Against the Current - Chapter 189

Chapter 189 - Talisman (Part 10)

At that, Madam Qin let out a long sigh, rose to her feet, and said, "It is late, and this matter is now concluded. You should rest early."

Lin Jinlou also stood up and said, "Your son is unfilial for causing you such worry, Mother."

Madam Qin shook her head, saying, "Enough, what is the point of being so courteous between mother and son? If only you had someone capable of managing affairs in your quarters, such petty demons and spirits would never have been able to leap about like this." With that, she cast a glance at Xiulan, who was standing far off to the side, and added to Lin Jinlou, "Starting tomorrow, have her come to my rooms every single morning."

Lin Jinlou instantly knitted his thick brows together. "What for? Hasn't this whole mess already been brought to light? It has nothing to do with her. She is slow-witted and dim, dislikes mingling with people, and a single sentence from her can infuriate someone to the point of a heartache. If she goes over there and offends your esteemed self, you might be angered into falling ill."

Madam Qin shot Lin Jinlou a glare. "I am not a wolf; could I possibly swallow her whole? Is it because she is the apple of your eye that you are shielding her to this extent?"

Lin Jinlou coughed awkwardly. "No, no, no—I was just wondering, that's all."

Madam Qin retorted briskly, "I simply want to have her observe some discipline by my side for a few days. Surely that is not too much to ask?"

Only then did Lin Jinlou smile. "Naturally not, this is her good fortune." He beckoned to Xiulan, saying, "Why aren't you coming over to thank Madam for her grace? Being willing to instruct you personally is quite an honor for you."

Xiulan had zero desire for any "honor." Every single moment spent in Madam Qin's company felt mentally exhausting and deeply stifling, so she merely stood by the folding screen and offered a faint, perfunctory curtsy.

Lin Jinlou glanced at Madam Qin and, seeing that she minded it not at all, waved his hand dismissively. "Very well, very well. After all this commotion for half the day, I am quite fatigued." With those words, leaning on Nurse Wu and Mother Han for support, she stepped forward and left, while Lin Jinlou personally escorted her out.

The room plunged into quietness. Lianxin, Tinglan, and Chunling slowly set about tidying up the space. The loss of two prominent maidservants from the Zhichun Pavilion in a single stroke inevitably left everyone feeling uneasy and apprehensive, casting a heavy, silent pall over them all. The lower-ranking maidservants and the night-watching matrons likewise moved about in absolute stillness.

Aching all over and utterly exhausted, Xiulan sat upon the chaise longue, staring blankly ahead without uttering a word.

Chunling walked over and spoke with cautious care, "You must be exhausted, Miss. Go inside and rest for a bit. There is still some food left in the kitchen; would you care for a late-night snack?"

Xiulan shook her head. Tonight's chaos had been like a battlefield, and a person whose fate hung in the balance was still lying in the next room. Her thoughts were in a turbulent tangle, leaving her entirely devoid of mood for food. After a brief pause, she said, "If there are any pastries, take some to Xiaojuan." With that, she rested her head against an autumn-fragrance bolster and gently closed her eyes.

Chunling fetched a light blanket and tucked it softly over her, then worked alongside Lianxin and the others to neatly refold the clothes that had been rummaged through and scattered across the cabinets before quietly retreating from the room.

Meanwhile, Lin Jinlou personally carried a lantern to light Madam Qin's way back, then made a tour of the grounds to ensure the night-patrolling matrons were each tending to their duties and the outer courtyard guards were keeping watch with strict vigilance, before finally returning.

As he approached the entrance to his courtyard, he saw that two long wooden benches were still placed before the main room's door. Nuanyue lay facedown upon them, completely motionless and seemingly unconscious, with blood faintly seeping through her garments.

The matron carrying out the punishment rubbed her hands together and ventured, "Eldest Young Master, if we... if we keep beating her, it really might cost her her life..."

