Against the Current - Chapter 69

Chapter 69 - Reorganization (Part 1)

Chunling lowered the embroidered bird-patterned gauze bed curtains on the water-drop carved wooden bed. Qinglan reached out from behind the curtains, and Chunling took a handkerchief to cover Qinglan's hand, concealing the pale wrist completely before stepping back. Mother Wu stood at the front and instructed the doctor to enter and take Qinglan's pulse.

After checking her pulse, the doctor stated, "The Mistress has suffered stagnation of qi in her chest, and phlegm has clouded her mind, causing her to faint. Her physical condition is otherwise unexceptional, and the fetus is stable. Taking another two doses of medicine to calm the spirit and steady the qi will set her right." With that, he stepped out to write the prescription and took his leave.

Mother Wu walked over to the outer room and said to Xianglan and the others, "The doctor says the Auntie is quite fine." Chunling immediately clasped her hands together in a Buddhist chant, while Xianglan let out a long breath of relief.

At that exact moment, a maid's voice rang out from the doorway, "The Mistress has arrived!" Madam Qin had already stepped inside, and Mother Wu rushed forward eagerly to receive her. With a gloomy expression, Madam Qin demanded bluntly, "How is Auntie Lan's health?"

Mother Wu thought to herself, I wonder who wagged their tongue, spreading this matter to Madam's ears so quickly. Glancing behind Madam Qin, she spotted Zhao Yuechan following close behind, which allowed her to guess much of what had happened. She plastered a smile onto her face and said, "Thanks to the Mistress's blessing, the Auntie is doing well. The doctor says she only needs quiet rest; he already wrote a prescription, and the medicine is being brewed right now."

With these words, she guided Madam Qin into the inner room, drew back the bed curtains, and said, "Auntie, the Mistress has come to see you."

Qinglan struggled to sit up, but Madam Qin hurried forward a few steps to press her down, seating herself on the edge of the bed as she said, "Lie back down, you'll feel dizzy if you jump up so suddenly." Examining Qinglan, she saw that her complexion was chalk-white and her eyes were still somewhat red and swollen, as if she had been crying. She softened her voice and said, "You too, you care so little for yourself. Why did you go and faint like that when everything was fine?"

Qinglan moved her lips and forced a smile, "It is my fault for causing the Mistress to worry."

Before Madam Qin could speak, Zhao Yuechan whipped out her handkerchief to wipe her tears and said, "This entire matter is the fault of this daughter-in-law. If Mother wishes to place blame, please blame me."

As it turned out, Yingliu had run back to deliver a message to Zhao Yuechan, and upon hearing that Qinglan had fainted out of jealousy because Lin Jinlou intended to elevate Xianglan, Zhao Yuechan had naturally felt quite gleeful. With a roll of her eyes, she hatched another plot, immediately grabbing two boxes of tea and heading to Madam Qin's quarters under the pretense that she had returned from her maiden family that morning and brought back some superior new tea to dutifully offer Madam Qin a taste. Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Yingliu rushing over breathlessly, announcing that Auntie Lan had fainted. Shocked, Madam Qin hastily rounded up some people and rushed right over.

Madam Qin had already been worried about Qinglan's health, and hearing Zhao Yuechan speak this way, she frowned and asked, "What does this have to do with you?"

Zhao Yuechan replied, "Yesterday, I figured that Eldest Young Master had just returned home and had barely touched his evening meal, and with his heavy official duties at night, I was afraid his health might suffer, so I went to the kitchens to prepare some food and sent it over to the study. As it happened, I ran right into Xianglan from Auntie Lan's rooms serving the Eldest Young Master, and the Eldest Young Master told me then that he intended to elevate this maid. I thought to myself that Auntie Lan's pregnancy is advancing and her body is heavy, so the Eldest Young Master truly ought to have someone clever added to his side. As luck would have it, the Eldest Young Master had taken a fancy to her himself, which made it all the better. The Eldest Young Master repeatedly instructed me not to treat Xianglan unfairly, so I selected a few pieces of jewelry, took some bolts of fabric, and had people send them over..."

