Against the Current - Chapter 294

Chapter 294 - Outing (Part 1)

Ever since Lin Dongxiu's wedding, the weather grew colder day by day, bringing a heavy snowfall just as winter arrived. Xianglan's health was finally beginning to show signs of recovery, and Lin Jinlou searched everywhere for rare and exotic medicinal herbs, while also ordering the kitchen to concoct all sorts of nourishing dishes for her. Because he was bogged down by official duties and frequently had to remain stationed in the military camp, he left his trusted personal attendants, Jixiang and Shuangxi, behind to be at Xianglan's beck and call.

Early that morning, Xianglan got up, washed, and draped a heavy cloak patterned with plum blossoms, orchids, and chrysanthemums over her shoulders. Lingqing took a silver-ball hand warmer and tucked it into Xianglan's hands, saying, "The north wind blew all through the night. The weather has truly turned vicious—it's barely the start of winter and yet it's this cold already."

Xiaojuan walked in, brushing off a dusting of snow as she spoke, "It snowed the entire night, and this morning there are still sporadic ice pellets drifting down. The young lads are out there sweeping the snow right now. Following the concubine's instructions, the kitchen has boiled a pot of hot ginger soup, and I've already dispatched Guiyuan and a few older women to distribute it."

Xianglan nodded, raised her gaze, and asked, "Where is Huashan?"

Xueying smiled and said, "She's from Fujian, and hasn't spent many years in Jinling either. This is her first time entering the capital—when has she ever seen such heavy snow? First thing this morning, she ran off to play in the snow with the younger maidservants." Turning to Xianglan, she added, "This must be the concubine's first time seeing snow this heavy as well, mustn't it? If the Eldest Master hadn't given strict, repeated orders that you cannot take a chill, wouldn't it be wonderful to go out tomorrow and admire the white snow against the red plum blossoms?"

Xianglan sat upon the large, window-side brick bed (kang), pushing the window open just a crack to look outside. She saw two red plum trees blooming with robust vitality, their blossoms the color of rouge. Having grown up in the capital during her past life, she had seen far heavier snows than this. Back then, she and her younger siblings would wear wooden clogs and set off firecrackers in the snow, while Jialian, timid as she was, would hide right behind her back... Thinking of her sister, Xianglan suddenly remembered little Deger and hurriedly instructed someone to fetch the fur cap she had been making for him over the past few days, noting that she just needed to weave a piece of green jade onto it to finish. A moment later, Xiaojuan brought over a box filled with various colored jades, and the group sat together to pick and choose.

Lingsu carried in an old lacquered square tray holding a bowl of osmanthus-infused melon seed tea, placed it on the kang table, and unfolded a small handkerchief containing a silver-tongued tea spoon. Handing it to Xianglan, she said, "This is a tribute item sent from the outside, a specialty found only in Shandong. Madam specially sent Qiaohui over with it last night. The moment I caught a whiff of it, I could tell it was exceptionally fragrant."

Before her words had even faded, someone spoke from outside: "What is exceptionally fragrant? Ladle a bowl for your master." With that, Lin Jinlou strode in trailing a flurry of wind and snow. The maids rushed forward the moment they laid eyes on him, taking his cloak, handing him hot tea, removing his hat, and wringing out hot towels in a flurry of busy activity.

Lin Jinlou had been on overnight duty within the imperial palace and had not returned all night. The moment he sat down on the large kang, Xianglan pushed her bowl of steeped tea toward him. Lin Jinlou took a sip, frowned at the sweet and rich taste, and ordered someone to bring a bowl of hot soup instead. Holding his hand warmer in one hand, he kicked off his boots, plunged his feet into a basin of steaming hot water to warm them, and asked, "What have you been doing at home all day today?"

"Nothing much, just idling about and wasting time," Xianglan replied. With that, she placed the letters and calling cards delivered from the outer courtyard onto a silver tray and handed them to him. As Lin Jinlou unsealed and read the letters, he remarked, "You ought to idle about carefree and unbothered. Instead, you spend all day letting your imagination run wild—I truly have no idea where you come up with those bizarre notions of yours." Glancing over an invitation card, he continued offhand, "His Majesty's intent is that since the Crown Prince's position is now firmly established, this upcoming festival must be celebrated with great pomp. A Grand Banquet of Elders is to be held within the palace to invite auspicious fortune, and Grandfather has also received the imperial edict instructing him to travel to the capital to attend the banquet. Little San will personally escort him here. With Grand Secretary Zhao making such a commotion a few days ago, it's a time when public sentiment is deeply unsettled; His Majesty is doing this precisely to soothe the minds of veteran ministers."

