Against the Current - Chapter 55

Chapter 55 - Poetry Society (Part 1)

That elegant matron was Lady Wei, the daughter of Madam Qin's second aunt. The two had been close companions since childhood, and later Lady Wei married into the State Duke's mansion. Although she was the second-wife of Heir Zheng Baichuan and there was a twenty-year age gap between them, their marriage was nonetheless harmonious and pleasant. However, it was only four or five years after their wedding that she finally gave birth to a daughter, named Jingxian. From then on, Lady Wei treated Zheng Jingxian as the apple of her eye, and she had never given birth to any more children since.

Madam Qin smiled at Lady Wei and said, "It has been quite some time since we last saw each other. If not for your brother-in-law returning to our ancestral roots to pay respects at the family homestead, we sisters wouldn't have had the chance to gather together like this."

A trace of worry crossed Lady Wei's face as she lowered her voice and said, "My husband's health has grown increasingly frail over the past two years, yet he insisted on coming back to take a look. Our Xian'er still doesn't have a match for marriage, and I truly fear that should the old Lord pass away suddenly, it might ruin Xian'er's prospects... What's most exasperating is this girl herself; she aims too high for a lesser match yet falls short of a greater one, and her father dotes on her so much that he simply yields to her temperament since she isn't willing herself."

Madam Qin smiled. "Which parents do not dote on their children? I harbor the exact same sentiment toward Qiang'er. I worry that if she marries into a higher family she will be bullied, and if she marries into a lower one she will suffer grievances; and when trying to find a family of equal status, I worry that the young man might lack ambition." After taking a cup of wine, she cast her gaze toward the table on the eastern side where the young misses were seated.

Presently, Zheng Jingxian was seated at the same table with Lin Dongqi, Lin Dongling, and others, chatting and laughing about something unknown. She was tall of stature with slightly broad shoulders, a square-round face, and a vibrant, spirited expression. Although her facial features were refined and handsome, they leaned a fraction too much toward a bold, heroic vigor; yet among a flock of young girls, this made her all the more striking and conspicuous.

Withdrawing her gaze, Madam Qin smiled at Lady Wei and said, "With an appearance and character like Xian'er's, what on earth are you still fretting about?"

Lady Wei sighed and said, "You simply don't know—I spoiled her rotten ever since she was a child, cultivating in her a self-willed, dictatorial temperament akin to a bandit chief. Besides, she can only be considered passably good-looking; compared to your Qiang'er, she still falls short."

Children always appeared finest when they were one's own. Madam Qin looked at the spirited Zheng Jingxian, then glanced over at the gentle Lin Dongqi, feeling that Lady Wei was speaking the sheer truth, yet she still felt compelled to offer a few modest words of humility: "Talk of nonsense! To my eyes, Xian'er is a top-tier young lady of the highest order; she and Qi'er each possess their own distinct splendor."

Seeing that Madam Qin and Lady Wei were deeply engrossed in their lively conversation, Xianglan did not dare to interrupt and silently retreated back toward the corridor. There, she spotted Qinglan seated at a table with Yinge and Meimei.

Qinglan's face was lightly flushed, evidently from having consumed some wine. She picked up a bite of a side dish with her chopsticks, nibbling on it in tiny, delicate bites. Meimei sat to her left, showering her with endless flattery: "From the very beginning, I always said our Elder Sister was a woman of true capability. Seeing it now, it's every bit as true—the banquet is arranged so exquisitely, and the dishes we're eating are actually pickled with fresh blossoms! It's both novel and delectable, and it takes someone of Sister's caliber to even conceive of such a brilliant method."

Basking inwardly in the flattery, Qinglan beamed from ear to ear. "Little sister, please don't overpraise me. What novel method is this? It's merely something people outside have grown weary of eating; I just hope you all won't disdain it." Remembering that these few tables of banquet dishes had somehow cost thirty-two taels of silver, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache, but seeing how everyone praised them—especially Madam Qin, whose eyes were filled with approval for the very first time—she decided the silver had been well spent after all.

Meimei laughed and said, "Oh my goodness, if anyone could disdain such food, I suppose only the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet could compare! Yinge, don't you agree?" Her delivery was breezy and playful, and her few remarks instantly caused Qinglan's favorable impression of her to soar, prompting Qinglan to join in her laughter.

To Meimei's left, Yinge wore a deeply uneasy expression. Remaining completely silent, she offered a slight nod, lowering her head to conceal the jealousy burning in her eyes. Look at Wang Qinglan—dressed from head to toe in rich, vibrant pinks, with a rosy, blooming complexion on her cheeks. Clearly, she is living an exceptionally comfortable life! Not only does the Madam favor her, but even the Eldest Master runs to her quarters every other day, and now she's even allowed to host a poetry society among high-ranking officials and nobles! This is a distinction that even the First Madam has never attained! The only reason the Madam and the Eldest Master indulge her so much is simply because of that lump of flesh in her belly! If—if it hadn't been for that vile wretch Chunyan scheming to cause the miscarriage of her own son, today's festivity surrounded by blooming flowers and adoring crowds should have belonged to her instead!

