Against the Current - Chapter 13
Chapter 13 - The First Branch
Madam Qin, the first-branch lady of the Lin family, sat inside her carriage with her eyes closed in meditation, quietly pondering family matters back in Jinling while her thoughts drifted to Lin Jinlou, leaving her mind ill at ease. Lin Jinlou was her eldest son, exceptionally clever from a young age yet remarkably unruly, showing some talent for reading and writing essays. Gradually, however, he lost interest in academic texts, caring only for casual books and unorthodox tales. When he was thirteen or fourteen, he accompanied relatives and friends to the imperial examinations and unexpectedly passed as a Xiucai; yet no matter how his father scolded or beat him, he stubbornly refused to ever participate in the palace examinations again. However, he harbored a special passion for martial arts, and in his youth had deliberately sought out a master to learn from, ultimately placing as a top martial scholar in the imperial examinations. The entire Lin household rejoiced extravagantly, hosting banquets with continuous streams of guests, while Old Master Lin pulled strings everywhere until Lin Jinlou secured the post of a military commander's adjudicator, and within two years was promoted to a senior sixth-rank Qianzong.
Donning the official rank of a military officer, Lin Jinlou navigated official circles with graceful ease and excelled at managing the family's private businesses, extending shop fronts all the way to the capital. Twice a year, he would make the trip to the capital to inspect operations, and the shining silver he earned funded a strictly disciplined private "Lin Family Army" under his direct command.
As Lin Jinlou gradually blossomed into a striking young man, Madam Qin began looking out for a suitable match, and indeed many families sent intermediaries to sound out possibilities. As the direct eldest grandson of the prominent Lin family of Jiangnan—whose grandfather had served as a high-ranking second-grade official in the imperial court, whose father Lin Changzheng served as the Junior Vice Minister of Revenue, and whose uncle Lin Changmin served as a regional military commander—Lin Jinlou was well-versed in both literature and martial arts, possessing a majestic bearing and an elegant demeanor. Numerous families were more than eager to forge a matrimonial alliance. Madam Qin had already scouted two candidate families, but human calculations pale against the turns of fate. During the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Lin Jinlou went out for a stroll and encountered a young lady at the lantern fair whose beauty seemed plucked straight from a painting. She cast repeated, alluring glances back at him, brimming with seductive charm. Lin Jinlou became utterly captivated, and upon hearing later that this woman was the renowned first beauty of Jinling—Zhao Yuechan, the youngest daughter of the sixth-rank provincial administration commissioner's assistant, Zhao Xuede—his heart was thoroughly ensnared.
When Madam Qin heard that Lin Jinlou had set his sights on the assistant commissioner's daughter, she felt that although their social standing was slightly lower, the Zhao family was nonetheless a century-old lineage with a succession of talented figures serving in the imperial court, and so she raised no major objections, merely sending people to make discrete inquiries. To her dismay, she learned that Zhao Xuede possessed a poor reputation in his official conduct, and that Zhao Yuechan herself was a romantic and frivolous woman, carrying on ambiguous relationships with her maternal cousins and even young household servants. Upon hearing these two details, Madam Qin grew deeply displeased and resolved to reject the match. To her astonishment, Lin Jinlou rushed off to beg his grandmother. Old Matriarch Zeng, who had always indulged Lin Jinlou's every whim, promptly entrusted a matchmaker to propose the union and agreed to the marriage. When word reached the capital, Madam Qin was both shocked and infuriated, but since the raw rice had already been cooked into unalterable paste, she had no choice but to resign herself to the situation.
On his wedding night, Lin Jinlou discovered that Zhao Yuechan was no longer a maiden and proved exceedingly experienced in the intimate arts of the bedchamber, instantly making him feel as though a verdant green hat of betrayal had been thrust upon his head. Half his tender affection was extinguished on the spot, and viewing her with cold detachment thereafter, he saw that Zhao Yuechan cared for nothing beyond food, clothing, and ostentatious dressing, lacking any genuine depth of character. Repenting his blindness to virtue driven purely by lust and his failure to heed his elders' warnings, Lin Jinlou treated Zhao Yuechan with chilly indifference. Harboring a heavy grievance in his heart and driven by fury, he took in three stunning and captivating maidservants—Yingge, Chunyan, and Huamei—one after another. Finding her husband taking concubines right in the midst of their newlyweds' honeymoon period, and doing so three times over, Zhao Yuechan felt as though she had been dealt a stinging, burning slap across the face. She threw frantic tantrums, weeping and wailing endlessly before Lin Jinlou, threatening to dash her head against the wall one moment and slash her throat the next. Lin Jinlou sneered coldly, "If you want to seek death, don't do it here and needlessly soil the floors of my manor! Could it be that you wish to drag this to the yamen and let me accuse you of premarital unchastity? Things being as they are, the Lin family certainly isn't afraid of losing that bit of face!" The moment those words left his mouth, Zhao Yuechan dared not make another scene; clinging stubbornly to the prestige of a marriage she still prized above all else, she had no choice but to swallow her humiliation in silence.
