Lin Zhaoxiang gave Lin Jinlou a few more instructions. Since Lin Dongqi’s wedding date was approaching, Qin Shi sent someone to report the arrangements for the wedding day—who had been invited, where the bridal procession would set off, where guests would be seated, and where the banquet would be held. At that moment, the Jinling garrison commander paid a visit, so Lin Jinlou went to receive him, as expected.
When Lin Jinlou returned that evening, Xianglan had already turned off the lamp and gone to sleep early in the eastern side room. Only the maids—Lianxin, Nuanyue, Rushuang, and Tinglan—were still awake, doing needlework while waiting for Lin Jinlou to come back.
Seeing him enter, they hurriedly stood up, greeting him in unison and bustling about to brew tea and pour water. Lin Jinlou swept his gaze over their faces and asked, “Where’s Xianglan?”
Lianxin replied, “She’s already asleep.” Lin Jinlou headed straight for the bedroom. Finding it empty, his expression darkened. He strode to the side room, flung open the bed curtains, and pointed at Xianglan, his face stern. “I’ve been entertaining guests all evening, and you didn’t even wait to attend to me. How dare you sleep first! Who are you trying to upset?”
Xianglan had no choice but to sit up, keeping her head lowered in silence.
Lin Jinlou snorted, turned on his heel, and left.
Xianglan slowly put on a jade-colored water field robe and went to the main house. Lin Jinlou had already finished brushing his teeth and was washing his face with scented soap. Tinglan wrung out a hot towel and quietly handed it to Xianglan, giving her a meaningful look. But Nuanyue had already eagerly passed a hot towel to Lin Jinlou. Tinglan frowned slightly. Xianglan handed the towel back to Tinglan and shook her head.
Soon, Lin Jinlou finished washing up, and Nuanyue and the others came to help him undress. Lin Jinlou stared at Xianglan, his voice calm but his face cold. “Who are you standing there like a post for?”
Tinglan gently nudged Xianglan, who had no choice but to step forward and use her small hands to undo the buttons on his clothes. When Nuanyue moved to untie his belt, Lin Jinlou waved her away impatiently. “All of you, leave. Let her do it.”
The maids picked up the washing utensils and withdrew.
Lin Jinlou lowered his head slightly, looking at Xianglan’s bowed head, his heart simmering with anger. This woman is truly an ingrate. Haven’t I treated her well enough? This afternoon, she was all tenderness with me, and now she goes to sleep without me, her face wooden without a trace of a smile. Where’s the warmth and affection? She’s like a stone from a latrine pit.
Xianglan, meanwhile, was trembling with fear, worried that Lin Jinlou would seize her and subject her to that again. Her body ached, and she still felt unsteady walking, her heart filled with shame. It was precisely to avoid him that she had gone to bed early. She wanted to put on a gentle front for Lin Jinlou, to coax him a little so he would be pleased and let her go home, but in front of this Living Yama, she simply couldn’t bring herself to act that way.
Staring at Lin Jinlou’s broad, solid chest, her palms grew sweaty. She hurriedly removed his outer robe and placed it on the perfumed drying rack nearby. Lin Jinlou sat on the bed and patted the edge. “Come here.”
Xianglan walked over with her head still lowered.
Lin Jinlou said, “I’ve told you—from now on, you sleep in this room. Are you treating my words as wind past your ears?”
Xianglan whispered, “If word gets out that I sleep here, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be proper…”
“If I say it’s proper, then it’s proper.”
“The Master will eventually marry a mistress. For me to be like this…”
“Enough of this ‘like this’ and ‘like that.’ For now, I’m telling you to sleep here, so sleep here.”
Xianglan bit her lip and said nothing.
Lin Jinlou’s anger flared again. “Put out the lamp. It’s time to sleep.”Xianglan blew out the candle, lowered the bed curtains, and climbed into bed quietly, lying on the very edge. Lin Jinlou turned over, stretched out his arm and embraced her. Xianglan was so frightened she dared not move a muscle. But Lin Jinlou took no further action and simply fell asleep.