Bitterness gnawed at Yinge's heart, and at the thought of her sorrow, she even shed a couple of covert tears. Meimei glanced sideways at Yinge, a cold sneer tugging at the corner of her lips, before instantly twisting her face back toward Qinglan to put on another warm, enthusiastic smile. "Just now, the madams from the various households were all praising Sister for her competence, and even the Madam remarked that 'Lan-丫头 is a most reliable person.' You must know the Madam never praises anyone lightly. Later on, when it comes to composing poems and lyrics, Sister will simply have to capture the top honors to truly live up to the Madam's high expectations."

Qinglan had originally intended to avoid composing poetry out of fear of making a fool of herself, but hearing Meimei elevate her so skillfully left her feeling somewhat lightheaded. Just as she was hesitating over whether to write one or not, a voice suddenly chimed in: "With the Madam offering such lavish praise, you simply must astonish everyone here in a single stroke later on."

Before the words had even faded, Zhao Yuechan seated herself directly to Qinglan's right. Her powdered face carried an aura of stern majesty while a smile hovered at the corners of her lips, her water-clear eyes brimming with an arresting allure. The moment she arrived, Qinglan's triumphant spring breeze vanished entirely, and she instantly shrunk back into herself in cowed trepidation, rising in a panicked flurry without daring to utter a single sound in response. Zhao Yuechan had originally harbored deep resentment seeing Qinglan steal the spotlight today, but observing how terrified Qinglan was of her relieved the pent-up malice in her chest somewhat. In a flat tone, she instructed, "Sit down and pour me some wine."

Qinglan hurriedly picked up the wine ewer and poured a cup for Zhao Yuechan.

Seeing Qinglan's submissive, trembling demeanor with lowered brows, Meimei curled her lip in silent disdain. Hmph, she thought Qinglan had grown a backbone this time and could actually put up a fight against Zhao Yuechan. Turns out she's just mud that can't be plastered onto a wall—still a spineless coward.

At that moment, however, Yinge suddenly spoke up, "Elder Sister Qinglan is truly enjoying such magnificent fortune today. The poetry society is organized with such grace and thoroughness, and on top of that, she carries the Eldest Master's flesh and blood in her womb. Truly, no such perfection exists anywhere in heaven or earth. I can't help feeling envious just looking at her." She deliberately placed an exceptionally heavy emphasis on the phrase "the Eldest Master's flesh and blood."

True to form, Zhao Yuechan's expression darkened. Looking Qinglan up and down from head to toe, she nodded and remarked, "Indeed, you are blessed. From the very day you entered these doors, the Madam declared that you were built for easy childbearing and would surely multiply the descendants of the Lin family."

Qinglan offered a strained smile and stammered, "I wouldn't dare... I wouldn't dare..."

Zhao Yuechan continued, "If you dare not, then who else would? At present, all of us here, from top to bottom, are pinning our hopes entirely on younger sister's belly." She let out a few light laughs, charged entirely with a piercing, formidable edge.

Qinglan kept her head lowered, not daring to utter another syllable.

Stealing a covert glance at Zhao Yuechan, she found that all her appetite had evaporated. When she first arrived at the Lin family's ancestral residence in Jiangnan and entered to present the formal tea to Zhao Yuechan, she had witnessed a little maid covered in blood being dragged out the doorway by two matrons, leaving a long smear of crimson across the flagstones. Scared out of half her wits, she had watched as Zhao Yuechan calmly and casually remarked that the girl had stolen her jewelry and that she was merely administering a minor punishment, all the while gazing at her with a half-smile, her eyes sharp as blade points. That classic tactic of executing the rooster to frighten the monkeys had thoroughly cowed her.

Later on, because she conceived a child and was spared from having to stand at attention before the legal wife, her easygoing nature took over as time passed, and she gradually let the incident fade from her mind, retaining only a lingering shadow of fear toward Zhao Yuechan. But when she recalled how Zhao Yuechan had strode into the East Side Courtyard last time and casually hurled a cup of tea right into Xianglan's face, she had witnessed it with absolute clarity and shivered inwardly. It made her remember once more that this legal wife was nothing less than a living yaksha!

Zhao Yuechan simply picked up her chopsticks to eat a few bites of food, while Qinglan, Meimei, Yinge, and the rest did not dare to touch their own chopsticks, sitting there in tense, breathless silence. Fortunately, after taking a couple of bites, Zhao Yuechan stood up and left. As a daughter-in-law, she only occupied a nominal empty seat at the gathering and did not dare to sit down formally, which was why she had come over to eat a few mouthfuls of food at the corridor table to line her stomach before going back in to manage things—since Qinglan had already claimed the glory of hosting, Zhao Yuechan needed to make an appearance herself to salvage some prestige.

The moment Zhao Yuechan departed, Qinglan instantly came back to life, resuming her lively banter and laughter with Meimei.

Standing far off in the distance, Xianglan shook her head to herself. Whenever Concubine Lan crossed paths with the First Madam, she was like a mouse encountering a cat—making one feel simultaneously pitiful and absurd.