Against the Current - Chapter 176

Chapter 176 - Disputes

Before Xianglan could reply, Xiaojuan walked over holding a garment and handed it to her, saying, "Chunling said the wind is picking up and worried you didn't have enough layers, so she told me to bring you a wrap." With that, she draped the garment over Xianglan's shoulders.

Upon closer inspection, everyone saw it was a gold-trimmed, five-colored crimson gauze robe. The material was exquisitely fine—ten times superior to the standard silks and damasks they usually wore—and was evidently of a grade exclusively supplied to the imperial inner court. Meishu's expression grew somewhat unnatural; she picked up her teacup to mask her reaction. Luan'er's eyes turned red instantly. Yingge gazed at it with undisguised envy, drawing a bit closer to Xianglan before holding out the playbill and saying, "We've all chosen our numbers, younger sister should pick one too."

Xianglan declined, saying, "You ladies go ahead and choose. It's all the same to me whatever plays are performed."

Luan'er let out a cold laugh. "Xianglan, little sister, you are the apple of the master's eye after all. When Madam invites everyone to watch a play, even you dare to arrive late. If we didn't let you pick a number, what would happen if the master got angry and came back to wring our necks? We certainly wouldn't dare take that risk."

Xianglan slowly settled her robe into place, lifted her teacup, and smiled faintly. "Elder Sister Luan'er has always possessed a sharp tongue. Judging by that remark, it sounds as though you are resentful that the master wrung my neck, and are using these sarcastic words behind his back to needle him."

Luan'er's eyes widened in shock. She sprang up with a start, pointing directly at Xianglan as she shouted, "You're spitting blood! What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"

The commotion was loud enough to cause Madam Wang and the others to turn their heads back repeatedly to look. Meishu hurriedly rose to her feet and smoothed things over with an apologetic smile, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing at all. My hands are clumsy, and I accidentally spilled tea on Luan'er."

Madam Wang remarked, "It's getting chilly out, hurry and let her go back to change clothes." She dropped the matter and looked away.

Meishu hurriedly tugged Luan'er back down into her seat, thinking to herself with internal dismay, Luan'er already came out on the losing end against Xianglan last time, why hasn't she learned her lesson? That woman is not someone easy to bully. Aloud, she added, "Younger sister Luan'er was just joking around with you, she didn't mean anything by it."

Xianglan took a sip of tea, her face still wreathed in a gentle smile as she played along, "So that was it. It's just that I happen to be terrible at taking jokes, and I tend to take whatever people say completely to heart. Perhaps it's best if we don't joke around with each other in the future—if word ever reached the master's ears and a joke turned into reality, exactly whose fault would that be?"

Luan'er's face flushed red with anger, and she glared fiercely at Xianglan. Xianglan, however, remained serene and unruffled, lifting her teacup to sip her tea in a slow, unhurried manner.

Yingge hurriedly pushed the playbill forward to smooth things over, chiming in, "Let's choose our plays, let's choose our plays. There's an actor named Yongguan whose martial arts plays are exceptionally lively—he can do a whole string of tumbling flips." She rambled on about which young actors performed best, whose acting style was the most refined, and whose voice was the clearest, before pivoting to lavish praise on the floral embroidery pattern on Xianglan's handkerchief.

Though typically honest and subdued, Yingge had previously kept her distance from Xianglan and had never shown such warmth before. Xianglan knew that Tinglan must have passed the silver and the clothing on to Yingge, prompting her to feel a surge of gratitude. Deciding to reciprocate in kind, Xianglan told Yingge, "I sketched this floral pattern myself. If you like it, come by my quarters after the performance breaks up, and I'll give you a whole stack of templates."

Meishu cracked open a melon seed, her mouth curving into an ambiguous, half-mocking smile as she chimed in, "Oh my, I'm afraid that won't do. Younger sister Xianglan resides in the main chambers, while those of us with our humble status lack the good fortune to step foot in there. Don't you all agree?"

Xianglan had not anticipated Meishu launching a sudden attack, and she threw her a surprised glance.

Luan'er instantly perked up, riding the momentum of Meishu's words. "Who knows how long that good fortune will last anyway? Sooner or later, the master will welcome the official first wife into the household. Younger sister Xianglan can enjoy the main chambers for a few days while it lasts, but once she has to move out later on, trying to step back inside will be quite the tall order."

