Against the Current - Chapter 211

Chapter 211 - The Inn (Part 1)

When Lin Jinlou entered the city, it was already the hour of Xu. Guo Renjie led him to an inn, and entering from the back courtyard, they went straight up to the second floor. Guo Renjie smiled and said, "One young lady is settled in this room, and the other is right next door..."

Before his voice had even faded, Lin Jinlou had already pushed open the door and walked in. He saw that the room was elegantly furnished, with a single candle burning on the table, casting a dim light. On the bed, a girl was huddled with her knees tucked in and her head buried, her shoulders trembling intermittently as she clearly wept.

Lin Jinlou hurried over, grabbed the girl by the arm, and called out, "Xianglan, Xianglan, do not be afraid..."

The girl jerked her head up. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were red and swollen—to his shock, it was actually Zidai. Both of them were stunned for a moment. Lin Jinlou let go of her hand first, but Zidai wept even more violently. Reaching out to grab Lin Jinlou's arm, she cried out, "Eldest Master! My dear master, you've finally come..." As old grievances welled up within her, she wailed with such force that the room seemed to shake.

Feeling intensely annoyed, Lin Jinlou yanked his arm free and turned to leave. Believing that Lin Jinlou intended to abandon her in this place, Zidai was seized with panic. She immediately threw her arms around Lin Jinlou's waist, tumbling off the bed right along with his stride. Still clinging desperately to his legs, she half-crawled on the floor and pleaded, "I beg the eldest master to save me... Please, under no circumstances leave me behind here..."

Lin Jinlou roared furiously, "Let go!"

Refusing to let go, Zidai raised her face to look at Lin Jinlou with a glare of bitter resentment. While a wave of fear gripped her heart, the memory of the gentle, whispered tones he had used when calling out "Xianglan" just moments before stirred up a fresh surge of grievance and spite. All the hurt and indignation she had bottled up over a day and a night could no longer be contained. She thought to herself, If it weren't for Chen Xianglan, I would likely already be a concubine in the Lin household. Why else would I have nearly been sold to a brothel, losing my reputation and drawing the eldest master's disgust? Clearly, the last time I went into his room late at night to serve tea, the master didn't chase me away; instead, he gave me a pleasant look, and his attitude had already softened... Overwhelmed by bitterness, tears streaming down her face, she blurted out, "The eldest master only has Xianglan on his mind, and never looks at those of us who serve with unwavering loyalty! She is the one the master holds dear in his heart, and we wouldn't dare compare ourselves to her. But the master doesn't know that the huge disaster at Xixia Temple was entirely brought about by Xianglan!"

Lin Jinlou had already viewed Zidai as a clinging nuisance, and hearing these words only fueled his rage. He lashed out with a kick, shouting, "Get lost!"

Zidai's arm took the brunt of the kick, aching sharply. With an "Aiyo" cry, she loosened her grip, only to lunge forward again and wrap her arms tightly around Lin Jinlou's legs. Weeping, she cried, "Eldest Master, what this lowly servant is saying is true! One morning... I saw Zhicao holding an embroidered pouch, saying that Meihua had a dream in which an immortal told her that throwing an embroidered pouch into Xianglan's room would avert disaster. Meihua is well-known for using curses and sorcery to hex people, so I had good intentions and advised her not to do such a thing. Zhicao left at the time, and I thought the matter was over. Who would have thought that not long after, smallpox broke out in Zhichun Pavilion? When they were burning the clothes and bedding that Yingge had used, I saw an embroidered pouch among the pile of garments. It was embroidered with a yellow bird—a fresh pattern I had never seen before—and tied at the bottom with a multicolored cord holding a pale green-and-white jade 'blessing' pendant. It was identical to the one Zhicao had been holding back then. An artifact so exquisitely crafted could not be found anywhere else in the entire estate. Suspicion took root in my heart, and later I quietly sent someone to ask Zhicao, only to find out that she had indeed thrown that embroidered pouch into Xianglan's room that day..." This fabricated tale mixed truth with falsehood; since Zhicao was already dead, Zidai pinned all the blame squarely on her.

