Against the Current - Chapter 313

Chapter 313 - Illness (Part 4)

On the following day, callers and well-wishers visiting the Lin residence arrived in an endless stream. Lin Jinlou instructed Xianglan to read aloud the calling cards that had been submitted, sorting them into several piles according to closeness, distance, priority, and urgency. Some he dictated for Xianglan to pen replies to, while others were sent directly to the old master. Outwardly, he still maintained that he was ill and refused all visitors uniformly, making an exception solely for the senior secretary and advisors sent by the Crown Prince.

After seeing the guests off, Xianglan handed the gift inventory sent by the Crown Prince over to Lin Jinlou. After glancing through it roughly, Lin Jinlou said to Xianglan, "Take the gift inventory to the old master for him to look over. If there's anything among the items that you like, pick a few pieces for yourself, and let the Mistress pick a few as well." With that, he closed his eyes. Knowing that he had spent half a day expending his mental energy and was already exhausted, Xianglan fed him a few sips of water, let down the bed curtains, and dispatched Xuening to deliver the inventory. Before long, Tao Hongxun and Lin Dongqi arrived at Changchun Hall to inquire after his illness. Seeing that the courtyard was as quiet as a graveyard, the two of them stepped lightly and walked in quietly. Outside, two or three little maidservants were airing out quilts, while in the outer room of the main quarters, two maids were busy with needlework. Catching sight of the visitors, they hurriedly put down their work and went inside to announce them.

When Tao Hongxun looked around, he saw that the interior was resplendent with gold and jade, shimmering with fine craftsmanship, alongside a whole array of lush, verdant orchids—cold orchids, ink orchids, and sword orchids in endless variety. Set amidst these were a few sprigs of red plum blossoms placed in vases, while narcissus flowers exhaled sweet fragrances, their red and white blossoms contrasting to create a lively and pleasing sight. He thought to himself, "My eldest brother-in-law has never had the patience to tend to flowers and plants. The flora filling his rooms now, particularly the abundance of orchids, must be because his beloved concubine in these quarters—the one people call the 'Orchid Fragrance Scholar'—takes pleasure in them." Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, a soft voice spoke from behind the gauze window screens within: "Second Brother-in-law, Second Sister, please come right in." A beautiful woman walked out to greet them, her attire and grooming distinct from that of ordinary maidservants. Tao Hongxun hurriedly lowered his gaze, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he followed Lin Dongqi into the room, though he took in her appearance with his peripheral vision. The woman possessed a slender, graceful figure and an oval face. She wore a brocade official-green damask jacket overlaid with a light-red sleeveless vest and a white silk finely pleated skirt. Her bearing was elegant and poised, and every glance she cast seemed to radiate brilliance—it was none other than Xianglan. Lin Dongqi was exceedingly affectionate with her, clasping Xianglan's hands as she asked, "How is my brother?"

Xianglan replied softly, "He just fell asleep." She led the two of them up to the bed and lifted the curtains. They saw Lin Jinlou sleeping heavily; the flesh on his cheeks had wasted away so completely that his cheekbones appeared unusually high, and his complexion was deathly pale. Lin Dongqi's eyes instantly reddened, and she said to Xianglan, "Let him sleep, then. We won't disturb him." Xianglan then guided the pair into the adjacent side room and personally poured tea for them. Knowing her distinct status, Tao Hongxun quickly stood up with a smile and said, "How could we trouble you to pour tea? I'll pour it myself."

Xianglan said, "Second Brother-in-law, please sit. It's just pouring a cup of tea, after all." In her heart, she felt that Tao Hongxun was indeed a proper gentleman; his eyes did not wander, and ever since entering the room, he walked with his head bowed and a mild smile, his steps unhurried and calm. Turning her gaze to Lin Dongqi, she noted that since giving birth to a son and emerging from her confinement month, her figure had grown noticeably fuller, yet her complexion was exceptionally radiant.

At that moment, Lin Dongxi arrived as well. After sitting for a brief while, Tao Hongxun headed over to the old master's quarters, leaving them to their own devices. Meanwhile, Xianglan, Dongqi, and Dongxi gathered together to converse. When the topic turned to the circumstances of Lin Jinlou's narrow escape that fateful night, Xianglan simply recounted meeting the mutinous soldiers while omitting the episode involving Zhao Yuechan. The sisters pressed their hands to their chests in shock and sighed with deep emotion.

