Against the Current - Chapter 162

Chapter 162 - What Was Heard and Seen

Yingluo said, "Sister Shanhua, wait a moment before you go look for the Third Young Lady; I have something to tell you. Did you notice how the Fourth Young Lady didn't leave the Eldest Madam's side for even a single step today? They weren't nearly that close before."

Shanhua replied, "I saw it. Ah, what else can she do when she wasn't born from the mistress's own womb? She has no other choice. Still, our young lady is the truly fortunate one—regardless of how indifferent the master usually is, he pays immense attention to the Third Young Lady's marriage."

Yingluo sneered softly, "The master is simply plotting to have the Third Young Lady climb high and marry into power. I heard he wants to marry her off to the Marquis of Yongchang."

Shanhua was startled and exclaimed, "The Marquis of Yongchang? He... how old is he? He's old enough to be the Third Young Lady's father!"

Yingluo said, "He's in his early forties. His wife died the year before last, and now he wants to take a secondary wife. Just as a vacancy opened up for a reserve post in the Ministry of War and he secured real military power, the master's heart was moved."

Shanhua hesitated and asked, "How... how do you know about this?"

Yingluo replied, "The Second Master mentioned it to the madam yesterday. The madam adamantly refused to agree, but the master even gave her a slap and declared the matter settled with no room for discussion. He also said that for the Marquis of Yongchang to take a fancy to the Third Young Lady is a supreme blessing that others couldn't beg for even if they tried. Since you were busy helping out by the Eldest Madam's side yesterday, you naturally didn't hear about it. They are still keeping it hidden from the Third Young Lady; if she were to find out, there's no telling what kind of uproar she might raise!"

"I'm afraid this match won't go through. Leaving aside the fact that the madam won't consent, the Old Master and Old Madam might not approve either."

"Not necessarily. Although the Marquis of Yongchang is somewhat older, he is vigorous and in his prime. During every major festival, he is summoned into the palace by the Emperor for an audience. Having earned genuine military merits, he holds considerable prestige and influence. He is also an old acquaintance of our Eldest Young Master, and I hear his family estate is immensely wealthy, complete with a grand private garden. Even as a secondary wife, she would still be a proper mistress of the house—the Marchioness of Yongchang. When entering the palace, she would wear the official rank-three court vest with embroidered golden pheasants. Our master only holds a fifth-rank post; if not for the deep-rooted foundation of the Lin family here, the Third Young Lady would actually be marrying above her station."

"There is truth to that. If she truly becomes the Marchioness of Yongchang, that prestige and dignity would surpass even the Second Young Lady's. The Second Young Lady merely married the second young son of the Duke of Zhenguo, who cannot inherit the peerage and must carve out his own fame and official career from scratch."

Whatever else the two maids murmured after that, Lin Dongxiu heard not a single word. She simply stood there in a daze. That ignorant, brainless, unpolished Lin Dong绫 had actually secured such an elite and prestigious marriage! By what right? Could it simply be because she was born from the mistress's womb and struck gold in the lottery of birth? Aside from her pedigree, was there a single aspect in which she was inferior to Lin Dongling?

Lin Dongxiu gripped the handheld mirror tightly, her recent sense of self-satisfaction and soaring ambition instantly turning to ash.

Although Lin Dongxiu was young, she understood the realities of life far better than most. For a woman, getting married was ultimately about finding a secure anchor for the second half of her life. A husband who was a dashing, handsome youth was merely icing on the cake; what truly mattered in the end was the size of his official rank and the standing of his family. Her own concubine-born eldest sister, Lin Dongwan, had married a suave, fair-faced scholar; though he came from an official family, he fell woefully short in reality. Now, with her husband failing to make headway in his studies, their household expenses depended entirely on the whim of her mother-in-law, forcing Lin Dongwan to constantly supplement their livelihood with her own dowry, leading a life devoid of ease or happiness. Another intimate girlfriend of hers from her maiden days, an unfavored concubine-born daughter who used to shrink away from everything she did, had later married a widower in his fifties who held genuine executive power. Overnight, she was draped in gold and silver, her entire aura transformed into one of absolute authority—she was like an entirely different person compared to her former self. Lin Dongxiu had silently taken note of all this and vowed to secure a wealthy and powerful husband, regardless of his age. Yet now, Lin Dongling—whom she despised to her core—had landed such a match. Envy and jealousy churned bitterly in Lin Dongxiu's chest, leaving a thoroughly sour taste in her mouth. She no longer had any inclination to doll herself up; listlessly putting away her rouge and mirror, she lifted the door curtain and stepped outside.

