Against the Current - Chapter 135

Chapter 135 - Retribution (Part 3)

Now let us say that Xianglan rescued Chen Wanquan from prison, and the party returned to the Chen residence. Lady Xue was lying on the bed with a worried and frowning expression when she suddenly heard a commotion in the courtyard. Stepping out to take a look, she saw that Chen Wanquan had actually been carried back. Joy flooded over her as if from the heavens, but when she saw Chen Wanquan's face as pale as gold leaf and his consciousness completely gone, she was startled white again. Jixiang and Shuangxi carried the cushioned bench, brought Chen Wanquan into the bedroom, and carefully laid him on the bed. Lady Xue stepped forward and gently lifted his clothes to take a look, only to see both of his thighs swollen, festering, and terrifyingly bruised, bound with bamboo splints without a single patch of good skin left. Her heart clenched instantly. Stepping outside to look, she saw Lin Jinlou sitting boldly and imposingly in the main hall, sipping tea.

How could Lady Xue fail to understand what this meant? She immediately stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed, saying, "This humble commoner kowtows to thank Lord Lin for saving his life." Her head struck the floor with a rhythmic thud. Shuangxi hurriedly stepped forward to support her, chuckling as he said, "This won't do at all, get up quickly."

Xianglan also went to support Lady Xue, but Lady Xue clutched Xianglan's sleeve and said, "Sister Lan, why aren't you kneeling to kowtow to Lord Lin yet?" As she spoke, she tried to pull Xianglan down to her knees.

With a pale face, Xianglan looked up at Lin Jinlou for a moment, bit her lip, and lowered her head, stubbornly refusing to bend her knees and kneel. Lady Xue was displeased, glaring angrily at Xianglan, gripping her hand tightly, and lowering her voice to hiss, "Wretched girl, why aren't you kowtowing to Lord Lin yet!"

Lin Jinlou stood up instead, speaking indifferently, "There is no need. The hour is late, I should be returning." With those words, he began to walk out.

Lady Xue hurriedly dragged Xianglan along to see him off all the way, wearing an ingratiating smile as she spoke in a smooth tone, "The young girl is ignorant and unacquainted with the ways of the world, so I beg the master not to hold it against her... Please walk slowly, Lord, we will certainly come to your esteemed mansion to kowtow and express our gratitude."

Lin Jinlou replied offhandedly. When they reached the main gate, he ordered the others to step back, leaving only Xianglan to come forward. "Pack up your things, tomorrow I'll send someone to pick you up... Never mind, don't bother packing anything either, those ragged things of yours aren't worth bringing. I'll have all your clothes and jewelry replaced with brand-new ones."

Xianglan was taken aback and pleaded hurriedly, "My father has just returned, and there isn't a single spot on his body that is intact. I want to stay at home to tend to him for a couple of days..." As she spoke, tears already welled up and fell. "I beg of you..."

"Tsk, tsk, why are you always crying, as if Master here were going to devour you," Lin Jinlou said as he reached out to wipe Xianglan's tears.

Xianglan wanted to dodge, but she restrained herself and stayed still. This submissive posture with her face lowered made Lin Jinlou feel quite comfortable inside. He pinched her delicate little chin and smiled, "Very well, Master is a reasonable person. Considering your filial piety, you may stay at home to nurse your father for three days, and then Master will send someone to fetch you."

"Master, please let me stay a few more days... With these broken bones and strained tendons taking a hundred days to heal, I only have my aging mother and an ignorant little maidservant at home..."

Lin Jinlou stroked his chin and said, "Fine, Master will send a couple of people over later." Seeing Xianglan open her mouth as if to speak further, he pressed a finger against her lips, half-narrowing his eyes with a mocking half-smile. "At most five days, little Xianglan. If you start singing that tune to me again, Master is going to lose his temper." With that, he unfastened the pure gold and yellow jade little horse waist pendant from his belt, hung it around Xianglan's waist, and said, "Go tend to your father. Once you've finished playing the filial daughter, give some serious thought to how you'll repay me." Having said his piece, he boarded his carriage and departed.

Xianglan silently turned back, walked into the house, and slowly closed the front gate. Turning her head, she saw Lady Xue standing in the courtyard with reddened eyes and trembling lips, letting out a soft call of "Sister Lan..." before she choked up and could say no more, making it abundantly clear that she understood everything.

