Against the Current - Chapter 286

Chapter 286 - Medicine (Part 3)

Madam Jiang flew into a rage, pointing straight at Jiang Xiyun and saying in a stern voice, "The day you marry into the Lin family, you will be the mistress of the household. No matter how favored a concubine might be, she must stand quietly before you, properly keeping her place and listening to your reprimands with obedience! Granting her a good life—that is your act of mercy! Look at how prominent Chen Xianglan is now, winning the hearts of everyone high and low and earning their protection; if you cannot bend her to your will, how will you manage the household and take charge of domestic affairs? What a soft-hearted, spineless thing you are! If she were to catch wind of even a single word or half a sentence in the future—knowing that her barrenness was partly brought about by your behind-the-scenes instigation—do you think she would still continue to act like a living bodhisattva toward you?"

Jiang Xiyun could not help shivering.

Madam Jiang coughed heavily a few times, her breath growing uneven. Jiang Xiyun hurriedly stepped forward to stroke her chest and smooth her breath, but Madam Jiang swatted her hand away, saying in disappointment, "You have been clever since childhood, most skilled at weighing pros and cons, currying favor, advancing by retreating, and moving step by step with calculation. Among all the girls in our family, your mind was at the very top. Yet here you are, hesitating and looking backward, shrinking in fear even when people walk all over you—where is there an ounce of backbone in that? How is this anyone I ever trained and raised? You've completely wasted my painstaking efforts!" With that, she broke into a violent fit of coughing once more.

Jiang Xiyun hastily retrieved a small porcelain bottle from the head of the bed, poured a single pill from it, and popped it into Madam Jiang's mouth. After holding it on her tongue for a moment, Madam Jiang let out a groan and finally calmed down.

Jiang Xiyun knelt on the floor with tears in her eyes, clutching Madam Jiang's hand as she said, "Grandmother, calm your anger. Your granddaughter knows she was wrong!" Questioning her own conscience, she knew she had done nothing wrong; it was merely self-defense. Yet the aftermath of this whole affair had stripped her heart of its former serene and carefree ease. She feared that from this day forward, she would be dragged into endless scheming and infighting within the inner chambers, making her utterly weary of it all for no reason.

Madam Jiang stroked Jiang Xiyun's head, remaining silent for a long time before saying, "Good child, get up. Your nature is pure and honest, and you are clever to boot—your future blessings will be immense."

Jiang Xiyun's face turned red as she twisted her fingers together and asked, "Does Grandmother truly not blame me for scheming in such a manner?"

Leaning back against the brocade pillow at the head of the kang, Madam Jiang let out a long breath. With her eyes half-closed, she said indifferently, "Scheming? Do you call this scheming? There are plenty of filthy and foul things in this world, and I fear the Lin household is hardly clean either; otherwise, at Lin Jinlou's age, why is he still without a single child to his name?"

Exhausted and disheartened, Jiang Xiyun answered with a gloomy, dejected tone, "That is true. To the very end of one's days, I suppose one can never secure permanent peace. A woman's life is always full of bitterness... How much happier it was simply being an unmarried maiden."

A trace of a smile surfaced at the corner of Madam Jiang's mouth. "Permanent peace? Isn't what you just did precisely a means to secure permanent peace?"

Uncomprehending, Jiang Xiyun raised her head to look at Madam Jiang. "Since Lin Jinlou loves Chen Xianglan, let him lavish her with favor. In any case, she won't be able to squeeze out a child. Once a woman is married, offspring are the foundation of her security and standing. If you can hold your ground in the Lin family later, well and good; if you cannot, you can simply purchase another woman who understands romantic charm and excels in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and ensure that she is not allowed to bear children either, thereby splitting Chen Xianglan's favor. Since Chen Xianglan cannot bear children and will fear losing her favor, making her days difficult in the future, she will inevitably have to curry favor with you. That way, you will be able to manage all sides with ease."

After a long silence, Jiang Xiyun murmured, "Following Grandmother's logic, we haven't even removed the tiger yet, and we are already inviting in a wolf. This is truly using a knife to carve into one's own heart."

Madam Jiang sneered. "In a woman's life, which of us hasn't lived by enduring everything? Temporary forbearance is only for the sake of rising up later, securing a lifetime of peace, wealth, and joy."

Jiang Xiyun let out a soft, tiny sigh. Well, better the other person's misfortune than one's own; sometimes, one simply had to be ruthless toward others.

