Against the Current - Chapter 197
Chapter 197 - Sharp Opposition
Chunling swept her eyes across the room swiftly, noticing that Lianxin looked entirely nonchalant, as if she had heard nothing at all. Xiaojuan seemed distracted, clearly missing the subtext in Zidai's words, while Tinglan gave a start, exchanged a quick glance with her, and then instantly reined in her expression. Turning her gaze back to Xianglan, Chunling saw those delicate lips curving upward slightly, injecting extra vibrancy into features that were already remarkably fine; just looking at her made Chunling feel slightly dazed. Every gesture and every expression of Xianglan's possessed a distinct style and boundless elegance that no one else could ever hope to imitate. Such a beauty, Chunling thought to herself, was hardly any wonder the Eldest Young Master held her in such high esteem. Yet, seeing how her smile harbored a profound detachment and recalling the layer upon layer of hidden worries she kept masked, Chunling couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.
Anyone could see that Xianglan was deeply depressed living in Zhichun Pavilion, but everyone chose to play deaf and dumb. How could they possibly dare to disobey Lin Jinlou's commands?
Ever since returning from the Chen family residence, Xianglan had appeared more energetic than usual, and her articulate defense the previous night had forced everyone to look at her in a completely new light, making them realize just how exceptionally clever she truly was. That very morning, as Xianglan was about to head over to Madame Qin's courtyard to learn the rules, Chunling had offered her a piece of advice: "Learning the rules is secondary; what matters is preserving the Eldest Young Master's face. Madame only pushes people to a certain limit—even if Madame dislikes you, two positions in the Eldest Young Master's quarters have just opened up... Madame is bound to assign her favorite trusted maids over here. Instead of waiting for that, you'd be better off speaking up yourself and promoting two people whose roots you know well. That way, they'll be your own people, and things will be much more convenient later on..." Her underlying intention was to prompt Xianglan to elevate her a step further, allowing her to stand on equal footing with Lianxin within Zhichun Pavilion. Who would have thought that Xianglan would simply shake her head?
"Madame's very goal is to crush my spirit. If I rush to counter her right away, wouldn't that create a direct confrontation? Madame would feel even more displeased, and I wouldn't have an easy life either. Why bother? It's better to just go along with her for now." With that, she offered a smile rich with hidden meaning. "Madame naturally has her own discerning eye, and the people she sends will undoubtedly bring honor to her. As long as they don't interfere with me, let her do as she pleases. If they want to stir up trouble, they'll first have to ask whether the Eldest Young Master agrees or not."
Chunling had opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again, feeling somewhat disheartened deep down. It wasn't until she laid eyes on Zidai that she faintly began to understand: this time, Madame had sent Mother Han's own niece. An ordinary maid would have been one thing, but Mother Han was an exceptionally prestigious senior servant in the manor, and Madame had even instructed Zidai to study the rules alongside Xianglan. This was clearly setting the stage to elevate Zidai to the rank of a concubine. Furthermore, Zidai was no simple pushover; her very first words had been to address Xianglan as "Elder Sister," instantly setting herself apart from the rest of the maids. Although everyone in the manor knew Madame's intentions—making her familiar address a breach of etiquette—not a single person dared to utter a peep. Having won the master's favor, her speech and demeanor appeared gentle on the surface yet carried a sharp, piercing edge. With such a person worming her way into Zhichun Pavilion, no wonder Xianglan had remarked that "the people Madame sends are bound to bring honor to her."
Xianglan still wore a smile on her face, yet she completely ignored Zidai's affectionate greeting of "Elder Sister," saying merely, "I am not someone who manages affairs here; on ordinary days, I simply stay quietly by myself. Lianxin, Tinglan, and Chunling are all wonderful people, and chatting and laughing together when we have free time and feel bored is a simple pleasure. Having spent the entire morning out, I am going inside to rest, and won't keep you all here." With that, she smiled at both Xueying and Zidai, and drifted gracefully into her bedchamber.
Zidai had still possessed a belly full of affectionate words she planned to impart, and never anticipated that Xianglan wouldn't even deign to offer a few perfunctory pleasantries before turning on her heel and leaving, which left her utterly dumbfounded. The moment Xianglan departed, Chunling, Xiaojuan, Lianxin, and Tinglan hurried along behind her because they needed to attend to her lunch.
Zidai remained rooted to the spot for a moment, failing to recover her wits.
