Against the Current - Chapter 181

Chapter 181 - Talisman (Part 2)

Lady Qin took it and looked, her complexion changing drastically as she leaped to her feet, hastily overturning a cup of tea on the table in her panic. It turned out that the object was a talisman drawn in cinnabar on yellow paper. Flamboyant brushstrokes were scrawled across it, complete with a green-faced, fanged demon's mask, and the name "Lin Jinlou" alongside his date of birth was written in blood-red characters, with the phrase "destined to die without an heir" inscribed at the bottom.

Lin Jinlou still had no offspring to this day, and those four words pierced straight into Lady Qin's heart like daggers. She trembled all over with rage, her legs turning to jelly as she sank back down into her chair. Her face turned pale and ashen, and a long moment passed before she squeezed a few words out between her clenched teeth: "Which thousand-pieced, butchered beast did this!"

Mother Wu's tears fell like rain as she wept, "This old servant found it near the back door of Zhichun Lodge. When I saw it wrapped in white cloth at the time, I knew it was a foul and filthy thing, but I never expected that upon opening it back inside, what was written on it would be so vicious!"

Filled with both panic and fury, Lady Qin asked again, "Aside from you, who else has seen this thing?"

Mother Wu hastily replied, "No one else. This old servant recognizes the Eldest Master's name and birth characters, but as for the rest of the writing, I copied the shapes and asked Rose in the Mistress's quarters, though I never let her see the actual object."

Lady Qin asked Mother Wu to stand up, forcing herself to maintain composure as she took a deep breath and asked, "This thing was found in Zhichun Lodge. Since Lou'er celebrates his birthday every year, it's no wonder someone knows his birth date, but the exact hour of birth wasn't written on that talisman, so they likely didn't know it. Who on earth could hate Lou'er so much as to craft such a curse!" Lady Qin's face flushed a deep purplish-red, her palms ice-cold, as she cursed bitterly, "Lou'er remains empty-handed at his knees to this day, and any children he did have all died prematurely. Eight out of ten times, it must be the work of these black-hearted wretches who cast these spells to harm him."

Mother Wu said, "What Madam says is true. Perhaps it was Mistress Zhao who, harboring resentment after being cast aside, deliberately left it behind when she departed."

Lady Qin closed her eyes, while Mother Wu stood by with her hands hanging down, not daring to utter a single sound. After a long moment, Lady Qin finally opened her eyes and said, "No, how long has Mistress Zhao been gone? The servants who came with her as dowry maids were long since sent back, not a single one remaining. Moreover, this white cloth wrapping the talisman is still clean, clearly showing it is a recent thing. Without a doubt, someone inside Zhichun Lodge is up to mischief."

Mother Wu said, "Perhaps it's one of the maids or matrons in Zhichun Lodge who suffered beatings and scoldings from their master, harbored a grudge in their hearts, and turned black-hearted enough to cast a curse."

Lady Qin said, "What I fear most is having such treacherous slaves hiding right by one's side, waiting for the right moment to trip people up and bring harm, plotting against their masters. Using a talisman with a heart this venomous—we must drag whoever did this out into the light!"

Although Lady Qin was ordinarily level-headed and shrewd, with her eldest son's safety on the line, it was inevitable that concern would cloud her judgment. She rose, intending to head straight to Zhichun Lodge, but Mother Wu managed to pull her back. She called in Lady Qin's trusted confidante, Mother Han, and recounted the entire matter to her. Mother Han then advised, "Madam, please calm your anger. The ancestral rites were just completed today, and the Master and Old Madam have been exhausted for half a day and are getting ready to rest. To turn things upside down with a huge uproar now will only disturb their peace and add to their worries if word reaches them. Rather than that, let us go quietly, speak of this matter with the Eldest Master, discuss it properly, and plan our next steps at leisure."