Lin Dongxi remarked, "The capital has grown somewhat calmer over the past couple of days, though various places are still rounding up remnant rebels, keeping everyone on edge. Not to mention the outside, even the household is in complete disarray."

Xianglan sighed and said, "Have the two sisters been to the second branch yet? The second master is also bedridden, drifting between lucidity and confusion. The imperial physician says he won't take a turn for the better until he survives this winter. The second mistress has fallen ill as well. The eldest brother-in-law and eldest sister arrived early this morning to wear mourning garb. In these turbulent times, the old master's wish is to conduct the funeral quietly. He gave the eldest sister one hundred taels of silver for her to manage the arrangements, forbidding any ostentatious display."

Leaning forward, Lin Dongxi pressed Xianglan, "Tsk, how on earth did Concubine Yin pass away? Her constitution was so robust; she hadn't even suffered from a major illness or minor ailment before... It's only natural for the second brother to fall ill around the turn of the year given his weak health, but why did Madam Tan fall sick as well? They say her illness can't bear the wind and nobody is allowed into the room to visit—why does it seem as though it's something shameful to be seen?"

Though Xianglan understood the truth of the matter in her heart, she replied outwardly, "How would I know? We were out at the estate these past few days, and lately I've been entirely occupied with tending to the eldest master, so outside matters don't reach my ears."

After chatting a while longer, the two of them rose, intending to head over to the second branch to pay a visit. Since Concubine Yin had passed away, they needed to burn a stick of incense to fulfill their duty as well, and so they took their leave.

Lin Jinlou slept for roughly an hour. Awakening to find Xianglan sitting right there in the room, a flicker of genuine pleasure crossed his mind. However, the moment he saw Xianglan carrying over a bowl of medicinal porridge, his face immediately lengthened into a sullen scowl and he refused to eat. Xianglan coaxed him with gentle tones, "Won't you eat a little? I cooked this myself."

Right at that moment, Lingsu announced, "The fourth brother-in-law has arrived." They saw Yuan Shaoren walk in. After exchanging greetings with Xianglan, he pulled up an embroidered round stool for himself and sat down beside the bed. He pressed a hand to Lin Jinlou's chest and asked with a smile, "How are things today? Feeling a bit better?"

Lin Jinlou gave a couple of coughs and replied, "Better or worse, what difference does it make? My mouth tastes like bitterness from dawn till dusk. The mere sight of medicinal pills and herbal decoctions makes me want to vomit. Between eating and sleeping, my bones feel like they're rusting away. You'll have to shoulder more of the burden for me over at the military camps; otherwise, with the tiger away in the mountains, the monkeys will call themselves kings and the whole camp will mutiny. Over the past couple of days, dispatches regarding every major and minor matter have been forwarded in here, and there are so many slips of paper they're about to bury me alive." As he spoke, he jutted his chin toward the small bedside table, where a stack of letters indeed lay piled high.

Yuan Shaoren chuckled. "That simply won't do. I've handled the other military affairs for you, but your Lin Family Army won't take orders from me." Picking up a lettered slip at random, he pointed at the annotations on the side and laughed, "Look at this—such fine, elegant brushwork. Someone is holding the brush and managing things for you. With a beauty adding fragrance to your study, what else could you possibly have to fret over? In a couple of days, once you have trustworthy confidants like Wen Rushi make a few more frequent visits, you'll have everything you need."

"I'm suffering like this lying in bed, and you're still making sport of me. That's hardly showing any brotherhood."

Yuan Shaoren scoffed, "Me not showing brotherhood? I've spent the entire day running around hunting down rebels, worn to the bone with exhaustion, and the moment I scramble over here to check on you, I get this kind of reputation?"

Lin Jinlou sighed. "Why don't the two of us swap places? I actually wish I were out hunting down rebels right now."

Taking a sip of tea, Yuan Shaoren drew a piece of paper from inside his tunic and said, "It's settled. You didn't suffer these injuries in vain. The Emperor is going to bestow honors upon you; you might even be appointed as a military governor. Word has just come down from the Grand Secretariat."

Lin Jinlou glanced through the paper and remarked, "That title is just an empty form anyway, and those few dozen taels of silver a year hardly make a difference."

Yuan Shaoren tucked the paper back into his tunic with a smile. "You still need to climb up the official ranks. If you want real authority, you'll have to wait until the Crown Prince ascends the throne and dispenses his favors, but a regional commander's post is well within your grasp."