Xueying gave her sleeve a tug. "Let's go. Why are you still standing around here like a post? Let's head back and tidy up, it's almost time for lunch."
Zidai took a deep breath. In Zhichun Pavilion, she represented Madame's face, so from the very moment she arrived, she needed to establish her own rules and authority so that no one would dare look down on her or mistake her for an ordinary serving maid. Since Madame had granted her such immense prestige, she naturally had to make the most of this favorable wind. Regardless of whether Lin Jinlou favored her or not, at the very least within Zhichun Pavilion, she was determined to live a comfortable and dignified life, and absolutely refused to be suppressed by Chen Xianglan. She hadn't expected Xianglan to simply brush her off and walk away, treating her truly like a common maidservant. A wave of stifled anger boiled up inside her, yet because she couldn't find a single valid pretext to complain, she had no choice but to follow Xueying away.
Chunling, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief. As she stepped outside to brew some fragrant tea for rinsing the mouth after Xianglan's lunch, she overheard Lianxin and Xueying talking together behind the partition wall. The two of them were both originally from the Old Madame's chambers and had already been on friendly terms.
"I'd only caught a few glimpses of Xianglan in the past and assumed she was a soft, spineless sort. Seeing her today is what made me understand why you called her clever. Zidai originally wanted to crush her, yet ended up making herself sick with anger without even managing to find a legitimate flaw to pick." Xueying lifted the copper kettle off the stove, poured half a basin of hot water, and added cold water to temper it.
"That's nothing. You didn't get to see her arguing with the Eldest Young Master—a single sentence had him clutching his heart and lungs in agony, and he ended up smashing quite a few fine cups."
"Goodness gracious me, she's really that daring?"
"Tsk, sometimes I even wonder if the Eldest Young Master actually has a taste for this sort of thing—if he specifically likes being infuriated by her." Lianxin couldn't help laughing out loud after saying this.
"Do you think... if Zidai goes head-to-head with Xianglan right out of the gate, will she come out ahead?"
Lianxin shook her head and replied, "If she didn't go head-to-head, she'd come out even worse. With a grand Buddha like Xianglan sitting right here, unless Zidai manages to conceive a child while serving the Eldest Young Master, she has no choice but to docilely bow her head and obey. Her only backing is Madame, so she has to dance to Madame's tune. If Madame wants her to suppress Xianglan, that is precisely what she must do. Once Madame is pleased, she'll have the Eldest Young Master elevate her, and the Eldest Young Master will have to give Madame face. Besides, taking a maid into his chambers isn't regarded as any sort of monumental deal in the Eldest Young Master's eyes anyway."
Listening to this, Xueying found herself thoroughly convinced, and smiled as she said, "Sister, you really are a cunning old hand. No wonder my second sister told me to learn as much as possible from you once I arrived at Zhichun Pavilion." With that, she began asking Lianxin about the internal affairs and management of Zhichun Pavilion.
Chunling, however, drew in a sharp breath. Lianxin had always kept a low profile. Ever since arriving at Zhichun Pavilion, she had behaved strictly according to the rules, bearing no resemblance to Shuran, who was slick, worldly, and adept at playing all sides. As time passed, Chunling hadn't placed much stock in her either, assuming the Eldest Young Master had only promoted her out of regard for the Old Madame. But upon hearing this conversation, Chunling realized she had severely underestimated her all along.
Meanwhile, that very evening, Lin Jinlou sent someone over with a message stating that military affairs required his attention, and he would not be able to return home for the night. Shuangxi knelt on the floor with lowered head to report this matter to Xianglan, stealing upward glances out of the corner of his eye.
Hearing this, Xianglan gave a calm, indifferent acknowledgement and said, "Don't kneel on the floor, get up." Before her voice had even faded, Chunling had already grabbed a handful of coins to hand over to him.
Shuangxi hurriedly received them with both hands, yet remained kneeling on the ground, his face beaming with flattering smiles as he said, "Thank you for the reward, Young Mistress! Thank you for the reward!" He didn't actually care about these dozen or so copper coins—there were plenty of people in the manor trying to curry favor with him, and Lin Jinlou's usual rewards were also extremely generous—but these coins came from Young Mistress Xianglan herself. The amount didn't matter; what mattered was the face she was giving him. Shuangxi didn't dare raise his head boldly to gaze at the woman sitting serenely in the seat of honor, but said with utmost deference, "The Eldest Young Master commanded that since the Young Mistress resides deep within the inner quarters, it is inevitably inconvenient when you wish to go out to make purchases or send messages home. Therefore, he has ordered that Guiyuan, the errand boy stationed outside the corridor, be assigned to wait upon the Young Mistress."