Xianglan walked over and forced a smile, saying, "This isn't necessarily a bad outcome either... Father has returned in one piece, and although the master's temper is foul, the Lin family is a place of great wealth and nobility. In a year or two, perhaps I'll be able to come back home..."

Lady Xue burst into loud weeping, pulled Xianglan into a tight embrace, and stamped her foot as she cried, "My daughter, you are such a clever and graceful creature who ought to have the dignity of a proper first wife, how did your lot in life turn out so bitter..."

This crying moved Xianglan to tears as well, but she hurriedly used her handkerchief to dry them, turning instead to comfort Lady Xue. We shall leave that aside for the moment.

Now, Han Yaozu had spent a restless night, deeply uneasy because he had offended the Lin family. Early the next morning, Han Yaozu personally prepared a generous gift and went to visit the Chen residence. The Chen couple could not help feeling a mixture of awe and trepidation. Han Yaozu inquired after Chen Wanquan with solicitous concern, and then produced a fifty-tael silver ingot, presenting it as he said, "For Manager Chen to suffer this imprisonment was entirely due to this official being misled by petty villains and listening to slanderous gossip. I sincerely ask Manager Chen not to take it to heart, this official will definitely give Manager Chen a satisfactory explanation!" Every word he uttered sounded lofty and righteous, yet his eyes kept darting around the courtyard, searching for Xianglan's figure.

Hearing these words, Chen Wanquan felt as though his face had gained immense glory. He never imagined that the imposing county magistrate from the courtroom would speak to him in such an affable manner. He was practically at a loss for words and babbled repeatedly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Just then, a cold laugh drifted out from the adjoining room. Han Yaozu instantly knew that Xianglan was right next door and hastily chimed in, "This whole affair originated entirely because of the Xia family's concubine. Even though Xia Yun is a court-appointed official, he condoned his concubine in defaming the reputation of an innocent woman and uttered vile words. He is utterly reckless and self-indulgent, bringing disgrace upon the scholarly community as a frivolous and wild scoundrel. Starting from today, his ninth-rank official post is stripped away. Furthermore, I have already petitioned the Jiangning Literary Inspector and submitted a report to the Ministry of Personnel to revoke his imperial examination degree as a Juren."

Hearing this from behind the bamboo curtain, Xianglan was momentarily stunned. That Xia Yun would lose his post was within her expectations, but revoking his degree as a punishment was far too heavy. Scholars pursuing the imperial examinations spent their entire lives whitening their hair in pursuit of success; Xia Yun had attained the Juren degree at a tender age and originally had a brilliant future ahead of him. Having his degree stripped away now meant he would have no idea when—or if—he could ever pass again. While Xia Yun certainly had hateful traits, he was not fundamentally an evil monster; it was his entire family of relatives who were the problem.

Then she heard Chen Wanquan say, "May the upright and merciful magistrate please uphold justice for this humble commoner's family! We are honest and law-abiding folk who never provoke disasters or court trouble. Xia Yun took a fancy to my daughter, and when her mother and I refused, he smeared my daughter's reputation, and his concubine even tried to grab and beat my daughter..."

Lady Xue added, "Later on, when I went to the Xia family with Lan'er to plead, we gave them sixty taels of silver step by step, yet Xia Yun's mother, his second sister-in-law, and his concubine forced Lan'er to kowtow to Xia Yun..." Her voice choked with emotion here, pausing for a moment before she continued, "Where is one to find reason in this? Clearly, they were the ones committing wrongdoing, yet they made Lan'er kneel and offer a formal apology. In the end, even after Lan'er kowtowed, they still refused to withdraw the lawsuit at the yamen. When we went to inquire in person, we were met with nothing but unmitigated insults."

Han Yaozu flew into a rage and declared, "To think there could be such outrageous nonsense! The Xia family is truly detestable, and this official will definitely see this matter through to the end!"

The Chen couple repeatedly praised him as an "upright and merciful magistrate."

After Han Yaozu took his leave, the pain in Chen Wanquan's thighs and buttocks flared up intensely, feeling as sharp as needles and scraping blades, and a fever set in, leaving him delirious and semi-conscious. Before long, someone came knocking at the gate again. It turned out to be Shuran in person, sent to deliver an elderly woman servant and a young pageboy, along with another fifty-tael silver ingot. Shuran smiled and said, "This is what the master asked to be brought for Manager Chen to buy some nourishment for his recovery. The master holds the young lady close to his heart, and even had me select several bolts of top-grade tribute satin from the treasury, saying they are to be made into new dresses for the young lady."

