Against the Current - Chapter 300

Chapter 300 - Murder

Flowers bloom in two branches, each telling a different side of the story. On the day Lin Jinlou took Xianglan away from the capital, Tan Luhua gave Lin Jinxuan his medicine and coaxed him to sleep. She then opened her mirror case and writing box to dress and groom herself, adorning her hair with gold filigree hairpins, kingfisher plum blossom floral decals, and pearl-clustered golden cage pendants. Her face was heavily made up with powdered cheeks and darkened brows, her lips layered with three or four coats of bright rouge. She wore a wide-sleeved scarlet robe covering her whole body over a sable-fur coat, paired with a skirt patterned with a hundred flowers, making her look like she had been sculpted from jade and powder. She took a packet of loose silver and a pair of men's shoes from a chest, wrapped them in a floral kingfisher-green handkerchief, and called Caifeng in. "Go and check if all the rooms have settled down for the night," she instructed. Caifeng went out and returned a short while later, reporting, "The First Mistress's quarters retired long ago, and Concubine Yin's room has also put out its lights. With the heavy snow sealing the doors shut today, everyone turned in early. The Second Master is also asleep, and Luluo is keeping watch in the outer room."

Tan Luhua lowered her voice and said, "Go tell Luluo that I'm feeling a bit unwell these past two days and am afraid of passing any illness on to the Second Master, so I'll be sleeping in the outer alcove. Tell her to be extra attentive with her duties tonight, and you stay on watch right here—if anything comes up, report to me quickly." With that, she casually rewarded her with a coat she had grown tired of wearing, and then slipped quietly out the door.

The journey was completely smooth and unimpeded, without a soul in sight. Once she passed through the side gate and stepped out onto the street, she made a sharp turn into a house located within an alley. The exterior of the house gave a faint impression of dilapidation, yet inside, the air was heavy with lingering fragrance and warm as spring. Fine white gauze veiled the clear windows, silver hooks suspended embroidered curtains, a plush mattress padded the luxurious couch, and a small vermilion tea table stood nearby—truly a luxurious place. Dai Rong was lounging against the head of the bed drinking wine. Seeing Tan Luhua arrive, he hurried down, poured a full cup of wine, and handed it to her with a grin. "My darling, it's been so long since we last saw each other. You simply must drink this cup of union wine." As Tan Luhua closed and bolted the door behind her, she cast a sidelong glance at Dai Rong and said, "Where have you been wandering off to these past few days? What kind of business were you up to? Don't tell me you were out seducing some other man's wife again."

Dai Rong pinched her cheek and said, "My heart has been entirely consumed by thoughts of you all this time; how could there possibly be room for anyone else?" He raised the cup to feed the wine to Tan Luhua, pulled her into his arms to kiss her, and the two of them tumbled onto the bed in an inseparable embrace, immediately surrendering to passion.

Earlier, because Xianglan fell gravely ill after mistakenly taking a sterilization pill, the entire Lin household had been shrouded in a grim, oppressive atmosphere. That had frightened Tan Luhua out of her wits, making her too terrified to engage in secret rendezvous with Dai Rong. It was only after Xianglan's health gradually recovered that Tan Luhua occasionally resumed meeting Dai Rong in secret. This time, with Lin Jinlou away from the capital, it was a heaven-sent opportunity, and Tan Luhua had hurriedly sent someone to deliver a message for a tryst with Dai Rong.

After the passion subsided, Tan Luhua let out a long sigh and murmured, "If only the two of us could be together every single day, how wonderful that would be."

Dai Rong replied, "That will happen the moment your damned husband kicks the bucket."

Tan Luhua gave a cold, mocking laugh. "And what if he dies? Are you seriously going to divorce your shrew of a wife and marry me into your family?"

Dai Rong chuckled. "Your husband's nothing more than a figurehead anyway. The two of us meeting after a brief parting is just like newlyweds—there's nothing improper about it."

Tan Luhua snorted. "It's all well and good for you, but I'm entirely devoted to you, and I'm always worried your heart is separated from mine by a dozen mountains."

Dai Rong protested, "Don't you understand my heart by now? Just look at what kind of man the Tyrant Lin is; if he ever found out I was sleeping with his younger brother's wife, he'd tear me limb from limb. I'm risking my very life just to come see you, so if you say anything else like that, it truly breaks my heart..." Seeing Tan Luhua's expression soften slightly, he coaxed her in a gentle tone, "My darling, my sweet, how did that matter go that I asked you about previously?"

