Against the Current - Chapter 246
Chapter 246 - Encountering an Old Acquaintance (Part 6)
Lin Jinlou held his wine cup, leaning lazily back in his chair. After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food, the people at the table had become somewhat unrestrained, chatting and laughing loudly. Lu Jian, the third young master of the Lu family and Lin Jinlou's eldest brother-in-law, sat nearby speaking obsequiously. He first talked about romantic matters involving actors and courtesans, then brought up the freshest news in the capital and the churning currents of court politics—who had been demoted, who had been promoted, whose daughter had entered the palace, and who had newly caught the emperor's eye, one after another without end.
Lin Jinlou listened half-heartedly. This eldest brother-in-law of his had studied for two years without possessing any real ability, relying entirely on the residual prestige of his family. Although he had some dissolute habits, he was timid, cowardly, and amounted to nothing. Yet precisely because of this, Lin Dongwan was able to keep him completely under her thumb; after all, what ordinary man would willingly let a woman ride roughshod over his head? Nowadays, even when Lu Jian wanted to take a concubine, he had to look at Lin Dongwan's expression, picking out a submissive maid of mediocre looks from among the staff during a time when she was pregnant. It was said that whenever he went out to drink wine at pleasure houses, he always tagged along with friends or ran up tabs, having barely a few coins in his own pocket.
Lin Jinlou swept his gaze across the room and noticed that Song Ke's seat was empty, prompting him to let out a couple of cold sneers. Back at the entrance, he had intentionally led Xianglan and that fellow Song Ke to meet, purely to test their reactions. For a long time, Song Ke had been like a thorn stuck in his heart; rather than letting that thorn keep piercing him, it was better to make a clean break. He wanted to see with his own eyes just how much weight that man surnamed Song carried in little Xianglan's heart. From the very first moment Song Ke laid eyes on Xianglan, his eyeballs had been nailed to her as if he had lost his soul, which made Lin Jinlou profoundly uncomfortable throughout his entire body. Whether it was Song Ke or the Grand Duke of Manifest Virtue standing behind him, the two sides were originally unrelated; they merely maintained a facade of mutual respect for the sake of their marital ties. But if someone truly provoked him—let alone the influence of his own father and mother—he only needed to step outside himself for the Grand Duke of Manifest Virtue to think twice and have a hard time of it, while a mere little Song Ke posed no threat whatsoever. Xianglan was an inherited bondservant, belonging to their household from birth; whether her name was removed from the family registry made no difference in Lin Jinlou's eyes—she was already his person to begin with, only previously he rarely stayed at home and hadn't noticed it. But now that Xianglan was his beloved concubine, Song Ke could go wherever it was coolest and stay there.
He had purposely carried his wine cup over to Song Ke's table to toast him, congratulating him on "a harmonious union for a hundred years and the blessed birth of a noble son" with a specific implication, warning Song Ke to behave himself. He had also smiled at Song Ke and said, "In a few days, after choosing an auspicious date, this brother plans to host a grand banquet to invite guests and celebrate properly when I elevate Xianglan to the status of a concubine. At that time, I ask that you honor us with your presence, brother, and make sure to come drink a cup of wedding wine with me." Upon hearing these words, Song Ke's hand holding the wine cup had frozen. After a long while, he suddenly smiled, drained the wine in his cup in a single gulp, and made as if to pat Lin Jinlou's shoulder, hesitating before finally bringing his hand down. He said to Lin Jinlou, "Brother truly has wonderful fortune. Please excuse me, I need to step out to relieve my wine." With that, he left him standing there alone, turned around, and walked out.
Lin Jinlou only sneered as he watched Song Ke's retreating back.
Before long, someone else came over to toast Lin Jinlou. Lin Jinlou smiled and exchanged pleasantries, and after chatting and drinking with who knows how many people for goodness knows how long, he saw Dai Rong stealthily slip in through the doorway, walk up to Lin Jinlou, and whisper a few words. Lin Jinlou's expression instantly changed, but a moment later he smoothed out his brows and eyes, putting on a smiling face as he said to the company around him, "I have a small matter to attend to; please forgive me for a moment. When I return later, I shall certainly punish myself with three cups." With that, he rose and left the banquet. Walking outside, his face instantly turned cold and grim. With one hand, he grabbed the lapels of Dai Rong's tunic and asked in a low voice, "Is what you said true?"
