Against the Current - Chapter 346

Chapter 346 - Exposure (Part 2)

Meanwhile, in a residential dwelling near the Medicine King Temple, Wubiao muttered with lingering doubt in his heart, "Lin Changmin is a good-for-nothing wine bag and rice sack. Leaving a matter like this in his hands... tsk..."

Meimei was sitting under the candlelight, holding a handheld vanity mirror to inspect her reflection. Hearing this, she put down the mirror, walked over behind Wubiao, and while massaging his shoulders, said, "Don't underestimate him either; Lin Changmin has a dark side to him as well. If this matter succeeds, he'll hold his head high for the rest of his days, so how could he not put his heart into it? Besides, Lin Jinlou cares deeply for Chen Xianglan. Once he hears there's news, won't he rush right over eagerly? Furthermore, the arrow is already on the bowstring; thinking too much about it won't help now... Is everything arranged?"

Meimei considered herself a top-tier person, yet she was like precious jade sinking into mire. Among her sisters, she was the most beautiful and clever, but because her birth mother was a concubine and meek by nature, she too was left at the mercy of others, treated by her father as a mere gift to trade for his own future. She refused to accept her fate. In the Lin family—where everyone possessed eyes for wealth and status—she curried favor on all sides and schemed at every step, finally carving out a bright and glorious future for herself. Yet, since Yu was born, why must Liang be born as well? Inopportune as fate would have it, along came Chen Xianglan, squeezing her until she had no place left to stand. Lin Jinlou had long cast her to the back of his mind, treating her like an autumn fan. She hated him for being blind, and she even more bitterly envied Chen Xianglan for stealing her glory. Right now was truly the time for a person of virtue to exact revenge even ten years later; today was the day she would vent the stifled breath in her chest! As she thought of this, she felt a liberating and satisfying thrill. Clenching her silver teeth tightly, her eyes widened as tears welled up and rolled down from them.

Wubiao said, "Everything has been settled long ago. Once Lin Jinlou walks over, four archers will fire simultaneously and turn him into a hedgehog. Even a great immortal wouldn't be able to save his life. At that time, we can rest easy, and we'll just wait here for the news."

Meimei remained silent for a long while before saying, "We must also guard against any contingency. If it fails, the thirty-six stratagems dictate that fleeing is the best course of action..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a muffled groan came from outside the wall. The two of them were startled, exchanged glances, and Meimei immediately blew out the candle in the room, walking quickly to a corner.

Wubiao drew his saber and walked toward the door, but before he could even steady himself, the front door was suddenly kicked open. Five or six men poured in from outside, brandishing their weapons and slashing forward. Wubiao was greatly alarmed and cried out, "Madam, we've walked right into a trap!" But he couldn't hear Meimei's voice. He shouted again, " someone come help!" Yet there was no response from his subordinates either. By now, he was completely unable to protect himself and hurriedly raised his saber to engage in battle.

The elite forces under Lin Jinlou were all experts. After just a few exchanges, Wubiao was outmatched and forced out of the house. Lin Jinlou sat upon his horse, holding the reins with an expressionless face, watching coldly. He saw several members of the Lin Family Army exert their strength simultaneously, and with a series of dull thuds, a blade plunged straight into Wubiao's body. Overwhelmed with agony, Wubiao cried out, "Madam, by devising this scheme, you have ruined me!" With that, clutching his heavy saber, he collapsed forward onto the ground.

Lin Jinlou instructed his subordinates, "Go inside and search." As he spoke, he urged his horse forward, ordering his men to drag Lin Changmin over and shove him down right in front of Wubiao. With a cold smile, he said, "Second Uncle, take a good look. You recognize this person, don't you? Capturing this thief this time around relied entirely on Second Uncle's meritorious service, having been willing to tell everything you knew without holding anything back."

Lin Changmin's face was completely drained of color. Along the way, he had taken countless stifled punches from Lin Jinlou and truly couldn't endure any more, which was why he had confessed earlier. Stammering, he said, "Yes, yes, my nephew is brilliant..." Before he could finish, Wubiao suddenly opened his eyes, raised his hand, and hurled the heavy saber in his grasp straight toward Lin Changmin, shouting, "It turns out you were the one playing both sides, leaking secrets to harm me!"

Lin Changmin was terrified out of his wits, but lacking the time to dodge, he jerked his head to the side. The blade let out a sharp "crack" as it struck squarely across his neck, and letting out a wretched howl of "Awooh" from his throat, he crashed down onto the ground.

