Against the Current - Chapter 308

Chapter 308 - Elders

As everyone bustled about in a flurry, crowding around Lin Jinlou to attend to him, Xianglan climbed down from the carriage. Realizing there was no room for her to lend a hand, she followed the others toward the house. She was so exhausted that her legs felt barely capable of moving, yet she gritted her teeth and dragged herself indoors. Xiaojuan was stretching her neck to look toward the doorway, and upon catching sight of Xianglan, she let out a startled gasp. She hurried forward, caught her by the arm to steady her, and blurted out, "My dear mistress, you—how did you end up like this?!" Huashan rushed over at the sound, and together with Xiaojuan, they supported Xianglan on either side as they brought her into the house. Lin Jinlou had been carried into the bedchamber for treatment, and though Xianglan wanted to follow inside, Shuran stopped her, saying, "Secondary Wife, the imperial physicians are tending to the wound, and there are matrons inside. Even Madam is waiting outside. You would do better to go rest in the warm chamber first, Madam."

Still uneasy at heart, Xianglan was personally escorted by Shuran into the warm chamber. Xiaojuan unfolded a six-panel bamboo-and-plum blossom screen to block the entrance of the warm chamber, lowering the soft, green floral-patterned curtain hanging from the bronze-carved hooks outside. Then, she dashed out to call a little maidservant to fetch water, towels, and other necessities. This warm chamber was not large; beneath the window stretched a wide brick bed covered with a bright red felt mat, a rouge-colored, gold-patterned python-skin mattress, and a dark blue-green, gold-woven bolster. On the left stood a small, begonia-patterned lacquer table holding a teacup and a spitbox, while a celadon jar held a pair of blooming narcissus bulbs that released a rich fragrance, flourishing in full bloom.

Xianglan was covered in mud and filth, her face and hair caked with the dust of the road, and she felt both frozen and stiff. Huashan had already stepped forward to untie her cloak and help her strip off the fox-fur coat, casually dropping it onto the floor. Xiaojuan walked in carrying a bowl of steaming broth and said, "This ginger soup has been simmering on the stove the whole time. Drink a sip quickly to warm your body." Xianglan took it, held it in her hands, and took a sip, letting out a long, shuddering breath as she murmured, "Go see how the Eldest Master is doing. How are his injuries?"

Xiaojuan went out again, returning a moment later to report, "The imperial physicians are treating him right now, and nobody is allowed inside. I just asked Hongjian, and she said they have to stitch up the wound on his shoulder. They've already started brewing medicine in the small kitchen." Unable to help herself, she lowered her voice and asked, "Mistress, what on earth... what happened?"

Xianglan spoke softly, "It's a long story. What was the capital like last night?"

Xiaojuan replied, "It was absolute chaos—shouting and killing outside, fires lighting up the sky, and turmoil all night long. The Eldest Master wasn't here, and the Second Master was useless. What could a single woman like Madam do? Fortunately, the Eldest Master left behind Teacher Qi and several bodyguards before he departed. We spent the whole night in terror, but thankfully we came through safely. I heard a few scoundrels tried to take advantage of the chaos to break in and loot things, but they were all caught and are still locked up right now."

Huashan spoke in a hushed voice, "With the country torn apart by war, Guiyuan came in early this morning and said the morning market didn't even open. People are making arrests everywhere in the capital, and the entire road leading to the palace is covered in blood and has been sealed off by imperial soldiers. Everyone is whispering among themselves that the Second Prince has rebelled." While speaking, she deftly stripped off Xianglan's outer garments until only her undergarments remained. Lingqing brought in a clean set of clothes, and Lingsu carried in a basin of hot water, saying, "The Eldest Master is receiving treatment in his room, and it's too chaotic in there to bathe properly. You should just wipe yourself down first, Mistress."

The room was warm as spring. Exhausted, Xianglan sat on the kang, feeling drowsy and sapped of strength, yet trembling slightly. Someone took the bowl from her hands, removed the boots that had long since soaked through her feet, and submerged her icy feet into the warm water. She shuddered instantly, feeling as though thousands of needles were pricking her soles. Xiaojuan let down her hair, carefully smoothing it out before twisting it into a topknot. Lingqing used a warm, damp towel to wipe her face, then applied ointment to the swollen and painful spots on her cheeks, while Huashan fed her a couple of spoons of warm soup. She was so bone-tired that she swayed left and right with her eyes closed, unable to sit steadily. Lingsu brought over several varieties of delicate pastries and a bowl of porridge. Trembling and barely able to hold her chopsticks, Xianglan ate a few flour pastries without tasting them, asked for a cup of strong tea, and drank it down in one gulp to force herself to stay awake.