Seeing Lin Jinlou's face ashen and dark with murderous energy surging in his eyes, Dai Rong felt his legs go weak with terror. Pressing down on Lin Jinlou's hand, he managed a forced smile and said, "It's true, truly true! Even if I had the courage of a bear and the gallbladder of a leopard, I wouldn't dare lie to General Lin." In his heart, however, he was cursing violently, deeply regretting that he had come to pass along Zhao Yuechan's message.
Lin Jinlou hoisted Dai Rong up a bit higher and sneered, "Good, very good." With that, he drove a fist straight into Dai Rong's face. Immediately, two streams of blood gushed down the bridge of his nose, causing stars to burst before Dai Rong's eyes in shock. Just as he was about to cry out, Lin Jinlou lifted him up again and said ominously, "If you dare breathe a single word of nonsense to the outside world, I'll carve out your tongue with a blade. Don't believe me? Go ahead and try."
Dai Rong cursed his bitter fate inwardly and nodded repeatedly. Lin Jinlou loosened his grip, and the moment his feet touched the ground, Dai Rong's knees buckled as if he were about to kowtow to Lin Jinlou. Lin Jinlou gave him a kick and barked, "You worthless bastard, why aren't you getting up and leading the way!"
Clutching his nose, Dai Rong cursed his bad luck inside. Lin Jinlou was widely known as "Tyrant Lin" and the "Living Bandit"—he had long since heard of this man's reputation and monikers. Why on earth had he let himself be blinded by greed, listening to the instigation of that little vixen Zhao Yuechan while holding onto a desire to watch the spectacle, only to run afoul of this terrifying figure? He had no choice but to hurriedly plug his nose with a cloth kerchief and, wearing a bitterly wretched expression, guide Lin Jinlou forward.
Meanwhile, over in the Lu family's garden, by the carved stone wall, Xianglan heard Song Ke's words as if a thunderclap had exploded beside her ear. She couldn't help taking a step back; she wanted to hold back, but somehow, tears came rolling down in a string.
Song Ke felt his heart ache with a trembling pain. Taking another step forward, his tears falling in a rush, he trembled his lips and said, "You... you recognized me long ago, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me sooner... If I had known, if I had known from the beginning, how... how could I have abandoned you and entered into a marriage alliance with the Zheng family?" Every single word he spoke felt as though a fire was burning inside his chest, threatening to burn him entirely to ashes.
On the day he overheard Junxi casually mentioning it during gossip, he had felt his innards turn to cinders. Striking the table with a fist, his knuckles covered in fresh blood, he had stood up intending to dash right out. Song Tanchai had been terrified, lunging forward to grab his arm and crying, "Brother, where are you going?" He had only stared blankly and said, "To find Xianglan..." Shocked, Song Tanchai had hurriedly craned her neck to look around, lowering her voice to say, "What nonsense is older brother uttering? If sister-in-law hears this, that would be disastrous! This place is miles away from Jinling; how could older brother go? Besides, Xianglan... is already Lin Jinlou's concubine. What use would it be for older brother to go?" Those words had hit him like a basin of ice-cold water poured straight over his head, soaking him to the bone. That was right—matters had reached this point, what use indeed? He had slumped back down into his seat in a daze. At that moment, Zheng Jingxian had walked into the room supporting her pregnant belly, looking quite startled as she hurriedly asked, "Whatever is the matter with him? Is he feeling unwell? Why is he weeping for no reason?"
Ah, so he had been crying after all. Song Ke had stared blankly at a pot of orchids resting on the windowsill, hearing Song Tanchai cover for him: "It's nothing; older brother was just thinking of our father's early death and felt distressed in his heart."
Right now, Xianglan was standing right before him, flesh and blood, not some phantom from a midnight dream. There were tears hanging on her face—why was she crying? Back when she was exiled thousands of miles, she hadn't shed a single tear along the road, always showing him a smiling face. The visage before him and the face from his past merged into one, and he couldn't help reaching out a hand, wanting to grab Xianglan's arm as if afraid she might vanish on the spot.