Shanhua and Yingluo were long gone. Walking back in low spirits, Lin Dongxiu felt a wave of profound disillusionment wash over her. What did it matter even if she managed to outshine everyone else at the banquet? How could high-ranking aristocratic families ever deign to notice her, yet how could she ever bring herself to lower her standards and settle for a lesser family? Having possessed a fiercely competitive nature since childhood, she was driven by a single-minded obsession to rise above the rest. Now, to find herself trailing far behind Lin Dongling in the matter of marriage—how could she possibly swallow this humiliation?

The more Lin Dongxiu thought about it, the more vexed she became. Abandoning the banquet entirely, she walked heavily into the garden. White willows lined the sloping banks, their leaves turning yellow, while fallen petals dotted the winding paths. Though it was a crisp autumn day with a brilliant sun overhead, Lin Dongxiu felt only a bleak and desolate chill. Suddenly, she caught sight of a train of maids dressed in reds and greens, carrying large lacquered trays laden with rare delicacies, gracefully traversing the covered corridor. Her heart ached all the more, and she muttered bitterly to herself, "Only daughters born from the principal madam's womb get to have such a grand and magnificent wedding when they marry. As for someone like me, pitied by none and loved by none, who knows where I will drift in the future."

Nursing her wounded pride and sighing to herself, she crossed a winding bridge over the lake and headed toward a rockery. She recalled that there was a place here called the Luoxue Lodge, which had originally been the residence of Cao Lihuan. After Cao Lihuan moved out, the vacant space had been converted into a storage area for flowers and plants. Only days earlier, she and Lin Dongling had come here to pick out a couple of potted plants. Thinking to herself, There is a potted begonia in that room with blossoms the size of a rice bowl; I need only snip one off to pin in my hair, and it will match my outfit to perfection. Right now, only an extraordinary appearance can help me stand out, and who knows what stroke of fate I might encounter, she made her way toward Luoxue Lodge, only to find the front doors securely locked upon arrival.

As it turned out, the old women in charge of Luoxue Lodge had all wandered off in various directions to eat, drink, and make merry. She therefore turned around to check the back door, and just as she reached beneath the window, she heard the faint sound of murmuring voices inside—resembling a man and a woman. Startled, Lin Dongxiu froze. How could a man possibly appear in the inner residential quarters of the estate? Emboldened by curiosity, she moistened her finger, poked a hole through the paper window, and peered inside. To her shock, she saw Lin Dongling closely embraced by a young man.

Terrified out of her wits, Lin Dongxiu recoiled a couple of steps, her chest hammering wildly against her ribs. Yet, driven by a reckless mixture of daring and morbid fascination, she crept back to the window to look again.

The young man possessed striking, heroic features with a robust and sturdy physique, thick brows, large eyes, and a straight bridge of the nose. Even before he opened his mouth, a hint of a smile played on his lips. Dressed in an indigo scholarly robe, he looked thoroughly unfamiliar—not someone she had ever seen before. In truth, this man was none other than Du Bin, the older brother of Meimu. Though he had failed to make something of himself through his studies, he was adept with staff and spear and exceptionally skilled at currying favor and advancing his own interests. Through his sister's connection, Lin Jinlou had extended a helping hand to him. Being clever, worldly, and exceptionally adept at reading his superiors' minds, Du Bin had successfully handled a few matters with competence. Consequently, Lin Jinlou had grown to increasingly value him, harboring latent thoughts of promoting him. As a result, Du Bin began frequenting the Lin estate with growing frequency. Ambitious to a fault, he had begged Meimu to intercede with Lin Jinlou and secure him an appointment as an external military lieutenant of the eighth rank. Meimu had indeed brought it up once to Lin Jinlou, but seeing the displeasure on his face, she had not dared to press the matter further.

Failing there, Du Bin decided to try his luck through Lin Jinling's connections. Unexpectedly, Lin Jinling carried all the arrogant demeanor of a wealthy young aristocrat; he utterly looked down upon the likes of Du Bin and refused even to grant him an audience. After being turned away at the door several times, Du Bin was left cooling his heels in the small parlor, where he unexpectedly crossed paths with Lin Dongling.