Since returning home, Lin Jinlou had been constantly occupied with various social engagements and trips to the military government office, leaving him little time at home. Lin Jinting, however, proved himself capable, bustling about managing everything—procuring gold and silver vessels, various silks and satins, replanting flowers and plants, hiring opera troupes, and more. Even Qin Shi remarked to Lin Changzheng, "Though Ting Ge'er is mediocre in his studies, he handles affairs quite competently and reliably. If he fails the next imperial examination, we should find a way to secure an official position for him through donation." Lin Changzheng sighed and said, "I had the same thought, but Father insists that Ting Ge'er must at least pass the provincial examination to bring honor to the family. Second Brother only cares for himself; when I discussed it with him, he merely said to follow Father's wishes. For now, we must wait a little longer." Qin Shi did not bring it up again.
With Lin Jinlou seldom at home, Xianglan breathed a sigh of relief. Each day, she selected her better paintings, rolled them up, and stored them in a chest, burning the rest. She also gathered some inconspicuous gold and silver jewelry into a small brocade pouch, leaving the more valuable items under Chun Ling's care. As the Lin Family bustled with preparations for the second young lady's wedding, the Knowing Spring Pavilion also became more lively. Shuran and Lianxin opened the upstairs rooms to select vibrant silks and satins, decorating with lanterns and colored hangings. They had Lin Jinting arrange for gardeners to plant flowers, completely revitalizing the courtyard. Xi Que observed this with resentment and said, "They say 'one should not meddle in affairs outside one's position.' Shuran is already a married woman, yet she comes to the Knowing Spring Pavilion every day to take charge. Lianxin isn't capable either, merely obedient. By rights and reason, the new concubine should now be the foremost, managing affairs in the Master's courtyard. How can those two order everyone about?"
Hua Mei said, "Those two aren't the ones to fear; it's the one living in the Main House. Since she arrived, the Master hasn't visited this room at all. When I went to see her, she shut the door and refused to meet, as if she's willing to go to extremes. If we don't devise a plan, we'll be waiting for doom." After a moment's thought, she took a sachet from a drawer and fetched two taels of silver, telling Xi Que, "When the opportunity arises, give this silver to Shuangxi and have him show the sachet to the Master. Say that I made it recently, knowing the Master tends to get overheated, and that the sachet contains Cooling Pills I personally ground from herbs."
Xi Que took it and kept it for the time being.
On the evening before Lin Dongqi's wedding, Lin Jinlou finally returned home. He entered, bathed, changed clothes, and went to the front to socialize. Naturally, Xianglan could not sleep either. While everyone else went to join the excitement, she felt too listless to move. Seeing Chun Ling and Xiao Juan full of enthusiasm, she let them go and took out a half-finished pair of shoes from a chest, sewing stitch by stitch.
Tinglan, always steady and reliable, stayed behind to watch the rooms and dismissed the maidservants. She brought her needlework to join Xianglan. The two occasionally exchanged a few words but mostly worked in silence, lost in their own thoughts. The room was quiet, with only the faint sounds of opera music—pipes, strings, cymbals, and drums—drifting from the front. Beyond the Knowing Spring Pavilion, the festivities were in full swing: guests coming and going, glasses clinking in toasts, a scene of splendid colors and fluttering embroidered ribbons. Whether ladies, young misses, or maids, all were dressed in red and green, adorned so beautifully as to put flowers and birds to shame.Meanwhile, Lin Dongxiu stood demurely beside Qin Shi, lightly supporting her arm. Lin Dongqi had already departed in the bridal sedan, yet Qin Shi remained unsettled, continuously dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, her eyes still rimmed red. A circle of noblewomen surrounded her, offering comfort.
Lin Dongxiu played the part of the perfectly obedient and filial daughter to the hilt, her own eyes glistening with tears as she consoled, "Mother, please hold back your tears. This is a joyous occasion, and Second Sister is going to enjoy a life of happiness. If you carry on like this, you'll only make Second Sister uneasy about her marriage. It doesn't matter that Second Sister is marrying—I'm still here by your side to fulfill my filial duties."
Her words drew widespread praise from the onlookers.