Xianglan understood what Lin Jinlou was referring to. While she was quietly recuperating a few days ago, the Senior Grand Secretary, Zhao Jin, had been accused before the imperial throne by the Second Prince for privately paying respects to the Crown Prince, with the accusation framing it as "privately having audience with the East Palace, harboring hidden motives." His Majesty had flown into a rage, issuing an imperial decree committing him to the imperial prison under the charge of "facking the proper etiquette of a subject," which had sent shockwaves through the court and the common populace alike.

Lin Jinlou lifted his feet, and Lingsu hurriedly knelt halfway, using a large plush towel to dry his feet before slipping cotton socks onto them. Lin Jinlou skimmed through several letters, tossed them all aside, and remarked, "Grandfather's prediction was truly spot-on; the Zhao family has taken a catastrophic fall this time. Even if His Majesty remembers Zhao Jin's past merits and reinstates him in the future, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to ever re-enter the Grand Secretariat." He sighed, "What a pity, what a pity indeed. Zhao Jin's temperament was headstrong and his ambitions lofty, yet he could also be called brilliantly talented and unyielding; it was his too-brilliant edge that made him fall prey to scheming. I wonder how such a household ever managed to raise a daughter like Zhao Yuechan? The former Grand Secretary Shen also had a granddaughter—the very one they intended to betrothal to me—I wonder if she, too, is a woman of loose morals." As he spoke, he glanced casually at Xianglan, only to find her glaring right back at him.

Lin Jinlou chuckled and said, "Well, well! Your boldness has grown quite a bit—you even dare to glare at your master." With that, he reached out and began tickling her ribs. Ticklish by nature, Xianglan dodged left and right, laughing uncontrollably. Realizing how improper it looked, she bit her lip to check herself for a moment before finally begging for mercy, "Stop messing around. If someone sees us, it won't look decent at all."

Ignoring her, Lin Jinlou kept up the tickling while demanding, "Do you still dare to glare at your master or not? Hmm?"

Just as they were scuffling, a couple of muffled coughs sounded from outside, and Shuran lowered his voice to report, "Eldest Master, an urgent dispatch has arrived from outside."

Lin Jinlou finally stayed his hand and said, "Send it in." Xianglan scrambled up hastily, her face flushed red, and retreated to the corner of the kang to smooth down her stray locks.

A slight smile played at the corners of Lin Jinlou's lips as he took the letter and unsealed it. The moment he glanced at its contents, his expression darkened. Snorting, he said, "Fine! Truly a fine Second Prince—driven by wolfish ambition and terrified that Zhao Jin might make a comeback to prop up the Crown Prince, he actually resorted to such despicable, gutter-level methods." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the letter straight into the brazier. Leaning forward to peer, Xianglan saw that the note bore only a single line of characters: "That night, Zhao Jin was made heavily drunk and dragged out into the accumulating snow, where he was frozen to death alive."

Xianglan's heart gave a violent jolt as she watched the paper rapidly licked to ash by the charcoal fire within the brazier. Though the Emperor has named an heir to the throne, she thought darkly, deep down his heart still heavily favors the Second Prince, frequently telling people, 'This boy is just like me.' The Second Prince possesses military achievements and holds military power; he is unwilling to bow and take a backseat to anyone, secretly eliminating political rivals while repeatedly locking horns with the East Palace. The Crown Prince is mild-natured and practices blind forbearance, while the Emperor is advancing in years and his imperial health is gradually failing, leaving him seemingly with no time to care about his sons turning on one another... I'm afraid another bloody storm is about to break. The thought inevitably brought back memories of the Shen family being dragged down into the disastrous vortex of the struggle for the throne, plunging her heart into deep anxiety.

That night, Xianglan woke up in the dead of night and tossed and turned restlessly. Lin Jinlou was still sound asleep beside her. Quietly lifting the arm he had thrown across her body, she got up, dressed, and sat upon the large kang inside the carved-wood partition (bishachuang), holding a cup of ginseng tea to nurse her sullen thoughts. Though she had largely recovered from her illness by now, her heart remained filled with apprehension, feeling like a traveler walking through pitch-dark night without seeing a direction, anxious and ill at ease. Having been through this bout of illness, her mind had grown broader than before; where she used to harbor resentment over grievances no matter how hard she tried to swallow them, now, freed from physical suffering, she realized how many overlooked aspects of her ordinary days truly deserved gratitude. She sighed silently and set her teacup aside.

