Against the Current - Chapter 65

Chapter 65 - Consultation 

Early the next morning, Zhao Yuechan tidied herself up, ordered carriages and horses to be prepared, and returned to her maiden home. Taking a little maid's hand for support, she stepped into the main room and saw her mother, Lady An, reclining on an arhat bed with a cat nestled in her lap. Her father, Zhao Xuede, sat on the opposite side of the bed, puffing away on a pouch of dry tobacco.

Casting a glance at Zhao Yuechan, Lady An asked, "Why have you come back to your maiden home out of the blue? Aren't you afraid your husband's family will be displeased?" Lady An was in her forties, yet she appeared remarkably youthful, heavily made-up and strikingly gorgeous.

Pouting, Zhao Yuechan said, "Your daughter is practically being driven to her grave by someone—who cares whether they're pleased or not."

Furrowing his brow, Zhao Xuede scolded, "Nonsense!"

Sitting on a chair beneath the window, Zhao Yuechan waited until the maid had served tea and withdrawn before speaking. "Your daughter is not talking nonsense at all. I was practically fumed to death yesterday!" With that, she recounted the entire episode involving Xianglan.

Upon hearing this, Lady An flew into a rage and declared, "Preposterous! That son-in-law of ours is far too unreasonable. How can he keep throwing the word 'divorce' around so casually, daring to give you attitude just because of a maid? I am going back to the Lin residence with you right now. We are not letting this matter rest until it's thoroughly fought out!"

Overjoyed at these words, Zhao Yuechan immediately fawned over Lady An, saying, "Still, my mother is the one who pities me."

Zhao Xuede kept his brows tightly knitted throughout. Hearing this, he rebuked Lady An: "A woman's perspective! Shut your mouth at once! The more you meddle, the messier it gets."

Unconvinced, Lady An retorted, "How can you call this messy meddling? Our daughter has been wronged; can't I, her mother, stand up for her? What's so special about their Lin family anyway? Do they think they can bully people arbitrarily?"

Seeing that Zhao Xuede was unwilling to lend a hand, Zhao Yuechan quickly squeezed out two tears, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief as she said, "Father, you don't know. Previously, he at least maintained some shred of face for me in front of others. Now he tolerates me less and less. I kindly prepared a companion for him, yet he didn't give me the time of day, and now, because of a little maid, he has completely stripped me of my dignity. I don't even want to live anymore..." Raising her voice, she prepared to wail loudly.

"If he is so heartless toward you, why don't you simply seek a separation from him?" Zhao Xuede sneered. "When you come back home, your mother and I will find another prominent family in an outer province to marry you off to. Though it may not match the Lin family, we certainly won't let you be shortchanged. Will you do it or not?"

A sob caught right in Zhao Yuechan's throat, and Lady An let out a startled gasp, "That will never do!"

Glowering at the mother and daughter, Zhao Xuede snapped, "Since you aren't willing, then put an end to this tantrums-and-fury act once and for all!"

Lady An looked distinctly unconvinced, while Zhao Yuechan lowered her head in silence. After sighing heavily, Zhao Xuede spoke after a long pause: "We are all family now, so behind closed doors, let's speak a few unvarnished truths. The Lin family is a distinguished, influential clan that has spanned generations. Although our Zhao family has a solid foundation, it was ultimately built upon riding the coattails of the current Emperor's successful uprising, plus the fact that the Zhao family produced an imperial consort, and your grandfather is heavily relied upon by the Emperor in the court—that is how we achieved our sudden prosperity. Otherwise, do you really think the Lin family would have chosen our family for marriage?"

Interrupting him, Zhao Yuechan argued, "That is precisely what your daughter was about to say! The Lin family is biting the hand that feeds them. If it weren't for marrying me, their family would have ended up like the Shen and Bai families back then—even if they weren't executed along with their entire clan, they would have been exiled to the ends of the earth! How could they possibly be living such a peaceful, prosperous, and secure life right now?"

Lowering his voice, Zhao Xuede said, "Back then, the Lin family merely maintained neutrality in the court. Though they leaned toward the Crown Prince, it wasn't overly conspicuous. Afterward, when the Eighth Prince succeeded, he didn't intend to execute the Lin family en masse; he merely wanted to impose punishments. It's just that that old fox Lin Zhaoxiang calculated brilliantly, marrying a daughter of the Zhao family to help the Lin family escape a calamity." At this point, his tone sank. "However, what Lin Jinlou said is actually true. Back then, although Old Master Lin intended for him to marry a daughter of the Zhao family, he had not set his sights on you; he had set them on your eldest uncle's fourth girl. But I knew the Lin boy loved supreme beauty, so I had you dress up exquisitely and stand beneath the lanterns on the Lantern Festival precisely so he would catch sight of you. Otherwise, how could this match made in heaven have ever come to pass?"

