Lin Jinlou was in a foul mood, having come to Luanr's room merely seeking a place to sleep. Without uttering a word, he lay straight on the bed, pulled a thin quilt over himself, and buried his head to sleep.
Seeing the faint anger on Lin Jinlou's face, Luanr vaguely guessed that Xianglan had upset him, and secretly rejoiced. She nudged Lin Jinlou and said, "What are you lying here for? Anyway, I'm an unlikable one nobody cares for. Go rest with your beloved sweetheart—don't let me offend your eyes." When Lin Jinlou remained motionless, Luanr grew angry too and sneered, "The Eldest Master has quite the temper lately, throwing fits at the drop of a hat—truly frightening me. Before, when I smashed a jade bracelet, the Eldest Master even said it was well done. But today, when I specially prepared soup, I was driven out with a face full of scorn. I know the Eldest Master finds his new flame pleasing to the eye, tossing us worthless weeds aside. Since you hold her in your palm, why come bother me in the middle of the night?"
Hearing this, Lin Jinlou grew even more impatient and snapped, "Foolish woman! One more word and you'll kneel in the courtyard!"
Luanr was stunned. Lin Jinlou had always been somewhat gentle with her; even when he scolded her in the main room, it was never with such severity. Overwhelmed with grievance, her eyes instantly reddened.
Cunxin, hearing this, hurriedly said, "The young lady misspoke in a moment of confusion. She was just sighing to me earlier, praising the Eldest Master's virtues. It's only because she holds the Eldest Master dear that she's feeling a little jealous now that he's taken a new favorite. Please don't be angry with her, Eldest Master." Cunxin, trained by Shu Ran, was clever and tactful, which was why she had been assigned to her cousin. Her words slightly softened Lin Jinlou's expression.
Unexpectedly, Luanr sneered, "What an eloquent slave you are! It's just that I'm straightforward—I can neither sweet-talk nor serve properly, which is why the master brought in a new woman within three months. I even made soup and got driven out, and now in the middle of the night, I don't get a single kind word. Soon I'll be worse off than a maid who sweeps the floors!"
Cunxin was alarmed by this and thought, "My dear young lady, at least read the room! The Eldest Master was kind to you before because he was pleased and you were still novel. If you don't remember the last lesson and keep provoking him, if you're punished, won't I be implicated too?" Seeing Lin Jinlou's gaze grow increasingly cold, Cunxin hurried to the bedside to pull Luanr, saying, "It's all my fault. Dear young lady, the Eldest Master is tired. Let me fetch a basin of hot water, and you can help him freshen up."
Luanr, feeling utterly wronged and thinking Cunxin was just avoiding conflict with Lin Jinlou rather than siding with her, grew even angrier. She sneered several times and said, "Tired? Just from rolling around in bed with some little mistress and then taking out his frustrations on me? Hmph! Sounds nice—bringing her as a personal maid, but she's ended up serving in bed." Then, pointing at Cunxin, she scolded, "All you know is smoothing things over, thinking a few sweet words will make you stand out in front of the Eldest Master and show how good you are, right?"Before the words had fully left her mouth, Lin Jinlou kicked Luanr off the kang. Luanr let out a cry as she fell to the floor, knocking over a chair and sending a teapot crashing to the ground, shattering it to pieces. Lin Jinlou said coldly, "You carry yourself more like a mistress than I do as the master. It seems our humble Lin residence is too small to contain you. Tomorrow, have your sister take you away. With your ladylike airs, being a mere Bedchamber maid is a waste of your talents!"
Hearing this, Luanr’s grievances intensified tenfold. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed, "Eldest Master, you treated me so well before. Even if there were no grand vows, you still whispered many sweet nothings. Yet now, not even two days after finding a new favorite, I’ve become someone you despise. Coming to my room in the middle of the night, finding every excuse to drive me away—is that it?"
Lin Jinlou, utterly exasperated, rose from the bed and made to leave. Cunxin panicked, hurriedly kneeling before Lin Jinlou and kowtowing repeatedly. "Eldest Master, please calm your anger, please calm your anger. The young lady spoke without thinking. I beg you, for Shu Ran’s sake, spare her this once."
Lin Jinlou said, "Shu Ran is loyal and devoted, and I’ve never treated her poorly. But your mistress, putting on airs and throwing tantrums with me, is not worth the trouble. Let her leave, and I’ll have some peace and quiet."
Only then did Luanr grow frightened. Sitting on the floor, she wept, "When did I say I wanted to leave? Foolish Master, I’ve given you my whole heart, yet you’re so cruel. Over a few wrong words, you’d drive me away." With that, she could no longer hold back, crying as if her heart would break.
Lin Jinlou’s expression grew even darker.
Just then, Shu Ran suddenly emerged from the inner room, lifting the curtain. She hurriedly knelt before Lin Jinlou and said, "Everything was fine just a moment ago—what happened? It’s all my sister’s fault for being ignorant. Let me apologize to Eldest Master on her behalf." She kowtowed repeatedly, all the while shooting meaningful glances at Luanr, urging her to kowtow as well.