At that exact moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside. Jiang Xiyun hurried to her feet as Lusu came running in. Catching her breath after a few pants, Lusu reported, "Old Madam, the situation over at Changchun Hall has fallen into complete chaos! Word is that Chen Xianglan suddenly suffered acute stomach pains, and her lower garments have actually begun to show blood. The maidservants panicked and rushed off to call a physician."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang sat up straight, smoothed the hair at her temples, and said calmly, "Call the fourth girl here."

A moment later, Jiang Danyun arrived, her entire face flushed and stained with tears. Madam Jiang spoke in a severe tone, "Wretched creature! Get down on your knees!"

Jiang Xiyun gave a start, her legs turning weak as she dropped to her knees right alongside her. Madam Jiang said coldly, "I know everything you have done. Now that the matter has blown up, Chen Xianglan is suffering from violent lower abdominal pain and has already started bleeding."

It was as if a sudden bolt of lightning had crashed down upon Jiang Danyun's head. Drained of all color and utterly losing her wits, she stammered, "I... I..." Then, suddenly beginning to kowtow frantically, she cried out, "Grandmother, save me! Grandmother, save me!"

Madam Jiang's cloudy eyes suddenly blazed with sharp light as she said, "If we are to save you, it is not all that difficult."

Jiang Danyun snapped her head up and stared at her fixedly. She heard Madam Jiang pronounce each word with deliberate slowness: "Listen carefully to this: you know nothing whatsoever about the poisoning. We will simply say that that maid Chunling harbored disloyal intentions and deliberately poisoned her master to do her harm. Do you understand?"

Jiang Danyun's body listed heavily to one side, and she collapsed in a heap onto the floor.

A sudden gust of wind whipped up under the bright, clear midday sky, and in the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered densely overhead. Over at Changchun Hall, utter chaos reigned. Just a moment earlier, Xianglan had been talking with De'er when she suddenly felt a sharp, twisting agony wrenching at her lower abdomen. Just then, Shuran arrived in a hurry, leading her personal maid Chaolu. Seeing that Xianglan's face had turned the color of beaten gold, Shuran was utterly shocked and hastily sent people off to fetch a physician, intending to report the matter to Lin Jinlou upfront. Xianglan grabbed hold of Shuran's sleeve to hold her back. Enduring the pain, she whispered, "Big Brother is up front meeting with the eldest young master of the Jiang family—you know what matter they are discussing. If you rush over to summon him back just like this, the Jiang family will inevitably harbor resentment, making my days even harder hereafter. You would offend the Jiang family as well; why put yourself through that...?"

Looking at Xianglan's delicate and tender face, Shuran's heart was filled with pity. She was naturally a shrewd person who never allowed trouble to stick to her; had it been anyone else, she certainly would have refused to stick her neck out and would have at most reported it to Mistress Qin and left it at that. But remembering how kind and amiable Xianglan usually was, and seeing her present state, which was entirely distressing, Shuran gripped Xianglan's hand and said, "Yi Niang, rest assured! The Master will certainly step forward to seek justice for you!" With that, she rushed out to the front corridor, beckoned Guiyuan over, and instructed him, "Go bring the Master back immediately. Tell him—on my word—that Yi Niang has taken a terrible turn for the worse. She is dying! Dying!"

Guiyuan was given a start. Seeing Shuran's stern and solemn expression, he dared not ask any further questions and bolted away like a streak of smoke. Not long after, he returned to report, "The Master was deep in conversation with the eldest young master of the Jiang family, and they have already gone out together to visit some friends."

Hearing this, Shuran stamped her foot in exasperation. When she hurried back in to check on Xianglan, she found that the latter's face had already turned as white as snow, with beads of sweat the size of peas rolling down her forehead. For the very first time, Shuran felt completely at a loss. Little De'er crouched beside the edge of the bed, his round, chubby little black face etched with worry, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Xianglan's brow from time to time.

Steeling her heart, Shuran said to Xianglan, "Yi Niang, I have seen your good character with my own eyes all this time. I have something I must tell you, and this matter is of the utmost importance."

Perplexed, Xianglan saw Shuran glance toward De'er, and instantly understanding, she forced a smile to coax the boy: "Go play outside for a bit. I'm fine, just feeling a little tired and needing to rest for a while." She also signaled Xiaojuan with her eyes to lead him out. At first De'er refused, but in the end he went off, turning his head back every few steps.

