Against the Current - Chapter 247

Chapter 247 - Encountering an Old Acquaintance (Part 7)

Xianglan hastily turned around and saw Lin Jinlou walking out from the dense shade of the trees and floral shadows nearby. His expression was arrogant, and though a smile hung on his face, his eyes were exceptionally cold and chilling.

Xianglan froze, feeling the blood in her entire body turn ice-cold in an instant. Just at that moment, the sound of footsteps came from the other side as Zheng Jingxian strode over. Her face was dark and ashen with anger, glaring fiercely at Xianglan. Because she had walked too quickly, she was panting heavily, a thin layer of sweat slicking the tip of her nose. Walking straight up to Song Ke, she raised her voice and demanded, "What are you doing here?" Seeing that Song Ke remained silent, she raised her voice even higher and said, "I have a headache, caused by those shameless, brazen vixen-hussies." Casting a supremely disdainful glance at Xianglan, she said to Song Ke, "Let's go home."

Song Ke looked at Zheng Jingxian, yet stood stock-still without making a sound. Fearing that Lin Jinlou might make things difficult for Xianglan, he cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Lady Xianglan and I only happened to cross paths just now. It was I who intruded into the garden and acted presumptuously; Brother Lin must not blame her for it. Song offers his apologies here."

Lin Jinlou raised a brow slightly, his smile blooming warmly as he walked straight over to Xianglan's side and took hold of her hand.

Xianglan trembled all over.

Lin Jinlou lowered his head, kneading Xianglan's small hand within his palm. Lifting his gaze to look at Xianglan's face, he suddenly flashed a smile, his expression turning astonishingly gentle and affectionate as he said, "Your hands are so cold, hmm? Have you been standing out in the drafty wind for too long? Did you take your medicine? This lord was just saying a moment ago that I would go check on you, but I didn't expect you to wander out on your own."

Xianglan was momentarily stunned. Catching a look at Lin Jinlou's face, she saw faint veins bulging on his forehead, and she knew that beneath his seemingly mild and elegant exterior, he was actually pushed to the brink of fury. Her heart sank. Knowing Lin Jinlou's temperament, she dreaded that he would throw a fit and cause an uncontrollable scene, so she obediently lowered her head and said with a trembling voice, "They are indeed a bit cold. I should have added another layer of clothing." As she spoke, she turned her hand to clasp Lin Jinlou's hand, whispering softly, "Please warm my hands for me, Big Brother."

Lin Jinlou was taken aback. Even when they were alone in private, Xianglan had never shown him such affection. Lin Jinlou chuckled, pulling Xianglan gently into his arms, and said with an intimate smile, "Being this obedient, I shall reward you handsomely later."

Xianglan smiled faintly, half-turning her face away under the pretense of adjusting a pearl hairpin at her temple, while quietly wiping away a tear at the corner of her eye. Taking this in, Lin Jinlou kept an affectionate smile plastered across his face as he lowered his head, gritting his teeth to mutter in a low snarl, "You dare shed another tear and see what happens."

Xianglan closed her eyes for a split second, her face blooming with a radiant smile as she said to Lin Jinlou, "I ate too much wine at the banquet earlier, and now my head is spinning. I'd like to go back."

Lin Jinlou swept his gaze over and saw Song Ke's pale complexion, a surge of satisfaction bubbling up in his heart. Gathering Xianglan in his embrace, he said, "In that case, let's head back." With that, he turned to leave.

Zheng Jingxian suddenly raised her voice in a shrill, cold sneer, "Shameless!"

Lin Jinlou's stride paused. Turning around to fix his gaze on Zheng Jingxian, he demanded, "Who are you cursing?"

Meeting Lin Jinlou's overbearing gaze, Zheng Jingxian straightened her back, pointed her chin toward Xianglan, and said arrogantly, "I'm talking about her. What can you do about it?"

Lin Jinlou let out a sharp bark of laughter, released Xianglan, and stepped forward, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Well, well. Cousin-in-law, it has been a while, but your courage has certainly grown plump—to dare speak of someone in my household."

Sensing trouble, Song Ke stepped forward to block Zheng Jingxian, saying, "She drank too much wine and offended Lady Xianglan. I will offer an apology on her behalf."

