Against the Current - Chapter 267

Chapter 267 - Five Maidens (Part 1)

Chunling said, "Nothing of the sort. They're just a bunch of long-tongued gossips chewing on maggots, utterly obnoxious! Am I wrong for saying they only care about playing around instead of doing their work?"

"No one is saying you're wrong..."

"That's precisely why I'm annoyed! I got dragged into all this idle chatter for no good reason!"

Chunling had always been a prickly character who refused to give ground. Xianglan felt a throbbing pain in her temples. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I was the one who told them to rest today. Even if there was a fault, I should be the one to bear it."

Chunling snapped back, "I didn't say the Madam was wrong to let them rest. But what part of what I said was incorrect? Why should they gang up and bully me? Or does this mean that in the future, if I see them doing something wrong, I can't even speak up and must just play the fool? Fine, I suppose I was just meddling!"

Xianglan stared quietly at Chunling for a moment, then said calmly, "I understand what you mean. However, since we all live under the same roof, we should learn to accommodate one another. Xiaojuan shares a fair bit of fondness with you, and today happens to be her birthday. No matter how great her faults might have been, you should have considered that relationship, pulled her aside somewhere private to talk, and avoided arguing with her face-to-face like that."

Chunling sneered, "Affection is a completely separate matter. Just because we have a bond doesn't mean her mistakes can't be pointed out. This estate isn't filled with her parents—not everyone is going to spoil her rotten!"

Patience wearing thin, Xianglan reasoned, "If we can't even make a concession for the people we live and work with day in and day out, wouldn't the household descend into endless squabbling every single day? As the saying goes, 'Gold cannot be pure, and man cannot be perfect.' If you spend every day staring at other people's flaws, how can we possibly live in peace?"

Chunling grew even more agitated, letting out a cold laugh. "So the Concubine means to say that I was in the wrong? That this whole affair was my fault? That I was just picking a fight, is that it?"

Seeing Chunling's aggressive posture, Xianglan realized it was impossible to reason with her. She lowered her gaze, cradling the half-cup of lukewarm tea in her hands, and said, "I understand your intentions. I know you meant well, so let's drop the matter. You may return to your quarters."

Chunling was momentarily taken aback. In the past, whenever she had disputes with the other maids, Xianglan had always taken her side. She hadn't expected such a lukewarm response today. Still harboring a grievance, she wanted to argue a bit more, but seeing Xianglan's expression, her heart sank. She possessed a certain degree of cleverness and realized the topic could not be pushed any further. With that, she got up and left.

Meanwhile, Huashan was lurking behind the multi-treasure cabinet, peeking out. Seeing Chunling leave, she scurried over to Xiaojuan and gave a blow-by-blow account of what she had eavesdropped on inside. "Chunling just doesn't know what's good for her!" Huashan complained. "Does she think that because she saved the Madam once, she's owed a debt of gratitude? Coupled with the fact that the Madam has a gentle temper, and who knows what kind of shady dealings she has going on with the First Madam on the side, she bosses everyone around all day long. She's genuinely repulsive!" Then, looking somewhat anxious, she added, "If she really is a spy for the First Madam, wouldn't you be courting disaster by locking horns with her like this? Besides, the Madam did say you shouldn't fight anymore..."

Xiaojuan bit into a piece of cloud-cake, chewed, and said, "Back when Sister Xianglan first returned to the estate and was utterly disheartened, everything was managed by Chunling. Chunling could make decisions on the Madam's behalf for everything. The Madam has a kind nature, so sometimes when she heard Chunling mocking her, she'd just smile it off. Before the Madam had the authority to raise her rank, she showered her with rewards—all told, she must have given her anywhere from fifty to eighty taels, not to mention clothes and jewelry. Whenever the Madam cut new fabric for clothes, if Chunling took a fancy to a piece and asked for it, the Madam would use her own silver without a second thought to have it made for her. That puffed up her ego and appetite until she became entirely unmanageable. She has a hot temper, loves to argue and stir up trouble with people, and even if she's just slightly slighted by a single word, she'll go out of her way to get back at them. She has no filter on her mouth. You weren't here yet back then, but that whole business with Yinliu happened purely because Chunling wanted to run her mouth for a moment of satisfaction, which brought disaster upon the Madam. Later on, she actually tried to climb over the Madam's head. Heh, the Madam originally intended to promote her rank the moment we arrived in the capital, but she refused to walk the proper path, and that stroke of luck fell to me instead."

