Halfway between sleep and wakefulness, Xianglan heard the door creak and voices from the outer room. Too exhausted to rouse fully, she simply turned over and drifted back to sleep. Moments later, footsteps approached, and someone whispered, "Eldest Master, shall this servant wake Miss Xianglan to attend you in the bedroom?"
Lin Jinlou replied, "No need." As he spoke, he reached the bedside and drew aside the bed curtains. There lay Xianglan, sleeping peacefully, wrapped in a thin quilt with her dark hair fanned across the mandarin duck pillow. Lin Jinlou slipped off his shoes and climbed into bed, pulling aside Xianglan's quilt and sliding in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, breathing in her subtle fragrance—a scent that inexplicably soothed his entire being.
Earlier that evening, a minor mishap had occurred: one of his top men had injured the magistrate's illegitimate son, though not seriously. The incident could have escalated, but the magistrate, being shrewd, had immediately reached out through mutual acquaintances, sending an invitation to dine at Yanbin Tower. There, the magistrate repeatedly claimed to have studied under Lin Jinlou's father. With layers of social obligations at play, Lin Jinlou had no choice but to attend. Amid the clinking of cups and flushed faces, the magistrate addressed him as "sworn brother" and summoned heavily made-up courtesans to play music and pour wine. Lin Jinlou had no choice but to entertain them, and by the second watch, his head heavy with drink, he took his leave.
Now, Lin Jinlou took a deep breath, tightened his embrace around the soft warmth in his arms, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
In the darkness, Xianglan’s eyes flew open. She had woken the moment Lin Jinlou climbed into bed but dared not move a muscle. The scent of alcohol and perfumed powder clinging to him told her exactly where he had been. Endure it, she told herself. This vast Lin household revolves around Lin Jinlou’s whims. Even his own parents can’t control him—what can I do? He was domineering by nature, capable of turning cold and ruthless in an instant. Just yesterday, her stubbornness had earned her a slap, and her body still ached from it. Today, he had publicly humiliated Luanr, proving the truth of his words: "When I favor you, you’re a master. When I don’t, you’re less than a servant." Xianglan knew she was no fool. Living under the same roof as this Living Yama, why invite more misery? Besides, Lin Jinlou was a thoroughgoing libertine, never lasting long with any woman. In a year or two, once his infatuation with her faded or he found someone new, he might discard her. For now, she would take one step at a time. Hadn’t she survived even harder days in the past?
Comforting herself this way, Xianglan lay still, lost in thought. After what felt like an eternity, she finally closed her eyes and drifted into a fitful sleep.
Dawn had barely broken when she woke again, still lying in Lin Jinlou’s embrace, unmoved all night. His breathing was deep and even, still sound asleep. Carefully, she lifted his arm and tried to rise, but someone tugged sharply at her inner garment. Startled, she tumbled back into Lin Jinlou’s arms. A low chuckle sounded near her ear, followed by kisses along her neck and earlobe.
Lin Jinlou’s breathing grew ragged as he rolled over, pinning her beneath him. He captured her mouth with his, his hands roaming her body. Panicked, Xianglan struggled free and mumbled, "Don’t…" Her small hands clawed at his. "Don’t…"Lin Jinlou panted heavily, lifting his head to meet Xianglan's jet-black eyes. Tears were already streaming down Xianglan's face as she choked out, "I'm still not well... I need to apply ointment today... I..." Her weeping was truly pitiful, her whole body trembling as if terrified.
Lin Jinlou let out a long sigh, the fire in him turning to ice. He had intended to stroke the girl's hair and comfort her, but when he raised his hand, Xianglan immediately shrank back, thinking he meant to strike her.
Feeling stifled, Lin Jinlou rolled off the bed, pulled aside the bed curtains, and shouted, "Servants! Where have you all gone?" Xiao Juan was on night duty that evening and hurried over upon hearing his call, frantically helping him dress and put on his shoes. Already afraid of Lin Jinlou, her nervousness led to mistakes, further angering him. Fortunately, Lianxin, Chunling, Nuanyue, and Rushuang heard the commotion and came to attend to Lin Jinlou's washing and grooming.
Listening to the chaos outside, Xianglan quietly pulled the quilt over herself and curled into a ball.
Lin Jinlou pulled on his court boots, tucked a horsewhip with gold floral clasps into his belt, and gulped down half a bowl of soup. Glancing back at the carved bed with its softly draped floral silk curtains, he wondered about the person inside. Gritting his teeth, he thought, "Ungrateful wretch. I've treated her with every kindness, yet she doesn't know how to serve or even say a pleasant word. All she does is cry, as if I owe her a fortune. If she's truly unwell, would I devour her?"
Lin Jinlou's expression was so fierce that the maid bringing breakfast trembled with fear. Everyone kept their eyes downcast, the room utterly silent. After eating a few hurried bites, Lin Jinlou prepared to leave but suddenly remembered something. Stopping, he called, "Chunling!"
Chunling rushed over, standing with hands clasped. "Eldest Master."
"Go to the cabinet by the bed in the bedroom," Lin Jinlou instructed. "Fetch the jar of ointment with the yellow label for Xianglan. If she doesn't improve, summon a physician immediately."