Before long, Qin Shi entered, inquiring in detail about the origin of events. After Xianglan gave a rough account, a loud, agonizing scream pierced through from the inner bedchamber. Qin Shi and Xianglan started in alarm, leaping to their feet to rush toward the bedchamber, startling the troop of imperial physicians who hurriedly tried to dodge out of the way, lowering their heads and averting their gaze. Rushing to the bedside, Qin Shi and Xianglan saw Lin Jinlou lying bare-chested with blood oozing continuously from his wounds. Silver needles had been driven into his body, his face was the color of gold foil, his consciousness was hazy and dim, and his breathing came in ragged gasps. One imperial physician bowed deeply until his back was level and said, "Do not be alarmed, Madam. We were just treating the wound on General Lin's chest and needed to excise the rotting flesh. We have already administered datura decoction and applied acupuncture, but the injury is simply too severe, and it startled the General awake with the pain." He spoke while wiping the sweat from his brow. Lin Jinlou possessed superhuman strength; just moments before, three or four men had been unable to hold him down.

Tears spilled uncontrollably from Qin Shi's eyes, and Xianglan's heart clenched into a tight knot, but with no other recourse, the two of them had no choice but to retreat from the bedchamber. At that moment, Guiyuan ran up from outside and dropped to his knees at the doorway, calling out, "Madam! The Old Master and Old Madam have arrived!" Upon hearing this, Qin Shi hastily adjusted her clothes and hurried out, supported by Hongjian and Lushan, followed by a throng of maidservants and matrons.

Shortly thereafter, a commotion arose in the courtyard. Xianglan pushed the window open by a crack and saw Lin Zhaoxiang leaning on a cane, supported by Lin Jinting on the side, accompanied by several page boys bustling around him. Qin Shi followed at the very rear. Once they entered the room, Lin Zhaoxiang brushed Lin Jinting aside and strode straight toward the bedchamber. Xianglan heard Qin Shi standing at the doorway complaining, "You little monkey, you're a married man now, yet your mouth still lacks a latch! Didn't I send word to keep it from the Old Master first? It's freezing cold, and the old gentleman has already suffered the fatigue of a long journey. If he learns of this business and something goes wrong, the blame will fall entirely on you!"

Lin Jinting rubbed the back of his head with a gloomy, distressed expression. "Good aunt, my heart is already in my throat. If grandfather really suffers a mishap... why don't you just hand me a knife straight away so I can slit my own throat..."

Qin Shi slapped Lin Jinting across the head, chiding him, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting right at the end of the year? Are you afraid the household isn't lively enough? We've got three lying in sickbeds and one still resting in the mourning hall, and you're still talking about death—I'll sew your mouth shut!"

With a mournful expression, Lin Jinting mumbled submissively. Qin Shi was ten times fiercer than his own mother, and he had always stood in awe of her; yet he feared the Old Master even more, prompting him to shrink his neck and say, "Aunt, you can't blame this entirely on me either. What kind of person is our Old Master? He used to be the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, discerning as autumn frost and sharp-eyed as a torch. Eldest Brother would dare pierce the sky, but he'd never dare test the old gentleman... Truly, don't glare at me like that, just one glance from the old man and the calves of my legs turn to jelly. Would I dare hoodwink his elderly self? When he questioned me, my heart and liver were about to leap out of my chest. I originally wanted to tell him bit by bit, slowly, but before I knew it, I confessed everything. As for the Old Madam's end, I kept it under tight wraps without letting out a single hint of wind. Aunt, I may not have earned any merit on this journey, but I sure put in hard work. The trip here wasn't peaceful either; thank goodness we stayed at an official post station last night so we could sleep soundly through the night. If not for sending word to the Commander of the Nine Gates today, we wouldn't even have made it through the city gates." He craned his neck to peer into the bedchamber and asked, "Is Eldest Brother alright? The page boy who brought the news said he was injured. What happened to Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law?"

