Xianglan felt both humiliated and furious, instinctively struggling, only to hear Lin Jinlou burst into hearty laughter, his tone brimming with smug satisfaction. He strode out of the room, where several maids carrying trays were just emerging from the covered corridor. They stared in shock and uncertainty, unable to resist whispering among themselves. Xianglan’s face burned with shame, so she simply closed her eyes, preferring not to see anything and thus keep her peace.
Xi Que, who had been guarding the entrance to the east wing, hurriedly lifted the curtain. Everyone was stunned into silence at the sight of Lin Jinlou carrying Xianglan inside, as if frozen in place. Hua Mei forgot to wave her fan, Ying Ge was so startled she spilled half a bowl of tea, and Luan'er, who had been tuning her pipa, nearly broke a fingernail.
Lin Jinlou remained completely unruffled, setting Xianglan down on the heated brick bed. She immediately shrank to the far side, keeping her distance from him, and sat leaning against the wooden partition. Resting her left hand on a soft cushion, she silently surveyed everyone in the room. Among them, only Luan'er had never seen Xianglan before and studied her carefully. She noted how the girl possessed the elegant charm of a crabapple blossom and the serene beauty of an orchid—truly a peerless beauty who not outshone everyone Luan'er had ever met but also made the others in the room seem dull in comparison. A pang of envy struck Luan'er’s heart, but then she noticed the faint redness and swelling on Xianglan’s face, clearly evidence of a slap. Recalling how Lin Jinlou had stormed into her room in a rage the previous night, Luan'er straightened her posture slightly, though she still felt uneasy. Hua Mei waved her fan thoughtfully, while Ying Ge glanced at Xianglan, then stole a look at Hua Mei before lowering her head again.
Lin Jinlou raised his eyebrows and commanded, "Bring the kang table. With so few of us, there’s no need for a large one."
Hua Mei smiled and said, "That makes sense. A small table makes for a cozier meal."
Maids promptly brought two ebony kang tables inlaid with gold and placed them together. Lin Jinlou sat cross-legged on the kang, with Hua Mei on his left and Luan'er on his right, while Ying Ge took a chair opposite him to keep him company. This arrangement brought Lin Jinlou closer to Xianglan once more.
The maids laid out the dishes on the table. Xianglan glanced over and saw an array of plates, all Jun-blue glazed Ding ware, in various shapes—square, round, crabapple, plum, ingot, and gourd—each no larger than a small tea saucer, filled with an assortment of delicacies.
Luan'er personally poured wine for Lin Jinlou, while Hua Mei selected some refreshing side dishes and tender shredded meat, wrapped them in tofu skin, and placed them on a small cloud-patterned porcelain plate. She held it to Lin Jinlou’s lips and said with a smile, "This is your favorite, Master. Try a bite."
To her surprise, Lin Jinlou didn’t even glance at it and instead picked up the wine Luan'er had poured for him and took a sip. Hua Mei was left embarrassed, but after a moment, she forced a smile and offered a duck oil roll instead, again on the cloud-patterned porcelain plate. Leaning closer, she said, "Try this one, Master. I hand-shredded the duck meat myself and marinated it in a jar. It’s thoroughly infused with flavor—sweet and fragrant."At this moment, Luan'er also picked up a piece of fried pork rib and offered it. Lin Jinlou ate the meat directly from Luan'er's chopsticks, leaving Hua Mei standing awkwardly to the side. Xianglan, watching from her corner, thought to herself: "Hua Mei has always been exceptionally clever and was originally the most favored among the Master's concubines in the inner quarters. Yet now Lin Jinlou has publicly snubbed her twice in a row. Has something happened to anger him?" Hua Mei sheepishly put down her plate, but inwardly grew alert, carefully reviewing the earlier events in her mind. She recalled how Lin Jinlou had been testing her in the room, but she had played dumb. She feared this might have displeased him, causing him to deliberately distance himself.
Seeing Lin Jinlou snub Hua Mei while accepting her own offerings twice, Luan'er immediately glowed with satisfaction, perking up noticeably. She busily directed, "Sister Hua Mei, bring that plate of phoenix marrow—it's the Master's favorite, and it loses its flavor when cold." Then she called out, "Sister Ying Ge, could you pour me a cup of fruit wine? This aged brew is too strong—if I have any more, I might slide right under the table." She even went so far as to order Hua Mei's maid: "Xi Que, fetch me a basin of hot water. I need to wash my hands to peel river shrimp for the Master."
