Against the Current - Chapter 309

Chapter 309 - Illness (Part 1)

Lingqing let out a heavy sigh, exchanged blank looks with Lingsu, and stuck out her tongue in a small gesture. "Amitabha," she whispered, "the Old Master looks even more terrifying than the Eldest Master. I didn't even dare to breathe too loudly."

Xianglan sat down by the bedside, picked up a small silk hand towel from the small table to wipe the sweat from Lin Jinlou's forehead, and ordered someone to fetch a jar of cosmetic balm. Dipping her finger into a bit of it, she gently applied it to Lin Jinlou's chapped lips and let out a long breath.

Lingsu stepped forward and said softly, "You should get some sleep for a while, Secondary Wife; the whites of your eyes are all bloodshot."

Exhausted, Xianglan shook her head and sat there in a daze, her mind blank. At that moment, Shuran walked in, pulled Xianglan up without any room for argument, and said, "My dear Secondary Wife, go quickly and get some rest. Even a body of iron couldn't hold up under this. We're here to look after the Eldest Master." Drained of every ounce of energy and unable to stand steadily, Xianglan let Shuran support her into the adjoining room while Shuran bustled about directing the maidservants to make up the bed. With her head spinning and her vision dim, Xianglan walked over with her eyes closed. As her hand relaxed, the box of balm slipped from her fingertips and rolled away somewhere with a soft patter. Someone removed her outer garments, and as her head tilted sideways onto the pillow, she sank straight into a deep dream.

When Xianglan woke up, daylight had already filled the room. Huashan was sitting on the edge of the kang, wearing a bean-green padded vest, doing needlework. Xianglan rubbed her eyes, sat up, and asked with a raspy voice, "How long have I been asleep?"

Xiaojuan hurriedly put down her work, draped a garment over Xianglan's shoulders, poured a cup of tea, and brought it over. "You've slept for a full day and a night," she said. "Madam has been here several times and sent people over repeatedly, and the imperial physicians have come to check on you five or six times, but you never woke up."

Xianglan swallowed a sip of tea, her heart hammering violently in her chest, and asked with effort, "The Eldest Master... is he..."

Xiaojuan replied, "The Eldest Master has woken up a few times, but fell back asleep soon after, and even asked about you. The Old Master searched all over the capital for several renowned physicians, and they've been taking turns tending to the Eldest Master, the Second Master, and the others. The doctors said it was thanks to the Eldest Master's youth and strong foundation; an ordinary person suffering such heavy injuries and freezing in the bitter snow and ice would have already gone to see King Yama. He has managed to hold onto his life now, though it will still take some time for him to fully recover. Madam is overjoyed and has donated a thousand taels of silver to the temple."

A massive boulder finally lifted from Xianglan's chest, and she murmured, "Amitabha."

Xiaojuan added, "It's just that the Second Master is not doing well. He's been running a fever for two days that still hasn't broken, and he's raving nonsense in his delirium."

Xianglan asked, "What about the Second Young Mistress?"

Lowering her voice, Xiaojuan spoke mysteriously, "I don't know what taboo the Second Young Mistress violated, but now nobody in the entire household is allowed to mention her. They just say that as soon as the Second Master fell ill, the Second Young Mistress was also struck down by a sudden illness."

Xianglan thought to herself, "Tan Luhua had an illicit affair with Dai Rong. When they tracked her down, she was likely in a state of undress. The Lin family is probably trying to cover up an even more scandalous disgrace, so they've simply sealed their lips and refused to speak of it." With these thoughts running through her mind, she hastily washed up, changed her clothes, and went first to the bedchamber to check on Lin Jinlou. He was still fast asleep, with Mother Wu and Lingsu keeping watch over him. The moment Mother Wu caught sight of Xianglan, she showered her with endless expressions of concern and coaxed her repeatedly to go back and eat.

Xianglan had no choice but to return. Huashan and the others had ordered a spread from the small kitchen: a dish of pickled bamboo shoots fried with mountain delicacies, a dish of five-fragrance fermented soybeans, a dish of arhat vegetables, a dish of milk-dough pastries, a bowl of red bean and glutinous rice eight-treasure porridge, and a steaming pot of red date soup.

Only then did Xianglan realize how starved she was, and she wolfed down her meal in a flurry. No sooner had she put down her chopsticks than Lingqing brought out a fresh set of clothes and guided her to bathe. Xianglan enjoyed a wonderfully refreshing bath and changed into fresh garments. Xiaojuan used two large fluffy towels to dry her hair until it was half-dry, braided it, and loosely pinned it into a topknot using several longevity hairpins.

