Against the Current - Chapter 289

Chapter 289 - Reluctance (Part 3)

When Shuran arrived at Mengfang Courtyard, Jiang Danyun had already woken up. After taking a dose of calming medicine, she was currently reclining on the bed. Shuran stepped forward and said with a smile, "Miss Dan, Madam is chatting and laughing with everyone in the front, and only you are missing. She said she has something wonderful to give you, so please come along with me, Miss." Jiang Danyun was initially reluctant, but seeing Shuran say loudly, "Clueless wretch, why aren't you hurrying up to support your Miss Dan!" two matrons instantly swarmed out from either side and half-supported, half-dragged Jiang Danyun away.

Qingfen was terrified and hurriedly informed Jiang Shangxian. Hearing that his sister had been taken away by the Lin family while she was ill, Jiang Shangxian instantly flew into a rage, bolted off to give chase, but was intercepted halfway by Shuangxi and several footmen. With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Shuangxi said, "Elder Master Jiang, you cannot enter the inner quarters. However, our Master has given instructions—please follow this humble servant." With these words, he led Jiang Shangxian away. That will be left aside for the moment.

When Jiang Danyun arrived at Changchun Hall and caught sight of the array within the room, her heart plummeted abruptly, her lips turned pale, and her legs grew even weaker, rendering her nearly incapable of standing. Jiang Xiyun was sobbing softly; the moment she saw Jiang Danyun arrive, she immediately stood up, tears streaming down her face as she cried, "Fourth Sister, they are saying that you and I colluded to poison Eldest Brother-in-law's concubine! How—how is that possible!" With that, she rushed forward to clutch Jiang Danyun's hands, shaking her while weeping aloud, "Fourth Sister, say something! Speak up! When did you and I ever collude? And how could we possibly poison Eldest Brother-in-law's concubine? Even if we lost our minds, we would never do such a thing! Father's official reputation, the family's pristine name, our own dignity—have you thrown all of that to the winds?"

Jiang Danyun was already frightened out of her wits, but upon hearing Jiang Xiyun's weeping accusations—which were actually promptings in disguise—she instantly grasped the situation and regained a shred of clarity. Lowering her head, she gritted her teeth and said, "That's right, how could you and I ever do... do such a thing, nor have we ever colluded."

Gently wiping her tears, Jiang Xiyun aggrievedly said, "Precisely. That day, Fourth Sister and I were merely strolling around casually before coming to Changchun Hall and speaking a few words with Chunling. Aunt-in-law and Eldest Brother-in-law, just think: given the close ties between the Lin and Jiang families and the elders' deep affection, why on earth would I resort to such a despicable scheme?"

Jiang Danyun's spirit had long since failed her, especially under Lin Jinlou's icy and murderous gaze, which left her entire body chilled to the bone. Overwhelmed by regret, hatred, and terror, her tears rolled down uncontrollably. Jiang Xiyun gave her hand a gentle squeeze, causing Jiang Danyun to shudder all over as she whimpered tearfully, "Indeed, how could we... how could we ever do such a thing..."

Chunling had already convinced herself that this was a conspiracy concocted by the Jiang sisters. Seeing Jiang Xiyun put on an innocent facade while hearing Jiang Danyun and her sing in harmonious tune, she felt her teeth grinding into fragments. Sticking out her neck, she shrieked, "May heaven strike down and cleave the bones of you treacherous, unprincipled wretches! The two of you sisters huddled together to play your wicked tricks, committing such shameless, lawless, and utterly depraved acts, yet you pin them on my head! Your consciences have been fed to dogs! Even if I die, my vengeful ghost will never spare you!" As she spoke, tears streamed down like rain, each word dripping with blood.

Terrified, Jiang Danyun cowered against Jiang Xiyun's side, struck by shock and dread so intense that her expression clearly betrayed her overwhelming guilt. Seeing this, Jiang Xiyun hastily pulled Jiang Danyun down to her knees, crawled over to Madam Jiang's feet, and grabbed her legs. With eyes shimmering with moisture, she cried out desolately, "In broad daylight, I have never colluded with Fourth Sister to harm anyone! Now that things have come to this, I am powerless to clear my name—if it must be so, I might as well die!" Displaying an expression of heartbreak and utter despair, her face wet with pearly tears, she looked at Chunling and said, "Chunling! I treated you well in the past. Whenever you complained behind your mistress's back about how poorly she treated you, I would always advise and comfort you from the side! Why are you stubbornly insisting that we sisters colluded?" Then turning to Qin Clan and Lin Jinlou with an expression of profound grievance and heartache, she added, "Aunt-in-law, Eldest Brother-in-law, how carefully I have guarded my conduct and upheld my family's reputation in my daily life—how could I ever commit such an act? Who is to say this matter wasn't deliberately fabricated by someone else to sow discord and stir up trouble between us!"