Yingge was neither skilled in verbal sparring nor willing to cause offense. Wanting to put in a good word for Xianglan, she sat tongue-tied, not knowing how to phrase it. Xianglan smiled. "So the two elder sisters are actually wishing to move into the main chambers yourselves! No wonder the moment you arrived today you came loaded with loaded remarks and veiled barbs. But that's easily solved—when the master returns, I can simply have a word with him about it. If he agrees, I'll pack up and move to the eastern side-chamber tonight, and let Elder Sister Meishu 'enjoy' the main chambers for a few days first." As soon as those words left her lips, the complexions of both Meishu and Luan'er visibly shifted.

Xianglan had no desire to make enemies of people, but the women in Lin Jinlou's inner courtyard treated her as a thorn in their eyes, pressing forward aggressively and intentionally trying to squeeze her out. Normally she avoided crossing paths with them whenever possible, but when things truly came to a head, she could not simply allow herself to be pushed around. Right now, she possessed virtually nothing in the Lin household; the only thing she had to borrow authority from was Lin Jinlou's "favor." Wielding that banner was her only recourse, and it was not entirely without backing.

Fearing that Xianglan really would run off to complain, Meishu and Luan'er instantly clamped their mouths shut.

Xianglan set her teacup down onto the table with a sharp clack, her expression turning solemn as she said in a serious tone, "Since we've reached this point, today we might as well lay our cards on the table. All of you elder sisters arrived at Chuntian Lodge long before I did; back when I was still nothing more than a sweeping maid, you were already mistresses and young ladies. Not to mention Meishu, whose family comes from an official background and who is now a proper concubine—I couldn't catch up to her even if I whipped a horse to flight. As for Luan'er and Sister Yingge, your families are extremely respectable upper-tier servants whose fathers, mothers, and brothers all hold prominent, trusted positions directly under the master. You are nothing like someone like me, born a bondservant. Even though my family just managed to earn back a clean commoner status, it doesn't amount to much. In our kind of mansion, how many people are commoners by birth but were bought individually specifically to serve as maids? Even if my status is clean, when I first entered this household, I wasn't carried in with the grand pomp and glory of Mistress Lan back then. I came in without name or status, clumsy and unrefined, constantly drawing the master's displeasure—something all of you have witnessed with your own eyes."

This speech struck close to the truth. The expressions of everyone present softened somewhat, and they remained silent.

Xianglan continued, "For people in our position, no matter how far we push ourselves or how long we endure, the absolute peak of what we can hope to achieve is to become a concubine..." As she spoke, she watched them carefully. She noticed a trace of mocking derision on Luan'er's face, a hidden melancholy in Meishu's eyes, and Yingge slowly nodding in agreement. Xianglan went on, "The master currently holds a certain degree of regard for me, but which of you elder sisters has not been favored by him in the past? The master's reputation as a libertine precedes him. Today I might hold favor, but perhaps tomorrow a newcomer will arrive, and I will be pushed even further into the background. In truth, we are all in the same boat; why must you sisters make things difficult for me?"

These words struck a chord with the hidden griefs in everyone's hearts. Yingge let out a long, heavy sigh, Luan'er emitted a soft grunt of discontent, and Meishu's gaze flickered as she stared fixedly at Xianglan. More than once, Meishu had carefully sized up Xianglan, knowing full well how breathtakingly beautiful and pitilessly charming she was. Yet today, sitting upright with a grave expression, Xianglan radiated an understated, imposing aura—a stark departure from her usual fragile demeanor.

Xianglan lifted her chin slightly and met Meishu's gaze. Meishu let out a sudden, involuntary chuckle, looked down at her fingernails, and said with an air of studied nonchalance, "What kind of opera is younger sister performing here? Firstly, none of us ever made things difficult for you to begin with. Secondly, you are the master's current favorite, and that 'newcomer' is still nothing more than a phantom rumor anyway. Judging by how the master bends over backwards to back you up, I'd say younger sister is blessed indeed—you might just manage to live in the main chambers in comfort for the rest of your life!"

Having recovered from much of her earlier hostility, Luan'er couldn't help letting out a cynical sneer upon hearing Meishu's words.

