Xianglan banged on the Bell Tower for a while, then looked around and saw lights flickering in the monks' quarters not far away. But behind her, she could vaguely make out several torches approaching the Bell Tower. Panicked, she stumbled down the stairs and ran in the opposite direction of the Scripture Repository. She felt breathless, as if her lungs were about to burst, and her legs were as heavy as lead. Yet, the sound of footsteps grew increasingly closer.
Xianglan could run no further, but the area was empty, with nowhere to hide. Leaning against the wall, she struggled to make her way behind the meditation hall. Looking up, she spotted a building with a plaque reading "Jixiang Kitchen"—the temple's kitchen. Staggering over, she discovered the door was unlocked and immediately pushed it open, frantically searching for a hiding spot. Suddenly, a series of clattering sounds startled her. To her shock, she saw two young monks, about seven or eight years old, clutching date cakes and other snacks, crouching in panic.
It turned out that because the Lin Family's women had come to the temple for the Buddhist Mass, the kitchen had prepared exquisite vegetarian pastries. Aside from those offered to the noble ladies, the leftovers were stored in the kitchen's chest. The two young monks, tempted by the treats, had taken advantage of the chaos after the bell ringing to sneak out and steal some snacks. They hadn't expected to run into Xianglan. One stood frozen in place, while the other trembled as he crouched between two water vats, his expression full of fear.
By now, the footsteps and shouts were drawing nearer. It was too late for Xianglan to flee. With a "bang," the door was kicked open. Xianglan immediately turned around, shielding the young monk behind her.
Four masked burly men rushed into the room. One of them, spotting the young monk, swung his blade, and the child instantly collapsed in a pool of blood, splattering crimson like peach blossoms across the floor. Xianglan screamed, nearly fainting from terror. Her heart raced wildly, her legs trembled uncontrollably, and she had to grip the edge of a water vat to keep from collapsing.
The leader of the four was Du Bin. Brandishing a torch, he charged in menacingly, only to find a disheveled but beautiful young woman cowering in the corner. Her face was pale, yet her bright, tear-filled eyes shone with startling intensity. Though she tried to appear composed, her trembling body betrayed her panic, making her appear utterly pitiable.
Du Bin froze, his throat dry, rooted to the spot and unable to speak for a long moment.
The man beside him whispered, "Is this woman from the Lin Family?"
Du Bin licked his lips. He had intended to capture Xianglan, but seeing her tremble so violently, he couldn't bear to roughhandle such a beauty. Turning his face slightly, he said softly, "Wait outside. I'll handle this." The three men withdrew.
Du Bin thought to himself, "Hua Mei said this woman has a stubborn will. If I make her hate and fear me, it'll spoil the fun. After being missing for a night, her reputation will be ruined. If I hide her for a few more days, it'll be even harder for her to explain. She should understand that Lin Jinlou won't want her anymore because of this. She might as well come with me. If I coax her now, I can win her favor and ensure her loyalty later." With that, he strode forward. Xianglan wanted to flee, but thinking of the young monk hiding behind her, she clenched her teeth and stood her ground, trembling like an autumn leaf.Du Bin walked up to her, pulled down the black cloth covering his face to reveal an extremely handsome countenance, and smiled gently at her, saying, "Don't be afraid, miss. I am General Lin's guard. I heard the bell ringing earlier and came specifically to rescue you. May I ask if you know where Taitai and the young lady are now?"
At the sight of that face, Xianglan's heart skipped a beat, thinking, "Isn't this Lin Dongling's lover? Why is he here?" She couldn't help but scrutinize him, noticing he was dressed entirely in black, and further thought, "He was just wearing a mask. If he were truly Lin Jinlou's guard, why would he be dressed like this? Besides, he shouldn't have met me before, so how could he determine I'm not a young lady of the Lin Family and instead ask me about Taitai and the young lady's whereabouts... There's something suspicious about him everywhere. I fear his intentions are not good. Perhaps because his illicit affair with Lin Dongling was exposed, and Lin Jinlou dealt with him harshly, he has joined forces with villains tonight to seek revenge?" Xianglan wildly speculated, inwardly alert, and did not answer. Instead, tears welled up in her eyes as she lowered her face and shook her head.
Du Bin quickly smiled and said, "Could it be that you don't believe me? I have a waist token from the camp." As he spoke, he took out a token from his bosom and showed it to Xianglan. It was a command arrow engraved with a seal-script character "Lin." Glancing at the ground, he saw the young monk had already stopped breathing, still clutching a piece of cake in his hand, and realized he had come to steal a snack. Deliberately, he said, "Earlier, my subordinate thought there was a villain in the room intending to harm you, so he struck heavily. Alas, it's a pity for this young master. We'll compensate with more silver later and give him a proper burial."