Lin Jinlou was taken aback. At that moment, Wen Rushit emerged dragging a woman and reported, "Eldest Master, there is a woman hidden inside the house." Glancing by the torchlight, Lin Jinlou saw that the woman had a melon-seed face, caked with powder and rouge, two thin moth-brow eyebrows, and bright red lips. She possessed an alluring and delicate beauty, though her temples and hair were now disheveled and her expression panicked.

The two of them locked eyes in total silence. Lin Jinlou remembered Wubiao shouting the word "Madam" just moments ago, so he figured this must be Meimei.

So she was the one who had tried to harm him.

Meimei raised her face and saw Lin Jinlou looking down from above, standing as majestic and awe-inspiring as a heavenly deity. After all, he was a man she had once shared passionate intimacy with; her heart suddenly softened, ached, hated, and felt vexed all at once, followed immediately by waves of shock, fear, coldness, and hardened resolve. She parted her lips as if to speak, but before a sound came out, she heard Lin Jinlou ask, "Where is Xianglan? Is she in your hands? Hand her over to me in exchange for your life, and I will let you go immediately."

Meimei's lips trembled. With malicious spite, she thought of telling Lin Jinlou that Xianglan had already been murdered by her, or claiming that she knew Xianglan's whereabouts but refusing to tell him, and then immediately biting her tongue to commit suicide. Her eyes darted about evasively. After a long moment, she let out a breath; after all, she was someone who could not bear to part with life, and clinging to survival for even a single moment longer was better than nothing. Her demeanor inevitably wilted as she said, "Xianglan is truly not here. She was never sent to us; none of us know anything about it. She really did go missing halfway."

Lin Jinlou closed his eyes and drew a deep, heavy breath. A moment later, he opened his eyes, tossed his head back, and refused to look at Meimei ever again, as if he had never known her at all. He merely gave a calm, indifferent command to his subordinates: "Escort her away and hand her over to the authorities."

Meimei's limbs went completely limp, her mind spinning in utter chaos, and her legs felt almost too weak to walk. As she was dragged along for a few paces, she turned her head back and caught sight of Lin Jinlou's semi-profile. After walking a bit further, for reasons unknown, she turned to look back once more, but this time she only saw Lin Jinlou's retreating back, illuminated desolately by a sliver of a waning moon.

Lin Jinlou headed straight to the yamen, ordering his personal guards to carry Lin Changmin back to the Lin residence. As soon as the person was carried into Enyou Studio where the Second Branch resided, the courtyard instantly erupted into a chaotic frenzy. Lin Jinting threw on a robe and hurried out anxiously, only to see the personal guards carrying Lin Changmin into the house. They dropped a single sentence: "Military Commander Lin joined our General in capturing bandits, but unexpectedly took a bandit leader's slash to the neck." Having said that, they placed him onto the brick bed behind the partition screen outside and left.

Plucking up his courage, Lin Jinting took a look and saw that Lin Changmin's neck was twisted unnaturally to one side. The wound on his neck had already been bandaged, but half his body was soaked in fresh blood, and his face looked like gold foil as he lay there motionless, appearing as though he had already passed away. Reaching out to test his breath, he found it as thin as gossamer—he actually still had a single breath left in him! Greatly alarmed, Lin Jinting shouted in rapid succession for someone to fetch a doctor.

Hearing the commotion inside, Lady Wang sent Hupo out to inquire. Knowing that Lady Wang's health was poor, Lin Jinting dared not alarm her, so he simply glossed over it and said, "Father went out on official business with Big Brother and got injured. With me here, Mother can rest easy."

Silence settled over Lady Wang's quarters once more. A moment later, Li Miaozhi hastily coiled her hair and walked out from the back wearing everyday clothes. Seeing Lin Changmin's wretched state, she let out a cry of shock, covered her mouth, and said with a pounding heart, "Th-this... what is going on? He was perfectly fine this morning, how did he turn into a bloody mess?"

With his mind in absolute turmoil, Lin Jinting answered impatiently, "How would I know? There's nothing for you here; go check on Mother and keep the servants properly disciplined." With that, he went outside to welcome the doctor.

When the doctor arrived, he examined the patient, shook his head, and stepped outside to report, "At this point, we must do our human utmost and leave the rest to the mandate of Heaven. Administer some restorative broths; if he wakes up, he can only be given thin porridge or soup, slowly fed to him. Let's see how he pulls through these next few days."

Lin Jinting asked anxiously, "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor. May I ask you to speak frankly—is this injury life-threatening?"

The doctor replied, "The wound is not deeply set, but it struck precisely a vital spot. I fear it has already damaged the bone. Having reached this stage, it is by no means something that can be healed through routine recovery over a short time. Best to just let him recuperate for now. I will return to check on him in the afternoon."

