Xianglan felt both humiliated and furious, struggling involuntarily, only to hear Lin Jinlou burst into triumphant laughter. He strode out of the room, where several maids carrying trays were passing through the covered corridor. They stared in astonishment, whispering among themselves. Xianglan’s face burned with shame, so she closed her eyes, preferring not to see anything.
Xique, who was guarding the entrance to the east wing, hurriedly lifted the door curtain. Everyone was stunned as if struck by a Body Freezing Spell when they saw Lin Jinlou carrying Xianglan inside. Huamei forgot to wave her fan, Yingge was so startled she spilled half a bowl of tea, and Luanr, who was tuning her pipa, nearly broke a fingernail.
Lin Jinlou remained unperturbed, placing Xianglan on the kang. She immediately shrank to the far end, keeping her distance from him, and sat leaning against the wooden partition. Resting her left hand on a soft cushion, she surveyed the room without saying a word. Among them, only Luanr had never seen Xianglan before. She studied the girl closely: with the elegance of a crabapple blossom and the delicate beauty of an orchid, Xianglan possessed a peerless radiance that not only outshone everyone Luanr had ever met but also made the others appear dull in comparison. A pang of envy struck Luanr’s heart, yet she noticed faint redness and swelling on Xianglan’s face—clearly from a slap. Recalling how Lin Jinlou had stormed into her room the previous night, Luanr straightened her back slightly, though she still felt uneasy. Huamei waved her fan thoughtfully, while Yingge glanced at Xianglan, then stole a look at Huamei before lowering her head again.
Lin Jinlou raised his eyebrows and commanded, “Bring the kang table. With so few people, there’s no need for a large one.”
Huamei smiled and said, “That’s true. A small table makes the meal livelier.”
Maids promptly set up two ebony kang tables inlaid with gold, placing them side by side. Lin Jinlou sat cross-legged on the kang, with Huamei on his left and Luanr on his right. Yingge took a chair opposite him, keeping 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 in matching Ding kiln sky-blue glaze—some square, some round, others shaped like crabapple blossoms, plum blossoms, ingots, or gourds, each no larger than a small tea saucer. They were filled with an assortment of delicacies.
Luanr personally poured wine for Lin Jinlou, while Huamei selected some refreshing side dishes and tender shredded meat, wrapping them in bean curd skin. She placed the roll on a small cloud-patterned porcelain dish and offered it to Lin Jinlou, saying with a smile, “This is Eldest Master’s favorite. Please have a taste.”
To her surprise, Lin Jinlou ignored it completely, simply taking the cup of wine Luanr had poured for him and sipping from it. Huamei was embarrassed but soon forced a smile and offered a duck oil roll instead, again on the cloud-patterned dish. Leaning closer, she said, “Try this one, Eldest Master. I hand-shredded the duck meat myself and marinated it in a jar—the flavors have soaked in perfectly. It’s wonderfully fragrant and sweet.”At that moment, Luanr also picked up a piece of fried bone and offered it. Lin Jinlou ate the meat directly from Luanr’s chopsticks, leaving Huamei standing aside awkwardly. Xianglan, who had shrunk into the inner part of the room, saw everything clearly and thought to herself, “Huamei has always been exceptionally shrewd. Among the concubines in the inner residence, she was the one who pleased Lin Jinlou the most. Yet now, Lin Jinlou has publicly snubbed her twice in a row. Could it be that she has done something to anger this master?” Huamei sheepishly set down the plate, but inwardly she grew alert. She carefully reviewed the events that had just transpired and recalled how Lin Jinlou had reprimanded her in the room earlier, but she had feigned ignorance. She feared that this might have displeased Lin Jinlou, causing him to deliberately distance himself from her.
Seeing that Lin Jinlou had snubbed Huamei but had twice accepted her offerings, Luanr immediately beamed with pride and became even more spirited. She busily directed, “Sister Huamei, bring over that plate of Phoenix Marrow. It’s Eldest Master’s favorite dish—once it cools, it loses its flavor.” Then she called out, “Sister Yingge, could you please pour me a cup of fruit wine? This aged brew is too strong for me. If I have another sip or two, I’m afraid I’ll slide right under the table.” She then turned to Huamei’s maid and said, “Xique, fetch me a basin of hot water. I need to wash my hands so I can peel river shrimp for Eldest Master.”
Xique suppressed her anger. Luanr’s maid, Cunxin, was standing right there, yet Luanr had deliberately ordered her around, clearly intending to slight Huamei. Xique glanced at Huamei, who gave a slight nod of approval, so she had no choice but to fetch a silver basin of hot water and bring a towel to assist Luanr in washing her hands.
Lin Jinlou acted as if he hadn’t noticed any of this, leisurely picking at the dishes with his silver chopsticks.
Luanr grew even more emboldened. She turned her head and looked down at Xianglan, calling out, “Xianglan, bring me a back cushion. This wooden wall is too cold—leaning against it for too long will make me sick!”
Xianglan found the entire performance both amusing and exasperating. If she hadn’t been preoccupied with her own worries, she might have laughed out loud. She thought to herself, “The rivalry among concubines for favor is inherently tragic, dull, and pitiable. But with a character like Luanr in the mix, it somehow becomes rather entertaining.” She handed Luanr the cushion she had been using.
