Lin Jinlou was in a foul mood, having come to Luan'er's room merely seeking a place to sleep. Without uttering a word, he lay straight down on the bed, pulled a thin quilt over himself, and buried his head to sleep.
Seeing the faint anger on Lin Jinlou's face, Luan'er vaguely guessed that Xianglan had upset him. Secretly pleased, she nudged him and said, "Why are you lying here? I'm just an unlikable, unloved one anyway. Go rest with your beloved darling—don't let me offend your eyes." When Lin Jinlou remained motionless, Luan'er grew angry too and sneered, "Master's temper has been quite fierce lately, throwing fits at the drop of a hat—it truly frightens me. Before, when I smashed a jade bracelet, you even said it was well done. But today, when I specially prepared soup and brought it over, you drove me out with a face full of disdain. I know Master finds his new favorite pleasing to the eye and tosses us worthless weeds aside. Since you hold her so dear, why come bother me in the middle of the Night?"
Hearing this, Lin Jinlou grew even more impatient and snapped angrily, "Foolish woman! One more word and you'll kneel in the courtyard!"
Luan'er was stunned. Lin Jinlou had always been somewhat gentle with her—even when he scolded her in the Main House, it was never with such severity. Overwhelmed with grievance, her eyes instantly reddened.
Cun Xin, hearing this, hurriedly said, "The young lady misspoke in a moment of confusion. Just now she was sighing to me, praising Master's virtues. It's only because she holds Master dear that she feels a pang of jealousy seeing you take in someone new. Please don't be angry with her, Master." Cun Xin, trained personally by Shuran, was clever and tactful, which was why she had been assigned to her cousin. These words slightly eased Lin Jinlou's expression.
Unexpectedly, Luan'er sneered, "You're quite the smooth-talking servant, while I'm just blunt and straightforward—neither eloquent nor skilled at serving. That's why the master brought in a new woman within three months! I made soup and got driven out, and now in the middle of the Night, I don't even get a kind word upon entering. Soon I'll be worse off than a floor-sweeping maid!"
Cun Xin was alarmed by this and thought, "My dear young mistress, at least read the room! Master was kind to you before because he was happy and you were still novel. If you don't learn from last time and keep provoking him, if you get punished, won't I be implicated too?" Seeing Lin Jinlou's gaze growing colder, Cun Xin rushed to the bedside to pull Luan'er aside, saying, "It's all my fault. Dear young lady, Master is tired. Let me fetch a basin of hot water—you can help him freshen up."
Luan'er, feeling utterly wronged, took Cun Xin's words as proof that she dared not oppose Lin Jinlou and wasn't on her side. Growing even angrier, she laughed coldly and said, "Tired? Just from rolling around under the covers with some little mistress? After quarreling with her, you remember how good I am? Hmph! Sounds nice—bringing her as a personal maid, only to end up serving in bed." Then, pointing at Cun Xin, she scolded, "All you know is smoothing things over, thinking a few sweet words will make you stand out in front of Master and show how wonderful you are, right?"Before the words had fully left her mouth, Lin Jinlou kicked Luan'er off the heated brick bed. With a cry of "Ai!", she fell to the floor, knocking over a chair and sending a teapot crashing to the ground where it shattered into pieces. Lin Jinlou said coldly, "You carry yourself more like a master than I do. It seems our Lin Family is too small to contain you. Tomorrow, have your sister take you away. With your noble lady's qualities, being a mere Bedchamber servant is truly wasting your talents!"
Hearing this, Luan'er's grievances multiplied tenfold. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she said, "Master treated me so well before. Even without grand vows, you still whispered many sweet nothings. Now, not two days after finding a new favorite, I've become the annoying one. Coming to my room in the middle of the night finding ways to drive me away - isn't that right?"
Lin Jinlou, utterly exasperated, rose from the bed and made to leave. Cun Xin panicked, quickly kneeling before Lin Jinlou and kowtowing repeatedly. "Master, please calm your anger, Master. The young lady speaks without thinking. I beg you to spare her this once for Shuran's sake."
Lin Jinlou said, "Shuran is loyal and devoted, and I haven't treated her poorly. But your mistress here gives me attitude and makes unreasonable demands. Better to let her go and give my ears some peace."
Only then did Luan'er become truly frightened. Sitting on the floor weeping, she cried, "When did I say I wanted to leave? Foolish Master, I've given you my whole heart, yet you're so cruel to drive me away over a few wrong words." She could no longer restrain herself, weeping as if her heart would break.
Lin Jinlou's expression grew increasingly dark.
At that moment, Shuran suddenly emerged from the inner room, lifting the curtain. She hurried to kneel before Lin Jinlou and said, "Everything was fine just moments ago, what happened here... It's all my sister's foolishness. I apologize to Master on her behalf." She kowtowed while repeatedly signaling Luan'er to do the same. Because she had attended to Xianglan throughout the day, Shuran had stayed overnight in the mansion, sleeping in Luan'er's room. When Lin Jinlou came to drive Luan'er away, she had been sleeping soundly in the inner room and hadn't known what was happening. But when Lin Jinlou entered the room earlier, she had heard the commotion. At first she thought Lin Jinlou had remembered Luan'er's good qualities and come to stay the night, so she remained quiet in her room. But when the situation became truly unacceptable, she hurried out, inwardly scolding Luan'er for being so hopeless.
