Against the Current - Chapter 301

Chapter 301 - Ferocious (Part 1)

Lin Jinlou took a deep breath. Xianglan opened her eyes wide, feeling the blood in her entire body freeze into a single block. Lin Jinlou’s sinister and ruthless face hovered before her eyes, shifting this way and that. How long had it been since she last saw such an expression on him? She had almost forgotten just how venomous and tyrannical he could be. Outside, the knocking on the door grew more frantic. Lin Jinlou slowly relaxed his grip, rubbed his face hard, and turned back to open the door. To his surprise, it was his trusted personal guard, Hu Lai. Before setting out, Lin Jinlou had specifically left him behind in the estate to manage affairs. The moment Hu Lai saw his master’s face cast in iron-blue, he was instantly startled. Lin Jinlou pointed at him and roared, "I told you to stay put in the capital, what are you doing running all the way out here? Do you dare disobey my orders now as well? Huh? Are all of you trying to rebel, one by one? Do you no longer hold your master in your eyes?"

This single bellow left Hu Lai’s knees weak. In his mind, Lin Jinlou had always remained completely composed even when facing an overwhelming army, laughing and chatting with ease. Yet now, seeing the finger his master pointed at him trembling with rage, he couldn't help shuddering all over. He hastily dropped to one knee and changed his form of address, saying, "General, this subordinate has come bearing a matter of extreme urgency... Concubine Yin has passed away in the estate! And Second Young Madam’s life or death is unknown..."

Hearing this with crystal clarity, Xianglan couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath of cold air. She saw Lin Jinlou grab Hu Lai by the collar with one hand, hauling him into the room before reaching out to slam the door shut. His thick eyebrows knitted together as he gritted his teeth and demanded, "What on earth is going on? Explain from the beginning!"

Hu Lai reported, "Early this morning, the maidservants noticed that Concubine Yin was nowhere to be seen, and Second Young Madam was missing as well. After searching inside and out of the estate, a night-watch old woman reported that a side gate in the back courtyard of Kangshou Residence leading outside was unlocked. This subordinate led men to search in all directions and happened to run into citizens reporting a murder to the yamen, claiming that a household in that alley had suffered a homicide. When this subordinate hurried over, I saw Concubine Yin lying on the ground with a bloody hole in her chest, having already breathed her last long ago. Second Young Madam was improperly dressed, slumped against the side of the bed. When this subordinate stepped forward to check, I discovered she still held a thread of life left, so I quickly wrapped her in a quilt and sent her back to the estate. I also informed the yamen to suppress the matter and leave it to the First Madam to handle. Originally, we thought the matter was settled, but Second Young Madam was clutching a sachet in her hand. When First Madam opened it, she discovered it actually contained Second Young Master Chu Jiaopeng's longevity amulet, complete with his exact eight characters of birth down to the very fraction. Coincidentally, Second Young Master was also present at the time. He immediately burst into bitter tears, convinced that Second Young Master Chu had murdered Concubine Yin and defiled and killed Second Young Madam. First Madam barely managed to soothe him, and had Second Young Madam's personal maidservant brought in for interrogation. Unexpectedly, upon hearing that Second Young Madam was failing, that maidservant secretly hanged herself. First Madam originally intended to wait for Eldest Young Master to return tomorrow morning to make the decisions, but who would have thought that Second Young Master, without a word, would quietly have a carriage prepared and slip out of the house, heading straight for the Chu family residence to fight Second Young Master Chu to the death. After making a scene halfway through, he fainted dead away, startling the Chu family immensely. Terrified that Second Young Master might perish right then and there, they hurriedly summoned imperial physicians and dispatched messengers, kicking up a chaotic storm. Seeing that the matter had blown up beyond containment, First Madam sent this subordinate to switch horses and gallop here, begging Eldest Young Master to return and take charge."

Lin Jinlou felt his temples throbbing violently, his complexion turning even more bruised and livid. What kind of tangled, bloody mess was this damn thing! He struck his forehead with his fist and asked, "Where is the Second Brother now?"

Hu Lai lowered his voice and said, "Because he was suffering from a severe illness and wasn't fit to be moved, he was temporarily left at the Chu residence... Second Young Master Chu stated that he had spent all these past few nights studying diligently by lamplight and never stepped foot outside his courtyard even half a step..."