Her voice grew louder and more desperate as she cried, "Eldest Master! Eldest Master, just think—if the pouch was originally thrown into Xianglan's room, how did it end up with Yingge? That pouch must have contained lethal curses, Gu poison, or something of the sort! Xianglan must have discovered it, but since Meihua had already left for home and only Yingge remained in the master's quarters, she pretended to be on good terms with Yingge on the surface while secretly using that pouch to eliminate her by borrowing another's knife! She doesn't have an ounce of tolerance in her, getting so many people killed—her heart is truly as venomous as a serpent's! It was such a waste for Yingge to have thought so fondly of her..." With that, Zidai broke down into loud sobs. She really had spotted that embroidered pouch among the garments Yingge was burning; because of its exquisite craftsmanship, she had recognized it instantly and been deeply shocked at the time, harboring deep suspicions. When the deaths in Zhichun Pavilion immediately followed, a panicked Zidai had run off to tell Mother Han about it. Aunt and niece both concluded that Meihua had hidden a vicious curse to harm Xianglan, and that Xianglan had simply turned the tables to kill Yingge instead.

"Regardless of anything else, Yingge was carrying the eldest master's flesh and blood. Even if she didn't have the fortune to bear it through to the end and lost the child, Xianglan has had the master's exclusive favor for so long without even hatching a single egg. Don't let her aloof demeanor fool you; how could she not be anxious inside? As the saying goes, 'No flower stays red for a thousand days, and no person is good for a thousand years.' With the master's temperament—turning east today and west tomorrow—who's to say when he might cast her aside? And what if the master took a fancy to Yingge again one day and she conceived a child? Wouldn't Yingge end up riding roughshod right over her head?" Mother Han had taken a sip of tea, maintaining a shrewd and worldly expression as she lectured her niece. "Tsk tsk, I knew she couldn't stomach Yingge, but I truly never imagined her mind was so venomous."

"Great Aunt, do you think... should we tell Madam about this?"

"What is there to say? There's no proof left of this matter; don't try to stir up trouble only to get burned yourself." Mother Han glared, then paused in brief reflection. "Let's put this matter aside for now. Wait until the master's affection for Xianglan cools down, and then whispering a word in his ear won't be too late. Right now she's riding the crest of her popularity; let's not go provoking that living Buddha. Keep your mouth tightly shut, and not a word of this can leak out."

Although disappointed, Zidai gave her verbal agreement, though she found it impossible to keep the secret in her heart. It felt as if a chest filled with ten thousand taels of gold sat within easy reach, yet she was forced to restrain herself from touching it. Knowing she had a firm grip on Xianglan's weakness yet being forbidden to speak of it, she felt a tormenting agony every time she watched Xianglan flaunt her authority right before her eyes. Today, she had finally blurted it all out. A wave of satisfaction washed over her, mixed with a lingering trace of apprehension as she furtively glanced at Lin Jinlou's expression.

Lin Jinlou's face remained entirely devoid of expression, save for a sickly, ashen pallor. Suddenly, he let out a couple of dark, chilling laughs. "Good, very good indeed. You certainly are a loyal servant..."

There was nothing benign about that voice; Zidai could not help trembling all over.

"You choose not to speak of this earlier or later, but deliberately pick this exact moment... Good, very good, very good. This master will naturally remember your contribution." Gritting his teeth through these words, Lin Jinlou raised his voice and shouted, "Hulai! Get a carriage and take this woman back for me!" With that, he turned on his heel and strode toward the adjacent room.

That room belonged to Shutong. A moment ago, she had heard a commotion of crying and shouting coming from next door, though she could not make out the words, leaving her heart fluttering with anxiety. Just then, the door was thrown open with a loud crash. Terrified out of her wits, Shutong stole a glance and saw Lin Jinlou standing there with a dark, thunderous expression, radiating a ruthless and violent aura. Her guilty conscience made her misinterpret this look entirely; she assumed Lin Dongxue had already informed Lin Jinlou that both of them had known the truth and kept quiet, and that Lin Jinlou was flying into a rage. Trembling violently from head to toe, she scrambled in a panic to hide herself in the corner of the room.