Against the Current - Chapter 131

Chapter 131 - Breaking the News

Xianglan narrowed her eyes and slowly straightened her posture even further. Cao Lihuan walked over, fanning herself with her hand, and said with an arrogant expression, "Oh, so it's you. What are you doing here? Could it be that someone in your family got locked up?"

Xianglan acted as if she hadn't heard a thing. She adjusted the hair at her temples and proceeded to check the bundle hanging over her arm.

Cao Lihuan raised her voice. "I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?"

Only then did Xianglan raise her head and reply calmly, "Mistress Cao, I am no longer a maidservant. Show some respect and courtesy. You have always boasted of your prominent background, so don't forget your young mistress's upbringing. Making a loud fuss is the behavior of a shrew. Have you forgotten your own dignity after living among commoners for just a short while?"

Having never been provoked like this before, Cao Lihuan instantly burned with anger, her face turning crimson. Seeing that Xianglan's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just been crying, she felt a sudden surge of satisfaction. She sneered, "We harbor a deep, bitter feud between us, so why bother pretending to bow and offer courtesies? Chen Xianglan, your father has been thrown into the major prison, hasn't she—hasn't he?" As she spoke, she took two fierce steps forward, her eyes wide and her expression ferocious. "When you framed me back then, did you ever think that this day would come for you too? Did you think you would one day fall into my hands? Chen Xianglan, you ruined my prospects and my wealth, and I will certainly not let you off easy."

A secret shock rippled through Xianglan's heart, though she kept her expression completely composed. Pressing the tip of her nose nearly against Cao Lihuan's, she arched a brow and retorted, "It seems Mistress Cao possesses quite some impressive skills. After a few years apart, you've actually managed to take over the county magistrate's job of rendering verdicts."

Cao Lihuan let out a slight sneer. "Throw in a bit more silver, and perhaps you can still manage to save your father's wretched dog of a life." With that, she turned and walked away without looking back.

Filled with doubt and anxiety, Xianglan had no time to dwell on it. She took out three taels of silver and offered them to the prison guard, begging him to hire a doctor to treat Chen Wanquan. However, the guard refused to accept it. Xianglan added another two taels, prompting the guard to smack his lips and say, "You must not be wishing for anything good if you've gone and provoked Mistress Cao. As the saying goes, 'Take someone's money, eliminate disasters for them.' I can't meddle with the prisoners in here, so naturally, I can't take your silver either."

Xianglan pressed further, "Official, why can't you manage this?"

The guard picked at his teeth. "Who doesn't know that Mistress Cao is practically the deputy magistrate in this yamen? Once she puts the word out, do you think we have any say..." Before finishing his sentence, he clamped his mouth shut, shook his head, and walked away.

Xianglan stood frozen in place for a moment, her heart feeling heavy and congested as she drifted slowly toward the exit like a wandering ghost. Just as she stepped out of the side door, she heard someone calling her name: "Xianglan! Xianglan!"

Xianglan turned her head to see a woman wearing a blue cloth tunic hiding around the corner of the wall, waving at her. Seeing Xianglan look over, the woman softly called out a few more times, "Xianglan!" Following the voice, Xianglan looked closely and realized the person calling her was none other than Siqiao!

Siqiao was now dressed like a married woman, with a turquoise headscarf wrapped around her head. Her complexion was sallow, the flesh on her cheeks had wasted away, and she looked thoroughly haggard—showing the heavy traces of hardship despite being under twenty years of age. As soon as she saw Xianglan, she yanked her behind the wall, craning her neck to look left and right. Seeing that the area was deserted, she turned back and said with a trembling voice, "I came here following Cao Lihuan. I caught sight of you from afar earlier and secretly followed you... Xianglan, Cao Lihuan is the county magistrate's lover, and Magistrate Han obeys her every whim. Last night, I heard her plotting with Hui'er to squeeze your family's wealth completely dry. She also said that within a day or two, they're going to beat your father to death, completely ruin your family, and leave you with neither people nor money!"

