Against the Current - Chapter 78

Chapter 78 - A Beating 

Yingsheng acknowledged the command, stepped forward, and delivered two sharp slaps across Xianglan's face. Zhao Yuechan furrowed her brows and said, "Fool! Who told you to use your hands? Bring the bamboo paddle over to strike her!"

Yingsheng retrieved the bamboo paddle, and with two sharp cracks, Xianglan's cheeks swelled up instantly. As the blows continued, blood began to ooze from her nose and the corners of her mouth. Xianglan felt a burning agony sear across her face, tears and blood streaming together. The misery was so intense she felt faint enough to pass out, yet amid her overwhelming grievance and unjust suffering, a cold resentment rose within her heart: "Zhao Yuechan is determined to fabricate a charge to beat me to death. If I confess, she'll claim I'm malicious and have me dragged out to be beaten to death; if I don't confess, she'll accuse me of stubborn defiance and resort to even more brutal torture. I might as well grit my teeth and refuse to admit to anything."

After more than a dozen consecutive blows, Zhao Yuechan commanded, "Stop."

Yingsheng withdrew the paddle. Xianglan's entire face was deformed by swelling, already numb from the pain. With tears and mucus streaming down, unable to speak coherently, she kowtowed repeatedly and managed to force out through her agony, "Please, Madam, exercise your discerning judgment. I truly know nothing about this. Even if you gave me a hundred times my courage, I would never dare take a master's belongings."

Zhao Yuechan said coldly, "Let me ask you: before Mistress Lan drew her last breath, what did she say to Huamei? Did you hear it?"

Xianglan's heart sank. She raised her tear-blurred eyes to look at Zhao Yuechan, thinking to herself, "Since Zhao Yuechan cares about this so deeply, it seems Mistress Lan's death is tied to a matter of immense gravity. But when I first lied to Yindie, claiming I heard Mistress Lan express a desire to see the eldest master, who knows what rumors Yindie has spread behind my back? At this point, I cannot retract my statement." She had no choice but to endure the pain and mumble vaguely, "I didn't hear it very clearly. Mistress Lan only said she missed her parents and the eldest master, lamenting that she didn't get to see him one last time before her death."

Zhao Yuechan's voice turned harsh. "You still dare to deceive me! You haven't received enough of the paddle yet!"

Xianglan kowtowed heavily, her head striking the floor with dull thuds as she wept, "I beg the Eldest Young Madam to spare me. Even if you beat me to death, Madam, I truly know nothing. I don't know who is instigating this in front of you, but I want to confront them face-to-face!" With that, she cast a furtive upward glance toward Yindie.

Having witnessed Zhao Yuechan's ruthless methods, Yindie was already paralyzed with fright. Seeing Xianglan look at her, she waved her hands frantically and retreated backward, stammering, "W-what are you looking at me for... You and Huamei were the only ones right beside Mistress Lan when she breathed her last... Mistress Lan talked with Huamei for quite a while, so y-you must have heard it!"

As quick-witted as she was, Xianglan guessed seven or eight parts of the truth on the spot, thinking darkly, "Presumably, Mistress Lan got a hold of Zhao Yuechan's vulnerable spot, and it most likely has to do with that indigo-colored booklet... Yingsheng and Chunling collided in the garden, and both fell down, mixing up the booklets in the scramble. The one Zhao Yuechan lost must contain something fatal. Mistress Lan seized upon Zhao Yuechan's weakness, only to be driven to her death in return. Now Zhao Yuechan is hunting for that booklet and using this chance to wipe me out along the way." Letting her thoughts spin through her mind, she pointed straight at Yindie and retorted, "You're lying! Clearly, you were standing right beside Mistress Lan, even closer than I was. I was standing further away and could only hear things vaguely; you should have heard it much more clearly than I did!" Because of her facial injuries, speaking these words was exceptionally difficult, the pain causing fresh tears to spill over.

Yindie was instantly frightened out of her wits. With a dull thud, she dropped to her knees, kowtowed repeatedly, and wailed, "This little slut is spouting nonsense! Madam, I was standing far away; all the matrons and house-mothers in the room can testify for me... I..." Seeing Zhao Yuechan's slightly darkened expression, she abruptly clamped her mouth shut.