Lady Qin sneered, "There is a saying that 'scholars plotting a rebellion can't succeed in three years,' but discussing a matter like this too much only leaks the news and lets the little imps run away. In the past, I've been far too lenient, which has actually bred this kind of scandal. Among the concubines and maids in Lou'er's rooms, only a few act like decent human beings, while the rest are all siren-like enchantresses. It is high time they were given a strict lesson. Now, all of you call everyone over; we will get to the absolute bottom of this tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Mother Han hurried off to summon people. Presently, two elderly matrons and four seasoned steward wives arrived—all individuals Lady Qin usually held in high esteem. Among these steward wives was one named Zhang Fa's wife, some thirty-five or thirty-six years old, of short and stout stature with a very fair, oval face. On ordinary days, Draw-Mouth was quite sycophantic toward her, frequently offering small favors and flattering her with sweet words. Thus, Zhang Fa's wife was on good terms with Draw-Mouth, and having often listened to Draw-Mouth bitterly lamenting her lack of favor before the Eldest Master, she would chime in with words of comfort from time to time.

Hearing now that Lady Qin was going to Zhichun Lodge to inspect and investigate, she instantly felt her opportunity had arrived and piped up, "Madam should have taken charge of this long ago. Things in the Eldest Master's courtyard have grown utterly chaotic. They've actually gone so far as to install that girl named Xianglan on the master and mistress's grand carved bed to sleep! My, my, what kind of behavior is this? If word of this spreads out, where will our Lin family's reputation be left?"

Lady Qin frowned slightly, but said, "Lou'er spoke to me about this matter; he wanted her to serve him closely."

Zhang Fa's wife hastily chimed in, "Having her serve closely is one thing, but that Xianglan is an extremely ruthless piece of work. She monopolizes the Eldest Master entirely, refusing to let him go anywhere else, and holds those who came before her—like Mistress Mei, Sister Yingge, and Sister Luan'er—in complete contempt. Ordering people around in Zhichun Lodge, she is even more imposing than a true mistress of the house!"

Lady Qin frowned yet again. She had never liked the little maid named Xianglan in the first place, feeling she was far too beautiful and too clever to be a settled soul—not like the honest, simple-minded Qinglan. But later on, through various twists and turns, Xianglan had actually returned to the Lin household, and upon arriving, she hadn't even paid her respects to her once, nor had she ever knelt before her. Lady Qin had already harbored resentment toward Xianglan, but she figured "out of sight, out of mind," and given the playboy nature of Lin Jinlou, he might cast her aside to the back of his mind any day now, so she hadn't bothered to meddle further. But now that Zhang Fa's wife brought it up again, it was like pouring oil on fire, and Lady Qin's expression darkened.

Sensing things were taking a bad turn, Mother Wu stepped forward half a step and rebuked Zhang Fa's wife, saying, "Shut your mouth! Do you live in Zhichun Lodge every day? You speak of groundless rumors as if they were gospel truth—who gave you permission to wag your tongue here!"

The reprimand caught Zhang Fa's wife off guard, causing her to step back half a pace.

Mother Wu lowered her voice and said to Lady Qin, "Madam, there is no such thing; Xianglan is a good girl..."

Lady Qin impatiently waved her hand and said, "I have my own judgment regarding who is good and who is bad." With that, she stood up, took her entourage, and headed straight toward Zhichun Lodge.

At that moment, Lin Jinlou was up in the front study. Lady Qin brought her people in and first ordered everyone to disperse to the various rooms, while she herself turned and went directly to Draw-Mouth's quarters. Draw-Mouth was wearing a casual embroidered jacket decorated with winter jasmine, her face retaining only remnants of makeup as she prepared to wash and tidy up. Seeing Lady Qin walk in, she flurriedly offered a seat and offered to brew tea herself.

Lady Qin said coldly, "There is no need." With that, she exchanged a glance with Mother Han.

Mother Han immediately led the maids in starting a thorough search of the room, dragging out chests and luggage one by one, tossing the bedding inside and out, and even taking scissors to rip open the pillows. Lady Qin swept her gaze across the room and saw Draw-Mouth standing submissively by the doorway, neither speaking out nor asking questions, maintaining an air of utmost caution.

Before long, one of the steward wives called out, "Madam, I found this inside the pillow." With that, she brought the item over and presented it to Lady Qin.

Lady Qin took a look and saw that it was a package wrapped in red cloth, containing what appeared to be a talisman inside. She asked, "What is inside this? Where did you get it?"

Draw-Mouth twisted the hem of her tunic, wearing an expression of extreme embarrassment. Fidgeting awkwardly for a moment, she finally replied, "Reporting to Madam, inside this is a talisman. The last time Taoist Priestess Cui came into the inner quarters, I asked her to obtain it for me..."