Just as Lin Jinlou had been married for a single year, he took a fancy to the daughter of one of Madam Qin's distant relatives, whose given name was Furong. She was exceptionally pretty and dignified; although betrothed once before, her fiancé had passed away. Having grown up alongside Lin Jinlou as childhood sweethearts, she held deep affection for him. Lin Jinlou intended to take her as a favored secondary wife, and Furong's family welcomed the prospect with open arms.
The Lin family began preparing to host a proper, formal banquet to welcome Furong into the household. Yet who could foresee the unpredictable turns of the heavens? Furong was lured away by wicked scoundrels and subjected to a brutal violation and murder—a case that remained shrouded in unsolved mystery to this day.
Three years later, observing that Lin Jinlou's lineage remained without an heir, Madam Qin dispatched people once more to scout in all directions, ultimately selecting the daughter of a scholar named Wang Qinglan. Possessing peerless, delicate beauty paired with an exceptionally gentle temperament and remarkable tact, Qinglan was kept by Madam Qin's side to be cultivated and trained for a period of time. Making the executive decision herself, Madam Qin hosted a banquet in the capital, allowing Lin Jinlou to take her into the household as a concubine. Upon hearing the news, Zhao Yuechan could only harbor bitter resentment, yet found herself utterly powerless to change it.
"Is Madam feeling unwell?" Hearing herself called amidst her troubled thoughts, Madam Qin opened her eyes to see Qinglan holding a small copper-framed filigree box, speaking with solicitous attentiveness: "I saw Madam frowning just now, which must be due to the long journey and the carriage jolting your head. I have a box of borneol and peppermint ointment here. If you apply a little to your temples or simply inhale the scent, it clears the mind and refreshes the spirit."
Madam Qin smiled faintly. "I am perfectly well. Look at you instead—these past two days you've suffered from carriage sickness, vomiting so severely that your chin has grown quite sharp. When Brother Xin sees you later, his heart will surely ache, and he'll accuse me of failing to take proper care of you."
Hearing Lin Jinlou mentioned by Madam Qin, Qinglan's face flushed slightly and she lowered her gaze. Madam Qin patted the back of Qinglan's hand, just as someone outside the carriage announced, "Madam, we have reached the second gate."
Over at Luoxue Lodge, upon hearing that the First Branch's carriages and horses had arrived, Cao Lihuan muttered in complaint, "Didn't they say they wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon? Why have they arrived so soon?" She bustled about to wash and dress herself, changing into her finest seasonal outfit: a long unlined outer garment of tea-white silk and satin, densely embroidered with colorful gold birds and flowers, the fabric and craftsmanship both of top tier. She had Huier apply her makeup with meticulous care. Though naturally fair-skinned, her complexion lacked smoothness and was dotted with tiny freckles. Huier, possessing nimble fingers, used a jasmine-scented purple powder paste to coat her face evenly, masking the blemishes before dusting on a faint layer of rouge, delicately sweeping her eyebrows, and carefully styling her hair into a peach-heart bun that was both dignified and exquisite. Adorning herself with plain silver hairpins, her entire appearance underwent a stunning transformation; while not a classic beauty, she exuded a distinct, alluring charm of her own.
Since Hairui had requested leave to visit home, Cao Lihuan originally intended to take Huier to greet the arrivals, but she mistrusted Xianglan, fearing the girl might remain alone in the rooms and pilfer items. Consequently, she had no choice but to leave Huier behind and take Xianglan along instead. Hearing along the way that the First Branch's entourage had already proceeded to Shoushi Hall where, after exchanging formal greetings, they were about to be served a meal, she hurried hastily toward Shoushi Hall.