Lady Xue hurriedly offered words of thanks, but Xianglan found it all deeply irritating and simply stood to one side in silence. Seeing Xianglan's expression, Shuran knew she was unhappy in her heart and couldn't help feeling a secret start of surprise, but he quickly shifted the topic to other matters and took his leave.

For a time, all was quiet.

Now, as for Han Yaozu, upon returning to the yamen, his very first task was to strip Xia Yun of his official post and dispatch someone to consult the Literary Inspector. Hearing that Xia Yun had offended Lin Jinlou and possessed neither foundation nor backing, the Jiangning Literary Inspector readily agreed and immediately revoked Xia Yun's academic degree.

When the news reached them, the entire Xia household was struck as if by a bolt of lightning. Xia Yun was stunned at first; ignoring his dizziness, he climbed out of bed and prepared to rush to the county yamen. Upon seeing him, Han Yaozu stated bluntly, "Xia Yun, you have the audacity of a gall and guts of a bear! You didn't even bother to find out the Chen family's background before sending your concubine over to make a scene, imagining that once you ruined the girl's reputation she would have no choice but to marry you? And even after making a scene, when they even paid out silver to settle, why did you stubbornly refuse to withdraw the lawsuit? Now that you've angered the Chen family and brought Lin Jinlou down upon yourself... well, this is the retribution of your own making, but a man's life is taken when he dies, and you folks truly went too far."

Xia Yun felt as though a basin of icy water had been poured straight over his head, chilling him to the bone. He muttered in a daze, "I told my family to go withdraw the lawsuit long ago... besides, I never even filed a complaint in the first place."

Han Yaozu replied, "It was your concubine, Yindie, who came to the yamen to cry out her grievances."

Xia Yun stood there in a blank stupor. Soon after, someone announced the arrival of a visitor, so Han Yaozu casually poured tea, bade him farewell, and sent Xia Yun away.

Xia Yun staggered home in a trance. All his family members were gathered at the front gate; seeing him return, they swarmed forward like a flock of birds, shouting questions from all directions. Xia Yun felt as if he were still wandering lost in a dream, staring blankly ahead as he stumbled straight toward his quarters.

Yindie was currently holding a round target mirror, admiring her reflection from left to right. Seeing Xia Yun enter the room, she hurriedly put down the mirror, stood up, and stepped forward, saying, "Master, you're back. What did the county magistrate say?"

Xia Yun raised his eyes in a daze. Seeing Yindie heavily caked with powder and rouge, sporting an extraordinarily garish and vibrant look, a sudden explosion of rage overtook him. He swung his arm and delivered a fierce slap across Yindie's face, roaring, "You wretched minx, look at the fine mess you've made! Who told you to go to the Chen family! Who told you to go file a complaint at the yamen!"

The blow sent Yindie staggering backward to crash against the edge of the brick bed kang, where she covered her face and broke into bitter wails.

Lady Jin and Xia's second sister-in-law had been quietly keeping watch at the doorway. Hearing the commotion, they rushed in frantically. Xia's second sister-in-law fired off a rapid string of questions, "What on earth is going on here? Could it be that little bitch from the Chen family played some trick? How did my brother-in-law's position and degree just vanish?"

Lady Jin rolled up her sleeves and bared her arms, shouting, "If they are playing dirty tricks, I'll definitely turn their household upside down!"

Trembling all over with fury, Xia Yun pointed at Lady Jin and Xia's second sister-in-law, demanding, "I told you all to go to the yamen to withdraw the lawsuit, why didn't you go?"

Lady Jin and Xia's second sister-in-law exchanged glances. The second sister-in-law kept her mouth shut, but Lady Jin spoke up with absolute nonchalance, "The Chen family is rolling in silver, how could a mere sixty taels be enough? You didn't see the size of the house they live in or all the antique treasures inside! You are a dignified Juren lord and a court-appointed official, you are precious! In my view, if they don't cough up two or three hundred taels, this matter shouldn't be settled at all."

Xia Yun's face turned the color of a bloated liver. With trembling lips, he stamped his foot and cursed aloud, "Fools! Utter fools! You are the ones who have cut short my livelihood and my future!" Having finished his curse, tears streamed down his face. A blinding headache struck him, and his legs went soft as he collapsed heavily onto the floor.