Hearing the movement, Lin Jinlou woke up, his eyes half-closed as he groped blindly around the mattress for a long moment only to find empty space. Half-awakened, he climbed up, lifted the bed curtains to peer outside, and saw Lingqing keeping watch. Seeing Lin Jinlou awake, Lingqing hurried forward to attend to him. Lin Jinlou asked in a low voice, "Where is Xianglan?"

Lingqing lowered her voice. "The concubine is inside the bishachuang." Throwing a garment haphazardly over his shoulders and shuffling into slippers, Lin Jinlou walked out to take a look, spotting Xianglan sitting there in a daze, her profile exuding an indescribable desolation. A sudden tightness gripped his chest. Staring at her for a moment, he walked over and asked, "What are you sitting here daydreaming for? What's the matter? Are you missing your parents? Or are you feeling suffocated cooped up inside the estate?"

"No..."

"I know you're feeling cooped up. As it happens, I can steal a moment of leisure tomorrow and take you out to get some fresh air. I hear the plum blossoms in the outskirts are all in bloom—let's go admire them together." Without waiting, he issued a rapid string of orders for the maidservants to make preparations overnight.

Xianglan hurriedly protested, "Tomorrow will be plenty of time, why bother turning everyone upside down in the middle of the night?" Ignoring her entirely, Lin Jinlou simply issued his commands, then pulled her by the shoulder and gave a wide yawn as he said, "You wouldn't let me sleep properly, so naturally I have to put them through their paces. Let's see if you dare to go wandering about in the middle of the night next time. Besides, on a trip like this, everything from food and clothing to lodging must be fully prepared. Once we leave tomorrow, the maids will finally get a chance to catch some sleep." He was an absolute tyrant who brooks no argument; with no other choice, Xianglan had to let him have his way.

Early the next morning, true to his word, Lin Jinlou prepared to take Xianglan out, and the maids bustled about packing four large chests. Xianglan protested, "We are only going for a single day and returning by evening, whatever do we need with so many things?"

Shuran smiled and said, "My lady doesn't realize—it's freezing cold outside, so you'll need extra changes of clothing. There are also folding screens, seating cushions, thick fur cloaks and shawls, foot warmers and hand warmers, charcoal braziers for the carriage along with plenty of extra charcoal, various kinds of tea, and snacks. If my lady happens to spot a scenic view and is struck by inspiration to paint, we'll need writing brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone too. And bedding as well—just in case we're delayed and have to spend the night outside, your own sleeping mats and quilts are always cleaner." With that, she turned back to give final instructions to the maidservants accompanying Xianglan.

Once preparations were complete, Lin Jinlou returned from practicing martial arts, washed up, changed his clothes, and went to Madame Qin's quarters to pay his respects. Hearing that they were going to the outskirts of the capital to view plum blossoms, Madame Qin remarked, "There are plum trees right here in the estate; for no good reason, running off outside again... Calm yourself down. Grandfather is arriving in the past couple of days; I received a letter from him just the other day asking about the Jiang family affair, and also asking if you've been running around carousing again. Judging by his tone, he didn't seem too pleased... Son, what kind of trouble have you stirred up this time to have it reach your grandfather's ears?"

"My own dear mother," Lin Jinlou complained impatiently, "I'm a grown man, what kind of trouble could I possibly stir up? These past few days I've been either at the military camp, the palace, or right here at home, and I haven't even had a full night's sleep. At most, I've had a few drinks with Old Yuan and the others. When was the last time I went out carousing, hmm?"

"Then why would Grandfather ask such a thing?"

"How should I know? Perhaps he just feels that his eldest grandson is handling everything so capably and making such a fine name for himself that his heart is bursting with joy."

"Hmph! The tone of that letter didn't sound anything like it. You'd better behave yourself." As she spoke, Madame Qin reached out and tapped Lin Jinlou lightly on the forehead.

Lin Jinlou rubbed his forehead, feeling a genuine trace of apprehension. Although his father held a higher official rank than his grandfather had back in the day, in his eyes, his father was merely a paper tiger while his grandfather was a sleeping lion in the flesh. Carefully filtering through everything he had done since arriving in the capital, he found nothing overly out of line. Even if he had some old habits that were hard to break, his grandfather should have grown accustomed to them long ago. Muttering under his breath, he asked, "I haven't done anything. Ever since I came to the capital, I've just been keeping my head down and attending to official business... What else did Grandfather say in his letter?"