Xianglan was utterly shocked, her face turning pale instantly.

Panicking and terrified that someone might see them, Siqiao looked left and right again and said, "Xianglan, your father... there's a ten-to-one chance he won't make it out alive. You'd better just save your silver..." With that, she turned on her heel to run, but then paused, turned back, and hesitated. "I'm taking a big risk coming here... Consider it me paying back what I owed you last time. Please don't hate me anymore..."

Xianglan's lips moved, but no words came out. She gave a slight nod.

Looking somewhat relieved, Siqiao scurried away in a hurry.

Xianglan felt weakness in her legs as phrases like "the magistrate's lover," "beat your father to death within a day or two," and "ruin your family" echoed relentlessly in her ears. She pressed one hand against the wall, and those words swelled into a deafening roar inside her mind.

The sun beat down fiercely. Overcome by a wave of dizziness, Xianglan slid down the wall to the ground and covered her face with her hands. What should she do now? A humble common girl like her found that her cries to the heavens went unanswered and her pleas to the earth fell on deaf ears; nor could she simply stand by and watch her father march to his death. Yet what could she do now? She wished she could die in Chen Wanquan's place, and she wished even more that she could carve Cao Lihuan into a thousand pieces. Tears streamed down between her fingers.

At that moment, she heard a voice beside her asking, "Mistress Xianglan? Mistress Xianglan?"

Xianglan raised her head to see Shuangxi standing right before her, a ingratiating smile plastered across his face as he leaned down slightly to look at her.

Seeing Xianglan looking up with a face brimming with tears, truly appearing like rain--drenched pear blossoms and pitiful enough to move anyone's heart, Shuangxi couldn't help but inwardly praise her, thinking that with looks like these, it was no wonder their eldest young master had been completely captivated. He piled on an even more ingratiating smile and said, "Mistress Xianglan, our eldest young master invites you to come over for a chat." With that, he pointed behind him. Following the direction of his finger, Xianglan saw a two-horse-drawn oil-silk carriage parked at the end of the alley.

Xianglan forced herself to stand up. Shuangxi instinctively wanted to steady her, but immediately catching himself, he pulled his hand back and simply urged, "Please walk slowly, miss." Yet seeing Xianglan start walking in the opposite direction, he hurried to block her path and coaxed with a smile, "Where are you going, miss? Our master is still waiting in the carriage. You don't know this, but as soon as the eldest young master heard that your family was in trouble, he rushed right over. If he speaks a single word, it carries more weight than an imperial decree from the Buddha. That old scoundrel Han Yaozu would be scared out of his wits... You really should come along, alright?"

Hearing Shuangxi's words, Xianglan hesitated. Then, the sound of horse hooves rang out as Jixiang drove the carriage closer. The curtain lifted, revealing a heroic yet stern face. Xianglan felt a constriction in her chest. Though her face maintained a calm facade, her hands were already clenched tightly into fists. Lin Jinlou arched a brow, looked Xianglan up and down twice, gave a slight wave of his hand, and dropped the curtain.

Shuangxi immediately dropped to his knees, while Jixiang bowed slightly, extended an arm, and smiled, "Please get in the carriage, miss."

Xianglan had no choice but to take Shuangxi's arm and step up into the carriage. Lin Jinlou was reclining against a brocade headrest with a smile at the corner of his lips. Before him sat a small table bearing several pots of tea and delicate pastries.

Xianglan sat far off to the side and softly called out, "Eldest Young Master Lin."

Lin Jinlou smiled and nodded, pushing a cup of tea on the table toward Xianglan as he said, "Half a year ago you were still bouncing around with boundless energy, even daring to pin a hairpin to your throat to challenge me. How come you look like a frost-bitten eggplant today?"

Xianglan glanced at Lin Jinlou. This man appeared noble, awe-inspiring, and elegantly poised, but in reality, he stopped at nothing to achieve his goals and possessed not an ounce of gentlemanly honor. Now that her family had fallen on hard times and she was at her most helpless and destitute, his arrival could only mean he intended to kick her while she was down. Xianglan tucked her hands into her sleeves, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.