Upon hearing these words, Lin Jinting thought to himself, "Judging by this tone, it sounds extremely perilous. Since he puts it so plainly, there's no need to ask any further." The doctor subsequently drafted a prescription, and Lin Jinting personally took the consultation fee and escorted him out. Returning inside to unfold the prescription, he saw it consisted entirely of strengthening and nourishing ingredients, so he dispatched someone to fill the prescription and went inside to report to Lady Wang. Upon entering, he found Lady Wang awake, propped up in a sitting position against the head of the bed. Lin Jinting recounted the entire sequence of events and relayed what the doctor had said.

Upon hearing this, Lady Wang unexpectedly threw off her quilt, put on her robe, and stepped out. Lin Jinting hurriedly reached out to support her, saying, "Why is Mother getting out of bed? Rest quickly, lest you get a headache later."

Lady Wang's eyes shone with an extraordinary brilliance. She walked briskly over to the partition screen, instructed Lin Jinting to hold up a candle so she could inspect Lin Changmin closely, and upon seeing that he was indeed unconscious, she suddenly burst into a fit of crisp laughter.

Stunned, Lin Jinting thought Lady Wang had been driven out of her mind by worry. As he supported her, he stammered, "Mom, what's wrong with you? What's wrong?"

Lady Wang brushed Lin Jinting's hand away, pointed straight at Lin Changmin, and with an expression of profound satisfaction and gnashing hatred, said, "You finally got what was coming to you! Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs; the day you drove Ling'er out of the house, did you know karmic retribution like this awaited you? Truly, Heaven has opened its eyes! Hahaha, Heaven has opened its eyes!" As she laughed, thinking of how she had endured bullying for so many years and suffered countless humiliations, and then remembering Lin Dongling, tears welled up and she began to sob miserably. Yet even while crying, when she looked back at Lin Changmin's current wretched state, she burst out laughing once more. Caught between such extreme grief and joy, her eyes rolled back and she fainted dead away. Terrified, Lin Jinting hurriedly caught her and shouted loudly for the maidservants and old women, throwing the place into utter pandemonium.

The Second Branch's courtyard remained brilliantly lit with bright lanterns for the entire night. Su Meiru, however, had sensed something was amiss that very evening when two guards suddenly appeared outside her door to stand watch. Though she felt a bad omen, she still clung to a sliver of wishful thinking.

Sitting in desolate stillness until dusk, someone finally reported, "The Second Mistress has arrived." With those words, the door curtain was lifted, and Li Miaozhi supported Lady Wang as they walked in. Wearing a crab-shell-green unlined jacket and with a thin, haggard face, Lady Wang no longer bore her usual submissive demeanor; instead, there was a newfound vitality gleaming in her eyes.

Lady Wang walked into the room, took a seat on a stool, and cast her gaze around. Although it was a small room in a small temple, it was furnished with brand-new brocade quilts and mattresses, color-glazed landscape tea sets, fine Longjing tea in the porcelain bowl, and on the table by the bed, a stray jade ring had been left behind—it belonged to Lin Changmin. Ah, after all, she was the person in Lin Changmin's heart; presumably, he had always sneaked over here, never willing to let his little beauty suffer even the slightest hardship, naturally bringing top-tier supplies from the grand estate to pamper her.

Lady Wang could not help recalling how Lin Changmin had treated her in the past, and how he had treated Lin Dongling. She had originally thought her heart was already completely dead, but seeing this scene today, another surge of foul venom rose to the back of her throat. Tears rushed to her eyes; grinding her teeth, her throat felt constricted, leaving her unable to speak a word.

Li Miaozhi was astute and sharp-eyed. Seeing Lady Wang like this, she knew she couldn't speak, so she stepped forward and said, "Su Concubine, last night the Master went out with the Eldest Master to suppress bandits and was severely injured. He's been carried back."

It hit Su Meiru like a thunderclap. Cold sweat broke out all over her instantly, and she blurted out in dismay, "What! How can that be?"

The room was dim, with a few wisps of sunset light piercing through the hollow-carved windows to shine directly on Su Meiru's panicked face. For the first time, Lady Wang saw her wear such an expression and felt an immense, overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Giving a light, dry cough, she said, "This time the Master was gravely wounded. The doctor came by this afternoon and said that even if he recovers, he may be left with permanent afflictions and will never be fully well again."

Su Meiru looked utterly soul-devastated, her mouth only able to mutter dazedly, "How can this be, how can this be..."

Li Miaozhi said, "The Mistress is a merciful person. Considering that you are still in your youth and will eventually have to make another path in life, she thinks it might be best to send you away..."