Madame Qin used a small silver spoon to scoop a dollop of honey into a bowl of rose-petal preserve, stirring it as she lowered her eyes and said, "He simply asked whether you've been stirring up muddy waters lately and digging up trouble. He also said that you've been running around like a wild horse without a bridle, and that once he reaches the capital, he's going to properly drill some rules into you." Raising her gaze, she saw Lin Jinlou standing there dumbfounded. Rarely ever seeing her eldest son look so guilty, she let out a sudden chuckle: "Scared?"

Frowning, Lin Jinlou retorted, "Who's scared? What's there to be scared of?" Before hurrying to ask, "Is it just Grandfather coming this time? Is Grandmother really not coming?"

"Your grandmother had a bout of illness and has just recovered; she couldn't possibly withstand the rigors of travel..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jinlou immediately stepped over to massage Madame Qin's legs, smiling as he wheedled, "Mother, I acquired a pair of gold bracelets yesterday, inlaid with pearls each the size of a fingernail. The moment I saw them, I knew such a rare treasure ought to be offered to you in filial piety..."

Madame Qin rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, alright. You ungrateful wretch, thinking of trying to butter up your own mother now? Where were you earlier? All you ever do day in and day out is make me angry... If you truly haven't stirred up any major trouble, and it's just some minor missteps, when your grandfather starts cross-examining you, I'll personally go intercede for you."

Emerging from the rooms, Lin Jinlou turned things over in his mind from every angle but still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Annoyed, he walked out into the courtyard of Changchun Hall, where he saw Xianglan standing quietly draped in a bright red-scarlet felt cloak. Her face was as translucent and white as snow, delicate as spring peach blossoms, making her look like a figure stepping straight out of a painting. He paused, feeling his pent-up irritability suddenly swept away by the wind.

Xianglan leaned on Xueying's arm to board the carriage. Huashan had caught a chill the previous day, and Lingqing and Lingsu had both been borrowed by Madame Qin for chores, leaving only Xiaojuan and Xueying in the quarters. Mindful of Xiaojuan's aversion to the cold, Xianglan had designated Xueying to accompany her. The carriage interior wasn't spacious, but its furnishings and utensils were immensely luxurious; embroidered silks and satins lined the surfaces, and Persian carpets were piled deep with various furs. The moment Xianglan sat down, Xueying climbed in behind her, briskly tucked a hand warmer into Xianglan's hands, and said, "The journey isn't short, my lady—why not slip off your boots and rest your feet on the foot warmer to warm up?" As she spoke, she placed the foot warmer before Xianglan and draped a foreign woolen towel over it. After a brief hesitation, Xianglan kicked off her shoes, stretched her feet out over the towel, and Xueying immediately covered them with a roe-deer pelt. Retrieving a food compartment, she took out a flask of warmed Nüzhuan wine, poured a cup for Xianglan, and said, "The wine is still warm, my lady—take a sip to warm yourself up. If it cools down later, it won't taste as good."

Xianglan took the cup, drank two sips, and immediately felt warmth spread through her body. She shook her head to decline any more and urged Xueying to drink instead. Xueying drank two cups as well, cleared away the empty cups, and pulled a book out of her bundle to place before Xianglan. Recognizing it as the volume she had been browsing through over the past few days, Xianglan felt a flicker of surprise and smiled, "You're actually this capable and attentive—you must have done plenty of work in the past! If I'd known, I should have rewarded you more often on ordinary days."

Xueying smiled modestly. "I haven't done anything special on ordinary days. Besides, there are plenty of capable people around the concubine, and since I'm neither here nor there, I've simply focused on fulfilling my duties honestly."

Hearing this reply made Xianglan look at her in a new light, and she thought to herself, It's rare for someone of such a young age to be so steady. Among the maidservants, Xiaojuan and Huashan were closest to her, sharing a deep mutual trust; Lingqing and Lingsu, having arrived later, weren't quite as close, yet both devoted themselves wholeheartedly to their tasks and sought excellence in everything. Only Xueying, who had originally come from the Old Madame's quarters, had always kept quiet, never pushing herself forward when things were lively or advantageous, and ducking out of troublesome chores whenever she could. She neither added flowers to brocade nor offered timely help in the snow, yet whenever a task was assigned to her, it was always handled reliably. While she never stood out with brilliant flair, she never made mistakes either. She could converse easily with all the other maids in the quarters, yet remained close to none of them in particular. But today, accompanying her alone, Xueying had anticipated every need before it was voiced, revealing a hidden capability.