Upon hearing this, Lusu stepped forward and pointed at Chunling, cursing, "It must be you, this malicious slave, who harbored resentment against your mistress and deliberately resorted to these filthy tactics! Seeing our young miss come over to speak with you, you intentionally planted this frame-up! Not just the Lin family, even the Jiang family will not spare you! For all we know, you might have colluded with your own mistress beforehand just to frame us!"

Cutting Lusu off, Lin Jinlou demanded in a stern voice, "Fourth Cousin, speak your piece—what is the truth of this matter?"

Jiang Danyun was already slumped on the ground, trembling into a shivering mess. She was simply too terrified and desperately wished to sever herself from the affair on the spot. Bursting into tears, she wailed, "This matter was definitely not me! Definitely not me! It was... it was..." Stuttering and stammering, she raised her head to look at Chunling—only to see her beaten to a wretched pulp, with wild, disheveled hair and a face twisted with venomous hatred like an evil spirit—and then glanced at Jiang Xiyun... Not daring to look any further, she collapsed flat onto the floor and wept bitterly. "How could this ever be my doing? I'll be going home with Eldest Brother shortly anyway! I have no old grudges or recent enmities with Xianglan, and since I'm not the one marrying into this house, why on earth would I bother harming her?"

Lin Jinlou asked, "Are you implying, then, that this was done by Fifth Cousin?"

Hearing these words, Jiang Xiyun felt a surge of secret vexation, prompting her to weep even more uncontrollably. Knee-walking to Qin Clan's side, she clutched the hem of Qin Clan's skirt. With eyes swimming in tears, she cried piteously, "Aunt-in-law, Aunt-in-law! I have never done such a thing as colluding to harm others! Chunling harbored a grudge against Mistress Lan and brought it up to me several times before; I always advised her to let it go, and perhaps grew a bit too close to her in the process. Who could have imagined—who could have imagined it would provoke such a disaster?" With a look of heartbroken despair, she turned her gaze toward Jiang Danyun and pleaded mournfully, "Fourth Sister, Fourth Sister, why would you say such a thing? Why treat me this way?"

Jiang Danyun had already been jealous of her sister's prospective marriage, yet in her attempt to frame her, she never anticipated that the situation would spiral completely out of control. Having already been scared out of her wits, she felt as though a basin of freezing water had been dumped over her head and an ice block clutched to her chest upon hearing Jiang Xiyun's tearful accusations. With a roll of her eyes, she fainted once again. Madam Jiang and Lusu scrambled in a panic to check on her, pinching her philtrum and massaging her chest while Madam Jiang cried out "My child!" and "My flesh!" A moment later, Jiang Danyun fluttered her eyes open and let out a faint, forlorn sigh. Madam Jiang wept unceasingly as she sighed, "A monstrous sin! A monstrous sin! Are they trying to drive someone to their death?" Jiang Xiyun collapsed weeping against Qin Clan's feet, sobbing mournfully. Chunling let out low, muffled sobs.

Things had reached a point where further questioning was impossible. Qin Clan hurriedly dispatched maidservants to carry Jiang Danyun back on a wooden bench. Amidst the flurry of activity, Huashan walked out and announced in a clear voice, "Our Yi Niang says she invites Elder Madam Jiang and Fifth Miss Jiang to come into her rooms for a brief talk."

The room plunged into sudden silence. Everyone halted their movements and turned to look toward Huashan, while Madam Jiang and Jiang Xiyun stared at each other, completely dumbstruck. Huashan repeated her words in a clear voice: "Yi Niang says she invites Elder Madam and Fifth Miss Jiang to step inside for a chat."

With a cold snort, Lin Jinlou stood up, flicked his sleeves, and strode out.

While Madam Jiang was still lost in a daze, Jiang Xiyun had already stepped forward to support her, saying slowly, "Let's go. We might as well go in and see what she has to say."