Just as she turned the corner from the back rooms and headed toward the bedchamber to check on Lin Jinlou, she stepped inside abruptly only to find a room full of men sitting within. She immediately retreated in a flurry, just in time to hear Lin Jinlou cough and say, "Come, come in."

Xianglan froze. Shuran had already stepped out, taking Xianglan by the hand with a slight smile as she said, "The Eldest Master is inviting you in, Madam."

With no way out, Xianglan had no choice but to re-enter. She curtsied in greeting, and lifting her eyelids for a brief glance, she saw that the men seated in the room were none of other than Yuan Shaoren, Lin Jinting, Liu Xiaochuan, Xie Yu, and Chu Dapeng. Everyone stood up in succession, hastily cupping their hands and bowing in return to declare they dared not accept such courtesy. Because Lin Jinting had been close friends with Song柯, he still harbored lingering prejudices against Xianglan and muttered under his breath, "What's so great about her? She's just a snobbish servant—does she really deserve a bow from Third Brother?" His face wore a disgruntled expression, but before he knew it, a red date came flying straight across the room, striking him squarely on the forehead. Startled out of his wits, Lin Jinting let out a yelp of "Ow!" and leaped up.

Liu Xiaochuan, who had watched the entire scene unfold from the side, chuckled with amusement. "Well, well, little Lin San, what's wrong with you? Were you hit by your Lin family's secret family weapon? Ha? Don't assume your older cousin is lying in bed like a sick cat; do you finally know what an iron-willed warrior and living tyrant looks like? Without deploying a single soldier, he can make your dog-head blossom just by lifting a finger." With that, he scurried over to the bedside to dutifully pound Lin Jinlou's legs, chiming in, "Dear brother, am I right or am I right?"

Rubbing his forehead, Lin Jinting glanced at Lin Jinlou. Seeing his older cousin glaring at him with a dark expression—and although the man was pale and weak with illness, it still sent a chill straight to his heart—Lin Jinting shrank his neck. He looked at Liu Xiaochuan, felt he was losing face, and grumbled resentfully, "Get lost, get lost, get lost! Stop trying to fan the flames and stir up trouble, you flatterer."

Liu Xiaochuan rolled his eyes. "Seeing that my Brother Lou has won yet another merit, what's wrong with your little grandpa here cozying up to a powerful backer? Other people wouldn't even get the chance!"

Xianglan looked toward Lin Jinlou's face. His hair had been neatly combed, but he was still so pale he lacked all color, his lips were chapped and white, his eye sockets were swollen, and his cheeks had hollowed out, which only served to make his pair of eyes appear all the more piercingly bright. Lin Jinlou turned his head, and their gazes collided. He seemed stunned for a moment and said nothing, merely turning his face away to say, "We are all our own people. Respecting her is... cough... is respecting me."

As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire room fell into stunned silence. Even Liu Xiaochuan suppressed his frivolous expression, turned his head, and exchanged meaningful glances with Chu Dapeng, Xie Yu, and the others. Lin Jinlou had always treated women as beneath notice, having openly declared that a well-matched wife married through the front doors was merely an ornament for managing the inner quarters, while a pretty face kept close for pampering was just a pastime to kill boredom. This was the very first time he had ever solemnly demanded that his brothers and close friends show respect to the woman in his quarters. The group could not help but cup their fists in a renewed bow as they chorused, "Naturally, naturally."

Turning his head toward Xianglan, Lin Jinlou said, "You go back to the inner quarters to rest."

Xianglan curtsied and hurriedly withdrew.

Lingqing replaced the tea with a fresh brew and laid out new fruit pastries and cakes. Yuan Shaoren said to Lin Jinlou, "Fortunately, you sent word to report the news in time this time; the Crown Prince received the message early and made defensive arrangements ahead of schedule. As soon as I received your letter, I immediately mobilized the prefectural garrison, or the Eastern Palace would have been in mortal peril. The Crown Prince told me that he is personally overseeing the arrests of the party members and rebels these few days, and once he has a free moment, he will definitely come over in person to check on you."

Lin Jinlou replied, "I couldn't possibly accept such an honor."

Lin Jinting chimed in, "The Eastern Palace has already sent the Chief of the household over to deliver some top-grade medicinal herbs."