At that moment, Xianglan entered to refill the tea, and Lin Jinlou stared fixedly at her, lost in thought. Yuan Shaoren glanced from Xianglan to Lin Jinlou, and once Xianglan had stepped out again, he remarked, "Alright, stop staring. She's already left the room. Haven't you had enough of watching her guard over you day in and day out? Keep glaring like that and you'll bore a hole right through her."

Lin Jinlou shot him a side-long look. "I enjoy it. Is it any of your business?"

Yuan Shaoren waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, none of my business... To tell the truth, this young lady is truly remarkable. Following you has brought her nothing but hardship, and after surviving an ordeal like this, you had better treat her well—especially with that dog-like temper of yours... Tsk, tsk, don't glare at me; I'm only saying this because of the bond between us brothers. Anyone else wouldn't hear a peep of this from me. Pleasant New Year greetings are so pleasant to hear, yet here I am poking at your shortcomings—why should I bother?"

Lin Jinlou let out a sigh. After a pause, he said, "Even if she doesn't say a single word, I have no idea what's going on in her head."

Yuan Shaoren paused, staring abstractedly at the pot of orchids sitting on the table by the bed, before finally saying, "She knows well enough in her heart. She started out as a humble maidservant; regardless of what kind of grace or debt she now shares with your family, you'll still have to marry a young woman of matching social standing in the future... My brother, put your hand over your heart and think about it: with her looks and talent, unless you bring home a clay figurine, who among ordinary women would ever tolerate her? Yet can you possibly marry a clay figurine? In a household as vast as this, without someone capable of managing matters from within to keep the inner courtyard stable—she is simply too clever, too clear-headed. If she were only a bit more foolish, she wouldn't have to live such an exhausting life."

Looking at Yuan Shaoren, Lin Jinlou said, "You certainly seem to understand it clearly enough."

Yuan Shaoren gave a bitter laugh. "How could I not understand? Back then, Lianniang..." He stopped himself mid-sentence, gently patted Lin Jinlou on the shoulder, and continued, "You're a clever man, so I won't say too much more. Figure out clearly for yourself how you ought to treat her. Your own one-sided stubbornness was what led the Jiang family to harm that young girl in the first place—haven't you suffered enough lessons from that?"

Lin Jinlou remained silent, staring blankly up at the canopy above the bed. The room fell quiet for a moment before Yuan Shaoren brought up several crucial military matters. Lin Jinlou responded with a few perfunctory remarks, and just as Yuan Shaoren rose to leave, Lin Jinlou instructed, "I hear the second sister and her husband are here. Have them track down the second brother-in-law; I have matters to discuss with him."

When Yuan Shaoren stepped outside, Xianglan was in the outer room doing needlework with the maidservants. She hurried to her feet to see him off. Reaching the doorway, Yuan Shaoren suddenly turned back to Xianglan and asked, "I'm heading over to the old master's place. The servant women said that since everyone has gathered today, the old master is keeping guests for a meal and asked me to join them. Could you point me the way?"

Being a clever woman, Xianglan understood that Yuan Shaoren had more to say to her, so she nodded in agreement. Picking up her cloak, she followed him outside. Once they reached the courtyard, Yuan Shaoren asked, "What are your... plans for the future?"

Xianglan glanced at him and replied, "I have no plans."

Yuan Shaoren said, "A person who lacks distant concerns is bound to have near-term troubles. You are a thoughtful person, and I don't believe you have no plans at all. Once the military affairs settle down, what will you do? Have you ever thought about it?" He paused briefly before adding, "I really shouldn't be asking these things, but I hold your character in high regard, which is why I'm taking the liberty to care. You remind me so much of an old acquaintance of mine, and I fear that you might end up... end up just like her in the future..."

Xianglan lowered her gaze, staring at the snow on the ground without speaking.

Yuan Shaoren sighed. "Yingyang and I have been close since childhood. Though I am quite a few years older than him, we are as close as brothers. He has always looked upon women as nothing; no matter how ethereal a beauty, he would grow weary of her before long. But this time, he has taken you deeply to heart. When you ran off to Yangzhou previously, he mobilized every single troop and man under his command to search the entire Jiangnan region for you. Every prefectural city and county magistrate's office received proclamations and orders to track you down, and he was practically frantic when he couldn't find you. When this latest catastrophe struck, he feared he wouldn't make it—even as he lay on the verge of losing consciousness in that village, he still gave me instructions to take good care of you should that day come."