Considering Shuran's long service and the respect she commanded, Lin Jinlou sighed and waved his hand. "Enough. This time I'll let it pass for your sake." He turned and returned to bed.
Knowing Lin Jinlou intended to sleep, Shuran quickly stepped forward to arrange the bedding, gently lowering the bed curtains. She and Cun Xin pulled Luan'er into the small room, then Shuran extinguished the candle and settled on a bamboo couch to keep night watch.
For a while, all was quiet.
Early the next morning, Luan'er served Lin Jinlou with downcast eyes, helping him wash and dress. Lin Jinlou even took breakfast in her room before leaving the mansion for the military camp.Those in Knowing Spring Pavilion, unaware of the inside story, were quite astonished to see Lin Jinlou emerging from Luan'er's room early in the morning. Luan'er had secretly heard from Shuran that Lin Jinlou had indeed left the Main House in anger, even smashing a tea bowl on his way out, which made her increasingly smug. When she noticed Xi Que, the maid by Hua Mei's side, peeking around to inquire, she covered her mouth with a laugh and said, "Who can fathom the Master's thoughts? I thought I was out of favor too, but who would have guessed that even with a new woman, the Master still remembered me late at night and stayed with me until dawn. It's not that I hold any special place in his eyes; I've just observed coldly that the Master doesn't seem to value that Xianglan much either."
These words soon spread throughout.
When Xiao Juan heard about it, she indignantly reported it to Xianglan. Xianglan was reclining on the bed in the side room, her expression unchanged upon hearing the news, her gaze fixed intently on a pot of orchids on the windowsill. One of the flowers seemed to have reached the end of its bloom, wilting and drooping listlessly, while the others beside it were still in full, vibrant bloom, making this one appear particularly lifeless. A gust of wind blew, and the flower fell from its stem, staining the soil below.
She suddenly recalled the lines: "At dusk, the east wind mourns the crying birds, falling blossoms are like those who leap from towers," and "Everywhere red fades and green wanes, the splendor of things gradually fades away." Having lived two lives, her experiences had been full of dramatic ups and downs, much like a flower falling from its branch. Each time, she had mustered all her strength, struggling through thorns and brambles to emerge, but this time, she was utterly exhausted—so tired that she no longer had the energy for a final, desperate struggle.
She was not an ambitious person and knew her own limitations. She was neither exceptionally clever nor remarkably talented, tending to be soft-hearted and stubborn, with some ill-timed flaws. Aside from once harboring inappropriate feelings for Song Ke, she had never indulged in daydreams. All she sought was to leave the household registry, support herself, and live a peaceful life.
When Song Ke became engaged to someone else, she felt as if her most beautiful dream had shattered. Yet, she could cry for him at night and wipe her tears during the day to carry on—the bonds and attachments of two lifetimes were not so easily forgotten, especially for someone as sentimental as her. At times, she felt that fate had been particularly cruel to her. If she and Song Ke were not meant to be, why let them meet again? And having met, why let her recognize him? To gain and then lose only deepened the pain and regret.
What she hadn't anticipated was falling back into Lin Jinlou's hands, serving a man like a domineering bandit, with no idea when she might find release. Meanwhile, Song Ke had married the daughter of Duke Xian's family, which was for the best. Miss Zheng was talented and beautiful, with a powerful family background, making her a perfect match for Song Ke. In the future, when Song Ke pursued an official career, he would have strong support. As for her, she was no longer the Shen Jialan of her previous life. She could offer Song Ke no help at all, merely relying on her looks to save her father's life and eke out a meager existence.
Suddenly, laughter and chatter came from the doorway. Shortly after, a young maid named Furong peeked around the curio cabinet. Chun Ling asked, "Why are you hiding and sneaking around? What are you up to?"
Only then did Furong step out and say, "Concubine Mei is at the door and wishes to see the young lady, but the elder sister said the young lady isn't feeling well today and doesn't want to see anyone. I'm not sure how to turn her away."
Chun Ling glanced back at Xianglan, who was still staring blankly at the pot of flowers, and lowered her voice to reply, "Just tell her the young lady is asleep and not receiving guests."Furong hesitated and said, "I just overheard Concubine Mei speaking with Shuran at the door. She plans to pool some silver with Ying Ge and Luan'er to arrange a banquet, claiming it's to welcome our young lady. She's coming now to discuss this matter with her."
Chun Ling frowned. If this was the reason, it would be difficult to refuse.
Xiao Juan pulled Chun Ling aside and whispered, "That Hua Mei is no good bird. Xianglan is straightforward and a bit naive—what if she gets tricked? If you feel awkward about refusing, I'll go out and turn her down."
Chun Ling also lowered her voice, "Hua Mei has a reputation for virtue in front of the old mistress and Taitai. Besides, she has a proper excuse this time. I'm afraid if we refuse, some unsavory types might gossip. Yesterday, Xianglan and the Master had such a tense confrontation..."
Xianglan heard every word they said but remained seated motionless. In the past, she would have mustered her energy to deal with such matters, but today she thought with a sense of liberation: To hell with masters, servants, concubines, and ladies! I'll just let everything go to ruin now—what can any of you do to me?
Thank you to fat wanghua001 for the Peach Blossom Fan, and to sudae, Jiyuanbao, damima, yu21yu21, Yueyueaiyueyue, wqpaqm for the Peace Talismans. The recent plot has been challenging to write, and the pacing is hard to control. I need to carefully consider it, so the updates are somewhat slow. Please understand.
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