Huashan said, "Actually, Sister Chunling just has a knife-like tongue, but her heart isn't bad..."

Xiaojuan retorted, "It's precisely this temperament and personality that rubs people the wrong way. Back in Zhichun Lodge, apart from Shuran and Lianxin, whom she didn't dare provoke, who else did she ever look down upon? This time when she came back, she didn't touch a single important chore; whether she's in the room or not makes zero difference. Yet she remains completely oblivious, stubbornly locking horns with the Concubine as if the Madam couldn't survive without her. How could the Madam possibly feel happy about that? No amount of past kindness can withstand being worn down like this. The Concubine couldn't bring herself to say anything, so I'll say it. I'm certainly not afraid of offending her!" With that, she picked up a plate of fresh fruit, carried it into the bedroom, and chatted idly with Xianglan for a moment before adding, "The Madam is far too soft-hearted. Someone like Chunling deserves a severe reprimand to knock her down a peg so she remembers her place."

Xianglan smiled and shook her head, pushing the plate in front of her toward Xiaojuan's hand. "With a temperament like hers, a reprimand would only breed deeper resentment and make things worse. Some matters can't be resolved simply by putting on a stern face and raising your voice; if it were really that simple, life would be easy." With a wistful sigh in her heart, she thought: Xiaojuan and Chunling are the ones who went through thick and thin with me from the very beginning; our bond is extraordinary. I understand Chunling's desperate drive to climb higher, but her temper is like burning charcoal, and she loves to pick fights and split hairs. Right now, my position in the estate looks glamorous on the surface, but it's actually perilous. The people I place in important positions represent my face when they step outside. If she messes up her conduct, things become even harder for me. I might as well keep giving her generous rewards and observe her a bit longer, even if she ends up resenting me for it.

Xiaojuan said, "We understand your concerns, Madam. Chunling doesn't just stir up trouble; she loves spreading malicious gossip. If she's incorrigible, why not just chase her out? Does the Madam really lack people to use? Lingqing has a sharp eye and nimble hands, Lingshu is steadfast, and although Xueying tends to sway with the wind, she's great with numbers and accounts. Why tolerate her arrogance?"

Xianglan replied, "She did save my life after all, and I keep all those favors in my heart. If I completely disregard our past ties, it would make people's hearts grow cold, and that was never my intention. I have my own discretion in this matter. In the future, you should keep your distance from her too; if things really turn nasty, it won't look good on anyone."

Xiaojuan acknowledged the instruction. When she went back and recounted the incident to Huashan, Xiaofang happened to be there as well. Having witnessed the entire cause and effect, Xiaofang took the story back and repeated it as a joke to Lin Dongxiu, Mother Han, and Nurse Xia.

Mother Han remarked, "That girl Chunling always liked to push to the front and grab the spotlight back when she was in the First Madam's quarters. Who would have thought she'd become even more brazen now?"

Lin Dongxiu sneered, "Xianglan used to have some backbone, but in recent years she's grown far too soft. If it were up to me, I'd have a round of heavy disciplinary beatings handed down, and whether it's Chunling or Qiuling, I'd make every last one of them know the meaning of fear."

Nurse Xia glanced at Lin Dongxiu, shook her head slightly, and upon returning to her own maid Fangfei, commented, "Trading verbal insults is hardly the way to manage people. Fourth Miss Lin still needs seasoning. That concubine named Xianglan actually seems to know how to handle herself in the world, though her temperament is still a bit too soft—hard to tell if she's genuinely kind or just putting on an act."

