Against the Current - Chapter 190

Chapter 190 - Night Talk (Part 1)

Huamei pressed her forehead against the ice-cold bluestone floor, sobbing softly as bitter hatred churned within her heart. She had meticulously prepared and plotted this scheme for a long time: first using Nuanmo to plant the talisman and frame the target, and then utilizing Luan'er as a scapegoat. Just two days prior, she had dispatched a letter to her brother instructing him to immediately silence Master Daoist Cui by putting her to death. Furthermore, she had used both coercion and temptation to force Rushuang into clearing her name and washing away her own suspicion. With her own silver tongue, she had been certain she could take Chen Xianglan down in a single blow. Who could have imagined that this Chen Xianglan was not a soft bone to chew at all, but instead dragged her down into the mire, landing her in such a wretched plight?

Huamei lifted her head, gazing up at the full moon hanging in the edge of the sky, and drew a deep breath. No matter how excruciating the pain on her face felt, it could not compare to the agonizing torment burning in her heart.

She was originally the daughter of an official's family. Even if her father was merely a seventh-rank minor official, stepping outside still commanded immense prestige and awe. Though she was born to a concubine, she was blessed with beauty and a quick, pleasing wit, and she had even secured a promising betrothal with the family of a local gentry and wealthy merchant. But the moment her father fell from grace, he gave her away to the Duke of Zhenguo's estate as a maid and concubine. She was utterly unwilling, yet her biological mother was timid, fearful, and of lowly status—how could she possibly protect her? Ultimately, for the sake of her family's future, she had no choice but to accept her fate, swallowing all her grievance and reluctance like a cup of bitter wine. Then, that old man actually transferred her to Lin Jinlou. This man was young, handsome, wealthy, and powerful; she was overjoyed beyond measure. Whether it was humbling herself to cater to his desires or deliberately trying to please him, she felt as though she had come back to life. She vowed to firmly plant her footing in the Lin household and carve out a successful path so that no one would ever dare look down on her again. Zhao Yuechan was the legitimate first wife, and Qinglan was a favored concubine carrying Lin Jinlou's flesh and blood; she had paid neither of them any mind, yet she never expected to trip and fall at the hands of that little hussy Chen Xianglan!

Now that things had reached this stage, requesting permission to return home and find another good family to marry into should have been her best prospective path, but how could she possibly go back? Originally, everyone in her family had picked faults with her and spoken in sarcastic, barbed tones until she caught Lin Jinlou's eye, at which point they suddenly became warm and courteous. Later on, when she became a concubine, her entire family acted as though they wanted to worship her like a living Buddha, watching her expression with every word they spoke. If she returned home in disgrace now, apart from her cowardly biological mother, who would ever look at her with any respect again? It was entirely possible her heartless father and brothers might sell her off once more!

Trembling all over, Huamei turned her head and gazed toward the main quarters of Zhichun Pavilion. The candles in the central hall had already been extinguished, leaving only a glow emanating from the bedroom. Xianglan's profile was faintly visible through the window paper. Suddenly, Huamei offered a cold smile, her fingernails digging deep into her palms as she muttered under her breath, "Chen Xianglan, do not imagine that your days ahead will be smooth sailing. Even if I have fallen into ruin, I refuse to let you off easily!"

Meanwhile, Lin Jinlou had returned to his room, where a heavy silence hung in the air. A massive upheaval had shaken the household this evening: Zhichun Pavilion had lost two of its most favored maids in one stroke, alongside the dismissal of a concubine-in-training and the demotion of a concubine. Consequently, everyone was seized with terror, holding their breath in absolute dread.

The moment Lin Jinlou stepped into the bedroom, he caught sight of Xianglan lying on the daybed with her eyes closed. After glancing at her for a moment, he instructed the maids to bring in towels and a washbasin so he could freshen up. Once he had changed his clothes, Lin Jinlou seated himself beside Xianglan, pinched the soft tip of her nose, and chuckled, "Why are you lying here? After making such a ruckus all evening, why haven't you gone to bed to rest yet?" Then, continuing on his own train of thought, he remarked, "Who would have thought you also possessed such a sharp tongue? This master simply took you for a quiet, taciturn person and kept worrying that you would be bullied."

