Against the Current - Chapter 70

Chapter 70 - Reorganization (Part 2)

Startled, Qinglan quickly lowered her head and stammered, "I... I know my fault..."

Madam Qin arched an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Then tell me, where do you think you went wrong?"

Qinglan was somewhat taken aback. Right, what—what wrongdoing had she committed? She was clearly the one who had been bullied and pushed around...

"You must think you've done nothing wrong, and that you're full of grievances and unfair treatment," Madam Qin said calmly. Qinglan had originally wanted to nod, but meeting Madam Qin's majestic gaze made her conscience falter. Hastily lowering her gaze, she mumbled, "I... dare not..."

Madam Qin spoke slowly, "You've certainly been putting on quite an impressive display these past few days. Heavily pregnant as you are, you took the entire poetry society upon your shoulders, hosting banquets and composing verses until you reaped all the glory, pushing even the Chan girl far into the background. I've heard people whispering behind the scenes that as long as the Auntie's belly cooperates and she gives birth to a son, she'll dare to stand toe-to-toe and match wits with the legal wife. Did you... harbor this intention?"

These words struck straight to the core of her heart. Cold sweat poured down Qinglan's body, and ignoring the heavy burden of her belly, she collapsed onto the kang, kowtowing repeatedly as she cried, "I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare! Even if I were killed, I would never dare!" Slow of speech and plagued by a guilty conscience, she could only repeat these few phrases over and over.

Madam Qin glanced at her, then looked straight ahead and said, "Whether you dared or not, I now see that your words and actions have grown increasingly lacking in decorum. You wanted to run a poetry society; I felt it was improper, yet I didn't stop you because you had just entered the Lin family without any backing or reliance. If this endeavor succeeded, it could help you secure a foothold in the estate so others wouldn't look down on you. I gave my tacit consent to grant you this shred of dignity, assuming you were a clever child who would understand my painstaking efforts and know where to draw the line. Furthermore, you are with child and ought to be resting quietly. But look at you—skipping about and bustling over everything, terrified you wouldn't stand out enough, with your whole heart set on competing against the proper mistress of the house. Now, the Eldest Young Master intends to elevate a maid, and before the Eldest Young Mistress has even spoken, you dare to harbor jealousy, not only fainting publicly but also putting on a public display of tears and sour looks for whose benefit? Qinglan, even if you come from a respectable background, you are still a concubine at the end of the day. Does someone still need to teach you how a concubine should behave?"

Madam Qin's words struck Qinglan like a resounding slap across the face. Her entire body trembled as large tears rolled down her cheeks, and she could no longer suppress a muffled sob.

Madam Qin let out a long breath and said sternly, "I know you feel aggrieved, but this path was of your own choosing. If you cannot peacefully content yourself with being a concubine, you shouldn't have crossed the threshold of the Lin family in the first place!" The words were spoken to Qinglan, but her eyes remained locked firmly onto Xianglan.

Xianglan felt those eyes were an exact replica of Lin Jinlou's—sharp as an un-sheathed, cold sword. A chill struck her heart, and she hurriedly lowered her face, refusing to look up again.

Zhao Yuechan wept, "Mistress, all of these faults are mine. It's just... it's just that Qinglan is with child and cannot kneel for long. Please punish me alone..."

Watching Zhao Yuechan's tear-streaked, pear-blossom-in-the-rain expression of deep sincerity, and then turning to look at Qinglan's wilted, sobbing figure, Madam Qin sighed silently. This Zhao Yuechan truly was a monkey-spirit; yet how laughable that Qinglan, with her petty little schemes, had actually tried to lock horns with her.

Ignoring Zhao Yuechan entirely, Madam Qin turned her gaze toward Mother Wu, who was kneeling beside the bed, and said, "Mother Wu, you are a veteran servant of this household. Lou'er was raised on your milk since he was a child, and even Old Madam Zeng grants you a measure of respect. Yet today, I have made you kneel—do you submit to this punishment?"

Mother Wu thought to herself that Madam Qin was clearly determined to stamp out the crooked and malicious atmosphere in the First House today. Realizing she could not evade her share, she pressed her forehead to the floor and said, "I submit. This old servant deserves punishment. The Auntie is currently with child, and the Mistress assigned me here to attend to her precisely out of trust. When the Auntie wished to hold the poetry society, I ought to have offered counsel and stopped her, instead of..."