Watching the two of them point fingers at each other, Zhao Yuechan offered only a faint, cold sneer. Her alluring, peach-blossom eyes held nothing but icy mockery as she said indifferently, "Go on, keep talking. You two barking dogs of slaves, trying to pull the wool over my eyes one after another—you've certainly grown bold. If you don't give me a clear and satisfactory explanation today, neither of you will find any peace. Provoke me to anger, and don't blame me for being heartless; I'll have the both of you sold straight to a brothel!"

Terrified out of her wits, Yindie curled up on the floor, trembling violently.

Xianglan sobbed intermittently, "This maid is truly wronged... I honestly didn't hear what Mistress Lan said before she passed away... nor would I ever dare steal a master's possessions... If I am uttering a single word of falsehood, Madam, you may beat me to death..." With that, she burst into loud, wailing sobs, hoping the commotion would draw someone over to rescue her.

Zhao Yuechan pointed and scolded, "What are you mourning over! Someone, gag her mouth! A little seducing siren trying to hook up with masters, you richly deserve to be beaten to death. Did you think the eldest master's favors were so abundant that you could reach out and steal a bite of the oil? Bah! I'll break your dog legs!" Yingsheng immediately grabbed a bundle of cloth and stuffed Xianglan's mouth. Zhao Yuechan raised her voice, "Take her and lock her up in the small back-courtyard room to keep a close watch on her. I'll deal with her properly in due time."

Yingsheng immediately summoned two sturdy matrons, who dragged Xianglan away by force. Having made such a scene for half the day, Zhao Yuechan felt somewhat fatigued, and the ongoing worry over the missing booklet gnawed at her. She waved a hand at Yindie. "Get lost, and let me rest."

Yindie knocked her head on the floor, scrambled up, and turned to leave.

"Come back!" Zhao Yuechan barked.

Yindie hurriedly spun around, standing with her hands respectfully at her sides. Zhao Yuechan glared at her and warned, "If a single word of this leaks out, the responsibility falls squarely on your head. Remember this well: turn Mistress Lan's room upside down inside and out. If you can't find that booklet, watch out for your skin!"

A jolt of pure terror ran through Yindie, and she scurried off with frantic, breathless assents.

Before long, Yingsheng returned to find Zhao Yuechan massaging her temples as she sat upon the kang. Walking over with light, cautious steps, she poured a cup of tea, placed it on the kang table, and murmured softly, "Even after Madam said those harsh words and subjected her to such ruthless punishment, that Xianglan still didn't confess. It seems she genuinely doesn't know what Mistress Lan said before her death..."

Zhao Yuechan knitted her brows slightly. "Even if she truly doesn't know, this little hussy cannot be kept around in any case."

Yingsheng ventured, "Does Madam really intend to sell her to... to..." The word "brothel" turned over in her mouth a couple of times, but she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud.

A cold smile touched Zhao Yuechan's lips. "A brothel? I certainly wish I could. But now that old hag is running the household, and my every move is watched by others, how could I manage something so convenient? In a few days, once things have quieted down, I'll take advantage of arranging the funeral rites for that little wretch to quietly summon a human trafficker and sell that girl to a brothel—somewhere far away. Only when she's out of my sight will I finally have peace."

Yingsheng dared not speak further, offering only a nervous, compliant smile. Zhao Yuechan remarked, "Qinglan and that bastard seed died at just the right time; with dead men telling no tales and a major threat removed, it's saved me a world of trouble. It's just that until that booklet is found, I won't have a single day of peace." Leaning sideways against the kang to lose herself in quiet contemplation for a moment, she suddenly instructed, "Go fetch paper and brush. Write a letter to my cousin, telling him to wait for me tomorrow or the night after, precisely at the hour of Hai, in the small transitional hallway room by the manor's west gate."

Yingsheng wanted to dissuade her; her lips parted, but she lacked the courage to utter a sound.

After resting quietly in distraction for a moment longer, Zhao Yuechan asked again, "Is there any movement from Huamei's direction?"

Yingsheng hurriedly replied, "Bailu is watching her every second. Not even a fly can slip out."

Zhao Yuechan nodded. "In a little while, spread the word that some jewelry has gone missing from my quarters, and that we need to search every single room. Take people over to thoroughly tear her quarters apart."

Yingsheng answered quickly, "Madam, rest assured. Every single nook and cranny will be searched clean."

