Against the Current - Chapter 75

Chapter 75 - Broken Heart

Chunling had been supporting Qinglan as she came out to see the guest off. Hearing these words, she released Qinglan's arm and stepped back. Zhao Yuechan gestured toward Chunling, saying, "Go inside first," and then told Bailu, "You step back as well." Chunling had no choice but to go inside, while Xianglan quietly pressed herself against the window, watching from afar through the light gauze-covered lattice.

Seeing that the maids had all withdrawn, Zhao Yuechan stepped back up onto the porch, a faint smile still lingering on her face as she said, "Sister, are you feeling utterly triumphant right now? You think that by holding onto that ledger, you've got a grip on my weakness. Since I'm out of favor anyway, and you have the eldest master's affection along with his child, you figure that if you hand that thing over to the master, he'll fly into a rage, divorce me, and elevate you to the position of principal wife. Am I right or wrong?"

These words struck straight at the core of Qinglan's deepest desires. Stunned, Qinglan felt the blood drain entirely from her face in an instant, and she stared blankly at Zhao Yuechan. Zhao Yuechan let out two cold, forced laughs, her expression abruptly changing and darkening as venomous words spilled from her lips like blades dipped in poison: "Bah! You shameless, worthless slut! You don't even know your own place. A piece of trash from a poor scholar's family, with just a bit of looks and the ability to please men—you have no family background, no talent, and no eloquence. All you do every day when you're full and well-rested is wander about blindly, actually harboring the delusional ambition of becoming the mistress of the Lin family! Look at me: I was born into a prestigious official's family, my grandfather was the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, my father served as an assistant prefect last year, my eldest uncle is a bureau director in the Ministry of Revenue, and my fourth uncle was just promoted as the commander and pacifier of the Guard Command. In my clan, there are at least seven or eight men who have passed the scholar or provincial graduate examinations. What on earth are you, that you dare compare yourself to me? Even if the master divorces me, it will never be your turn! Keep dreaming your spring and autumn daydreams!"

Qinglan's lips trembled as she felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation, tears welling up in her eyes. Zhao Yuechan stepped closer and said, "I suppose you don't even know this yet, do you? Do you know why the master and Madam have treated you so well? Since I've been without an heir for so long, my maternal family and the Lin family already agreed long ago to take in a concubine to bear and raise children. Once a son or daughter is born..." A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating Zhao Yuechan's face. As she looked at Qinglan, she smiled with a mix of triumph and malice: "They'll keep the child and get rid of the mother!"

These words, accompanied by a deafening crash of thunder in the sky, shattered Qinglan's soul into pieces. It felt as though sharp daggers were stabbing and twisting in her heart. Tears flying from her eyes, she shook her head frantically and cried, "No! It's not true! You're talking nonsense!"

Zhao Yuechan said with unruffled composure, "Once the child is born later on, you'll find out whether I'm talking nonsense or not. It's not as though people in the master's former quarters haven't been disposed of before. I originally figured you were an honest sort, and keeping you around wouldn't be out of the question. Who would have thought you'd harbor such a black heart, becoming even more vile than the rest of them? Hand over that ledger obediently, and I'll still reserve a place for you in the Lin family. How about it?"

Grief tore through Qinglan's heart; she didn't take in a single word of what Zhao Yuechan had said, but merely muttered over and over, "I'm going to find the master... I'm going to ask Madam to make this clear..."

Zhao Yuechan pressed closer still, demanding, "Ask what? Ask whether you can become the principal wife in the future? Or ask who this child will belong to in the end? If you aren't afraid of losing face, I happen to have the written contract and pledge from the Lin family promising to keep the child and discard the mother. Shall I go fetch it and let you have a look?"

Zhao Yuechan was merely spouting nonsense out of desperation to bluff Qinglan. Even if the bluff failed, she intended to thoroughly disgust Qinglan, and if Madam Qin questioned her later, she would deny it to the death. Who could have expected that Qinglan, young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, would take Zhao Yuechan's elaborate lies completely to heart? Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of sorrow and bitterness, her mind drifted into a daze. Seeing Zhao Yuechan step closer and closer, she retreated blindly without watching her footing, stepped right over the edge, and plunged from the porch down into the courtyard. Her belly struck the ground heavily, and she let out a piercing, miserable shriek of agony. Blood instantly gushed forth, mingling with the rainwater and spreading across the ground.

Everyone was frozen in shock.