Xianglan was slightly startled. Guiyuan was a young pageboy specifically tasked with serving in the front study; every single boy permitted inside that study was an absolute little spirit. She indeed lacked someone agile to run errands and manage chores, though she had always been too lazy to bring it up, never expecting Lin Jinlou to assign one of his own trusted pages to her service.
Shuangxi said respectfully, "Guiyuan is right outside, waiting to come in and kowtow to the Young Mistress."
Xianglan instructed, "Tell him to come in."
Shuangxi promptly backed out. Before long, a young pageboy dressed in an indigo-blue tunic walked in, bending at the waist with his head lowered, and knelt briskly on the floor, striking his head against the ground three crisp times while declaring, "This servant wishes the Young Mistress peace, and kowtows to the Young Mistress."
Seeing that he was around twelve or thirteen years of age, with a fair complexion, fresh and tender features, and an aura of sharp intelligence, Xianglan offered him a few words of encouragement, rewarded him with some coins, and instructed Chunling to give him sweets and pastries to eat, which we will temporarily leave aside.
To dispense with lengthy details, days slipped by in the blink of an eye, and a full half-month passed. Every single morning, Xianglan and Zidai went over to Madame Qin's chambers. Zidai poured tea, fetched water, recited scriptures, and massaged Madame Qin's legs, serving her intimately by her side. Even when she failed to suit Madame Qin's wishes and suffered harsh scoldings, she showed not the slightest trace of resentment, remaining thoroughly respectful and deferential. Whenever she was present, even Hongjian and Luan'er had to retreat a full distance away. Xianglan, on the other hand, was far more aloof, remaining as silent as the grave in Madame Qin's presence. Whatever task she was assigned, she would execute without ever crowding forward, quietly working on her needlework off to one side. Whenever she had free time, she would sit outside in the winding covered walkways, watching the flowers, teasing the birds, and exchanging a few lighthearted words with the little maidservants, never uttering a superfluous word. Comparing the two, Madame Qin naturally felt far more satisfied with Zidai's affectionate docility, growing increasingly dismissive of Xianglan until she gradually treated her as little more than a piece of furniture. While Mother Wu, Chunling, and the others worried in secret, Xianglan remained completely unbothered.
Back in Zhichun Pavilion, Xianglan was leaning against a soft bolster with a book in hand. Xiaojuan was sitting on a small low stool below, tying chicken feathers onto a shuttlecock, while Chunling sat beside Xianglan and chattered away: "These past few days, I've been keeping a cold eye on things, and Xueying has a pleasant temperament; within a couple of days, she's already blended in seamlessly with the little maids. She neither sucks up to you nor cozy up to Zidai, simply stepping smoothly into Rushuang's old duties like someone who knows how to keep things trouble-free. But as for this Zidai..." Chunling glanced at Xianglan and continued, "Ever since Madame promoted her to a higher rank, she's been sticking her nose into everything in Zhichun Pavilion, insisting on having a say in every single matter, big or small. Never mind that she just got here—there's still Lianxin standing above her. Lianxin was bestowed by the Old Madame; shouldn't she at least show some regard for the Old Madame's face? Who would have thought that while she puts on a polite front toward Lianxin on the surface, she insists on doing everything entirely according to her own will! A couple of days ago, she started scolding and disciplining a few of the little maids. When Lianxin said they knew their mistake and should be let off, Zidai refused to drop it. Just because one of the little maids cried out, begging for 'Young Mistress Xianglan' to make the decision for her, Zidai actually drove the girl right out of the manor! On top of that, she wanted to alter the daily food quotas, and even poked her nose into exactly how much silver was spent on Parrot's medicine. She also declared that the color of the chair covers in the main reception hall was too frivolous and needed to be changed, ordering people to fling open the storage chests to pick out new ones. When Lianxin blocked her, telling her that any color used in the main room was up to the Young Mistress to decide, and that if she didn't like it she should take it up directly with the Young Mistress, Zidai just plastered a full face of smiles and said, 'It's merely changing a chair cover; what's all this about this person deciding or that person deciding? Elder Sister Xianglan isn't that petty-minded.' And she actually had two little maids go ahead and change the chair covers anyway..."