It turned out that, having attended to Xianglan’s needs that day, Shu Ran had stayed overnight in the residence, sleeping in Luanr’s room. When Lin Jinlou came to drive Luanr out, she had been sound asleep in the inner room and hadn’t known what was happening. But when Lin Jinlou entered the room, she had heard the commotion. At first, she thought Lin Jinlou had remembered Luanr’s good qualities and come to spend the night, so she stayed quiet in her room. But as the quarrel grew increasingly out of hand, she rushed out, inwardly scolding Luanr for her lack of sense.
Out of respect for Shu Ran, who had long served him with dignity, Lin Jinlou sighed and waved his hand. "Enough. This time, I’ll let it pass for your sake." He turned and returned to the bed.
Shu Ran, knowing Lin Jinlou intended to sleep, hurried forward to tidy the bed, gently drawing the curtains. She and Cunxin then pulled Luanr into the inner room. After blowing out the candle, Shu Ran settled on a bamboo couch to keep watch for the night.
For a while, all was quiet.
The next morning, Luanr, meek and subdued, attended to Lin Jinlou as he washed, dressed, and combed his hair. Lin Jinlou even had his breakfast in her room before leaving for the military camp.Those in the Hall of Knowing Spring were unaware of the inside story and were quite astonished to see Lin Jinlou emerge from Luanr’s room early in the morning. When Luanr heard from Shu Ran in secret that Lin Jinlou had indeed left the main room in a fit of anger, even smashing a teacup on his way out, she grew increasingly smug. Seeing Xique, the maid from Huamei’s side, peeking around and trying to gather information, she covered her mouth with a laugh and said, "Who can guess the Eldest Master’s thoughts? I thought I was out of favor too, but who would have thought that even with a new favorite, the Eldest Master would still remember me late at night and spend the latter half of the night here? It’s not that I’ve earned his special regard—it’s just that, from what I’ve observed, he doesn’t seem to think much of that girl named Xianglan either."
This gossip quickly spread far and wide.
When Xiao Juan heard about it, she indignantly reported it to Xianglan. Xianglan was reclining on the bed in the side room and showed no change in expression upon hearing the news. She simply stared blankly at a pot of orchids on the windowsill. One of the flowers seemed to have reached the end of its bloom, 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.
Suddenly, she 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; slowly, all things beautiful come to an end." Having lived two lives, her experiences could be described as dramatic rises and falls, much like a flower falling from its branch. Each time, she had struggled with all her might, cutting through thorns and brambles to forge a path forward. But this time, she was simply too exhausted, so drained that she lacked even the strength for a final, desperate struggle.
She was not an ambitious person and knew her own limitations. She was neither exceptionally clever nor extraordinarily talented. She was soft-hearted yet stubborn, with some ill-timed flaws. Apart from her once having had inappropriate thoughts about 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 though her most beautiful dream had shattered. Yet, though she cried over Song Ke at night, she could dry her tears by day and carry on with her life—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 had they been allowed to meet again? And having met, why had she been made to recognize him? To gain and then lose only deepened the pain and melancholy.
What she had not anticipated was falling back into Lin Jinlou’s hands, serving a man who was little more than a tyrant and a bandit, with no idea when she might ever break free. Meanwhile, Song Ke had married the daughter of Duke Xian’s family. That was for the best—Miss Zheng was talented and beautiful, with a powerful family to support her, making her a perfect match for Song Ke. In the future, when Song Ke became an official, he would have a strong backing. 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 could be heard at the door. Before long, a young maid named Furong peeked out from behind the curio shelf. Chunling 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 you said earlier that the young lady isn’t feeling well today and doesn’t want to see anyone. I didn’t know how to turn her away."
Chunling glanced back at Xianglan, who was still staring blankly at the pot of flowers, and lowered her voice to say, "Just tell her the young lady is asleep and not receiving guests."Furong hesitated and said, "I just overheard a bit—Concubine Mei was speaking with Shu Ran at the door. She mentioned she plans to pool some silver with Yingge and Luanr to arrange a banquet, supposedly to welcome our young lady. She’s here now to discuss the matter with her."
Chunling frowned. If this was the reason, it would be difficult to refuse.
Xiao Juan pulled Chunling aside and whispered, "That Huamei is no good bird. Xianglan is honest and a bit naive—what if she gets tricked? If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll go out and turn her down."
Chunling also lowered her voice, "Huamei has a reputation for virtue in front of Old Madam and Madam. Besides, she has a proper excuse this time. I’m afraid if we refuse, some unsavory types might gossip. Yesterday, Xianglan and the Eldest Master had such a tense confrontation…"
Xianglan heard every word they said but remained seated without moving. In the past, with her usual temperament, she would have mustered her energy to handle such matters. But today, she thought with a kind of grim satisfaction: To hell with masters, servants, concubines, and ladies—let them all do as they please! Now I’ll just let things fall apart—what can any of you do to me?
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