu Xin could say anything else, Concubine Zhao pulled her away.

Chu Yi remained behind. Duke Chu wasn’t there today, so the two of them ate in silence. No one mentioned Chu Jin until they had finished.

Finally, Lady Yan said, “Your eldest sister is stubborn and won’t turn back until she hits a wall. If you can persuade her, do so. If that doesn’t work, come back.”

Chu Yi nodded. She walked out of the main courtyard towards the small household temple.

The Duke Chu Mansion had two household Buddhist temples. One was near the main courtyard, where Lady Yan would regularly worship Buddha. Lady Yan believed in these things, copying Buddhist scriptures, collecting blessed beans, ^[4]Given out by Buddhist monks and even visiting the temple to burn incense on the first day of every month. She was very pious.

The other place was used to hold Chu Jin. It was in the northeast corner of the Duke Chu Mansion, converted from an abandoned courtyard. Chu Yi had indeed thought in the past that perhaps Chu Jin was simply held captive to prevent her from leaving and did not truly live the life of a prisoner.

One wouldn’t be too cruel to one’s own daughter. Even though she couldn’t leave, she would still have everything she needed.

But the further they walked, the more desolate it became. All that could be heard was the early-morning chirping of birds. Behind her, Yunxia shivered, but didn’t dare say anything.

After walking for a long time, Chu Yi saw a towering courtyard wall, almost as high as the mansion’s outer walls. Two strong old women were guarding the door.

Chu Yi showed the badge to the two of them, saying little, and went directly in.

She thought that, upon passing the gate, she would reach the small household temple, but unexpectedly there was still some distance to go. At the end of the path there was another, shorter, courtyard wall guarded by more women.

Chu Yi’s heart sank, but she held on and kept walking forward. She showed her badge and entered what turned out to be a courtyard.

If the Duke Chu Mansion were the imperial palace, then it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this place the cold palace. ^[5]The cold palace, or Lěnggōng (冷宫), is where disfavored or criminal concubines were imprisoned. In actual history, there was rarely a real, specific “cold palace,” but it plays a major role in historical fiction. Amimisu has an excellent video on the lives of discarded concubines and the various corners of the palace where they were kept here. The servants’ story that Chu Jin had secretly run away was probably true.

This time, a nanny was there to escort her. After looking at the badge, she led Chu Yi to the main building.

The door was closed and heavily locked. The nanny opened it with a key and said in a cold voice, “Eldest Miss, the Third Miss is here to see you.”

Chu Yi had first arrived here in the eleventh month of the previous year, when the weather had been cold. She had met Chu Jin several times. She was elegant and beautiful; all the whispers about her were true.

But now, things were different.

This place had been desolate and dark to start with, and the windows didn’t let in much light, making the room even more eerie. There were no serving maids. Opposite the door stood a golden statue of Buddha. The altar in front of it emitted abundant smoke, and the incense burner was already filled with ash.

In front of the altar, atop a cushion, knelt a woman in plain clothes. Her black hair was tied in a simple bun, with only a few silver hairpins.

Perhaps because it rarely saw the sun, her exposed neck was slender and white, and so were her hands, which held a brush to copy Buddhist scriptures.

The nanny left the room. Chu Yi stood in the doorway for a while before opening her mouth to say, “Eldest Sister.”

Chu Jin’s body suddenly stiffened. She didn’t turn around. “If it was Mother who asked you to come, then you don’t have to persuade me. I merely wanted to go out in order to clarify matters. Once I get answers, I will naturally return to this place and never leave again.”

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