Against the Current - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Wives and Concubines (Part 2)

Just then, a pageboy came to report that the physician had arrived. The female attendants retreated into the inner room to keep out of the way, and Lin Jinlou ordered a folding screen to be set up so the physician could take Yingge's pulse. After taking her pulse, the physician announced that there were minor signs of a threatened miscarriage. Furthermore, because the expectant mother was somewhat physically weak and had been overthinking, he prescribed a restorative decoction to replenish her vital energy and blood, steady the fetus, and calm the spirit. Lin Jinlou walked around to the back of the screen, sat down on the edge of the arhat bed, and said to Yingge, "The doctor says the fetus is doing fine. Once you take your medicine later, you'll be as good as new."

Yingge timidly tugged at Lin Jinlou's sleeve, shaking it slightly as she said, "As long as the Eldest Young Master holds even a fraction of care for me in his heart, this illness of mine will be completely cured." Her eyes brimmed with tears, yet she deliberately kept them from spilling over, her utter fragility and vulnerability tugging fiercely at one's sympathy.

Lin Jinlou patted her hand and said, "Just rest properly and stop letting your imagination run wild. Of course I care for you." He knew Yingge had always been delicate of constitution, prone to moaning and groaning over every minor ailment. Initially, he had found some novelty in this "sickly beauty," feeling that her delicate and pitiful demeanor was quite endearing; coaxing her and showing her affection had its own unique charm. He still had the leisure and inclination for such playfulness when he was in a good mood, but whenever he felt vexed or burdened by mundane affairs, seeing someone shedding tears in the wind only made him feel impatient. Moreover, with Yingge's perpetual melancholy and sentimentality, the initial novelty had long since worn thin, leaving him thoroughly weary of it.

Yingge could clearly hear the perfunctoriness in Lin Jinlou's voice. She parted her lips to call out, "Eldest Young Master..." One of her hands gently clutched Lin Jinlou's fingers, while the other clawed fiercely into the mattress beneath her, digging in until her knuckles turned stark white.

Lin Jinlou ordered the screen to be removed. Seeing Zhao Yue Chan and the others emerge, he said, "The physician says Yingge shows signs of a threatened miscarriage and has written a prescription. Have a few doses brewed for her to take later, and stew some nourishing soups as well. If the funds in the Eldest Branch's ledgers are insufficient, just come to me for them."

He then cast a cool, casual glance at Zhicao and Chunyan. The two of them had hastily straightened their hair and garments; Zhicao kept her head bowed with a dull, vacant expression, while Chunyan trembled at the lips, staring fixedly at Lin Jinlou.

Lin Jinlou said in a deep voice, "Since Yingge has no major ailments, I will no longer investigate who did the pushing. However, punishment must still be dealt out. Chunyan will receive twenty slaps across the face, be confined to her quarters for a month, and forfeit three months' salary. Zhicao, you will receive thirty slaps across the face, forfeit three months' salary, and be demoted to doing menial sweeping chores. You are strictly forbidden from entering the rooms to serve from now on, and if there are any further mishaps, you need not remain in this household."

Chunyan let out a quiet breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. To her astonishment, Lin Jinlou suddenly raised his head to look at her, his gaze as deep as the ocean, and slowly said, "Chunyan, you are growing older by the day, and your mind has become far more restless than before. After all, you have served me for a time; go to the accounts office to draw one hundred taels of silver, along with a complete set of gold and silver hair ornaments, and have your father and mother take you out of here. If you wish to have your deed of servitude returned, you may be released as well."

Xianglan, hiding stealthily behind the window, was startled by these words. She thought to herself, Lin Jinlou has no intention of keeping Chunyan! A concubine's maid like her, no matter how beautiful, is already damaged goods—what kind of decent match could she possibly hope to find? Still, one hundred taels of silver is quite a generous sum, and she can even shed her slave status. As long as Chunyan doesn't aim too high, she could easily find an honest, reliable family to settle down with.

Just as she was lost in these stray thoughts, she heard Chunyan let out a piercing, desolate wail: "Eldest Young Master—!" She collapsed straight down onto her knees, tears streaming like a flood, and shrieked in agony, "Eldest Young Master, I don't want to leave! I'd rather smash my head open and die than leave the Lin household!"

Lin Jinlou said indifferently, "You need not leave the household if you choose not to. There are several unmarried senior pageboys and junior servants. Look around and tell the Eldest Grandmother whichever one strikes your fancy; you will not be treated unfairly."

Chunyan shook her head frantically, opening her wide mouth to sob heartrendingly. "Eldest Young Master, Eldest Young Master, please listen to me! I know you're angry with me, but I truly didn't bump into Yingge on purpose." As she spoke, she turned back, clutching her handkerchief and pointing at Zhicao as she cursed, "Vixen! I've harbored no enmity or grudges against you, past or present—why did you frame me?!"