Xianglan dared not look at the corpse again. With tears in her eyes, she whispered softly, "It's... it's not that I don't believe you, sir, but I also don't know where Taitai and the young lady are now. It was pitch dark earlier, and we got separated while running..." As she spoke, she began to sob softly.
Her weeping made her all the more pitiable and endearing.
Du Bin grew fonder the more he looked at her, thinking to himself, "Although the Marquis doesn't indulge in feminine charms, such a peerless beauty—no man could let her slip away. If I present her to him, she'll likely be gone for good. It would be better to keep her hidden now and later keep her in a golden house. The Marquis is focused on Lin Jinlou's mother; one less concubine won't affect the overall situation." So he said gently, "Don't cry, miss. Why not come with me? There's a carriage outside where you can be settled, and I'll take you back to the residence."
Xianglan felt anxious inside and could only stall for time. Blinking her tearful eyes, she said, "I ran too hastily earlier and twisted my ankle. I'm afraid I can't walk now. Could I trouble you, sir, to let me rest for a while?" She added, "Fortunately, Buddha has protected me, allowing me to meet you, sir, and not fall into the hands of villains..." As she spoke, tears continued to fall.Du Bin was extremely impatient and wanted to forcibly take Xianglan away, but seeing her crying so pitifully softened his heart somewhat. Noticing the burly men peeking at the door, he thought: "If she's twisted her ankle, carrying her out would be inconvenient. Moreover, carrying someone out in full view of everyone would be hard to explain to the Marquis. Better to leave her here for now and quietly take her away later without anyone noticing. The men I brought are sworn brothers who've been through life and death together, so I don't worry about leaks. The urgent matter now is finding Lin Jinlou's mother." So he said: "Miss, rest here for a while. I'll be back shortly." After speaking, he searched around the kitchen and checked the water vat. Xianglan was pressed tightly against the wall, and the young monk was quite small, so Du Bin didn't discover them. Finding no one hidden, Du Bin went out, leaving a man to guard the door. Seeing a lock hanging on the door, he picked it up and snapped it shut with a click.
Xianglan tiptoed to the door and peered through the crack. Seeing someone guarding outside, her heart sank. She pushed the door and found it indeed locked securely. Just as she was growing anxious, she heard someone behind her say with a sob: "Bodhisattva..."
Xianglan turned to see the young monk standing there timidly, trembling all over with tear stains covering his face. She sighed and said: "Little master, that man earlier was a villain. When he returns, hide well and don't make a sound."
The young monk turned pale and quickly said: "Then let's escape quickly!"
Xianglan smiled bitterly: "The door is locked and there's someone guarding it. Where can we escape to?The young monk stammered: "I-I-I stole the kitchen brother's keys to sneak in and steal food.".." Then added: "Bodhisattva, follow me." He walked to the inner stove area, untied a bunch of keys from his waist, and with trembling hands managed to unlock the back door after several attempts.
Xianglan hurriedly said: "Let's go quickly." She pulled the young monk and ran out.
The young monk was very familiar with the temple layout. The two hid and dodged their way to the east side gate, removed the bolt, and rushed out of the temple in panic. After running for a while, Xianglan could go no further. They hid behind some bushes to rest, faintly hearing hoofbeats approaching. Xianglan quietly stood up holding a tree and saw a line of torchlights not far away - evidently nearby monks had heard the bell ringing and knew something was wrong, coming to investigate. About a dozen mounted guards had already reached the temple gate, wearing Lin Family Army uniforms. However, the temple gate remained tightly shut despite their shouts. These guards had escorted Lin Old Madam home at noon. When they returned in the afternoon to find the temple gates closed, they had temporarily stayed in nearby monks' quarters. Only when they heard the bell ringing at night did they rush over.
Xianglan quickly said to the young monk: "Little master, I can't walk anymore. Please lead the horsemen to the side gate and tell them villains have entered the temple - about fifteen or sixteen of them. Second Mistress and Third Young Lady have probably been captured, while First Madam and Fourth Young Lady are hiding in the Scripture Repository."
The young monk hesitated, clearly still frightened.
Xianglan pleaded: "They're all Lin Family guards who would never harm you. Little master, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I beg you to do this good deed."
Only then did the young monk agree, stumbling off to deliver the message. Of this, no more need be said.
Meanwhile, killing cries rose throughout Qixia Temple, while pleasure quarters elsewhere remained warm and lively.The scene revealed an elegant hall with painted pavilions, plain silk curtains, and jade-like windows. Five young noblemen sat clustered around an Eight Immortals Table laden with layered delicacies from land and sea. Several heavily made-up courtesans attended to them, among whom a beauty dressed in a red embroidered wide-sleeved jacket and a vibrant green satin skirt strummed a pipa while singing a refined melody in a delicate voice.