Taken aback, Zhao Yuechan stammered, "So Father had already thought of all this..." In truth, on the Lantern Festival that year, countless young gentlemen had stared at her; it was precisely because Lin Jinlou was the most peerlessly handsome among them that she had cast repeated amorous glances his way, never imagining her father had plotted it all along behind the scenes.

Smugly, Zhao Xuede said, "Naturally. Otherwise, as an unmarried young lady, how could I have allowed you to expose yourself in public crowds? This is the Eldest Young Master of the Jiangnan Lin family! If the Crown Prince hadn't fallen from power, would the Lin family have been willing to ally with the Zhao family by marriage? I couldn't possibly let your eldest uncle's family snatch that advantage. The Old Master meant the same thing—since it was an alliance between the Lin and Zhao families anyway, it didn't really matter which girl it was. Haven't you noticed your father receiving promotions two years running? That, too, was the Old Master's intent, all because you married well, which is why your grandfather has taken a liking to elevating our household." His expression darkened once more. "From now on, behave yourself and keep the peace. The son-in-law merely has a romantic disposition; turn a blind eye and let him be. What man isn't fond of beauty? Counting his concubines, he only has three women in his quarters right now, which is already very few. Restrain your temper, stop being so malicious with jealousy, and be more warm and attentive—the son-in-law wouldn't keep running off to other women's rooms if you did! As long as you remain the legitimate eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family, there will come a day when you finally weather the clouds and see the brightness."

Twisting her handkerchief, Zhao Yuechan grievance-ladenly said, "I want to be thoroughly gentle with him, but he won't even deign to look at me..."

Fiercely glaring, Zhao Xuede snapped, "You still have the nerve to speak! If it weren't for that sordid mess you had with that little bastard before your marriage..."

Zhao Yuechan shrank her neck, while Zhao Xuede took two deep, ragged breaths.

Hoping to smooth things over, Lady An chimed in, "That's all in the past now, why bring it up again!"

Slamming the peony-carved rosewood table with a loud thack, Zhao Xuede barked, "Do you think I enjoy bringing it up? Our faces are thoroughly disgraced! Fortunately, the Lin family still valued our old reputation somewhat. I had to get down on my knees to prevent them from calling off the wedding; otherwise, with such a shameful scandal, Lady Chan would have had to hang herself just to wipe the stain clean!"

Her face flushed crimson, Zhao Yuechan bit her lip and harbored a fierce, silent resentment: This world is ruled by shameless rules. Why must a woman deserve death for such a thing while men bounce around living as joyfully as ever? If they want my life, I'll drag them straight down to hell with me!

Gazing at his daughter's powdery, delicate, and meltingly lovely face, Zhao Xuede let out a silent sigh. He had three daughters, and Zhao Yuechan was by far the most beautiful and sharp-witted, yet she possessed a stubborn nature that refused to suffer a loss. Accustomed to being headstrong and spoiled since childhood, she could never tolerate others. Slowly, he continued, "The son-in-law spoke a word of truth: if he divorces you, the Zhao family has plenty of girls eager to shove themselves forward. His military career has made quite a name for him lately—even the Emperor has praised him twice, and he is clearly on the path to rapid advancement. Don't be foolish at a juncture like this."

Listening with her head bowed and a heavily preoccupied expression, Zhao Yuechan wound her handkerchief round and round her fingers. Seeing her demeanor, Zhao Xuede knew his words had sunk in. He gave a cough and added, "Besides, isn't this all just because of a maid? Is it really worth making a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering scene over? Since that girl came out of that Auntie's quarters, you should let those two tigers fight each other and play a game of alienation..." He lowered his voice and instructed her through a scheme.

Nodding repeatedly with a beaming smile, Zhao Yuechan said, "Father's wisdom is still the highest."

Glowering at her, Zhao Xuede scolded, "Do give me some peace of mind for a change!"

Lady An smiled and said, "Not only must you pack off that little fox-spirit, but Lady Chan, you also need to properly nurse your health and give birth to a male heir as soon as possible. Only then will you truly plant your feet firm."

These words struck even closer to home for Zhao Yuechan. Muttering a few timid, perfunctory replies and chatting about a few other trivial matters, she finally took her leave to return to the estate.