Regardless of how mistress and maid plotted behind the scenes, let us turn to Huamei. While helping out in the east wing with the funeral preparations, she quietly slipped the booklet out from beneath the bedboards. Returning to her room, she opened it, took one look, and received a fright. She bolted the door from the inside and turned the pages one by one, reading through them until she couldn't help breaking into a cold, derisive laugh. "No wonder Qinglan risked her life for this—so it was all for this little trinket. She was merely indulging in wishful thinking; such a stroke of good fortune might as well fall to me instead."

Sitting in her room, she turned the matter over in her mind, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and applied a fresh layer of powder to her face before the mirror to make her complexion appear even more haggard and pale. Slipping the booklet into her inner pocket, she summoned Xique inside, gave her a set of instructions, and the two of them made their way toward Lady Qin's quarters.

Mulberry was currently standing by the doorway hanging up a warding-off embroidered pouch talisman. Seeing Huamei approach, she blocked her path and asked, "What is the young lady doing here? Madam is feeling unwell and has just fallen asleep after taking her medicine."

Huamei wore an expression on the verge of tears. "I know Mistress Lan just passed away, and Madam is grieving, making her feel inevitably unwell, but... but I have a pressing matter here..."

Mulberry asked, "What is the matter, Young Lady?"

Huamei pulled a handkerchief from her lapel to dab at the corners of her eyes. "Just now, I received a letter from home saying my father took a bad fall, and his condition is growing increasingly grave. They want me to go home and see him..." As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she couldn't help sobbing softly.

Xique patted Huamei's back to comfort her. "Don't cry, Miss, don't upset your health." Raising her head to address Mulberry, she continued, "Our young lady wishes to ask for leave to go home and check on him. But with Mistress Lan having just passed away, the quarters are in complete chaos, and the Eldest Young Madam's spirits are weak as she refuses to see visitors in her rooms. So our young lady has come directly to ask Madam for leave."

Mulberry replied, "This is a serious matter. You should wait a moment." With that, she turned and went back into the room to find Hongjian. Upon explaining the situation, Hongjian frowned in thought and said, "Madam has just fallen asleep; we shouldn't disturb her with such a minor matter. If Huamei's father's condition is truly critical, denying her permission to go home would be running counter to human affection and moral principles. Let her go. According to standard precedent, draw twenty taels of silver from the accounts so she can take it back with her for medical care and purchasing medicine. I'll mention this to Madam later."

Having received the message, Mulberry went back outside to relay it to Huamei.

Huamei and her maid naturally expressed boundless gratitude. Huamei said tearfully, "My good Madam is truly like a living bodhisattva, and she's even granting us silver. There is no one more compassionate in all the world." With that, she dropped straight to her knees on the stone steps and kowtowed three times toward the inner room in the direction of Lady Qin.

Mulberry thought to herself, "They always say Eldest Master's Huamei is the most articulate and capable of handling affairs, and seeing her now, it's truly true—she's a remarkably sensible person." She hurried forward to help Huamei up, saying, "The ground is cold, please get up quickly."

Huamei grasped Mulberry's hand. "Good sister, Mistress Lan's death just now was so tragic. She and I were like sisters, sharing an unspoken affinity; it truly hurts more than having my heart carved out. Now, hearing that something has happened to my father as well, my legs feel so weak they're trembling. I must impudently beg sister to support me for a stretch of the journey."

Mulberry, a second-tier maid in Lady Qin's quarters and naturally kind-hearted and soft, saw Huamei in this state and joined Xique in supporting her on either side. They walked together to the second gate and watched the mistress and servant board their carriage before turning back.

The moment Huamei stepped into the carriage, the sorrowful and delicate expression vanished entirely from her face. She lifted the curtain and instructed the coachman, "Drive quickly, and there'll be a double tip."

Xique used a handkerchief to wipe the light beads of sweat from Huamei's temples, lowering her voice to ask, "The Eldest Young Madam and the others won't come after us, will they?"

Leaning back against the carriage cushions, Huamei pulled out the booklet, gently stroked its cover, and said indifferently, "Not this fast. We'll take advantage of catching them off guard and slip away in the chaos. We can hide at home for a couple of days and wait until the eldest master returns before heading back to the manor."

Xique responded with a soft sound of assent, picked up a folding fan, and began gently fanning Huamei.

Huamei slowly closed her eyes.