Lin Jinlou entered the city just as the night watch began. Guo Renjie led him to an inn, entering through the rear courtyard and ascending directly to the second floor. Guo Renjie smiled and said, "One young lady is settled in this room, and the other is next door..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Jinlou had already pushed the door open and strode inside. The room was elegantly furnished, with a single candle burning dimly on the table. On the bed, a girl sat curled up with her head buried, shoulders trembling as if weeping.
Lin Jinlou hurried over, grasped the girl’s arm, and called out softly, "Xianglan, Xianglan, don’t be afraid..."
The girl suddenly lifted her head, revealing a face streaked with tears and swollen, red eyes—it was Zidai. Both were stunned. Lin Jinlou released her arm first, but Zidai only wept more bitterly, clutching his sleeve and crying out, "Master! My heavens, you’ve finally come..." Overwhelmed by sorrow, she broke into heart-wrenching sobs.
Lin Jinlou, growing impatient, pulled his arm free and turned to leave. Thinking he meant to abandon her there, Zidai panicked. She threw her arms around his waist and, as he stepped forward, tumbled off the bed, still clinging desperately to his leg. Half-sprawled on the floor, she pleaded, "I beg you, Master, save me... please don’t leave your servant here..."
Lin Jinlou roared, "Let go!"
Zidai refused to release him. She looked up at his furious glare, fear gripping her heart. Yet, recalling his tender tone when he had called for Xianglan, bitterness welled up inside her. The resentment and humiliation she had suppressed for a full day and night could no longer be contained. She thought to herself, "If not for Chen Xianglan, I might already be the Lin Family’s new concubine. How could I have ended up nearly sold into a brothel, my reputation ruined, and now despised by the Master? That night when I entered his room to serve him water, he didn’t send me away but even treated me kindly—his attitude had already softened..." Rage surged through her, and through her tears, she cried out, "The Master only cares for Xianglan and never notices those of us who are loyal! She is the one you cherish—we dare not compare ourselves to her. But what you don’t know is that the great turmoil at Qixia Temple was all caused by Xianglan!"
Lin Jinlou had already viewed Zidai as an irksome nuisance, and these words only fueled his anger. He kicked her away and snarled, "Get lost!"
Zidai’s arm throbbed with pain from the kick, and she cried out, "Aiyo!" releasing her grip. But she immediately clutched his leg again, weeping, "Master, what I say is true! One morning... I saw Zhi Cao holding a brocade pouch. She said Hua Mei had a dream where a deity told her to throw the pouch into Xianglan’s room to ward off disaster. Hua Mei has always been skilled in using talismans and curses to harm others. I kindly advised her not to do such a thing, and Zhi Cao left at the time. I thought the matter was over. But not long after, the pox broke out in Knowing Spring Pavilion. When we were burning the clothes and bedding used by Miss Yingge, I saw a brocade pouch among the garments. It was embroidered with a yellow bird—a design I had never seen before—and tied with a multicolored tassel fastened to a greenish-white jade talisman carved with the character for 'fortune.' It was identical to the one Zhi Cao had held that day. Such an exquisite item could not be found anywhere else in the entire estate. I grew suspicious and later secretly sent someone to question Zhi Cao. Only then did I learn that she had indeed thrown that pouch into Xianglan’s room..." Her account was a mix of truth and falsehood, but with Zhi Cao dead, Zidai shifted all the blame without remorse.Her voice grew louder as she spoke, becoming hoarse and strained: "Master! Master, think about it—that brocade pouch was originally thrown into Xianglan’s room, so how did it end up in Ying Ge’s hands? That pouch must have contained something deadly, like a talisman or poison! Xianglan must have discovered it, but since Hua Mei had already gone home, only Ying Ge remained in your quarters. On the surface, Xianglan acted friendly with Ying Ge, but in secret, she used that pouch to harm her, borrowing a knife to kill. She has no tolerance for others at all! So many people lost their lives because of her—she has the heart of a venomous snake! It’s a pity Ying Ge mistakenly trusted her..." After saying this, Zidai began to sob again. She had indeed seen that pouch among the clothes Ying Ge burned. Because the pouch was exquisitely made, she recognized it at a glance and was immediately shocked. Suspicion grew in her heart, and soon after, people in Knowing Spring Pavilion started dying. Zidai grew anxious and went to tell Mama Han about it. Both aunt and niece believed that Hua Mei had hidden a malicious talisman to harm Xianglan, and that Xianglan had turned the tables, using it to kill Ying Ge instead.
"After all, Ying Ge once carried your child, Master. Even if she wasn’t destined to keep it, she still lost the baby. Xianglan has enjoyed your exclusive favor for so long, yet she hasn’t produced even an egg. Don’t be fooled by her aloof appearance—she must be anxious inside! As the saying goes, ‘No one stays fortunate for a thousand days, no flower stays red for a hundred.’ Master, your temper is fickle—today you favor one, tomorrow another. Who’s to say you won’t cast her aside one day? And if you ever take a fancy to Ying Ge again and she conceives, wouldn’t she rise above Xianglan?" Mama Han took a sip of tea, adopting a shrewd and calculating demeanor as she explained to her niece. "Tsk, tsk. I knew she disliked Ying Ge, but I never imagined her heart could be so poisonous."
"Aunt, what should we do... Should we tell Taitai?"
"How? There’s no proof, and the witnesses are dead. We might end up in trouble instead of succeeding." Mama Han glared, then paused in thought. "Let’s set this aside for now. Wait until Master’s interest in Xianglan cools before we stir the pot. She’s at the height of her influence now—we shouldn’t provoke her. Keep your mouth shut; this must not leak out."
Zidai felt disappointed. Though she agreed verbally, she couldn’t contain the secret in her heart. It was like having a chest of gold within reach but having to restrain herself from taking it. She clearly held evidence against Xianglan but couldn’t speak of it. Watching Xianglan flaunt her authority daily tormented her like an itch she couldn’t scratch. Today, finally voicing her thoughts brought her relief, yet she felt uneasy, stealing a glance at Lin Jinlou’s expression.
Lin Jinlou’s face was utterly expressionless, only a ghastly pallor. Suddenly, he let out two cold laughs and said sinisterly, "Good, very good. You are a loyal servant, indeed..."
There was no kindness in his tone, and Zidai couldn’t help but shudder.
"You didn’t speak of this earlier or later, but chose this moment to bring it up—fine, fine. I will remember your contribution." Lin Jinlou gritted his teeth as he spoke, then raised his voice and called, "Hu Lai! Fetch a carriage and take this woman back for me!" With that, he strode off toward the adjacent room.The person in that room was Shutong. Just moments before, she had heard crying and shouting from next door but couldn't make out what was being said, which made her increasingly anxious. At that very moment, the door crashed open with a loud bang. Shutong was terrified and stole a glance, only to see Lin Jinlou's face dark with anger, his entire body radiating a sinister and violent aura. Guilty conscience making her jump at shadows, she immediately assumed Lin Dongxiu had told Lin Jinlou about their failure to report what they knew. Thinking Lin Jinlou was furious about this, she trembled uncontrollably, scrambling and stumbling toward the corner of the room in panic.
Acknowledgements for the generous supporters will be given in the next chapter's update ^_^
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