Seeing Xianglan lower her head in silence, Lin Jinlou simply drank his tea at his own leisure, completely calm and unruffled.

After a long while, Xianglan lowered her head even further and whispered in a tiny voice, "My father was wronged and dragged into the major prison..."

This was precisely the sentence Lin Jinlou had been waiting for, yet he remained impassive, raising his teacup to take another sip.

Xianglan stole a glance at Lin Jinlou, licked her dry lips, and murmured, "Cao Lihuan became the county magistrate's lover. She hates me to the bone, so she's trying to ruin my family completely. My father was beaten and is lying in his prison cell on the verge of death, and they won't even let him see a doctor..." As she spoke, she choked up, hastily using her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

Lin Jinlou reached out a finger to hook Xianglan's delicate chin, his voice dropping low, "You want to get your father out, hmm?"

Uncomfortable, Xianglan pulled away. Lin Jinlou dropped his arm, leaned back against the headrest, and chuckled softly. "You can't do this, little Xianglan. Count it up on your fingers—how many times has master here saved you? And now I've even come looking for you. You little ingrate, not only are you unappreciative, but you don't know what's good for you either."

Xianglan froze for a moment. Lin Jinlou had indeed saved her before, and she ought to be deeply grateful, but this man was too dangerous, and his intentions were far too naked, making her want nothing more than to flee as far away as possible.

Lin Jinlou turned sideways, leaning in close to Xianglan so that his breath brushed against her earlobe. "Listen well. Previously, I let you graze and roam free without the time to bother with you, but this time is different. I'll fish your father out of that cell, and whoever you find an eyesore, master will wipe them out to vent your anger. If you start acting up and pulling stunts again, I really will get angry and punish you severely. Do you understand?"

Though a smile lingered on his face, his tone and expression carried an irresistible, unquestionable authority. Xianglan wanted to say that her father didn't need his help, but she truly had nowhere left to turn now. The image of Chen Wanquan collapsed in the prison cell flashed before her eyes once more, yet exacting his rescue would require paying a massive price to Lin Jinlou. Her vision blurred again, and she bit down hard on her lower lip.

Using his fingertips, Lin Jinlou wiped the tear tracks from her face and chuckled, "Well, why are you crying again? Tears of joy?"

Xianglan wiped her face, steadied herself, raised her head to look at Lin Jinlou once more, and stated, "I will not become a concubine."

Lin Jinlou was momentarily stunned, then let out a cold laugh. Before he could speak, Xianglan continued, "If the eldest young master saves my father, I will naturally... offer myself to you. Whether as a maidservant or as an outside mistress, I only ask that after three or five years, when the eldest young master grows tired of me, you set me free... I will not remarry either. Once I fulfill my filial duties to see my parents to their final rest, I will go to Jingyue Nunnery to have my head shaved and take up religious vows, spending the rest of my life accompanied by dim oil lamps and ancient Buddha statues."

Lin Jinlou squinted slightly as he stared at the delicate, exquisite face of the young woman before him. The girl truly was striking—like a delicate flower reflecting water or the moon shining over a cold pond. Even now, facing such a catastrophe, she still sat up straight with her posture unyielding, failing to show a single trace of dejection. The women he had taken before—whether seductive and alluring, or radiant like peach blossoms and as cold as frost—none could match her refined elegance. She was like a quiet, blooming orchid that made him unable to let go despite multiple attempts to forget her, only for her image to resurface in his mind time and again. Which woman he favored wouldn't act as though it were a blessing accumulated by their ancestors to bring glory to their lineage? Yet this one alone was like an ungrateful wolf that could never be tamed. A sudden surge of anger flared up within Lin Jinlou. He leaned forward until his nose practically brushed against Xianglan's, and said in a cool tone, "You're trying to negotiate terms with me? Do you even have the right?"