Madam Qin shook her head. "Your fault does not lie there. Mother Wu, you are someone experienced in managing affairs, yet you committed a blunder of monumental proportions. While Old Madam Zeng's mourning period has not yet concluded, how could you instigate the Eldest Young Master into taking in a concubine?! In the event that an unseemly scandal broke out and others seized upon it as leverage, spreading it abroad to become a joke, the Lin family's dignity would be completely dragged into the mud."

Filled with shame, Mother Wu bowed her head and replied, "The Mistress's reprimand is entirely just."

Seeing that she had acknowledged her wrongdoing, Madam Qin said no more.

Silence filled the room, broken only by Qinglan's low, subdued weeping.

Judging that the timing was right, Madam Qin figured that after administering a severe reprimand, she should offer a sweet date and words of comfort. She said, "I have been watching with a cold eye these past few days, and look at you all—each and every one of you lacking in competence. The wife lacks the demeanor of a wife, and the concubines lack the decorum of concubines, turning this household into a foul and murky mess. There is a common saying that 'harmony in a family brings prosperity to all things'; with the way you all carry on creating chaos, how can things be peaceful and prosperous either inside or out?" Pausing briefly, she turned to Zhao Yuechan and said, "Daughter-in-law, hereafter you must set a proper personal example and manage the affairs of the inner quarters well. You must not only wield authority strictly, but also show compassion and care for your subordinates. For this incident, your monthly allowance for one month is forfeited, and you are to kneel in the ancestral hall for half an hour to reflect on your mistakes."

Though resentment burned in her heart, Zhao Yuechan nodded like a chick pecking at rice, murmuring, "The Mistress is merciful; I accept the punishment."

Madam Qin turned slightly to the side, stretched out her hand to pat Qinglan's shoulder, and said, "Stop crying. The doctor just examined you; what will happen to your health if you keep crying like this? As long as you strictly observe your proper station, take good care of your health, and serve the Young Master and the Young Mistress well, if anyone dares to bully you in the future, I will stand up for you..." With these words, she picked up a handkerchief and personally wiped Qinglan's face.

Daring not to accept such a favor, Qinglan hastily wiped her face twice with her sleeve.

Madam Qin softened her tone. "However, your behavior this time was quite unseemly. Considering that you are with child, I will not punish you too harshly—your monthly allowance for one month is also forfeited, and you must copy the Precepts for Women ten times."

Lowering her head, Qinglan murmured softly, "Qinglan is deeply grateful for the Mistress's leniency."

Madam Qin lowered her gaze and looked meaningfully at Mother Wu. "Mother Wu, you are an old hand, and Lou'er is someone you watched grow up from infancy; you ought to know his temperament and disposition... I will not punish you this time, but do not betray the trust I have placed in you."

Mother Wu kowtowed repeatedly. "This old servant knows her wrong, and she will never dare do it again!"

Madam Qin nodded with satisfaction and said, "If you truly understand my painstaking intentions, I shall be content." With that, she rose to her feet and began to walk out, but suddenly pausing, she turned around and said, "Xianglan, come with me."

Xianglan's heart hammered anxiously against her ribs. Having just witnessed Madam Qin's formidable methods firsthand, she had no idea whether this summons would bring fortune or misfortune, but she had no choice and could only trail along behind Madam Qin.

Zhao Yuechan waited behind, offering a deeply solicitous farewell.

Once they had seen Madam Qin out, Zhao Yuechan stood at the entrance of the Zhichun Pavilion, watching her retreating figure. Yingshuang hurried over and whispered, "Eldest Young Mistress, how did it go?"

Zhao Yuechan's willow-leaf brows arched upward, and she let out a cold laugh. "How did it go? How else could it go? That old woman twisted things every which way to squeeze me out, punishing me to kneel in the ancestral hall for a full hour, while letting that little slut Wang Qinglan off with copying a few pages of writing—all because she has her eyes set on that piece of meat in that little slut's belly!" Gritting her teeth, she spat out softly, "We'll just have to see if she has the fortune to bring that piece of meat into the world!" With that, she turned and strode briskly back inside.