Xianglan watched Cao Lihuan practically walking on wind, and weighing her words with utmost caution, she gently advised, "Miss, Shoushi Hall is hosting a family banquet, and no one was sent to invite us. Going over there so abruptly might... perhaps be improper?"
Cao Lihuan curled her lip in disdain. "What's improper about it? It's a family banquet, so why shouldn't I go? I am, after all, a legitimate relative of the Lin family. It's likely that the junior maid sent to invite us crossed paths and missed us on the way. Rather than making them wait for us to be seated at the banquet, it's far better to head straight over." Habitually looking down on Xianglan, she shot her a contemptful, sidelong glance and said coldly, "You've been in the manor for several months now, haven't you? Why are you still such a cowering, spineless, and unpresentable coward? At the very least, try to learn a bit of Huier's vision and worldly awareness! Don't go embarrassing me later."
Xianglan offered her well-intentioned advice only to be met with a barrage of snubs. Lowering her head, she kept silent, sighing inwardly: We are plainly just unwelcome, impoverished relatives of the household, yet she stubbornly insists on acting like some grand personage. If they genuinely intended to invite or introduce us, they would have sent someone to give word days ago. Until the moment the First Branch returned and Shoushi Hall had already served the meal without a single notification sent our way, it should be obvious that they have no desire to see us. To go crawling over there so eagerly—ah, she'll just be asking to lose face shortly.
At Shoushi Hall in the Lin manor, the three tall, spacious, and magnificent main rooms featured intricately carved doors swung wide open, revealing a gold-traced sandalwood table set in the main hall. Upon it stood a large turquoise-green archaic bronze tripod burner, from which incense smolder, releasing a slender, ghostly wisp of fine white smoke.
"Please return, Cousin. This gathering has been personally arranged by the Old Matriarch for the First and Second Branches to dine together; the Miss can come back another time," Xuezan, the senior maid by Old Matriarch Lin's side, said in a soft, measured tone. "Besides, meals have already been served inside, and it is hardly appropriate for the Miss to barge in at this hour."
Clutching her handkerchief, Cao Lihuan stood outside the courtyard of Shoushi Hall. Her complexion shifted between red and pale, yet she stubbornly pressed on: "Even if it's a family banquet, I am a relative of the Lin family as well. Why can't I go inside? I even prepared gifts for the Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, and several cousins."
Liubei chimed in, "It's admirable that the Miss is thoughtful enough to prepare gifts, but allow me to remind you: our Eldest Master and Eldest Madam are your maternal uncle and aunt, and while connected by the word 'maternal cousin,' you are ultimately not closely related." Liubei was a second-class maid in Old Matriarch Lin's chambers, known for her sharp temper and a biting tongue that rarely showed mercy.
Xianglan stood quietly behind Cao Lihuan, her hands tucked into her sleeves and her gaze lowered, thinking to herself: Just as I anticipated. Miss Huan, they've made it abundantly clear they don't want you entering; why go looking for humiliation on your own accord? Bumping your head against a wall now, you've lost both your dignity and your face. Tsk, this Cousin Huan has a fiery temper; there's bound to be a good show to watch shortly, and I only hope collateral damage doesn't drag me down into getting punished.
Cao Lihuan's expression grew even gloomier. Pointing straight at Liubei, she demanded in a sharp voice, "Is this your personal decision or the Old Matriarch's? I refuse to believe she intends to lock me outside!" With that, she adjusted her clothing and made to charge past.
Xuezan spread her arms and puffed out her chest to block her path, a smile still lingering on her face: "Please head back, Miss. This is the Old Matriarch's command; please don't make things difficult for us servants."
Cao Lihuan sneered, "Don't hide behind the Old Matriarch to lecture me. Today I am going to walk in whether you like it or not, and I'll personally ask the Old Master and Old Matriarch if there is any reason under heaven to lock their own family relatives outside the doors! Could it be they want to bully an orphan girl like me whose parents have both passed away and who has no one to rely on?" Tall and sturdily built, Cao Lihuan gave Xuezan a rough shove and tried to force her way inside.
Xuezan was pushed back a half-step, stumbling slightly, while Liubei stepped forward, puffed out her chest to block Cao Lihuan's path, and glared with furrowed brows: "What do you think you're doing? Shoushi Hall is no place for you to throw a tantrum!" Taller even than Cao Lihuan, Liubei wore an icy expression as she extended her arm and gave Cao Lihuan a forceful push, sending her staggering backward.