Xi Que fumed silently. Luan'er's own maid, Cun Xin, was standing right there, yet Luan'er deliberately ordered her instead—clearly another slight against Hua Mei. Xi Que glanced at Hua Mei, who gave a slight nod of permission, so she had no choice but to fetch a silver basin of hot water and bring a towel to assist Luan'er with washing her hands.
Lin Jinlou appeared not to notice any of this, leisurely using his silver chopsticks to sample dishes from each plate.
Luan'er grew even more emboldened. She turned her head and looked down at Xianglan, calling, "Xianglan, bring me a back cushion. This wooden panel is too cold—leaning against it too long will make me sick!"
Xianglan found the whole performance both amusing and exasperating. Were she not burdened with her own worries, she might have laughed aloud. She thought to herself, "The rivalry among concubines for favor is inherently tragic, dull, and pitiable. But with a character like Luan'er in the mix, it becomes rather entertaining." She handed Luan'er the cushion she had been using.
Luan'er hummed a tune as she took it, but instead of using it as a backrest, she placed it under her legs. Lin Jinlou glanced at Luan'er, and Hua Mei quickly said, "Quickly, bring Xianglan the new green Ling brocade cushion with ink-splash pattern I made yesterday." Xi Que indeed brought two brand-new cushions. Hua Mei then offered her own seat to Xianglan, but Xianglan kept her mouth firmly shut and averted her eyes.
Luan'er muttered under her breath, "Look at her, putting on such airs. Who does she think she is, acting like some pure, untouched young lady?" Though her voice was low, everyone heard her clearly. She then leaned closer to Lin Jinlou, raising her hand and saying, "Master, I didn't like the jade bracelet you gave me last time, so I smashed it. You promised me a pair of gold-inlaid agate bracelets instead, but I haven't seen them yet. Let me be clear—if they're too cheap, I won't have the face to wear them. They should cost at least a hundred taels of silver." As she spoke, she tilted her head and cast a sidelong, provocative glance at Xianglan, her eyes full of provocation."
Xianglan was taken aback, then found it laughable. She thought to herself, "Even if Lin Jinlou gave you the entire Lin Family fortune, what would that have to do with me? Do you think I'm like all the other women in this room, treating that living bandit like some prized treasure?" She shifted her gaze away, staring blankly at the sash of her own skirt.Hua Mei's smile became strained as she retorted with sharp sarcasm, "Heavens above! A pair of bracelets costing a hundred taels of silver? I suppose only Taitai and the young ladies are worthy of wearing such things. Just the other day, I made several sets of clothes for Master, and only when he was pleased did he allow fifty taels from the accounts to be allocated for me to have three gold hairpins made. Now that you ask for a hundred taels with a single word, sister, I truly feel like a burnt pancake—utterly worthless."
Luan'er sneered coldly, "This is what our Master is willing to grant me. If you have the ability, go ask him for it yourself."
Just as an argument was about to erupt, Lin Jinlou set his wine cup down on the table with a thud. The surroundings immediately fell silent, and no one dared to make a sound. Lin Jinlou glanced at Luan'er and said, "Go pick a tune to sing."
Luan'er then ordered Cun Xin to bring the pipa. After plucking the strings a few times to tune it, she began to sing, "Dewdrops cling to fragrant grass, the icy wheel hides in the azure sky, gazing far into the river and heavens..." She had only sung one line when Hua Mei covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh, sister is singing 'The Mandarin Duck Dream' again. Nine times out of ten, whenever a banquet begins, you sing this very piece. Especially when you reach the line, 'Most women in this world suffer one part of torment for every bit of beauty they possess; for every measure of talent bestowed, they bear an additional measure of karmic obstacles,' you get all teary-eyed, as if you truly see yourself as Liu Yanbo."
"The Mandarin Duck Dream" was Luan'er's favorite opera. It told the story of a maid named Liu Yanbo, who, due to her exceptional beauty and talent, was taken as a Concubine by her master, Wang Huifeng. When Wang Huifeng was falsely accused and imprisoned, his wife and children scattered, leaving only Liu Yanbo to run around on his behalf, enduring countless hardships. Eventually, she encountered an imperial inspector, cleared Wang Huifeng's name, restored his official position, and he married her as his wife, leading to a harmonious union that lasted a hundred years. Every time Luan'er sang this piece, she grew sentimental, convinced that she was the righteous and courageous Liu Yanbo—gifted with both talent and beauty yet born into humble circumstances, uncertain when she would ever rise to become the legitimate wife. Thus, she often sang this opera for Lin Jinlou.