Yingshuang hurried closely after her and said, "The Mistress told you to go kneel in the ancestral hall, and for a full hour? Good heavens, Your Ladyship's constitution is delicate; how could you kneel for so long, not to mention that the ancestral hall is chilling and gloomy—what if you catch some morbid chill? I'll go prepare a thick cushion for Your Ladyship, along with a warm hand-warmer..."

Suppressing her fury, Zhao Yuechan snapped, "Never mind preparing things for me right now. Hurry, take the storehouse keys, pick out a few fine medicinal herbs for replenishing health, and send them over to the East Wing. Also, have a few extra dishes sent to the East Wing tonight. Send a bolt of fabric to Qinglan, exactly the same as the one designated for Xianglan." Having said this, she massaged her chest and said viciously, "Go pour me two pills of Silver Dew Pills; kneeling and crying just now made my liver ache with rage, and I need a dose to disperse the stagnation." She then turned her head toward the direction of the East Wing and sneered, "Wang Qinglan, you little slut, just you wait. One of these days, I'll make you feel my methods."

Regardless of how enraged Zhao Yuechan was, Yindie and the others remained in the outer room, and upon hearing how Madam Qin had dispensed punishment, Yindie was naturally gloating with schadenfreude. She was on good terms with Xique, the maid who served Huamei, so she slipped away to recount the events to Xique with plenty of added exaggeration, indulging in a hearty round of mocking laughter. Once Yindie left, Xique immediately ran off to tell Huamei about it, and Huamei promptly picked up a set of embroidery work she had been doing over the past couple of days and headed straight to Qinglan's quarters.

Absolute peace reigned within the East Wing. Stung by shame over Madam Qin's reprimand, Qinglan had become thoroughly subdued. Daring no longer to lie weeping on the bed, she simply leaned back against the headboard in a daze. The moment Huamei walked in, she smiled and said, "I made a little child's garment these past two days; the stitches are a bit rough, but it's a token of my sincerity. Sister, please don't disdain it."

Because of the poetry society affair, Qinglan had come to regard Huamei as a kindred spirit, and yearning to pour out her heart, she let Huamei coax her with a few warm, sympathetic words until she poured out the whole story of what had just occurred. Seeing that they were entirely alone, Huamei leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, "Why should Sister torment yourself with a long face? From where I stand, the Mistress still favors Sister the most. Didn't you see how she made that tigress go kneel in the ancestral hall, while only punishing Sister with copying a few pages? Weighing the heavy against the light, anyone can see at a glance."

Stroke her belly, Qinglan sighed, "That's only because the Mistress is looking out for the sake of this child... You don't know how the Mistress reprimanded me; I felt like throwing myself into the river to make an end of it." She then roughly recounted everything Madam Qin had said.

Huamei burst into loud laughter. "Oh, my dear sister! Didn't you catch the true meaning behind the Mistress's words? Her punishing you wasn't because she loathes you; it was simply because you overstepped your bounds..."

Hesitantly, Qinglan asked, "Really?"

Huamei smiled. "Of course." Lowering her voice further, she leaned right up to Qinglan's ear. "To say something that invites divine retribution—given time, once the Eldest Young Master divorces that female yaksha and elevates Sister to be the proper wife, Sister will be the esteemed First Young Mistress of the Lin family. At that point, would the Mistress still be angry with Sister for overstepping her bounds? When all is said and done, it's just this matter of status causing all the fuss."

Startled, Qinglan gasped, "You mustn't say such things!"

Swishing her small handkerchief dismissively, Huamei said with utter indifference, "Sister is simply too timid, why wouldn't one dare say it? A dozen years ago, who would have dared say the Eighth Prince could become emperor? Yet look, he went right ahead and took the throne..."

Horrified, Qinglan reached out to cover Huamei's mouth. "Have you lost your mind? You dare utter such words!"

Pulling Qinglan's hand away with a beaming smile, Huamei said, "I'm only speaking of the underlying principle. Don't you think I'm right, Sister? I feel the Mistress is simply biased toward you; her handling it this way was merely to keep the inner quarters peaceful for the time being."

Thinking it over carefully, Qinglan felt that Huamei's words did indeed carry a certain logic. The heavy knot in her heart dissipated significantly, and she truly began to view Huamei as one of her own people, growing increasingly affectionate as she called her "younger sister" this and "older sister" that.