By this point, Madam Qin already understood eight or nine parts of the situation, and her brows furrowed even more tightly. Zhao Yuechan continued, "Perhaps Auntie Lan tired herself out working on the poetry society these past few days and should have been resting quietly. When I sent people over with gifts today, the commotion was a bit too loud and disturbed her, which was my fault. Furthermore, Xianglan is a maid from her quarters; it was a lack of consideration on my part not to consult Auntie Lan beforehand." Here, she dabbed at the corner of her eye with her handkerchief once more, adding, "Fortunately Auntie Lan is all right, otherwise my transgression would have been grave indeed..."

Listening in from the outer room, Xianglan's expression changed drastically. Zhao Yuechan was attempting to use her as a scapegoat! These words quietly incriminated both her and Qinglan in one fell swoop. "Ran right into Xianglan from Auntie Lan's rooms serving the Eldest Young Master"—this clearly insinuated that she was secretly seducing her master behind the scenes, while Zhao Yuechan played the virtuous wife who "selected a few pieces of jewelry and took some bolts of fabric to send over." Yet Qinglan, consumed by jealousy, had actually fainted from rage! Zhao Yuechan had clearly stirred up the trouble and sowed discord, yet she now transformed overnight into the most magnanimous person of all.

Mother Wu thought to herself that Zhao Yuechan was attempting a murder with a borrowed knife, and she quickly said to Madam Qin, "This old servant also bears some blame in this matter. Seeing that the Eldest Young Master runs about constantly exhausted, and that Auntie Lan's pregnancy is heavy, I mentioned to the Eldest Young Master that once Old Madam Zeng's mourning period concludes, he should add another person to his side to attend to him. Over these past few days, seeing that Xianglan is honest and steadfast, I brought her up to the Eldest Young Master, and he took an interest. Last night, he called Xianglan over to ask her a few things, but the Mistress happened to catch sight of them..."

Hearing Mother Wu speak up on her behalf, Xianglan felt her heart settle slightly. She quietly lifted a corner of the curtain to peer outside and saw Madam Qin sitting upright on the bed, her face so stern and composed that neither joy nor anger could be discerned.

Qinglan had originally intended to put on a more sickly air to win Madam Qin's pity, but she could no longer remain lying down. Struggling up, she spoke with tears in her eyes, "The Eldest Young Mistress did not disturb me at all. It was simply that I tired myself out over these past few days with the poetry society, and just a moment ago I felt somewhat unwell, which caused my head to spin."

Zhao Yuechan hurried to say, "Sister, do not speak like that. It was indeed my fault."

Madam Qin spoke up, "What things did the Chan girl send over? Bring them here so I may look." Mother Wu hastened to fetch the hairpins, jewelry, and bolts of fabric for Madam Qin to inspect. Madam Qin silently flipped through them, set them aside, and then demanded, "Where is Xianglan? Have her come here."

Xianglan's heart leaped fiercely several times. She bit the bullet, walked out, and knelt properly before Madam Qin. Madam Qin narrowed her eyes, scanning her up and down from head to toe before glancing at Zhao Yuechan and Qinglan. Suddenly, she raised her voice sharply, "Is it that I have been too indulgent with you all in the past, making you think I am a fool easy to hoodwink, that you are now putting on theatrical performances for me one after another?"

The room plunged into an abrupt, tense silence. Zhao Yuechan and Mother Wu immediately dropped to their knees, repeatedly calling out "I dare not," while Qinglan hurriedly tried to rise as well. When Madam Qin forbade her to get out of bed, Qinglan knelt right there on the bed, though Madam Qin refused to look at her.

Fixing her gaze on Zhao Yuechan, Madam Qin said, "Daughter-in-law, you say today's affairs are entirely your fault, that Lou'er wished to elevate a maid, and that your sending things to the East Wing caused Auntie Lan to faint—is that true or not?"