Xianglan had already seen Qinglan fall from the window inside the room. Panicking, she ran out alongside Chunling, scooped Qinglan's head up into her arms, and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Someone come! Quick, someone come!" Lowering her head, she cried, "Mistress Lan, Mistress Lan, how are you?"

Trembling violently from the pain and soaked to the bone, Qinglan could no longer distinguish between the rainwater and her own tears on her face. She grabbed hold of Xianglan in desperation and cried in a harrowing voice, "It hurts so much... My stomach hurts... My baby... Go quickly and fetch Madam!"

Chunling cried out in alarm, "Mistress Lan has fallen!" She hurriedly ordered two robust serving women to carry Qinglan back to her room, while urgently instructing Xiaojuan to fetch a physician.

Xianglan thought to herself in a panic, "With such a massive disaster happening, we must definitely ask Madam to come and take charge." She was already thoroughly soaked through by the torrential rain, but unable to spare a moment for an umbrella, she broke into a frantic run toward Zhuoshou Garden, where the third branch resided. Bursting into the courtyard, she spotted two maids teasing birds under the veranda. She dashed right up to them, wiped the rain from her face, and blurted out, "Older sisters, Mistress Lan has fallen from the steps, landing flat on her stomach, and she's already bleeding heavily. I've been sent specifically to ask for Madam's instructions."

The complexions of both maids drained of color. They hurried inside to report the news, and shortly afterward, Qinshi emerged hastily from the room, flanked by two maids—one holding an umbrella behind her and the other supporting her arm. As she walked, Qinshi asked Xianglan, "What is the situation right now? Have they called a physician?"

Xianglan answered, "Someone has already carried Mistress Lan back to her room, and Xiaojuan has gone to fetch a physician."

With rapid strides and a heavy frown, Qinshi asked, "How on earth did she manage to fall out of nowhere?"

Xianglan answered honestly, "The Eldest Young Madam came over just now and spoke a few words with Mistress Lan in the room. When she reached the doorway to leave, she said she had more to say to Mistress Lan and told the maids to step back. I was watching through the window and saw the Eldest Young Madam exchange a few words with Mistress Lan, after which Mistress Lan stepped backward, missed her footing, and tumbled down." She thought to herself, A few days ago, a bitter conflict between the wife and the concubines blew up because of me. The page had barely been turned when another disaster like this strikes. The Lin family is truly experiencing an eventful autumn; this can only be called family misfortune.

Qinshi asked no further questions, her brow furrowing even deeper.

Just as the group arrived at the entrance of the Zhinchun Hall courtyard, shrill, desperate screams echoed from within. Xianglan saw Zhao Yuechan standing in the outer parlor, nervously calling out, "Madam," as Qinshi approached. Qinshi cast a cold, indifferent glance at her without a word, walking straight through toward the bedchamber.

Chunling was blocking the doorway, warning, "The birth room is unclean, Madam, please do not enter this room."

Qinshi was startled and asked, "Birth room? It's only the seventh month, how could..."

With a pale face, Chunling whispered, "The physician and several experienced matrons and nannies all say Mistress Lan's condition is extremely perilous—she is showing signs of a miscarriage, and her water has already broken. In this state, the only option is to deliver the child immediately. But the fetal position is abnormal; it's a difficult labor..." She glanced at Qinshi and lowered her voice further, "Madam should be mentally prepared. The physician said just now that because the baby is premature, it's unlikely to survive even if it is born..."

Qinshi felt her heart skip a beat. She closed her eyes and drew a long, deep breath.

Xianglan slipped back into her room, wiped her face with a towel, and pulled a clean set of clothes out of the wardrobe, thinking, I've been drenched in the pouring rain for so long; if I fall sick now, it'll be no small matter. She hastily stripped off her wet garments, threw them beneath the bed, and changed into dry, comfortable clothes. Then she thought, Why on earth did Mistress Lan take such a fall today? I wonder what kind of terrifying mess was stirred up that's going to be so hard to clean up now. I wonder how Mistress Lan is doing; I only pray she comes through safely. Slipping on a pair of small cloth shoes, she hurried back to the front rooms.

Qinshi had already taken Zhao Yuechan away to the main parlor for questioning. Xiaojuan, Yindie, and the others were bustling back and forth, frantically carrying in basins of hot water and clean towels. Xianglan went to the tearoom and also picked up a basin of hot water. Upon stepping into the room, she saw four or five people crowded around the bed, shouting in competing voices to "breathe" and "push," while blood-stained cloths littered the floor. Agonized by excruciating pain, Qinglan was letting out continuous, piercing shrieks and groans. Chunling shouted, "Stop bringing water! Hurry to the kitchen, brew a bowl of ginseng soup, and bring it over for Mistress Lan!"