Lin Jinlou remained silent, pacing back and forth inside the room. This matter was definitely not done by Chu Xiaoer. Leaving aside his childhood friendship with Chu Dapeng, given Chu Dapeng's first-rate character and righteousness, he would never commit such a lawless and scandalous act. If Lin Jinlou had secretly fallen out with Chu Dapeng in private, the matter wouldn't be too serious, but Lin Jinlou had actually gone to the Chu family estate to cause a scene! Chu Dapeng's father was the Minister of Personnel, holding the highest rank among the Six Ministries; how could he swallow such a groundless accusation and take this lying down! With neither the Grandfather nor his father present, only he needed to rush back as quickly as possible to smooth over this layer of trouble. To do so, he would have to ride day and night, arriving at the Chu residence early in the morning with a humble apology bearing firewood on his back. In light of that sincerity, the old patriarch of the Chu family ought to grant them this shred of face.

There was no time to lose.

Lin Jinlou hurriedly ordered his men to pack up and prepare the horses. He glanced at Xianglan, still burning with fury in his heart, thinking, "Leaving her behind will undoubtedly stir up more trouble, and who knows what schemes she'll concoct to dig up information about that kid Song Ke." Pointing at Xianglan, he commanded, "You, change your clothes and travel with me tonight."

Because the itinerary was rushed, Lin Jinlou left all his personal maidservants and pages behind, ordering them to pack up properly the next day before returning to the estate. He selected twenty-odd men, spoke privately with Yuan Shaoren at length, and finally shoved Xianglan into an extremely cramped carriage before setting off.

The carriage was barely large enough for one person to stretch out their legs while sitting. It was lined with only a layer of coarse cloth, and the carriage walls consisted of a single layer of soft curtains that leaked wind from all sides. Xianglan felt a bone-chilling cold and instinctively buried her face deep inside her Guanyin hood. Although the thick fur-lined cloak she wore retained some warmth, her feet in their deerskin boots were thoroughly frozen through within a short time, aching with a stabbing pain. The jolting of the carriage made her feel nauseous, rendering her even more miserable. She hugged the brass hand-warmer tightly to her chest—Xuening had quietly slipped it into her arms before departure, but by now it had gradually grown cold. Gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering, she opened her eyes and pulled back the carriage curtain to see a bright moon hanging high in the sky, illuminating the surrounding wilderness with blinding clarity.

By the moonlight, Lin Jinlou caught sight of Xianglan shivering like a shivering bird and couldn't help sneering repeatedly. He ought to have been carefully pondering how to account for himself to the Chu family upon arrival, but instead, his brain had turned into a complete mush. His thoughts were disjointed and incoherent, with only Xianglan's image flickering before his eyes, asking him with tears in her eyes, "If I told you I want to repay Song Ke's kindness and send silver to him, would you agree?" He let out a cold hum and dug his heels into his horse's flanks, sending the steed galloping at an even greater speed. He originally thought riding faster would shake off the frustration and anger in his heart, but he discovered instead that it only made things worse. He thought with bitter resentment: Has he been treating Chen Xianglan too well lately, letting this woman push her luck? Once they returned to the Lin family and he settled his second brother's affairs, he would definitely have to deal with her properly. Now that she had frozen like this, she completely deserved it. Yet, thinking of her shivering form, Lin Jinlou felt annoyed all over again. He thought to himself: Why was this woman so infuriatingly stubborn? Even frozen like this, she still bit her bullet and refused to open her mouth to beg him. With a sullen face, he pulled a thin blanket out of the saddlebag and tossed it into the carriage.

Startled, Xianglan peered out from behind the curtain to steal a glance at Lin Jinlou, but could only see his chin.

At that moment, Lin Jinlou suddenly reined in his horse, and the carriage hurriedly came to a halt. Taken by surprise, Xianglan nearly tumbled out. She heard Lin Jinlou say in a deep voice, "Step forward and check carefully!"

Immediately, some of the personal guards stepped forward holding torches. Ahead of them lay a grove of trees where a faint scent of blood drifted over. When they illuminated the area to take a closer look, they saw that the pristine white snow was already spattered with blood. Corpses were strewn everywhere—some sprawled on the ground, some slumped against tree trunks, and others hanging from branches. They were all dressed in imperial guard uniforms, wielding various weapons, and their bodies were pierced through by numerous feathered arrows. Their facial expressions varied, looking thoroughly tragic and terrifying.

