Against the Current - Chapter 50

Chapter 50 - Qiongzhi

Leaving the east wing, Lin Jinlou summoned a young page boy who was waiting on duty in the corridor and instructed him, "Go to the front study and tell Shuran to take that jar of ointment bestowed by the palace and give it to Xianglan, the maid in the east wing." With that, he turned and headed back to the main quarters. Zhao Yuechan's maids, Bailu and Tinglan, were already keeping watch at the entrance. Seeing Lin Jinlou arrive, they immediately busied themselves.

Yingshuang went to fetch the pear-fragrant tea that had already been brewed, Bailu went to wring out a warm hand towel, and Tinglan arranged fine tea pastries on the kang table. Ignoring them entirely, Lin Jinlou walked straight toward the inner rooms. Zhao Yuechan followed closely behind him. Catching sight of Yingshuang, she exchanged a subtle glance with her; Yingshuang understood, gave an almost imperceptible nod, and slipped away.

Lin Jinlou collapsed sideways onto the bed, closed his eyes, and remained silent. Regaining her smiling expression, Zhao Yuechan gently walked over, seated herself on the embroidered stool beside the bed, and purred seductively, "I figured my lord must have eaten your fill just now, but if you're still hungry, I've had a few pastries prepared—jujube paste yam cakes and chrysanthemum cakes—both of which aid digestion and nourish the vital energy."

Lin Jinlou opened his eyes, glanced at Zhao Yuechan, and said, "No need."

"Do have at least a little bit; it is, after all, a token of my sincere care," Zhao Yuechan coaxed with eager smiles. "Hurry up and bring the pastries over."

Before long, Lin Jinlou heard a voice murmuring beside his ear, "Please partake of the pastries, Eldest Young Master." The tone was as melodious as an oriole's song, soft and sweet enough to make one's bones tingle.

Opening his eyes to look, Lin Jinlou saw a maid of fifteen or sixteen kneeling on the floor. She possessed a slender, willow-like figure clad in a lake-blue tunic that accentuated her full bosom and slender waist. When he looked closer at her face, she had willow-leaf brows, cherry-red lips, and large, watery eyes—she was quite the exquisite beauty. She carried a tray holding a plate laden with several pieces of pastry.

Seeing Lin Jinlou scrutinize the maid so closely, Zhao Yuechan felt a pang of bitter jealousy in her heart, yet she kept a smile plastered on her face as she said, "Her name is Qiongzhi. I bought her a couple of days ago. Seeing that she has lovely looks and a gentle disposition, I kept her by my side to serve... Hurry up and pay your respects to the Eldest Young Master."

Yingshuang stepped forward to take the tray, while Qiongzhi bowed gracefully, murmuring, "Qiongzhi wishes the Eldest Young Master peace and well-being." As she spoke, her eyes couldn't help but dart sideways toward Lin Jinlou. She had been purchased by Zhao Yuechan at a high price from a human trafficker just a few days prior. Originally bought by a brothel madam when she was a child, she had even been tutored by a female teacher, meaning she was slightly literate and knew how to play stringed and wind instruments. Although she was still an untouched maiden, she possessed a fair share of feminine wiles and seductive arts. Later, an official had wanted to buy her as a concubine for a superior, but a fire broke out at that official's household, and facing impending financial ruin, they had taken her straight to the slave market to sell her for quick cash. As it happened, Zhao Yuechan had been out looking to buy people and ended up purchasing her.

When she first arrived, Zhao Yuechan's sharp and stern reprimands had genuinely terrified Qiongzhi. But today, the moment she laid eyes on Lin Jinlou, her gaze seemed to stick to him, utterly unable to pull away—she had originally imagined she would end up serving an old codger well past sixty, never dreaming he would be such a vigorous, dashing, and formidable man!

Half of Qiongzhi's body turned soft with longing. She cast an amorous, meaningful glance in his direction before bashfully lowering her head.

A wave of chest tightness and shortness of breath washed over Zhao Yuechan. Having watched Lin Jinlou run off to the east wing day after day recently, she had finally come to a realization: her greatest threat was not those frivolous, flirtatious concubines-in-waiting, but rather Concubine Lan over in the east wing. Concubine Lan was from a respectable family, favored by Madame Qin, and already pregnant. Even Lin Jinlou held her in high regard. If she were to give birth to a son in due course, there would be even less of a foothold for Zhao Yuechan in the Lin household!

Zhao Yuechan was a clever woman. After swallowing her grief and pondering deeply for a long time, she finally resolved to personally select a beautiful concubine and send her into Lin Jinlou's bed. Once that concubine gave birth to a son, she could have the child adopted and raised under her own name, securing something to lean on in the future. However, this concubine had to be hand-picked: first, her slave contract had to remain firmly in her own hands; second, she couldn't be too clever or sharp, yet she had to possess a degree of tact; third, she had to be honest and obedient. After searching far and wide and matching Lin Jinlou's known preferences for beauties, she settled upon the young woman before her. After tutoring her for a few days, she gave her a seductive new name and presented her to Lin Jinlou.