Xianglan inwardly curled her lip, thinking to herself that if he were truly worried, why hadn't he stepped inside earlier when she was being falsely accused, instead of eavesdropping from the doorway? Too lazy to cross-examine him, she sat up and said coolly, "Everyone in your household is armed with fully polished martial arts. If I didn't speak up for myself a couple of times, I reckon I would have been stripped of my clothes and beaten, and then had my neck choked by the young master once more—at which point this life of mine truly would have vanished."

Lin Jinlou's expression darkened instantly, his thick brows knitting together as he reprimanded, "You're getting too big for your britches again, aren't you!"

Xianglan lowered her head and remained silent.

Annoyed, Lin Jinlou walked over to the side table, picked up a cup of warm tea, and gulped it down angrily.

Xianglan let out a deep sigh, stared at the window lattice for a long moment, and murmured softly, "Master, when will you grow tired of all this? When will these endless days ever reach an end? Why don't you chase me out as well, so that the both of us can finally find some peace?"

With a sharp bang, Lin Jinlou slammed his teacup down onto the table, veins bulging furiously on his forehead. Not a single chaotic and turbulent moment from the entire evening could compare to this single sentence from Xianglan striking right at his vitals. He spun around, gritting his teeth as he barked, "Are you deliberately trying to make yourself miserable again? Chase you out? In your dreams! Even if this master grows sick of you, I'll keep you right here—not for anything else, but simply to disgust you!" With that, he stormed angrily toward the door, shouting, "People! Where are people? Have you all dropped dead somewhere? I want a cup of hot tea and there isn't a single person to wait on me? I'll strip the skin off every last one of you later!"

Frightened out of their wits, Lianxin and Chunling scurried out in trembling terror.

Overcome with vexation, Lin Jinlou turned on his heel and strode back into the bedroom. Upon returning, he saw that Xianglan was still seated on the daybed, staring exclusively at the small floral bricks on the floor. Her solitary figure appeared so desolate and frail, resembling a thin, pitiful little flower. The anger in his chest involuntarily subsided by a fraction. He drew a deep breath, walked over to sit beside Xianglan once more, and felt a renewed surge of annoyance when he noticed her shrink inward slightly. Stiffening his expression, he said, "This master knows you suffered a grievance today—didn't I handle things and vent your anger for you as well? Why must you still take that tone with me? If you push me into a rage and I end up hitting you again, I'd find it tiresome just doing it. Do you actually get some kind of thrill out of this?"

Ignoring him entirely, Xianglan could feel the heavy, oppressive violence and chill radiating from Lin Jinlou. Not daring to raise her head, she kept her white-jade-like face lowered and retreated even further into the corner.

Looking down, Lin Jinlou caught sight of her delicate green mandarin-duck embroidered shoes peeking out from beneath her wide-legged silk trousers. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her foot. Xianglan struggled twice; in the heat of the moment earlier, she had blurted out those words on impulse, but now she felt a twinge of regret. Terrified that she might genuinely provoke Lin Jinlou's wrath, she dared not move further and had no choice but to let him hold it as she heard him say, "Those maidservants will be dragged out and sold first thing tomorrow morning. As for Huamei, she was sent by my superior, so she naturally carries a bit of face. Her brother is currently a trusted man by my side, and he once took a knife wound in my place. Expelling her like this would inevitably chill the hearts of my subordinates. However, this master has already confined her, so she won't be wandering about in the future. She is also a clever person; after some time passes, she will naturally leave the Lin household on her own accord... You needn't be afraid either; any maid who comes here next will certainly not dare pull such tricks. From now on, whenever you look at any maid around here and find her displeasing to the eye, just give this master a word, and I will have her cast out instantly. How about that?"

Seeing that Xianglan still remained silent, he continued on of his own accord, "Alright, let's consider this matter settled. Tomorrow, be a bit more alert when you go to the First Mistress's quarters. Afterwards, I'll have a word with Mother Han and Mother Wu so that if anything seems amiss, they can look after you a little more... Hey, don't just sit there saying nothing. I've coaxed you a bit and given you a way to back down with grace—are you really going to keep pushing your luck with this master?"

With her face lowered and her arms wrapped around her knees, Xianglan gently shook her head.