Today, Hua Mei had mercilessly exposed her little secret desires, causing Luan'er to flush with shame and anger. She threw the pipa onto the Heated Brick Bed and said, "I'm a dull person who only knows this one piece. Why don't you, Sister Hua Mei, sing a tune for us to hear?"
Hua Mei did not decline. She immediately ordered someone to fetch her usual guzheng. After plucking the strings a few times, she smiled and asked, "What would Master like to hear? The other day, the household hired a few female performers who sang a newly arranged piece called 'Dream Among the Flowers.' There were several novel tunes in it, and Master said they sounded fresh. Why don't I pick one to sing?" After a moment's thought, she strummed the guzheng and sang, "What a charming beauty with powdered face and adorned hair, what a clever and exquisite little sprite. With a thousand kinds of loveliness, you marry the east wind; with ten thousand schemes, you entrust them to drifting clouds. Alas, you've hung your heart in suspense for half a lifetime, unaware that poverty and prosperity are predestined since ancient times." Her voice was low but sang with a playful, melodious charm. After finishing, she drank a cup of wine herself and seized the opportunity to pour another for Lin Jinlou. She then handed a tofu roll to his lips, offering a coquettish smile and ingratiatingly said, "You've had your wine, and I've sung my song. Master, please do me the honor. It was all my fault earlier, and I won't dare do it again."
Lin Jinlou glanced at Hua Mei and ate the roll. Hua Mei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, unable to suppress the joy that spread across her cheeks.Luan'er felt somewhat indignant. She picked up the pipa and said, "Those songs are just simple little tunes, of course I know them." Then she sang: "Beholding the garden full of silks and pearls so bright, / Who knows the mirror's flowers, the moon's reflection—love's false light? / Longing for embroidered curtains and love beneath the quilt so deep, / Yet unable to hide a nature charming, proud, and steeped in luxury. / Beyond the layered curtains, at the ends of the earth, my dear, / Only an empty reputation and a tale remain here." Her voice was clear and melodious, her singing excellent, and she played the pipa with great skill.
Xianglan couldn't help but glance at her. She saw Luan'er leaning against the wooden wall, wearing a small jacket of bright red silk gauze, tied with a willow-green sash, and below, a skirt of three-colored satin with embroidered patterns, revealing just a hint of lake-blue embroidered shoes strung with glass beads. Her hair was piled high in clouds, adorned with pearl and jade plum blossom hairpins, and decorated with gold phoenix hairpins inlaid with gems and pearls. From her ears hung gold-inlaid amethyst earrings the size of small kumquats, setting off her snow-white oval face. Her sandalwood-red lips and slender eyes held a unique charm.
Lin Jinlou praised, "Excellent!" Luan'er immediately beamed with pride. She turned to look at Xianglan and said with a faint, mocking smile, "How about you sing one too?"
Thank you to Xiaoxiao66 for the He's Jade Disc, mikewei for the Peach Blossom Fan, yu21yu21 for two Peace Talismans, Xiaoyuanyuan and Xiaosuda33 for the Peace Talismans, and also thank you to everyone for the pink votes. Work has been really exhausting lately, and I’ve been physically drained after returning home, with my heart racing, so updates have been falling behind. I’m very sorry. Long-time readers know that my update speed has never been fast (though I always finish what I start and never leave stories hanging), and I have the bad habit of obsessing over perfection. Since starting "Lan Xiang Yuan," I’ve made sure there’s no filler content or dragging—every detail serves a purpose, and I’ve never taken shortcuts with readers. This means the author has to put in much more effort, spending several times longer on writing than others. So while others might churn out 6,000 words, I might have just finished 2,000. I’m doing my best to bring the best expression to my readers, and I hope for a little more patience and understanding during my busiest work periods. I promise I’ll sit down to write as soon as I have free time. Thank you, everyone! Also, for those who are dissatisfied with the plot or think the story isn’t good, there’s no need to keep making sarcastic comments—it’s a waste of time. Just look at the top right corner; see that red X? One click, and it’s so easy! From then on, no more worries about reading annoyances! ^_^
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