Xianglan observed Qin Shi's expression and personally offered her a cup of tea. She had already heard the commotion outside earlier and surmised that something serious must have happened; otherwise, Qin Shi would never have made such a fuss right after ancestral worship, coming over to cause a disturbance in the middle of the night. Sure enough, after a short while, two old women entered and ordered everyone to stay put, sitting in the room and waiting. Chun Ling muttered to herself, while Xiao Juan wanted to go out and inquire, but seeing the stern, unyielding expressions on the old women's faces, she abandoned the idea and dared not make any rash moves.
Seeing Qin Shi's unpleasant expression, Xianglan grew inwardly alert. After serving the tea, she stood quietly to the side without uttering a word.
Qin Shi glanced at Xianglan and said coldly, "You put on quite the airs! I can't bear to accept tea from you, lest people say I'm frivolous at my age."
Xianglan knew that Qin Shi had never liked her, and since entering the household, she had yet to pay her respects to Qin Shi. Hearing these words, she felt no anger but simply lowered her head and remained silent.
Qin Shi asked, "How has Lou Ge'er been these past few days?"
Xianglan weighed her words carefully and replied, "I rarely see the Master, but I assume he's doing well."
Qin Shi raised her eyebrows sharply. "Aren't you supposed to be attending to him closely? What do you mean by 'I assume he's doing well'? Are you trying to fool me?"
Xianglan said, "The Master rises before dawn to practice martial arts and doesn't return from his study until after midnight. After washing up, he goes straight to bed. I exchange only a few words with him, but he appears to be in good spirits." This account was truthful, though Lin Jinlou would often chat with her about various topics upon his return—things like "vanguard cavalry," "mandarin duck formations," and "the eighteen spear techniques." Xianglan neither understood nor had any interest in such matters, merely listening as if she were a piece of furniture. Later, Lin Jinlou also talked about the profits from his shops and the expenses of the military. Xianglan was astonished by the immense profits from his business dealings and the staggering military expenditures but dared not ask too many questions. Eventually, he turned to more refined topics, such as famous calligraphers and renowned landscape paintings, which piqued Xianglan's interest enough to contribute a few words. But the conversation would inevitably veer toward which young actress could sing a unique new tune or which courtesan knew some flirtatious melodies, and he would even pressure Xianglan to learn and sing a few lines. Her budding interest in conversation would vanish like smoke, and from then on, whenever Lin Jinlou spoke to her, she would respond perfunctorily.
Qin Shi fixed her sharp, piercing eyes on Xianglan and said with a faint, mocking smile, "You're a clever and cunning little monkey—don't think I don't know it!" She then glanced deliberately at Nuanyue and added, "You're not some neglected maid who only keeps watch in the outer rooms. Everyone knows Lou Ge'er has taken a liking to you now. To say he only exchanges a few words with you—who would believe such nonsense!"
Nuanyue bit her lip tightly, her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.
Xianglan was greatly surprised and thought to herself, "There must be a spy for Qin Shi in this room. She even knows clearly that Nuanyue has been taken by Lin Jinlou." Growing even more cautious, she said, "I wouldn't dare deceive Taitai. That's truly how it is. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lianxin or Shuran. In my spare time, I only do some needlework or occasionally paint to pass the time. I stroll around the backyard and rarely even go to the garden. With such a dull temperament, I'm not particularly favored by the Master, so he doesn't talk much with me either."
Lin Jinlou had always preferred those who were clever and sweet-tongued, so Qin Shi was somewhat convinced. Still, she sneered, "You seem quite sharp-tongued to me—hardly the dull type."Xianglan knew that speaking more at this moment would only lead to more mistakes. Qin Shi had taken a dislike to her, so everything she did was wrong. If she tried to defend herself, it would only add fuel to Qin Shi's anger. So she stopped talking, lowered her head, and stood to the side.
This was the first time Changfa's wife had entered Lin Jinlou's room. She was dazzled by the splendor and didn't know where to put her hands and feet. She wanted to pocket a few items but was afraid of Lin Jinlou's tyranny. Swallowing hard, she secretly resented that nothing in the room belonged to her and began rummaging through things even more recklessly. Wu Mama was carefully inspecting the trunks when she glanced sideways and suddenly saw Changfa's wife tugging at the silk garments in a bundle. Startled, she quickly stopped her and whispered, "What are you doing! These are the Master's clothes. How dare you rummage through them!"
Changfa's wife said sourly, "What Master? Would the Master wear patterns like these? Clearly, they belong to that little slut. Tsk, tsk, look at this fabric—it must cost at least two taels of silver per foot outside. The Master is certainly generous!"
Wu Mama frowned repeatedly.
This Changfa's wife had never seen much of the world. She had won the old lady's favor because she was skilled at making soup, good at playing cards, and sweet-tongued in flattery. Thus, Qin Shi had assigned her a respectable position. Changfa's wife valued this and had always been diligent in her duties. Although she had a minor habit of petty theft, others usually turned a blind eye since the items were insignificant. Today, seeing Qin Shi belittling Xianglan at every turn and wanting to avenge Hua Mei, she became unrestrained.
Wu Mama quickly said, "Alright, stop causing trouble. Don't you see that even the senior stewards' wives dare not touch anything? Only Mama Han and I are searching."
Changfa's wife glanced at Qin Shi, curled her lip, and said, "Since Taitai hasn't said anything, Mama should worry less." She brushed it off like wind past her ears.
Wu Mama flushed red with embarrassment and seethed inwardly.
Just then, a cry of "Ah!" was heard, and everyone immediately turned to look. Mama Han had pulled out a white cloth bundle from the head of the bed in the bedroom and handed it to Qin Shi. Qin Shi unwrapped it and saw a talisman inside, inscribed with words like "May Lin Jinlou die utterly."
Qin Shi trembled with rage, slapped Xianglan, threw the talisman in her face, and pointed at her, cursing, "You vile slut! How vicious your heart is, to curse my son to death!"
Xianglan was stunned. When she looked down and saw the talisman, she understood immediately and guessed most of the truth. She thought to herself, "Someone has framed me, spreading word of this talisman to Taitai, which is why she has mobilized everyone to search so late at night. Luan'er and Nuanyue aren't clever enough for this, and Ying Ge is too timid. This is most likely Hua Mei's doing." Her mind raced as she considered that if she admitted to this, Qin Shi, in her fury, might expel her from the estate—which would be ideal. But then she thought of Lin Jinlou's temper and grew fearful. Last time, it was just a fan, and Lin Jinlou had nearly strangled her. If she admitted to making this talisman, that Living Yama might exterminate her entire family.
Qin Shi pointed at Xianglan and scolded the others, "Lately, I've been preoccupied with miscellaneous matters and haven't been able to keep a close watch. Are all of you deaf and dumb? With such a Goblin-like creature by Lou Ge'er's side, scheming to take his life, you all just let it happen!"Before the words had faded, Hua Mei was seen entering. At the sight of the talisman, she let out a startled cry, threw herself to the ground, and wept, "Oh, how foolish you are, sister! Even if you resent the Master, considering all the kindness he has shown you in the past, you should never have done such a heartless deed!"
Thank you to Ming Zixi for the sachet, 05111039283 for two Peace Talismans, Chen Xiangyun and qian20051978 for the Peace Talismans, and also to everyone for the pink votes. I’ve been quite busy lately, so updates have been a bit slower and the content slightly shorter. Please forgive me.
OpenNovel