Xie Yu remarked, "The Second Prince was truly out of his mind. Why go to such lengths just to contend for that chair? The entire court and capital are gripped in terror—the Zheng family of Duke Xian's estate, the Dong family of the Ministry of Personnel, the Cao family of the Regional Commander, the Dai family of the Imperial Academy... Tsk tsk, the list is so long the prisons probably won't even have enough room left."

Chu Dapeng said, "Families with shallow foundations weren't even given a thorough trial. Take Dai Qing of the Imperial Academy, for instance—his family was raided directly, and he was sentenced to immediate execution."

Lin Jinlou looked at Chu Dapeng and said, "Brother, I'm sorry."

Chu Dapeng understood what Lin Jinlou meant and smiled wryly. "Between you and me as brothers, what is there to apologize for or not? I'm fine; it's just that my father felt we had lost all face earlier. Now that your family's Old Master has personally stepped forward to offer amends, what more does my father have to say? We've been old acquaintances for so many years—bringing up such things would only make us seem distant."

The others remained silent. Lin Jinxuan's uproar at the Chu household, regardless of how tightly they tried to seal it up, had already spread through the grapevine in private, though the Second Prince's sudden rebellion had conveniently overshadowed and suppressed this piece of news.

Cupping his hands, Lin Jinlou said, "Consider this my owing you a favor on behalf of our family's Second brother."

After talking for a long while, Lin Jinlou grew mentally fatigued, and the group rose one after another to take their leave. Before departing, Yuan Shaoren spoke softly to Lin Jinlou, "I have already had Zhao Yuechan's remains buried according to your wishes."

Lin Jinlou paused, then said, "Thank you." After a brief hesitation, he added, "Please hand her over to Xu Fu, the steward of my estate, and have them give her a proper burial."

Yuan Shaoren was taken aback as well. With a sigh, he bantered, "I thought you loathed that woman to the core and would at most bestow a thin wooden matting to wrap her in. It seems I misjudged you after all—our illustrious General Lin is a man of lingering affections. After all, a single day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace."

Lin Jinlou smiled faintly. "According to my original intentions, at most I would have rewarded her with a tattered reed mat to wrap her up in. But she had a grandfather who was a good man, and considering Xianglan's feelings... forget it."

Yuan Shaoren didn't understand what Lin Jinlou meant. He stared at him for a long moment before finally patting Lin Jinlou on the shoulder, standing up, and walking away.

At that moment, Lingsu brought in the medicinal broth, and Lingqing used a lock-shaped bolster to prop Lin Jinlou's head a bit higher. Craning his neck to look toward the doorway, Lin Jinlou asked, "Where is Xianglan?"

Lingsu replied, "She went over to Madam's place."

Lin Jinlou furrowed his brows and let out an "Oh." After drinking his medicine, he drifted into a murky sleep. When he woke up, he still asked where Xianglan was, and Lingqing answered, "The Secondary Wife is still with Madam."

Frustration inevitably welled up in Lin Jinlou; he couldn't fathom what could possibly be happening at Qin Shi's quarters that was more important than him. Lingsu was still holding the medicine bowl when Lin Jinting came sprinting in like a gust of wind, shoving Lingsu aside as he declared, "I'll do it, I'll do it." Sitting down by the bedside, he picked up the medicine bowl, scooped a spoonful, and said, "Good brother, look at how I'm serving you medicine just like a dutiful and filial descendant—even the Old Master has never made me wait on him like this, so stop holding a grudge against me." With that, he brought the spoon to Lin Jinlou's lips.

Lin Jinlou was already feeling irritated, and caught off guard, he took a sip that was both scalding hot and intensely bitter. He promptly gave Lin Jinting a smack on the head, snapping, "Is this how you serve people?! Do you want to—do you want to scald me to death?!"

Lin Jinting cried out in grievance, "I didn't! How would I dare? Didn't your young master just say..." Setting the medicine bowl aside, he lowered his voice and whispered, "My brother, I'm acting with the best of intentions here. I came to secretly tip you off about some news."

In a foul mood, Lin Jinlou scoffed, "If you have something to say, spit it out. What kind of news could you possibly bring me?"

"Tsk, I'm risking getting my skin peeled off by grandfather for this." Lin Jinting leaned in close and whispered, "Brother, do you still remember that you used to have a concubine residing outside named Su Meiru?"