Qin Shi glanced at Lin Dongxiu and saw that she was wearing a foreign-red brocade Sleeveless Jacket embroidered with a roundel pattern of flowers and birds, a golden-yellow long gown of white silk embroidered with coin motifs, and a sea-blue long skirt with chrysanthemum designs. In her hair, she wore a gold Magnolia hairpin with kingfisher feather inlays, a kingfisher-feather spiral hair ornament, and a twisted wire gold hairpin with dangling pearls. Around her neck was a gold necklace with a pendant of Ying Luo and a gold lock, while long red agate earrings dangled from her ears. Her face was meticulously made up with powder and rouge, her eyebrows and temples carefully painted, making her appear radiant. She was already a beautiful girl, and this careful adornment added to her charm, making her even more captivating.
Qin Shi was not particularly close to Lin Dongxiu. For one, she had her own children to raise, and initially, she had entertained some thoughts of promoting Lin Dongxiu—after all, she was merely a Daughter of a Concubine and posed no threat to her. If the girl were to have a fortunate future, it might even bring some support among the siblings. Besides, the child always addressed her as "Mother." However, she gradually realized that the girl had a cunning and petty nature. After several attempts to guide her, Qin Shi found that Lin Dongxiu only put on a superficial show of effort, so she cooled her intentions and let the matter drop, though she never treated her poorly.
Lin Dongxiu, however, had her own agenda. Now that her second sister was married, it would soon be her turn to be betrothed. Lin Changzheng had considered several scholarly families for her, but she was dissatisfied with their status. Determined to make a striking impression at Lin Dongqi's wedding, she aimed to catch the attention of several noblewomen and secure a superior match. Her current appearance immediately revealed her intentions to Qin Shi, who remarked mildly, "Our Xiu is a child who knows how to care for others."
Several noblewomen then took Lin Dongxiu's hands, asking her age, what she usually did for amusement, what books she read, and what needlework she was skilled at. Lin Dongxiu responded with a smiling, powdered face, graceful and poised. As a daughter of the Lin Family, even as a Daughter of a Concubine, she naturally possessed a certain bearing. Moreover, the family's status was evident, and given her apparent closeness to Qin Shi, it was possible she had been raised under Qin Shi's care. For a time, several families took an interest and considered making further inquiries.
Qin Shi went about socializing with the guests, and Lin Dongxiu stayed close by her side, now handing her water, now offering a handkerchief, and even helping Qin Shi adjust her clothing. Hongjian frowned and subtly signaled to Qin Shi with her eyes, but Qin Shi shook her head, indicating that she should not interfere. Lin Dongxiu was intent on seizing the spotlight and elevating herself—Qin Shi would give her this opportunity. Whether she succeeded would depend on her own fortune. As long as she did not disgrace the Lin Family's dignity, Qin Shi would not intervene.Lin Dongxiu had been busy assisting Qin Shi for a while. It wasn't until nearly noon when the banquet was about to begin that she returned to her seat satisfied, only to notice Lin Dongling had gone off somewhere. Just as Lu Lan was about to go look for her, Lin Dongxiu—who wanted to find a secluded spot to reapply her rouge and powder—stood up and said, "I'll go find Third Sister." With that, she left the others and quietly made her way to the small side Flower Hall, finding it completely empty. Lin Dongxiu untied the brocade pouch from her waist, pulled out a hand mirror, and tidied her hair before taking out an enamel blue colored small box. She retrieved a piece of rouge and was about to press it to her lips when she heard voices outside the curtain—it was Shanhu and Ying Luo, the maidservants attending Wang Shi.
I collapsed into bed as soon as I got home yesterday and couldn't get up—my health has really been poor lately. Please forgive me! 😭 Seeing all the speculation in the comments about where this story is headed, like the Lin Family declining or whatnot—those guesses are all wrong. If everything could be guessed, what would be the point of writing this story, right? Thank you to fat wanghua001 for the sachet, damima and yu21yu21 for two Peace Talismans, and Tian Wan Yu Yu, Mu Xing, Qian Ruo Qingfeng, Jian He Meigui, Yi Amy, and Yueyue Ai Yueyue for the Peace Talismans. Also, thank you all for the pink votes ^_^
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