Tan Luhua sighed, got up, fumbled through her clothes for a moment, and produced the packet of loose silver, handing it to Dai Rong. "It's all right here."

Dai Rong opened it up and saw that it consisted entirely of low-grade, battered scraps of silver. Weighing them in his hand, he figured there was barely six or seven taels worth, and his face instantly darkened. "Why is there so little?"

Tan Luhua's face flushed crimson with indignation. "Do you have any idea how hard I work to pinch pennies and go without to save this up, and you're still complaining it's too little... This was meant to be my money for winter clothes. If Chen Xianglan hadn't gifted me a sable-fur coat, I wouldn't even have a single new winter garment to keep me warm this season... How many times have you asked me for money now? One time you said your business failed and you had no silver, having taken out high-interest loans that would ruin your future if word got out; another time you said you needed silver to buy an official title; and this time you claimed you were slapped with a lawsuit for beating someone. Altogether, I've given you close to a hundred taels, nearly draining my entire dowry..." As she spoke, she grew so angry she burst into tears. Though deep down she felt a bitter resentment, she dared not utter any harsh words, terrified that she might anger Dai Rong and cause him to abandon her completely. Truth be told, Tan Luhua was utterly dependent on Dai Rong for her very existence. Earlier on, Dai Rong used to send her small tokens of affection like gold-threaded handkerchiefs or mandarin-duck embroidered sachets, but as time went on, he grew weary of her, found new amusements, and was on the verge of casting her aside. It was only because Tan Luhua threw desperate tantrums, made threats, and continually showered him with clothes, daily necessities, and financial subsidies that Dai Rong warmed back up to her with sweet words and grand, empty oaths of eternal love.

Seeing Tan Luhua grow upset, Dai Rong felt a flicker of impatience, but forced a smile onto his face, pulled her into his arms, and coaxed her. "What are you crying for? This time it's all my fault! I deserve a beating! I deserve a beating!" With that, he grabbed Tan Luhua's hand and used it to slap his own face, finally coaxing her until her tears turned to smiles.

Right at that very moment, a sharp voice roared from the doorway, "You shameless whore! Stealing a thief to keep as a paramour! So this is how you've been using all my son's money to subsidize this gigolo!" With a loud bang, the front door was kicked wide open. Concubine Yin burst into the room brandishing a fireplace poker, trembling all over with rage, her eyes burning crimson, and began blindly thrusting the poker toward the bed.

Tan Luhua and Dai Rong were terrified out of their wits. Tan Luhua shrieked without stop, clutching the bedding as she dodged repeatedly, while a stark-naked Dai Rong scrambled off the bed, grabbed his clothes, and tried to flee, only to be driven back onto the mattress by Concubine Yin's fireplace poker, while curses of "sluts" and "shameless strumpet" poured relentlessly from her lips. As it turned out, Concubine Yin had woken up in the night. Remembering that Lin Jinxuan had been feeling unwell these past couple of days, she decided to check on him in his rooms. Upon arrival, she found Tan Luhua absent, and Caifeng acting evasive and tight-lipped, trying to brush her off with vague excuses. That immediately aroused Concubine Yin's suspicions. When she glanced outside, she saw the bright moon casting its clear light down, illuminating a trail of footprints in the snow. Long at odds with Tan Luhua and suspecting her of engaging in sordid filth with a servant in the dead of night, Concubine Yin had snatched up a fireplace poker and quietly followed the footprints. Overhearing the pair talking from right outside the window, her fury had boiled over, driving her to kick the door open regardless of the consequences.

After taking a few blows, Dai Rong felt a burning pain all over his body, which instantly ignited his rage. "You meddling old hag!" he bellowed. "Push me too far and I'll kill you to clean up this mess!" He lunged forward to snatch the poker away. Naturally, Concubine Yin fought back with all her might. In the fierce struggle for the weapon, a sudden thud rang out. Concubine Yin's eyes dilated instantly, her entire body stiffening as she slowly looked down in disbelief: the fireplace poker had driven straight and true into her chest. Dai Rong froze in absolute shock. His hand jerked back involuntarily, pulling the poker free, and a jet of blood instantly spurted in all directions from her chest. Screaming in terror, Tan Luhua covered her face with her hands. Concubine Yin staggered backward a few steps, swayed unsteadily, and then crashed to the floor with a heavy clatter, giving her legs a final twitch before falling completely still.

