CMRW Chapter 4

That day, the Gu Mansion was unusually lively. From the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard, whenever servants crossed paths, they inevitably began with, “Hey, did you hear…” and then whispered among themselves.

Some said: “Chun Tao always looked arrogant and overbearing, who would’ve thought she was so loyal to her master?”

Some said: “Chun Tao must have gone mad. I heard that ever since she woke up, she’s been talking to the air nonstop.”

Some said: “Maybe Chun Tao’s possessed by something unclean?”

And others said: “You don’t know, but actually, Chun Tao…”

“None of you have had enough to eat, huh? If the Master or Madam hear this gossip, you’ll all get the board. Get back to work!” That was Madam Cui scolding them. She hurried past, looking flustered, leading a group of servants in a rush. Among them, they half-carried, half-dragged a maid soaked in blood. The crowd fell silent at once, sensibly stepping aside and bowing their heads.

Yi Si was once again thrown into the old woodshed. Though it had only been a few hours since he last left this dark room, he almost found himself missing it. The dissonance between spirit and body was a terrible experience: though the body was battered and covered in wounds, his spirit remained clear and restless. He couldn’t even faint, only endure the pain in full awareness. Groaning “Ow, ow…” he fumbled inside his robes and pulled out a bloodstained jade pendant.

“If you only wanted to get close enough to steal the jade pendant, you didn’t have to provoke him like that. Why suffer such torment?” Gu Yunwu’s right hand covered his, fingers curling lightly as he grasped both Yi Si’s hand and the jade. The pendant glowed faintly—it meant the possession had succeeded.

“What other way did I have?”

“Well… you could’ve clutched his leg and cried out, ‘Spare me, Master!’”

“Bah, spineless.” Yi Si sneered and glanced at Gu Yunwu with disdain, then shifted with another groan, trying to find a somewhat bearable position on the tattered straw mat.

“What do you make of what Madam Liu said just now?”

“What can I make of it?” Gu Yunwu gave a bitter smile. “Could that child possibly have been mine?”

Yi Si had thought Master Gu was just a pampered merchant, too soft-handed to truly harm anyone. Beating someone was hard labor, after all—surely he couldn’t manage much.

But unexpectedly, when it came to beating people, Master Gu was vicious, relentless, and frighteningly persistent.

Even Yi Si began to feel things were turning dangerous, when suddenly Madam Liu dropped to her knees.

“Master, you can’t keep beating her! Chun Tao may be worthless, her death insignificant—but she was gravely ill and yet revived. That means Heaven itself decided her life shouldn’t end yet. Master, please, show mercy.”

“Get out of my way!” Master Gu, his eyes already bloodshot, shoved her aside violently, then raised the broom high again—this time aiming for Chun Tao’s skull.

“Master!” Madam Liu cried sharply. “Wu’er has just passed. If you bring about another death—one corpse, two lives—it would be a terrible omen.”

The broom halted mid-air, trembling but not falling. Master Gu’s face twitched as he turned toward Madam Liu, his gaze both furious and resentful.

If her first plea had been ordinary, that final phrase—“one corpse, two lives”—was her last trump card.

The broom slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Smack.

The outcome was decided.

“You… even you want to force me?” Master Gu muttered. Exhausted from the storm of rage and grief, he collapsed into a chair for a long moment. Finally, he waved a hand, muttered, “Do as you please,” and stormed away.

And so, half-dead Chun Tao was carried back into the small, dark room.

---

“Chun Tao isn’t pregnant at all. He probably saw how indifferent you always were, and in his rush to marry you, he lied to Madam Liu. But the truth doesn’t matter. What matters is how others perceive it,” Yi Si said.

“My personal maid pregnant… Whether she became wife or concubine, it means I should marry and establish my own household. Even with my mother long gone, I am still the rightful eldest son. The Gu family’s wealth should be mine to inherit. At the very least, they would have to give me a large share to manage. Otherwise, tongues would wag.”

Yi Si nodded. “Someone wants you to remain a sickly weakling—never stepping out, unable to inherit, and unable to have heirs to claim a share of the estate.”

“But Chun Tao’s situation made them realize I’m more resilient than they thought. And they realized—even without Chun Tao, as long as I live, it will be very difficult to stop me from marrying, having children, and gaining independence. So…”

“So, he went all the way and killed you.” Yi Si finished the thought. Then, after a pause, he added, “There’s one thing that bothers me. You were carefully nourished with tonics and medicine all these years, yet you’ve always been hovering between life and death. Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”

“You mean the medicine I’ve been drinking was poisoned? And—‘hovering between life and death’? Can’t you choose better words?” Gu Yunwu frowned.