That afternoon, after waking from her nap, Xianglan instructed Lingqing to grind ink and cut paper, weighed down the crystal beast-head paperweight, and propped open the window. Facing the rustling emerald bamboo outside, she painted a piece titled "Inky Bamboo," mimicking the brushwork of the previous dynasty's Plum Blossom Daoist. In the blank space, she inscribed the date and added the line, "Painted in Changchun Hall to while away the summer." She held out her hand to Lingqing, who promptly pressed a small orchid-carved seal into the vermilion paste and handed it to Xianglan. At that moment, the sound of laughter drifted in from outside. Xianglan laid the seal aside and looked out the window to see Jiang Danyun and Lin Dongxiu walking in hand-in-hand, with Jiang Xiyun trailing slowly behind at the end.

Xianglan frowned slightly. As she washed her hands, she instructed Lingqing, "Quickly have them steep tea and set out fruit; the young misses are here." Just as she finished wiping her hands with a towel, she heard Chunling announce from outside, "The Fourth Miss and the two young cousin-misses have arrived."

Xianglan stepped out from the partition. The three visitors had already entered. Leading the way, Lin Dongxiu laughed, "The three of us were wandering around aimlessly and somehow ended up drifting over here. It's the middle of summer—you simply must reward us with a bowl of tea."

Xianglan hurriedly offered them tea and seats, smiling, "Don't say a bowl; a few bowls are no trouble at all. I have some cooling herbal tea here as well; would the misses care for a bowl?"

Once the three were seated, Lin Dongxiu asked, "Is the Eldest Brother not home?"

Xianglan answered, "He's busy from morning till night. He went out right after breakfast, saying there was troop training at the western outskirts of the capital, and the Emperor sent him to oversee it."

While the two of them conversed, Danyun and Xiyun calmly looked around and sized up the room. Jiang Danyun surveyed the surroundings and noted that Changchun Hall was considerably larger than any other room in the Lin residence—spacious and bright, featuring partition doors, bamboo-patterned wainscoting, and lattice windows. The main hall was furnished uniformly with pearwood tables, chairs, and stands, draped with five-colored auspicious flower chair-covers and cushions. Because it was summer, the cushions were layered with a fine phoenix-tail reed mat. In the very center stood a long long-table, above which hung a horizontal plaque inscribed with the characters "Displaying Brilliant Virtue." However, instead of calligraphy or paintings hanging beneath it, the wall displayed a massive composite bow paired with a quiver of feathered arrows, while swords, long sabers, and other weaponry rested on a rack upon the table, exuding the martial spirit of the master of the house. Both sides of the main hall featured curtains and screens leading to side chambers, while the innermost northern alcove served as the bedchamber, veiled behind fine beaded curtains and separated by a screen, obscuring the interior from view.

Jiang Danyun was secretly startled; the furnishings in Lin Jinlou's quarters were even grander than the ancestral home of her own family. Last night, she had overheard two old women of the Lin family whispering that the Lin residence in the capital was merely the dwelling Lin Changzheng had occupied while serving as an official in Beijing, falling far short of the old estate in Jinling. Taking it all in, Jiang Danyun felt her ambitions burn all the more fiercely.

Jiang Xiyun kept her eyes fixed on Xianglan, observing that she wore a top-knot secured with three jade hairpins, dressed in a true-crimson cherry jacket and an onion-yellow interwoven skirt. She looked two parts more charming and dainty than when they last met. Her face was completely free of cosmetics, featuring long eyebrows, bright eyes, snow-white skin, and red lips—ethereal and light, like a luminous pearl or flawless piece of jade. Jiang Xiyun looked her up and down a few times, silently withdrew her gaze, and said with a smile, "What was Sister Xianglan working on just now? Did we interrupt you by coming over?"

Hearing herself addressed as "Sister," Xianglan silently noted that Jiang Xiyun truly possessed sweet and polished speech. She simply smiled and replied, "I was just idling away some time. You couldn't have come at a better moment."

At that moment, Chunling came out to serve tea. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "The Concubine was just painting a picture."

Curious, Jiang Danyun asked, "What kind of painting? May we take a look?"

Before Xianglan could decline, Lin Dongxiu had already stood up, saying, "Xianglan has a wonderful hand at painting. Let's go see what she just drew." With that, she led the group back toward the study in the eastern side-chamber.