Xiaojuan didn't know how to tend a fire or cook, and Yindie simply pretended not to hear. Seeing this, Xianglan hurried back to the small kitchen. Noticing a little less than half a pot of black-bone chicken and fresh bamboo shoot soup left over from the morning, she sliced some ginseng very finely, added it to the pot, and set it over the fire to simmer. After letting it stew for two quarters of an hour, she extinguished the stove fire, ladled the soup into a green-and-white crane-patterned bowl, placed it on a jujube-red lacquer tray, and carried it over with utmost care.

Having suffered such a sudden shock and emotional turmoil, and with her pregnancy disturbed by the fall, Qinglan's vitality was already severely depleted. Coupled with the agonizing torment of labor that had practically drained half her life away, she now lacked even the strength to scream, reduced to a faint, intermittent, mournful wail. The child had not yet been born, and fresh bleeding had begun below, causing the experienced old matrons to realize the situation was hopeless. Their faces turning white with terror, they hurriedly dispatched Chunling to inform Madam.

Right at that moment, Xianglan entered with the ginseng soup. An old matron quickly cradled Qinglan's head up, and Xianglan held the bowl to Qinglan's lips, helping her swallow a few sips. Seeing Qinglan's complexion pale and haggard as wax, her hair disheveled, and her body and bedding stained with blood—the plump, delicate beauty she once possessed completely gone—Xianglan felt a deep ache in her chest. Vaguely hearing the old matrons murmuring words like "she likely won't last," she knew Qinglan was doomed. Remembering how kindly and warmly Mistress Lan had treated her in everyday life, tears welled up in her eyes.

The old matron gently laid Qinglan's head back down onto the pillow. Qinglan let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes, catching sight of Xianglan looking at her through a blur of tears.

At that moment, someone could be heard crying outside the door, "Mistress Lan, how are you doing?" It was Huamei, holding a handkerchief and wailing loudly.

A flicker of light crossed Qinglan's eyes. She grabbed hold of Xianglan and struggled to say, "Quick... quickly let Huamei in..."

Xianglan was startled, but someone had already let Huamei through. Huamei threw herself against the bedside, crying uncontrollably as she grasped Qinglan's hand and sobbed, "My good sister! What has happened to you? Just the other day you and I were talking so happily, how can you today... how can you... Oh master, come quickly and look at my poor, suffering sister!"

This outburst of grief drew fresh floods of tears from Qinglan. Gripping Huamei with all her remaining strength, she whispered so softly that only the two of them could hear: "Beneath the bedboards of this bed... there is something that took my life... Avenge me and the child... Take it with your own hands and deliver it directly to... the master... and... Madam... Let... let... let..." Before she could finish her sentence, her breath caught, and she passed away.

Huamei pressed her ear close to listen, but after a long silence, she realized there was no sound left at all. Staring intently, she saw Qinglan's gaze go vacant, her eyes wide open—she had died with her grievance unredressed and her eyes unclosed.

Xianglan, watching closely from the side, couldn't help starting in shock. She reached out to push her and cried, "Mistress Lan! Mistress Lan!"

The old matron nearby stepped forward, checked the pulse at her nose, and burst into loud sobs, crying, "Mistress Lan is gone! She has passed away!"

Everyone in the room instantly dropped to their knees, and the sound of weeping became unending.

Xianglan knelt on the ground with tears streaming down her face, thinking to herself, Though Qinglan was foolish and somewhat selfish, she wasn't a bad person at heart. She treated those beneath her generously and let me spend a few comfortable days in the east wing. For her to pass away like this—it truly is the tragic fate of a beauty cut short. She thought of Chunyan, who had been driven out of Zhinchun Hall; Yingge, who had lost her child; Huamei, who guarded her empty room in solitude; and now Qinglan, who had died. With Zhao Yuechan's tyrannical cruelty weighing heavily over them, and Lin Jinlou abusing his power to oppress others, she herself felt trapped deep within this profound compound of walls, and a wave of sorrow washed over her, leaving her weeping and collapsed on the floor.

At that moment, Qinshi was interrogating Zhao Yuechan in the main room, her face stern as she demanded, "What on earth did you say to Qinglan out there on the steps to make her lose her footing and fall down?"