A violent shudder racked Su Meiru's body. She snapped her head up to look at Lady Wang. Lady Wang wished she could tear her flesh and drink her blood, but she only offered a faint, chilling sneer, interrupting, "Yet after all, you are the person the Master cherishes deeply, and the two of you share a love as deep as the sea. Now that he is lying in bed, how could I possibly tear away the apple of his eye?" Pausing for a moment, she looked straight at Su Meiru and added, "It wouldn't do to keep you living here indefinitely, either. I have already reported to the Old Madame; tomorrow, we will set up a separate courtyard just for you so you can be with the Master every single day. As long as the Master has a day left, you will naturally have a day left." With those words, she stood up, preparing to leave.

"No!" Su Meiru shrieked. Throwing off the quilt, she scrambled down from the bed, crawling and scrambling across the floor to grab onto the hem of Lady Wang's sleeve. "No, I beg the Mistress to show mercy and send me away! I have an estate registered in my own name, and I would be more than happy to offer it to the Mistress as an act of filial piety..."

Lady Wang merely stared coldly down at her, gritting her teeth as she said, "I never imagined the day would come when you would actually beg me for something." With that, she delivered a fierce slap across Su Meiru's face, striking her so hard that her own palm stung and her whole body trembled. Pointing at her, Lady Wang cursed, "You... you wicked wretch! You drove my daughter to a fate worse than death, and yet you still have the nerve to ask me for mercy!"

Li Miaozhi hurriedly stepped forward to support Lady Wang, murmuring, "Mistress, please take care of yourself. You came here to vent your hatred, so you must look after your health." Turning to Su Meiru, she added, "Su Concubine, the entire Lin family has shown you mercy by sparing you; you ought to know when to be content."

Su Meiru did not reply. Dazed and vacant, she collapsed weakly onto the floor.

Su Meiru had originally expected Lin Jinlou to come settle scores with her personally, never anticipating that she would not even catch a single glimpse of Lin Jinlou. Lady Wang genuinely cleared out a side courtyard for her and Lin Changmin to live in, dispatching guards to keep strict watch and forbidding them from stepping out even half a step—turning it into a veritable prison. Lin Changmin had a tenacious life force and actually managed to pull through from the brink of death. He regained the ability to sit and stand, but his head remained permanently tilted to one side, as if he were squinting askew to look at something. His speech was slurred and indistinct, his mind alternated between clarity and confusion, and his bodily functions were entirely beyond his control. Yet his temper had only grown worse; he spent all day shouting curses and resorting to violence, with only Su Meiru and two old serving women left by his side to wait on him. Su Meiru could neither escape nor hide from it; the slightest misstep in her service would instantly draw a torrent of abuse and beatings from Lin Changmin and the old crones, plunging her into a living hell of utter misery. Having always been a woman accustomed to romantic indulgence and pleasure, where had she ever endured such torment and bottled-up fury? Coupled with the fact that she had never fully recovered from her confinement after childbirth, she fell gravely ill. Within a single year, she had wasted away to skin and bone, reduced to kneeling at the courtyard entrance to kowtow and beg Lady Wang to grant her permission to leave. Lady Wang bore a bone-deep hatred for her—how could she possibly let her off?

After Su Meiru survived through the second year, she finally could not bear it any longer. One night, as Lin Changmin was once again yelling curses and beating her, Su Meiru lay in bed thinking to herself: "Lady Wang hates me to the marrow of my bones. As long as Lin Dongling isn't found, she's going to torture me day after day. Even if I outlast Lin Changmin and wear him down to the grave, there will never be a day of release for me. Besides, with no one to rely on now, who else could I possibly count on?" Thinking back to the days when she fought to rise above the rest and stood superior to others, it all felt like a magnificent, opulent dream. She had been so deeply infatuated and immersed in it, yet it was completely slipping through her fingers. Tears began to fall as she thought darkly: "I'm afraid I'll be trapped here for the rest of my life with no hope of ever turning things around. Why bother clinging to this wretched life just to endure this torment?"

With that thought, she got up, quietly fetched the arsenic meant for killing rats, and mixed it into Lin Changmin's tea bowl, carrying it over for him to drink. Then, applying rouge to her temples, powdering her cheeks, and dressing herself impeccably, she put the remaining arsenic into a bowl, drank it down, and climbed back onto the kang to lie down, while the world outside remained completely oblivious.

The next morning, when the serving woman delivered their meal, she discovered that Lin Changmin had died in his bed, shocking her out of her wits. Checking the other room, she found that Su Meiru had also passed away on the kang. Terrified out of her senses, she hurried off to report the news. In the end, the Lin family used a cheap, thin wooden coffin to hastily bury Su Meiru, bringing the matter to a close.