Qin Shi sighed deeply, her face shrouded in sorrow as she shook her head and told Lin Jinting, "Stop asking about everything. You can't help with any of this. Go attend to the Old Madam, and later draw five hundred taels of silver from the accounts. Go donate some incense money at the temple, and light a few great ocean lanterns for the ancestors of the household, as well as for your Eldest and Second Brothers, to dispel the bad luck." Lin Jinting agreed repeatedly, cast one glance at Lin Jinlou in the room, and retreated.

By then, the imperial physicians were filing out of the room one after another. Qin Shi hastily stepped aside to make way. Lin Zhaoxiang exchanged pleasantries with them, expressing his thanks with utmost courtesy before instructing a maidservant to fetch very generous red envelopes and sending people to escort the physicians to the reception room to write out prescriptions, as well as to serve them tea and pastries—matters that need no further elaboration.

Xianglan could hold back no longer, and as soon as the physicians left, she followed behind Qin Shi into the bedchamber. Lin Jinlou had already fallen into a deep sleep, and matrons were walking out carrying large basins of blood-red water. Because medicine had just been administered, the entire room reeked of herbal decoctions.

Lin Zhaoxiang walked in, his expression grave as he said, "The physician says the wound on his shoulder is passable and will heal on its own with rest; only the injury on his chest is severe. The rotting flesh has been excised, and the dressing must be changed every hour. If he can pull through these two days, he will be out of danger."

Xianglan did not dare ask what would happen if he "failed to pull through." She stood by the bedside and lowered her gaze. The hair on Lin Jinlou's forehead was matted with cold sweat, a layer of dark stubble had sprouted along his jawline, and his chapped, whitened lips made him look all the more haggard and desolate. She had never imagined that a man who was usually so full of life and vitality could become so weak and powerless.

Qin Shi wiped her tears with a handkerchief, forced herself to gather her spirits, and spoke softly to Lin Zhaoxiang, "Father-in-law, this young woman is Xianglan. Brother Lou values her greatly, and throughout this entire ordeal, she has been the one staying by his side guarding him. She is a devoted and steadfast person." With that, she pulled on Xianglan's sleeve and motioned with her eyes, saying, "This is the Patriarch, why aren't you making a formal kowtow?"

In her past life, the Lin and Shen families had been on friendly terms, and in her childhood, Lin Zhaoxiang had even held Xianglan, personally teaching her calligraphy and testing her on her studies. Now, after years had passed in a flash, Lin Zhaoxiang's temples were frosted with white and he appeared somewhat aged, yet his frame remained lean and upright, full of vigor and vitality, with a composed and reserved demeanor. His air of unangered authority was an absolute mirror of Lin Jinlou's. Xianglan thought to herself: No wonder everyone said Lin Jinlou was carved from the very same mold as Lin Zhaoxiang. At first, she hadn't felt they looked alike—the Old Master was scholarly and refined, possessing a cultured elegance—but seeing him now, she realized the two men were startlingly similar.

Lin Zhaoxiang's gaze was piercing as he looked her over. A wave of panic fluttered in Xianglan's chest, but she immediately steadied herself and knelt on the floor to kowtow. Lin Zhaoxiang looked Xianglan over once more, turned to Qin Shi, and said indifferently, "I know of her. She is a talented young woman who can write and paint. However, I hadn't met her before and didn't realize the household was harboring such a talent. Looking at her now, she seems quite steady."

Qin Shi forced a trace of a smile and said, "Indeed she is. Not only is she fair of face, but her character is exemplary as well."

Lin Zhaoxiang nodded, cast another glance toward the bed, and instructed Qin Shi, "Tell people to take good care of him. Regardless of whether it's day or night, inform me immediately if there is any news. The Old Madam's health hasn't been well, so don't mention this matter to her for now; just tell her Brother Lou has gone to drill troops on the outskirts of the capital."

Qin Shi agreed repeatedly. Lin Zhaoxiang turned on his heel to leave, but before departing, he glanced at Xianglan once more and said, "Let's go take a look at Xuan'er." Though Qin Shi desperately wished to stay and care for her own son, since the Old Master had spoken, she had no choice but to follow along behind him.