Never expecting a maid to physically push back against her, Cao Lihuan stumbled on her heels and fell backward. Xianglan, being petite, failed to catch her fully and was pushed back another half-step herself, nearly tumbling straight into the flowerbed.
"Audacious! How dare you push me! This is rebellion! Absolute rebellion!" Enraged beyond measure, Cao Lihuan strode forward, reared back, and landed a resounding slap across Liubei's face, pointing and cursing: "Faceless, unmannerly little bitch! You're nothing more than a plaything bought into this family with a few taels of silver, yet you dare to climb over your master's head and strike your superior! Today I'll teach you some manners and show you how a servant ought to serve people!" With that, she swung her hand down for a second stinging slap.
Liubei had not anticipated that Cao Lihuan would suddenly resort to wild violence and strike her. Clutching her burning cheek, she stood stunned for a moment, but as Cao Lihuan's second blow descended, she snapped to her senses. Lunging forward, she grabbed Cao Lihuan's wrist and sneered, "I was bought into the Lin family, and the masters, mistresses, young masters, and young ladies of the Lin family are my true superiors. Exactly what kind of master are you? You're nothing more than an immensely distant relative who sponges off the Lin family, demanding this every single day—eating fish today, chicken tomorrow, and demanding gold, silver, and fine silks the day after! You're even lower than we servants!"
Xuezan hurried forward to pull Liubei away, scolding, "What nonsense are you spouting!" She then turned to Cao Lihuan, pleading, "Please don't take offense, Miss Huan. Liubei doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut; I'll have the senior matrons discipline her later."
Cao Lihuan was in no mood to let the matter go. Every single word Liubei spoke struck directly at her most sensitive and humiliating sore spots; wishing she could chew Liubei up alive, she gritted her teeth and snarled, "I refuse to believe I can't put this little wretch in her place today!" Extending her other hand, she lunged viciously to claw at Liubei's face.
Liubei was startled and threw her arms up to block. Missing her target, Cao Lihuan instead seized a handful of Liubei's hair, pulling and tearing with all her might while screaming curses: "Little bitch, if I don't break you today I won't stay alive! Is your stinking mouth qualified to run comments on me?"
Yelping in pain with her face screwed up in agony, Liubei lunged straight into Cao Lihuan's embrace, crying hysterically as she wailed, "Break me then! You beat me to death today! At worst, I'll drag you down to perish together!" Her heavy charge knocked Cao Lihuan flat onto her back, yet Liubei refused to let go, still clinging to Cao Lihuan's hair. Taking advantage of the momentum, Liubei threw herself flat across Cao Lihuan's body, and the two of them tumbled onto the ground together in a tangled heap.
Blinded by blind fury, Cao Lihuan had long forgotten all reason and propriety. She battered Liubei with both fists while raining down vicious curses: "Little bitch! Little bitch!" Liubei lay flat on her back on the floor, letting herself be beaten while opening her throat to howl at the top of her lungs.
Xianglan had watched the scene in utter stupefaction, thinking to herself that in two lifetimes—having spent time in houses of wealth and survived in the dregs of the marketplace—she had never witnessed a mistress and a maid brawling like fishwives. She could only manage a few dry, feeble shouts: "Stop fighting." Xuezan was spinning around in anxious circles, trying to pull the combatants apart alongside several matrons. Seeing Xianglan standing off to the side like a wooden post, Xuezan stamped her foot and urged, "What are you standing there like a statue for? Why aren't you hurrying over to pull your young lady away?"
Xianglan had no desire to intervene in the first place. Cao Lihuan despised her, meaning anything she said or did would be wrong, and if things went poorly she'd simply become the target for venting frustration. Yet she still had to put up a superficial show. Seeing Cao Lihuan looking thoroughly ferocious as she wound up her arm to slap Liubei again, Xianglan stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Cao Lihuan's arm, and pleaded, "Miss, please stop now. Don't make yourself sick with anger."
Cao Lihuan shoved Xianglan away violently, kicked out at her with her foot, and cursed, "Useless little wretch! You stand by and watch your mistress suffer without even knowing enough to come help!"
Taking that kick was precisely what Xianglan desired. Feigning being knocked back several steps by the blow, she let out an exaggerated cry of "Aiyo!" and tumbled dramatically to the ground, massaging her stomach where she had been kicked while playing dead.