The room plunged into an eerie silence, broken only by the ragged breathing of Tan Luhua and Dai Rong. The blood drained entirely from Tan Luhua's face, leaving her shivering with cold. Fumbling blindly with her clothes, she tumbled out of the kang in a panic and crawled over to check—Concubine Yin's eyes were wide open, and she had long since stopped breathing. Trembling violently from head to toe, her teeth chattering so hard they clicked, two lines of tears streamed down her face as she looked up at Dai Rong and sobbed, "What... what should we do now... what on earth do we do..."

Dai Rong was equally panicked and disoriented. snatching up a pillowcase to wipe the splatters of blood from his face, he threw on his clothes, rushed over to secure the front door tightly, kicked Concubine Yin's corpse, and sat down heavily on a chair. Tan Luhua hurried to his side, her voice choked with sobs. "What do we do? Tell me! What do we do?"

Dai Rong picked up the wine pot from the table, tilted it back, drained the remaining drops inside, wiped his mouth, and gave a cold, cruel laugh. "What do you do? Naturally, we pretend nothing happened. You go back and continue being the Second Young Mistress of the Lin family, and I'll go back to being the Third Young Master of the Dai family. As for how this old hag died, neither you nor I have any idea."

"What if the Lin family finds out..."

"Hush! If you don't say a word and I don't say a word, how could they possibly find out?"

"..."

"Listen to me, Luhua. Since this tragedy has happened, you and I can never see each other again. Even though my heart aches for you, this... alas, it seems our fate can only stretch this far." Dai Rong watched Tan Luhua's expression as he spoke, but seeing her head bowed with her dark hair veiling her face, he softened his tone and coaxed, "We truly lament that we did not meet before we were married, and usually pouring our hearts out to each other made everything else bearable. But now that a human life is involved, if we continue to meet in secret and the Lin family uncovers it, I'm afraid neither of us will escape a grim fate..."

Before he could finish, Tan Luhua jerked her head up. Her delicate, pretty face was twisted into a look of ferocious malice as she lunged forward toward Dai Rong, hissing venomously, "Dai, you bastard! You want to dump me? It's not going to be that easy! I gave you my heart and soul with this love of mine, and I never intended to take it back for nothing! Concubine Yin is dead, and you want to wipe your hands clean, pretend nothing happened, run off to hide in some other region for a couple of years before coming back, turtle up, and leave life and death entirely up to me? Bah! In your dreams! Even if I'm dragged down to the eighteenth layer of hell, I'll drag you down to keep me company as a burial companion!"

Those words struck straight at the core of Dai Rong's darkest fears. He forced a placid smile and coaxed, "How could that be? How could that be? Don't you know what my heart feels for you?" As he spoke, he reached out to grab Tan Luhua's hand, only to find it freezing cold to the bone, trembling like an autumn leaf.

Hearing Dai Rong speak like that, Tan Luhua's heart softened. Tears came streaming down her face once more. Through her misty vision, she looked at Dai Rong's handsome face, managed a strained, fragile smile, and choked out, "I know you wouldn't be that heartless, that you truly care for me..."

Even if Dai Rong had once held a shred of genuine affection for Tan Luhua, not a single trace of it remained now. Yet, forced to play along, he put on a gentle facade and probed cautiously, "What do you mean by..."

Tan Luhua wiped away her tears, a fierce, desperate light flashing in her eyes. "Darling Dai, let's run away together far from here!"

Dai Rong gasped in shock. "What?"

Tan Luhua urged, "I still have quite a few jewels and valuables left in my possession. Why don't the two of us pack up and flee to a distant place right now, and from this day on raise children together and stay by each other's side for the rest of our lives? Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Then her expression turned cold and threatening. "If you refuse, I'll go straight to the local magistrate at dawn and accuse you of raping me and murdering Concubine Yin. Either way, I'm doomed to a wretched end, so you might as well accompany me down to the yellow springs to keep me company!"

Dai Rong felt as though Tan Luhua had completely lost her mind. Hearing her words, however, his heart sank into a panic. He stalled, "All right, but a matter like this requires careful planning..."

Without waiting for him to finish, Tan Luhua busily began throwing on her clothes and shoes, saying, "I'll pack right now! While it's still dark, let's hurry and leave!"