Yet Xianglan snapped out of her trance, taking two steps backward. Pulling out her handkerchief, she hurriedly wiped her face, steadying her voice as much as possible, and said, "The Hanlin Academician must have mistaken me for someone else. What past lives and present lives? The Academician must have had too much to drink and lost his wits." With that, she turned around and made to leave in a hurry.
As if he hadn't heard her, Song Ke muttered, "In my past life, I lived a cowardly and useless life. In the end, along the journey, I couldn't even protect you and died early. Coming back in this lifetime feels just like waking from an absurd dream. That's right, ever since I was a child, I harbored a fierce determination. Since my grand ambitions died with me unfulfilled in my past life, I vowed that in this lifetime I must stand out and make something of myself—especially since I still had an aging mother and a younger sister to look after. I am shameless; for the sake of my future, I married the Zheng family's daughter. How much helplessness I felt inside! I have tasted the bitter sweetness of the fickleness of the world across two lifetimes. We choose our paths ourselves; I gritted my teeth and separated from you because I knew your disposition. I loved you so much that I wanted you to live the free and comfortable life you desired. I had already failed you, and all I wanted was for you to be joyful every single day... but you, how on earth did you end up becoming Lin Jinlou's concubine? That man is promiscuous by nature, overbearing and arrogant, with five or six favorites in the capital alone. You... how much grievance must you suffer..."
Xianglan stopped in her tracks, her tears pattering down in a torrent. How long had it been? Aside from her mother, everyone else thought that following Lin Jinlou was like burning high incense in past generations, destined to enjoy boundless blessings. Yet Song Ke actually understood the bitterness hidden in her heart. Not daring to sob heavily for fear of letting Song Ke notice, she quietly wiped her tears away with her handkerchief.
Song Ke stepped forward to block Xianglan's path, saying to her, "Xianglan, if you were living well, then so be it, but the vital spirit in your eyes cannot deceive anyone. You are not happy being with Lin Jinlou. If you trust me, I will help you break free from him and settle you far away... I harbor no excessive expectations regarding you; I only wish to do something, hoping that you can be well. I am speaking these words with complete and utter sincerity..."
Looking at Song Ke's handsome face, which carried an expression of profound agony, Xianglan felt her heart flutter for a split second. If someone could truly give her a helping hand, it would be like a ray of dawn in the pitch-black night—nothing could be better. But immediately afterward, she remembered Lin Jinlou's cold and violent gaze, and she instantly sobered up. Song Ke had never experienced Lin Jinlou's methods, but she understood them all too well. Right now, Song Ke had a wife, a child, and an untroubled official career; she could not, for her own sake, drag Song Ke down into the mire. The Lin family's influence was too powerful, and Song Ke was far too weak. If she angered Zheng Jingxian and caused a fire in Song Ke's backyard, stirring up further turmoil, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life. Besides, after hearing Song Ke's declaration of love just now, out of regard for his deep feelings toward her, she could never commit such a sordid act.
Taking another two steps back, Xianglan's expression had already grown calm. In a flat tone, she said, "Academician Song, you are truly drunk. Please return."
Song Ke looked at Xianglan's eyes, swollen like peaches, and her reddened nose tip. Seeing her cold and detached expression, he instantly knew she was feigning unfamiliarity, and a wave of grief struck him even more violently. He lowered his head with difficulty, a few drops of tears falling into the soil beside his feet.
"Academician Song." Hearing Xianglan call out to him, Song Ke immediately raised his head. He saw Xianglan lowering her eyelids, gazing at a stone not far away, as she quietly said, "I am living quite well now. As for days, step by step, before you know it, they simply pass by. I am merely a humble woman, ordinary and plain, with no grand ambitions. Aside from knowing how to paint a few pictures, I am completely devoid of special talents and have nothing worth praising. I cannot compare to a great man like you, full of scholarly learning and the ability to pacify the state and steady the dynasty. You and I merely had the affinity to cross paths for a moment, and now that our affinity is spent, I am not worthy of your remembrance for so long. I wish you rising success in your career hereafter, and that you may fully display your talents." With those words, she respectfully smoothed her skirt, curtsied deeply, and offered a graceful blessing.
Song Ke stood in a daze, looking at Xianglan's tear-reddened eyes and cold demeanor. Thousands of words surged within his chest, yet not a single one could pass his lips.
At that exact moment, a voice sounded from behind them: "What a coincidence to actually run into you here."