Spoiled rotten by Lady Wang's indulgence, Lin Dongling was accustomed to riding roughshod over others at home. Disregarding the traditional segregation of men and women, she had happened to come out front looking for Lin Jinling, only to bump into a male guest in the parlor. Catching sight of the man's imposing, uninhibited, and dashing appearance—and being at the age where a young girl's heart naturally turns to romantic daydreams—the sudden encounter with such an outsider instantly brought a blush to her cheeks. She hurried to make her retreat, but not before stealing a lingering, deeply affectionate glance back at Du Bin.

Du Bin was an old hand among women; how could he possibly miss the meaning in that look? Hearing the maids outside address her as the "Third Young Lady," he instantly realized she was the third daughter of the Lin family and immediately set his sights on her. He began visiting the Yunyun Lodge with even greater frequency, and sure enough, he ran into Lin Dongling again. Seizing the opportunity, Du Bin plied her with every manner of flirtation, exchanging soulful glances. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, he slipped a pre-prepared embroidered pouch onto the floor right beneath Lin Dongling's skirt. When Lin Dongling picked it up and checked it back in her room, she found two romantic poems inside—one praising her beauty and the other pouring out his lovesick devotion—along with a jade pendant carved with dragons and phoenixes, symbolizing a harmonious union. Flattered, thrilled, and delightfully surprised, Lin Dongling had initially intended to ignore it. However, when Du Bin showed up every few days, she found herself irresistibly drawn to steal glances at him. Before long, the two of them had struck up a secret liaison, their affections soon entwining as intensely and inseparably as glue and lacquer.

Following the Spring Festival, Lin Jinlou promoted Du Bin to the position of a personal bodyguard, allowing him to move about the Lin household with even greater freedom and sneak into the estate to dally with Lin Dongling in secret.

Du Bin gave Lin Dongling a gentle nudge and said, "The midday banquet is about to begin. You should head back now, and I must be leaving as well."

Frowning, Lin Dongling demanded, "Do you really find it that unpleasant to be with me?"

Du Bin chuckled. "How could that be? I think of you day and night—why else would I risk coming here to see you? But you truly need to return now. I will come again later."

Lin Dongling let out two cold snuffs and turned her face away in a huff.

Du Bin offered a stream of placating smiles and coaxed, "Why are you flying into a huff out of nowhere again? Would you like me to come back tonight? It's just that the garden gates are locked up tight after dark; while it's easy enough for me to scale the walls and get in, it won't be so easy for you to slip away."

Lin Dongling snapped, "I don't know which little vixen out there has caught your eye, making you so frantic to rush off and leaving me abandoned here. You rarely manage to come here as it is, yet you won't even spare a little more time to stay with me." With that, tears welled up in her eyes and she began to sob.

Du Bin hurriedly swore a series of oaths, protesting, "My heart belongs to you and you alone. For your sake, I even divorced my wife—don't you understand my feelings? I only hate that I wasn't born into a more fortunate family or a wealthy household, leaving me without the standing to come to your noble estate and formally propose marriage. My only wish in this life is to fly wing-to-wing with my darling; no other woman could ever catch my eye." He poured out every ounce of feigned tenderness to soothe her.

Lin Dongling tearfully retorted, "My second sister is getting married today, and tomorrow it will be my turn. Whenever I ask you to come forward and speak to my father, you come up with a hundred excuses. Who knows if you actually mean a word of you say, or if you're just feeding me empty lines to string me along! If I end up married off to someone else, I suppose you'll finally be satisfied!"

Du Bin said, "If I want to marry you, your father will never agree to it under any circumstances—unless we find another way..."

Wiping her tear-filled eyes, Lin Dongling asked, "What other way?"

Du Bin kissed Lin Dongling on the cheek, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes, and whispered something into her ear. Lin Dongling’s face instantly flushed bright red with shyness. She scolded, "Pui! Pui! What a shameful, brazen thing to say!"

Pulling Lin Dongling tight against his chest, Du Bin murmured in a low voice, "My good darling, do you still doubt my heart? Only when the raw rice is cooked into a finished meal can we ensure that we grow old together..." With that, he swooped down to capture her lips, rolled her over, and pressed her down onto the arhat bed. Though Lin Dongling offered a token resistance at first, Du Bin slid his hand beneath her trousers to fondle and caress her while raining down passionate kisses, until within moments, Lin Dongling’s entire body melted away like a pool of warm water.