Song Ke's actions only served to fan the flames raging inside Zheng Jingxian's heart. Who was she? She was the legitimate, cherished daughter of the Grand Duke of Manifest Virtue, showered with boundless affection since childhood, frequently receiving bestowed favors from the empress dowager and imperial consorts in the palace. Which of the matrons and young misses in the capital did not give her three points of face, praising her as a "hero among women"? Who had ever dared give her a cold look, and whose idle grievances had she ever had to swallow? Chen Xianglan was merely a lowly bondservant maid, yet she had dared to openly seduce her husband in broad daylight, and her husband was even shielding that fox-spirit of a woman—how could she possibly swallow this breath? Everyone said the Lin family wielded immense power, and that when Lin Jinlou stamped his foot, the entire region of Jinling would tremble three times over, but she simply refused to believe in such tyranny.

Zheng Jingxian shoved Song Ke aside, stepped forward, hoisted her chin high, and said with a mocking smile, "Anyone with eyes can see that your concubine is fickle and devoid of feminine virtue, going about seducing other men. Cousin, you haven't made much progress over the years. It was one thing for you to consort with powder-faced courtesans in the past, but now you've actually brought such trash into your household—she's even worse than those harlots outside! Aren't you afraid of dragging down your family's reputation?"

Xianglan widened her eyes. Zheng Jingxian spoke so aggressively and mercilessly; this was the first time she had ever heard of anyone daring to provoke Lin Jinlou in such a manner.

With a stern expression, Song Ke frowned and rebuked angrily, "What kind of nonsense are you babbling!"

Lin Jinlou had already turned to Song Ke with a smiling, amiable nod. "Yifei, your taste in wives really leaves much to be desired. Opening her mouth with 'courtesan' and closing it with 'harlot'—even with her background as a young lady of a prominent family, I find it quite refreshing to hear."

Song Ke glanced at Xianglan, only to see her standing quietly off to the side with her head bowed, remaining completely silent. Gritting his teeth, he bowed deeply to Lin Jinlou until his back was parallel to the ground and said, "It is my wife who speaks without restraint. I offer my apologies on her behalf."

Zheng Jingxian puffed up with anger, just about to open her mouth when Song Ke suddenly whipped his head around and snapped fiercely, "Have you had enough yet!"

Startled, Zheng Jingxian flinched. Song Ke had always been gentle and had never spoken to her in such a harsh tone. Looking at Song Ke's ashen face, she had no choice but to swallow her grievance. Her eyes, however, were already pooling with tears, and the moment they threatened to spill over, she turned her face away so no one could see.

Staring fixedly at Zheng Jingxian, Lin Jinlou said coldly, "Watch your mouth. Don't think that just because you come from the Grand Duke's Estate everyone must hold you in awe. The next time you show disrespect to me, I'll personally help you rinse your mouth out."

Having regained his refined and elegant demeanor, Song Ke walked over to Lin Jinlou's side, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, "Alright, Brother Lin. My wife lost her wits just now and uttered some foolish words; I apologize for her and will host a banquet at our estate later to offer a formal apology." With that, he stopped looking at Xianglan altogether, grabbed Zheng Jingxian, and left.

As the two of them rounded a rockery, Song Ke slowed his pace and released her hand. Zheng Jingxian asked with lingering resentment, "What were you doing just now, staying alone in the garden with that little harlot, defending her every step of the way and acting so subservient? Where was an ounce of backbone in that? Fine, you're capable now, and in the end all you know how to do is scold me..." Feeling aggrieved, tears rolled down her face in a continuous stream.

Song Ke only replied coldly, "You put on quite a grand display of prestige today. I don't know where you caught wind of it, but you came rushing in aggressively like a wife catching adulterers in the act? Did you spot even a shred of impropriety? Count on your fingers and ask yourself: which time is this that you've caused me to lose face in public?"

Upon hearing these words, Zheng Jingxian's fury froze over, leaving her utterly speechless. She then heard Song Ke continue, "I told you long ago: you are my wife, and naturally I will respect you as an equal guest. But what would happen if you ever overstepped my boundaries again? Is your memory so poor that you need me to remind you?" With that, he glanced at Zheng Jingxian, pressed his lips into a thin line, and walked away by himself.