Watching Lin Jinlou's expression of keen interest, Zhao Yuechan felt a swirl of joy and bitterness, utterly unable to define what she was feeling. As she was lost in these tangled thoughts, she heard Lin Jinlou let out a scoff, lean closer to her, and mock, "I truly had no idea that you had picked up a new hobby of acting as a procuress."

Zhao Yuechan started, her complexion draining of color instantly.

Leaning back against the round bolster behind him once more, Lin Jinlou said in a slow, unhurried tone, "It's just a pity that I dare not partake in the matchmaking services provided by the Eldest Young Madam of the Lin family."

With that, he turned over, faced the wall, and closed his eyes to sleep on his own accord.

Gritting her teeth in bitter resentment, Zhao Yuechan rose and left with Yingshuang, though she ordered Qiongzhi to remain in the room and wait upon him. Once outside, Yingshuang jutted her chin toward the room and lowered her voice, "The eldest young master didn't take the bait. What should we do now?"

Zhao Yuechan sneered, "Don't let his aloof act fool you. Didn't you see how he stared at that little wretch for ages the moment she walked into the room, without even shifting his gaze? Let's wait and see; I refuse to believe he won't touch that piece of pastry."

Truth be told, Lin Jinlou was indeed somewhat tempted. Now that he was in mourning for his great-grandmother, he had abstained for quite a long time, and seeing a woman of top-tier beauty and grace dangling right before him, he genuinely felt the urge to indulge. Yet, right at this moment, he was scheming to drive Zhao Yuechan out of the household—how could he possibly touch someone she had sent him?

Choosing to close his eyes and lie still, Lin Jinlou drifted into a hazy sleep not long after. Waking up thirsty in the middle of the night, he parted the bed curtains and called out, "Tea."

Shortly after, a pair of smooth, white, delicate hands handed over a celadon petal-shaped cup. Lin Jinlou took it and drained it in a single gulp. Peering through the dim light, he saw Qiongzhi standing by the bed, her hair loosely coiled, her milky-white tunic half-open to reveal a bright red bodice, which made her skin look all the more like snow.

Seeing Lin Jinlou looking at her, Qiongzhi's eyes reddened. Lowering her head, she murmured softly, "Is it that Qiongzhi has displeased the eldest young master... and caused you unhappiness?"

This pitiful display was heartbreakingly lovely, instantly leaving Lin Jinlou's mouth feeling dry and parched. His voice softened involuntarily as he handed the teacup back and said, "What are you letting your imagination run wild for? I'm not unhappy."

With tears in her eyes and a hint of bashfulness, Qiongzhi glanced at Lin Jinlou and whispered, "Then... then since the first madam told me to... wait upon the eldest young master... I, too, am willing..."

As she spoke, she reached to take the teacup, but deliberately brushed her fingers against Lin Jinlou's hand. Those delicate hands were slippery, soft, and tender. A tickle stirred in Lin Jinlou's heart, and he reflexively grabbed her hand, pulling Qiongzhi straight into his arms with a tug. He chuckled teasingly, "Serve me? Just how do you plan to serve?" He thought to himself, "She's just a maid anyway; taking her isn't a big deal. It's not like she sent me a beauty and I'll refrain from divorcing her and sending her back home because of it."

A flush of spring bloomed across Qiongzhi's cheeks, and she traced a fingernail gently across Lin Jinlou's chest. "However the master wishes me to serve, that is how I shall serve."

With a low chuckle, Lin Jinlou leaned in to kiss her lips, but as he caught sight of Qiongzhi's coy and timid expression, for some reason, he suddenly thought of Xianglan, the little maid whose face had been scalded by tea earlier that day. Xianglan's expression had been just as timid, her face flushed bright red, and her large eyes brimming with tears—expressing a grievances and vulnerability that defied description. Following that thought, he remembered how overbearing and haughty Zhao Yuechan was, and instantly, the beauty in his arms lost all appeal. Releasing his grip, he pushed Qiongzhi away and said indifferently, "It's late. Go to sleep." With that, he dropped the bed curtains and turned over to go to sleep.

Qiongzhi stood frozen by the bed, utterly baffled as to why this master had suddenly flipped his attitude. Just a moment ago he had been speaking in gentle whispers, yet now he was cold and stern. In her heart, she cursed herself for missing such a golden opportunity—she shouldn't have played the bashful maiden; she should have pressed forward and made things certain then and there. Gritting her teeth in bitter frustration, she had no choice but to stamp her foot in a fit of pique and retreat to her own bed.