Chunling nodded vigorously like a pecking chick. "Yes, yes, of course."
Only then did Lin Jinlou stride away.
Meanwhile, Xianglan lay in bed for a long while until the noise outside finally subsided. She stared at the canopy for what felt like ages before Chunling softly called from outside, "It's almost mid-morning, miss. You should rise."
Xianglan finally got up, dressed in casual home clothes, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and applied scented cream. Glancing in the mirror, she saw yesterday's redness and swelling had faded, revealing once again a face as delicate as jade and fair as flowers. Chunling deftly styled her hair while Xiao Juan set out several exquisite dishes on the table, muttering, "The Eldest Master was so frightening this morning—his face dark as Judge Bao's, his voice louder than thunder. Good heavens, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest."
Chunling chided, "You ought to curb your flustered ways. You upset the Eldest Master this morning."
Xiao Juan thought, "It wasn't me who upset him—it was Xianglan," her eyes darting toward Xianglan. Chunling, guessing her thoughts, shot her a warning look, making Xiao Juan stick out her tongue and scamper off.
Chunling brought a bowl of soup to Xianglan. "Please eat something. You barely ate yesterday."
Xianglan slowly drank the soup, ate a stuffed pastry, and picked at some vegetarian dishes.Chunling breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Xianglan eat something, then turned and headed toward the bedroom. There, she found Lianxin and Tinglan doing needlework by the bedroom door. Like Luanr, Lianxin had been gifted to Lin Jinlou by Old Madam and was treated as a first-class maid in the Hall of Knowing Spring. However, Lianxin knew her place as a servant and never sought to draw Lin Jinlou’s attention. Though she was neat and tidy in appearance, her attire was unremarkable, and over time, she became inconspicuous in the household. After Zhao Yuechan left, the Hall of Knowing Spring suddenly felt empty, and with the main quarters short of maids, Lianxin was promoted to manage affairs alongside Shu Ran. Yet she always deferred to Shu Ran, focusing solely on her own duties and never speaking out of turn. When questioned about other matters, she would simply shake her head and claim ignorance.
Seeing Chunling approach, Tinglan quickly stood up and smiled, asking, "What brings you here?"
Chunling replied, "Before Eldest Master left, he instructed me to fetch the ointment with the yellow label from the bedside cabinet for Xianglan."
Tinglan didn’t know what it was and glanced at Lianxin. Lianxin paused for a moment, then stood up with a smile and said, "I know where that’s kept." She entered the room with Chunling, retrieved a small white porcelain bottle from the exquisitely carved ebony cabinet by the bed, and handed it to Chunling. Smiling, she added, "Miss Xianglan is truly fortunate. Eldest Master reported his old injury had flared up after his military achievements, and the palace rewarded him with several bottles of this ointment—said to be a tribute from foreign lands."
Chunling sighed softly and murmured, "Ah, who knows if she’s truly fortunate or not? Honestly, Xianglan... she’s kind-hearted, easygoing, and never causes trouble. She’s clear-headed about everything—it’s just that she’s too stubborn... Eldest Master forced her into the manor against her will, and now two stubborn personalities are clashing. How could that end well?"
Lianxin, being close to Chunling, sighed along with her and said, "You should advise her more—why resist Eldest Master? With his temper, who could endure it? Most people would avoid him if they could. When Old Madam first sent me to the Hall of Knowing Spring, I was uneasy too. Luckily, Luanr was eager to take the lead. I’ve observed coldly—Eldest Master is unpredictable, changing his mind day to day. You ought to counsel Xianglan to plan for the future. A woman’s fate is already set—what else can she do later on?"
Chunling sighed repeatedly and chatted a while longer with Lianxin before taking the ointment and leaving.
As she stepped out of the bedroom, she ran into Shu Ran, who glanced at the bottle in Chunling’s hand and froze in surprise. Just then, Cunxin stood outside, signaling to Shu Ran through the carved window. Shu Ran had no choice but to go out and stand under the corridor, asking, "What is it?"
Cunxin whispered, "Have you heard about what happened at the dinner table yesterday? Miss Luanr cried all night over it—threatening to hang herself or cut her hair to become a nun. I managed to talk her down after much effort. This morning, I heard Eldest Master rested in the eastern chamber when he returned last night... You know how it is—if Eldest Master goes out drinking at night, he usually comes back at dawn. She’s jealous and throwing another fit. I can’t calm her, so I had to come ask you to go over."
Shu Ran felt a headache coming on. She followed Cunxin to Luanr’s room and found her sitting on the bed with disheveled hair, weeping as she cut up a pouch. Shu Ran went over for a closer look and saw the pouch was exquisitely embroidered. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she said, "It’s such a fine piece—why are you cutting it up?"
Luanr threw herself into Shu Ran’s arms, sobbing, "Cousin... I’ve lost all dignity!"Shu Ran's face was stern as she said, "How could you have lost your dignity? Dignity is something you earn yourself! If you keep acting this recklessly, I won't bother with you anymore!"
Luanr was startled and cried even harder: "Back when I was thriving, everyone flocked to me. Now that I've lost face, even you won't care for me! Fine then, just let me die!" Tears streaming down her face, she lay stiffly on the bed.
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