Humming a tune, Luanr took the cushion but did not use it to lean against. Instead, she placed it under her legs. Lin Jinlou glanced at Luanr, and Huamei quickly interjected, “Quick, bring the new green silk cushion with ink wash painting that I made yesterday for Miss Xianglan.” Xique promptly fetched two brand-new cushions. Huamei then offered her own seat to Xianglan, but Xianglan kept her mouth firmly shut and averted her gaze.
Luanr muttered under her breath, “Look at her, putting on such airs. Who does she think she is, pretending to be some pristine young lady from a noble family?” Though her voice was soft, everyone in the room 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 to give me a pair of gold-veined agate bracelets instead, but I haven’t seen them yet. Let me make this 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 glance at Xianglan, her eyes filled with provocation.
Xianglan was taken aback for a moment, then found it amusing. She thought to herself, “Even if Lin Jinlou were to give you the entire Lin family, what does that have to do with me? Do you think I’m like the other women in this room, treating that ruffian like some prized treasure?” She shifted her gaze away, staring blankly at the sash of her own dress.Huamei's smile stiffened on her face as she retorted with biting sarcasm, "Heavens above! A pair of bracelets costing a hundred taels? Surely only Madam and the young ladies are worthy of such finery. Just the other day, after I'd made several outfits for the Eldest Master and he was pleased, he allowed fifty taels from the accounts for me to have three gold hairpins made. Now that you mention a hundred taels for a pair of bracelets, I truly feel like a burnt pancake—utterly worthless."
Luanr sneered coldly, "Our master is willing to grant me this. If you have the means, go ask him yourself."
Just as an argument was about to erupt, Lin Jinlou set his wine cup down on the table with a sharp "thud." The surroundings fell silent instantly, and no one dared utter a word. Lin Jinlou glanced at Luanr and said, "Go pick a tune to sing."
Luanr then ordered Cunxin to bring the pipa. After plucking the strings a few times to tune it, she began to sing, "Fragrant grass adorned with dewdrops, the icy wheel hidden in the azure sky, gazing far into the river and heavens..." She had only sung one line when Huamei covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh, sister is singing 'Mandarin Duck Dream' again. Nine times out of ten, whenever there's a banquet, you sing this. Especially when you get to the line 'Most women in this world suffer one part torment for every part of beauty they possess; and for every measure of talent bestowed, they accumulate a measure of karmic obstacles'—you even get teary-eyed, as if you truly see yourself as Liu Yanbo."
"Mandarin Duck Dream" was Luanr'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 abandoned him, leaving only Liu Yanbo to tirelessly plead his case, 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 their lifelong happiness. Every time Luanr performed this piece, she grew sentimental, convinced that she was the righteous and courageous Liu Yanbo—gifted with both beauty and talent yet born into humble circumstances, uncertain when she would finally become the rightful wife. She often sang this opera for Lin Jinlou.
Today, Huamei had mercilessly exposed her hidden desires, and Luanr, feeling both embarrassed and angry, threw the pipa onto the kang. "I'm a dull person who only knows this one piece. Why don't you, Sister Huamei, sing a tune for us?"
Huamei did not decline. She immediately ordered someone to fetch her customary guzheng. After plucking the strings a few times, she smiled and asked, "What would the Eldest Master like to hear? The other day, the household hired a few female performers who sang a newly arranged 'Dream Among Flowers.' There were several clever new tunes in it, and the Eldest 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 all your thousand charms, you marry the east wind; with all your ten thousand schemes, you entrust them to the drifting clouds. Alas, you've only 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 took the opportunity to pour another for Lin Jinlou. She then handed a tofu roll to his lips, giving a coquettish smile as she fawned, "You've had your wine, and I've sung my song. Please do me the honor, Eldest Master. It was all my fault earlier, and I won't dare do it again."
Lin Jinlou glanced at Huamei and ate the roll. Huamei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her cheeks flushing with delight.Luanr felt somewhat indignant. She picked up the pipa and said, "Those songs are just simple little tunes—how could I not know them?" Then she began to sing: "Beholding the garden's splendor of silk and pearls aglow, / Who knows the mirrored flowers, moonshine, and feigned love's show? / Longing for embroidered curtains and love's quilt to last, / Yet unable to hide a nature proud, lavish, and steadfast. / Beyond the layered curtains, at the world's far end, / My dear, only an empty tale of fame to send." Her voice was clear and resonant, her singing exquisite, and she played the pipa with practiced skill.
Xianglan couldn't help but glance over. She saw Luanr leaning against the wooden wall, dressed in a short jacket of deep red silk gauze, tied with a willow-green sash, and beneath it, a skirt of three-colored satin with embroidered threads, revealing just the tip of lake-blue embroidered shoes strung with glass beads. Her hair was swept high into a cloud-like chignon, adorned with a pearl-and-jade plum blossom hairpiece, gold phoenix hairpins inlaid with gems and pearls, and earrings of gold-set amethyst the size of small tangerines dangling from her ears. Against her snow-white oval face, her rosebud mouth and delicate eyes held a unique charm.
Lin Jinlou praised, "Excellent!" Luanr immediately beamed with pride. She turned to look at Xianglan and said with a hint of a mocking smile, "How about you sing a piece as well?"
OpenNovel