Lin Jinlou reclined lazily against his chairback. After finishing her song, the beauty settled beside him and ordered a maid to bring a silver basin. She meticulously washed her hands before peeling shrimp, dipping the meat in sauce, and feeding it to Lin Jinlou with small silver chopsticks.
Liu Xiaochuan watched with envy and remarked, "Brother, you've been cultivating restraint lately—we've invited you repeatedly with little success. It's only thanks to this young beauty that you've graced us with your presence. For that alone, we should toast Miss Yun Zhui." He raised his wine cup in salute.
Yun Zhui blushed faintly, stealing a glance at Lin Jinlou. Seeing he still wore a slight smile without any displeasure, she lifted her cup in return. "This humble one should be toasting you gentlemen. How could I let Master Liu toast me?" She then drank half her cup.
The group erupted in cheerful banter.
Lin Jinlou tapped Liu Xiaochuan's head with his chopsticks and met the gaze of Lu Shaotang, Marquis Yongxin, with a mocking smile. "You think just anyone can summon me? You lot alone aren't nearly important enough. If not for the young Marquis's face, would I have come for this pleasure gathering?"
Lu Shaotang raised his cup in a distant toast, finishing the remaining wine first. As he was about to speak, Liu Xiaochuan interjected, "Oh, so Miss Yun Zhui's appeal isn't enough? Brother Lou, you're too blunt—aren't you afraid such words might bring tears to the beauty's eyes?"
Ignoring him, Lin Jinlou simply gazed at Lu Shaotang with a half-lidded, amused expression. Days earlier, Lu Shaotang had sent an invitation, which Lin Jinlou had disregarded entirely. Only when the man enlisted his childhood friends like Liu Xiaochuan did Lin Jinlou reluctantly agree, unable to refuse their face—though he wondered what scheme Lu Shaotang was brewing. They were similar in age and had once been close companions, but Lu Shaotang had abruptly changed, becoming consistently oppositional. Lu Shaotang was vicious; at twelve, he'd hidden iron spikes under Lin Jinlou's saddle, causing Lin Jinlou to be thrown and nearly trampled to death. Lin Jinlou retaliated in kind: after identifying the culprit, he whipped Lu Shaotang until the boy couldn't recognize his own father, wet his pants, and lay bedridden with illness for a month. From then on, their relationship soured completely.
Later, Lin Jinlou earned military merits and rose to prominence among young generals. Lu Shaotang inherited his father's title and also gained military influence, leveraging old connections from his father's era—yet Lin Jinlou consistently overshadowed him. Now, the Lin Family aligned with the First Prince's faction, while Lu Shaotang openly supported the Second Prince. Their covert and overt conflicts held dangers untold to outsiders, and the rivalry had grown increasingly intense.
Lu Shaotang had bold eyebrows and phoenix eyes, standing a inch shorter than Lin Jinlou but equally imposing with an authoritative presence. He smiled at Lin Jinlou and said, "I hadn't realized my influence was so great. It almost sounds like Brother Lin is implying something, deliberately mocking me. I sent you invitations years ago, but you never responded—I thought you looked down on me."Chu Dapeng was quick-witted and personally picked up the wine pot to pour a drink for Lu Shaotang, smiling as he said, "We've all grown up together since childhood—what does it matter who's worthy or not? Don't you know him? He's busy all day long, so much so that even we rarely catch a glimpse of him."
Lu Shaotang sneered inwardly, but his face remained as warm as a spring breeze. He looked at Chu Dapeng and said, "You boys have also grown distant from me over the years."
Xie Yu raised his cup and laughed, "That may not be entirely fair, but since you put it that way, we must be at fault. I'll punish myself with a drink." Under the table, he kicked Liu Xiaochuan.
Liu Xiaochuan hastily picked up his cup and toasted Lu Shaotang. He was quite drunk, his head muddled, and he slurred, "To be honest, in my opinion, we've all been friends since we were young—what can't be talked out? Why not drink a cup and let bygones be bygones?" Then, turning to Lu Shaotang, he added, "I always thought you must've taken the wrong medicine—why on earth would you offend Lin Bawang for no reason? All the obstacles he's thrown your way over the years must've been hard to swallow... Ouch!"
Xie Yu gave Liu Xiaochuan a fierce kick under the table. Liu Xiaochuan sobered up a bit and immediately shut his mouth.
Both Lin Jinlou and Lu Shaotang acted as if they hadn't heard. Lin Jinlou still wore a faint smile at the corner of his lips and asked, "Well then, tell me, why did you invite me here today?"
Lu Shaotang also smiled slightly and replied, "Nothing much. It's just been years since we last sat together at a wine table—I thought we brothers could catch up."
Apologies for the lack of update yesterday due to internet issues. I'll make it up now. Thanks for the support, everyone! ^_^
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