Casting a sidelong glance, Lin Jinlou saw that Rushuang and Huamei were kneeling side by side beneath a banana tree not far away. Rushuang wore nothing more than a pale-green bodice, exposing her stark-white arms and legs. Her lips were stained a bruised blue from the cold, and her entire frame shivered violently like a sifter. Having been subjected to the board beatings, she was unable to maintain a kneeling posture and had collapsed sideways onto the ground. Though she was a serving maid, she had never known hardship; she had lived better in the Lin household than most ordinary young ladies, making her constitution inevitably fragile. At this moment, she was enduring excruciating agony and hovered on the verge of fainting. Huamei's face was swollen to a grotesque degree, her features blurred beyond recognition, clearly having suffered those fifty slaps across the face. The autumn night wind chilled the bones to the marrow, yet Huamei wore only a lined jacket, shivering uncontrollably as she knelt on the ground, presenting a truly pitiful sight.

Intending for Huamei to witness the matrons administering the board beatings, Lin Jinlou merely arched a brow slightly and strolled forward. The matron hurried to lift her lantern so Lin Jinlou could see clearly: Nuanyue's complexion was as pale as gold foil, and she had passed out cold. Because Lin Jinlou had ordered her to be "beaten hard," she was now breathing by a mere thread, with more than half her life already stripped away.

Observing Lin Jinlou's expression, the matron muttered inwardly, This wretched girl had no sense, actually daring to provoke both Madam and the Eldest Young Master. If it were a minor matter, slipping a bit of silver and letting her off with a light beating would have sufficed, but she had to go and embroil herself in a major catastrophe. Tsk tsk, Nuanyue was considered quite clean and neat, with rather delicate features; usually so arrogant that she wouldn't deign to cast a glance at anyone else. Now she's a fallen phoenix whose plight is worse than a chicken's. Even if she manages to keep her life, chances are her legs will be crippled for good. Glancing over at Rushuang, she thought, Jixiang was pacing back and forth earlier, and seeing her beaten half-naked out here means she has lost every shred of her dignity. Fortunately it's nighttime; if it were broad daylight and she were dragged out past the second gate to be beaten with scores of lads staring wide-eyed, Rushuang would be better off banging her head against a wall and dying cleanly.

Just then, Lin Jinlou instructed, "Drag Nuanyue and Rushuang down, and have them hauled out to be sold at first light tomorrow."

The matron responded with repeated assents and hastily hauled the bodies away.

Huamei kept her head lowered the entire time, trembling violently. Suddenly, a pair of dark-blue satin court boots entered her field of vision, and in the flickering, uneven candlelight she could faintly make out the embroidered dark patterns of soaring cranes upon them, leading up to the hem of a gown embroidered with drifting clouds that fluttered in the breeze.

Huamei lowered her head even further, shaking like a winnowing basket, wishing desperately that she could pass out on the spot. She heard Lin Jinlou's voice ring out, cool and indifferent, directly above her head, "Huamei, do you know why I am dealing with you this way today?"

Enduring the throbbing pain, Huamei stammered vaguely, "It is because the Eldest Young Master is merciful..."

Lin Jinlou let out a dry, scornful scoff. "Do not flatter yourself that you hold so much weight in my eyes. Your older brother once blocked a sword wound for me; purely for that reason, I am sparing your life today and leaving you a shred of dignity."

Biting down hard on her lips, Huamei collapsed into a limp heap upon the ground, her voice trembling as she wept, "This servant will never dare do it again..."

Fixing his gaze on the large crimson lanterns swaying in the breeze before the main room door, Lin Jinlou slowly continued, "Huamei, what you have done should be crystal clear in your own mind. Did you really take me for a fool to be played with? Do you think the little trick that temporarily hoodwinked Madam could fool me as well?" Pausing for a fraction of a second, he lowered his gaze to look at Huamei, who was trembling into a tight ball, and added, "Choose one of two paths for yourself: either you pack your bedding and leave for home immediately—whether you marry afterward or remain single has nothing further to do with the Lin family—or..."

Huamei shuddered violently from head to toe, slamming her forehead against the ground with loud thumps as she wept uncontrollably, wailing, "Eldest Young Master! Eldest Young Master, I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong, I will never dare do it again... In the future I won't even step a foot outside my door, I—"

Lin Jinlou interrupted coldly, "Or wait until next spring when the Lin family's ancestral temple finishes its renovations, and you can go over there to chant scriptures. After all, you served me for a time, and you are a clever person; you know which path is best." Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and walked away.