Zheng Jingxian stood there holding back her tears. She had loved Song Ke since she was a girl. Later, when Song Ke fell on hard times, she had completely disregarded her own reputation to marry him and help him turn his fortunes around. After their marriage, Song Ke had indeed treated her with the utmost respect, but she still felt it wasn't enough. She wasn't skilled in managing a household, and her needlework was mediocre; her only strength lay in being able to assist Song Ke in his official career. Since Song Ke was single-mindedly driven to succeed, she had racked her brains, nagging and pleading with her father every possible way to carve out a path to advancement for him. She toiled and schemed to the bone for Song Ke's sake, even discussing with her father to pave a path for Song Tanchai to enter the palace through selection, believing that from then on Song Tanchai would be blessed by heaven while Song Ke could climb even higher. Song Tanchai had ultimately agreed after their repeated persuasion, but who could have foreseen that upon learning of it, Song Ke would fly into a furious rage, adamantly refusing to allow his sister to enter the palace. Yet her father must have used some method to ensure Song Tanchai's virtuous reputation reached the inner court, leading the Emperor to personally select her to enter the palace as a noble lady. Seeing her thoroughly pleased the Emperor, which brought grace upon Song Ke, the Emperor specifically commanded him to participate in compiling and editing books, and further permitted him to enter the Grand Secretariat as an assistant. She had been beaming with joy, yet ever since then, Song Ke had treated her with increasing coldness, maintaining only a superficial respect while often sleeping in his study at night, merely putting on a facade of an affectionate couple when they were out in public.

Zheng Jingxian harbored a mountain of bitterness in her heart, yet she refused to reveal even a single fraction of it. Straightening her neck to stubbornly hold on, she could no longer suppress it, covering her face with her handkerchief and weeping fiercely. We will leave her aside for now.

To return to the matter at hand: once Song Ke departed, Zhao Yuechan could no longer sit still. She had specifically commanded Dai Rong and Qiongzi to summon Lin Jinlou and Zheng Jingxian, simply to stir up chaos and spread scandal so she could vent the hatred burning in her heart. Hiding behind the stone wall, she hadn't been able to hear clearly what Song Ke and Xianglan had been whispering about, but she had heard Zheng Jingxian's quarrel and shouting earlier crystal clear. She had anticipated a major spectacle, but never imagined it would end so peacefully and anticlimactically.

Instead, she heard Lin Jinlou say in an exceptionally harsh tone to Xianglan, "Why are you still standing there in a daze? Why aren't you heading back with this lord? You are not permitted to return to the banquet; go to the Pavilion of Dripping Emerald right now and I'll settle accounts with you later." Suppressing his anger, Lin Jinlou first dismissed Xianglan in a few terse words, but followed a few paces behind her from a distance, refusing to relax until he saw Xianglan step inside the Pavilion of Dripping Emerald. Muttering a curse under his breath, he thought, "A troublesome wretch, all she knows day in and day out is stirring up trouble for this lord."

Taking it all in, Zhao Yuechan felt her jealousy burn even brighter. Unable to stop herself from stepping out from behind the stone wall, she wore a deeply seductive smile, batted her alluring eyes, and covered her mouth with a folding fan as she chimed in, "I heard quite a lively commotion out here just now. Oh my, why has the grand theatrical performance dispersed before the gongs even finished sounding?"

She fixed her gaze firmly on Lin Jinlou. This man possessed both wealth and power while still in his youth, looking even more heroic and vigorous than before—this man was originally supposed to be her husband! A myriad of turbulent emotions flooded Zhao Yuechan's heart. Hatred, jealousy, and regret drove her to the verge of madness, making her want to tear Lin Jinlou violently into pieces. With a mocking smile, she sneered, "Tsk tsk tsk, it's just a pity that General Lin arrived a little too late and missed the wonderful show of talented scholars and beautiful maidens having a secret tryst in the garden. That look of mutual affection between them was even better staged than anything played out on a theater stage."

Catching sight of Zhao Yuechan and recalling the message Dai Rong had just passed along to him, Lin Jinlou instantly put the pieces together. Hearing her sarcastic remarks, he merely scoffed dismissively, ignored her entirely, and slowly walked forward. Abruptly, he halted his steps, standing directly behind Zhao Yuechan. Lowering his head to stare at her white, slender neck, he murmured in a low voice, "Pull back your wandering thoughts and go back to carefully ponder how you're going to serve that old man. Xianglan is my person this lifetime and forever; even if she were the Monkey King, she could never escape the palm of this lord's hand. However, that old man's lifespan might not be all that long. You'd better be careful—when he kicks his legs and closes his eyes for good, you won't even have a patch of ground to stand on by the end of it."

Gazing at Zhao Yuechan's pale face with a look of utter scorn, he strode away grandly toward the front.