You're the one who's mad, woman, Dai Rong thought to himself. I'm certainly not out of my mind. The family has just found powerful backing, and a major upheaval is about to break out in these next few days. The prosperity of the Dai family is right around the corner—why should I fear the Lin family then? To run away and live as a fugitive with a woman like you? What madness is that! Reminded of Tan Luhua's threats just moments ago, a surge of murderous rage flared up in his chest, fueled by the lingering alcohol in his blood. Killing one is a crime, killing two is just the same, he thought darkly. If I kill them both cleanly tonight, this whole wretched mess will never touch me again! With that grim resolve, he picked up the discarded fireplace poker off the floor like a ghost, crept up silently behind Tan Luhua, and struck her across the back of the head. Tan Luhua gasped in terror, whirled around in utter disbelief, swayed twice, and collapsed heavily onto the floor, never to stir again.

Seeing Tan Luhua lying motionless in a pool of blood, Dai Rong tossed the poker aside, knelt by her side, squeezed out two crocodile tears, and muttered, "Luhua, don't blame me. I... I was forced into this as well... May you be reborn into a better family in your next life. When the holidays come around, I'll burn plenty of paper money for you." With that, he scrambled to his feet, threw on his outer garments in a frantic rush, and prepared to leave. Just as he was heading out, his eyes fell upon Tan Luhua's skirt sash discarded in the corner of the kang, from which a sachet was tied.

Dai Rong recognized that sachet instantly. Earlier, when Tan Luhua had been bragging to him about how the second young master of the Chu family, Chu Dapeng, was enamored with her, she had used that very sachet to recount their flirtation. Since Chu Dapeng was the premier dashing and romantic figure in the capital, Tan Luhua took immense pride in it. Yet because the matter had to be kept secret and she couldn't openly boast about it to others, she wore the sachet on her person every single day, as if wearing it served as proof of how deeply she could captivate men. Dai Rong now untied that very sachet, shoved it directly into Tan Luhua's lifeless hand, turned around, and slipped out the door, pulling it shut behind him. We will leave him aside for the moment.

Meanwhile, Xianglan remained completely unaware that Lin Jinlou had worked himself into a fury. She was quietly pondering to herself, Tomorrow I'll just send a reliable person to deliver the items quietly to Song Ke's residence without letting them know who sent them. That way, he and Zheng Shi won't be troubled by unnecessary annoyance. As long as my conscience is clear, that's enough. Then she mused further. Song Ke had previously mentioned that a certain Magistrate Yan, who was currently serving as an official in Hunan, was a close friend of his late father and had once helped their mother and son. Perhaps she could send the wealth and goods under his name instead—after all, with mountains high and waters far, there would be no way to verify the truth. But upon a second thought, that still felt a bit improper. Feeling a chill draft biting at her in the open air, she wrapped her cloak tighter around her and hurried back inside her room. Just as she untied her cloak, she saw Lin Jinlou stride in, sit down sprawling across the daybed, and prop his feet up, with Xuening following closely behind him. Knowing things looked bad the moment she saw Lin Jinlou's darkened expression after finishing her earlier words, and completely bewildered as to what she had done wrong, Xuening wanted to cast a warning glance in Xianglan's direction. But Lin Jinlou furrowed his brow, waved his hand dismissively at Xuening, and barked, "Who told you to stay here? There are people to serve here—get lost!"

Xuening didn't dare utter a word, her face etched with worry as she backed out of the room.

Xianglan stepped forward, poured hot water from the bronze kettle into a basin, wrung out a steaming hand towel, and brought it over to wipe Lin Jinlou's face. Frowning slightly, she asked, "Were you drinking again tonight?" Pausing for a moment, she added, "Who was that kneeling by the courtyard entrance just now? Causing such a scene out in the open like that—it didn't look very proper."

Lin Jinlou pulled the towel away from his face, squinted his eyes at Xianglan, and sneered, "What's the matter? You can't stand seeing a courtesan hugging a man's legs, yet you turn around and quiz Old Yuan about the whereabouts of your old flame, and that's supposed to be noble?"

Xianglan froze. Her round, luminous eyes stared straight at Lin Jinlou. She bit her lower lip, dropped her gaze in silence, and turned away to pour him a cup of tea. Lin Jinlou felt as though his punch had landed squarely in a pile of cotton; his irritation only mounted further. Gritting his teeth, he yanked at the collar of his robe, stood up, stepped right in front of her, and demanded, "Speak!"