Xianglan was terrified. A heavy stench of blood assailed her senses; already feeling nauseous and sick from the bumpy journey, she could no longer endure it. Struggling down from the carriage, her feet throbbed with such pain that she could barely stand. She staggered behind a cluster of bushes and vomited uncontrollably, while her mind churned like raging billows—these imperial guards wore the attire of the Palace Front Guards, clearly the Yulin personal guards who accompanied and guarded the Emperor, yet they had been slaughtered to this extent. Could this be... treason? Assassinating the Emperor and murdering the sovereign? Xianglan felt her entire body turn cold, trembling even more uncontrollably.

With a grave expression, Lin Jinlou held a torch and stepped forward himself to survey the scene. He noticed that some of the corpses still retained some warmth, indicating they had died quite recently. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly barked, "Wen Rushi!"

Wen Rushi hurried forward, cupped his fists, and said, "This subordinate is here!"

Lin Jinlou gave him low instructions. Wen Rushi was first startled, then managed to steady himself, dropped to one knee, and vowed, "Even if this subordinate dies without a burial place, I will fulfill the General's command." With that, he mounted his horse and rode off with seven or eight men.

Lin Jinlou then summoned Hu Lai and another trusted aide, Zeng Yuan, to his side and gave them further instructions. Hu Lai wore a stern expression as he led seven or eight men away, while Zeng Yuan took three men and headed back along the route they had just come.

Lin Jinlou took a deep breath, feeling the biting cold wind make his throat ache. That morning, he and Yuan Shaoren had gone out to the Five Army Camp in the outskirts of the capital to visit an old friend, never expecting to run into the Crown Prince. It turned out the Crown Prince had been dispatched by the Emperor on a secret imperial mission in the camp while traveling incognito. Seeing that the Crown Prince had very few guards with him, and that most of the troops in the camp had already completed their training and been dispatched to various military commands in Fengyang, Lin Jinlou couldn't help worrying about the safety of the East Palace. However, the Crown Prince had waved his hand and smiled, saying, "It's no matter. This trip out has been strictly confidential, and moreover, the matter has already been investigated. His Majesty is sending the Jinwu Guards, and they are likely already on the road."

Seeing that the Crown Prince was tight-lipped and unwilling to say more, Lin Jinlou knew there must be hidden reasons and refrained from asking further, taking his leave and departing. Now, seeing these Jinwu Guards brutally slaughtered in the woods, it was evident how fiercely they had fought. Shaken to his core, he hurriedly dispatched his trusted aides in two parties to warn the Crown Prince, and ordered Zeng Yuan to return to the estate to inform Yuan Shaoren. Turning around, he saw Xianglan standing behind a tree. A sliver of moonlight fell upon her face, revealing a complexion as pale as paper with a hint of hidden terror, yet she was desperately trying to maintain her usual composure.

Lin Jinlou walked up to her and said softly, "There is an estate very close by ahead. I will send you there first. One of the families living there used to have ties with the Lin household; you can go take refuge there for now."

Seeing that only three men remained by Lin Jinlou's side, Xianglan couldn't help asking, "What about you?"

Lin Jinlou's gaze flickered as he said, "Never mind about that. Which bastard committed this act—I have a seven or eighty percent guess in my heart. Having you by my side is just a burden. Once I get you settled safely, I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp, piercing whistle tore through the air. An arrow like a streak of lightning plunged with a thud straight into the chest of the Lin family guard who was standing at the outermost edge holding a torch.

"Clatter!" The torch tumbled from the man's grasp onto the ground. He clutched the shaft of the arrow with both hands, his expression stunned before turning into agonizing torment. His body swayed twice. At that moment, four more arrows whistled through the air, fiercely piercing straight through the man's body. Without uttering a single sound, he slowly collapsed onto the ground.

Xianglan was frozen in shock. Lin Jinlou shoved her flat onto the ground, shouted in a low voice, "Hide behind the tree, don't move!" and commanded the remaining two men, "Extinguish the torches! Get down fast!" He drove his own torch deep into a snowdrift, rolled across the ground, and vanished into the night.