Knowing that Luan'er possessed a simple mind where every emotion hung plainly on her face, making her scarcely worth fearing—whereas Meishu was the truly shrewd and calculating one—Xianglan replied with a smile, "I harbor no such grand fortune. My position rests entirely on the novelty of 'freshness.' Though we are all people belonging to the master's quarters, Elder Sister Meishu is a proper concubine with a powerful maiden family and the backing of her father and brothers. Not to mention that Luan'er's paternal cousin holds an influential position under the master. My own parents are humble, honest commoners who don't hold a candle to any of yours. Furthermore, you sisters are all well-versed in musical instruments, needlework, showing tender care, and reading people's expressions to perfection. I, on the other hand, know nothing of instruments, my sewing is crude, and my tongue isn't sweet enough to win people's favor. Right now I merely appear somewhat glamorous on the surface, but if I were truly as privileged as you say, I wouldn't have been subjected to beatings in the past. I hold no ambitions of contending for supremacy; my only wish is to quietly grind through the days in peace. If you don't believe my words, then from now on whenever the master is home, you sisters are more than welcome to visit the main chambers on the pretext that I invited you."

This proposal made Meishu, Luan'er, and Yingge's hearts leap. Whenever Lin Jinlou returned to the mansion, he spent his time either in the study or the main chambers—places completely off-limits to them. If they didn't stake out the hanging flower gate, catching even a glimpse of Lin Jinlou was practically impossible. If they gained the ability to enter the main chambers, it would grant them far more opportunities to see him, and perhaps their luck would turn around. Even if no opportunity arose, simply letting the master lay eyes on them a few more times would keep him from casting them entirely out of his mind.

Upon hearing this, Meishu immediately raised her teacup, extended it toward Xianglan, and piled on a warm smile as she said, "Good sister, I had no idea your heart was so steadfast and sincere. Everything I said just now was wrong—I deserve to slap my own mouth! With your vast and magnanimous tolerance, surely you won't hold it against me. I'll use this cup of tea in place of wine to offer my apologies."

Xianglan sneered inwardly, raising her own teacup in acknowledgment. Their gazes locked for a moment before Xianglan smiled slightly, brought the bowl to her lips to take a shallow sip, while Meishu drained half a cup in a single, clean gulp.

Though her emotions remained turbulent, Luan'er muttered with a cynical edge, "Xianglan, little sister, don't let your words sound so pleasant now only to turn around and pretend you don't know us later! From our previous dealings, we know full well what a formidable person you are—you never let yourself suffer even the slightest loss!"

Xianglan smiled. "I am reasonable, but I am not someone who lets herself be bullied at will either. Elder Sister Luan'er came at me with an intimidation tactic right out of the gate; no matter how willing I am to cultivate harmony, I still have to protect my own face first. As I said, I only wish to live out my days in peace."

Yingge smiled and said, "Previously we simply didn't realize younger sister Xianglan was such a person. Now that everything is out in the open and the misunderstandings are cleared up, we can all get along and live in harmony for the long run."

Meishu chimed in to agree, steering the conversation onto other topics. On the surface, an atmosphere of warm harmony was restored.

Xianglan merely maintained a faint smile, offering the occasional perfunctory remark to drift along with the current. Putting out this olive branch served two purposes: first, it gave Meishu and the others a reason to seek her out, meaning they wouldn't cross paths with her like fighting cocks looking to cause trouble; second, their presence in the main chambers would create a useful buffer between her and Lin Jinlou. Who knows? If Lin Jinlou happened to rekindle his old flames with one of them, she might finally secure some long-awaited peace and quiet.

Xianglan turned her gaze away to look out at the landscape. The sky was vast and clear, and half the lake was covered in lotus leaves; though the autumn wind was growing biting, they still retained a vibrant green. Xiaojuan and a few younger maids were gathered on the winding covered veranda, watching a bird bathe in its cage, while the stage continued its endless melodic singing. Xianglan tightened her garments around herself—given that interests were always at play, the women of the inner courtyard would never stop scheming, and she didn't need to bare her soul to them. As long as things remained civil on the surface, that was enough.

Ever since returning to the Lin family, she had fiercely resisted everything about it. Perhaps it was time to adopt a different stance to navigate it all.