Zhao Yuechan let out a couple of sniffling sobs, let fall two tears, and said, "It is entirely my fault. I was only mindful that the Master currently lacks a reliable person to tend to him, and I remembered his saying that Xianglan should not be wronged. Last night, the Eldest Young Master even had Shuran personally escort Xianglan back, and seeing that, I knew the Eldest Young Master had set his heart on her, so I anxiously rushed to send the gifts over... Who could have known I would completely overlook Auntie Lan's physical state or forget that she had just overexerted herself days prior?"

This speech filled Xianglan with intense resentment, while Qinglan bit her lower lip so hard it looked as though it might bleed. Madam Qin, however, let out a soft chuckle and said to Zhao Yuechan, "Chan girl, you had better put away those little clever tricks of yours. Did you truly take me for a fool?"

A chill instantly struck Zhao Yuechan's heart. The handkerchief she had been using to wipe her tears froze in place, and she immediately bowed her head to kowtow, saying, "I do not understand what the Mistress means by these words."

Madam Qin smoothed the hem of her skirt and said with total nonchalance, "Firstly, you are the mistress of the First House, and the domestic affairs of the First House are entirely managed by you. Knowing full well that Qinglan is heavily pregnant and overworked these past few days, why did you not send someone to check on her? When sending gifts to this maid, why did you fail to think of preparing a portion for Qinglan as well? The child in Qinglan's belly carries the Lin family bloodline and will have to call you 'Mother' when it is born. Failing to care for her shows a lack of virtue on your part."

As this heavy accusation fell upon her, Zhao Yuechan was somewhat dazed and could only say with aggrieved submissiveness, "It was this daughter-in-law's lack of consideration."

Madam Qin continued, "Secondly, you harbored hidden intentions and wished to play political games. She is merely a maid who has not yet been elevated; if you wished to send her gifts, you could have done so quietly and privately. Was there any need to dispatch a whole group of people to deliver them, making a grand spectacle for everyone to see? And sending them was one thing, but to send items of such high value, placing them out in the open for others to gaze upon as if you feared people wouldn't know Lou'er has taken a fancy to a maid—and all this while we are still in the mourning period for Old Madam Zeng! If word of this gets out, are you simply waiting for outsiders to seize upon Lou'er's vulnerable spots?"

Weeping, Zhao Yuechan collapsed flat against the floor and pleaded, "This daughter-in-law would not dare."

Deep inside, Xianglan repeatedly praised Madam Qin for her clear logic and superior vision. Lifting her eyelids, she cast a covert glance upward and saw that Auntie Lan, kneeling beside Madam Qin, already looked much better thanks to Madam Qin's words.

Madam Qin sighed again, "There are some things I prefer not to spell out too clearly. We are all women making our living and passing our days within these inner quarters; what intentions you harbor, I understand. Yet there are things that should be done and things that should not be done—you must grasp that distinction clearly. Once you cross the threshold of the Lin family, you are a member of the Lin family. To repeat: you are the mistress of the proper household, fundamentally different from a concubine. Why must you vie for dominance at every turn? Everything you say and do should be in defense of the Lin family's dignity. If you only ever fixate on your own interests, what remains of the demeanor and bearing of a noble family's matriarch?"

Every single word of Madam Qin's struck straight at the heart of Zhao Yuechan's hidden motives. Unable to utter a word in defense, feeling as though her entire being had been seen right through by Madam Qin, Zhao Yuechan could only kowtow repeatedly and cry, "Mistress, I was wrong. Please spare me this once."

Seeing Zhao Yuechan suffer a blow and completely stripped of her usual formidable arrogance, Qinglan felt a surge of triumph, and the corners of her mouth twitched upward in a suppressed smile. Unprepared, Madam Qin suddenly whipped her head around, her eyes flashing like lightning as she stared straight at Qinglan and stated syllable by syllable, "And you—do you know your fault?"