Yi Si ignored the protest. “Chun Tao’s lie was the trigger. Whoever believed it is the killer. Madam Liu knew first, of course. But also…”

“My father.”

“Mm. I suspect both of them knew, but they didn’t agree on how to handle it. Madam Liu seemed more intent on using Chun Tao to control you, then giving you some money to start your own branch, so her children could keep most of the inheritance. If things went as they are now, she got what she wanted. Unless we’ve overlooked something, she has no reason to kill you. As for your father…” Yi Si hesitated, then glanced at him carefully. “Would it hurt you to know?”

Gu Yunwu thought he had long since buried his hopes, each disappointment piling heavy as a mountain. But suddenly, he remembered a summer day from childhood: his father in the garden with his younger siblings, flying kites. When his father saw him, he waved him over, handed him the spool, and held his hand. “Wu’er, good boy. Father will teach you how to fly a kite.”

The memory was distant, as though it belonged to another life. Gu Yunwu shook his head. “Maybe once it would have hurt. Now… no longer.”

“Good.” Yi Si nodded. “Master Gu is hard to read. On one hand, he’s merciless, intent on erasing every trace of you. On the other hand, from the way he treasures your mother’s jade pendant, he seems deeply attached to her. Judging from how he and Madam Liu reacted differently to Chun Tao today, Chun Tao must be a key figure. Let’s rest for now. When I can move again, we’ll search your courtyard for more clues.”

Gu Yunwu agreed with a nod. After a moment’s hesitation, he softly spoke a name.

“Li Si.”

“What?”

“What do you think of that name?”

Yi Si suddenly recalled his earlier joking request for a proper name. He’d gone nameless all this time; a mere code or title had sufficed. He had even forgotten that, long ago, he once dreamed of hearing someone call his full name, surname and all.

“Why Si?”

“Were you not wild enough today?” Gu Yunwu smiled. “Besides, it sounds like your old name.”

“And why the surname Li?” Yi Si pressed.

“That…” Gu Yunwu actually grew awkward, stumbling over his words for once. “Because… my mother’s surname was Li.”

The answer delighted Yi Si. He almost laughed, but the pain made him gasp instead.

“Better rest. Chun Tao’s body may not hold out much longer,” Gu Yunwu quickly changed the subject.

“Fine. Son, your mother’s going to nap a bit. Tomorrow, I’ll avenge you.”

From today, I’ll be called Li Si. Li Si… Li Si… He repeated the name over and over, satisfied, until he drifted into a deep sleep.

Beside him, a broken stool had been placed by the bed. Gu Yunwu pretended to sit, leaning sideways against the edge, eyes lowered as he watched Li Si’s sleeping face—tracing every feature with his gaze, from brows to nose, lips to ears. Slowly, he bent down, lying beside him, and closed his eyes.

I give you my mother’s surname to crown your name.
May you always live free, unrestrained, and fearless.

---

The next day, nothing had improved. The one who had boasted about seeking vengeance still lay in bed groaning endlessly.

“Brother Si, how are you… really?” Gu Yunwu asked, half worried, half exasperated.

“This young master now has a name. Please call me Li Si,” the newly christened man rasped, struggling.

Li Si had clearly overestimated the resilience of mortal flesh. He felt nailed to the bed; even the smallest movement sent waves of agony tearing through him. Worse, a burning fever consumed him.

The only good news was that Xiaocui arrived with some light food and water. Fevered and delirious, Li Si begged her for paper and ink. With Gu Yunwu guiding his hand, he scrawled a letter.

“Deliver this to the mistress of the Yuyun Teahouse at the South Gate,” he whispered, before sinking into unconsciousness again.

His injuries were too severe; his spirit almost slipped free, ready to tumble back into the Underworld. But what of Gu Yunwu? The truth had yet to be uncovered—Li Si couldn’t abandon him alone in this world.

So he clung desperately to the body, refusing to fall away. But every time he clawed back to consciousness, the pain struck like a crashing wave, dragging him under again.

Half-dreaming, half-delirious, he dimly sensed a stranger visiting—tending his wounds, wiping his body, feeding him broth. She came and went for several days. Finally, after three days, Li Si managed to stabilize within Chun Tao’s body and woke fully.

“You’re finally awake. If you’d died, how would I explain it to the young master?” The woman stood by the bed. She had a neat oval face—not delicate, but pleasing and calm. “If not for your greed, you wouldn’t have ended up like this. Learn your lesson next time!”

Scolded right after waking, Li Si blinked in confusion, turning his eyes toward Gu Yunwu.

“Allow me to introduce,” Gu Yunwu said sweetly in answer to his look, “this is Xia Yuan.”