Catching sight of Chunyan's vicious glare, Zhicao shrank back a step before dropping to her knees once more. Biting her lower lip as teardrops pattered down, she choked out, "This servant... is wronged..."

Chunyan whipped her head around in a flurry, only to see Lin Jinlou sitting with lowered eyelids and a completely expressionless face. Yingge wore an expression of sorrow, yet the corners of her eyes could not conceal a gleam of mockery and schadenfreude. Haimian stood beside the arhat bed, chewing unconcernedly on her handkerchief with an air of leisurely detachment, looking as though she had just enjoyed a splendid theatrical performance.

Like one driven mad, Chunyan pointed at Haimian and Yingge and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I know what this is! It's you! And you! The two of you colluded to plot against me! In the entire Zhisun Lodge, apart from the Eldest Grandmother, every single one of you finds me an eyesore. You've been scheming in every possible way to harm me and squeeze me out, hoping the Eldest Young Master will grow sick of me and drive me out so your schemes can succeed!"

Yingge assumed a look of utter shock, her eyes brimming with grief and indignation. "What are you talking about?!" She reached out to tug at Lin Jinlou's sleeve once more. "Eldest Young Master, even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I could never wash away this grievance! How could I ever dare to risk the Lin family's flesh and blood?"

Xianglan nodded silently to herself, thinking that Yingge truly knew how to act. Then, glancing at Haimian and seeing her standing in absolute silence, she reflected that Haimian was also an exceedingly clever person; before Lin Jinlou arrived, every single word out of her mouth had been dripping with venom, but right now she was being extraordinarily docile and well-behaved.

Chunyan spat bitterly. "Who doesn't know you're the best at putting on an act, playing the 'sickly beauty' day in and day out—" Before she could finish, she suddenly remembered that this was no time for a brawl. Turning back to look at Lin Jinlou, she pleaded piteously, "Eldest Young Master! Eldest Young Master, I beg of you, don't drive me out! I will work like an ox or a horse for you, serving you with all my heart. You once said yourself that you loved my open and cheerful disposition, that you loved watching me do my makeup and apply floral facial ornaments, that you loved listening to me play the bamboo flute! You even wrote on my arm, 'Whose jade flute sounds so melodious, drifting away into the spring breeze among the bed curtains?' That was a poem you wrote for me with your own hands! Please, for the sake of the tender affection we once shared—" With that, she began kowtowing with loud, heavy thuds.

Whose jade flute sounds so melodious, drifting away into the spring breeze among the bed curtains?

Xianglan shuddered with goosebumps, thinking that even if this couplet were included in a collection of licentious and erotic verses, it wouldn't be considered particularly refined. Lin Jinlou genuinely possessed very little literary talent; no wonder he had only managed to pass the preliminary county examinations as a scholar before giving up on the imperial examinations altogether, sparing himself the humiliation of failing the provincial exams. Instead, he had turned to the military examinations, capturing top honors in a single stroke and earning himself the prestigious reputation of being "accomplished in both literary and martial arts."

"Enough!" Lin Jinlou bellowed. "Someone come, drag her out and slap her mouth!" At his shout, two elderly matrons stepped out from behind the inner room and hauled Chunyan away. Chunyan flailed wildly with her claws, screaming in shrill agony, "Eldest Young Master! Eldest Young Master! My heart has always been completely true to you—" One of the matrons stuffed a bundle of cloth straight into her mouth, cutting off her cries.

Xianglan, hiding behind a pillar, watched as Chunyan was dragged away in a disheveled and struggling state, and a heavy, uneasy knot formed in her chest. This flower-like girl had indeed shared intimate moments with the man sitting inside; he was the one who had once doted on her, favored her, and entwined his life with hers. If Chunyan had genuinely plotted against his progeny, driving her out in this manner would be understandable. Yet he hadn't displayed even a flicker of reluctance or pity; from beginning to end, his expression had remained utterly detached, as though Chunyan were nothing more than a complete stranger to him.

Lin Jinlou stood up and said to Zhao Yue Chan, "Follow me." With that, he lifted the door curtain and stepped into the bedchamber, seating himself on an embroidered round stool. Zhao Yue Chan entered behind him, sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at Lin Jinlou. "What is it?"

Lin Jinlou let out a breath, looking at Zhao Yue Chan with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and said, "The child in Yingge's belly is the bloodline of our Lin family and the continuation of the Eldest Branch's lineage. I must trouble you to cherish her thoroughly." He bit down with particular emphasis on the words "cherish her thoroughly."

Zhao Yue Chan removed the red musk prayer beads from her wrist, twisting them back and forth between her fingers like a Buddhist rosary. Raising her head to look at Lin Jinlou, her gaze was as resentment-laden as poison. "If the Eldest Young Master doesn't trust me, you should hand her over to someone else to watch over, lest that little slut and the wild seed in her belly come to harm, and I am left unable to bear the punishment the Eldest Young Master hands down."