With her back to Lin Jinlou, Xianglan replied, "If I told you that I simply wanted to repay a kindness to Song Ke and had someone send silver to him, would you agree?"

Lin Jinlou let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Absolute nonsense! Why on earth would I ever agree? I've told you once and for all: never let me hear you mention that man Song Ke's name again!"

Xianglan stood stock-still, offering no response.

"Why aren't you saying anything now, huh? Are you dying to run off to Guizhou with that fellow Song Ke? Are you wishing you could get down on your knees and beg me to let you be his concubine, huh?"

Xianglan's face turned ashen, and tears welled up in her eyes. When she turned her head, she saw Lin Jinlou giving her a sinister, mocking smirk—a grin so terrifying it looked as though he were grinding his teeth in rage.

A sharp pang gripped Lin Jinlou's chest. His temper flared, shooting straight up to his temples. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, all he could see was Xianglan's pale face and helpless expression. This fury felt utterly unbearable to him—jealousy, resentment, and heartache churned together like a blazing fire threatening to consume him entirely. He had poured endless love and kindness into this woman, almost convincing himself that she harbored some genuine affection for him. Yet in the end, it was still just his own wishful thinking. The moment there was the slightest whisper about Song Ke, this woman's heart would instantly flutter away in that direction. No matter how much he humbled himself or offered tender affection, it was all reduced to nothingness.

Unrequited love!

Those four words weighed down upon his soul so heavily he could barely breathe. With a vicious sweep of his arm, he knocked the teacup right out of Xianglan's hand, sending it crashing to the floor in a loud shattering of porcelain.

Hearing the commotion, Xuening scurried back inside in a panic, but Lin Jinlou pointed straight at her nose and cursed, "Get out! Who told you to come in? Sightless wretch!"

Xuening had never seen Lin Jinlou look so livid and iron-faced before. Her knees turned to jelly with fright, and she scrambled backward out of the room in haste.

When Lin Jinlou lost his temper, he was like a trapped, desperate beast, completely unreachable by reason. To this day, Xianglan still dared not look at him when he was flying into a rage, and could only retreat quietly step by step. Lin Jinlou reached out, grabbed her by the collar, hauled her right up in front of him, and snarled, "I'm asking you: are you trying to beg me to let you be that bastard's concubine?"

The tears spilling from Xianglan's eyes traced paths down her cheeks as she trembled, her lips quivering. "I don't want to be anyone's concubine."

Lin Jinlou gave a chilling laugh, a raging sea of fury churning within his chest. He understood all too well that Xianglan wouldn't even spare a single strand of hair to stay in the Lin household. She wanted to escape as far away as possible, preferably where she would never have to lay eyes on him again for the rest of her days. Even when she had swallowed that lineage-destroying pill and collapsed breathlessly onto her bed, she had still begged desperately to leave the manor. She would rather keep watch beside a flickering green lamp and cold Buddha statues as a nun than remain by his side to enjoy wealth and glory; she even went so far as to pry into Song Ke's whereabouts by every means possible. So that was how it was: in her eyes, he was a ferocious beast to be avoided at all costs, the root of all her misery, serving at best as a tool to repay a debt of gratitude. Lin Jinlou ground his teeth. A hero of his generation who commanded the heights of glory—not quite able to summon wind and rain in the imperial court, yet powerful enough that any notable figure had to grant him three steps of respect—he had actually been looked down upon by this mere woman! Her heart was set on someone else, and even if he ripped his heart and lungs out, he couldn't make her turn back to him. He wanted to strangle this heartless, ungrateful woman; yet as long as she gave him a single gentle look, he would be joyful for an entire day, and a single word from her could send him into such blind rage. When had he ever fallen to such a pathetic, helpless state, completely at his wit's end? He hated her for so brutally trampling on his dignity, wanting nothing more than to chop her into a thousand pieces; yet whenever he raised his hand, he could never bring himself to strike her down. This girl was so wonderful, and he loved her so deeply; her conduct filled him with involuntary reverence, and even though he knew she desperately wanted to hide from him, he still bound her stubbornly to his side.

Xianglan closed her eyes, bracing for a blow that never came. Hesitantly, she fluttered her eyelids open to find Lin Jinlou staring straight at her, his eyes blazing blood-red. Right at that moment, frantic, pounding blows rained down against the door, and an anxious voice cried out, "Master! Master! Something terrible has happened at home!"