De'er thought to himself, The maids said just now that Uncle Lin won't be able to come back, but Aunt Lan has fallen ill. I'd better go tell my dad and have him invite a good physician over. With that thought, he broke into a run toward Yuan Shaoren's quarters. When Yuan Shaoren heard De'er's fragmented account and gestures, he instantly realized that Xianglan had fallen gravely ill. He thought to himself, If Yingyang went out together with Jiang Shangxian, they must have gone to visit the Duke of Zhenguo. I recall Yingyang mentioning before that the Duke of Zhenguo is his former mentor and also enjoys a cordial relationship with the Jiang family; he probably went to ask him to act as a matchmaker. Thinking of this, he instructed the wet nurse to look after De'er and immediately set off for the Duke of Zhenguo's estate.

Lin Jinlou rode his horse at a gallop amid a swirl of dust, arriving at the gates where he dismounted in a single bound. Guiyuan hurriedly stepped forward to take the reins, while Lin Jinlou casually tossed his riding whip to Shuangxi. Catching it with both hands, Shuangxi broke into a trot right behind his master. With anxiety written across his face, Lin Jinlou asked, "She was perfectly fine when I left. What happened? Has a physician seen her?"

Bending slightly at the waist without daring to draw a full breath, Shuangxi weighed his words before replying, "Answering the Master, Physician Zhang just arrived and hasn't left yet. I hear that Elder Sister Shuran personally brewed the medicine earlier and served it to Yi Niang herself."

Cursing under his breath, Lin Jinlou yanked at his collar and strode rapidly into the inner chambers. Stepping into Changchun Hall, he found the place eerily quiet. Outside the doorway sat a small red-mud brazier, with the cattail fan still lying discarded on the ground, clearly showing that medicine had just been brewed there moments ago. Walking straight into the bedchamber, he saw Huashan and Shuran standing guard by the bedside. The two hastily stood up and bowed respectfully to the side.

The bed was draped with only a single layer of light, soft gauze curtains, through which the silhouette of someone lying inside could faintly be discerned. Lin Jinlou reached out and lifted the curtain. Xianglan's complexion was deathly pale, both cheeks touched with the flush of illness. Her appearance, far from its usual look, now carried an unmistakable air of haggard weariness as she lay quietly with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Feeling his mind go completely blank, Lin Jinlou reached out a finger to stroke Xianglan's cheek before dropping the bed curtains back down. He turned to Shuran and demanded, "What is going on here?"

Shuran spoke in a low voice, "She was perfectly fine until she took today's decoction of medicine, and then this disaster struck. Physician Zhang has just written a prescription, and Yi Niang has already taken her medicine; she is currently asleep."

Gritting his teeth, Lin Jinlou asked, "Where is Physician Zhang?"

Shuran replied, "He is in the eastern inner room reporting to the Mistress." Hesitating as if she had more to say, she glanced at Xianglan and finally clamped her mouth shut.

Turning on his heel, Lin Jinlou strode out into the inner room, where he found Madam Qin asking questions through a beaded partition. Seeing Lin Jinlou enter, Zhang Shiyou quickly stood up to bow and salute. Lin Jinlou said, "Sorry to trouble you, Elder Sir. May I ask how my concubine is doing? Is it serious?"

Clicking his tongue, Zhang Shiyou said, "General Lin, Yi Niang's ordeal this time was truly perilous. Your humble subordinate was just recounting this to your honorable mother. Please take a look, General." With that, he opened the cloth bundle resting on the table before him, which was filled entirely with medicinal dregs. Using a pair of silver chopsticks, Zhang Shiyou picked out four or five pitch-black little pills of varying sizes from the mix, and continued, "I hear that Yi Niang fell ill right after taking her medicine. Your subordinate carefully inspected the dregs and discovered undissolved pills mixed within. However, because they had been soaked in the broth, their exact medicinal properties could no longer be distinguished." He then unfolded a handkerchief lying on the table, which held yet another black pill, slightly larger than the ones picked out from the dregs. "Fortunately, the manor's maidservants searched the tearoom thoroughly just now and managed to unearth another pill from beneath a cabinet. In the common vernacular, this thing is known as 'Child-Destroying Pill'; it tastes sweet and sour and contains persimmon calyx, musk, nux vomica, and other such ingredients. It is frequently given by brothel madams to courtesans; once ingested, it causes lifelong barrenness." Having finished, he kept his head lowered, refusing to look at Lin Jinlou's expression. Being an expert in women's ailments who had spent years frequenting the households of nobles and aristocrats, he had naturally witnessed plenty of vicious and underhanded schemes. The moment he laid eyes on this pill, he understood the situation entirely. Having stated everything he knew, he prudently feigned deafness and dumbness.