Lin Jinlou suddenly burst out laughing. He had been wearing a stern, forbidding expression just moments before, but this laugh was laced with the dissolute, untamed air of a profligate playboy. He stepped forward, pinched Zhao Yue Chan's chin, rubbed his thumb across her lips, and slowly lowered his face toward hers. Zhao Yue Chan's heart hammered like thunder, her mouth went dry, and her entire body trembled as she waited for Lin Jinlou to kiss her. To her surprise, Lin Jinlou brought his lips right up to her ear, a trace of frivolous amusement dancing in his voice as his low, smooth words flowed like silk: "Eldest Grandmother Lou had better listen carefully. I am still leaving Yingge in your hands because you remain my wife in name, and I am giving you this shred of decency. Do not take my generosity for granted and throw away your own face. Chunyan is a fool; you incited her to stir up trouble within the Eldest Branch, and you also manipulated Yingge and Haimian into falling out with one another. Yingge nearly suffered a miscarriage, but it wasn't because Chunyan deliberately bumped into her—Chunyan is simple and straightforward, and if she had been plotting anything, her flaws would have shown long ago. Do not think I am unaware of the filthy little games you play behind my back. I treat you like a pile of shit, which is why I can't be bothered to deal with you. Listen to me very carefully: if there is the slightest mishap with the child in Yingge's belly, I will make you pay dearly. You know what methods I am capable of. Do you understand?"

Such tender, murmuring whispers carried words of such chilling sharpness, striking like a basin of ice water dumped straight over her head. Zhao Yue Chan stiffened into stone. Lin Jinlou straightened up, stroked Zhao Yue Chan's ear and her inch-long agate earrings, and said with a smile, "These red agate earrings make your skin look even whiter. You truly live up to your name as the foremost beauty of Jinling; even your ears are shaped to such perfection. It's a pity that such a magnificent creature has been forced to endure four years of a living widowhood. Tell me, why do you suppose that is?"

Zhao Yue Chan shook uncontrollably, unable to suppress it. Lin Jinlou continued with that same slight smile, "I'll say it again: I made a promise to the elders of both families, so I naturally cannot divorce you. Whenever you decide you want a separation, just let me know, and your master here will personally present you with a hefty sum of silver to ensure you are well satisfied." With that, treating her much like a painted courtesan in a pleasure quarter, he lightly stroked her chin with his finger and patted her cheek. "You had better think this through very carefully. How many years does a woman have in her youth? Wait too long, and when this face of yours loses its appeal, you won't even be able to find a decent family to marry into."

With those words, he took a step back, drew a handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped his hands. "Touching you makes me feel sick." Having said that, he tossed the handkerchief onto the floor, turned around, and strode out.

Zhao Yue Chan trembled violently from head to toe, her eyes burning with a rage so intense it seemed she might bleed from them. Seizing a tea bowl from beside her, she hurled it against the doorframe and let out a furious roar: "Bastard!"

As Lin Jinlou emerged from the room and prepared to step out of the courtyard, he suddenly heard someone call out, "Eldest Young Master, wait for me." He paused and turned around to see Haimian holding a sachet, stepping up to present it right before his eyes with a soft smile. "This is a sachet I made for the Eldest Young Master. See if you like it."

Lin Jinlou took it to inspect it, seeing that it was an intricately embroidered sachet featuring hazy clouds and auspicious ruyi patterns, paired with palace-tasseled silk cords and jade beads the size of fingernails. It was evidently crafted with immense skill and painstaking effort. Lin Jinlou smiled and said, "I'll accept this sachet. Since you've made it so beautifully, I must naturally reward you. What would you like? Hairpins and rings, or new garments? Or shall I have a completely new set of hair ornaments custom-made for you?"

Haimian feigned displeasure and pouted. "How hateful! Why does the Eldest Young Master think of me in such a vulgar way?" With that, she held both her hands up in front of Lin Jinlou, pouted her lips, and said, "I don't want anything at all. It's just that while I was sewing this sachet, my needle pricked holes all over both my hands. You must blow on them for me, Eldest Young Master—once you blow on them, I'll be all better."

Lin Jinlou pinched her soft, pliable little hand and chuckled, "Do you take my breath for some kind of magic fairy air? One blow and you're all better?"

Haimian coaxed playfully, "Of course one blow and I'm all better! Otherwise, Eldest Young Master, you can try and see."

True to form, Lin Jinlou held her hand and blew on it gently, then pulled her into his arms with a laugh. "Let me take a look and see if you're all better."

Haimian giggled merrily. Standing beneath the veranda eaves, Xianglan witnessed this entire scene with her jaw dropping open in sheer astonishment: Goodness gracious me! Right here in broad daylight under the bright blue sky, Lin Jinlou is actually out here flirting with his own concubine right at the front gate! This—this reputation of Eldest Young Master Lou being a dashing, romantic rake is truly no exaggeration; he really is the vanguard general of the romantic battleground!